Green Bay News

GREEN BAY – James Oliver, Jr, founder of WeMontage, has created a blog, ‘treplifedad, where he shares information with other parents and entrepreneurs.  Recently, Oliver blogged about how his persistence paid off when it came to raising capital for his business, all while raising twin toddlers.  He also likes to share the recipes he makes for his family.  Today he prepared one of those on Good Day Wisconsin.  Here’s his recipe for a spicy portobello mushroom salad:

Ingredients

Two large organic portobello mushroom caps

Organic spinach and spring mix salad (store-bought)

1.5 TBSP Aged Balsamic vinegar (I used 18 year-aged)

2 TBSP Red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

A little less than 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper (you can add more after it’s cooked, if you like it spicier)

3 large cloves of fresh garlic – finely chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh shaved cheese (I use Belgioiso brand salad blend with Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano cheese)
Cooking this is super easy. Just follow these steps:

1. Rinse and chop mushrooms. Heat a pan on medium heat with a little olive oil.
2. Add Balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, and crushed red pepper to the pan. Then add the mushrooms.
3. Stir to cover the mushrooms with the sauce and let it cook down to almost all the liquid is gone (5-10 minutes)

That’s it!

Now put your salad on a plate/in a bowl and add a generous drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add some cheese and pile a bunch of mushrooms on there, and voilà!

Join me

MANITOWOC – The Rahr-West Art Museum will host a fun event Wednesday night.

ComixCon: Rahr-West will feature Brian & Kristy Miller of Hi-Fi Colour Design.  The pair works with all types of comic producers from Marvel, DC, Disney, Simpson’s and many others.  Brian and Kristy will present an introduction to coloring comics.

The event is tonight from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

There will also a presentation and a meet and greet.  The presentation is free, but the Meet and Greet is $20 per person.

Click here to learn more information about the event.

We’re learning more about the cotton-topped tamarin at the NEW Zoo!

They are one of the World’s smallest new world primates! These tamarins enjoy a hearty breakfast from the NEW Zoo.

They typically get a cup of yogurt sometimes even with some granola.

RACINE, Wis. (AP) – Racine County sheriff’s deputies say a driver they pursued at speeds of 100 mph remains at large.

Authorities say they used a number of dogs to track the driver who ditched his car and ran into some woods. Deputies initially tried pulling the driver over for numerous traffic violations in the Town of Raymond about 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Sheriff’s officials say the driver struck a deputy’s squad as the pursuit began. The deputy was not injured.

GREEN LAKE – A woman charged with helping to operate a meth lab in Berlin was sentenced Monday to three months in jail.

Jennie Hetchler was also placed on probation and ordered to perform 75 hours of community service, according to online court records. She was convicted of one count of manufacturing drugs.

Hetchler and Shawn Ellis were arrested after police found a meth lab at the Walkush Street property in November. According to the criminal complaint Ellis admitted to the burglaries and to making meth. In the document Hetchler said she bought Ellis some of the ingredients to cook the drug.

Three children – ages nine, three and two – were living on the same property as the meth lab. Online court records indicate she was ordered to continue to follow conditions set by family court for contact with them.

Ellis faces six charges. He returns to court April 14.

WAUPACA – A man charged with causing the death of his 2-year-old stepson changed his plea Monday to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. He entered a similar plea in another child abuse case, as well.

As a result, Joseph Jackson was ordered to undergo a psychiatric exam, according to online court records.

No trial date has been set. A status conference is scheduled for April 7. Jackson is charged with first-degree reckless homicide.

By using the so-called insanity plea, Jackson is claiming he shouldn’t be held criminally liable for the crime due to his mental condition during the May 25 incident.

According to the criminal complaint, Jackson admitted holding the boy’s face down on a bed, to try to get him to stop crying. The boy stopped breathing and died.

If convicted, Jackson could spend up to 60 years in prison.

There’s also another case involving Jackson. In June, he allegedly pushed another stepson to the ground following an argument with his wife. That child suffered scrapes. Jackson entered the insanity plea in that case, too, Monday.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Authorities say a baby has died in a one-vehicle crash at a Milwaukee intersection.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office says the 7-month-old boy was in a car that rolled over about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. The baby was pronounced dead at Children’s Hospital.

An autopsy is scheduled for today.

MEQUON, Wis. (AP) – Authorities have identified the 85-year-old woman who was struck and killed in the parking lot of a suburban Milwaukee grocery store.

The Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office has determined Lorraine Winter of Milwaukee died from multiple blunt force injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene Monday afternoon after being hit by a vehicle outside of a Sendik’s grocery store in Mequon.

Police say the vehicle was driven by her 87-year-old husband, Henry Winter, who struck several cars while reversing and then accelerated forward and struck his wife. They believe he suffered from a medical emergency while behind the wheel.

Henry Winter remained hospitalized on Tuesday, and his current condition wasn’t immediately known.

An investigation is ongoing, but charges aren’t expected to be filed.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Secret Service will have a third round of testing done to determine whether a letter addressed to the White House contains cyanide.

The Secret Service says initial testing came back negative, but a second test conducted yesterday returned a “presumptive positive” for cyanide.

A facility located away from the White House and its surrounding buildings had received the letter Monday for routine screening.

Suspicious letters often are sent to some of the country’s leading politicians, including the president. Some test positive for hazardous substances while others include threats of death or other physical harm.

Kraft Foods is recalling about 6.5 million boxes cases of original flavor Kraft Macaroni & Cheese because some of the boxes contain small pieces of metal.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons orange zest
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 clove minced garlic
1/3 cup olive oil or canola
Salt and black pepper
9 to 12 ounces fresh spinach
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
1/2 cup shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid add orange zest, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Shake well until dressing starts to thicken a bit. To serve, put the spinach in a large bowl. Toss with enough of the dressing to coat the spinach. Sprinkle salad with oranges, cheese, and nuts. Extra dressing keeps in the fridge for a week.

MENASHA – For only the second time in the communties’ histories, Neenah and Menasha’s city councils met together Tuesday night. They met to discuss plans to, literally, connect their communities more closely.

The cities want to build two pedestrian trails. One would be in Neenah, the other in Menasha, both would cross the Fox River in different sections.

Tuesday night the councils voted to ask for a state grant to help build the new trails. b ut some people did voice concerns.

During the historic meeting, city leaders from Neenah and Menasha spoke with enthusiasm about the Loop the Little Lake Trestle Project.

“The recreational value, the tourism potential that people would use it for that and, in addition, the economic potential for both Neenah and Menasha,” said Neenah Mayor Dean Kaufert.

The idea to build two new pedestrian trails over the Fox River would utilize an existing system that runs through Neenah, Menasha and the Town of Menasha. That includes the existing trestle over Little Lake Butte des Morts.

“The trail is already about 3/4 done,” said Kaufert.

The plan would create about a three mile loop, connecting the communities.

“People could have a 3.2 mile walk, jog, bike, whatever, the would be able to completely go around the lake,” Kaufert explained.

Community leaders told us the existing trestle is successful. So, they said, it’s a safe bet the full loop plan would be too.

“About 350,000 people a year are using it. It’s a destination that people are using on a daily basis,” explained Brian Tungate the Director of Menasha Parks & Recreation.

When it comes to money, here are the facts:

The project is expected to cost $3.2 million. The communities want the state grant to cover half the cost, with another million from fundraising. Each city would then kick in $300,000.

During Tuesday’s joint council meeting, some residents expressed concerns. Some are worried about the cost and others are worried about how the trails will affect area neighborhoods.

“It would be a trail to my house. I live on the corner of Fox and Matthewson Streets and I don’t want to have 975 people in my front yard everyday,” said Tim Gosz during the question and answer session.

Despite Tuesday night’s vote, the project is far from a done deal.

“There’s always some things to overcome, you know, with two communities, but when it’s for the betterment of both of our communities then we work together really well,” said Tungate.

If the state approves the grant money request, then the city councils would still have to agree on the trail plan itself. It could take months to get to that stage.

Those behind the plans are hopeful to build the new trails in 20-17.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Department of Justice is urging a judge to let the state’s right-to-work law stand.

The Wisconsin state AFL-CIO and two local labor unions filed a lawsuit in Dane County last week challenging the law. They argue the law is an unconstitutional taking of their property because under its provisions they must extend benefits to workers who don’t pay union dues. Judge William Foust has scheduled a hearing Thursday on the unions’ request for a temporary injunction.

DOJ attorneys filed a brief Tuesday imploring Faust to deny the request.

They contend the law doesn’t amount to any unconstitutional taking of union property, saying the law doesn’t remove a single penny from the unions’ accounts. They argue, too, that similar challenges to right-to-work legislation in other states have failed.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

MADISON — Injured Wisconsin point guard Traevon Jackson has returned to practice, though it is still unclear whether the senior will be ready for the start of the NCAA Tournament.

Jackson has been out two months after breaking his right foot in a 67-62 loss on Jan. 11 at Rutgers.

Wisconsin (31-3) had a light practice on Tuesday, when Jackson participated in shootaround and individual drills. The top-seeded Badgers play Coastal Carolina on Friday night in their NCAA opener in Omaha, Nebraska.

Jackson said that he had been cleared, and that it would be up to him about when he feels ready to play. He said he felt about 90 percent.

Associate head coach Greg Gard said the team had to monitor Jackson through the week before determining what to expect.

“The best case scenario, he plays 30 minutes – not going to happen probably though,” Gard said. “I think we just have to wait and see where he’s at, what he feels like physically.”

Jackson’s replacement, Bronson Koenig, missed practice on Tuesday with an apparent minor illness. But the sophomore has played well overall starting for Jackson.

The Badgers are 16-1 since the injury, winning both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.

Any contribution from Jackson should lengthen coach Bo Ryan’s bench, which has lacked scoring punch at times this year. Ryan also relied on Jackson in tight, late-game situations to take clutch shots.

Another senior guard, Josh Gasser, said he thought Jackson would return for the tournament opener. At the very least, Jackson’s return to basketball activities gives Wisconsin an emotional lift.

“It’s just a matter of me now. … Just one day at a time, just how I feel,” Jackson said. “I’m not going back fully until I feel like 100 percent, but I am cleared.”

Wisconsin is next scheduled to practice in Omaha on Wednesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The chairman of the Iowa Republican Party lashed out Tuesday at a new member of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s political team for questioning the state’s role in the presidential nominating process.

Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann told The Associated Press he was troubled by veteran Republican strategist Liz Mair’s recent comments about the state’s political clout.

“Her statements are not only incorrect, they’re rather juvenile, they’re naive, they’re ignorant,” he said.

Walker’s team recently tapped Mair to lead online communication efforts as he ramps up for a 2016 Republican presidential bid. He has been a regular visitor to Iowa in recent months.

In January, Mair took to Twitter to complain about an event in the state hosted by Iowa Rep. Steve King, a favorite of the GOP’s far-right flank.

“In other news, I see Iowa is once again embarrassing itself, and the GOP, this morning. Thanks, guys,” Mair wrote and later added, “The sooner we remove Iowa’s front-running status, the better off American politics and policy will be.”

Iowa traditionally hosts the nation’s first presidential nominating contest. The state’s presidential caucuses are less than a year away.

Mair referred questions to Walker’s campaign, which had no immediate response.

Kaufmann said Tuesday that he’d want Mair to apologize and learn more about Iowa or “I’d send her packing.”

Kaufmann said he had not spoken to Walker’s campaign and that he did not think Walker agreed with any criticism of Iowa’s role in the presidential nominating process. But he added: “You want to talk about something that unites the Republican Party? Start questioning our first-in-the-nation status. That is the tie that binds.”

___

Peoples reported from Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Secret Service says an envelope addressed to the White House has tentatively tested positive for cyanide.

The letter was received at an off-site mail screening facility Monday. Initial biological testing was negative.

The agency says additional testing Tuesday returned a “presumptive positive” for cyanide.

The sample has been taken to another facility for further testing.

The Secret Service is responsible for President Barack Obama’s security.

The agency says the investigation into the letter continues and it will have no additional comment on the matter.

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) – A 15-year-old Connecticut boy is being held on $2 million bond after he was charged in the slaying of a man who police say had spilled coffee on him.

Police tell the Stamford Advocate that 52-year-old Antonio Muralles was leaving a Stamford restaurant March 11 when he bumped into the teen, spilling the coffee. Police say the teenager stabbed Muralles.

The boy appeared in a closed hearing Tuesday. He didn’t enter a plea, and his attorney declined to comment on the allegations. The newspaper said the case was moved to adult court.

Twenty-two-year-old James McLamb of New Haven also has been charged with murder in Muralles’ death and is being held on $2 million bond. His lawyer says he is reviewing the charge.

Police are looking for a third suspect.

GREEN BAY – If you have a college degree, maybe been working a while and considering going back to school, you’re not alone.

Universities in our area say demand for MBA, or a Masters of Business Administration, is growing.

But, are there enough programs to meet the need?

Students take their seats at the UW-Oshkosh MBA program satellite campus in Green Bay. For many, like accountant Kelly Ruh, it’s a place they never thought they’d be.

“I thought I’d have what I needed to stay competitive for a long time. With the market the way it is these days and the competition that is out there, I thought the MBA would certainly give me the skills,” said Ruh.

Professors say they’ve seen MBA programs at satellite campuses grow over the past decade. It’s attracting workers in their thirties and forties, mostly looking to gain business management skills.

“They’ve come out and got some actual experience in the workforce and are now in some leadership roles and they want to have a little bit more, they want to learn more of the theory of what they’re actually doing to take the next step,” said John Muraski, an instructor at UW-Oshkosh.

Following what it says is a growing trend in the area, the traditionally undergraduate St. Norbert College is adding its own MBA program that will start this fall.

“We want to be 100 students at the most when we get going. We want to focus on building the next generation of leaders from Northeast Wisconsin,” said Professor Kevin Quinn.

Quinn says he hopes the evening MBA program here on campus will help keep top workers in this area.

“They get to a point where the kind of experience that they want they’d have to do a weekend executive program. And that might be in Chicago, in Madison, in Milwaukee, and that really tears up your family for a while, because you’re gone several weekends a month,” said Quinn.

UW-Oshkosh has more than 400 students in its MBA programs. Professors don’t see the new St. Norbert’s program as competition for students.

“There’s going to be need for those programs,” said Muraski.

Students say with a new degree of expertise, they’ll land the jobs they’re searching for.

Saint Norbert says it will limit its programs to its campus. As for UW-Oshkosh, it also has MBA programs at satellite campuses in Appleton, Green Bay and Stevens Point, as well as online degree programs.

HOUSTON (AP) – Police on Tuesday were searching the Houston home of millionaire Robert Durst after his arrest over the weekend in New Orleans.

Durst, 71, is charged with murder in a Los Angeles killing 15 years ago, and has been suspected – but never charged – in the disappearance of his first wife in New York. In 2003, he was acquitted of murder in a dismemberment death in Texas.

On Tuesday afternoon, a marked Houston police car and three unmarked cars were in front of a 17-story building in Houston’s Rice Village neighborhood where Durst has three condominiums. At least five plainclothes officers were working inside the guarded building. Two of the officers were seen walking to a nearby unmarked car, retrieving a small bag from the trunk and returning to the building.

Harris County district attorney’s office spokesman Jeff McShan said the Los Angeles Police Department contacted his office last week. McShan would not elaborate on what was discussed and referred questions to the LAPD.

LAPD Sgt. Barry Montgomery, a spokesman for the department, said the department is not commenting on the case until Durst is in their custody.

“This is an investigation that’s being handled by multi-jurisdictions,” Montgomery said. “At this juncture the only thing the LAPD is doing is waiting for the extradition. We are just waiting on him to make it into our custody.”

In a documentary that just wrapped up about Durst’s troubled life, he mumbled about how he “killed them all,” providing a dramatic kick to the end of the series. But a law enforcement official said his arrest on the murder charge was based on words he wrote.

Analysis linked a letter Durst wrote to his friend Susan Berman a year before her killing with one that pointed police to her body, and that was the key new evidence in the long-dormant investigation into the 2000 killing, the official not authorized to speak publicly told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

He waived extradition in New Orleans, but authorities there charged him late Monday with being a felon in possession of a gun and with having marijuana. Assistant District Mark Burton said they found more than a quarter-pound of pot and a revolver in his hotel room when he was arrested.

It was not clear how soon he would be returned to California.

Attorney Dick DeGuerin said he wants a hearing in Louisiana as soon as possible to contest the arrest.

“The warrant we believe is based on a television show and not on actual fact,” he said. “We want a hearing as quickly as possible so Mr. Durst can go to California and face trial as quickly as possible.”

The judge in New Orleans, Magistrate Harry Cantrell, scheduled another hearing for next Monday.

Confronted with new evidence by the makers of a documentary about his links to three killings, the troubled millionaire blinked, burped oddly, pulled his ear and briefly put his head in his hands before denying he was the killer.

Then he stepped away from the tense interview and went to the bathroom, still wearing the live microphone that recorded what he said next.

“There it is. You’re caught!” Durst whispered before the sound of running water is heard. “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.”

In the documentary “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” that aired its finale Sunday on HBO, Durst is confronted with new evidence. Durst blinked, burped oddly, pulled his ear and briefly put his head in his hands before denying he was the killer.

Then he stepped away from the interview and went to the bathroom, still wearing the live microphone that recorded what he said next.

“There it is. You’re caught!” Durst whispered before the sound of running water is heard. “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.”

___

Associated Press writers Tami Abdollah in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

The northern lights may be seen tonight throughout Wisconsin between 9:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.

A solar storm a few days ago, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), has intensified a very strong solar wind that is passing the earth today.

Two blasts of magnetic plasma left the sun on Sunday, they combined and arrived at Earth about 15 hours earlier and much stronger than expected, said Thomas Berger, director of the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.

This storm ranks a 4, called severe, on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 1-to-5 scale for geomagnetic effects. It has been nearly a decade since a level 5 storm has hit Earth.

The Aurora Borealis or northern lights are pushed southward during these geomagnetic storms, and the northern lights were even seen in parts of Wisconsin before sunrise today. The storm is considerably stronger now and with mostly clear skies, it looks likely that people in the area will be able to see them tonight.

Space Weather branch chief Brent Gordon said if the storm effects continued through Tuesday evening, there was a “very strong possibility” that the northern lights could be seen as far south as the middle United States, even Tennessee and Oklahoma. The crescent moon will appear but should be small enough it won’t interfere with viewing of the aurora, Gordon said.

We are able to track the progression of the northern lights through the Space Weather Prediction Center and the Auroral Oval. The latest oval for North America is available here, http://services.swpc.noaa.gov/images/animations/ovation-north/latest.png

We are also able to tell how far south the northern lights will be visible by the Kp index which rates the magnitude of geomagnetic storms. For Green Bay we need a Kp Index of 5 to have a chance to see the northern lights, today it has been between 7 and 8 all day. A Kp index of 6 can push the auroras to Milwaukee, 7 to Chicago, and 8 to St. Louis. The latest Kp Index chart is here. http://services.swpc.noaa.gov/images/planetary-k-index.gif

The Aurora Borealis are more often visible in Wisconsin than in other northern latitudes because the magnetic north pole is on the Canadian side of the arctic circle. Magnetic north is not at the same spot as the actual north pole. This allows the magnetic disturbances that cause the northern lights to migrate further south in the north central U.S.