Green Bay News

MADISON (AP) – For the first time in four years every county in Wisconsin reported an increase in visitor spending in 2014, the state’s Department of Tourism announced Friday.

Travelers contributed $18.5 billion to Wisconsin’s economy last year, up 5.5 percent from the year before, according to a state tourism report released Friday. Visitor growth topped 102 million in 2014, an increase of 7 million visits since 2010.

The department cited improvements in the overall economy and moderating gas prices as reasons for growth in both day and overnight visitor volumes. Each grew by around 2 percent. The report also said per-trip spending increased as personal income and consumer confidence strengthened in 2014.

The department said direct visitor spending on food, lodging, transportation, entertainment and other services accounted for $11.4 billion, up 5.3 percent from 2013. Lodging was the biggest money-maker in 2014, accounting for 26 percent of tourists’ spending. Food and beverage came in second at 25.4 percent.

Jackson County, in the west-central part of the state, saw the state’s largest percentage increase in visitor spending at 11.8 percent. That number jumped from $32.2 million in 2013 to $36.1 million last year.

Chris Hardie, executive director of the Black River Falls chamber of commerce, attributed the increase to additional construction and industrial projects.

He said workers from nearby frack sand mines, natural gas pipelines and a local community center drove up visitor spending in the county.

“That has certainly brought in a lot of people,” Hardie said.

Hardie said a warmer and less rainy summer also meant more visitors made their way to Jackson County to hike, canoe and camp. He said he planned a news conference Monday to announce the numbers and hopes 2015 will bring in more business for the county.

“We’re going to use this news as a way to say we’re here, come explore what we have to offer,” he said.

Dane, Milwaukee, Sauk, Waukesha and Brown counties saw the highest direct visitor spending.

The hotel sector saw room demand increase 3.5 percent from 2013, pushing up average room rates by 3.7 percent.

The report also said tourism supported about 187,650 Wisconsin jobs last year, or 7.9 percent of the state’s employment. And the state and local tax revenue generated by visitors tallied $1.4 billion.

Most tourists in Wisconsin were from the U.S., according to the report. Only 5.7 percent of visitors came to Wisconsin from other nations, the report said.

The report also said a TV advertising campaign in March that featured Wisconsin basketball coach Bo Ryan has been viewed online more than 526,000 times, a record for the department.

NEW YORK (AP) – It’s an annoying problem for the unlucky few: the Apple Watch’s heart rate monitor might not work if you have a tattoo on your wrist.

Inked and irked Apple fans have dubbed the issue “TattooGate” on Twitter, complaining that they must choose between their body art and their stylish gadget. Apple, for its part, acknowledged the issue on its support website.

“Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos, can also impact heart rate sensor performance,” the site reads. “The ink, pattern, and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings.”

While the issue might sound like one of those “1 percenter problems” some Twitter users wondered how it happened that Apple didn’t have a single designer or tester with a wrist tattoo who would have noticed the problem. Apple suggests that users who can’t get a consistent heart rate reading connect their Apple Watch wirelessly to external heart rate monitors.

If you have a wrist tattoo and aren’t planning on removing it for the sake of the watch, it might make sense to test out the heart rate monitor feature before you commit to a watch.

This isn’t Apple’s first “-gate” problem. “Antennagate” in 2010 was a short-lived problem with the iPhone 4’s antenna design, which caused reception problems when people covered a certain spot on the antenna with their bare hand.

Then-CEO Steve Jobs apologized to people who were not completely satisfied with the iPhone 4, but denied there was an antenna problem that needed fixing. Even so, the company gave out free protective cases. Even so, “Antennagate” didn’t seem to make a dent in the iPhone’s popularity or sour Apple’s devoted fan base, and it’s unlikely that “TattooGate” will make or break the Apple Watch.

PULASKI – A high school teacher and principal were both suspended after a fight broke out at Pulaski High School, newly released documents show. A video of the fight sparked controversy in the district after the parent of one of the students involved posted the video on social media.

The Pulaski Community School District has released new information following a March 18 fight at the high school.

• Click here for more information about the incident and changes made by the district

A district reprimand said Dave Shaw, a physical education teacher, told Ethan Peters the day before the fight, “If I were you, I’d crack him upside the head.” Peters is the student seen punching Tim Pine’s son in the video. Tim Pine is the parent who posted the video online.

A criminal complaint shows Peters was upset because students were making annoying noises in the lunchroom before school on March 18.

• Click here to watch the video on Facebook

The district said Shaw was not in the lunchroom at the time of the incident and the statement was made the day before the fight happened  Shaw said his comment was an attempt at humor to diffuse the original situation.

Among the documents the school released is an apology letter from Shaw to the district and the parents.

Shaw was suspended for three days without pay. Pulaski High School Principal John Matczak was also required to write an apology letter to the parents. The district says Matczak engaged in verbally argumentative behavior during a meeting that involved the students and parents. Documents show Matczak was suspended for five days without pay.

“This has been a difficult situation for everyone involved. It’s unfortunate that this has cast our school and our district in a negative light that is not reflective of our students, teachers, district or community. With today’s release of information, we hope that everyone can move forward in a positive constructive way,” said Bec Kurzynske, the district’s interim superintendent.

• Click the play button above to watch Kurzynske’s full statement

FOX 11’s Gabrielle Mays will have the full story tonight of FOX 11 News at Five.

BALTIMORE (AP) – Baltimore’s top prosecutor announced criminal charges Friday against all six officers suspended after a man suffered a fatal spinal injury in police custody, saying “no one is above the law.”

“Mr. Gray’s death was a homicide,” State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby declared. His arrest was illegal and his treatment in custody amounted to murder and manslaughter, she said.

The announcement prompted whoops, hollers and shouts of “Justice!” on the courthouse steps and in the streets of Baltimore, which has faced nearly two weeks of growing anger over Freddie Gray’s death.

LIST OF CHARGES FOR OFFICERS//
By The Associated Press

OFFICER CAESAR R. GOODSON Jr.

• Second-degree depraved heart murder, 30 years
• Involuntary manslaughter, 10 years
• Second-degree assault, 10 years
• Gross negligent manslaughter by vehicle, 10 years
• Criminal negligent manslaughter, 3 years
• Misconduct in office

OFFICER WILLIAM G. PORTER

• Involuntary manslaughter, 10 years
• Second-degree assault, 10 years
• Misconduct in office

LT. BRIAN W. RICE

• Involuntary manslaughter, 10 years
• 2 counts of second-degree assault, 10 years each
• 2 counts of misconduct in office
• False imprisonment

OFFICER EDWARD M. NERO

• 2 counts of second-degree assault, 10 years
• 2 counts of misconduct in office
• False imprisonment

OFFICER GARRETT E. MILLER

• 2 counts of second-degree assault, 10 years each
• 2 counts of misconduct in office
• False imprisonment

SGT. ALICIA D. WHITE

• Involuntary manslaughter, 10 years
• Second-degree assault, 10 years
• Misconduct in office

Mosby made her decision public only hours after receiving the results of the internal police investigation and an official autopsy report. As she spoke, the city was bracing for huge crowds in two more waves of protests Friday and Saturday.

“Mr. Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside of the BPD wagon,” she said.

The stiffest charge — second-degree “depraved heart” murder — was filed against driver of the police van. The other five were charged with crimes including manslaughter, assault, false imprisonment and misconduct in office.

Fraternal Order of Police local president Gene Ryan told Mosby in a letter before the charges were announced Friday that none of the six suspended officers were responsible for Gray’s death.

But Mosby said Gray was illegally arrested, assaulted, falsely accused of carrying an illegal weapon, and then hoisted, handcuffed, into the metal compartment of a police van without the seatbelt that all officers are told they must put on for safety of both detainees and officers.

The officers later failed to get medical help even though Gray requested it repeatedly, she said. At some point along the way, he suffered a mysterious spinal injury and died a week later.

Mosby said the illegal switchblade – which Officer Garrett E. Miller swore in a court record under penalty of perjury that he found clipped inside Gray’s pants pocket after he was detained – was in fact a legal knife, and provided no justification for Gray’s arrest.

She said Gray was assaulted by Miller, Officer William G. Porter, Officer Edward M. Nero, Lt. Brian W. Rice and Sgt. Alicia D. White. Each faces up to 10 years if convicted of second-degree assault.

The van driver, Officer Caeser R. Goodson, Jr., faces up to 30 years on the murder charge, and 10 years each for involuntary manslaughter, assault and “manslaughter by vehicle.” All of the officers also face a charge of misconduct in office.

A warrant was issued for their arrest, but Mosby said she was not sure if they were already in custody.

Mosby said she comes from five generations of police officers, that she respects and honors how police serve the people, and that this case should in no way damage the relationship between police and prosecutors in Baltimore.

She swiftly rejected a request from the Baltimore police officers union asking her to appoint a special independent prosecutor because of her ties to attorney Billy Murphy, who is representing Gray’s family. Murphy was among Mosby’s biggest campaign contributors last year, donating the maximum individual amount allowed, $4,000, in June. Murphy also served on Mosby’s transition team after the election.

The state medical examiner’s office said it sent Gray’s autopsy report to prosecutors Friday morning. Spokesman Bruce Goldfarb says the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner will not release the report publicly while the case is under investigation.

In front of a fire station where Gov. Larry Hogan was scheduled to visit Friday, a man leaning out of a passing truck window pumped both arms in the air and yelled, “Justice! Justice! Justice!”

At the corner of North and Pennsylvania avenues, where the worst of the rioting took place on Monday, drivers honked their horns. When buses stopped in front of the subway station, people spilled out cheering as the doors opened.

There was no large gathering at the intersection immediately after the announcement, though: Nearly 100 police in riot gear were deployed, and for the moment, they had nothing to do.

Ciara Ford of Baltimore expressed surprise at the decision to prosecute.

“I’m ecstatic,” she said. “I hope this can restore some peace.”

“It makes you cry,” said her friend, Stephanie Owens of Columbia.

They both expressed hopes that the officers would be convicted. And both believed that the protests in the city made a difference in ensuring that authorities took the case seriously.

“If we had kept quiet, I don’t think they would have prosecuted,” Ford said.

Community activist Ted Sutton surveyed the joyous scene with amazement. “You don’t see people chanting. What you see is people celebrating,” Sutton said.

The charges, and Mosby’s detailed explanation of what happened, are a first step toward transparency, he said.

“She took the time to critique the evidence,” Sutton said, noting that the officers faced different charges specific to their actual alleged misconduct. “To have each person charged with what they actually did . to have it come out this quick – this is something else.”

He shuddered to think what the intersection would have looked like if she had announced that no charges would be filed.

“We wouldn’t want to imagine what was going to happen right here,” he said.

___

Contributors include Brian Witte, Matt Barakat and Dave Dishneau in Baltimore.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Authorities say two people are dead after a street fight erupted overnight in a north side Milwaukee neighborhood.

Police say multiple gunshots were fired when 30 to 40 people began fighting about 1 a.m. Friday. A lieutenant on the scene says three others were injured.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office says autopsies will be done later Friday.

Police have not made any arrests so far.

BELOIT (AP) – Federal authorities say seven Beloit men have been arrested on drugs and weapons charges.

Their Thursday arrests follow an investigation by local and federal authorities into the suspected dealing of cocaine and other drugs in Rock County.

The suspects, with ages ranging from 20 to 48, face several years in prison if convicted of the gun and drug charges. They’re expected to appear soon in a Madison federal court.

GREEN BAY – Fresh off their trip to the Southwest, Shana Conradt and Liz Cookle of Make Me Hot Meals were inspired to grill up some quesadillas for us this morning.  The private chefs suggest washing them down with a Sangria that adds a little hint of cinnamon.

Quantities of ingredients depend on number of quesadillas being made.  Use discretion. Roasted Veggie Whole Grain Tortillas Organic Bell Pepper, sliced Onions, sliced Mushrooms, sliced Asiago Cheese Rosemary, chopped Chives, chopped Salt Pepper Equal parts chipotle salsa and mayonnaise with olive oil for dipping sauce Roast peppers, onions, and mushrooms with salt and pepper until desired tenderness.  Cover bottom tortilla with asiago cheese, layer with vegetables, sprinkle with fresh herbs, finish with another layer of cheese and top tortilla.  Grill or sauté in pan until browned on both sides.  Serve with chipotle mayo. Spicy Shrimp Whole Grain Tortillas Shrimp, pre-grilled and diced Organic Bell Pepper, diced Corn Salsa Equal parts mayonnaise with olive oil and 0% plain Chobani until mixture is sticky Fajita Seasoning Mexican Cheese Combine shrimp, pepper, corn, salsa, mayo and Chobani.  Cover bottom tortilla with mexican cheese, layer with shrimp mixture, sprinkle with fajita seasoning, finish with layer of cheese and top tortilla.  Grill or sauté in pan until browned on both sides.  Serve with salsa. BBQ Chicken Whole Grain Tortillas Dry BBQ Seasoning Chicken Breast, grilled and shredded Organic Green Onion, diced Red Onion, sliced Cilantro, chopped Reduced-fat Mozzarella Cheese Equal parts honey and BBQ sauce for dipping Season chicken breast with dried BBQ, grill, shred, and set aside.  Cover bottom tortilla with mozzarella cheese, disperse BBQ chicken, onions, and cilantro, finish with layer of cheese and top tortilla.  Grill or sauté in pan until browned on both sides.  Serve with honey BBQ sauce. Cinnamon Sangria 1 bottle Red Wine 1 c Brandy 1/2 c Triple Sec Orange Juice to taste Lemon Drink/Soda to taste Pineapple Slices Blackberries Orange Slices Pinches of Cinnamon to taste Combine all ingredients.  Refrigerate overnight.

ASHWAUBENON – Do you love superheroes? Saturday is the perfect day to start collecting comic books.

David Powers from Powers Comics and Collectibles joined Pete this morning to talk about Free Comic Book Day.

Marvel, DC and all the other major publishers have special issues you can pick up for free!

Click here for more information on Powers Comics.

ST. IGNACE, Mich. (AP) – The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says canceling the deer hunting season in the Upper Peninsula is one of many options to consider in response to a smaller deer population.

Deer management specialist Chad Stewart doubts the fall season will be scratched. But it’s one of six options to be presented to the Natural Resources Commission at its May 7 meeting. No immediate decision is expected.

Harsh winters have had a severe impact on deer. Stewart tells WPBN-WTOM that the number of deer killed in the Upper Peninsula during the 2014 season was one of the lowest in 30 years.

Hunting gives a big lift to the economy north of the Mackinac Bridge. St. Ignace Visitors Bureau President James Dekeyser says canceling the season would have a “huge impact.”

NEW HOLSTEIN – Several suspects are in custody, after a home invasion and shooting.

It happened in the 2000 block of Railroad St., at approximately 8:50 p.m Wednesday.

Officials say several suspects entered a home, and shots were fired.

They say one man was shot. He suffered non life-threatening injuries.

Police say he was released from the hospital Thursday.

No descriptions of the suspects have been released.

If you have any information, you can remain anonymous and call Calumet County Crimestoppers at (877) 765-8327 or text your tip to 274637, keyword “Calumet.”

OSHKOSH – A popular family-friendly event is back in Oshkosh this weekend.

The 5th annual Oshkosh Bird Fest takes place on Saturday at Menominee park.

The festivities begin at 6 a.m.

Visitors will be able to get up close to educational birds, learn more about the banding process and bird watch with experts.

The Bird Fest fun continues into the Downtown Oshkosh gallery Walk at the Oshkosh Bird Fest Headquarters at Oshkosh Masonic Center where kids activities are planned including a bird-themed scavenger hunt.

The event is free to attend.

FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning checking it out.

For more information on Bird Fest, click here.

 

We’re taking a look back at when the speed limit in Wisconsin went up to 65.

Bob Moore has this Flashback Friday from May 1, 1996.

The new speed limit on Highway 41 will make it easier for people traveling its entire length. One speed and no worries about local limits.

“I think we’re trying to be uniform statewide in treating the driver and telling him what safe and practical speed to go.”

State troopers say that the best bet is to observe the posted speed limit, and until the black and white 65 signs go up, they will hold you to the present 55 miles per hour limit.

“Bottom line for State Patrol is that it doesn’t really matter what the speed limit is. We enforce whatever is posted. And that might be the biggest thing for people to keep in mind.”

The great Mideast Oil Embargo of 1974 drove the federal government to impose a 55 mile per hour speed limit to conserve energy. But now with speed limits going up, and the prices going full throttle, the question for drivers is, how fast will they go?

“Probably just keep up with the flow of traffic.”

“I don’t normally speed, but well, it might cause me to slow down a little bit because of the gas and stuff, so.”

“Everybody speeds. I mean, I’m sure not gonna stop speeding. I mean, just because prices go up, it’s not gonna stop me.”

“I don’t go over 65 anyway.”

All federal speed limit controls were lifted in 1995.

NEW FRANKEN – The 2015 Fishing Opener is almost here!

FOX 11’s Emily Deem spent Friday morning with the folks from Mills Fleet Farm to get local anglers ready for the big day!

Click here to find a Mills Fleet Farm near you.

BHAKTAPUR, Nepal (AP) – Nepalese photojournalist Amul Thapa smiled in spite of his hidden pain when he saw the scene he’ll remember always: Rescue workers pulling a 4-month-old boy from the wrecked home where he’d been trapped 20 hours after the earthquake.

Sonit Awal’s chubby cheeks were caked in chalky, concrete dust. One tiny fist curled tightly shut, the other seemingly covering his face.

His 9-year-old sister was watching him when the magnitude-7.8 temblor struck at midday Saturday, collapsing many historic buildings in the town of Bhaktapur, just east of Nepal’s capital.

The children’s parents were both away but the girl managed to escape unhurt. When Thapa, who works with KathmanduToday.com, first heard Sonit’s cries, the baby was trapped under a wooden beam.

That beam “was supporting everything,” the 26-year-old remembers. To move it would have meant to bring even more danger to the trapped child.

Thapa’s own family in his hometown of Bhaktapur had suffered and his home had been destroyed but Thapa said when he heard the baby cry all he could think was “Please God, help him.”

Thapa was walking to the market on Saturday when he first heard of the baby trapped but he decided not to shoot that day.

“The atmosphere was not right.”

But he returned the next morning.

At 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nepalese army soldiers pulled out little Sonit.

“When I saw the baby alive all my sorrow went. Everyone was clapping. It gave me energy and made me smile in spite of lots of pain hidden inside me.”

The photographer said the baby appeared to have suffered only a small cut over his brow.

Many of the ornate buildings in Bhaktapur, a key tourist site, were reduced to rubble after the earthquake.

“Please help Nepalese people and save Nepalese people,” Thapa said, adding that urban areas would recover from the devastation relatively quickly but in the villages close to the epicenter, people lost their home and are asking for help.

___

Associated Press photo editor Yirmiyan Arthur and writer Muneeza Naqvi in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Warmer weather is moving in for the first weekend of May.

Right now the fire danger is high to very high in our area with burning restrictions in place. We could really use some rain, and we may get it later this weekend.

It will warm up for the first couple days of May with highs about 10 to 15 degrees above normal (normal high is 61).  Expect mostly sunny skies today with a  high near 70.  Winds will be west/southwest at 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday will see some morning clouds then become mostly sunny in the afternoon and warm up even more, with and a high near 72.

Sunday we’ll see partly sunny skies and a high near 76.  Sunday evening and night may bring some relief to our dry weather as a cold front pushes through the state.  Showers and thunderstorms are likely for the entire area. Right now indications are that a half inch to an inch of rain is possible which would help lessen the fire danger .

After some morning showers Monday, skies will become partly sunny with highs tumbling a bit, back into the mid 60s.

Dry weather with warming temperatures will be the weather story Tuesday and Wednesday with highs from 65 to 70.

2015 NFL Draft Selections
At Chicago
Thursday, April 30
First Round
1. Tampa Bay, Jameis Winston, qb, Florida State.
2. Tennessee, Marcus Mariota, qb, Oregon.
3. Jacksonville, Dante Fowler Jr., lb, Florida.
4. Oakland, Amari Cooper, wr, Alabama.
5. Washington, Brandon Scherff, ot, Iowa.
6. New York Jets, Leonard Williams, de, Southern Cal.
7. Chicago, Kevin White, wr, West Virginia.
8. Atlanta, Vic Beasley, de, Clemson.
9. New York Giants, Ereck Flowers, ot, Miami.
10. St. Louis, Todd Gurley, rb, Georgia.
11. Minnesota, Trae Waynes, db, Michigan State.
12. Cleveland, Danny Shelton, nt, Washington.
13. New Orleans, Andrus Peat, ot, Stanford.
14. Miami, Devante Parker, wr, Louisville.
15. San Diego (from San Francisco), Melvin Gordon, rb, Wisconsin.
16. Houston, Kevin Johnson, db, Wake Forest.
17. San Francisco (from San Diego), Arik Armstead, de, Oregon.
18. Kansas City, Marcus Peters, db, Washington.
19. Cleveland (from Buffalo), Cameron Erving, g, Florida State.
20. Philadelphia, Nelson Agholor, wr, Southern Cal.
21. Cincinnati, Cedric Ogbuehi, ot, Texas A&M.
22. Pittsburgh, Bud Dupree, lb, Kentucky.
23. Denver (from Detroit), Shane Ray, de, Missouri.
24. Arizona, D.J. Humphries, ot, Florida.
25. Carolina, Shaq Thompson, lb, Washington.
26. Baltimore, Breshad Perriman, wr, UCF.
27. Dallas, Byron Jones, db, UConn.
28. Detroit (from Denver), Laken Tomlinson, g, Duke.
29. Indianapolis, Phillip Dorsett, wr, Miami.
30. Green Bay, Damarious Randall. db, Arizona State.
31. New Orleans (from Seattle), Stephone Anthony, lb, Clemson.
32. New England, Malcom Brown, dt, Texas.

GREEN BAY — Defense ruled in the first round again for Green Bay on Thursday night as the Packers chose defensive back Damarious Randall of Arizona State at No. 30 overall, hoping to address a glaring need in the secondary following departures in free agency.

The 5-foot-11 Randall played safety at Arizona State. But the Packers might be looking at him as a cornerback after veteran Tramon Williams left for Cleveland and Davon House left for Jacksonville.

Randall led the Sun Devils last season with 106 tackles in 13 games. He came to Arizona State after playing at Mesa (Arizona) Community College.

General manager Ted Thompson went defense in the first round for the fourth straight draft.

Inside linebacker is also a need after the Packers cut ties in the offseason with veterans A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones. That position will likely be targeted when the draft resumes on Friday.

But for now, a question in the secondary may have been addressed.

Veteran Sam Shields starts at one corner. Casey Hayward may be looked on to start for Williams at the other corner.

The Packers also have jack-of-all-trades Micah Hyde in the secondary. The safety position is set with Morgan Burnett and last year’s first-round pick, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, along with top backup Sean Richardson.

McCarthy might be hoping that Randall has the kind of productive season that Clinton-Dix had in his rookie year.  But he may need to play corner to get on the field with Green Bay. Randall’s Arizona State biography listed him as playing a “boundary safety” position.

Thompson drafts for value over need. While cornerback was clearly a hole coming into the draft, the cautious general manger has been careful not to tip off his thinking.

The last time that the Packers had the 30th pick in the first round, in 2008, the team traded it to the New York Jets for the 36th overall pick, a second-rounder. Green Bay ended up taking receiver Jordy Nelson.

 

 

 

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Chargers have not only kept quarterback Philip Rivers, but they’ve paid a heavy price to move up two spots to select Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon with the 15th pick overall.

The Chargers sent their first- and fourth-round picks this year and fifth-round pick next year to the San Francisco 49ers.

San Diego needed a bruising back to help take the pressure off Rivers, and they got it in Gordon. He set the FBS record for career rushing average with 7.79 yards per carry.

The Chargers needed a featured back after letting Ryan Mathews leave as a free agent.

A rumored trade of Rivers to Tennessee, which would have allowed the Chargers to take Marcus Mariota with the second pick, didn’t materialize.

RIPON – An important heirloom is now back with its rightful owner at this Ripon church and a woman is behind bars for allegedly stealing the nearly century-old chalice.

Police say she committed the theft after the church offered her help.

St. Catherine of Siena in Ripon offers gas gift cards to people in need. Last week a woman picked up two cards at the Catholic church, but after she left, something else was gone.

“The employee went back and checked and found this nearly 100-year-old chalice that they use for communion at the church was missing,” explained Ripon Police Captain William Wallner.

Church employees called police and gave them the woman’s name.

“Go to that suspect’s residence and find her and eventually were able to find the chalice and a couple other items she had taken,” said Wallner.

Police estimate the chalice is worth about $2,500.

“To them, could not put a price tag on it,” Wallner added.

Officers told FOX 11, most importantly the chalice is very historically significant to the church parish.

“A valuable piece that was donated to the church on behalf of a World War I veteran that was killed on duty in France in 1918. It’s very significant to them,” explained Wallner.

The engraving on the bottom of the chalice says it’s in honor of Private William Thomas Broder.

Police told us it’s good the chalice is back with the church, but sad someone took it in the first place.

“Here this organization was willing to help this person on numerous occasions and basically she took advantage of that. I don’t know how you explain what the thinking process there is. It’s very unfortunate,” said Wallner.

The suspect hasn’t been charged yet. She is being held at the Fond du Lac County jail on a probation violation.

The church pastor declined to talk with us about this story.

MILWAUKEE — Mike Dunleavy scored 20 points and the Chicago Bulls came close to an NBA playoff record, finally putting away the Milwaukee Bucks with a 120-66 victory in Game 6 to clinch their first-round series Thursday night.

The Bulls, who move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, finished four points away from the NBA playoff record for largest margin of victory. Minnesota beat St. Louis 133-75 on March 19, 1956.

The game was over early, but it still featured plenty of the intensity and bad blood that marked the first five games of the series and Dunleavy was in the middle of much of the action. He drew the foul that led to the ejection of Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo for a flagrant 2 foul just before halftime.

Pau Gasol scored 19 points and Jimmy Butler added 16 for the Bulls, who started the series with a 3-0 lead before two straight wins by the defensive-minded Bucks put them back in position to tie it. Derrick Rose scored 15 points and all five Chicago starters were in double figures.

In an indication of Milwaukee’s misery on offense, no Bucks starter scored more than ZaZa Pachulia’s eight points. It was the biggest playoff loss in team history. The Bucks lost by 36 points at New York in 1970.

Antetokounmpo was ejected after a hard foul on Dunleavy during a 3-point attempt that sent him crashing into the front row of fans with 1:34 left in the second quarter. After a review, officials ruled it a flagrant 2. It may have been a reaction to a hand to the face that Dunleavy gave Antetokounmpo a little earlier in the game – an incident similar to contact between Dunleavy’s arm and Michael Carter-Williams’ face near the beginning of the game.

Dunleavy and Carter-Williams tangled again in the third quarter. Dunleavy bumped Carter-Williams, and Carter-Williams retaliated by swinging his left arm and sending Dunleavy to the court. Dunleavy was called for an offensive foul, and Carter-Williams earned a technical. Dunleavy played for the Bucks for two seasons before joining the Bulls in 2013-14.

It was a rough end to a successful season for the Bucks, who were the league’s worst team in 2013-14 but turned it around to earn the No. 6 playoff season under new coach Jason Kidd.

The Bucks were never really in this one, though, trailing 34-16 at the end of the first quarter and 65-33 at the half.

TIP-INS
Bulls: F Nikola Mirotic finished second in rookie of the year voting, behind Minnesota’s Andrew Wiggins. “I thought he had a terrific year,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He has a very bright future and just has to keep working. I love the way he approaches things.” . Despite the blowout, Thibodeau played his starters well into the third quarter.
Bucks: With 33 points in the first half, the Bucks came one point shy of tying their all-time franchise playoff low for points in the first half. Milwaukee scored 32 points in the first half against Detroit in 2004.