Green Bay News

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin lawmakers are set to consider a bill that would ban microbeads, the plastic exfoliant in soap, toothpaste and other personal care products.

The state Assembly is scheduled to take up the bill on Tuesday. The Senate passed the measure last month. Assembly approval would send the bill on to Gov. Scott Walker for his signature.

Scientists recently discovered that microbeads are flowing by the billions from wastewater plants into the Great Lakes and other water bodies. Manufacturers have already started substituting microbeads with natural substances including ground-up fruit pits, oatmeal and sea salt.

The bill would ban making personal care products containing microbeads starting in 2018 and disallow sales of products with microbeads starting in 2019.

On the night Abraham Lincoln was shot, April 14, 1865, Associated Press correspondent Lawrence Gobright scrambled to report from the White House, the streets of the stricken capital, and even from the blood-stained box at Ford’s Theatre, where, in his memoir he reports he was handed the assassin’s gun and turned it over to authorities. Here is an edited version of his original AP dispatch:

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WASHINGTON, APRIL 14 – President Lincoln and wife visited Ford’s Theatre this evening for the purpose of witnessing the performance of ‘The American Cousin.’ It was announced in the papers that Gen. Grant would also be present, but that gentleman took the late train of cars for New Jersey.

This circa 1865-1880 photograph provided by the Library of Congress’ Brady-Handy Collection shows Lawrence A. Gobright, the Associated Press’ first Washington correspondent. A native of Hanover, Pa., Gobright covered both inaugurations of Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination during a career spanning more than a third of a century in Washington. Under the headline “Great National Calamity!” the AP reported President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, on April 15, 1865. (AP Photo/Library of Congress)

The theatre was densely crowded, and everybody seemed delighted with the scene before them. During the third act and while there was a temporary pause for one of the actors to enter, a sharp report of a pistol was heard, which merely attracted attention, but suggested nothing serious until a man rushed to the front of the President’s box, waving a long dagger in his right hand, exclaiming, ‘Sic semper tyrannis,’ and immediately leaped from the box, which was in the second tier, to the stage beneath, and ran across to the opposite side, made his escape amid the bewilderment of the audience from the rear of the theatre, and mounted a horse and fled.

The groans of Mrs. Lincoln first disclosed the fact that the President had been shot, when all present rose to their feet rushing towards the stage, many exclaiming, ‘Hang him, hang him!’ The excitement was of the wildest possible description…

There was a rush towards the President’s box, when cries were heard – ‘Stand back and give him air!’ ‘Has anyone stimulants?’ On a hasty examination it was found that the President had been shot through the head above and back of the temporal bone, and that some of his brain was oozing out. He was removed to a private house opposite the theatre, and the Surgeon General of the Army and other surgeons were sent for to attend to his condition.

On an examination of the private box, blood was discovered on the back of the cushioned rocking chair on which the President had been sitting; also on the partition and on the floor. A common single-barrelled pocket pistol was found on the carpet.

A military guard was placed in front of the private residence to which the President had been conveyed. An immense crowd was in front of it, all deeply anxious to learn the condition of the President.

It had been previously announced that the wound was mortal, but all hoped otherwise. …

At midnight the Cabinet, with Messrs. Sumner, Colfax and Farnsworth, Judge Curtis, Governor Oglesby, Gen. Meigs, Col. Hay, and a few personal friends, with Surgeon General Barnes and his immediate assistants, were around his bedside.

President Abraham Lincoln’s top hat, Brooks Brothers Coat, and and items from his pockets from the night of his assassination are displayed at a new exhibit entitled “Silent Witnesses: Artifacts of the Lincoln Assassination” Tuesday, March 17, 2015, at the Ford’s Center for Education and Leadership across the street from the historic Ford’s Theatre where President Abraham Lincoln was killed, in Washington. The exhibit is open to the public March 23rd to May 25th and coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln assassination on April 14th. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The President was in a state of syncope, totally insensible and breathing slowly. The blood oozed from the wound at the back of his head. The surgeons exhausted every effort of medical skill, but all hope was gone.

The parting of his family with the dying President is too sad for description.

The President and Mrs. Lincoln did not start for the theatre until 15 minutes after 8 o’clock. Speaker Colfax was at the White House at the time, and the President stated to him that he was going, although Mrs. Lincoln had not been well, because the papers had announced that he and General Grant were to be present, and as Gen. Grant had gone North he did not wish the audience to be disappointed. He went with apparent reluctance, and urged Mr. Colfax to go with him, but that gentleman had made other arrangements …

(Here follows a lengthy description of the simultaneous assassination attempt on Secretary of State William Seward that left him wounded.)

Secretaries Stanton and Welles and other prominent officers of the government called at Secretary Seward’s house to inquire into his condition, and there heard of the assassination of the President.

In this March 17, 2015 file photo, President Abraham Lincoln’s carriage is displayed at the National Museum of American History in Washington. The museum has partnered with the Ford’s Center for Education and Leadership across the street from the historic Ford’s Theatre where President Abraham Lincoln was killed for a new exhibit entitled “Silent Witnesses: Artifacts of the Lincoln Assassination.” The exhibit is open to the public until May 25th and coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln assassination on April 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

They then proceeded to the house where the President was lying, exhibiting, of course, intense anxiety and solicitude.

An immense crowd was gathered in front of the President’s house (the White House), and a strong guard was also stationed there, many persons supposing that he would be brought to his home.

The entire city to-night presents a scene of wild excitement, accompanied by violent expressions of the profoundest sorrow. Many shed tears.

The military authorities despatched mounted patrols in every direction, in order, if possible, to arrest the assassins. The whole metropolitan police are likewise vigilant for the same purpose. …

Vice President Johnson is in the city headquarters, and guarded by troops.

(Lincoln’s death at 7:22 a.m. on April 15 was reported by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.)

MILWAUKEE- Milwaukee police are investigating a triple shooting that left a teenager dead.

The shooting happened Monday night.

Police say a 17-year-old girl was killed.

Two men, ages 25 and 26 were wounded, but are expected to survive.

No one is in custody.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – A man whose van struck and killed a 2-year-old boy on a Milwaukee street was shot to death after getting out to check on the child, police said. A 15-year-old boy, a brother of the 2-year-old who came from a nearby house, was also fatally shot at the scene.

Archie Brown Jr., 40, died at the scene of Sunday evening’s accident near a park on Milwaukee’s near northwest side, police said. They identified the child as 2-year-old Damani Terry and the teen as Rasheed T. Chiles, who died at a hospital.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement later Monday that Damani and Rasheed were brothers.

A police statement Monday said Brown was distraught about hitting the child and stopped right away, according to witnesses. The statement didn’t explain how and why Chiles was shot, but police said he and the 2-year-old were attending the same party at the house near the accident.

Mayor Tom Barrett called the shooting of Brown an “assassination.”

“Someone got angry,” Barrett said. “Someone took a gun and basically assassinated this gentleman.”

Brown’s father, Archie Brown Sr., said a neighbor riding with his son on a trip to Home Depot told him that Chiles had gone to the scene to try to help.

“He came over to assist Junior and while he was assisting him they were shot,” the elder Brown said. “It’s a tough situation.”

Police said they had no one in custody.

Orange and blue balloons were taped to the front window of the house on Monday, along with a crepe paper streamer that read “Happy Birthday.” A frosted cake was smashed on the front sidewalk and candy was strewn in the yard.

Barbara Sprewer, who lives next door, said she saw Damani looking around before crossing the street, apparently heading for some girls dancing in the nearby park. She saw the van approach, and estimated it was going 25 to 30 mph.

“Nobody was watching the baby,” she said.

After the child was hit, she saw the driver get out. She said she heard shots but didn’t see who shot him or Chiles.

“I feel helpless. I feel numb,” she said. “I saw them alive, and I saw them deceased. I’ve been reliving this since I woke up.”

Bob May, 68, another next-door neighbor, said he heard five gunshots as he was washing dishes and thought at first it was firecrackers going off in the park. He said he looked out to see the van with its door open and people talking on phones. May said his neighbors had moved in about six months earlier and he didn’t know them.

Brown said his son was a great father to his four daughters, including a 6-month-old baby.

“He liked to laugh. He took good care of his children. He was an excellent father to his children,” Brown said.

The attack on Brown was similar to one on a motorist in Detroit in 2013. In that incident, 54-year-old Steve Utash was severely beaten after he stopped to help a 10-year-old boy he had hit with his pickup truck. Utash suffered severe head injuries and was hospitalized in a coma for days.

OSHKOSH – The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department is adding legs to its fight against a growing heroin problem. The department recently welcomed a new officer with a nose for combating drug crime.

Kai, an 18-month-old German Shepherd is the newest member of the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department.

“He’s gonna do narcotics detection and gonna do patrol operations. He’ll work with me when I’m on the road,” explained Kai’s handler Deputy Erica Geschrei.

“If she does a traffic stop she’s able to take her dog around the vehicle, if she chooses,” added Lieutenant Steve Brewer.

With the addition of Kai there will be three K-9 officers on the force. That means there will be a dog on patrol for each shift.

Officers told FOX 11 Kai will be very valuable in the fight against drugs, particularly heroin.

“[Drugs] go through our county at all hours of the day and this way, now we have one during the day time hours that can detect drugs as well,” explained Brewer.

Geschrei told us heroin sales and use have grown exponentially over the last few years. That’s one of the main reasons the department wanted to get another K-9.

“A lot of problems with drugs, heroin, in our community. So we’re fortunate enough to have another tool to help us out with that…these dogs are able to smell anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 times better than we can. So a lot of things times, if we’re on a traffic stop, I may miss a lot of things and I can depend on this guy to help me find those things,” said Geschrei.

Kai is a dual-purpose K-9, which means he can be used for more than tracking drugs.

“Could be used to search for a lost child, or maybe an elderly person with dementia, we can use that,” said Brewer.

Monday was Geschrei and Kai’s first day of month-long training at the department.

“Kai’s already trained on all those skills: drug detection, area searches and apprehension. So, basically, I’m learning to handle Kai,” Geschrei told FOX 11.

She told us Kai is only a year and a half old, so he can still act like a puppy at times.

“Even though he has an extra skill set that a normal dog doesn’t have, he is just a dog. So he needs the same praise and attention a normal pet gets,” she said.

A $13,000 donation paid for Kai.

PHILADELPHIA — Michael Carter-Williams matched his season-high with 30 points in his first game back in Philadelphia to lead the playoff-bound Milwaukee Bucks to a 107-97 victory over the 76ers on Monday night.

O.J. Mayo and Ersan Ilyasova had 13 points apiece and Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in 12 for the Bucks, who capped a turnaround from the NBA’s worst record last season with a playoff berth with Sunday’s win over the Nets.

Robert Covington scored 25 points and Hollis Thompson added 19 for Philadelphia, which played without Rookie of the Year contender Nerlens Noel (ankle) for the second straight game while losing its ninth in a row. The 76ers, who committed 30 turnovers, entered play with the league’s third-worst record. They dropped to 18-63.

Carter-Williams was Rookie of the Year last season as a 76er, thought to be part of Philadelphia’s rebuild before his surprising trade to Milwaukee on Feb. 19. Philadelphia fans greeted Carter-Williams with applause during introductions and louder cheers during the second quarter when the team thanked him with a video tribute.

Milwaukee Bucks’ John Henson (31) blocks a shot by Philadelphia 76er’s Thomas Robinson during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, April. 13, 2015 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr.)

Carter-Williams showed them what they were missing. He made 11 of 17 field goals while contributing five rebounds and five assists. Over his last four games, Carter-Williams is averaging 22.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

The Bucks were back on the court a day after clinching a playoff spot. Milwaukee is locked into a No. 6 seed and will play either Toronto or Chicago in the first round.

After an uncharacteristically poor defensive performance in the first half, Milwaukee clamped down in the third quarter to turn its 58-53 halftime deficit to an 80-78 lead entering the final period. The Bucks held the 76ers to 24 percent (4-for-17 shooting) in the period while forcing 10 turnovers.

Mayo scored six of Milwaukee’s seven points during a 7-1 run over the first 1:12 of the final period to take its biggest lead, 87-79, to that point. The Bucks, whose fourth-quarter advantage reached as many as 17, had little trouble holding off the 76ers from that point.

Using their regular lineup despite having clinched the postseason, the Bucks didn’t take the night off against Philadelphia. But they sure played like it in the first half.

Behind 18 first-half points from Covington, Philadelphia took a 58-52 lead at the break. That’s out of character for a Bucks team that entered second in the NBA in defensive points per 100 possessions and first in turnovers (17.2 per game). And for a Philadelphia team that entered last in the league in field-goal percentage (40.8 percent) and second worst in scoring (91.8 points per game).

The 76ers shot 56.4 percent (22 for 39) in the opening half, including 40 percent (6 for 15) from 3-point range.

Mayo and JaKarr Sampson got into a verbal confrontation with just under six minutes remaining, and the teams came together without any punches being thrown. Bucks coach Jason Kidd came on to the court to restrain Mayo, who later got into a shoving match with Henry Sims, drawing a technical foul and another court visit from Kidd with 2:13 left. Sampson then got a technical with 1:41 remaining after an altercation with Jerryd Bayless.

TIP-INS
Bucks: Carter-Williams had seven points and eight assists in 18 minutes against the 76ers on Feb. 25 in Milwaukee. He set his career high of 33 points on Jan. 7, 2014 vs. Cleveland while with the 76ers.  . The Bucks are headed to the playoffs for just the third time in nine seasons.
76ers: Isaiah Canaan (sprained right foot) sat out for the fifth consecutive contest, and Luc Mbah a Moute (strained left shoulder) missed his fifth in the last 10. . Former Sixers great Allen Iverson was among those in attendance.

UP NEXT
Bucks: close regular season by hosting Boston on Wednesday night.
76ers: end season at home vs. Miami on Wednesday night.

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks want a fierce new look.

The rebuilding franchise unveiled a new logo on Monday night that the team will start using after this season.

The image of a forward-facing buck on the current logo has been updated with what designers call a “fiercer and more aggressive” look. It’s an older, 12-point buck instead of an eight-pointer.

Green remains the primary color, but red is out. It’s being replaced by cream, a color with roots in the region’s history for a shade of brick found in older Milwaukee buildings.

The Bucks also are introducing a blue accent to a third logo featuring the geographic outline of Wisconsin. Blue is a nod to the importance of the Great Lakes in the region, the team said.

The logos were unveiled during a viewing party at the Bradley Center of the Bucks’ game Monday night at Philadelphia.

“How do we create three logos that not only honor our past but also thrust us into a new era and new future of Bucks basketball,” Alex Lasry, the team’s vice president of strategy and operations, said in recounting the design process.

The design “takes the elements of Milwaukee and Wisconsin that we’re very proud of,” Lasry said.

The fresh look is part of an overhaul that began when new owners took over in April 2014.

Kimberly visited De Pere in a nonconference baseball game Monday.

Kimberly beat the Redbirds, 9-7.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A jury has been picked to determine whether a former Dane County sheriff’s deputy was mentally ill in the killings of his wife and sister-in-law.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports 10 women and five men were chosen Monday to hear whether Andrew Steele of Fitchburg was legally responsible for the shooting deaths. Three of the jurors will be alternates.

Steele has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of his wife, 39-year-old Ashlee Steele, and her 38-year-old sister, Kacee Tollefsbol of Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

The women were killed last August at the Steeles’ home.

Andrew Steele was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal degenerative muscle disease, about two months before the killings. Opening statements are scheduled Tuesday.

GREEN BAY – You won’t be driving down a Ron Wolf Street or Wolf Run anytime soon in Green Bay.

Green Bay’s plan commission decided to receive and place on file a request to honor the former Packers general manger.

Alderman Chris Wery submitted the request to have a street named for Wolf.

“I wanted planning staff to have it at the top of their list, so if developers come in and they’re looking for street names that haven’t been used yet, this is one that could be put out there,” said Wery.

A Packers spokesperson told FOX 11 the team respects the city process for renaming streets and the team has no formal role in whether Wolf receives the honor.

The plan commission’s decision to put the Wolf request on file doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

“In my humble opinion, I think it’s up to staff to kind of look at it,” said Alderman Jerry Wiezbiskie, a member of the plan commission. “I don’t know if there is any real need for naming any other streets, but we have to honor what the alderman has asked for.”

City staff could bring the request back to the plan commission at any point.

This summer Wolf will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

BROWN COUNTY – Bright sun, warm days and gusty winds are creating a perfect storm for dangerous fire conditions.

“Very low moisture that we had. Now we’re starting out with very dry ground absorbing all the rain. There is going to be new growth. As you can see, the lawns have greened up in the past couple of days. But that dead grass, the brush that’s on top is just as dry,” said Kurt Minten, the Town of Lawrence Fire Chief.

The Department of Natural Resources says recent rains aren’t enough to make up for the abnormally dry winter. Right now, the entire state of Wisconsin is at a high fire danger level.

“If you think about it, we didn’t have a lot of snow this year. We had rain last night, but by this afternoon those fine fuels have dried out and all they need is a spark,” said Curt Wilson with the Wisconsin DNR.

Fire fighters say even the slightest spark from something on the highway could start a blaze.

“It could be a spark from a tow chain dragging down the highway, a cigarette butt. We had fires a few years ago where we had five fires along 41 just in the Town of Lawrence because someone was dragging something that started fires,” said Minten.

The DNR says last year’s very snowy and cold winter made for an abnormally low amount of wildfires. But, 2015 is much more on pace to be an average year.

“Last year at this time I think we had five fires. This year we’re over 60 fires in the northeastern part of the state,” said Wilson.

“It’s that dry out there, so just be careful,” said Minten.

Fire fighters we spoke to said there is not a full burn ban across the state. Some municipalities do not allow homeowners to burn their yard waste. Check with officials where you live.

Submitted April 13, 2015, by Wayne Burmeister, who writes: “Fire at cornerstone field house under way.”

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker wants to modify his state budget plan to cap University of Wisconsin System resident undergraduate tuition increases according to inflation, according to a letter his administration sent to the leaders of the Legislature’s finance committee on Monday.

The two-year spending plan Walker introduced in early February calls for cutting $300 million from the system and extending an existing freeze on resident undergraduate tuition to July 1, 2017. In exchange Walker would free the system from state oversight in July 2016.

The plan has left students and legislators worried that the Board of Regents, unshackled from state control, could dramatically increase tuition when the freeze ends. The board last week approved raising tuition for out-of-state undergrads and some graduate students at most of the system’s four-year schools by hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars beginning this fall.

The proposal is far from final. The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee is about to begin the months-long process of revising Walker’s spending plan this week. Walker’s administration sent a letter to Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, and Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, the committee’s co-chairs, on Monday detailing last-minute modifications the governor wants made to the budget before the committee begins its work.

One of the modifications calls for capping resident undergrad tuition increases to no more than the annual change in inflation beginning in the fall of 2017 “in order to protect students and parents from unreasonable and unpredictable tuition increases.”

Walker has been hinting at capping tuition increases at the rate of inflation since mid-February.

UW officials insist another part of Walker’s budget that calls for the state to fund the system through a block grant rather than tax dollars that fluctuate every two years would create a more stable financial environment and help make tuition increases more predictable. The Walker administration’s letter also calls for increasing that block grant according to inflation beginning a year earlier, in 2017.

UW System President Ray Cross, who has been working to persuade the finance committee to scale back the $300 million cut, issued a carefully worded statement saying limiting tuition increases to inflation isn’t compatible with “the agile, market-driven, and competitive entity the state needs us to be.”

“We all agree that Wisconsin residents deserve a rational, transparent, and affordable tuition-setting policy based on actual costs, competitive markets, the needs of the state, and affordability,” Cross said. “The UW System should be just as responsive and nimble as our peers and competitors when it comes to setting tuition, and we look forward to working with legislators to reach that goal.”

A number of key Republican lawmakers, including Nygren and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, have said the $300 million cut is too deep but oppose handing the system more autonomy because they don’t believe the regents will use it to make any substantial changes and could raise tuition.

Nygren didn’t immediately return a voicemail Monday. Vos’ spokeswoman said she was working to get a response from him but he was tied up in a meeting.

A spokesman for Sen. Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater, vice chairman of the Senate’s universities committee and an outspoken UW critic, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Neither did a spokeswoman for Associated Students of Madison, the student government arm at UW-Madison.

NECEDAH, Wis. (AP) – Crews have contained a wildlife that forced the evacuation of about 40 homes in Necedah in central Wisconsin.

Juneau County dispatch says firefighters responded to a report of a small fire near railroad tracks at 11:20 a.m. Monday. The fire grew and prompted the evacuation.

Officials said the fire apparently was caused by a passing train.

WISC-TV reports no structures were burned and no residents were hurt.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker has officially asked the Legislature to keep the University of Wisconsin’s guiding principle known as the “Wisconsin Idea” intact.

Walker was ridiculed in February for adding career readiness to the university’s mission statement while dropping references to public service and seeking a broader truth.

Walker called the rewrite an unintentional mistake, even though emails showed his administration clearly ordered the word change.

Walker’s administration on Monday sent a letter to the Legislature’s budget committee formally asking that the “Wisconsin Idea” be maintained with no changes. Requests from governors to make revisions to their budget proposals are routine before the committee begins taking action on the plan.

The Joint Finance Committee planned to start taking votes on Walker’s budget on Wednesday.

DE PERE – Making reading fun for middle school students can often be a tall order. But one Golden Apple Award Recipient has found a way to connect with her students.

Whether debating what book to read, or constructing a solid argument in a debate, seventh grade students in Angela Kelly’s English/Language Arts class say their teacher knows best.

“She’s a very visual teacher, so she shows you how to do it,” said student Callahan O’Connor. “She’s very good on the smart board or shows you on paper and she’s very hands on. Which, I like, because that’s how I like to learn.”

For more than a decade, Kelly says she has aimed to instill practical reading and writing skills that will help students later in life.

“I think that they’re going to grow up and they might not be inclined to pick up a fiction book but they’re going to be inclined to be reading something that’s going to further their education, further their job, or whatever it is. I think that they know that that’s important and I’m instilling that love of learning in them,” said Angela Kelly.

Kelly lets her students choose many of their own books to read. A successful strategy, her students say.

“You’re never going to do as good if it’s not a book you like, because you’re not interested in it,” said O’Connor.

Students say she makes lessons come alive through mini book clubs.

“I like the activities we do and what she has in store for us each day,” said student Carly Richards.

Kelly says by changing things up constantly throughout the class period, she keeps young learners engaged.

“It’s just kind of the passion that I have and the kids that keep me interested, it’s not just me keeping them interested in my topic. So if I’m bored, they’re going to be bored. And I think that they keep me young, they keep me excited and they keep me on my toes. And that’s why I love teaching,” said Kelly.

Students say there’s no debate: Mrs. Kelly definitely deserves her Golden Apple Award.

Kelly was a Golden Apple Teacher of Distinction in 2013.

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – Former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips is suspected of killing his cellmate in a Central California prison.

Prison officials said Monday that Phillips’ cellmate at Kern Valley State Prison was found lifeless over the weekend and later pronounced dead.

Phillips, 39, was once one of the nation’s top college football players at Nebraska. He played for the St. Louis Rams, until he was released in 1997 for insubordination. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers.

Phillips is serving a sentence of more than 31 years.

He was convicted of twice choking his girlfriend in 2005 in San Diego and later that year of driving his car into three teens after a pickup football game in Los Angeles.

It wasn’t clear if Phillips has an attorney.

GREEN BAY – A large grass fire Sunday burned about 30 acres in Green Bay.

The blaze spread quickly in the Ken Euers Nature area, on the north end of Military Avenue.

“It doesn’t look good. It’s burnt quite a bit,” said John Laws, Green Bay.

Laws surveyed the damage at the nature area in on Monday.

On Sunday, he says he was at the park when he saw smoke.

“I says I’m getting out of here. I went around and took off. Drove through it and it was already in flames up here,” said Laws.

The Green Bay Metro Fire Department says the fire started near the corner of Hurlbut Avenue, and Military Avenue just after 3 p.m. Sunday.

“It turned into quite a large incident, just because there was no hydrants in real close proximity. So we had to call neighboring departments to do what’s called tenders operations. They basically shuttle water in,” said Lt. Nick Craig, Green Bay Metro Fire Department.

Craig says high winds, fanned the flames, forcing departments to go on the defensive.

“Kind of blocking that area to make sure that fire didn’t jump Duck Creek, and endanger some of the houses that were close,” he said.

And another challenge came from the fuel of the fire. Firefighters say the tall reed grass known as phragmites, is very crispy on the top, but the root system is a totally different story.

“We had a couple issues with some of the vehicles that were involved getting stuck out there,” said Craig.

And those conditions forced the Department of Natural Resources to issue warnings statewide.

“With these kind of winds, that fire can get into the crown of the trees and it can just race and race ahead of you. And a fire can grow by hundreds and hundreds of acres,” said Ed Culhane, D.N.R. Spokesperson.

No one was hurt in the Green Bay grass fire. The cause is undetermined. John Laws says it could have been worse.

“It could have swept and just kept going,” said Laws.

In all, more than an half-dozen departments helped put out the fire.

That included a D.N.R. plane for air reconnaissance.

As part of  Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness week in Wisconsin, WPS is encouraging residents to be prepared in case of a power outage.

WPS said you should always call in your power outage as soon as possible.

They also say that emergency kits should be replenished with items such as fresh batteries, flash lights, water and a radio.

Another item that you may want to invest in is a portable charger for your cell phones.

“This can charge numerous devices. So basically what I’m doing right now is charging my cell phone and I will have a charged phone for the rest of the day, but I always keep it charged. So that is our form of communication and that is the biggest issue that our customers face and are concerned about is they have no way to communicate,” said WPS Public Relations manager, Lisa Prunty.

Similar portable charges range in price from 20 to 100 dollars.

 

 

MIAMI (AP) – Sen. Marco Rubio says the White House is not reserved for the rich and powerful, and says he, the son of a bartender and a maid, has the same chance to serve as those who come from power and privilege.

Rubio is launching his Republican presidential campaign in Miami. He’s telling supporters that someone with this background can still have a fair shake in America. His parents are Cuba immigrants.

Rubio’s comments are a contrast to two members of political dynasties who are likely rivals: Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Democrat and former secretary of state; and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a Republican.

Rubio is launching his campaign at Freedom Tower, where those fleeing Cuba in the 1960s and 1970s met U.S. officials.