Green Bay News

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Francisco Rodriguez will be jogging out of the bullpen again for the Milwaukee Brewers.

A person familiar with the agreement tells The Associated Press that the veteran closer reached a two-year, $13 million deal with the Brewers on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

The 33-year-old reliever revived his career last season after going 44 of 49 in save opportunities.

He has signed with the Brewers for a fourth straight year, though this time he has a multi-year deal. The move solidifies a bullpen in which presumed closer Jonathan Broxton figures to move back into a setup role to make room for Rodriguez, who has 348 career saves.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel first reported terms of the deal.

Rodriguez gave up 14 homers last season. He went 5-5 with a 3.04 ERA, with 73 strikeouts in 68 innings.

The Brewers welcomed the veteran closer back to the clubhouse.

“His personality fits really well on the team,” outfielder Ryan Braun said. “He’s been really successful and anybody that has that type of success is a lot of fun to be around.”

Left-hander Will Smith and right-hander Jeremy Jeffress also figure to provide power arms out of the bullpen to help set up Rodriguez.

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AP Baseball Writer Ron Blum contributed to this report. AP freelance writer Andrew Wagner contributed from Phoenix.

MADISON (AP) – A nonpartisan analysis of Gov. Scott Walker’s nearly $70 billion budget proposal has been released in advance of legislative hearings next week.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau’s 559-page analysis will serve as the starting point for the Joint Finance Committee as it begins reviewing and making changes to Walker’s spending plan.

Hearings where state agencies come in before the Legislature’s budget committee are slated to run Monday through Wednesday.

The Fiscal Bureau analysis shows that Walker’s budget would leave the state with a net balance of just $58 million in mid-2017. It shows that bonding amounts to just over 2 percent of total budget.

Walker has come under bipartisan criticism for relying on bonding to pay for roads projects and helping to finance a new stadium for the Milwaukee Bucks.

A nonpartisan analysis of Gov. Scott Walker’s nearly $70 billion budget proposal has been released.

Facebook users who don’t fit any of the 58 gender identity options offered by the social media giant are now being given a rather big 59th option: fill in the blank.

“Now, if you do not identify with the pre-populated list of gender identities, you are able to add your own,” said a Facebook announcement published online Thursday morning and shared in advance with The Associated Press.

Facebook software engineer Ari Chivukula, who identifies as transgender and was part of the team that made the free-form option, thinks the change will lead to more widespread acceptance of people who don’t identify themselves as a man or woman.

“We’re hoping this will open up the dialogue,” Chivukula said.

Alison C.K. Fogarty, a gender identity researcher at Stanford University, said giving users control over the words describing their gender is a significant step in social recognition of a growing trans community, especially coming from the world’s largest social media company.

“People are still fighting to make room for gender identity within the socially constructed binary of male and female,” Fogarty said. “Labels and identities are powerful in that they give a sense of community, a way of articulating one’s experience.”

In February 2014, Facebook expanded gender identity from male and female to a list of dozens of options, including Androgyne, Gender Fluid, Intersex, Neither and Transgender. Those choices will all still be available.

People who choose a custom gender can also choose the pronoun they would like to be referred to publicly: he/his, she/her or they/their.

Facebook has a setting for users to control the audience who sees their gender.

Last year’s changes created an online stir, with thousands of comments – some grateful, others confused or hostile. But staff at Facebook said there was full support to take it even further this year, from CEO Mark Zuckerberg on down.

As of Thursday, the custom gender identity option with a list of words was available in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Argentina and Denmark. The free-form option rolled out to U.S. users.

One thing that has not changed is an “interested in” option for Facebook users to define whom they might want to date. That option still only allows men or women, but users can click both options, one option or neither option. They can also hide it entirely.

Facebook, which has 1.23 billion active monthly users around the world, would not release how many users have chosen gender identity options beyond man or woman, citing privacy concerns and a general practice of not sharing user information.

The Williams Institute, a think tank based at the University of California, Los Angeles, estimates there are at least 700,000 people in the U.S. who identify as transgender, an umbrella term that includes people who live as a gender different from the one assigned to them at birth.

Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO and president of the advocacy group GLAAD, said that the past few years have brought “real movement in trans visibility” and that Facebook has been a leader in making that happen.

“This helps to accelerate trans acceptance in our country,” Ellis said. “I’m excited about the future for gender identity.”

WASHINGTON (AP) – Loretta Lynch won approval from a key Senate committee Thursday to serve as the nation’s next attorney general, as divided Republicans clashed over her support for President Barack Obama’s immigration policies.

The 12 to 8 vote in the Judiciary Committee sent Lynch’s nomination to the full Senate. Three Republicans joined all committee Democrats in voting “yes.”

“The case against her nomination, as far as I can tell, essentially ignores her professional career and focuses solely on about six hours that she spent before this committee,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, as he criticized fellow Republicans for using Lynch’s testimony in support of Obama’s executive actions on immigration as a reason to oppose her nomination.

Timing is uncertain, but Lynch is all but assured approval by the full Senate as well, under new rules that will require only a majority vote instead of the 60-vote margin required for most legislation.

But she appears unlikely to win confirmation resoundingly, as Thursday’s debate demonstrated that many Republicans will oppose her over Obama’s executive actions granting work permits and deportation stays for millions of immigrants in the United States illegally.

“We should not confirm someone to that position who intends to continue that unlawful policy,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

Lynch, 55, now serves as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. She would replace Eric Holder and become the first black woman to hold the nation’s top law enforcement job.

MADISON (AP) – The Wisconsin state Assembly’s Labor Committee has scheduled a 10-hour hearing on Monday on the right-to-work bill that’s rocketing through the Legislature.

The committee announced Thursday that the hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Monday and conclude no later than 8 p.m. An executive session to vote on the bill has not yet been scheduled.

The full Assembly is expected to take up the bill later in the week, most likely on Thursday.

The Senate passed right-to-work with a 17-15 vote on Wednesday. Republicans have a much wider majority in the Assembly, making passage there all-but-certain.

Opponents of the measure were upset when the Senate hearing Tuesday night was abruptly cut short 40 minutes earlier than promised after it had gone on for more than eight hours.

DURAND (AP) – Pepin County dairy farmers who had their sales permit suspended are denying allegations that their milk made students and coaches sick at a high school football team potluck.

According to a state Department of Health Services report, at least 26 people who attended the September dinner were confirmed to have bacterial infections tied to consuming raw milk. The coaches and students were affiliated with the Durand High School football team.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports Roland and Diana Reed of Arkansaw pleaded no contest to a charge from a state agency that they distributed unpasteurized milk. They agreed to have their permit to sell and distribute Grade A milk suspended for 30 days.

But an attorney for the Reeds says they did not admit their milk caused the bacterial infections as part of the agreement. He says the state’s report was “incomplete, at best.”

Click the link to read the full text of and follow the progress of right-to-work legislation in the Senate and Assembly.

MADISON (AP) – Likely 2016 presidential candidate Gov. Scott Walker is planning a trade mission to Europe in the coming weeks.

Walker announced during a speech Thursday to manufacturers in Milwaukee that he plans to travel to Germany, France and Spain in about a month and a half.

The trip comes on the heels of Walker’s trade mission to London earlier this month. He has also said he plans to travel to Israel sometime this year.

Walker has been increasing his foreign travel as he takes steps toward running for president.

MADISON (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker says the “timing was just right” for the Legislature to take up a right-to-work bill, which could be sent to Walker as soon as next week.

Walker on Thursday also defended the rapid movement of the bill through the process. It passed the Senate on Wednesday, five days after it was introduced, and is slated to be passed by the Assembly next week.

Walker says the roughly eight hours of debate in the Senate is more than most bills get, and the Senate hearing that lasted more than eight hours was also more than most.

The Assembly Labor Committee has scheduled a 10-hour hearing on the measure for Monday and the full Assembly is expected to take it up next Thursday.

MADISON (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker hasn’t officially announced that he’s running for president, but he continues to send strong signals that a candidacy is inevitable.

Walker was asked Thursday in Milwaukee about polls showing him at or near the top of a crowded Republican field of potential presidential candidates. Walker says, “I like the fact that people are paying attention” to what he has to say.

Walker also says “there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs along the way” and he would “rather be ahead than behind.” But he adds there is a long time before any ballots are cast in early caucus and primary states.

Walker repeated the well-used line by those running for office that “The only poll that matters is the one on Election Day.”

GREEN BAY – Two people have been charged and charges are being recommended against a third person as a result of a drug bust on Green Bay’s east side.

Police say the Brown County Drug Task Force raided a house in the 1300 block of Eliza St. Monday. Officers arrested Michael C. Gerondale, 43, and Brian C. Drauden, 42. Gerondale faces four charges, including two for allegedly manufacturing or delivering prescription drugs. Drauden faces four charges, including one for possessing illegally obtained prescription drugs.

Police are also recommending charges against a woman for having drug paraphernalia.

MADISON (AP) – A Madison man is facing charges after allegedly trying to collect a $2,000 reward for returning a vehicle he stole.

Court records show 18-year-old Lashaun D. Cole was charged Wednesday with felony operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent and misdemeanor bail jumping.

According to the Madison Police Department, the vehicle was stolen last Wednesday while it was idling in the parking lot of the owner’s residence.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Cole called the woman Tuesday in response to posters she put up offering the reward. He told her he had the keys and could take her to the vehicle.

Madison police arrested Cole when he arrived at the location where he agreed to meet the woman.

A message seeking comment was left Thursday morning at the state public defender’s office.

MADISON (AP) – The Natural Resources Board has approved a 21,000-acre land buy in Douglas County that would create the largest conservation purchase in Wisconsin history.

The $5.6 million purchase is the second phase of the Brule-St. Croix Legacy Forest. The first phase was completed in 2012.

The Journal Sentinel says the Department of Natural Resources paid Lyme Timber Co. a total of nearly $17 million for conservation easements on nearly 66,000 acres. The purchase protects the land from development and preserves it for hunting, fishing and other activities. It will continue to be managed for timber harvesting.

TOMAH, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin mother who lost her 2-year-old daughter is urging families with young children to install door alarms.

Courtney Mazur, of Tomah, went outside to start her fiance’s truck early one morning last week and discovered her daughter face down on the patio. Mazur says Raelyn and her 5-year-old step sister apparently decided to play outside during the night and Raelyn couldn’t open the locked screen door to get back inside.

The toddler was rushed to the hospital in Tomah and then taken to Mayo in Rochester where she was pronounced dead. Mazur tells KMSP-TV her daughter’s organs were donated.

She says she hopes other parents will install door alarms as she has done since losing Raelyn.

OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) – A Winnebago County jury has determined a woman who shot and wounded a co-worker at a Neenah Walmart may have been mentally ill at the time, but knew her actions were wrong.

Jurors deliberated about 4½ hours before making a decision in the sanity trial for Justine Boyd. The 48-year-old woman pleaded no contest and was convicted of attempted first-degree intentional homicide last week.

Boyd shot Sharon Goffard in August 2013 inside the store’s liquor department. Boyd returned to her cash register and continued to work before her arrest. Goffard survived following blood transfusions and several surgeries.

Boyd’s defense attorney argued that the defendant suffered from paranoid delusions and was preparing for a drug cartel to assault her.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 23.

A man convicted for a 2007 murder in New London will get a new trial, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.

Chad Magolski was charged in 2011 for the death of James Park, who lived in the same apartment building.

Park had been stabbed multiple times and was the victim of an apparent robbery—the pockets of Park’s pants appeared to have been searched, and the clip that Park used to hold his cash was missing.  No evidence of forced entry was found and the murder weapon, which had been cleaned, was discovered in Park’s sink.

Magolski was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He raised three issues on appeal, and the court ruled that evidence of “other acts” by Magolski was improperly admitted – and therefore ordered a new trial.

At issue was the prosecution’s use of evidence of Magolski’s conviction in 2000 for burglary.

“When we take into consideration the substantial differences between the two crimes, we conclude that there is no reasonable basis upon which a court could conclude that the burglary evidence is relevant to proving Magolski’s identity as the perpetrator in Park’s murder.  Accordingly, we conclude that the circuit court erroneously exercised its discretion in determining that the evidence was relevant,” the court wrote.

The case will be sent back to Waupaca County Judge Philip Kirk for further proceedings. No new trial date has been set.

GREEN BAY- We recently told you about a fire extinguisher recall.

Click here for the information regarding the Kidde fire extinguishers.

Lt. Nick Craig of the Green Bay Metro Fire Department joined Good Day Wisconsin with maintenance tips for extinguishers and how to use them.

Click on the videos to learn more.

GREEN BAY – February Heart Month is a time to think about taking care of your ticker.  Heart disease claims more lives than any other disease in the United States. Dr. William Witmer of Aurora BayCare Cardiology sat down with Rachel Manek to talk about how big a problem heart disease is in Northeast Wisconsin.  He also shared ways we can start improving our heart health right now.

1. Stop smoking
2. Increase exercise
3. Eat healthy
4. Treat high blood pressure and diabetes
5. Have your cardiac risk assessed every 5 years

GREEN BAY – It’s National Engineers Week!

FOX 11’s Emily Deem spent Thursday morning celebrating the event at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay.

NWTC will be hosting an Engineering Open House tonight from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

The open house will be held in the Manufacturing Technology Center at NWTC.  The event is free and open to the public.

Organizers say people will be able to see working robots, meet instructors and students and watch demonstrations.  There will also be experts available to talk about admissions, transfer from NWTC into university engineering programs, and career services.

NWTC offers 17 engineering-related degrees.

PARTICIPATING DEGREE PROGRAMS:
Electrical Engineering Technology
Civil Engineering Technology
Automation Engineering Technology
Electro-Mechanical Technology
Electronics Technology (with optional Biomedical Specialty)
Mechanical Design Technology
Prototype & Design
Fire Protection Engineering Technology
Architectural Technology
Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Utilities Engineering Technology
Energy Management Technology
Solar Energy Technology
Nuclear Technology
Marine Engineering Technology
Environmental Engineering-Waste & Water Technology
Wind Technology

Click here for more information.