Green Bay News

Listeria is a food-borne illness that can cause high fevers and nausea in minor cases, but the infections can be fatal to people with weakened immune systems and young children, along with causing miscarriages in pregnant women.

GREEN BAY – Is your bicycle ready for spring?

The folks at Stadium Bike in Green Bay are ready to help!

FOX 11’s Emily Deem spent Thursday morning at Stadium Bike to get some great tips on getting your bike tuned up and ready to go!

Click here to learn more about Stadium Bike in Green Bay.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) – Strong storms rumbled through the Southern Plains early Thursday, missing major population centers but offering a preview of bad weather that could hit Chicago, Detroit and other big cities in the Midwest later in the day.

The Storm Prediction Center said 57 million people lived in an area with an “enhanced risk” of hail, damaging winds and tornadoes on Thursday. Tornadoes were reported Wednesday and early Thursday in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, but those areas saw minimal damage.

Meteorologists and emergency managers from the high Plains to the Appalachians were on alert as the U.S. had the year’s first widespread bout of severe weather. The key message: Have a plan.

“Where to hide, emergency kits with medicines, snacks, water. Even something like sturdy shoes, gloves, long-sleeve shirts. If they get hit by a tornado they’ll find they’ll need those things pretty quickly,” said meteorologist Erin Maxwell with the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.

“Know what you’re doing, and just don’t panic,” Maxwell added.

Severe thunderstorms packing 70 mph winds and large hail made their way across central Missouri on Wednesday afternoon, including several capable of producing tornadoes.

Weather spotters reported a funnel cloud near Potosi in eastern Missouri at 3:35 p.m., while an hour earlier the Bates County emergency manager reported a tornado in southwest Missouri that destroyed a 60-foot machine shop.

Indiana State Police said high winds toppled a tractor-trailer on Interstate 69 near Evansville, while utilities reported a number of power outages after wind gusts reached 70 mph. Authorities in Hendricks County, west of Indianapolis, blamed a 75-year-old woman’s death on flash flooding.

Pittsboro Fire Chief Bill Zeunik said the woman was clearing debris from a water-filled ditch in her front yard Wednesday night when she fell in and was swept away. Her body was found in a creek three-quarters of a mile away.

Fewer than 1 million people were covered by Wednesday’s “moderate risk” area between Wichita, Kansas, and Jefferson City, Missouri. Thursday’s worst weather was predicted in an area that included Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis, as well as those in Memphis, Tennessee, and Little Rock, Arkansas.

Areas that won’t see strong storms Thursday could see heavy rain instead.

MILAN (AP) – Italy’s ANSA news agency reports that a man has opened fire in Milan’s courthouse and at least two persons are believed to have been hit. There was no word on their condition.

ANSA quoted the president of the appeals court, Giovanni Canzio, as saying there was more than one victim. The building has been evacuated.

The shooter is believed to be at large.

GREEN BAY- We’ll have chances for rain through Friday.

Periods of rain will push through the area Thursday with a few thunderstorms possible.

Cool weather continues with highs only near 42 (the normal high is 50) and northeast winds at 10 to 15 mph.

Rain may change to snow overnight, mainly northwest of Green Bay and the Fox Cities; little or no accumulation is expected except for the far northern counties where Forest, Florence and northern Marinette may pick up a couple of inches of snow.

It’ll start to dry out tomorrow as skies become partly sunny with a few isolated showers developing and a high near 50.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – More veterans were waiting long periods for care at the Veterans Affairs hospitals in Milwaukee and Madison this winter than they were in the late summer and early fall, despite a national effort by the VA to get patients seen more quickly.

The AP examined waiting times at 940 VA hospitals and outpatient clinics from September to February to gauge any changes since a scandal over delays led to the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and prompted lawmakers in August to pass the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act.

Wisconsin’s 19 Veterans Affairs medical facilities did well as a group. Most reported relatively few delayed appointments, compared to VA facilities in other parts of the country.

But the VA hospitals in Milwaukee and Madison fared slightly worse the average. Almost 4 percent of the appointments completed in Milwaukee between September and February failed to meet the VA’s timeliness standard, which calls for patients to be seen within 30 days. About 3.3 percent of Madison appointments had to wait more than a month.

Nationally, 2.8 percent of all VA appointments during that time period failed to meet the health system’s timeliness goal, which calls for patients to be seen within 30 days.

HOW WISCONSIN FARES

About 1.4 percent of the appointments completed at all VA facilities in the state between September and February took longer than 30 days to complete. VA clinics in Kenosha and Chippewa Falls had the smallest percentage for waiting times of at least 31 days in the state – 0.3 percent over the six-month period.

PROBLEM SPOTS

At the Milwaukee VA, the number of patients waiting long periods for care has gradually risen since the summer. In September, only 187 appointments took longer than two months to complete. By February, that number had more than doubled, to 455.

Madison’s number of delayed appointments also climbed. Hospital spokesman Tim Donovan said wait times vary at VA hospitals based on demand, and January saw an increased demand.

A VA clinic in Green Bay jumped from an average 2.66 percent in January to 4.1 percent in February. Clinic spokesman Ben Slane said an audiologist transferred out of the facility and a part-time surgeon resigned, leading to the increase. Slane noted that patients seeking services from each doctor were offered treatment options at non-VA hospitals.

WHAT’S BEING DONE?

Bob Beller, director of the Milwaukee VA medical center, said the majority of the patients with the longest wait times are seeking specialty care services, such as optometry and audiology appointments.

“The limitation is due to lack of providers, we simply can’t meet the demand,” he said, noting that the facility tries to monitor patients who’ve waited more than 30 days and does follow-up calls to see if they can move up appointment dates.

“We’re working very aggressively to recruit physicians to create additional capacity,” Beller said.

Jim Duff, director of the Milwaukee County Veterans Service Office, said wait times at the Milwaukee medical center haven’t been an issue. “I rarely hear veterans complain,” Duff said.

Donovan said the Madison hospital has added new providers and increased clinic space. He said the center also has implemented the VA Choice program, which allows veterans the option to seek out care at a non-VA hospital if the VA facility cannot provide a service within 30 days.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Wilin Rosario was poised to make his first start of the year when he was scratched just before game time.

He still left his mark with a pinch-hit homer in the 10th inning to lift the Colorado Rockies to a 5-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night.

Rosario initially was in the batting order in place of Justin Morneau, who was hit in the neck by a ball while running the bases Tuesday night. Morneau took batting practice and talked his way into the lineup, sending Rosario to the bench for the third straight game.

The big right-hander, however, hit a full-count pitch from Milwaukee closer Francisco Rodriguez (0-1) over the wall in center field, giving the Rockies a three-game sweep in the season-opening series.

“I just want to be positive,” Rosario said. “I want to play every day, but I want to be focused. I want to win. I want what’s best for the team.”

Rodriguez threw a pair of strikes to Rosario and then three consecutive balls before giving up the go-ahead homer.

“In that situation you cannot walk people, especially with the top of the order coming up and the way they hit the ball,” Rodriguez said. “You have to try to find a way to get him out instead of putting him on base. He got a good pitch to hit and he got hot.”

Colorado closer LaTroy Hawkins (1-0) got the win despite giving up a pair of runs in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.

John Axford, who had 106 saves for the Brewers from 2009-13, pitched the 10th to earn his first save for Colorado after signing as a non-roster invitee during the offseason.

“We’ve got guys off the bench who are still locked in,” Axford said about Rosario’s heroics. “He won us the ballgame.”

The Brewers forced extra innings when pinch-hitter Ryan Braun hit a weak RBI dribbler that stopped before third base for a single, scoring Gerardo Parra without a play and bringing the Brewers to 4-3. Carlos Gomez then singled in Jean Segura.

Carlos Gonzalez, whose 2014 season was marred by injuries, hit a two-run homer in the eighth to give Colorado a 4-2 lead.

Adam Lind hit a two-run home run for Milwaukee in the third inning. Lind is 6 for 10 with three walks in three games.

Corey Dickerson hit a solo home run, his second, on an 0-2 pitch from Peralta to tie the score 2-2 with one out in the seventh.

DEDICATED TO JAMESON

Axford’s son, Jameson, is hospitalized after being bitten by a rattlesnake at the family’s home in Arizona during spring training. “I don’t usually have dedications to make but this save was dedicated to Jameson. (Catcher Nick) Hundley even yelled that this one is for Jameson.”

GONZALEZ OPENS STRONG

Gonzalez is 5 for 13 with three doubles and a homer to open the season. Last year, he batted only .238 with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs in 70 games. “It feels great,” he said. “I’m putting a good swing on the ball.”

FIREWORKS FIASCO

Colorado starter Eddie Butler was about to throw his third pitch of the game in the first to Gomez when the fireworks went off in center field for about 10 seconds. Butler held up, Gomez stepped out of the batter’s box while laughing until the display ended. Gomez ended up walking, but was erased on a double play.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: Morneau had a history of concussions, but had no concussion symptoms after being struck with the ball on Tuesday night.

Brewers: Braun was held out of the starting lineup for the second straight game while recovering from a strain in his right side. He took batting practice, but felt some discomfort, Roenicke said.

UP NEXT

Rockies: The team will work out at Coors Field on Thursday in preparation for Friday’s home opener against the Chicago Cubs. Left-hander Tyler Matzek will start for the Rockies against the Cubs.

Brewers: The team hosts the Pirates in a three-game series beginning Friday. Milwaukee won 12 of 19 against Pittsburgh last year but finished six games behind them in the standings. Mike Fiers will start for the Brewers.

AP investigation reveals that even with billions invested by Congress, wait times at Veteran Affairs clinics exceeded the maximum 30 days.

SAUKVILLE – A Silver Alert has been issued for a missing Ozaukee County man.

Saukville Police say Allison “Chris” Austin, 73, was last seen Wednesday afternoon.

He is believed to be suffering from dementia or some other cognitive impairment.

His wife says they were at home when she heard the garage door, and realized he had left.

Austin is 5’8″ and 300 pounds, with blue eyes, gray shoulder-length hair, and a long beard.

Police say he may be driving a Maroon Buick LaCrosse with Wisconsin license plate 158-AUR.

If you have any information, call Saukville Police at (262)284-0444.

GREEN BAY – “It’s something I’ll never forget, being there that day,” said Sean Ryan, local runner and race organizer.

Ryan says he was with the Boston Marathon race director near the starting line the moment these explosions went off in 2013. With Wednesday’s verdict, Ryan says justice has been served.

“It seemed a bit open and shut that he was going to be found guilty. I don’t know if there was anybody, including his own defense team, that doubted his guilt,” said Ryan.

Other local athletes who were running in Boston that day say the verdict didn’t come soon enough.

“There was relief because I thought, well, at least this is unanimous and at least it was on every count. But, the delay was disappointing to me,” said Jeff Csuy, who also ran the marathon in 2013.

Ryan says he doesn’t buy the defense that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was coerced into helping with the bombings by his older brother, Tamerlin.

“The defense has spent so much time trying to paint him as the victim of his brother’s plans and they’ve spent little or no time trying to show any expression of remorse on his part. And I think that’s what in the end will be his undoing,” said Ryan.

Runners say they trust the jurors to make the right decision of whether Tsarnaev should receive the death penalty.

“Personally, as a Catholic, I struggle with advocating for the death penalty,” said Ryan. “But, I think it’s going to be hard for him to avoid the death penalty in this case.”

“If they throw everything they got at him, yeah, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. He’s taken lives,” said Csuy.

Runners say with the second anniversary of the attacks coming up in a week and a half, they hope for a quick sentencing.

“With any luck, it will be resolved before the gun is fired on race day,” said Ryan.

HORTONVILLE – Wednesday there was some confusion in Hortonville thanks to yesterday’s election.

One candidate ran in two races and he won both, but he can’t hold both offices.

Some in Hortonville are scratching their heads after Tuesday’s election.

“Well it was a very unique one, I think, to be honest,” said Louis McKellar.

Peter Olk ran for two seats, both municipal judge and trustee, meaning a village board member.

“A few people asked me, you know, ‘how can you do that?’ Well, you can run for both. If you’re fortunate enough to win both you then have to make a decision which one to take,” Olk explained.

“I was surprised when the nomination paperwork went out and he had signed up for both jobs and I questioned that,” added McKellar.

Olk won both. He beat McKellar with 284 to 212 votes in the race for judge. Voters also elected Olk to one of three available trustee seats.

“I’m from the area. So I’ve got a lot of background here, a lot of family. So I wasn’t too surprised,” Olk told us.

“I shouldn’t say I’m not upset, because, obviously when you run in an election you want to win, but by the same token I wasn’t surprised,” said McKellar.

The village clerk declined to comment on the record for this story, but she did tell me she is going over the next steps with the village attorney.

Running for both offices is legal, however, Olk cannot accept both.

He told FOX 11, as far as he knows, he now has to choose which office he wants to serve.

“The board then appoints someone to fill in for the first year until the next election, which is next spring,” Olk explained.

Olk said he will likely choose the village board position.

“My skill set is a marketing and business background, 35-plus years. So I think I can better serve the community if I were a trustee,” he said.

Which means, the judge position would need to be filled.

McKellar told us he would consider taking the job, if the village board sees fit. He said he just wants to wait and see what happens next.

“Yeah and that’s all you can do. He has to make his decision and the board has to take up what they’re going to do,” said McKellar.

Hortonville’s Village Attorney, listed as Robert Sorenson, has not responded to our requests for comment.

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — U.S. and Canadian crews are working to clear a path through ice on eastern Lake Superior that’s left freighters unable to move, including one that had a hole punched in its hull.

The Canadian Coast Guard says that by Wednesday afternoon, six vessels heading toward the lower lakes and 12 vessels heading toward upper Lake Superior were waiting to move. It says that two of the outbound vessels have cleared the ice field with help from the Canadian Coast Guard ship Samuel Risley.

The ice is in the Whitefish Bay area. The Canadian Coast Guard released a video of the ice breaker at work.

The cargo shipping season started last month on the upper Great Lakes.

 

INDIANAPOLIS — Dan Gavitt would like to college basketball referees to take more time to make the right calls, especially with a national championship at stake.

Less than 48 hours after a crucial call helped Duke hold on for a 68-63 victory over Wisconsin on Monday night in the title game, the NCAA’s vice president of men’s basketball told The Associated Press that the referees could have been “more patient” at the replay monitor.

A magnified shot that aired during CBS’ live telecast appeared to show a Duke player touched the ball last when Badgers guard Bronson Koenig missed a layup with 1:54 to play and Duke leading 63-58. But Gavitt said the officials never got a chance to see that replay because they had already decided to uphold the original decision that the ball went off Wisconsin.

All I’m saying is that I think there’s a chance that if there had been a longer review, especially on the blown up one, the magnified version, there’s a chance there would have been enough evidence to overturn the call,” Gavitt said Wednesday. “But it’s still a judgment call.”

Gavitt said he spoke with Badgers coach Bo Ryan immediately after the game and again Wednesday to give him a heads-up about what he planned to say publicly about the call. Gavitt did not characterize the conversation as an apology, and said Ryan was more upset about how the game was called — rather than the one call that has been talked about all week.

What went wrong?

John Adams, the retiring head of college basketball referees, told SiriusXMCollege Radio on Tuesday that the three-man officiating crew and the standby official did not have access to the same views as the television audience. So when Adams realized the call looked wrong, he considered making a dash to the scorer’s table to bring the officials back.

Gavitt said Adams “misspoke” and that the referees did have access to all TV replays.

Adams declined an interview request.

Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan reacts to a call during the first half of the NCAA Final Four college basketball tournament championship game against Duke Monday, April 6, 2015, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Kim Jackson, a spokesman for DVSport, the NCAA’s replay partner through 2019, acknowledged the referees did get access to all of CBS’ replays, just not in time to make the most definitive angle available.

“At that point, they had already looked at eight or nine different angles and didn’t see that (magnified) one in time to alert them in time to come back to the table,” Jackson said, explaining how the scorer’s table was in contact with the television truck. “Typically, what is done if they want to bring them back is they just blow the horn and have them come back over.”

Instead, nothing was done and the game continued as Duke went on to win its fifth national title, beating the Badgers 68-63.

And though it wasn’t only the questionable call during the three-week NCAA Tournament, it could have the most lasting impact.

Jackson said DVSport and the NCAA have already had conversations about how to improve the process and what could be done if a definitive angle comes in late, but they have not yet come up with concrete solutions.

One potential problem is the disparate amount of cameras.

While the title game had 18 different angles, Gavitt said most regular-season games only have to four to seven – meaning there’s an even greater possibility of mistakes. Tony Dungy often cited that as a reason to vote against replay use when he was coaching in the NFL.

Just hours before Monday’s game, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany suggested it may be time to consider taking away replay decisions from the officials on the court. The NFL, NBA and NHL both central command centers to make decisions and in college football, a booth official can overturn calls on the field.

Another concern is that many fans have already complained about how long it takes to play the finals minutes of college games.

But Gavitt is convinced that getting it right is more important than getting games finished fast.

“We have to find the right balance. I think with the number of camera angles, we should take a little longer,” he said. “I don’t think the goal should be to be perfect because I think you’re always going to have human nature and human judgment be a part of that. But we’d like to get it right as much as we can.”

SHAWANO COUNTY – The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department is confirming a body found last May is that of missing woman Heather Szekeres.

Investigators are now considering this case a homicide.

Szekeres was last seen at the Final Lap Bar in Shawano on Friday, June 21, 2013. Her husband said she never came home.

He told FOX 11 in 2013 that he waited the 24 hours necessary before filing a missing persons report on the morning of Sunday, June 23, 2013.

Human remains were found in the town of Richmond on May 10, 2014, with no indication at that time that the cases were connected.

Investigators say forensic teams have been working since then to identify the remains.

They notified the Shawano County Sheriff’s department Wednesday that the DNA of that body matched Heather Szekeres.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice continues to investigate her cause of death.

FOX 11’s Kelly Schlicht called Szekeres’ husband Wednesday evening. He told her he was not allowed to speak to reporters at this time.

FOX 11 also contacted the Shawano County Sheriff, but he did not return our call Wednesday evening.

 

 

 

The Green Bay Packers have released T Aaron Adams.

Adams, a second-year player out of Eastern Kentucky, was placed on injured reserve after suffering an injury during the 2014 preseason. He spent the entire 2013 season on the Packers’ practice squad after being released by the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 31, 2013.

Adams originally entered the league with Cleveland, signing as a non-drafted rookie free agent on May 1, 2013.

GREEN BAY – A decision is expected Wednesday night on a proposed psychiatric hospital.

Two votes will be needed for the hospital to be build.

The first vote is whether to sell the land in the I-43 Business Park to Strategic Behavioral Health and the second vote is whether to approve the Tennessee-based company’s development agreement with the city.

These votes were supposed to happen last month, however, the city council voted to postpone a decision. Council members wanted more information about whether the $10 million, 72-bed hospital is needed.

Bellin Health has the community’s only psych hospital. Bellin Health has said they are against the project.

Bellin leaders say their hospital has enough beds for the region.

Mayor Jim Schmitt is for the project, believing there is a need, “This proposed hospital, which creates jobs, creates a tax base, is something I think the city needs to consider. What I’ve learned and who I’ve talked to, I think this is a right direction for the city of Green Bay.”

Bellin leaders spoke at the last council meeting, and are expected to speak again at Wednesday night’s meeting.

Strategic Behavioral Health leaders have said they will go to another community in the area if Green Bay denies the project.

The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. We’ll have coverage tonight on FOX 11 News at Nine.

 

 

 

 

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Kevin Streelman beat Camilo Villegas on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff Wednesday to win the Par 3 tournament on the last day to relax at Augusta National.

Streelman and Villegas finished the nine holes tied at 5 under. They each opened with a par then a birdie before Streelman topped Villegas, who had not one, but two holes-in-one through his first eight holes.

Americans Ben Martin and Cameron Tringale tied last year’s Par 3 champ Ryan Moore at 4 under.

Streelman, who played at Duke, tied for 42nd last year in his best finish in three appearances at the Masters.

Winning the Par 3 contest has been considered a bad omen since no one has won both that title and the Masters in the same week. Streelman called it a fun day where his focus was on helping Ethan from the Make-a-Wish Foundation have a great day.

Done all I can do,” Streelman said. “Now I’ve just got to go out and have fun and play.”

Villegas got his first ace on No. 4 along with Jack Nicklaus and Matias Dominguez of Chile. The Colombian followed that with his second hole-in-one of the day on the 120-yard No. 8, taking him to 5-under 22 and tying Streelman.

Holes-in-one are nothing new for Villegas who had the 14th of his career last week at home with a 5-iron. He said his pitching wedge on his first hole-in-one Wednesday kept trickling back and went in the hole. He used a 54-degree wedge on his second ace.

“The second one, we were a little more emotional there,” Villegas said. “We just kind of jumped. Enjoying it man.”

Ernie Els, of South Africa, reacts to his daughter Samantha’s putt during the Par 3 contest at the Masters golf tournament Wednesday, April 8, 2015, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Tiger Woods had company playing the Par 3 for the first time since 2004. His 6-year-old son, Charlie, and 7-year-old daughter, Sam, caddied for him with girlfriend, Olympic skiing champion Lindsey Vonn, joining them. Woods even let his daughter handle his putting, and she showed a deft touch on the green.

“I’ll always have memories of my pop at Augusta and now Sam & Charlie,” Woods wrote on Twitter. “An amazing day.”

Family time is the best part of this event.

Ernie Els let his daughter Samantha putt. Caleb Watson looked adorable in his caddie suit and green hat following his daddy, two-time Masters champ Bubba from hole to hole. Brendan Todd had his hands full carrying son Oliver when not swinging a club.

“Definitely the best part was carrying my son, six-month-boy, all over showing him off to the crowd,” Todd said.

Nicklaus, the six-time Masters champ, looked like he just might win his first Par 3 title at the age of 75 after a hole-in-one on No. 4.

His iron shot bounced twice before taking a little hop spinning back into the hole. Ben Crenshaw and Gary Player each congratulated Nicklaus, and he celebrated with a double first-pump. Fans roared for a shot that got Nicklaus on the leaderboard before a 5-over finish.

“I never had a hole-in-one at Augusta,” Nicklaus said. “It’s funny. I had an interview this morning and I said, ‘Well, all I’ve got to do is go out and win the Par 3 and make a hole-in-one,’ and I make a hole-in-one. I had 3 under for the Par 3 and then choked.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Derek Jensen’s profile picture features Rae’s Creek and the Ben Hogan Bridge, and a picture of the Masters logo. It’ll stay that way for several hours.

No more tweets, nothing on Instagram or Facebook.

Not while he’s on the golf course at Augusta National. Forget posting that photo from Amen Corner or what Tiger Woods just did with his club.

At the Masters, everyone must leave smartphones at home, in the car or checked at the gate. It’s social media silence. Anyone caught with a phone is escorted off the grounds.

It’s a policy embraced as part of Augusta National’s mystique and a now rare escape from technology.

Jensen, who’s from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said Wednesday the itch to post passed quickly as he and three friends wandered the course.

It’s part of the mystique of this place,” said Jeff Nelson of Rockford, Illinois. “Everybody knows there’s no phones, so that becomes part of the whole cool thing. It’s like we know we can’t use the phones. It becomes part of the experience of knowing you’re going to have to turn that phone in because you can’t have a phone at the Masters.”

It forces people to fellowship more, interact and socialize.

So that has led to a trend that may become yet another Masters’ tradition: The social media update before heading to Augusta National with some going cryptic with simply the yellow logo or photos of the course.

Ernie Els, left, of South Africa, poses with a spectator during the Par 3 contest at the Masters golf tournament Wednesday, April 8, 2015, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Middle Tennessee golf coach Whit Turnbow made it very clear to his Twitter followers that he was going silent Monday because of the no-phone policy while including a photo showing the end of Magnolia Lane.

Turnbow has been coming to this tournament since he was 12, so he knew the policy very well. But his five players looked puzzled when he told them to leave their phones in the van. But even the Masters veteran kept reaching to his back pocket looking for his phone every few minutes throughout the day.

“It is certainly a little bit unusual not to be able to live tweet right here at the site,” Turnbow said Wednesday.

Others choose not to share where they’re going.

Michael Duncan of Atlanta embraced the break from social media and didn’t tell his followers on any of his four accounts about his first trip to the Masters. Once on the course, Duncan said he already would have posted an update — if he had his phone.

“The point of social media is to let people know where you’re at and what you’re doing,” Duncan said.

Eddie Hunter of Maryville, Tennessee, is considered a Facebook stalker by his friends but forgot to update his status because they couldn’t wait to start walking around the course.

“Having a good time far outweighs Facebook,” Hunter said.

Ann Benzon of Chicago, Illinois, embraced Augusta National giving her the chance to escape without feeling the need to check social media. She noted even flying these days offers no break with airplane mode and WiFi on planes.

“This place is special, and I actually love being disconnected …,” Benzon said. “I think it’s refreshing to get a total disconnect.”

 

OSHKOSH – Facing proposed budget cuts, UW Oshkosh says something had to give now, and, as we’ve reported the last two days, that’s in the form of eliminating men’s soccer and men’s tennis.

Despite hearing objections from students and the public, a forum held Wednesday at Reeve Union wasn’t really about the campus changing its mind.

University leaders say it was a chance to explain what’s happening.

Governor Walker is proposing cutting $300 million from the UW System.

Oshkosh says it could lose out on millions of dollars in state aid. The school said it has to make tough decisions.

The forum began with Chancellor Andrew Leavitt explaining the cuts and changes to athletic programs. He also offered an apology.

“I’m so sorry from the bottom of my heart that this has happened. But those are the realities. I’m sorry,” said Leavitt to the crowd of about 75 people.

That was little consolation for those who spoke out against the cuts.

Many felt more people should have been involved in the decision making process, beyond just the chancellor and athletic director.

“Taxpayers expect a higher standard of the administration than what’s being displayed by your decision,” said UW-Oshkosh soccer alumnus David Irwin.

The father of two former UW-Oshkosh soccer players said making cuts across the board would be a more justified way of meeting the budget.

“They didn’t come here because Oshkosh was number one in their field, they came because they wanted to play for a great soccer program and I think you need to continue that,” said Jim Gallagher.

The university’s soccer coach was visibly upset when it was his turn to speak.

“You don’t know how big this sport is, how many people look up to UW-Oshkosh men’s soccer. You’re taking future opportunities away from a growing sport from future student athletes that want to play and be a Titan,” said Wytse Molenaar.

Current soccer players say they are disappointed to see the sport go – and may even consider changing schools.

“I’m not convinced whatsoever that this is the best option and I just feel like it was the easy way out.” “We’re hoping that there’s some other steps in place that we can take to ensure that maybe this isn’t the end of it,” said UW-Oshkosh soccer player Nick Woodbury.

The chancellor says it would be irresponsible for him to not make these decisions now with the beginning of the fiscal year looming in July.

“It’s a tragedy to eliminate such a fine program but given the budget realities we have we had to establish certain criteria and apply those criteria,” said Leavitt.

FOX 11 asked Athletics Director Darryl Sims why he and Leavitt made the decision themselves.

“It really didn’t matter which program we were going to cut. We knew that we were going to have to cut two, maybe three, and that was not going to be popular so we really wanted to minimize any potential backlash that could come as a result of that,” said Sims.

Despite the comments and opinions offered during the public forum, Leavitt and Sims said their decision to cut men’s soccer and men’s tennis is final.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Already, it’s a Masters unlike any other for Tiger Woods.

On Wednesday his playing partners ranged in age from 6 to 63. On the practice range the day before, he listened to hip-hop music on headphones to find his rhythm.

And in what may have been the biggest surprise of the week so far, he actually smiled and tried to be engaging at his press conference, something he normally tolerates with a guarded terseness.

Woods is playing in the Masters for the 20th time, almost unthinkable for those who remember his breakout win in 1997. Even more unthinkable after all these years is no one has an idea what to expect when he tees off Thursday afternoon in an almost desperate quest to find his game and win a fifth green jacket.

Not the fans, who still cheer his every move. Not his fellow players, who have watched the roller coaster of the past five years close up.

Not even Woods himself.

Whether I have blinders on or not, I don’t feel any different,” Woods insisted, “I feel like I’m preparing to try and win the Masters.”

The people who take money on those kind of things don’t anticipate that will happen, making Woods a 25-1 pick to win his first Masters title in a decade. The odds would be even higher — they started at 50-1 — but for a lot of people plunking $20 bills down on Woods in Las Vegas sports books because they remember what he used to be able to do on a golf course.

If some of those memories are fading, Woods has to accept some of the blame. He has been MIA so long that it’s hard to remember he was once supposed to win more green jackets than Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus combined.

A new generation of players is no longer intimidated by the sight of Woods in red on Sunday, something Woods acknowledged when he talked about how he used to drive the ball past everyone other than John Daly but is happy these days just to be in the same area code. He’s 39 now, ancient in the game of golf anywhere but at a Masters that still includes Ben Crenshaw in the field.

“I won the Masters when Jordan (Spieth) was still in diapers,” Woods said, though a quick check of the calendar showed Spieth was approaching his fourth birthday by then.

Tiger Woods tees off on the 18th hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament Wednesday, April 8, 2015, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

The young players who hit it past him, though, aren’t his real worry. The troubles for Woods are within, and he’s been dealing with different varieties of them ever since his infamous wreck over Thanksgiving weekend in 2009.

His personal life now seems stable, or at least it did Wednesday when his children, 6-year-old Charlie and 7-year-old Sam, joined him and girlfriend Lindsey Vonn for the par-3 contest he hadn’t played in 11 years. His swing seems better, too, at least better than two months ago when he fled Torrey Pines mid-round, mumbling something about his glutes not being properly activated.

And while he’s notoriously thin-skinned, Woods said he no longer reads anything written about him or listens when analysts talk about how shockingly bad his game has been.

“I’ve come to the understanding that I live it,” he said. “I know exactly what I’m doing out here and I’ve hit the shots, and I don’t really need someone else’s secondhand opinion of what I was thinking of. I know exactly what I was doing out there.”

Woods certainly looked comfortable again as he played the back 9 earlier Wednesday with Spieth and Crenshaw. He asked to join them as they teed off, something that would have been unheard of back in the day when he largely practiced by himself.

If this is a new Tiger Woods, it seems partly by design. A kinder, friendlier Woods seems to be the new persona he wants to project, though it remains to be seen how that translates in the heat of competition.

Woods said he spent the last two months at home, working from morning to night on his game. He talked about finding the right release pattern, and seems convinced that he has ironed out his problems.

He comes back at a place he knows well, on a course where he almost always seems to be in the mix. But he hasn’t played a full tournament since the British Open last year, and playing in the Masters is a lot different than playing practice rounds back home.

Woods tees off in the penultimate group Thursday, with all sorts of questions that remain to be answered. Nobody has any idea whether this will be another train wreck or a celebratory romp.

About the only thing for certain is that we’ll be watching every move he makes.