Green Bay News

GREEN BAY- It will mostly sunny Friday with a high near 28 degrees. That’s 16 degrees below normal for this time of year.

Saturday’s temp will rise to about 38 degrees with mostly sunny skies.

A storm system pushes through the region Sunday bringing a chance of rain and snow showers, otherwise mostly cloudy skies and a high near 43.

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FOND DU LAC – “They’re our brothers in blue,” said Captain Garth Schumacher as he explained Fond du Lac firefighters are in mourning.

A sign outside the fire department honors State Trooper Trevor Casper. Schumacher told FOX 11 it’s a symbol of their admiration for Casper.

“It really hits home, because they rely on us, we rely on them. When you lose a family member like that it really cuts deep,” said Schumacher.

The fire department isn’t alone. All over town you can see billboards, business signs and blue ribbons.

“People forget how dangerous and the sacrifice that our fire departments, our law enforcement are out there making every, singly day and the toll that it takes on the community when something bad happens,” Schumacher explained.

“Everybody’s hurt and, it’s, people are angry, you know? It shouldn’t [happen]. It’s too bad it does,” said Branden Mike store manager at A & E Jewelers in Fond du Lac.

Businesses with signs up told us it’s a matter of respect for Casper’s sacrifice to keep others safe. They said when something bad happens in Fond du Lac, the community responds.

“Anything we can do to just show our support, we’re gonna do it,”said Mike.

“We did that in support of Trevor Casper’s family and the State Patrol family,” added Mark Hopper of Hopper’s Silk Screening & All Star Trophy downtown.

And near where the shooting happened, people have created a makeshift memorial with a blue ribbon, bouquets of flowers and a cross.

People told us these are small ways to bring some comfort.

“It’s hard to come up with the right words. You just don’t know what to say sometimes. So sometimes it’s better off just being there,” said Hopper.

Being there for those who are hurting.

GREEN BAY – The two candidates for Green Bay mayor had their first and only debate of the spring election Thursday night.

Despite working together the past ten years as mayor and city council president, Jim Schmitt and Tom De Wane have two very different views of the state of Green Bay.

“You talk to other municipalities and they think we’re a joke that we would turn away these types of projects and people are talking, why go to Green Bay?” said De Wane.

“He’s voted for 90 percent of the things I’ve proposed, so I think the city works well together,” said Schmitt. “It could always be better and that’s what I’m going to focus on.”

One project the two disagreed on was a potential Walmart supercenter in the city’s downtown. De Wane wanted it and Schmitt did not. During a debate question, Schmitt said he has come up with a plan for the Larsen Green land since Walmart was turned away last year.

“I will tell you we have a signed letter from a developer and it has been through two levels of approval from a bank and needs one more,” said Schmitt. “It’s going to be a mixed use development.”

“I hope the mayor is being honest about this and truthful,” said De Wane. “You can keep crying wolf and pretty soon people will stop listening to you.”

The two were also questioned about the biggest difference between them.

“I think the biggest difference between Tom and I is our experience,” said Schmitt. “This is a big job.”

“We’ve got to stop focusing on just one issue,” said De Wane. “You’ve got to focus on the entire city.”

In his closing remarks, De Wane said his leadership with the city council would help him make changes as mayor.
“I’ve proven I can do it,” said De Wane. “I want to bring more to Green Bay than just downtown.”

In the end, Schmitt said he wants to keep Green Bay on the path he’s laid the past twelve years as mayor.

“I’m the guy that wants to take it to that next level and the way you get there is not easy,” said Schmitt.

Voters will get to make their decision on April 7th.

LOS ANGELES — Sam Dekker scored a career-high 23 points, Frank Kaminsky added 19 and top-seeded Wisconsin rallied in the final 10 minutes to hold off North Carolina 79-72 Thursday night and advance to the final eight of the NCAA Tournament.

Zak Showalter came off the bench to score six points in the Badgers’ 19-7 comeback run that sent them into the West Regional final Saturday against either No. 2 seed Arizona or sixth-seeded Xavier.

Brice Johnson and Justin Jackson scored 15 points each for the fourth-seeded Tar Heels (26-12), who got within one with 4:21 remaining but couldn’t retake the lead they owned for much of the second half.

Marcus Paige hit consecutive 3-pointers that drew Carolina within one with 54 seconds to go, but Wisconsin (34-3) made all eight of its free throws – four by Kaminsky – over the closing seconds.

Paige added 12 points for the Tar Heels.

The teams shot exactly the same – 46 percent – for the game, but the Badgers improved to 58 percent in the second half and made 20 of 23 free throws to keep their hopes of a second straight Final Four berth alive.

Players on the Wisconsin bench react during the second half of a college basketball regional semifinal against North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 26, 2015, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Tar Heels were trying to reach a regional final for the first time since back-to-back appearances in 2011 and ’12. They appeared to have the game in hand when they were up by seven and Kaminsky went down with his hands covering his eyes.

Turns out “Frank the Tank” was just getting his team revved up.

With Kaminsky on the bench, his right eye reddened after being hit by Isaiah Hicks, the Badgers launched the 19-7 run that put them back in front, 65-60. Kaminsky quickly returned to hit a 3-pointer, and Showalter scored four straight, including a layup off his own steal, putting the red-clad Wisconsin fans in full-throated cheers.

Carolina’s Kennedy Meeks returned from a sprained left knee last weekend to bother Kaminsky early before getting in foul trouble.

Trailing by one, the Tar Heels outscored the Badgers 14-6 to take their largest lead, 53-46. Berry and Hicks had four apiece while the Badgers struggled to make a shot.

Kaminsky got hit in the eye by Hicks on his layup that ended Carolina’s run. He covered his face, but eventually got up and played the rest of the game with an eye that was open even less than his usual sleepy appearance.

Dekker carried the Badgers offensively with 15 points in the first half, including a layup that just beat the buzzer to pull Wisconsin within 33-31, just the sixth time the Badgers trailed at the break this season. Carolina threw a trio of big bodies on Kaminsky, with Meeks, Jackson and Joel James keeping the lanky 7-footer tied up. He had four points and five rebounds.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half, when Carolina shot 50 percent.

Dekker sparked an 8-0 run by twice driving into the heart of Carolina’s defense and scoring to give Wisconsin a 25-20 lead. Carolina closed the half by outscoring the Badgers 13-6 and holding them to 1 of 9 field goals down the stretch.

TIP-INS
North Carolina: Alums Rick Fox, Antawn Jamison and Eric Montross chatted at halftime.
Wisconsin: Dekker shot 10 of 15 for a career high in field goals made. … G Traevon Jackson returned after an 18-game absence due to injury, and scored four points. … Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was in the house, along with Cal Ripken Jr. and Billy Crystal.

UP NEXT:
North Carolina: Season over.
Wisconsin: Plays either No. 2 seed Arizona or No. 6 seed Xavier on Saturday.

CHICAGO (AP) – An Illinois Army National Guard soldier vowed to bring “the flames of war to the heart” of America if he was unable to get to the Middle East to join the Islamic State group, and his cousin bragged he could kill up to 150 people in a terrorist attack in the U.S., federal prosecutors said Thursday in announcing the men’s arrests. Both are also accused of hatching a plot to attack a U.S. military facility.

Hasan R. Edmonds, the 22-year-old guardsman, was arrested Wednesday evening at Chicago Midway International Airport trying to board a plane on the first leg of a journey to Egypt. Jonas M. Edmonds, 29, was detained a few hours later at home, the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago said. Both men are U.S. citizens from suburban Aurora.

An unsealed federal complaint says the plan was for Jonas Edmonds to carry out an attack in the U.S. after Hasan Edmonds left the country, donning Hasan’s uniform to gain better access to soldiers. The complaint says they plotted an armed attack against a U.S. military facility in northern Illinois where Hasan Edmonds had trained. The complaint did not name the facility.

A spokesman for the Illinois National Guard, Lt. Col. Brad Leighton, said Hasan Edmonds was member of Golf Company 634th Brigade Support Battalion, based in Joliet.

In Internet messages to an undercover FBI agent in January, Hasan Edmonds said that if he was unable to make it to the Middle East, he would help bring “the flames of war to the heart” of America and “cause as much damage and mayhem as possible,” the complaint says.

On Tuesday, the cousins drove to a military installation with an undercover agent to discuss an attack, according to the complaint. Hasan Edmonds described the rooms inside and talked about which ones should be hit.

In other messages, Hasan said his knowledge of the U.S. military and American psychology would prove helpful in terrorizing Americans, prosecutors contend.

“If we can break their spirits, we will win,” he said, according to the complaint.

He allegedly spoke admiringly of the terrorist attack in Paris on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

“Honestly, we would love to do something like the brother in Paris did,” he allegedly wrote.

Both men face a count of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State. The conspiracy includes their alleged terrorist plots in the U.S. A conviction carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence.

They made initial appearances in a courtroom in Chicago later Thursday. Jonas Edmonds kept swiveling in his chair, stroking his beard and, at one point, yawned loudly. Hasan Edmonds sat still.

Hasan Edmonds’ sister, Manchinique Bates, told the Chicago Sun-Times, “They aren’t terrorists. … Just because they choose to worship as Muslims does not make them terrorists.”

Jonas Edmonds allegedly communicated to an undercover agent that it may be difficult for him to get travel documents. Therefore, he said he would stage attacks in the U.S. using AK-47s to kill up to 150 people, prosecutors allege.

If he couldn’t secure guns, he said he would use anything he could get his hands on, the complaint says.

“I can unleash a lion,” he says. “What I would need … honestly nothing. I am prepared to go even if it’s with a rock.”

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said Thursday he was briefed about the investigation Wednesday. He provided no further details.

Hasan Edmonds wasn’t on active duty, so any criminal allegation will be addressed by civilian federal authorities, said Leighton, the Illinois National Guard spokesman.

Leighton said Hasan Edmonds reported to the Joliet base one weekend a month and that he did two weeks of active duty training – typically in the summer. Hasan Edmonds enlisted in 2011, but had never deployed. He worked as a supply specialist that was part of a logistics unit providing supplies and other services to the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Leighton said.

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Associated Press writers Caryn Rousseau, Don Babwin and Jason Keyser also contributed to this report.

Fond du Lac community members show signs of support for State Trooper Trevor Casper who died in the line of duty, March 24, 2015.

FOND DU LAC – Investigators say they still have not established any evidence that links Steven Snyder to the Hometown bank robbery that occurred Tuesday.

Surveillance photo of the Hometown Bank robbery suspect on March 24, 2015. (Fond du Lac Police Dept.)

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation says Snyder was responsible for the bank robbery and homicide in Marinette County as well as for Wisconsin State Trooper, Trevor Casper.

Investigators released bank surveillance photos of the suspect from the Hometown Bank robbery incident that happened Tuesday.

The suspect in this incident was described by witnesses as a white man, between 35-50-years-old, approximately 5’9” tall , 175-185 pounds, with a mole or growth on his right cheek. The man was last seen wearing a black or charcoal colored style hoodie with dark sunglasses and a dark colored winter hat.

Fond du Lac Police are still asking the public if they have any information related to this incident, to contact the them at 920-906-5555 or the Crime Alert number at 920-322-3740.

 

APPLETON – Downtown Appleton wants to be known as one great place to be.

Appleton Downtown Incorporated announced a brand change for the first time in more than five years for the city’s downtown district.

The brand change includes a new promotional logo and slogan, “Downtown Appleton – One Great Place!”

ADI executive director, Jennifer Stephany, says the new brand reflects the downtown’s evolving position that’s growing, “The new brand spells out and affirms what area residents and many visitors across the state have already come to know that Downtown Appleton is one great place for arts, culture and entertainment seekers with a year-round Farm Market, performances at the Fox Cities Performing Art Center, ongoing original music events, annual festivals and a full slate of summer activities that draw as many as a half-million attendees or more.”

The city of Appleton was recognized nationally by American Planning Association as the “People’s Choice” Great Place award winner in 2014. Liveability.com also ranked Appleton as the fifth most affordable place to live in the country and Forbes magazine included Appleton on its list of “50 Best Small Places for Business and Careers” in July 2014.

For more information on businesses or events happening in downtown Appleton, click here.

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) – A dispute over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s position on immigration erupted on Thursday, highlighting the Republican’s struggle to appeal to conservatives on the explosive issue as he prepares to launch a Republican presidential bid.

The two-term governor has consistently opposed what he calls “amnesty” for immigrants in the country illegally, but his definition of amnesty has evolved. In a recent closed-door meeting with top New Hampshire Republicans, Walker said such immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country legally.

That’s according to New Hampshire GOP chair Jennifer Horn, who organized the meeting and challenged a Thursday report in The Wall Street Journal that Walker said he supported giving such immigrants a pathway to citizenship.

“I specifically asked a follow-up question on the immigration reform issue, where he very clearly identified he was advocating a path for legal status but not citizenship,” Horn said in an interview with The Associated Press.

There is perhaps no more contentious issue heading into the 2016 presidential contest than illegal immigration. Republican voters remain deeply divided and the nation’s surging Hispanic population is expected to play a key role, particularly in swing states.

The distinction between a pathway to citizenship and legal status matters little to many conservatives, who support widespread deportation to handle the estimated 12 million immigrants in the country illegally.

Walker’s position is largely the same as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has been widely criticized by the GOP’s most passionate voters for supporting “amnesty.” Bush says he would start by verifying control of the U.S.-Mexican border, but also supports allowing people in the country illegally to seek legal status by first pleading guilty to illegal entry and serving a sentence of fines and community service.

Horn said Walker’s comments came as he and his wife shared dessert in a Bedford, New Hampshire, restaurant with roughly 10 leading Republicans.

In the half-hour discussion, Walker called for securing the border and allowing for more visas for high-skilled workers. He also said it was unreasonable to deport millions of immigrants in the country illegally, preferring a system that allowed them to pay back taxes and achieve legal status over time, according to Horn.

“The governor was very specific that he was not advocating for citizenship for illegal immigrants,” Horn said.

However, in a 2013 interview with a Wisconsin newspaper editorial board, Walker said that offering such immigrants a pathway to citizenship “makes sense.”

Earlier this month, he was asked during an interview on “Fox News Sunday” if he could “envision a world where if these people paid a penalty, that they would have a path to citizenship.” The governor responded: “I believe there’s a way that you can do that. First and foremost, you’ve got to secure that border or none of these plans make any sense.”

On Thursday, Kirsten Kukowski, a spokesman for Walker’s political action committee, said that Walker “has been very clear that he does not support amnesty and believes that border security must be established and the rule of law must be followed.”

“His position has not changed,” Kukowski said. “He does not support citizenship for illegal immigrants.”

Kukowski did not respond to a follow-up question about Walker’s position on granting immigrants legal status, which is considered amnesty by many conservative activists.

___

Associated Press writer Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, and Kathleen Ronayne in Concord, New Hampshire,  contributed to this report.

CLEVELAND – It hasn’t been an easy several days for criminal justice students and instructors at Lakeshore Technical College.

Law enforcement classes resumed Thursday after being cancelled to mourn the loss of a former criminal justice student killed in the line of duty.

Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper Trevor Casper, 21, was shot and killed during a confrontation with a suspected bank robber and murderer, Steven Snyder, Tuesday in Fond du Lac.

Trevor Casper, of Kiel, is seen in this undated photo provided by Lakeshore Technical College. Casper graduated in May 2014. Trooper, Casper was shot and killed by a bank robbery and murder suspect in Fond du Lac on March 24, 2015. (Lakeshore Technical College)

Casper, a native of Kiel, graduated from LTC last May with a degree in criminal justice.

“Trevor would want us all to move forward, he wouldn’t want us grieving over his death for so long, he would tell us to move forward and be happy,” said Briana Propson, who was a first year student when she met Casper – who was a year ahead of her – in the criminal justice program.

The two served together in the school color guard.

“I’m a lot stronger today, but it’s hard losing a good friend,” she said during a break from her class on “Vehicle Contact” or traffic stops.

“Every day is a new day, it’s another day, the sun comes up every day, and we continue on,” said instructor Lou Richard.

Richard is one of two instructors testing the nine second year students – including Propson – on traffic stop procedures, to ensure the students – future police officers – go home safe at the end of every shift.

“When we talk about traffic stops, we keep distance, because that gives us more reaction time, and you can’t predict what that driver’s going to do. Because, there’s no such thing as a routine stop – they’re all different,” said Richard, a former Kewaunee County Sheriff’s deputy and law enforcement instructor of 17 years, who was also one of Casper’s instructors.

“We’re never going to forget Trevor,” Richard said. “He was a special student, probably way above average, and this incident where he was in, he did everything he needed to do. He did his job and he did it well.”

Tuesday was Casper’s first patrol shift working solo.

“Trevor had the best training in the world, he did his job, but you couldn’t predict what that driver was going to do and unfortunately, it cost him his life.”

Propson says you could always lean on Casper.

“You could go up to him in the halls and just talk with him,” said Propson, “he always had a smile on his face, and was always willing to help you.”

A trait his instructors won’t forget.

“This young man made his presence known – in a positive way – I think if the world was full of Trevors, it’d be a great place.”

GREEN BAY – Some area leaders got their first look inside a downtown Green Bay construction project Thursday afternoon.

They toured the expansion and renovation at the KI Convention Center. A ground breaking ceremony was held for the project back in December 2013.

The exterior of the KI Convention Center expansion and the future Hampton Inn in downtown Green Bay, March 26, 2015. (WLUK/Andrew LaCombe)

Project developers say the entire expansion will cost about $24 million. Green Bay’s redevelopment authority is taking loans to pay for most of the project, but it is getting some financial support from the Green Bay Packers and the Kress Family.

Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt says more naming opportunities are still available, and work on both the convention center and the Hampton Inn next door should be finished by August.

“As people come to experience Green Bay, no better place than here at the George Kress ballroom at the KI Convention Center, anchored by a Hyatt and the Hampton,” said Schmitt. “You’re going to be hearing about the Northland in less than a month.”

Schmitt says the expansion will bring $4 million of new spending to the area each year.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has moved 26 elk from Kentucky to Jackson County in hopes of establishing a second herd in the state.

DNR spokesman Bill Cosh said the elk arrived Thursday morning. Gov. Scott Walker’s office said in a news release Thursday that the elk completed a 45-day quarantine period in Kentucky and will spend at least 75 days in an acclimation pen in the Black River State Forest before they’re released.

Wisconsin has had only one elk herd, which roams the woods in Ashland County. The DNR wants to bring 150 Kentucky elk in all to Wisconsin over the next two years to bolster the northern herd and create a Jackson County herd.

TOWN OF GREEN BAY – The scene may look like it’s out of the Arctic, but shoves of ice are piling up at Brown County’s Bay Shore Park in the Town of Green Bay.

Huge blocks of ice blocked the harbor Thursday morning. Park leaders say these boulders arrived Wednesday.

“The bay is such a large body of water. That center channel never freezes that tight, so as soon as that starts to break up, in late winter, the wind gets a hold of that ice, and it starts to move it around,” said Matt Kriese, Brown County Parks Department Assistant Director.

“Not many people out, and not the friendliest of weather,” said Duke DuBois, Luxemburg.

DuBois and his friend Doug Thompson checked out possible fishing conditions.

“Trying to make a guess at when we might be able to get out there. Right now, the way the wind’s blowing, it’s keeping us on the shore. So I think that’s where we’re going to stay,” said Doug Thompson, Luxemburg.

The ice may be slow to leave, but other parts of the park may open early. Just up the hill, at the campground, plans are underway to open early, about a week and a half ahead of schedule.

“With our crews working hard over winter-time, and with the low snow conditions, they were able to get out here, get the firewood prepared. Get the campsites ready,” said Kriese.

Crews cleared trees to make campsites wider, and new information signs will greet campers April 11th.

“If it’s a little cold at night, you can always throw on another blanket, or throw another log on the fire, or turn that furnace on in that camper,” said Kriese.

And until then, wintry weather persists at the boat launch.

“Hopefully, within three weeks, these ice shoves will melt. As long as the weather cooperates, and we’ll be able to put the docks in, and there will be some spring fishermen out there,” said Kriese.

“We’ve been out ice fishing all winter for whitefish. We got a few stocked up in the freezer. Now it’s time for something else, spring boredom,” said DuBois.

“We’re anxious to get going. We like to fish all the time. We’ll just go through a little bit of a lull here, and then we’ll be ready to hit it,” said Thompson.

More than 100,000 people visited Bay Shore Park last season.

That’s up about 15 percent from 2013.

ASHWAUBENON – After years of buying properties near Lambeau Field, the Packers are getting ready to announce their plans. The Packers say that could happen in the next couple of months.

The organization has spent millions of dollars buying up property and tearing down buildings for in the area that is being referred to as the Titletown Development.

• Click here for an interactive map of the Packers’ properties.

The Packers say the area will include a plaza that is open to the public.

“A couple of concepts are similar to what we have here in terms of walking areas with pavement, different types of pavement and landscaping. But really an area that connects the various elements,” said Packers spokesman Aaron Popkey. He says the team is still finalizing what those various elements will be.

“On game days certainly, it would be a place where fans walk through from parking areas to the west to get to the stadium. And then on other days, perhaps, there could be some other types of activities there,” Popkey said.

“It should generate people. There’s no doubt about it.” said Ashwaubenon village board member Gary Paul.

Paul has not seen the Packers plans yet. But he is eager to see how the development will fit into the surrounding area.

“I think it’s real important to us to make sure that it is developed properly and it fits in with the community in mind,” Paul said.

Popkey says Packers are taking their time with the development to make sure it is done right.

“Want to build on the success of Lambeau Field, the visitor ship that Lambeau and other areas around here bring in. So let’s capitalize on that. Let’s capitalize on the draw that Lambeau Field has and have some elements that can complement that and also compliment everything else the Green Bay area has to offer,” Popkey said.

MADISON (AP) – Court records show a Michigan man suspected of killing a rookie Wisconsin state trooper after robbing a bank was part of a group of skinheads who attacked black and Hispanic people nearly 20 years ago.

Steven Timothy Snyder and Trooper Trevor Casper killed each other during a shootout in Fond du Lac on Tuesday. The state Department of Justice says Snyder robbed a Marinette County bank earlier in the day.

Snyder was convicted in 1996 of disorderly conduct in Fond du Lac. He was a part of a group of skinheads who walked up to a house and started fighting a group of blacks and Hispanics that emerged.

An officer captured Snyder and found White Power tattoos on his body and cards in his coat promoting the neo-Nazi National Alliance.

MADISON (AP) – The English language arts portion of the Badger Exam that was scheduled to be given to students in grades 3-8 across Wisconsin as soon as Monday has been delayed by two weeks.

The state Department of Public Instruction said Thursday that the company contracted to provide the online test notified the state on Wednesday that it could not deliver the exam as promised by Monday.

State Superintendent Tony Evers calls the delay “incredibly frustrating,” but says Educational Testing Services has been told it must deliver a working exam by April 13.

That is when schools can start to administer the math portion. Schools have until May 22 to complete both portions, but DPI officials say more time may be allowed.

The test is being given to comply with federal law.

Although the campground at the Brown County park is just a few weeks from opening, ice shoves still piled up on its shore March 26, 2015.

KIEL – Funeral arrangements are set for a Wisconsin state trooper killed in a shootout with a bank robbery and murder suspect Tuesday.

Trooper Trevor Casper will be laid to rest at 5 p.m. Sunday at Kiel High School. Visitation is set to begin at noon. A private burial is scheduled after the funeral.

• Click here for the full obituary

Casper, 21, was on his first solo assignment when investigators say he came across Steven Timothy Snyder. Snyder was suspected of having robbed a bank and killed a man in Marinette County before traveling more than 130 miles to Fond du Lac and robbing a bank there. Both Casper and Snyder were killed in an exchange of gunfire.

Casper was a 2011 graduate of Kiel High School, where he was involved in soccer and wrestling.

Meanwhile, Gov. Scott Walker has ordered flags in Wisconsin lowered to half-staff until Tuesday in Casper’s honor.

DENMARK – The rural community of the Diocese of Green Bay is celebrating spring with prayer and blessings.

The annual Rural Life Day’s intention is to pray for successful spring plantings and an abundant harvest in the fall.

The event includes blessings of seeds, animals and farm equipment. It offers prayers for a fruitful growing season and a noon dinner.

Officials say blessing the food and farmers shows our thanks for those who take care of us.

Bishop David Ricken says, “People in the cities and big towns depend upon the food to come and they often forget where it’s from. So this is a way to raise awareness that it comes from the land, it comes from the earth, and the good people who care for these wonderful gifts.”

Rural communities face a number of issues still related to the weather from last year.

There is concern about a potentially later spring this year as well.