Green Bay News

NEW YORK (AP) – A building on fire near New York University collapsed on Thursday, and at least two people were critically injured, firefighters said.

Orange flames and black smoke billowed from the facade and roof of the five-story building in Manhattan, near several NYU buildings and the Washington Square Park area. Flames were spreading to other buildings.

Investigators were looking into whether there had been a gas leak. There were some reports of an explosion before the fire.

The area was being evacuated, and other people were being evaluated at the scene.

Freelance photographer Michael Seto, who lives about 1 1/2 blocks away, said he was having lunch around 3:20 p.m.

“I could feel the boom in my apartment, and it short of shook,” he said.

He grabbed his camera, ran outside and found a crowd gathering, looking at a brick tenement-style building with a restaurant on the first floor.

“By the second story, the front part of the building, the facade, the first and second stories, it looked like, had collapsed into the street,” he said.

Rubble was on the sidewalk, and glass and debris had been flung across an avenue.

As Seto ran up to the building, a fire was starting inside it.

“It spread very quickly and pretty much engulfed the first floor,” he said.

Meanwhile, a man was climbing up the fire escape, not down, he said.

“People were calling to him that the building’s on fire – he needs to get down,” and he did, Seto said.

He saw one person lying on the ground, being attended to by two to three passers-by who were holding his head still. A woman was sitting on the curb with blood coming down her face, and another woman walked past him with blood on her face.

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Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

ONEIDA – Emergency crews are at a house where they say a suicidal person has weapons.

Outagamie Co. sheriff’s officials were called out to Mullen Drive in Oneida around 1:30 p.m. They say a man with weapons called the sheriff’s department saying he was barricaded in his home with weapons.

Captain Mike Jobe with the Outagamie Sheriff’s Department says he has unconfirmed reports of shots being fired.

Officers have not fired any shots at this time.

A negotiator has been talking to the person by phone from the dispatch center.

Area schools have been notified to avoid sending buses into the immediate area and all citizens are asked to avoid the area. Neighbors are being asked to stay inside.

No injuries have been reported.

FOX 11 has a crew on the way to the scene and will have more information as it becomes available.

SALADO, Texas (AP) – A tractor-trailer slammed into construction beams along a major interstate in Central Texas on Thursday, killing one person and halting traffic in both directions, authorities said.

The truck hit a beam being used to build a bridge across Interstate 35 in Salado, about 40 miles north of Austin. Debris then toppled onto the interstate and was struck by other vehicles, Department of Transportation spokeswoman Becky Ozuna said.

One person was killed and at least three people were taken to hospitals, though the extent of their injuries wasn’t immediately clear, according to the state Department of Public Safety and the local sheriff’s office.

The truck, which transportation officials said was oversized, came to a stop under the overpass with its cab heavily damaged. Two other rigs and two pickup trucks also were involved in the wreck, said Lt. Donnie Adams with the Bell County sheriff’s office.

Traffic was stopped in both directions and backed up for miles along the interstate, which is a primary north-south artery through Texas, he said. He said it’s unclear how long the interstate will be closed.

“We’ve got more vehicles than we’ve got space for,” said Adams, noting that the area is undergoing heavy construction. He said the stretch of roadway is being expanded to three lanes in both directions and includes new overpasses, exits and other work, he said.

Corbin Casteel said he was traveling from Austin to Dallas for business when he came upon the accident. He said the truck appeared to have struck an overhead beam.

“It looked wedged underneath the bridge,” he said.

BLACK RIVER FALLS – To ensure their commitment to entry-level workers, the Ho-Chunk Nation established a $10 per hour minimum wage for their workforce.

The new minimum wage will go into effect July 2015.

Ho-Chunk Nation President Jon Greendeer says while the cost is high, the return will be much greater, “We can wait until the perpetual debate is resolved or we can just take action ourselves. We chose to make our move and I feel it’s the right one.”

GREEN BAY — Green Bay senior Keifer Sykes will partake in the 27th Annual State Farm College Slam Dunk Championship. The contest will be held during Final Four weekend at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 6 p.m. central time.

Sykes averaged 18.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and four assists per game during the 2014-2015 season. The two-time Horizon League Player of the Year finished his Phoenix career ranking second in program history in scoring.

Sykes will be joined by seven other college seniors in competing for the dunk contest title. Marquette Senior Matt Carlino will participate in the 3-point contest.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – State regulators have approved a plan to build a $500 million-plus power line from western Wisconsin to Middleton.

The Public Service Commission gave the green light Thursday to Northern States Power Company and American Transmission Company to construct the 345-kilovolt line.

The line will run from Holmen to Black River Falls and largely follow existing power line corridors along Interstate 90/94 to Middleton. PSC spokesman Nathan Conrad says the line will import electricity from across the country, increasing reliability and ensuring quicker power transfers.

The line is expected to cost from $540 million to $580 million. Conrad says ratepayers in 15 states across the nation’s mid-section will have to cover those costs, with Wisconsin ratepayers picking up about 15 percent of the tab.

Construction could begin next year.

The first batch of severe weather in this year’s tornado season devastated areas of OK and AR, as storms damaged buildings, tore off roofs and left debris March 25, 2015.

TOMAH – Federal investigations continue into the overprescribing of drugs at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tomah.

At a U.S. Senate hearing in Washington on Thursday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called the VA system of prescribing narcotics “abysmally inaccurate” and prodded VA officials on how they would fix programs used to monitor such prescriptions.

VA officials say have incorporating programs to limit narcotic overprescribing practices in VA hospitals, but more work needs to be done.

“Do you blame the VA for his death?” FOX 11 Investigates asked Marv Simcakoski about the death of his 35-year-old son Jason.

“Yes I do,” said Simcakoski. “I mean, obviously, if they would have done things differently and not overmeded him and learned to say no.”

Marv and Linda Simcakoski of Stevens Point continue to mourn Jason, who died last August while in inpatient care at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tomah.

Jason served four and a half years in the Marines, enlisting after high school. He was being treated at Tomah for an addiction to one pain medication.

An autopsy revealed he had 14 different prescribed drugs in his system, some above recommended treatment levels. The medical examiner ruled Jason died of “mixed drug toxicity.”

FOX 11 Investigates traveled to Tomah for answers. We caught up with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson, who was in Tomah with other officials to meet with personnel and patients.

“I’m going to tell you I think we’re too quick to prescribe pills,” stated Gibson.

A troubling reality for Marv and Linda Simcakoski.

“We trusted them. We felt they know what they’re doing. This is all new to us. We have to trust, they’re doctors. Now looking back, it’s sad,” said Linda Simcakoski.

“They don’t really know what all those different combinations can do, when you throw that many meds together, who knows what they’re going to do?” said Marv Simcakoski.

The case of Jason Simcakoski wasn’t the start of the alleged overprescribing problem at Tomah. Complaints dating back to 2011 prompted an Office of the Inspector General investigation that would take until mid-March of last year to complete.

The IG report highlights how medical practitioners at Tomah were among the most prolific prescribers of opiates – pain medication – in a multi-state region. Morphine given to individual patients was higher at Tomah, for example, than other VA facilities in Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and the Chicago area.

The report found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing but did raise serious concerns about over-prescribing medication. Officials in Tomah were alerted to what’s in the report, but the VA in Washington never got a copy and it was never originally made public.

“When the IG publishes a report, we receive it, but in this particular instance, they chose under this circumstance because of what they concluded to be inconclusive findings that it was appropriate not to release the report,” Gibson told FOX 11 Investigates. “I would look at that with the clarity of hindsight and say that was not well advised.”

Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson only became aware of the problems when a media investigation revealed the Inspector General’s report. That report in January of this year also highlights employee fears of retaliation if they questioned the “controlled substance prescription practices” at Tomah. Although the report did not substantiate any allegations of retaliation.

And still after meeting with employees and patients in Tomah earlier this month, Gibson acknowledges problems remain.

“I would say we have two crises in Tomah. One crisis has to do with the care quality and patient safety,” said Gibson. “The second crisis has to do with front line employees having a fear of retaliation.”

One employee who did speak out is Ryan Honl, a 10-year veteran who was hired by the VA last August as a secretary. Within weeks he filed a whistleblower complaint that included allegations related to overprescribing drugs to veterans. The VA in Tomah, he says, was referred to by some who worked there as Candy Land.

“I had heard the term ‘Candy Land’ and ‘Candy Man,'” said Honl. “I had people coming to me talking about their patients being zombified, about patients too doped up to counsel for the counselors.”

Honl, trying to get action, contacted the offices of U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, as well as U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, last September.

“I heard from Ron Johnson almost immediately, but I had heard nothing from Sen. Baldwin or Congressman Kind,” explained Honl of his initial contacts with the legislators’ offices.

Honl resigned his job after two months feeling pressure from speaking out. He continued to reach out to the legislators and made contact with all three. But FOX 11 has learned Baldwin was the only lawmaker whose office had received a copy of the unreleased report the previous month. Continued pressure by Honl to spur action by the legislators ultimately went unanswered until the media made the report public in January of this year.

“Johnson, Baldwin, Kind, they all failed,” said Honl.

Since then both senators admit mistakes were made.

Baldwin says there were mistakes in judgment, communication and opportunity to move more swiftly on the Tomah case.

Johnson admits not enough was done initially since he didn’t have the report. But Johnson says they’re actively working now to take action.

“We’ve used our committee staff now to conduct our own investigation in terms of what went wrong, who knew what, how long the problem has been known,” said Johnson.

Both senators, as members of the Senate Homeland and Government Affairs Committee, have co-sponsored an amendment to require the Inspector General to make public its reports in a timely manner, in addition to being forwarded to the appropriate congressional oversight committee.

“The fact that the VA in Washington was apparently unaware of problems at the facility in Tomah is really, it’s just simply unacceptable and it calls out for congressional action,” said Baldwin during a committee hearing pushing the amendment forward.

The measure now goes to the full Senate for consideration.

The Simcakoskis hold no ill will toward the legislators. They are pleased progress is now being made.

“There can be a lot of finger-pointing, but let’s just get back to what the whole problem is here, not get into that and get back to helping out the veterans at the VA,” said Linda Simcakoski.

But any action comes too late for Jason Simcakoski. His death at the Tomah VA Medical Center is now under investigation by federal officials.

“What’s really startling is the fact that Jason overdosed in their care, and that was five and a half months after they finished the Inspector General report saying they’re prescribing too many drugs at the VA,” Leland stated to the Simcakoskis.

“Basically, that tells you that someone’s not doing their job there because that should not have been overlooked,” said Marv Simcakoski. “Something should have been done way back in 2012 and that’s the problem: It seems like nobody wants to do anything. Everybody talks but nothing ever happens and if that wouldn’t have got tabled, put aside, my son may be alive today.”

Sens. Baldwin and Johnson will be among the congressional members taking part in a hearing at the Tomah VA on March 30.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Sure, Florida’s got sunshine, beaches and palm trees. But the driving force behind it being home to many of the nation’s fastest-growing cities has been the return of hospitality, trade and construction jobs.

New figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau showed Florida was home to six of the nation’s 20 fastest-growing metro areas from July 1, 2013, to July 1, 2014. During that time, the state added another 192,000 people and surpassed New York to become the nation’s third most-populous state with 19.9 million residents. Only California and Texas have more people.

“Part of the population growth is everybody is coming back since there are jobs aplenty and construction is on fire,” said Jeff Briggs, planning manager for the City of Winter Park, one of the most affluent communities in metro Orlando.

RETIREMENT HAVEN

The Villages retirement community located northwest of Orlando was the nation’s fastest-growing metro area last year with a 5.4 percent increase that raised the population to 114,000 residents. The community is known for its golf carts, which are used almost as much as cars, and for the sometimes frisky behavior of its 55-and-older residents.

“It’s always hectic in The Villages,” said Paula Roberts, an office manager for Ronnie’s Plumbing, which services The Villages. “The traffic can be bad, bumper to bumper, especially when the snowbirds are down here.”

The other Florida metro areas in the top 20 were Fort Myers, Naples, Orlando, Sarasota and Panama City. Of those metro areas, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples would have had negative or stagnant growth if not for the influx of new residents. Those areas recorded low numbers of births and high numbers of deaths.

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BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITIES

While some of Florida’s smaller metro areas were the nation’s fastest-growing communities, in pure numbers, Florida’s population growth was driven by new people moving to the state’s largest cities along the Interstate 4 corridor and in South Florida.

More than half of Florida’s growth last year came from three metropolitan areas: South Florida, Orlando and Tampa.

South Florida, an area stretching from Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade County with 5.9 million residents, had the eighth-highest population increase in the nation with a jump of 66,000 new residents from July 2013 to July 2014. International migration – people moving in from other countries – accounted for three-quarters of the growth, while natural population growth made up the rest.

Metro Orlando, with a population of 2.3 million people, increased by about 50,000 new residents. Domestic migration accounted for under half of the growth, international migration represented less than a third of the growth and natural increase made up less than a quarter of the growth. Natural growth compares the number of babies born to the number of deaths.

The Tampa region increased by 41,000 people and now stands at 2.9 million residents. Domestic migration made up more than two-thirds of the growth and international migration accounted for more than a quarter of the increase. Natural growth barely registered.

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DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS

Texas snagged the top spots in both numerical increase by person for counties and metro areas.

Harris County, Texas, leads the nation in population growth by person, with the county surrounding Houston adding 89,000 people between July 2013 and 2014, followed by Maricopa County, Arizona, with 74,000 and Los Angeles County with 63,000.

The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area was also the top in metro area numerical increase with 156,371 people added between 2013 and 2014, followed by the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area with a 131,217-person increase and the New York-Newark-Jersey City-Pennsylvania area with a 90,797-person increase.

Texas had four of the fastest-growing metro areas: Austin, Odessa, Midland and Houston. South Carolina had three: Myrtle Beach, Beaufort, and Charleston.  Colorado had two: Greeley and Fort Collins.

OTHER FACTS

-California was the nation’s most populous state in 2014, with 38.8 million residents. Texas came in second at 27 million.

-Los Angeles County had the nation’s largest population among counties with more than 10.1 million people.

-New York was the nation’s largest metro area, with about 20.1 million people.

-Williams County, North Dakota, remained the nation’s fastest-growing county with a population of more than 10,000 people. It increased by 8.7 percent from 2013 to 2014, followed by Stark County, North Dakota, at 7 percent. Sumter County, home of The Villages, grew at 5.4 percent.

-Detroit was still losing people. Wayne County, Michigan, has the nation’s largest numerical decline at just less than 11,000. The next closest county? Cuyahoga County, Ohio, which includes Cleveland, lost slightly more than 4,000 people.

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Holland reported from Washington.

DETROIT (AP) – A Detroit woman charged with child abuse after the bodies of two of her children were found in her home freezer has been ordered to stay in jail Thursday unless she can post a $1 million bond.

In setting the high bond, 36th District Court Magistrate Renee McDuffee told Mitchelle Blair that “the charges in this matter are so heinous.”

Blair also was ordered not to have any contact with her two surviving children, a 17-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy who had been living in the home and have been placed in protective custody. She also can’t interact with relatives who have contact with those children or with neighbors at her apartment complex near downtown Detroit.

Blair, 35, appeared on a video feed from a police lockup during Thursday’s arraignment. She didn’t have a lawyer, and McDuffee entered a “not guilty” plea on her behalf.

A prosecutor requested a high bond amount, telling McDuffee that Blair could face two counts of first-degree murder charges once investigators determine how Stoni Ann Blair and Stephen Gage Berry died.

Court officers serving an eviction notice at the home Tuesday found the children’s bodies in the family’s deep freezer. Mitchelle Blair and her surviving children were in a nearby apartment when the eviction crew arrived.

Prosecutors said they think Stoni and Stephen died about two years ago, and that she was 13 and he was 9 when it happened.

The children’s bodies were still thawing Thursday and the medical examiner was planning to conduct the autopsies on them Friday.

Blair faces an April 2 probable cause hearing and April 9 preliminary examination.

NEW YORK (AP) – Americans bought less soda for the tenth straight year in 2014, with diet sodas shrinking more than their sugary counterparts, according to a report released Thursday.

An annual report by the industry tracker Beverage Digest found that overall soda volume slipped 0.9 percent last year, moderating from the decline of 3 percent the previous year.

And the poor performance of diet sodas in particular led to a shake-up in the top 10 U.S. soda rankings; even though people bought less Pepsi, it managed to regain the No. 2 spot from Diet Coke, which suffered an even steeper decline. Diet Coke had knocked Pepsi off the No. 2 spot in 2010.

Coke remained by far the most popular soda in the U.S., selling nearly twice as much as No. 2 Pepsi.

John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest, attributed the moderation in soda’s decline in 2014 to the continued growth of energy drinks. He also noted that Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple Group have improved marketing for their soda brands.

Soda volume has been declining in the U.S. since 2004 amid concerns that sugary drinks fuel weight gain, and a proliferation of alternatives in the beverage aisle. More recently, industry executives have attributed an accelerating decline of diet sodas to concerns over artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

The American Beverage Association, which represents Coke, Pepsi and others, is trying to address the shift away from diet sodas in part by funding studies showing the benefits of the drinks.

Despite the ongoing decline of soda volume, the broader U.S. beverage industry performed better than in the previous year with growth of 1.7 percent, according to Beverage Digest. That increase was driven by an increase in bottled water sales.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl says he was tortured repeatedly in the five years he was held captive by the Taliban: beaten with a copper cable, chained spread-eagle to a bed, and threatened with execution after trying to escape.

Bergdahl, 28, described this harsh treatment in Afghanistan in a note his lawyer released Thursday after sharing it with the Army in an attempt to avert a court martial.

The Army charged Bergdahl nevertheless with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for leaving his post in June 2009. He was freed last year in exchange for five Taliban commanders held prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Now he faces up to life in prison if convicted of the criminal charges.

Bergdahl says he tried about a dozen times to escape, and that his captors’ response was brutal.

“In the beginning of my captivity, after my first two escape attempts, for about three months I was chained to a bed spread-eagle and blindfolded,” Bergdahl wrote. “Around my ankles where the chains were, I developed open wounds. … During these months some of the things they did was beat the bottoms of my feet and parts of my body with a copper cable.”

He also says he was beaten with a rubber hose, fists and hit with the butt of an AK-47, so hard the rifle’s stock broke off. He was repeatedly threatened with execution, and “kept in constant isolation during the entire 5 years,” much of the time in a small cage in dark rooms, chained to a heavy object. When he was finally set free, he could hardly walk.

Eugene Fidell, one of Bergdahl’s lawyers, said this suffering should be considered when weighing any punishment.

Bergdahl next faces an Article 32 hearing, where a high-ranking officer known as the “convening authority” will decide if there is enough evidence to recommend the case to a court martial.

“This is a hellish environment he was kept in for nearly 5 years, particularly after he did his duty in trying to escape,” Fidell, a former military lawyer now in private practice, told The Associated Press on Thursday. “There is no question in my mind that a convening authority would not be doing his or her duty without taking into account the circumstances under which Sgt. Berhdahl was held.”

Bergdahl’s two-page description of his captivity was attached to a letter Fidell sent March 2 to Gen. Mark Milley, who runs the U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg and was responsible for deciding any criminal charges.

Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban shortly after leaving his post in June 2009, and held by members of the Haqqani network, an insurgent group tied to the Taliban that operates both in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Before disappearing, Bergdahl had expressed misgivings about the U.S. role in the war – as well as his own.

Fidell cited an Army investigation that determined Bergdahl left his post but not the Army, and that his “specific intent was to bring what he thought were disturbing circumstances to the attention of the nearest general officer.”

Fidell argued that given his harsh captivity, the reason he left his unit and his attempts to escape while prisoner, “it would be unduly harsh to impose on him the lifetime stigma of a court-martial conviction or an Other Than Honorable discharge and to deny him veteran’s benefits.”

That argument apparently fell flat: The desertion charge carries up to five years in prison, while “misbehavior before the enemy” carries a life sentence; A conviction on either could strip him of his rank and pay and earn him a dishonorable discharge.

The misbehavior charge is rare and typically reserved for shameful or cowardly conduct, said Daniel Conway, a military defense lawyer and the author of a forthcoming book on military crimes.

The case against Bergdahl has been highly politicized, with members of Congress demanding he be sent to prison. Wednesday’s charges prompted fresh criticism of President Barack Obama.

“President Obama endangered our national security and broke the law when he chose to negotiate with terrorists and release hardened enemy combatants from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Sgt. Bergdahl – who many believed at the time was a deserter,” said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas and the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security.

Even some members of Bergdahl’s former Army unit have called for serious punishment, saying others risked their lives searching for him, although the Pentagon says there’s no evidence anyone died because of his actions.

“The military’s obviously a very rough job. … But everybody else stayed with the oath and did what they signed up to do. And as a result of that, some didn’t get to come home,” said Cody Full, 26, who served in Bergdahl’s platoon. He said Bergdahl should be stripped of his pay and benefits and be dishonorably discharged.

The Obama administration is standing by the prisoner swap.

“Was it worth it? Absolutely. We have a commitment to our men and women serving overseas, or in our military, defending our national security every day, that we will do everything we can to bring them home, and that’s what we did in this case,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told Fox News.

Bergdahl still needs “continuous physical therapy, medical and behavioral health appointments” at the Army medical center at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, where he has been assigned to a desk job. Even in Texas, he faces “hostility” that raises doubts about a fair trial, Fidell wrote:  Two officers accompany him wherever he goes off base, not to keep him from escaping but to protect him from others.

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Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor, Donna Cassata, Erica Werner, Deb Riechmann and Sagar Meghani in Washington; Allen G. Breed from Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Emery P. Dalesio in Raleigh; and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed to this report.

WHITEHALL, Wis. (AP) – Sheriff’s officials in western Wisconsin say a missing boy has been found dead in a creek near his overturned all-terrain vehicle.

Fourteen-year-old Ayrton “AJ” Platt left his grandparents’ home near Whitehall in Trempealeau County on his ATV Wednesday about 5:30 p.m. State and local agencies began a search for the boy. His body was found the next morning shortly before 9 a.m.

Investigators say foul play is not suspected.

MADISON (AP) – Blood tests show a white Madison Police officer who killed a biracial man was sober after the shooting.

The Wisconsin Professional Police Association on Thursday released results of tests on samples of Matt Kenny’s blood collected about two hours after he shot Tony Robinson on March 6. The tests found no signs of alcohol or drugs in Kenny’s system.

Kenny shot Robinson after responding to calls that Robinson had attacked two people and was running in traffic. The incident drove members of the city’s black community to stage daily protests for about a week. The rallies were all peaceful, although demonstrators called for Kenny to be charged with homicide.

The state Justice Department plans to turn over a report on the incident to Dane County prosecutors this week.

MADISON (WMTV) – If you can’t make it to the University of Wisconsin’s NCAA Tournament games in person, you may be following the team on social media.

Nate Moll has the capability to reach thousands, perhaps millions around the world. He’s UW’s social media specialist.

“I like to refer to myself as the thumbs of UW-Madison,” Moll says.

He has a little help from two interns and his department’s director, but for the most part, Moll is a one-man show. And he’s had a busy month.

“We have seen numbers like we’ve never seen before,” he explains.

“Just all the hype with March Madness and the success of our basketball team. It’s been so much fun to put stuff out on Twitter and Facebook that fans are interacting with.”

He’s also interacting with the competition. Since the NCAA tourney, Moll has had a little fun with the University of Oregon and Coastal Carolina. And people are taking notice.

“I had an 80-year-old come up to me at church the other day and go ‘oh, I loved your stuff with Coastal Carolina,’” Moll said. “Like, I’m surprised you even saw it.”

In fact, Moll just received a shirt in the mail from his Coastal Carolina counterpart.

“He’s a fun guy. I think I found a new friend”

Moll says beneath it all, his ultimate goal is to advance the university’s name – and keep people talking about the Badgers.

“There’s no better way to reach in to everybody’s household around the state, around the country, around the world, of Badger fans, and interact with them in a personal and fun way.”

Moll says he usually watches the games with his laptop nearby, so he can keep all the social media accounts current.

University of Wisconsin basketball player Nigel Hayes has learned a lesson that’s well known to broadcasters: Always treat every microphone as if it’s live.

The Badgers forward became well known recently for his fascination with NCAA Tournament news conference stenographers – the people who transcribe players’ and coaches’ answers to reporters’ questions. During a March 21 news conference, before answering a question, he said the words cattywampus, onomatopoeia and antidisestablishmentarianism. He went on to explain that he was testing the stenographer’s spelling skills.

24. Well done, @asapsports… always gotta stay on your feet when @NIGEL_HAYES steps to the podium. #Fieldof32 http://t.co/EkpNXv2w3r—
Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) March 21, 2015

But in a Wednesday news conference, Hayes’ attention on a stenographer made for an embarrassing moment when he whispered “she’s beautiful,” then realized the microphone picked up his comment.

Watch the video above to see Hayes and teammates Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker’s reactions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama will host Pope Francis in Washington when he visits the United States this fall.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama and first lady Michelle Obama would welcome the pontiff as a guest at the White House on Sept. 23. It is Francis’ first papal visit to the United States.

President Obama and @FLOTUS look forward to welcoming His Holiness @Pontifex to the @WhiteHouse on September 23 pic.twitter.com/w9Wg0SiCgO

— Josh Earnest (@PressSec) March 26, 2015

Francis is already scheduled to address the annual U.N. General Assembly of world leaders on Sept. 25. The pope has also agreed to address a joint meeting of Congress on Sept. 24, the first time the head of the world’s Roman Catholics will address Congress.

Obama met Francis in the Vatican in March of last year. Earnest said discussions would range from poverty and economic opportunity to immigration and the environment.

KIEL – Trevor Casper had only been on the job for a few months, graduating from the academy in December. It was his first day alone on patrol.

The 21-year-old was from Kiel, where family and friends are just coming to grips with the reality that he is gone.

Flags fly at half-staff in Kiel. Police Chief Dave Funkhouser says he knew Trevor Casper well, and spoke on behalf of the family.

“They are deeply saddened by this loss, but they are also deeply honored by their son’s service to the State Patrol,” said Dave Funkhouser, Kiel Police Chief.

Funkhouser works with Casper’s mother at City Hall, and followed Trevor’s career every step of the way.

“It was a joyous time to hear how well he was doing,” said Funkhouser.

But Wednesday, downtown Kiel was a little quiet.

“This is a great community. We are a tight-knit community. And when an incident like this happens, we all hurt,” said Funkhouser.

Signs of support hang from the store where Casper’s grandmother worked for 30 years.

And at Kiel High School, Casper was involved soccer, wrestling, as even spent time as king of the court. The 2011 graduate was remembered as a leader.

“He knew from the minute he was in high school, that he wanted to be a police officer,” said Louise Blankenheim, Kiel District Administrator.

Blankenheim says counselors are ready for students if needed.

“Students grieve differently now. They grieve with their friends through social media,” she said.

And through social media, tens of thousands honor Casper online.

The police chief says that support hits home for those in law enforcement.

“My fellow brothers and sisters in police and law enforcement throughout the U.S. spend everyday going to work not knowing if it’s going to be their last. I spoke those words in Madison, and then last night, I had to tell a family that their son wasn’t coming home for those exact same reasons,” said Funkhouser.

The Kiel police chief says funeral arrangements are still days away. He says Trevor Casper will most likely be buried in Kiel, with full police honors.

• Click here to read a statement from Casper’s family
• Click here to learn more about a memorial fund in Casper’s honor

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) – A 28.6-pound cabbage grown by a central Wisconsin girl has won an annual statewide growing contest for third-graders.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports Riley Olbrantz of Newman Catholic Elementary School/St. Anne in Wausau was named the winner of this year’s Bonnie Plants Third Grade Cabbage Program. She was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the program and a certificate of achievement.

Riley planted her winning vegetable, of the O.S. Cross cabbage variety, on April 14 and watered it every day until it was picked on July 29.

The Department of Agriculture says the cabbage still is being eaten and enjoyed by Riley’s neighbors.

MADISON (AP) – A VA medical center in Tomah accused of rampantly overprescribing painkillers is the focus of a U.S. Senate hearing at which several Department of Veterans Affairs officials are testifying.

At Thursday’s hearing in Washington, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said the current VA system of prescribing narcotics is “abysmally inaccurate” and is not limited to the Tomah facility.

Interim VA Undersecretary for Health Carolyn Clancy says she is deeply concerned about allegations of overprescribing practices and retaliatory behavior at the center in Wisconsin, where investigations are ongoing. She said if employee misconduct is found, those responsible will be held accountable.

But Clancy also said the VA has succeeded elsewhere in limiting use of narcotics to treat pain.