Green Bay News

MADISON (AP) – The candidates for Wisconsin Supreme Court are making a final push to connect with voters before Tuesday’s election.

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley was spending Monday in Milwaukee, meeting voters at a coffee shop and other places around the city. Her opponent, Rock County Circuit Judge James Daley, also plans to be in Milwaukee outside of Miller Park where the Brewers are opening their season with a game against the Colorado Rockies.

Daley was also campaigning in the Fox Valley.

The race has generated little buzz, with Daley not running a single television advertisement and no outside groups coming in on his behalf. Bradley has run a pair of ads and the liberal Greater Wisconsin Committee launched a spot attacking Daley last week.

GREEN BAY (AP) – Jails in the Green Bay area are taking on the responsibility of collecting DNA samples from people arrested for violent felonies as part of a new Wisconsin law.

The law on taking DNA samples after arrest took effect last week, and it includes felonies such as homicide, sexual assault, burglary, robbery and child abuse. Before the new law, DNA samples were collected only from convicted felons and sex offenders.

Police officers won’t be taking DNA samples in Green Bay-area counties, Press-Gazette Media reports. Brown County Sheriff John Gossage said the department would wait until an arrestee is booked, rather than have an officer do it on the street “in an uncontrolled environment.”

The DNA samples wouldn’t be processed until a judge finds there’s probable cause a crime was committed.

Sheriff’s departments don’t expect to need to hire anyone for DNA collections, and Gossage said the test is paid for by the state. The law also requires DNA collection from anyone convicted of a felony or misdemeanor.

Gossage said Brown County could collect hundreds more DNA samples with the new misdemeanor requirement. Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski said he doesn’t think there will be a big increase in the amount of work.

“Our numbers will be limited, but we see the same individuals over and over, so once we have them on file, we don’t have to continually take new samples,” he said.

The DNA samples must be sent to the Wisconsin Department of Justice. The agency expects to get 25,000 samples from felony arrests and 43,000 samples from misdemeanor convictions this year as a result of the new law.

Appleton – Josif and the crew at Salon CTI in Appleton gave Stacey a Monday Morning Makeover.

Click on the video above to check out her new look.

Meet our tailwagger, Gidget!

She’s a fun-loving Yorkshire/Terrier mix.

Gidget is six-years old and does well with other cats and dogs.

She has already been vaccinated and microchipped.

GREEN BAY- We’re gearing up for the start of the Brewers home opener.

The Johnsonville Big Taste Grill rolled into our lot to get us pumped for the game.

Click on the video to learn more.

Click here for a list of recipes.

MENOMINEE, MICH. – Charges will not be filed against an Upper Peninsula homeowner who shot and killed one of the three men who broke into his home in November.

David Higbee has been granted immunity in the case by prosecutors, and is expected to testify at upcoming hearings against the two surviving suspects, Menominee County sheriff Kenny Marks said this morning in a news release.

Hayden Gagnon was killed after breaking into the Mellen Township home.

The use of force was justified, according Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Hass:

“After review of the evidence of this case, I find that Mr. Higbee’s use of deadly force was justified self-defense and that prosecution cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Higbee did not act in self-defense. Mr. Higbee had no duty to retreat. He was home alone. His home was broken into. He call 911 to report the invasion. He stood his ground until police arrived. He call and reported he fired his gun. Mr. Higbee did not seek out or confront the perpetrators. He waited to shoot until the perceived danger to himself entered his home. It is reasonable to believe Mr. Higbee feared he was in danger of being killed or seriously injured,” Hass says in the release.

As a result, a judge signed an order granting Higbee immunity, Marks says.

Two other suspects – Thomas Hartman and Matthew Franjose – fled and were later arrested.

They are expected back in court April 15 for a preliminary hearing.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – The smell of brats will soon be wafting from the parking lots at Miller Park as tailgaters celebrate the Milwaukee Brewers’ home opener.

Those tailgaters will likely huddle close to their grills with temperatures in the mid-40s Monday. Forecasters expect rain will stay away until after the game. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m.

Stadium gates will open at 10:40 a.m. New Major League Baseball procedures will be in place for the first time. All fans will be cycled through metal detectors before their tickets are scanned. Cellphones, cameras, keys and other metal objects will set off the detectors.

Wisconsin Badgers fans traveling to a friend’s house or bars could mix with home opener traffic after the game ends at Miller Park later Monday.

DE PERE – An area bakery is ready to cheer on the Badgers ahead of Monday night’s NCAA Championship game against Duke.

Adaleen’s Bakery in De Pere started selling Badger-themed treats before Wisconsin’s game against Kentucky in the Final Four.

The bakery is also selling Brewers-themed treats just in time for the start of baseball season and Milwaukee’s home opener against Colorado on Monday night.

FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning at Adaleen’s Bakery on the sweet assignment.

For more information on Adaleen’s Bakery, click here.

GREEN BAY- Expect cloudy and breezy conditions Monday for most of the area with snow continuing in the north woods this morning.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 10 a.m. for northern Marinette and Florence counties as well as Menominee county in Michigan border with 3 to 5 inches of total snow accumulation expected.

Rain showers are possible Monday night with a chance of a wintry mix at times overnight and a low near 32. Winds will be brisk our of the northeast at 10 to 20 mph.

Tuesday we’ll have a chance of rain and freezing rain in the morning, then a chance of rain showers, cloudy and windy with northeast winds of 15 to 25 mph, gusting to 35 mph.

Rain showers are likely Tuesday night with a chance of freezing rain at times and a low near freezing.

DE PERE- Two police officers and another person suffered smoke inhalation after an overnight fire on George Street.

The fire broke out shortly after 12 a.m. Monday above McGeorge’s Pub in De Pere.

Officials say a bartender smelled smoke, looked around and called the fire department.

Both apartments on the second floor were damaged. Both residents have been displaced.

Two cats were safely evacuated.

Officials say there is water damage to the second floor apartments and the kitchen below.

It’s not known what caused the fire.

Fond du Lac – No one was hurt in an overnight fire in Fond du Lac.

Firefighters were called to a home on South Lincoln Avenue.

Fire officials didn’t give us many details. They do say the home was heavily damaged.

No one was home at the time.

HARTFORD – A Silver Alert has been issued for a missing Hartford man.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice says Albert Soschinske, 82, was last seen Sunday afternoon. Authorities say he did not arrive at a relative’s home on Easter as expected.

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

He is 5’6″ and weighs 180 pounds, with gray hair and gray/blue eyes. Soschinske was last seen wearing a tan winter coat, blue jeans, green plaid shirt, black shoes and wire rimmed glasses. Authorities say he also has a number of scabs on his face from a recent medical procedure.

The DOJ says Soschinski may be driving a silver 2011 Ford Fusion with Wisconsin license plate 764-BJW.

If you have any information, contact Hartford Police at (262) 673-2600.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The scene will bring smiles to many for a long time. Players chest-bumping and hugging. Fans on the fringe of delirium. A celebration perfect for highlight reels and posters.

It has to end in a hurry, though. There’s another game to be played.

Wisconsin has joined the list of teams which won a game of historical proportions only to be faced with a game that will decide how great the magnitude of the event will be.

The Badgers beat Kentucky 71-64 on Saturday night, ending the Wildcats’ pursuit of an unbeaten season and avenging a bitter loss in last year’s national semifinals.

Now, they face Duke on Monday night for Wisconsin’s first national championship in 74 years. If the Badgers can’t find a way to beat the Blue Devils – a team they lost to by 10 points at home in December – how will the upset of the top-ranked Wildcats be remembered?

“We know we’ve got 40 more (minutes), as I’ve said a thousand times,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said Sunday. “But we know we’ve got some work to do. I think last night’s game simply says, ‘OK, it puts you in position now to go after the championship.'”

Two teams that managed the great win only to have to follow it up days later with the game that decides a place in history.

Duke, the team that is trying to throw a wrench into Wisconsin’s dream weekend, faced the same situation in 1991, in the same city.

The Blue Devils beat UNLV, another team seeking the perfect season, in the national semifinals. The year before, the Runnin’ Rebels beat Duke by 30 points in the title game. The Blue Devils celebrated as the soon as the buzzer sounded. Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill were on the court enjoying a moment for a lifetime when reality set in in the form or coach Mike Krzyzewski.

He ran onto the court moving his arms in a “knock it off” motion. There was a title game against Kansas to be played in less than 48 hours.

“When you win a Final Four game, no matter who you beat, it’s huge,” said Krzyzewski, who is looking for his fifth national championship. “And we’re all human beings. You have to fight human nature of wanting to stay in that moment for a little bit longer before moving on to the next moment.”

It’s not just basketball either.

In 1980, in one of sports’ moments frozen in time, when an entire country confirmed it did believe in miracles, the U.S. Olympic hockey team stunned the world by beating the vaunted Soviet Union in Lake Placid, New York. The celebration of an entire team throwing their sticks and jumping onto a pile in front of the net is frozen in time. But the United States wasn’t done. They had to beat Finland two days later. A win meant a gold medal. A loss meant no medal, not even a bronze.

Ryan knows all about that from a player who starred on the team that had been humiliated by the Soviets just weeks before at Madison Square Garden.

“Mark Johnson is the women’s hockey coach at the University of Wisconsin. Won a lot of national championships. Great, great teacher, great coach,” he said. “I was reminded – I can’t tell you by how many people, ‘Hey, Bo, in 1980, you know after we beat Russia, we had to beat Finland.’ I don’t know a lot about hockey, but I knew about the ’80 team. I said, ‘You know what, you’re right.’ Most people think that Russia was the gold medal game. I think it was Finland, wasn’t it? I’ve been reminded on a few text messages that Finland is Duke, both really good teams. Duke is a really good team. I think Finland was a good team because they got to the finals.”

Krzyzewski said it’s important to make sure the players stay grounded. The anecdotes flow from 24 years ago about Krzyzewski yelling at the team for the way they approached the Sunday practice, that they had already won something besides a semifinal game.

“It wasn’t just the emotion in the locker room. I thought we handled that well,” Krzyzewski said. “It was the emotion in the hotel, where our fans were literally delirious. It was so packed, they were right next to you. They didn’t think we would beat Vegas. We were the ones who thought we could beat Vegas. We had to make sure we didn’t go into their environment, into their place.”

On Saturday night Wisconsin faced the same problem when the Badgers returned to their hotel. What seemed like thousands of red-clad “Cheeseheads” were waiting in the lobby and anywhere else there was room for a few more people.

“You know you have to forget about the one you just played,” Ryan said. “The only thing that’s going to help you for that next game is what you learned for the 40 minutes during that (previous) game. Today, when we’re at practice, they’ll be reminded about a few things from last night, but it will be how we can get better.”

And how you can make a run at history complete. Duke had Kansas 24 years ago. The United States had Finland in 1980. On Monday night, Wisconsin faces Duke.

A win would mean a place in college basketball history. A loss would mean a win for the ages becomes a footnote.

For Green Bay Gamblers defenseman Matt Berkovitz, home is where the Resch is.

“You just look up, you have all your family there,” Berkovitz said. “It’s good to get out there and put on the sweater again.”

The former Ashwaubenon high school standout started the season with a Sioux City zip code. In February however, a trade sent him packing for a return to Green Bay.

“It’s a dream come true,” Berkovitz said. “Tough to move away from home but to play in front of your hometown is awesome. I always have friends texting me for tickets. Every week it’s more kids going to the game.”

The 6’1, 180-lb defenseman has appeared in 40 games between the two teams. Despite the consistency, its been a trying first year in the highly competitive USHL. Along with a tougher level of play, Berkovitz also battled through a bout of mononucleosis.

“I’m getting back to 100%, starting to get more comfortable,” Berkovitz said.

“Matt’s learning in this league,” Gamblers head coach Pat Mikesch said, “He’s playing in his first year, it’s a development year for a lot of guys. He needs to work on parts of his game to be a solid everyday player at a high level.”

At just 19, Berkovitz will have another year of eligibility with the Gamblers. Another chance to hang a banner for his hometown team before heading south to Madison to play college hockey at Wisconsin.

“Hopefully I can stay healthy and contribute a lot of wins to this team before moving on,” Berkovitz said.

A fifth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks, Berkovitz has NHL dreams.

“I want to take this as far as I can,” Berkovitz said.

And he’s working hard to make that gamble pay off. In Ashwaubenon, Dylan Scott Fox 11 Sports.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The scene will bring smiles to many for a long time. Players chest-bumping and hugging. Fans on the fringe of delirium. A celebration perfect for highlight reels and posters.

It has to end in a hurry, though. There’s another game to be played.

Wisconsin has joined the list of teams which won a game of historical proportions only to be faced with a game that will decide how great the magnitude of the event will be.

The Badgers beat Kentucky 71-64 on Saturday night, ending the Wildcats’ pursuit of an unbeaten season and avenging a bitter loss in last year’s national semifinals.

Now, they face Duke on Monday night for Wisconsin’s first national championship in 74 years. If the Badgers can’t find a way to beat the Blue Devils – a team they lost to by 10 points at home in December – how will the upset of the top-ranked Wildcats be remembered?

“We know we’ve got 40 more (minutes), as I’ve said a thousand times,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said Sunday. “But we know we’ve got some work to do. I think last night’s game simply says, ‘OK, it puts you in position now to go after the championship.'”

Two teams that managed the great win only to have to follow it up days later with the game that decides a place in history.

Duke, the team that is trying to throw a wrench into Wisconsin’s dream weekend, faced the same situation in 1991, in the same city.

The Blue Devils beat UNLV, another team seeking the perfect season, in the national semifinals. The year before, the Runnin’ Rebels beat Duke by 30 points in the title game. The Blue Devils celebrated as the soon as the buzzer sounded. Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill were on the court enjoying a moment for a lifetime when reality set in in the form or coach Mike Krzyzewski.

He ran onto the court moving his arms in a “knock it off” motion. There was a title game against Kansas to be played in less than 48 hours.

“When you win a Final Four game, no matter who you beat, it’s huge,” said Krzyzewski, who is looking for his fifth national championship. “And we’re all human beings. You have to fight human nature of wanting to stay in that moment for a little bit longer before moving on to the next moment.”

It’s not just basketball either.

In 1980, in one of sports’ moments frozen in time, when an entire country confirmed it did believe in miracles, the U.S. Olympic hockey team stunned the world by beating the vaunted Soviet Union in Lake Placid, New York. The celebration of an entire team throwing their sticks and jumping onto a pile in front of the net is frozen in time. But the United States wasn’t done. They had to beat Finland two days later. A win meant a gold medal. A loss meant no medal, not even a bronze.

Ryan knows all about that from a player who starred on the team that had been humiliated by the Soviets just weeks before at Madison Square Garden.

“Mark Johnson is the women’s hockey coach at the University of Wisconsin. Won a lot of national championships. Great, great teacher, great coach,” he said. “I was reminded – I can’t tell you by how many people, ‘Hey, Bo, in 1980, you know after we beat Russia, we had to beat Finland.’ I don’t know a lot about hockey, but I knew about the ’80 team. I said, ‘You know what, you’re right.’ Most people think that Russia was the gold medal game. I think it was Finland, wasn’t it? I’ve been reminded on a few text messages that Finland is Duke, both really good teams. Duke is a really good team. I think Finland was a good team because they got to the finals.”

Krzyzewski said it’s important to make sure the players stay grounded. The anecdotes flow from 24 years ago about Krzyzewski yelling at the team for the way they approached the Sunday practice, that they had already won something besides a semifinal game.

“It wasn’t just the emotion in the locker room. I thought we handled that well,” Krzyzewski said. “It was the emotion in the hotel, where our fans were literally delirious. It was so packed, they were right next to you. They didn’t think we would beat Vegas. We were the ones who thought we could beat Vegas. We had to make sure we didn’t go into their environment, into their place.”

On Saturday night Wisconsin faced the same problem when the Badgers returned to their hotel. What seemed like thousands of red-clad “Cheeseheads” were waiting in the lobby and anywhere else there was room for a few more people.

“You know you have to forget about the one you just played,” Ryan said. “The only thing that’s going to help you for that next game is what you learned for the 40 minutes during that (previous) game. Today, when we’re at practice, they’ll be reminded about a few things from last night, but it will be how we can get better.”

And how you can make a run at history complete. Duke had Kansas 24 years ago. The United States had Finland in 1980. On Monday night, Wisconsin faces Duke.

A win would mean a place in college basketball history. A loss would mean a win for the ages becomes a footnote.

MADISON, Wis. – An Airman assigned to the 115th Fighter Wing, Wisconsin Air National Guard, died April 5 following a fall from a fifth-story window in Kadena, Japan.

According to the Wisconsin Dept. of Military Affairs, the Airman was pronounced dead at 9:51 p.m. local time after being transported to the U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa at Camp Foster.

The incident is under investigation.

The Airman’s name is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin. The family was notified Sunday afternoon.

Approximately 250 Airmen and 12 F-16 Fighting Falcons comprising the 176th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed to Kadena in January in support of the Pacific Command Theater Security Package. The deployment is intended to provide the Pacific Command region with forces capable of a variety of operations – including disaster relief, global situational awareness, combating piracy, active defense and power projection.

OSHKOSH – Many communities held an Easter meal Sunday to celebrate the holiday.

More than 100 people enjoyed the annual Easter Breakfast at Oshkosh’s First Congregational Church.

Volunteers donated their time to make eggs, bacon, pancakes and an assortment of desserts.

There was also vegetarian and vegan options available.

The co-pastors say Easter Breakfast is almost like a family reunion.

“It is kind of a homecoming. Some of the kids who have grown up in the church, who have moved away, come back for Easter and it’s always fun to see them,” said First Congregational Church co-Pastor Ralph DiBiasio.

The leftovers from the breakfast were delivered to the Day By Day Warming shelter.

ASHWAUBENON – Restaurants like Stadium View in Ashwaubenon are ready for tomorrow night’s Badgers game.

“We had to stock more liquor, make sure all the beer is full, and sauces in the fridge… all the food and stuff that we need for tomorrow,” said Sue Johnke, a bartender and server.

For Badgers fans who prefer to stay home and watch the game, ordering pizza might be at the top of their list.

The general manager of Papa John’s on Green Bay’s west side expects hundreds of calls.

“Our business generally hits right before the game and during halftime. We’re really busy. We have a bunch of pizzas out the door, and they’re taking two at a time,” said Robert Richmond.

As for toppings, bread sticks, and soft drinks Richmond says his store will have it all and be prepared for tomorrow’s rush.

FOX 11’s Gabrielle Mays will have the full story tonight on FOX 11 News at Nine.

MAXVILLE, Wis. (AP) – A man is dead after a tractor accident in western Wisconsin.

WEAU-TV reports Thomas Weisenbeck was thrown from the tractor while moving tree limbs from a field in the town of Maxville in Buffalo County.

The sheriff’s department says it received a call about the accident at about 3:50 p.m. Saturday.

Weisenbeck died at the scene.

WEST DE PERE – There’s nothing quite like playing at home. For the St. Norbert baseball team, that hasn’t happened since May of 2013.

After two years of construction in West De Pere, Larry Van Alstine Field officially opened Saturday afternoon.

The Green Knights played host to rival Ripon in a doubleheader, splitting the two games with a 5-0 win and a 6-2 loss.

Despite wanting the sweep, SNC is still happy to be playing in their new park after two seasons on the road.

“It’s actually nice to be back at our own home turf and just to be home instead of traveling all of the time,” junior pitcher Brett Nohr said. “Heck of a start, couldn’t be better. The field felt great.”