Green Bay News

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google is releasing its cheapest Chromebook laptops yet, two versions priced at $149 aimed at undercutting Microsoft’s Windows franchise and gaining ground in even more classrooms.

Various PC manufacturers have been working with Google to design lightweight laptops running on the Chrome operating system since 2011. The newest versions are made by Hisense and Haier. Hisense’s Chromebook can be ordered beginning Tuesday at Walmart.com and Haier’s version can be bought at Amazon.com.

Their arrival coincides with Microsoft’s rollout of a lower-priced Surface tablet in an effort to reach students and budget-conscious families. Pre-orders for that device began Tuesday, too.

As the prices for tablets and smartphones have been declining, it has forced on PC makers to lower their prices, said International Data Corp. analyst Jay Chou. The success of the Chromebook line is intensifying the PC pricing pressure.

“It has been good news for consumers, but not so good for vendors,” Chou said.

The cheaper version of the Surface Pro 3 sells for $499, compared with $799 to $1,949 for the higher-end models. The discounted version has a slightly smaller screen – 10.8 inches rather than 12 – a slower processor, and less flexible kickstand – just three angles rather than unlimited positions.

The Chromebook has served a dual purpose for Google. Like the company’s Android software for mobile devices, the Chrome system is set up so users will automatically begin using Google’s search engine and other services, such as Gmail and YouTube. Google has used the Chromebooks as a prod to bring down the prices of all PCs, something the company wanted to do because it has more opportunities to show the digital ads that bring in most of its revenue when more people can afford to buy an Internet-connected device.

“We cannot be happier that Microsoft is helping drive down the prices of PCs,” said Caesar Sengupta, Google’s vice president of product management for Chromebooks. “If Microsoft is reacting to (Chromebook’s low prices), that’s fantastic. We love it.”

Unlike most computers, Chromebooks don’t have a hard drive. Instead, they function as terminals dependent on an Internet connection to get most work done.

Despite those limitations, Chromebooks have been steadily gaining in popularity, particularly in schools, as more applications and services made available over Internet connections – a phenomenon known as “cloud computing” that has reduced the need for hard drives.

About 6 million Chromebooks were sold worldwide last year, more than doubling from 2.7 million in 2013, according to IDC. In contrast, sales in the overall PC market slipped 2 percent last year, marking the third consecutive annual decline. IDC is projecting 8 million Chromebooks will be sold this year.

Besides the $149 laptops, Google also is attacking Microsoft on other fronts. Later this spring, Google and Asus are releasing a hybrid Chromebook that can use used as either a laptop or tablet with a 10-inch screen. Called the Chromebook Flip, it will sell for $249.

In the summer, Asus and Google will start selling a new Chrome device that will provide people a cheaper way to upgrade an old PC. The device, called the Chromebit, is a stick loaded with an entire operating system that can be plugged into any HDMI port. The Chromebit’s price hasn’t been set, Google says it will cost less than $100.

Here’s what you need to know about the cheaper Surface Pro 3 and new Chromebooks:

PROS AND CONS OF THE SURFACE

Graphic artists, engineers and finance professionals needing to run complex software might still want the company’s higher-end Pro 3, said Dennis Meinhardt, director of program management for Surface. But the Surface 3 should be good for everyday tasks, he said, and brings the Pro 3’s premium feel to a device that will be affordable to more people.

The new Surface model is thinner and lighter, partly because it gets rid of the fan – similar to Apple’s new MacBook laptop. At 214 pixels per inch, the screen resolution is comparable to the Pro 3’s.

Battery life is promised at 10 hours for video playback. The Surface 3 runs the regular version of Windows 8.1, just like the Pro 3. In the past, Microsoft has used a lightweight version called RT in its cheaper tablets. The Surface 3 also has a USB port, a feature that distinguishes the Surface line from most rival tablets.

SIZING UP THE CHROMEBOOKS

Both the Hisense and Haier models have 11.6 inch screens, 2 gigabits of memory and run on Rockchip processors. The Hisense machine promises up to 8.5 hours of battery power per charge while Haier is touting up to 10 hours of power per charge on a battery that can be removed for easier replacement.

BERLIN (AP) — Lufthansa knew six years ago that the co-pilot of the passenger plane that crashed in the French Alps last week had suffered from a “serious depressive episode,” the German airline said Tuesday.

The airline said that as part of its internal research it found emails that Andreas Lubitz sent to the Lufthansa flight school in Bremen when he resumed his training there after an interruption of several months.

In them, he informed the school that he had suffered a “serious depressive episode,” which had since subsided.

The airline said Lubitz subsequently passed all medical checks and that it has provided the documents to prosecutors. It declined to make any further comment.

The revelation that officials Lufthansa had been informed of Lubitz’s psychological problems raises further questions about why he was allowed to become a pilot for its subsidiary, Germanwings, in September 2013.

Rescue workers work at the crash site near Seyne-les-Alpes, France, Monday, March 30, 2015. European investigators are focusing on the psychological state of a 27-year-old German co-pilot who prosecutors say deliberately flew a Germanwings plane carrying 150 people into a mountain, a French police official said Monday. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, Pool)

Authorities say the 27-year-old Lubitz, who in the past had been treated for suicidal tendencies, locked his captain out of the cockpit before deliberately crashing the Airbus 320 into a mountain in the French Alps on March 24. All 150 people aboard Flight 9525 from Barcelona to Duesseldorf were killed.

Earlier Tuesday, Lufthansa said it had set aside $300 million to deal with possible costs from the crash as French aviation investigators said they were examining “systemic weaknesses” like cockpit entry rules and psychological screening procedures that could have led to the Germanwings plane crash — issues that could eventually change worldwide aviation practices.

French aviation agency BEA signaled the latest re-think about airline procedures in the wake of the Germanwings crash, which jolted an aviation industry already reeling after one passenger plane disappeared into an ocean and another was shot out of the sky over war-torn eastern Ukraine.

The goal of the BEA investigation is to make recommendations to aviation authorities, not just in France but anywhere, about what can be done to prevent similar crashes. French prosecutors are carrying out a separate crash probe to pinpoint possible criminal wrongdoing.

The Germanwings crash has already produced some changes in aviation procedures. Europe’s aviation regulator now says all airlines in Europe should require two people in the cockpit at all times during a flight. Many airlines have already imposed the new rule, which has been in place in the U.S. since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The International Civil Aviation Organization, which brings together 191 nations, said state agencies like the BEA must officially determine the causes and contributing factors of crashes and give recommendations on ways to avoid recurrences. ICAO could then bring such recommendations to its member states — possibly leading to changes in international aviation standards.

BEA said it aims to provide a “detailed analysis” of the Germanwings cockpit voice recorder and any other flight data — but it also plans to widen its search, to examine issues that could be problematic for all airlines.

“(We will study) systemic weaknesses (that) might possibly have led to this aviation disaster,” BEA said in its first statement since prosecutors detailed the co-pilot’s suspected role in the crash.

The agency is studying both psychological screening procedures and rules applied to entering and leaving the cockpit, as well as cockpit door locking systems.

German prosecutors say Lubitz received psychotherapy before obtaining his pilot’s license and that medical records from that time referred to “suicidal tendencies.” They have given no dates for his treatment, but said visits to doctors since then showed no record of any suicidal tendencies or aggression against others.

They also have found torn-up sick notes from doctors, including one that would have kept Lubitz off work on the day of the crash.

At the crash site in the French Alps, investigators said they hope to have found DNA samples for everyone killed on the flight in the next 24 hours. Lt. Col. Jean-Marc Menichini, speaking in the town of Le Vernet, said the search was still on for the plane’s second black box — its data recorder.

“By the end of the week at the latest, it will be possible to identify all the victims thanks to the DNA samples taken,” French President Francois Hollande told reporters during a trip to Germany.

Hollande said German and French ministers also discussed the need to improve checks of air passengers within Europe’s visa-free Schengen travel zone and to “ensure that we can also strengthen our safety rules for piloting planes.”

Construction workers have cut a road up to the steep, mountainous crash site to speed up recovery efforts. Previously, emergency workers had to rely on helicopters. German investigators tasked with identifying the victims and determining their cause of death are expected Wednesday at the crash site.

In Frankfurt, Lufthansa spokeswoman Kerstin Lau said insurers have reserved $300 million to deal with “all costs arising in connection with the case.”

Lufthansa — Germanwings’ parent company — offered immediate aid last week of up to 50,000 euros ($54,250) per passenger to relatives of the victims. Those payments are separate from eventual compensation payments.

Airlines on international flights are required to compensate relatives of victims for proven damages of up to a limit of about $157,000 — regardless of what caused the crash. However, higher compensation is possible if a carrier is held liable.

Lufthansa has canceled plans to celebrate its 60th anniversary on April 15 “out of respect for the victims of the crash.”

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Moulson reported from Berlin. Lori Hinnant in Le Vernet, France contributed to this report.

 

GOLDEN, Colo. (CNN) – A tortoise is enjoying a new lease on life thanks to a 3-D printer.

Cleopatra arrived at a Colorado animal rescue center with a damaged shell. The damage left Cleopatra prone to infection.

But the rescue center’s owner had an idea to create a prosthesis to allow Cleopatra to live a normal life. With the help of a local university, he designed a program to print the tortoise a new shell layer.

“There’s not a company that manufactures parts for tortoises,” Nico Novelli of Canyon Critters Rescue said. “Sometimes, especially if they are sick or injured, we need to open up their shell to do surgery inside. So this is another way to protect them.”

Cleopatra’s shell now has a removable covering that allows her to safely play or mate with other tortoises.

The covering can also be removed to be cleaned.

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Police Department is investigating a possible drive-by shooting on the city’s west side Monday night.

Police say it happened around 7:00 p.m. in the 300 block of 12th street.

Police said they did find at least one residence with a bullet hole in it.

Officials say no injuries were reported and they have no suspects at this time.

GREEN BAY – Brown County’s half-percent sales tax to fund Lambeau Field renovations will end later this year.

The Green Bay/Brown County Professional Football Stadium District announced Tuesday that the tax would end no later than Sept. 30. For more than a decade, the district has used the tax to pay for the renovation of Lambeau Field and for stadium operations and maintenance. The tax currently brings in more than $20 million a year.

Reserve funds from the tax collection will be used to pay costs through Jan. 1, 2031, district leaders announced.

The tax was originally approved in a referendum in September 2000.

MENOMINEE COUNTY – A Keshena man was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a woman.

Michael P. Cantrell Sr., 46, will also serve a 15 year term of supervised release following the prison sentence.

Cantrell plead guilty on Dec. 2, 2014.

The investigation showed on April 24, 2014, Cantrell used force to sexually assault a woman at a home on the Menominee Indian Reservation. When police interviewed Cantrell at the time, he admitted he sexually assaulted the woman.

 

GREEN LAKE – A New London man who sold cocaine to an undercover police officer was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison.

New London police say they seized 18 pounds of marijuana. (New London Police Dept.)

Jose Fernandez previously pleaded no contest to cocaine delivery and marijuana possession.

He was also placed on extended supervision for nine years, according to online court records.

Investigators say Jose Fernandez was arrested by undercover agents in Berlin after agreeing to sell them a kilogram of cocaine for $36,000. His home was searched where local and state authorities say they found 18 pounds of high grade marijuana and $21,000 in cash.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said Tuesday that he wants legislation on his desk by the end of the week to clarify that the state’s new religious-freedom law does not allow discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Pence defended the measure as a vehicle to protect religious liberty but said he has been meeting with lawmakers “around the clock” to address concerns that it would allow businesses to deny services to gay customers.

The governor said he does not believe “for a minute” that lawmakers intended “to create a license to discriminate.”

“It certainly wasn’t my intent,” said Pence, who signed the law last week.

But, he said, he “can appreciate that that’s become the perception, not just here in Indiana but all across the country. We need to confront that.”

The law prohibits state laws that “substantially burden” a person’s ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. The definition of “person” includes religious institutions, businesses and associations.

Although the legal language does not specifically mention gays and lesbians, critics say the law is designed to protect businesses and individuals who do not want to serve gays and lesbians, such as florists or caterers who might be hired for a same-sex wedding.

Businesses and organizations including Apple and the NCAA have voiced concern over the effect of the law, and some states have barred government-funded travel to Indiana.

Also Tuesday, the Indianapolis Star urged Indiana lawmakers in a front-page editorial to respond to widespread criticism of the law by protecting the rights of gays and lesbians.

The Star’s editorial, headlined “FIX THIS NOW,” covered the newspaper’s entire front page. It called for lawmakers to enact a law that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The newspaper says the uproar sparked by the law has “done enormous harm” to the state and potentially to its economic future.

Meanwhile, Arkansas was poised to follow Indiana in enacting a law despite increasing criticism from businesses and gay-rights advocates.

The Arkansas House could vote as early as Tuesday on a proposal that would prohibit state and local governments from infringing on a person’s religious beliefs without a “compelling” reason. And unlike in Indiana, Arkansas lawmakers said they won’t modify their measure.

“There’s not really any place to make any changes now,” Republican Rep. Bob Ballinger of Hindsville said about his proposal. “If there are questions in two years, we can fix it.”

Hundreds of protesters filled Arkansas’ Capitol to oppose the measure, holding signs that read “Discrimination is not a Christian Value” and “Discrimination is a Disease,” and chanting “Shame on You” at Ballinger after the measure was endorsed by a House committee.

“I believe that many people will want to flee the state, and many people will want to avoid our state,” said Rita Jernigan, a protester and one of the lead plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ gay marriage ban.

Similar proposals have been introduced in more than a dozen states, patterned after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. Nineteen other states have similar laws on the books.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who had expressed reservations about unintended consequences of an earlier version of the bill, has said he will sign the current measure into law.

“If this bill reaches my desk in similar form as to what has been passed in 20 other states, then I will sign it, but I am pleased that the Legislature is continuing to look at ways to assure balance and fairness in the legislation,” Hutchinson said Monday in a statement.

In a letter released Tuesday, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola urged Hutchinson to veto the proposal, which he said would hurt the state’s economic-development efforts because it “sends the message that some members of our community will have fewer protections than others. Our city and our state cannot be limited to only certain segments of society.”

Sexual orientation and gender identity are not included in Arkansas’ anti-discrimination protections. Last month, Hutchinson allowed a measure to go into law that prevented local governments from including such protections in their anti-discrimination ordinances.

Opponents of the bill hoped to target Hutchinson’s promise to be a “jobs governor” made during his successful bid last year for the state’s top office. The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights group, has run ads in Silicon Valley aimed at the same technology firms Hutchinson has said he wants to lure to Arkansas.

Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post over the weekend opposing the Arkansas and Indiana measures, while retail giant Wal-Mart has said the proposal sends the wrong message about its home state. Little Rock-based data services company Acxiom also urged Hutchinson to veto the bill, saying the measure would enable discrimination and open the state up to ridicule.

“This bill is at direct odds with your position that ‘Arkansas is open for business,'” CEO Scott Howe and Executive Vice President Jerry C. Jones wrote Monday in a letter to the governor.

In Indiana, the fallout has ranged from the public-employee union known as AFSCME canceling a planned women’s conference in Indianapolis this year because of the law to the band Wilco canceling a May performance.

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DeMillo reported from Little Rock, Arkansas.

Find information about “The Big Gig” – the annual music festival on Milwaukee’s lakefront.

Photos of fans supporting the Wisconsin Badgers as they play in the 2015 NCAA Final Four.

GREEN BAY – A Door County man convicted of child pornography possession was sentenced Monday to 30 months in federal prison.

Kory Murphy was also placed on supervised release for seven years after that, according to online court records.

Murphy and Steven Link were arrested Sept. 5 in Sturgeon Bay as part of a internet sex crimes investigation. Child porn images were found on computers.

Link is scheduled to be sentenced June 1 on a count of receiving child pornography.

OSHKOSH – The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is offering retirement incentives as it faces potential state budget cuts.

University leaders announced the Voluntary Retirement Incentive Options Program for faculty and staff members Tuesday. The program offers a one-time payment of half the employee’s base salary in exchange for retirement. Anyone who is at least 60 years old and has worked for the state for at least 25 years is eligible.

University leaders say they want to cut around 80 jobs over the next three years to meet budget cuts.

In February, Gov. Scott Walker proposed cutting state funding of the 26-campus UW System by $300 million over the next two years. UW-Oshkosh is expecting to lose as much as $7.5 million in state funding in the budget’s first year. The budget needs to be approved by the Legislature, however, and lawmakers have said they are looking for ways to reduce the cuts Walker proposed. UW System president Ray Cross has said he would resign if he cannot convince the Legislature to reduce the cuts.

UW-Madison has announced that layoff notices could be sent as early as next month. Chancellors at UW-Eau Claire and Whitewater have also announced plans to deal with budget cuts by offering retirement incentives or cutting positions.

FOX 11’s Eric Peterson is working on this story at UW-Oshkosh and will have a full report tonight on FOX 11 News at Five.

GREEN BAY – Thrifty crafter Kim Geiser came to the studio with all sorts of ideas for egg decorating this year.  She was inspired by her friend Jonathon Fong to give her eggs a tie dyed look.  You can find the step by step process by clicking here.  Geiser also shared some ideas she created with her daughter Molly.

MILWAUKEE- The Rolling Stones will open the World’s Largest Music Festival in June.

They will be performing at the Marcus Ampitheater on June 23 during Summerfest. It’s part of their Rolling Stones ZIP CODE tour.

Tickets go on sale Monday, April 13 at 10 a.m.

For ticket information, click here.

The initial parole request for one of the men convicted of killing Tom Monfils is now being reviewed by the state.

Keith Kutska, along with five others, was sentenced to life in prison for the 1992 murder at a Green Bay paper mill.

During the sentencing hearings, Judge James Bayorgeon set the dates each would first be eligible for parole. Kutska’s was the last date of six: April 1, 2015.

Michael Piaskowski’s conviction was overturned by a federal court, and he was released. So far, parole requests have been denied for the other four: Dale Basten, Michael Hirn, Michael Johnson and Rey Moore. They remain incarcerated.

Kutska has applied for parole, the state Dept. of Corrections confirmed to Fox 11.

“The Parole Commission is currently reviewing Inmate Keith Kutska’s parole consideration, and has not yet made a final determination.  Once there is a final  decision, the proper notifications will be made,” department director of public affairs Joy Staab wrote in an email to the station.

Kutska, now 64, is being held at the Jackson Correctional Institution, according to online state records.

Meanwhile, Kutska’s latest appeal continues to work its way through circuit court.

Aided by the Wisconsin Innocence Project, Kutska’s new motion argues  a “despondent, shamed and angry” Monfils left his work area, walked to the pulp vat, tied the rope & weight, and entered the vat voluntarily. His body was found the next day.

The 145-page motion also contends that suicide is a more plausible theory than the conspiracy of the six men convicted.

Proseuctors have rejected the arguments. No hearing dates have been set, although a telephone status conference is planned for April 15.

As for the other four also in prison, here are the dates they are next eligible to ask for parole: Hirn on Oct. 1, Basten on Oct. 17, Johnson on Feb. 1, 2016, and Moore on April 1, 2016.

WAUSAUKEE, Wis. (AP) – A funeral service is scheduled for the Marinette County man authorities say was killed by a bank robbery suspect who later fatally shot a state trooper.

A visitation and service will be held Tuesday for 59-year-old Thomas Christ at the Presbyterian church in Wausaukee. An online obituary says Christ is survived by his wife of 35 years, Marge, two sons and two grandchildren.

Authorities say Christ was fatally shot March 24 after encountering Steven Snyder, suspecting of robbing a bank in Wausaukee. Snyder was later found in Fond du Lac where he died in an exchange of gunfire that also took the life of Trooper Trevor Casper. The 21-year-old trooper was buried Monday in Kiel.

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – Police in Kenosha are looking for a driver who fled on foot after crashing a vehicle in the front yard of a home.

Debris scattered the yard in Kenosha where the suspect rammed into a parked car, flipping it over early Tuesday morning.

WTMJ-TV reports police began chasing the driver about 1 a.m. because the vehicle didn’t have its lights on.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A state hearing examiner says a prison guard who bullied a colleague who later committed suicide was properly fired.

The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission examiner cites an internal investigation following the guard’s death in which dozens of staffers were interviewed at Oakhill Correctional Institution.

The State Journal says examiner Stuart Levitan found Oakhill failed to investigate or properly respond to allegations of bullying and harassment among staff at the Fitchburg prison. Levitan found officers who transferred from a juvenile facility that was closed were targeted for harassment because their seniority gave them preferred status on scheduling and overtime.

A 52-year-old guard killed himself in March 2012 after what his wife, daughter and co-workers described as a pattern of bullying by fellow employees.

TOWN OF MENASHA – Spring is here and the WILD Ones Natural Landscapers headquarters in the Town of Menasha needs some help to get ready.

The non-profit geared towards environmentally sound landscaping practices is looking for volunteers this Thursday afternoon, April 2 to help with general cleanup, building bird houses and various gardening projects.

Volunteers are welcome to stay for a potluck and fun activities starting at 6 p.m.

The WILD center will also be hosting rain barrel making workshops on April 18 and 24 as well as May 9.

FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning at the WILD Center to learn more.

For more information on the rain barrel workshops and clean up event, click here.

GREEN BAY- Temperatures will remain mild for most of this week with a few chances for rain.

Expect areas of fog Tuesday morning, otherwise partly sunny skies and a high near 52 with a chance for an isolated shower mainly this afternoon.

North winds at 5 to 10 mph will keep temperatures cooler by the lake, in the upper 40s.