Green Bay News

GREEN BAY – More than 100 artists from across the Midwest have taken over Shopko Hall in Green Bay this weekend.

The annual Arti Gras festival showcases everything from fine arts to performing arts and even edible art.

Visitors can shop for unique pieces of art and check out demonstrations from the artists themselves.

The event takes place Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission is $6 for adults, but children are free.

Fox 11 spent the morning at Arti Gras to check out what visitors won’t want to miss.

For more information on Arti Gras, click here.

ASHWAUBENON – Students from Pulaski High School joined FOX 11’s Pauleen Le in the kitchen as Saturday’s Cooking with You guests.

The students shared delicious recipes for Carmel Apple Pierogies and Sautéed Scallops with a Wine Mustard Sauce.

Carmel Apple Pierogies:

Ingredients:

Pierogi Dough

All-Purpose Flour 15 ounces

Salt ¾ teaspoon

Warm Water 8 fluid ounces

Canola Oil 1 ½ fluid ounces

All-Purpose Flour 15 ounces

Filling

Granny Smith Apples 14 ounces (approximately 3 apples)

Vanilla Extract 1 ½ tablespoon

Ground Cinnamon 1 tablespoon

Granulated Sugar 5 ounces

Cornstarch 1 tablespoon

Unsalted butter 4 tablespoons

Dipping Sauce

Brown Sugar 3.5 ounces

Heavy Cream 2 fluid ounces

Procedure:

Pierogi Dough

1. Pour the water and oil into a large bowl. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt, keeping one cup aside. Use a fork to stir the flour in, and as it starts to come together, use your hands to knead until loose dough forms (about 3 minutes).
2. Sprinkle your counter with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and knead. Add the reserved cup of flour a bit at a time, working it into the dough, until it is very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky, add a little bit more flour and knead it in, up to 1/4 cup.
3. Cover dough and let rest for 2 hours.
4. Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick, cut into 5 inch circles.

Filling

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the apples, cornstarch, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar.
2. Stir constantly for 5 minutes. Switch to low heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool off for 20 minutes.

Assembly

1. Spoon the filling onto one side of each of the dough rounds, then moisten the edges with the remaining beaten egg, and fold to create half circles. Press the edges together firmly to seal.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop the pierogies in (3-5 at a time) and boil until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes. Once the pierogi have cooked, remove with a slotted spoon, and rinse until cold; set aside.
3. Melt the remaining 1/4 cup of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the boiled pierogi, and cook on both sides until hot and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Sauce

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan; add brown sugar and heavy cream. Stir constantly over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Allow to bubble for 3-4 full minutes.
2. Remove from heat and serve with pierogies.

Sautéed Scallops with a Wine Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

Sea Scallop 6 ct.

Salt 2T

Pepper 2T

Olive Oil 3T

Butter 1T

Sauce

Shallots 1ct.

Lemon juice 2T

Water 4T

Dry White Wine 4T

Apple Juice 4T

Dijon Mustard 1/2t

Salad/Dressing

Apple, julienned 1/3c

Radicchio, thinly sliced 1/3c

Apple Cider Vinegar 1/2T

Dijon Mustard 1/2t

Sugar 2T

Olive Oil 2T

Salt 2T

Pepper 2T

Garnish

Microgreens 2

Directions:

Scallops:

1. Pat scallops dry and season with salt and pepper.
2. In a 10-to 12-inch saute pan, heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.
3. Sauté scallops 1 to 2 minutes on each side (depending on size), adding 1 T butter after first side begins to sear.
4. Cook until golden and just cooked through,
5. Transfer scallops with tongs to a plate and keep warm, covered loosely.

Sauce:

1. In oil remaining in saute pan, cook shallot over moderate heat, stirring, until softened.
2. Add wine and boil, scraping up brown bits, 1 minute.
3. Stir in lemon juice, water, apple juice, and dijon mustard and mustard and simmer until reduced to about 1/4 cup.
4. Add 1 T butter and swirl skillet, returning skillet to heat as necessary, until butter is just incorporated into sauce.
5. Strain sauce in a sieve to remove shallots.
6. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Salad/Dressing:

1. Combine apples & radicchio. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, curry powder, mustard, and sugar until well combined.
3. Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified; season with salt and pepper.
4. Toss with apple mixture to thoroughly coat.

Assembly:

1. Place ½ c salad/dressing on the plate.
2. Spoon 2 T sauce onto the plate and place 3 scallops on top of the sauce.
3. Garnish with 1 T microgreens.

WEST BEND (AP) – Photographs of accordions, tubas and Pabst Blue Ribbon signs may not be the norm for an $11.2 million art museum that features nationally recognized sculptures, painters and other media artists.

They fit right in at the Museum of Wisconsin Art located along the Milwaukee River and just east of West Bend’s quaint downtown.

Since late January, the museum’s second-floor Hyde Gallery has been home to “Polka Heartland: Photographs by Dick Blau.”

In 2013 and 2014, Blau, a professor of film at UW-Milwaukee, traversed Wisconsin with Rick March, an author, musician and musicologist from Madison. Blau and March, whose book, “Polka Heartland,” is scheduled to be released in October, set out to capture the styles of the state’s diverse polka scene.

More importantly for Blau was documenting the feeling and emotion of the official state dance.

“It’s really about the way people make a kind of social happiness with one another,” Blau said by phone from his home in downtown Milwaukee. “It produces a feeling of warmth, euphoria and happiness.”

That means, growing up in Watertown, there must have been a lot of happy Goslings.

Wedding receptions at Turner Hall and the Wethonkitha Club were all but guaranteed to feature a polka band. WTTN-AM had a robust “Polka Party” on Saturday mornings and in nearby Hartford, WTKM-FM radio was polka all day and night.

Our next-door neighbor on Eighth Street, Howard Reese, made sure we didn’t miss out on the action. He loved to work in his garage and had a car radio hooked up to a battery in his shop. A speaker near the side door insured we didn’t miss a beat of a schottische, Chicago push or a Polish hop.

And when July 4 rolled around, a polka band was a sure lock at the Orange Boards, a make-shift beer bar made with orange painted lumber at the Riverside Park pavilion.

Wisconsin has its own Polka Hall of Fame with such notables as “Tuba Dan” Jerabek, Vern Meisner, Don Peachey and Louie Bashell. Polka festivals can be found around the state in Ellsworth, Wisconsin Dells and Pulaski. The tiny village of Willard, east of Eau Claire, celebrated its 40th annual event last year while the Wisconsin State Polka Festival at Olympia Resort in Oconomowoc is set for May.

In June, there’s the Roger Bright Polka Festival in New Glarus, Polish Fest in Milwaukee and in Madison, the Essen Haus, a year-round pit stop for polka bands from around the country.

Blau’s exhibit features 27 photos, some more than 3 feet high and nearly 6 feet long, but there is no musical accompaniment. Instead, visitors take in the images in relative quiet, much like they would with other exhibits in the 32,000-square-foot museum.

That’s not to say polka music is absent from the colorful exhibit.

When the photo gallery debuted, more than 650 people filled the museum, many of them dancing to The Squeezettes, a Milwaukee band named polka artist of the year in 2012 and 2013 by the Wisconsin Area Music Industry and featured in Blau’s photos. Rick March was scheduled Thursday give a presentation on polka styles and play his accordion. On March 14, the Brewhaus Polka Kings will play at the museum for what is being dubbed “Polka Saturday.”

“It’s going to be a flat-out polka dance,” Graeme Reid, the museum’s director of collections and exhibitions, told the Wisconsin State Journal. “It is very much a part of Wisconsin’s intrinsic culture.”

The Museum of Wisconsin Art was founded in 1961 when it was known as the West Bend Gallery of Fine Art. The museum was established by the Pick family to collect and exhibit the work of a relative, Carl von Marr, who was born in Milwaukee in 1858 but was trained in Munich, Germany.

His work includes “The Flagellants,” a 14-foot-high, 23-foot-wide painting of zombie-like religious zealots from the Middle Ages in Europe who sought atonement for their sins by vigorously whipping themselves in public displays of penance. The piece is believed to be the largest framed painting in the state and one of the largest in the country.

For much of the museum’s history, it was located in a 20,000-square-foot space in what had been the corporate headquarters for West Bend Insurance. In 2007, the museum changed its name to the Museum of Wisconsin Art and announced plans to build a new facility. Fundraising began in 2008 as the economy began to tank but in 2012, ground was broken on property that had been home to an outlet mall. The museum opened in April 2013 and last year had 35,000 visitors compared to 2,900 the last full year in the previous museum building.

“It’s had phenomenal growth,” said Laurie Winters, MOWA CEO and executive director. “It’s a platform for Wisconsin artists.”

When I visited last week, I not only took in the work of von Marr but of painter John Steuart Curry, who in 1936 was appointed as the first artist in residence at the Agricultural College at UW-Madison. Curry traveled the state where he promoted art and painted rural scenes from the era. There also was work from the Cedarburg Artists Guild and in the atrium, sculptures of canoes by Truman Lowe, a Ho-Chunk from Black River Falls.

Blau’s polka photos are in contrast to the rest of the museum’s artwork but just as vital.

Blau’s and March’s travels took them to Turner Hall in Monroe, Martin’s Tap in New Berlin and Amerahn’s Ballroom in Kewaskum. There were stops at Pulaski Polka Days, the Laak Ballroom in Johnsonville and to the now-defunct Las Vegas Latin Club in Oregon, south of Madison.

That’s where the band, the Mazizo Allstarz, came decked out in sharkskin suits and used electronics and a brass section but had no accordion. A mirrored ball, fog machine, laser lights and well-dressed dancers added to the ambiance of the club, located in a former indoor athletic facility.

Blau’s photos captured it all, even though his shots were taken while seated at a table because he didn’t want to intrude.

“It was quite an exotic experience,” Blau said. “It’s different stylistically and represents something most people haven’t seen. I think people in Wisconsin aren’t really aware of how large and vital the Latino population has become.”

When Blau created his first book on polka, “Polka Happiness,” he shot in Buffalo, New York, and it primarily consisted of Polish polka bands. It also was 1992 and he was limited to a film camera with flash to make small black-and-white images.

“Polka Heartland” is shot in color, using natural light and with a digital camera that allowed for much larger images.

“It actually changes the relation of the viewers to the images because it allows them entrance into them, and that’s not possible when you have smaller pictures,” Blau said. “It makes them want to dance.”

ASHWAUBENON — Last week, while most boys basketball teams were finishing off the regular season, West De Pere was practicing, having wrapped up its season on Feb. 20.

Sometimes with that much rest a team can enter the postseason rusty, but Friday night the Phantoms showed the rest was a positive.

Boosted by an airtight defense and senior leaders, the Phantoms looked refreshed and started off its postseason in impressive fashion, beating Ashwaubenon, 49-33, in a Division 2 regional semifinal.

“We had nine practices before this game,” said West De Pere coach Andy Werner, whose team lost, 59-57, at Ashwaubenon in the second game of the regular season. “I was worried about us being intense but credit to our kids for intense practices.

“(We) just came to play, it’s playoff time. The kids were ready to go.”

No. 3-seeded West De Pere (17-6) was ready but so was No. 2 Ashwaubenon (17-6) early on. West De Pere led 14-12 after the first quarter but the next two quarters the Phantoms defense went on lock down.
They limited Kyle Monroe (22.6 points per game) to 14 points as the West De Pere defense and took control.

West De Pere outscored the Jaguars, 19-7, to open a 33-19 lead after three quarters. Ashwaubenon only scored one point in the second quarter.

For us seniors this could’ve been our last game, so we worked our tail off, ” Cody Schwartz said. “We knew we were going to have to play great defense on Monroe; get out on the shooters and that’s what we did.”

While Ashwaubenon wasn’t scoring, Schwartz and Connor Konshak were taking turns making plays. The senior duo combined for 32 points and was just too much for the Jaguars.

“Those two guys are tough matchups,” Werner said. “Somebody has to guard one of those guys. Connor (13 points) stepped up, had a great game and Cody (19) obviously had a great game.
“Those guys feed off each other.”

West De Pere, which reached the state semifinals last season, plays at No. 1 Kaukauna on Saturday in a regional final. The Phantoms feel good about their chances as they were dealing with injuries most of the season.

Konshak missed the first half of the season with a thumb injury suffered during the football playoffs and then starting guards Jessie Owens and Luke Pannier each suffered season-ending knee injuries in the same game against Shawano on Feb. 6.

The extra practice time allowed the Phantoms to gel more.

“(Against) Seymour on (Feb. 17), when we got down 16 in the first half, we didn’t know what to expect with the new guys coming in,” Schwartz said. “Two weeks of practice and we got to know each other.”
The sort of new-look Phantoms know they have to be on their game to beat Kaukauna (20-3), but Schwartz is confident.

“They’re pretty guard heavy, so we’ll have to play a lot of defense outside the paint, and they’ve got a lot of shooters,” said Schwartz, offering his scouting report. “I think if work hard again like we did (Friday), I don’t see a reason we can’t win.”

Follow Doug Ritchay on Twitter @dougritchay

Boys basketball regional highlights included West De Pere, Kaukauna, Brillion and Xavier advancing.

Friday’s Scores
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Division 1 Sectional 1
Regional Second Round
Hudson 59, D.C. Everest 55
Marshfield 57, Chippewa Falls 34
Neenah 70, Fond du Lac 44
Oshkosh North 58, Appleton West 28
Oshkosh West 76, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 53
Stevens Point 62, Appleton East 37
Superior 63, Eau Claire North 47
Wausau West 56, Eau Claire Memorial 47

Division 1 Sectional 2
Regional Second Round
Arrowhead 50, Menomonee Falls 38
Bay Port 70, Sheboygan South 66
De Pere 59, Hartford Union 41
Germantown 72, Waukesha West 49
Homestead 54, Hamilton 51
Kettle Moraine 39, Mukwonago 36
Kimberly 60, Manitowoc Lincoln 39
Sheboygan North 70, Green Bay East 53

Division 1 Sectional 3
Regional Second Round
Janesville Craig 66, Muskego 61
Kenosha Indian Trail 68, Kenosha Bradford 53
Madison East 76, Madison West 61
Madison Memorial 55, Janesville Parker 29
Middleton 63, Madison La Follette 44
Oconomowoc 56, Beloit Memorial 50
Sun Prairie 57, Burlington 42
Verona Area 72, Badger 69

Division 1 Sectional 4
Regional Second Round
Brookfield Central 53, Milwaukee South 45
Marquette University 61, Brookfield East 44
Milwaukee Hamilton 60, Oak Creek 58
Milwaukee King 83, Milwaukee Juneau 42
Milwaukee Riverside University 69, Milwaukee Vincent 56
Racine Case 62, Greenfield 49
Racine Horlick 100, Racine Park 55
West Allis Central 87, West Allis Nathan Hale 74

Division 2 Sectional 1
Regional Second Round
Holmen 62, Tomah 51
Hortonville 50, Antigo 49
Menomonie 56, New Richmond 46
Merrill 50, Wausau East 33
Mosinee 52, Rhinelander 49
Onalaska 56, La Crosse Central 54
Rice Lake 72, River Falls 51
Shawano Community 60, New London 41

Division 2 Sectional 2
Regional Second Round
Beaver Dam 61, West Bend West 40
Cedarburg 71, Plymouth 52
Kaukauna 72, Luxemburg-Casco 51
Port Washington 44, Grafton 40
Pulaski 60, Green Bay West 58
Seymour 48, Green Bay Southwest 43
Slinger 60, Menasha 45
West De Pere 49, Ashwaubenon 33

Division 2 Sectional 3
Regional Second Round
DeForest 61, Oregon 47
McFarland 54, Fort Atkinson 50
Monona Grove 57, Jefferson 37
Mount Horeb 66, Monroe 44
Sauk Prairie 50, Waunakee 41
Stoughton 61, Edgewood 41
Westosha Central 59, Waterford 58
Wilmot Union 62, Union Grove 50

Division 2 Sectional 4
Regional Second Round
Greendale 78, Milwaukee Bradley Technical 48
Milw. Washington 74, Shorewood 64
Pewaukee 52, Whitnall 39
South Milwaukee 43, Milwaukee Bay View/Lifelong Learning 26
Waukesha North 68, New Berlin Eisenhower 58
Wauwatosa East 40, Wisconsin Lutheran 39
Wauwatosa West 43, Pius XI 34
Whitefish Bay 72, Messmer 30

Division 3 Sectional 1
Regional Second Round
Altoona 58, Elk Mound 54
Arcadia 66, Bloomer 25
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 62, Black River Falls 48
Northwestern 56, Barron 50
Prescott 56, Osceola 38
Saint Croix Central 55, Baldwin-Woodville 54
St. Croix Falls 62, Hayward 46
West Salem 51, Westby 31

Division 3 Sectional 2
Regional Second Round
Clintonville 36, Wittenberg-Birnamwood 21
Freedom 51, Little Chute 36
Kiel 62, New Holstein 55
Peshtigo 51, Tomahawk 25
Roncalli 61, Denmark 41
Valders 93, Cedar Grove-Belgium 63
Wrightstown 55, Southern Door 53
Xavier 73, Omro 56

Division 3 Sectional 3
Regional Second Round
Adams-Friendship 57, Westfield Area 38
Dodgeville 46, Prairie du Chien 42
East Troy 71, Lakeside Lutheran 56
Edgerton 50, Turner 33
Evansville 61, Big Foot 52
Lake Mills 69, Marshall 59
Lodi 56, Wautoma 35
River Valley 47, Platteville 32

Division 3 Sectional 4
Regional Second Round
Brown Deer 73, Brookfield Academy 58
Kettle Moraine Lutheran 54, Milwaukee Lutheran 49
Laconia 44, Winnebago Lutheran Academy 27
Milwaukee North 84, Saint Thomas More 38
Poynette 56, Columbus 48
Ripon 62, Campbellsport 32
Saint Francis 58, Kenosha Reuther 36
Waupun 67, Watertown Luther Prep 54

Division 4 Sectional 1
Regional Second Round
Cameron 67, Chetek-Weyerhaeuser 37
Elmwood/Plum City 45, Colfax 44
Fall Creek 46, Mondovi 44
Hurley 58, Chequamegon 52
Phillips 65, Athens 53
Regis 71, Glenwood City 52
Stanley-Boyd 65, Osseo-Fairchild 56, OT
Unity 65, Grantsburg 33

Division 4 Sectional 2
Regional Second Round
Algoma 67, Manitowoc Lutheran 48
Amherst 65, Shiocton 54
Auburndale 61, Spencer 40
Brillion 74, Gibraltar 29
Crivitz 47, Crandon 44
Iola-Scandinavia 46, Bonduel 40
Marathon 41, Edgar 20
Wabeno/Laona 36, Menominee Indian 33

Division 4 Sectional 3
Regional Second Round
Belleville 45, Cambridge 37
Blair-Taylor 73, Aquinas 70, OT
Cuba City 43, Darlington 41
Deerfield 71, Waterloo 46
Melrose-Mindoro 52, Cochrane-Fountain City 50
Mineral Point 69, Iowa-Grant 53
Pardeeville 59, Riverdale 57
Wisconsin Heights 60, Boscobel 58

Division 4 Sectional 4
Regional Second Round
Destiny 64, Hope Christian 48
Dominican 97, Martin Luther 37
Howards Grove 39, Random Lake 25
Kenosha Saint Joseph Catholic Academy 49, Racine Lutheran 47, 3OT
Lourdes Academy 68, Saint Mary Central 60
Ozaukee 48, Lake Country Lutheran 40
Racine St. Catherine’s 62, The Prairie School 59
Saint Marys Springs 69, Markesan 59

Division 5 Sectional 1
Regional Second Round
Frederic 43, Siren 34
Luck 50, Northwood 45
McDonell Central 71, Turtle Lake 52
New Auburn 54, Clayton 51
Owen-Withee 61, Thorp 58
Prentice 56, Rib Lake 49
South Shore 72, Mellen 63
Washburn 59, Drummond 30

Division 5 Sectional 2
Regional Second Round
Almond-Bancroft 36, Wild Rose 34
Goodman/Pembine 38, Florence 32
Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran 83, Lena 54
Gresham Community 70, Saint Thomas Aquinas 47
Newman Catholic 79, Greenwood 46
Pittsville 47, Columbus Catholic 36
Port Edwards 58, Assumption 41
Wausaukee 57, Phelps 38

Division 5 Sectional 3
Regional Second Round
Bangor 80, Alma/Pepin 65
Fennimore 51, North Crawford 33
Gilmanton 58, Eleva-Strum 50
Hillsboro 66, Royall 42
Pecatonica 72, Potosi 63
Seneca 59, Wauzeka-Steuben 40
Shullsburg 53, Barneveld 50
Wonewoc-Center 46, La Farge 44

Division 5 Sectional 4
Regional Second Round
Black Hawk 65, Abundant Life Christian/St. Ambrose 48
Hilbert 64, Sheboygan County Christian 62
Hustisford 57, Central Wisconsin Christian 51
Milwaukee Academy of Science 47, Catholic Central 38
Randolph 64, Fall River 44
Sheboygan Lutheran 71, Living Word Lutheran 53
Williams Bay 65, Albany 58
Young Coggs Prep 79, Heritage Christian 65

DE PERE — St. Norbert men’s basketball lost in dramatic fashion in their NCAA Division-III Tournament opener 110-98 against Elmhurst. The Green Knights are now 0-2 all-time in home tournament games.

Elmhurst made a layup late in regulation to force overtime then a difficult three-pointer to send the game to double overtime. The Green Knights thought they’d won the game at the end of double overtime but the referees ruled the potential winning basket came after time expired.

Austin Elliott led the Green Knights with 31 points.

High school boys basketball teams around the area hit the court for regional semifinal games Friday night. West De Pere, Kimberly and Kaukauna were among the teams advancing to the regional finals. Click on the video to see highlights from around Northeast Wisconsin.

West De Pere’s Cody Schwartz talks about Division 2 regional semifinal win over Ashwaubenon.

West De Pere played at Ashwaubenon in a Division 2 boys basketball regional final Friday night.

ASHWAUBENON – Reunited at last.

A Yorkie named Nicholas is finally back with his owner.

The one-and-a-half-year-old pooch disappeared from his Tucson, Arizona home last fall.

The Yorkie was found in Howard, Wisconsin a month ago.

He’s been staying at the Bay Area Humane Society since.

But now, with still no one saying how he got here in the first place, the dog’s journey is coming to an end.

“He had a microchip in him so that’s how we initially found that that his owner was from Arizona and we called her and she was really amazed that he made it all the way to Green Bay,” said Zatara Cornelius with the Bay Area Humane Society Adoption.

Nicholas couldn’t seem to sit still as adoption counselor Zatara Cornelius unlocked the gate and put him on a leash.

With some extra dog food for the ride and one quick snap, Nicholas headed to the airport.

Some of his fans, who heard his story, greeted at the airport including Heather Kretschmer.

When she found out Nicholas’ owner couldn’t afford to buy a ticket to Green Bay she decided to donate her frequent flier miles.

“We ended up talking on the phone, I booked her a flight, and here she is,” said Kretschmer.

As the minutes went by, the Yorkie patiently waited for his owner and then after five months Nicholas and his owner Linda Baldazo are together again.

“My heart is racing right now and I think his is too. It’s like bringing your kid back home,” Linda Baldazo said.

Baldazo never thought she’d see Nicholas again.

“He came afloat and it’s amazing. The feeling is amazing and I’m really happy to see him again and bring him home,” Baldazo said.

Baldazo says she isn’t going to let this pup out of her sight.

As for Nicholas, he couldn’t leave Green Bay without some sort of reminder of where he’s been.

And who knows, maybe he’s always been a Packers fan and he just wanted to see what the city looked like.

Nicholas and his owner will fly back home tomorrow morning and touch down in Tucson around two in the afternoon.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – A suburban school district with numerous Native American students on Friday canceled a boys’ lacrosse game against a district that is debating whether to do away with its Redskins nickname.

Akron School Superintendent Kevin Shanley said the decision to cancel the Akron Tigers’ March 31 varsity game against the Lancaster Redskins was made in support of Native Americans who view the rival team’s nickname as offensive.

Akron’s campus is near the Tonawanda Band of Senecas’ reservation. About 11 percent of students and the majority of the team’s lacrosse players are Native American, the superintendent said.

He said he heard from several community members on the issue following a public forum Monday in Lancaster that drew large numbers of speakers divided over whether that district should replace the Redskins mascot and nickname after more than 60 years.

“Over the past few days, we’ve been having some productive and enlightening conversations within our district,” Shanley said, leading to the decision to cancel the non-league lacrosse game.

A similar debate is ongoing surrounding the National Football League’s Washington Redskins. Opponents of the Redskins name say it’s a slur that mocks Native American culture, and they have protested at games. Redskins owner Dan Snyder has vowed to never change the name, saying it honors Native Americans.

Supporters of the Lancaster Redskins mascot say it was not meant to be malicious and should be preserved as a source of pride in Lancaster sports teams.

“Lancaster Central School District certainly respects the diverse views of others,” Lancaster Superintendent Michael Vallely said. “Specifically, students in a neighboring school district who have decided to take a stand against a mascot they, themselves, find to be offensive and derogatory in nature.”

In a statement, Vallely said Lancaster, about 15 miles from Akron, “is not a hurtful community” and never intended the mascot to be offensive.

“However, we know that the world is a very different place than it was back in 1952 when our school first adopted the Redskin name as its new mascot,” he said.

The district has been proactive in making students aware of the conflicting perceptions, he said.

“I hope the Native American community understands that while the mascot is still in place at Lancaster High School, we have worked diligently to treat it with respect and honor, removing any stereotypical behaviors and images,” his statement said, “and I would implore their patience and understanding as we continue to educate our students and our community.”

Shanley said the lacrosse game is the only scheduled contest between the schools, which are in different classifications.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Sen. Bob Menendez, under federal investigation for his relationship with a Florida doctor and political donor, is expected to face criminal charges in the coming weeks, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.

The disclosure came as Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said he will answer questions from reporters in his home state after his office issued a statement saying all of his actions have been appropriate and lawful.

The person discussed the expected filing of charges on condition of anonymity because the investigation is pending.

The Justice Department’s decision to move forward with a criminal case was first reported by CNN. Attorney General Eric Holder, in South Carolina with President Barack Obama on Friday, declined to say whether he has authorized criminal charges against the senator.

Menendez, who served for more than a decade in the House of Representatives before his election to the Senate in 2006, is the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  He has been critical of the Obama administration’s negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program and outspoken in opposition to normalizing relations with Cuba.

He has been dogged for more than two years by questions about his ties to Dr. Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist as well as a friend and political donor whose medical office was raided by Florida authorities two years ago.

In particular, Menendez has faced questions about trips he took to the Dominican Republic aboard Melgen’s private plane. He has acknowledged taking several actions that could have appeared to benefit Melgen, including contacting the Medicare agency to urge changes to a payment policy that had cost Melgen millions.

His failure to reimburse Melgen for flights between New Jersey and the Dominican Republic on the eye doctor’s Canadair Challenger 600s luxury jet was the first serious signal of Menendez’ legal troubles in early 2013. Menendez and Melgen had flown at least twice in 2010 between New Jersey to the Dominican Republic, but the trips had gone without reimbursement for more than two years.

The flights were just one vestige of the close relations between Menendez, who took over the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2013 when previous chair John Kerry left to become Secretary of State, and Melgen, a multimillionaire who was willing to lavish campaign donations on his friend and allied causes.

The two men often appeared together at Democratic Party and Latino political functions from Washington to Miami. Melgen contributed nearly $200,000 to Democratic Party candidates since 1998, including $14,200 directly to Menendez. And in 2012, during Menendez’ re-election campaign, Melgen gave $700,000 to the Majority PAC, a super political action committee for Democratic Senate candidates; the PAC spent more than $580,000 to aid Menendez’ campaign.

Menendez has reimbursed Melgen for three plane trips. Last year, the senator disclosed that his campaign accounts had paid a law firm $250,000 for legal costs related to Justice Department and Senate Ethics Committee investigations of his ties to the Floridian.

For his part, Melgen earned renewed scrutiny when government data last year showed he had gotten more money in Medicare reimbursements in 2012 than any other doctor in the country

Menendez’s spokeswoman, Tricia Enright, earlier issued a statement saying “any actions taken by Senator Menendez or his office have been to appropriately address public policy issues and not for any other reason.”

She said Menendez and Melgen have long been friends and attended one another’s family events and exchanged personal gifts.

“We know many false allegations have been made about this matter, allegations that were ultimately publicly discredited. We also know that the official investigation of this matter is ongoing, and therefore cannot address allegations being made anonymously,” Enright added.

A glimpse into the investigation emerged last week, when it was revealed that a federal appeals court had ordered a hearing to determine whether two of Menendez’ aides should be compelled to testify before a grand jury about the senator’s efforts on behalf of Melgen.

The New Jersey Law Journal reported that the appeals court identified two issues in question: A billing dispute Melgen had with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a deal he had to sell port screening equipment to the government of the Dominican Republic.

The aides have declined to testify about some actions they took, citing a constitutional provision saying a lawmaker can’t be questioned about legislative acts anywhere except in Congress. A U.S. district judge ruled previously they should testify because their actions weren’t legislative in nature, the journal reported. It said the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, and the question remains unresolved.

___

Associated Press writers Nedra Pickler in Columbia, South Carolina, Erica Werner in Washington and Dave Porter in Newark, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

DETROIT (AP) — About 703,000 Fiat Chrysler SUVs and minivans will have to go back to the shop to fix malfunctioning ignition switches that can cause the vehicles to stall unexpectedly.

Chrysler also is warning owners to remove everything but the ignition key from their key rings until repairs can be made. The switches can slip from the “run” to “off” position on bumpy roads, causing the engines to stall without warning. If that happens, it will knock out power steering and brakes, which can cause a crash.

It can also disable the air bags, according to documents posted Friday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall, which is the second repair for many of the vehicles for the same problem, covers Dodge Journey SUVs as well as Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Caravan minivans from the 2008 through 2010 model years.

Chrysler says in the documents that it will replace the faulty switches, but the parts are now being manufactured and won’t be available until at least April. Until then, the key rings should be cleared because swinging keys can help cause the switches to change position.

The problem is similar to one that forced General Motors Corp. to recall 2.6 million small cars last year. The GM switches caused crashes that killed at least 57 people and injured at least 104 others. GM has acknowledged knowing about the problem for a decade but failed to recall the cars until last year.

The safety agency began investigating the Chrysler vehicles in June of last year, after problems surfaced with the GM ignition switches. It closed the probe earlier this week, after Chrysler agreed to replace the switches, according to the documents. Chrysler and the safety agency received 89 consumer complaints about the switches with one accident report and no injuries, the documents stated.

“This situation is extremely dangerous, and if it has not caused any deaths yet as with the current GM ignition problem, it will,” the owner of a 2010 Grand Caravan wrote in a complaint filed with NHTSA in March of last year. “Something needs to be done.” People who complain to NHTSA are not identified in the agency’s complaint database.

Fiat Chrysler U.S. spokesman Eric Mayne said about 196,000 minivans and Journeys from the 2010 model year were repaired under a 2011 recall that took care of the potential stalling problem. But those vehicles still had problems with the switches sticking.

The 2008 and 2009 vehicles, although recalled last year, didn’t get any repairs and still have the potential for the ignitions to slip out of position, he said. All 703,000 minivans and SUVs will now get completely new switches made by a different manufacturer, according to the NHTSA documents.

Chrysler plans to start notifying owners to bring their vehicles in for repairs starting April 6.

GREEN BAY – We are still more than two weeks from the official start of spring, but many businesses in our area are already focused on summer tourism.

These dancers marching into the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce business showcase this week say they’re gearing up for their summer pow-wow.

“There’s anywhere from 400 to 700 dancers that come. It’s actually a very huge tourism draw because it fills up a lot of hotels,” said Rich Figureoa, who is a special events coordinator with the Oneida Tribe.

And whether it’s a gathering of tribes or a family vacation, tourism leaders say they’re trying to attract more people when it’s typically slower, before Packers training camp begins.

“We have a lot of great new attractions that are coming to the area, whether they’re entertainment on the waterfront, Bay Beach has a new rides,” lists the Green Bay Area Convention and Visitor Bureau’s Brenda Krainik.

The Green Bay Convention and Visitor Bureau says it is capitalizing on the success of restaurant week, and this year will be expanding to the new sensation of craft breweries.

“We’ve seen since we’ve been open more and more people are coming to town to visit the breweries and they’re doing us all in one day. So it’s great for business. And they’re hitting other bars and hitting other restaurants that have craft beers so it’s very much alive,” said Travis Schmoll of Stillmank Brewing Company.

Restaurant Week falls in July, and Craft Beer Week will happen in May.

“It’s a little bit of a slower tourism time. We get really busy mid-summer and into August with Packers training camp, which is a huge draw to tourism,” said Krainik.

But for those looking for a novel way to back the pack, have no fear. There will be plenty of new things around Lambeau this summer.

“The new Packers Hall of Fame will open this summer, and the new restaurant and Lambeau Field so there is so much to see and do here in Green Bay,” said Krainik.

All that’s left is for summer weather, and the tourists, to arrive.

Hanging heavy, in the middle of the Freedom high school wrestling room is a picture of their 1997 Division II state title.

“I want one up there,” senior Ramsey Bloy said.

It was their last. And a lasting reminder of what’s at stake this weekend.

“Everytime I come in here, I’m like I would like for our team to be up there,” senior Cody Walrath said. “To say we were the team that did it next.”

Assistant coach Jeff Baker remembers that team, he was on it. The 2000 alumnus can see a similar spark in this group of grapplers.

“They’re the hardest team I’ve ever coached, no question,” Baker said.

At 13-2 and with six wrestlers coming off individual championship appearances, Freedom is ranked by many Wisconsin wrestling publications as the tournament favorite coming in.

“That doesn’t matter at all,” senior Mason Manteuffel said. “But it’s fun to be the team to beat and know if we wrestle to our potential, we can win.”

These Irish are no wrestling dummies though, they know it’ll be a tough road ahead with Sparta in the semifinals and either Ellsworth or Wisconsin Lutheran in the state finals.

“We need to stick to our gameplan and have fun, we wrestle our best when we’re having fun,” Bloy said.

“They realize there’s an opportunity to be idolized, the way they idolize the 1997 team,” coach Justin Lancaster said.

And it’s good to be in good company.

“To be up there, we’d all be able to say we were state champions,” Bloy added.

In Freedom, Dylan Scott Fox 11 Sports.

MADISON – Even though the Assembly right to work debate lasted through the night, it doesn’t mean all the lawmakers did. Lawmakers turned to everything from coffee to knitting to poetry try to stay awake.

The final vote on the bill was anything but a surprise. But that didn’t keep lawmakers from voicing their opinions.

“Not having right to work in this state does hurt us,” said Assembly Majority Leader State Rep. Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna).

“It’s going to be absolutely devastating,” said State Rep. Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee).

But the debate was more than just political talking points. Some legislators got a little creative, like State Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska) who treated his colleagues to some right to work-inspired poetry.

“As it sits now, there’s no end in sight. Unfortunately Mr. Speaker, it’s going to be a long night,” Doyle said.

And it was a long night evidenced by plenty of coffee being consumed, lawmakers using their phones to pass time. One representative started knitting. Another simply leaned back and closed his eyes.

No one from the public was on hand to watch the long night of debate. The crowd had been cleared earlier in the day after some people were shouting at lawmakers.

Most of the evening was actually not even spent debating the bill. Instead, lawmakers argued about whether the bill should be sent back to a committee.

After the final vote, both sides reflected on a long night that won’t soon be forgotten.

“I got a little nap in there. So I feel rested and refreshed,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester). “I think that most of our caucus is probably happy to go home, to be quite honest, and so are the Democrats.”

“I was always interested in debating just long enough to get 14 of them to vote with us. Clearly that didn’t happen,” said State Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine). “I would have gone on for another 24 hours if it would have made a difference.”

In the end, the lengthy debate apparently didn’t sway many lawmakers. When all was said and done the vote lit right along party lines. Every Republican voted for the bill and every Democrat voted against it.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Shoppers at a Harris Teeter supermarket in North Carolina’s capital city have gotten a very big break on their bills.

WRAL in Raleigh reports the cash registers at the chain’s Cameron Village store crashed on Friday.  The station quoted a store manager as saying his team tried for 15 minutes to reboot the system at the checkout lines.

When their efforts failed, the manager decided the shoppers had waited long enough and allowed them to get their orders free of charge. Anyone already standing in line was allowed to leave without paying. It’s not known how many shoppers enjoyed the windfall.

Harris Teeter spokeswoman Danna Jones said she had no details on what caused the outage.

LODI, Wis. (AP) – Authorities say one person is in custody after officials at Lodi high school reported they had a “credible threat” of a possible gun on school property.

Police say they were called to the school at 11:35 a.m. Friday, and the school went on lockdown. Authorities searched the school. Police took one person into custody, but they have not said whether a gun was found.

Police say the public was not in danger.

BALSAM LAKE, Wis. (AP) – A western Wisconsin man has been convicted of multiple counts of mistreating animals after authorities found dead and malnourished horses, and unsanitary conditions, at his ranch in Polk County.

A jury convicted 60-year-old Michael Allen Feist on 34 counts, including four felonies, Thursday night. KSTP-TV reports he faces a maximum of 3 ½ years in prison on each felony and nine months on each of the other counts when he is sentenced on June 2.

Feist’s attorney, Joel Larimore, had no comment when reached Friday by The Associated Press.

The charges stem from a 2013 investigation into Otter Creek Ranch in Milltown Township. According to a criminal complaint, Polk County sheriff’s investigators and veterinarians inspected conditions at the ranch several times in the fall of 2013 and found malnourished horses, unsanitary conditions and other animals in poor health. The complaint says Feist was given a chance to improve conditions.

On one visit, a veterinarian reported he found up to 18 horses that needed attention and were starving. On another visit, investigators reported horses, cattle, guinea pigs, pigs, sheep, alpaca and other animals were wet and dirty. Feeding troughs were empty, and mud and manure was so deep, sheep were walking with their legs buried in excrement, the complaint said.

Investigators also found up to 30 horses in a barn, four were dead and others were malnourished, the complaint said.

TOWN OF HULL – Two people were found dead in a home in the Town of Hull Friday afternoon.

The Portage County Sheriff’s Department said they received a call from a home in the 1400 block of Larry’s Drive at 1:28  p.m. The caller said that two people were dead.

Deputies arrived at the home two minutes later and confirmed two people were dead.

The Sheriff’s Office says they have no suspects in custody and will continue to investigate the deaths.

Officials say the public is not in any danger.