Green Bay News

BRENHAM, Texas (AP) – Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries issued a voluntary recall Monday night for all of its products on the market after two samples of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream tested positive for listeria.

The company “can’t say with certainty” how the bacteria was introduced to the manufacturing line, Blue Bell’s chief executive Paul Kruse said in a statement.

“We’re committed to doing the 100 percent right thing, and the best way to do that is to take all of our products off the market until we can be confident that they are all safe,” Kruse said.

The first recall in the family-owned creamery’s 108-year history was issued last month after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked ice cream contaminated with listeriosis to three deaths at a Kansas hospital. Five others in Kansas and Texas were sickened with the disease.

The foodborne illness was tracked to a production line in Brenham, Texas, and later to a second line in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

The recall extends to retail outlets in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming and international locations.

A manufacturing facility in Oklahoma where operations were suspended earlier this month for sanitizing will remain closed as Blue Bell continues to investigate the source of the bacteria, the statement said.

Blue Bell is also implementing a process to test all of its products before releasing them to the market.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

NEENAH – Sunday the Neenah Police Department got a report of suspicious suitcases near the Walmart and Kohl’s. The stores were evacuated, and the bomb squad called in.

Officers were on especially high alert because that was also the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. The anniversaries of the Columbine shooting and the Boston Marathon bombing were also on officers’ minds.

“This is huge because people that plan theses sort of attacks look for significant dates to make a statement,” explained Neenah Police Offcer Edgar Gonzalez.

The suitcases had typewriters in them, nothing dangerous.

However, officers told FOX 11 the person who called them in did the right thing.

“Because it not only let us participate and actually put into practice something that we may need in a big event, but it also let us know what we have people that are aware and going out there if it had been a real threat, that person would have saved lives,” Gonzalez explained.

Officers told us it’s important people follow the advice, “if you see something, say something.” They said you should trust your gut if something doesn’t seem right.

“If they see something that’s out of place, something that’s abnormal, they can be the eyes and ears for law enforcement, first responders, emergency personnel,” explained Captain Todd Christie with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department.

And if you do call in something suspicious, try to give as much specific information as possible.

“It’s the who, what, where, when and why,” said Christie.

But are officers concerned about people overreacting? Those we spoke with said “no.”

“That’s our job, that’s what we get paid for, to be community caretakers and to investigate the things that are out of the norm,” said Appleton Police Sergeant Dave Lund.

“Whether the person’s overreacting or no, we can come in as a neutral pary and we can do a good investigation and make sure everyone’s safe,” added Gonzalez.

MILWAUKEE — Anthony Desclafani pitched eight shutout innings and Zach Cozart and Joey Votto homered as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-1 on Monday night.

Desclafani (2-0) held Milwaukee hitless until Adam Lind’s double with two outs in the fourth. Hector Gomez’s fifth-inning single was the only other hit off Desclafani, who struck out five and ran his scoreless innings streak to 15.

It was the third straight strong outing for Desclafani, acquired by the Reds in a December trade for pitcher Mat Latos. In his previous outing last Tuesday, he held Chicago to two hits and no runs over seven innings.

Desclafani and Milwaukee starter Wily Peralta (0-2) were locked in a scoreless battle through five innings. The Reds got to Peralta in the sixth. Brayan Pena drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly and Cozart followed with a three-run homer.

Votto added a two-run homer in the seventh off Peralta, who allowed six runs and eight hits over seven innings.

It marked the second consecutive rough start for Peralta, who yielded four runs and 10 hits against St. Louis on Wednesday.

Ryan Braun homered with one out in the ninth for the Brewers.

Cincinnati appeared to score in the second when Pena slid into home and was ruled safe on Desclafani’s single. Umpires overturned the call after a Milwaukee challenge.

Milwaukee threatened in the fifth. With runners on first and second and one out, Reds catcher Kristopher Negron made a diving catch of Peralta’s popped up bunt attempt. Negron threw to first for an easy double play.

TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: Catcher Devin Mesoraco remained away from team for an undisclosed family issue. He is expected to return Tuesday, manager Bryan Price said. Mesoraco hasn’t played since April 12 due to a left hip impingement. . Desclafini was hit in the foot in the fourth inning but remained in the game.
Brewers: Second baseman Scooter Gennett sat out after receiving five stitches to close a wound to a knuckle on his left hand that he suffered in the shower after Sunday afternoon’s game in Pittsburgh. Gennett said he sliced open the knuckle on a metal shower rack. “It was definitely a freakish thing. It started bleeding everywhere.” Gennett said he hopes to return to the lineup by Wednesday. Manager Ron Roenicke, however, didn’t rule out a DL stint for Gennett. . Catcher Jonathan Lucroy left the game in the seventh after a foul tip hit his left foot.

UP NEXT
Reds: Jason Marquis (0-1, 6.30) takes the mound in the second of the three-game set on Tuesday. The veteran hurler will make his 22nd career start against the Brewers. He’s 6-12 against Milwaukee.
Brewers: Mike Fiers (0-2, 5.91 ERA) is 1-3 with a 3.08 ERA in six career games (four starts) against the Reds. Fiers took a 3-1 loss in his only start against Cincinnati last season.

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay School district is expanding the automotive technician lab at East High School.

It’s forming “City Stadium Automotive.”

The existing program at East has seen increased enrollment in the last several years.

The district is expected to announce more about how the expansion will be paid for on Wednesday.

The project is expected to be complete by September.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – The director of Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee has resigned after being on the job for less than three months.

Terry Slaybaugh’s resignation was announced Monday in a statement by the Milwaukee County executive’s office.

According to the statement, Slaybaugh said the transition for his family has been difficult, so he’s decided to return to Dayton, Ohio, where his family is located.

Slaybaugh was announced as the new airport director on Jan. 26.

The Journal Sentinel reports the recruitment firm that Milwaukee County worked with in the last hiring process will help find a replacement for Slaybaugh.

Mitchell International is owned and operated by Milwaukee County.

(CNN) – Billionaire businessman and Republican donor David Koch is backing Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, to be the next president, but not financially, CNN reports.

Walker spoke at a private gathering hosted by the New York State Republican Party in Manhattan Monday.

According to CNN sources, after Walker left the room, Koch said he plans to remain neutral during the primary season even though he personally supports and likes Walker.

CNN also reports Koch emphasized he will support the eventual Republican presidential nominee during the general election and hopes to raise around $900 million to back that candidate.

At Monday’s event, Koch had said major Republican donors are currently split in their support for candidates, CNN reports.

At this time, Walker hasn’t announced his presidential candidacy, but has taken some steps toward a likely bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

So far, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio have declared their candidacies. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are expected to announce their candidacy in the coming months.

APPLETON – Getting students out of the classroom and into a place where they can learn about different jobs was the goal of a career expo in the Fox Valley Monday.

Fourteen-year-old Carrigan Hurst and her friend Marki Hietpas were given a crash course in what it’s like to grow your own food.

The 8th graders soaked in some first-hand knowledge from a variety of people in the workforce.

“It’s totally different talking to teachers about what you want to do when you grow up compared to the people who are actually doing it,” said Carrigan Hurst.

“When I grow up, I want to be either a counselor or a physical therapist and so going over there and asking what you do on a daily basis, and learning about what you do and how much college you need to go to helped me with what I’m going to need to do,“ said Marki Hietpas.

The expo was separated into four different career zones with jobs ranging from health, manufacturing, and engineering.

So why are 8th graders learning about different jobs at such a young age?

“We’re treating this event as more of a transition to high school and it really is part of the curriculum at the 8th grade level in all of our schools,” said Patty Milka, vice-president of talent and education with the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce.

The expo also gave students some hands-on experience.

“We’re letting them have the experience of listening to somebody’s heart and respirations or breathing,” Heidi Menting with Fox Valley Technical College.

Menting teaches nursing classes at Fox Valley Tech and she told students it’s important to be ambitions and set goals.

“I think they have to have the motivation and I think they have to have the interest,” Menting said.

Organizers say even though college and a career is years away for students like Carrigan and Marki, they’re never too young to learn about the steps you need to take to prepare for your future.

Monday marked the 9th year of the career expo and more than 40 companies participated in the event.

The event was put on by Talent Collaborative, an affiliate of the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce.

CLINTONVILLE – The sturgeon spawning season is winding down.

And this year, the DNR checked out some different spots.

The tell-tale fin, and signature splash, signify sturgeon are spawning in the area.

But the activity is happening in the Pigeon River in Clintonville.

“Yeah, it’s surprising. The old-timers say it’s been many years since they came up this far,” said Chuck Blumreich, Shiocton.

Blumreich made the trip from Shiocton Monday, to see the sturgeon.

“They’re rolling around in the water by the rocks. I would assume they’re spawning in there,” said Blumreich.

The Pigeon River flows out of Clintonville three miles to the Embarrass, a major spawning river, along with the Wolf.

The D.N.R. says temperatures warmed much of the river system to about 55 degrees, putting this year’s season into high gear.

“We had fish spawning throughout that whole 80 miles of river at one time. Because there was very little temperature gradient in the river,” said Ryan Koenigs, D.N.R. Sturgeon Biologist.

Koenigs says for the first time, crews netted and tagged about a dozen fish below the Clintonville dam.

“We were able to surgically implant 10-year sonic acoustic transmitters into some of these fish. We’ll be able to see what number of these fish make subsequent spawning runs in the Pigeon, the Embarrass, or do they spawn in the Wolf River.

And on the Wolf River in Shawano only a few fish were seen below the dam Monday morning.

“Actually it’s the first time I’ve been down here, so. What do you think? Pretty cool. Yeah it’s neat. They’re pretty big,” said Judy Westphal, Gresham.

“In a normal year, fish will spawn for 7-10 days. This year we had a pretty intense spawning activity for four days,” said Koenigs.

“It’s been a good year for the sturgeon I guess,” said Blumreich.

The spawning run peaked over the weekend.

Officials say thousands of people had a chance to see the activity at sites along the rivers that feed the Lake Winnebago system.

Koenigs says D.N.R. crews processed about 1,500 sturgeon this season.

GREEN BAY – Green Bay West High School students like Chris Ronsman say thanks to the Bay Link Manufacturing, the gears are in motion for their future.

“I’ve enjoyed it a lot actually. It’s taught me a lot of skills of what I will need to go into my future career choice, either machining or welding,” said Chris Ronsman, a senior who will attend Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in the fall.

It’s the first year for the program. Ten students have had hands-on experience with real welding and CNC machines.

“In addition to earning three high school credits, they also earn four college credits at NWTC. So, they start NWTC with some college credits under their belt so that gives them that first sort of toe in the door there,” said Lori Peacock, the Career and Technical Education Coordinator for the Green Bay Area Public School District.

Students are learning more than just how to work the machines. They’re also learning how to market what they’re making

“But they’re teaching our students how to make a sales call, how to market Bay Link Manufacturing, how to do customer service follow-ups,” Peacock says of manufacturers who partner with the program. “So, they’re really looking at this program from beginning to end and it helps them with those employability skills, which are really important.”

Ronsman says this class has given him a leg up on other students his age.

“We actually know how to talk to like business people, so we know how to make a deal on a job or something,” said Ronsman.

On Monday, the students put those skills to the test, as Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and Republican State Representative John Macco (Green Bay) toured the labs. Kleefisch says this type of expertise will help fill the skills gap Wisconsin faces.

“We need students like the young people behind me to take advantage of these job openings, get trained up and then pick these jobs. They’re available today,” said Kleefisch.

Ronsman says he’s excited to have the skills needed to shape his future.
Coordinators say the Bay Link Manufacturing program hopes to expand with morning and afternoon sessions in future school years. The program will include NWTC students as mentors for high school students next year. Funding comes mostly from private grants and donations.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia Eagles have signed quarterback Tim Tebow to a one-year contract, giving the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner his first shot in the NFL since the Patriots cut him before the 2013 season.

The team announced the deal Monday but did not disclose financial terms.

Tebow hasn’t played in the NFL since 2012 with the New York Jets. He worked as a television analyst last year with the SEC Network and ESPN.

The 27-year-old player is still highly popular after leading Florida to two national titles and spending two seasons with the Denver Broncos. Many fans follow Tebow because of his strong Christian beliefs.

The Eagles already have four other quarterbacks on their roster: Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and G.J. Kinne.

Tebow worked out for the Eagles last month and Chip Kelly later said that he’s always “been a fan of Tim.”

Tebow had some success in Denver – including a playoff win over Pittsburgh in January 2012 – but struggled with accuracy. He was known for running the ball and improvising.

Kelly has had one of the busiest offseasons in the NFL, bringing in Tebow, Bradford and running back DeMarco Murray while trading away Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy and allowing Jeremy Maclin to leave in free agency.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Up to 5.3 million hens at an Iowa farm must be destroyed after the highly infectious and deadly bird flu virus was confirmed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday.

The farm in northwest Iowa’s Osceola County has nearly 10 percent of the state’s egg-laying hens. Iowa is home to roughly 59 million hens that lay nearly one in every five eggs consumed in the country.

Egg industry marketing experts say it’s too early to predict the impact on prices, but say it’s unlikely to immediately cause a spike or a shortage, because number of chickens that are to be euthanized is a little more than 1 percent of the nation’s egg layers.

“Don’t panic,” poultry industry consultant Simon Shane said. “Let’s wait and see.”

If the disease keeps spreading and 20 million to 30 million hens are infected, consumers could start seeing prices rise, said Shane, who’s also an adjunct professor of poultry science and veterinary medicine at North Carolina State University.

Several Midwestern states have been affected by the outbreaks, costing turkey and chicken producers nearly 7.8 million birds since March. The virus was first detected in Minnesota, the country’s top turkey-producing state, in early March and the H5N2 virus has since shown up on commercial farms in Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. On Monday, the virus was confirmed in another turkey farm in Minnesota and a backyard flock of mixed birds in Wisconsin.

The Osceola County farm experienced a high number of chicken deaths and sent samples to a USDA lab at Iowa State University for confirmation. It’s the first chicken farm in Iowa to be affected by the virus, which was confirmed at a turkey farm in the state last week.

The chickens at the large farm reside in more than 20 houses, said Dustin Vande Hoef, a spokesman for Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey.

“It’s a huge challenge for this producer and highlights the importance of biosecurity and other producers trying to take steps to limit the spread of this disease,” he said.

Vande Hoef said there is no food safety risk.

The Center for Disease Control and the Iowa Department of Public Health considers the risk to people from these infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low.  No human infections with the virus have ever been detected.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A same-sex couple who sued for the right to marry in Wisconsin wants a federal judge to mandate that both gay parents’ names appear on their children’s birth certificates.

Karina Willes and Kami Young were among a group of same-sex couples who convinced U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb to legalize gay marriage last year. They filed a motion with Crabb on Monday asking her to order records officials to place both gay parents’ names on their children’s birth certificates.

They say they’ve tried unsuccessfully to persuade the state’s Vital Records Office to amend their daughter’s birth certificate to include both their names and Crabb needs to clarify that the presumption of parenthood applies to both heterosexual and homosexual married couples.

A state Justice Department spokeswoman had no immediate comment.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Authorities say a 15-year-old boy has died after crashing a stolen car during a police chase in Milwaukee last week.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s office says Marco Hilson of Milwaukee died late Saturday at Children’s Hospital.

The Journal Sentinel reports the car Hilson was driving had been taken at gunpoint just after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. With help from the car’s OnStar service, police were able to locate the car.

Police say when the teen saw police, he fled, ran a red light and caused a five-vehicle crash.

Two women and a man, who were in the other vehicles, were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn has said the police pursuit was within department policy because officers knew the car was taken during an armed confrontation.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Federal authorities have confirmed another infection in Minnesota of a deadly bird flu strain.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday the latest farm hit by the H5N2 virus had 23,000 turkeys in Kandiyohi County of west-central Minnesota. It’s the sixth detection so far in Kandiyohi, the top turkey producing county in Minnesota. The USDA says the birds on a seventh farm in Kandiyohi County with 9,000 turkeys will be also killed because of exposure to the other flock.

Twenty-eight Minnesota farms have now been affected by the outbreaks.

The USDA also confirmed that a backyard flock of 33 mixed birds in Juneau County of Wisconsin where bird flu was detected last week was affected by the same H5N2 virus that has hit other poultry farms across the Midwest.

TOWN OF MITCHELL – A four-year-old boy that was flown to the hospital for unexplained injuries on April 17, has died.

The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office say they arrested a man for reckless homicide after learning the injuries the boy sustained at home may have been intentionally inflicted.

The man has not been charged.

On April 17, officials say they received a 911 call saying a toddler was hurt in a home accident in the 8500 block of County Highway W in the Town of Mitchell.

The boy was flown to a hospital in Milwaukee.

The investigation into this incident remains active.

CLINTONVILLE – The 2015 sturgeon spawning season recorded a first.

Never before had the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources netted and tagged fish spawning on the Pigeon River below the Clintonville Dam.

Longtime DNR sturgeon experts say they can’t remember sturgeon ever spawning there before.

The fish typically spawn each spring along the Wolf River system. Locations in Shiocton, New London and Shawano prove popular viewing spots to watch the large fish make a splash.

Click the play button above to watch extended video of the action in Clintonville.

• Click here to see more photos from Clintonville

MILWAUKEE (AP) – The Wisconsin Realtors Association says sales of existing homes in Wisconsin jumped 16 percent in March, compared with the same time a year ago.

The median sales price rose almost 9 percent.

In a statement, association Chairman Dan Kruse says the housing market “is definitely heating up” heading into the prime home buying season.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1Qaqby7 ) reports sales of existing homes in Wisconsin totaled 5,424 last month, up from 4,672 in March a year ago.

The association cites two key factors for the sales and price growth: more people with jobs and interest rates that continue to hover near historical lows.

BALTIMORE (AP) – Baltimore police have released videos showing the arrest of a man who died after his spine was nearly severed while in police custody.

But none of them captured what happened inside the van where an arresting officer said he suffered a “medical emergency.”

Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez says the officers involved have been suspended, and the autopsy shows that Freddie Gray “did suffer a significant spinal injury that led to his death.”

Rodriguez said that a week later, investigators don’t yet have any evidence showing what caused that injury.

The commissioner says that “when Mr. Gray was put in that van, he could talk, he was upset, and when he was taken out of that van, he could not talk and he could not breathe.”

Milwaukee Brewers players have fallen victim to some unusual off-the-field injuries over the years.

MILWAUKEE – Talk about adding injury to insult.

Fresh off a three-game road sweep in Pittsburgh and in the midst of the worst start in franchise history, the Milwaukee Brewers have lost second baseman Scooter Gennett to a freak injury.

He needed stitches to close up a cut on his left hand he suffered in the shower after Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh. Gennett posted to his Instagram account a photo of the injury as well as a description of how it happened.

Hector Gomez will take Gennett’s place at second as the 2-10 Brewers return home Monday night to begin a four-game series against the 5-7 Cincinnat Reds.

• Click here for a recap of other strange injuries in Brewers history