Green Bay News

CHILI (AP) – The state fire marshal is investigating a Clark County garage fire after a body was found.

Simon Fischer, chief of the Chili-Fremont Volunteer Fire Department, tells the News-Herald Media a garage was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on the scene around 5 p.m. Sunday.

The fire was contained to the garage but there was significant smoke damage to the home.

Fischer said additional information would be released after the fire marshal finishes the investigation.

MADISON (AP) – The Legislature’s finance committee is about to kick off a months-long push to revise Gov. Scott Walker’s 2015-17 state budget proposal.

The committee is set to begin Monday with briefings from a number of state agencies on how the budget would affect them. First up are the Administration, Justice and Corrections departments.

Additional agencies are expected to address the committee through Wednesday.

The committee likely will then hold a number of public hearings on the budget around the state before returning to Madison and beginning revisions. That work is expected to take months.

When the committee is done it will forward the spending plan to the full Senate and Assembly for votes. From there it goes back to Walker, who has the power to veto changes.

GREEN BAY- This is Florence.

She’s a 4-year-old poodle mix.

Click on the video to learn more about Florence.

And click here for a link to the Fox Valley Humane Association

PHOENIX (CNN) – Richard Falkenberg can laugh now.

“All the group at my retirement center are overwhelmed they are so happy to know that they were on television,” he laughed.

But he was the one holding onto the ringleader, Kanita, when the llamas went on the lam in Sun City, Arizona, capturing the nation’s attention.

“I know what spooked them, but we are not going to talk about that because the person involved – not me,” he joked.

Richard had asked friends Karen Freund and Bub Bullis to bring some llamas to his retirement center, when one of the residents with a plastic bag spooked Kanita.

“The poor lady that did that is still apologizing.”

Richard was knocked to the ground.

“I was just scared to death that he had broken something and then she started to drag him, and so I told him to let her go,” Freund said.

And the chase was on.

“I felt bad and you felt bad,” Freund said.

“Oh, I felt just horrible,” Falkenburg said.

So Karen and Bub invited Richard to their phoenix home to make sure everyone was okay.

And the two culprits have also recovered. They’re back to their training. Kanita and Lainey, when not on the run, are both show llamas, even competing in obstacle competitions.

But last week, their freedom got the best of them.

“It became a game for her. She was playing out in this big field. She had all this room to run.”

Full of llama love, Richard is not holding any grudges.

“Any time I can get to come and work with them I would like to because they are wonderful things. The llamas are absolutely super!”

Photos submitted to ReportIt, March 1-7, 2015.

MADISON – The state Assembly’s labor committee will hold a public hearing Monday on a Republican-backed right-to-work bill.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in the state Capitol. The chairman of the committee, State Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, says the hearing will go until at least 8 p.m.

A right-to-work law would make it illegal for private-sector employees to be required to pay union dues to get or keep their job. Twenty-four other states have similar laws in place.

The state Senate passed the legislation last week by a 17-15 vote.

After Monday’s hearing, the bill will have to be approved by the committee. It could head to the full Assembly for debate Thursday. Republicans control that body by a 63-36 margin.

Gov. Scott Walker says he would sign the bill into law.

Supporters say right-to-work will make Wisconsin more competitive with other states and attract new businesses. Opponents say a law would lower wages for everyone and weaken employee benefits.

FOX 11’s Andrew LaCombe will be at today’s hearing and will have updates throughout the day on fox11online.com and FOX 11 News at Five and Nine.

BARABOO, Wis. (AP) – Devil’s Lake State Park is officially an historic place.

The Baraboo News Republic reports the park was nominated to be listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places last year and recently won approval by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Devil’s Lake is the second Wisconsin park to be listed. The first was Copper Falls, in Ashland County, which was approved in 2005.

Devil’s Lake became a state park in 1911, and was developed further by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a program that was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Great Depression relief package. The property near the lake was first developed as a tourist area around the Civil War.

It’s is the largest and most visited state park in Wisconsin.

CRIVITZ – We are talking maple syrup this morning!

FOX 11’s Emily Deem made her way to Crivitz to see how some people are getting ready to tap some trees.

Blaser’s Acres is known for the strawberry season and great produce, but the owners also make maple syrup!

They are hoping to tap more than 20,000 trees this season.  The maple syrup season for them is probably a couple of weeks away — it all depends on Mother Nature.

Click here to learn more about Blaser’s Acres.

Three area college basketball teams will find out today who & where they will play in the NCAA Division 3 basketball tournaments.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s team won the WIAC title Sunday, with a 66-61 win against host UW-Superior.

The St. Norbert College women’s team won the MWC title Saturday, defeating Cornell 72-51 in De Pere.

The St. Norbert College men’s team won the MWC title Saturday, defeating Grinnell 91-73 in De Pere.

The national men’s bracket will be released at 11:30 a.m., while the women’s grid will be released at 1:30 p.m. This story will be updated with the pairings and brackets after their release.

BAYFIELD, Wis. (AP) – The ice caves in northwestern Wisconsin are proving very popular again this year.

According to the National Park Service, the caves on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands opened Saturday and attracted more than 7,000 people. By 10 a.m. there was a mile’s worth of cars parked on nearby Highway 13 and by 3 p.m. there were 2 ½ miles worth of cars.

Park service officials had warned visitors there is a lot of glare ice and had recommended people use crampons and use ski poles.

The ice caves drew more than 138,000 tourists last year as the deep freeze made the caves accessible to pedestrians for the first time in nearly five years.

The park system charged a $5 fee this year for visitors age 16 and older.

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) – Police have identified a Wausau boy who died after being stabbed twice in the back during an apparent gang fight as 13-year-old Isaiah Powell.

The Wausau Police Department said the stabbing happened Friday evening after several juveniles who said they are gang members argued on social media.

One of the youth fired a BB gun at other youths, and a fight broke out in a residential street. Powell was stabbed twice in the back. A friend drove him to a hospital, where he died.

A 15-year-old who was not identified was arrested and is in juvenile custody. He’s expected in court next week.

Police said Sunday that Powell was a student at Horace Mann Middle School in Wausau.

Authorities have recovered the knife used in the stabbing and the BB gun.

GREEN BAY- The ramp from Northbound Highway 41 to Southbound Interstate 43 is closing Monday.

The six-month closure is part of a project to build new northbound lanes for Highway 41.

The Department of Transportation says it will not put up any detour signs, so drivers should plan ahead.

The project should be done by the end of August.

GREEN BAY- We’ll start the week of sunny.

Expect a high near 27 Monday.

Clouds begin to thicken Monday night, and we will see light snow start toward Tuesday morning.

Snow will fall throughout the day Tuesday with moderate snow at times. Most areas will receive 2 to 4 inches of snow by Tuesday night.

For more on Pete Petoniak’s forecast, click here.

The Green Bay Blizzard dropped a 57-32 decision to the Nebraska Danger Sunday afternoon in their IFL season opener at the Resch Center.

Green Bay took an early 13-9 lead when Dontrell Johnson recovered a forced fumble and returned it for a touchdown.

From there, the Danger turned up the pressure, scoring 48 of the final 67 points to win the game.

The Blizzard return to action March 14th, when they hit the road to take on the Tri-Cities Fever at 7:05 p.m.

DE PERE – For the past nine years, coach Brad Roethlisberger and the Wisconsin Skeeters have been taking the sport of sled hockey to ice surfaces across the state

“It’s eye opening for everyone, not only for the kids but for the entire hockey community,” Roethlisberger said. “What it comes down to is hitting the ice and having a good time whether you’re standing up or in a sled.”

Sunday afternoon at the Cornerstone Community Center, it’s the De Pere Voyageur’s squirt team getting their first chance to sit in the sled; or at least try to.

“It’s about having a good attitude and using your arms,” Voyageur Preston Winkler said.

“You have to listen,” Voyageur Tom Vandelist added.

For three hours, the team received a complete tutorial on everything from puck to body control. Their Skeeter peers assisting every stride of the way.

“I think they need to work on moving their arms upright,” Skeeter Andrew Cassiday said.

The day’s lessons not only about how to use a sled but also what it symbolizes. Even if you’re disabled, you can skate as well with one blade as others do with two.

“It was really cool,” Voyageur Eli Roskom said. “They were really good, like way better than we were.”

On a surface as cold as any, the sport of hockey, warming our hearts and the perception of how we play the game.

“That’s really rewarding to see,” Roethlisberger said. “To see someone watching this game in a different fashion is incredible.”

In De Pere, Dylan Scott Fox 11 Sports.

NEENAH – Students in the Fox Valley area are showing off their skills with glass.

The annual Fox Valley Area High School Glass Exhibition is going on at the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass.

The event has been going on for more than 16 years.

All of the finished products on display were designed during museum classes.

This month is also “National Youth Art Month”. Organizers said this is a great way for students to get involved.

“In the last three years students have been coming here to the museum to spend a day at the museum so we have about ten schools participating this year and that resulted in about 140 students working in our studios.” said Jan Smith, Executive Director of the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum.

The exhibit is on display through March 29th.

GREEN BAY – Hobbyists gathered in Green Bay Sunday to find special treasures.

It’s all part of the N.E.W. Hobby Show.

The event featured more than 90 tables of different vendors from all over the state.

Vendors sold old, new and collectable toys, everything from toy tractors, baseball cards, trains and more.

Organizers say the event is for all walks of life.

“You see a little bit of every person you can imagine, some are just here looking for the toys they had when they were kids,” said organizer Aaron Bacovsky.

This is the 29th year for the event.

KAUKAUNA – Some area hobbyists competed to be the highest bidder at a tropical fish auction.

Members of the Green Bay Aquarium Society gathered at the Kaukauna Municipal Building for Sunday’s event.

Up for auction was anything you may need for an aquarium, including plants, corals, equipment, and fish.

The society is a non-profit group dedicated to education of marine life as well as the aquarium hobby.

Organizers said the event continues to grow every year.

“It’s really busy. Every year we see, we grow and grow and grow every year. And it gets busier and busier.” said John Moyles, president of the Green Bay Aquarium Society.

The society holds monthly meetings.

Those meeting are open to the public the second Wednesday of every month.

SHEBOYGAN FALLS – Officials say a Sheboygan Falls man was caught in a piece of farm machinery Sunday afternoon.

The 17-year-old was working on an auger in a silo when he got caught in the equipment.

Authorities were able to remove him from the machinery.

He was then airlifted to Children’s Hospital.

The teen’s condition is unknown.

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) – The season just started. The calendar hasn’t even turned to spring. Yet Jimmie Johnson has all but wrapped up a shot at his record-tying seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

Quickly establishing he’s one of the drivers to beat – boy, does that sound familiar – Johnson pulled away after the final restart with 13 laps remaining to win Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The six-time champion picked off drivers left and right after starting near the back in the second race of the year, having failed to get in a qualifying run because of inspection issues.

By the end, the No. 48 Chevrolet left no doubt it was the fastest car on the track, cruising across the finish line a comfortable 1.803 seconds ahead of one of the race favorites, defending Cup champion Kevin Harvick.

“I knew through about two sections of corners that we were going to have an awesome day,” Johnson said.

It was the 71st victory of his career, and his fourth at the 1.54-mile Atlanta track. That should be enough to give him a spot in the season-ending Chase, going for a title that would tie him with Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt.

“I definitely think it gives you a sign of who’s going to be competitive,” said Johnson, who didn’t pick up the first of his four 2014 wins until the 12th race. “It takes the pressure off in some ways.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third, followed by Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano, who started from the pole, led 84 laps early in the race and, along with Harvick, was expected to be one of the drivers to beat.

Of course, never count out Johnson.

“When he’s on, really switched on, and the car’s in his comfort zone, it’s amazing what he can do with a race car,” said Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief.

After a big crash on lap 305 brought out the red flag for 9 minutes to clean up the mess, Johnson found himself at the front of the pack. When the green flag waved, he got a good jump off the line, fended off Hendrick Motorsports teammate Earnhardt going down the backstretch, and was firmly in control by the time the cars came back around in front of the stands.

There was no catching him from there.

“I got outside of him there on that last restart, but I knew in turns three and four I didn’t have the preferred line,” said Earnhardt, whose chances were further damaged when his car struck some debris. “He was pretty quick around the bottom.”

Johnson was among four former champions, along with teammate Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth, who never got on the track during qualifying. Thirteen cars were stuck in the garage after failing to pass inspection.

Harvick, who qualified on the outside of the front row, also was sent to the back after blowing an engine during Saturday’s practice. He quickly worked his way through slower cars and dominated for long stretches, leading a race-high 116 laps. He settled for the runner-up spot for the second week in a row, having finishing behind Logano at Daytona.

For much of the day, it was clean race even with a new rules package for non-restrictor plate races, which reduced horsepower and drag while giving drivers a device to adjust the car’s balance at nearly 200 mph.

The first big crash came on lap 257, taking out Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Jamie McMurray. Then, on lap 305, Greg Biffle clipped Joe Nemechek going into the third turn, gobbling up four other cars and bringing out the red flag.

In the four-car melee started by Hamlin, Gordon skidded off the inside of the track and smashed into an exposed inside wall on the backstretch – just beyond a SAFER barrier that would’ve eased the blow.

Track officials had increased the amount of padding in Atlanta after Kyle Busch smashed headfirst into an unprotected wall during the Xfinity Series race in Daytona, leaving him with serious leg and foot injuries. Busch missed his second straight Cup race, recovering at home while substitute David Ragan finished 18th in the No. 18 car.

Gordon’s crash will surely step up pressure on NASCAR to mandate extra padding on all concrete walls.

“I found the one spot where there’s no SAFER barrier,” said Gordon, who wasn’t injured. “Hopefully, soon, they’ll get that fixed.”

Gordon was making his final appearance at Atlanta, the track where he began his Cup career at the end of the 1992 season. The four-time champion, who plans to retire at the end of the season, is off to a rough start in his farewell tour after winning the pole for the Daytona 500. He finished 33rd in the season opener, where he was also caught up in a wreck, and ended up 41st in Atlanta.

The start of the race was delayed nearly an hour to allow the track to dry after morning showers.

While the rain held off the rest of the way, the temperature was only 43 degrees when the green flag waved under low, thick clouds. Not surprisingly, the stands were not even half full, another blow for one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks, which had its race shifted from Labor Day weekend to a less-desirable March this season.