Green Bay News

We have a few school delays and closings for Monday, February 23.

Click here for the list.

GREEN BAY- An Arctic blast is now impacting the region with dangerous wind chills.

A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for all of NE Wisconsin until 10 a.m.

This morning’s low temperature will be near -15 with wind chills near -30 thanks to a breeze of about 5-10 miles per hour.

Wind Chills this low can cause frostbite to exposed skin in as little as 20 minutes.

Take precautions as you head out and make sure the kids are ready for these extremely cold conditions.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Hollywood is smarter than you thought. Whether by design or chance, the 87th Academy Awards elegantly and subtly shifted the tone of the season from a reductive fixation on snubs and fact-checking to a positive celebration of original filmmaking and purposeful advocacy for causes as diverse as immigration, suicide and equal rights.

The self-obsessed industry might have given its best picture and director prizes to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman,” a trenchant examination of actorly narcissism, but the vanity seemed to stop with the opening of the envelopes. Even in their moments of singular glory, most of the winners chose to talk about something other than themselves.

The Mexican-born Inarritu, who’s “Birdman” also won for cinematography and original screenplay, said he prays his native country finds “a government we deserve” and that immigrants to the U.S. “can be treated with the same dignity and the respect of the ones who came before and (built) this incredible immigrant nation.”

Host Neil Patrick Harris set the tenor of the evening, toeing the line between reverent merriment and self-referential parody, with a biting joke about one of the season’s most criticized truths. “Tonight we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest – I mean brightest,” he said in his opening, referencing the lack of diversity in the slate of nominees.

Patricia Arquette, who won the supporting actress award for her portrayal of a mother finding herself in Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood,” also took a stand for equal rights and pay to the public delight of fellow nominee Meryl Streep.

“It is time for women. Equal means equal. The truth is the older women get the less money they make,” she said backstage.

Best actress winner Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”) and best actor Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) followed suit, using their speeches to discuss the afflictions of their characters – Alzheimer’s and ALS, respectively.

“This Oscar belongs to all of those people around the world battling ALS,” said Redmayne.

“CitizenFour,” in which Laura Poitras captured Edward Snowden in the midst of leaking National Security Agency documents, won best documentary.

“The disclosures that Edward Snowden reveals don’t only expose a threat to our privacy but to our democracy itself,” said Poitras, accepting the Oscar. “When the most important decisions being made affecting all of us are made in secret, we lose our ability to check the powers that control.”

John Legend and Common took their win for the song “Glory” to speak of the importance of “Selma,” the now infamously snubbed civil rights drama.

“We say that ‘Selma’ is now, because the struggle for justice is right now,” said Legend.

As the young Graham Moore, who talked about his depression and a suicide attempt during his acceptance speech for best adapted screenplay for “The Imitation Game” put it backstage: “I might as well use it to say something meaningful.”

But in a season full of foregone conclusions, many of which came true at the Dolby Theatre, including a best supporting actor win for J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”), the Oscars still had a few surprises up its tuxedo sleeves, including the fact that all of Sunday’s big winners were first-timers.

Richard Linklater’s 12-years-in-the-making “Boyhood,” a critical favorite of the year and one that was once considered a top contender for the evening’s top prizes left with only an award for Arquette. The formal ambitions of “Birdman” proved to be the more compelling – even if its lead Michael Keaton was passed over in the acting race.

There was also clear regard for uniqueness in the evening’s other multiple prize winners. Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash,” a pulsating and vibrant independent film about a driven jazz student and his ruthless instructor, won three awards, for supporting actor, editing and sound mixing.

Director Wes Anderson’s dark WWII-set fable, “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” meanwhile, won four. Anderson had been long overlooked by the Academy for his idiosyncratic features. This latest outing, one of the evening’s most nominated films, was recognized for production design, score, costume design and makeup and styling.

Several of this year’s biggest box-office hit nominees – Clint Eastwood’s Iraq war drama “American Sniper” and Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic “Interstellar” – had to settle for single wins in technical categories. “Interstellar” won for visual effects, while “American Sniper” – far and away the most widely seen of the best-picture nominees – took the best sound editing award.

As Hollywood’s studios have increasingly focused on mounting global blockbusters, the Oscars have become largely the providence of smaller indies and film festival fare. In the night’s opening routine, Jack Black, playing villain to the cheery Harris, lamented Hollywood releases “opening with lots of zeroes, all we get is superheroes.”

The only film that came close to betraying that sensibility was Disney’s “Big Hero 6,” which won best animated feature and is loosely based on an obscure Marvel comic.

Superhero hostility aside, Harris and producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan made sure to bring as youthful a spirit as possible to the evening’s festivities, hoping to continue the recent ratings upswing for the Oscars, which last year drew 43 million viewers, making it the most-watched entertainment telecast in a decade.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Authorities are investigating a hit-and-run crash that killed two people and injured at least four others on Milwaukee’s southwest side.

The fatal accident happened Sunday afternoon near the intersection of 84th Street and Wilbur Avenue. Police believe a silver SUV carrying several teenagers ran a red light and slammed into two other vehicles. Witnesses reported the teens got out of the SUV and fled on foot.

WITI-TV reports two people are in custody and police are still seeking at least two others.

Police have not yet identified the people killed in the crash.

No further information was available early Monday.

De Pere – The St. Norbert Green Knight hockey team will take on the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) on Saturday night at the Cornerstone Ice Center in the NCHA semi-finals.

The other semi-final will be Saint Scholastica vs. Adrian.

MSOE beat St. Norbert 2-1 in their last meeting on January 24th of this year. The Green Knights are 1-1 overall against MSOE this season.

St. Norbert is 19-5-2 heading into the playoffs, and the team is the defending DIII National champion.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Paul Millsap had 23 points and 16 rebounds, Kyle Korver added 12 points and the Atlanta Hawks avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season with a 97-86 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

Korver hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter after Atlanta squandered an early 16-point lead.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s two foul shots with 49 seconds left in the third quarter tied it at 64 for Milwaukee

But the best team in the Eastern Conference returned to a formula in the fourth quarter that had worked so well in the first half, making extra passes on offense and frustrating the Bucks on defense.

Atlanta opened the fourth with a 24-7 run, including a 3 and an open layup by Millsap for a 90-73 lead with 5:05 left.

Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton each finished with 19 points for Milwaukee, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.

For a while in the third quarter, it looked as if the Bucks would rally for a win in a matchup of the two of the NBA’s biggest surprises. Both teams seem bound for the playoffs playing similar brands of team-oriented, defensive-focused basketball.

The Bucks had five offensive rebounds, five assists and four steals in the third quarter. Antetokounmpo seemed rejuvenated after being whistled for a foul, following the call with two dunks that he finished off with frowns as he jogged back on defense.

Korver’s catch-and-shoot 3s from the wing left Milwaukee frustrated in the fourth. Two shots came in about a 26-second span that turned a five-point lead into a 79-68 edge with 9:30 left.

It was reminiscent of the Hawks’ impressive play in the first half. On defense Atlanta clogged passing lanes, disrupted ball-handlers and poked away basketballs.

They lured dribblers into double teams along the sideline, possessions which usually led to bad shots or one of Milwaukee’s 15 first-half turnovers. The Bucks shot 53 percent in the half but still ended up trailing by double digits.

Millsap had 12 points and nine rebounds in the half before the Bucks stormed back in a frantic and physical third quarter.

TIP INS

Hawks: Coming off a 3-4 stretch, coach Mike Budenholzer had his team study film after Friday night’s 105-80 loss to Toronto. “I think we are always looking for opportunities to learn, improve and be critical of ourselves. I think Friday night was a good night to learn and improve and get better from,” Budenholzer said. Asked whether his players gave input during the film session, the coach smiled and indicated it was basically a one-way conversation.

Bucks: The team was 17-8 since Dec. 23 without center Larry Sanders, who was waived on Saturday. … Guard Michael Carter-Williams, who was acquired from Philadelphia at the trade deadline, missed a second straight game with a right foot injury. … Forward Johnny O’Bryant was a late scratch for personal reasons.

UP NEXT

Hawks: Host Dallas on Wednesday night.

Bucks: Visit Chicago on Monday night.

As team names go, Robert Lee is in fact a ghost. That is until he takes to the mat.

“Everyone wants to watch him, nobody wants to wrestle him,” Kaukauna coach Jeff Matczak said.

On that surface, he is anything but invisible.

“He’s just unreal to practice with, his positioning is the best I’ve ever competed with,” Kaukauna senior Bailey VanHandel said.

Lee’s commitment to winning has garnered him respect locally and nationally. At 138 pounds, he’s been ranked by several wrestling publications as one of the 15 best in his class.

“Definitely one of Wisconsin’s names,” Matczak said. “There’s a handful of kids every year that get that kind of recognition and it’s nice to have one in your room every once in a while.”

The grappler heads to the Kohl Center this weekend hungry to wrestle with history.  A third state individual title would be a first for Kaukauna and put him among Wisconsin’s high school elite

“It’s go time,” Lee said. “You prepare all year for this, you just have to leave it all on the mat.”

Lee has the opportunity to wrestle for several Division I colleges, he won’t make that decision until April. Right now, he’s just focused on the next two weeks and another two state titles.

“I want to repeat what I did last year,” Lee said. “Having the chance to win an individual and state title; there’s no greater feeling.”

A local talent, galloping to greatness on the state and national level. In Kaukauna, Dylan Scott Fox 11 Sports.

GREEN BAY – One fire fighter suffered minor injuries in a house fire in Green Bay.

It happened just after 12:20 Sunday afternoon in the 300 block of Moon Valley Drive.

Officials say the blaze was a chimney fire.

They encourage people to get their fireplace chimney regularly inspected.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

INDIANAPOLIS – Unless he snuck into town under the radar and most didn’t notice, Ron Wolf did not attend the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine. He was there, however, in a way.

“He means a lot to us, he still means a lot to the Packers,” said Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson. “I know it was a thrill for him being inducted into the Hall of Fame.”

Thompson was one of five current GMs at the Combine to have learned the trade under Wolf, the former Packers general manager headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer. Along with Thompson, Kansas City’s John Dorsey, Seattle’s John Schneider, Reggie McKenzie from the Raiders and the 49ers Scot McLoughan are all GMs who worked in Green Bay under Wolf.

“Couldn’t be happier for the man,” said Dorsey. “Anybody that’s been under his tree will say the same thing. We have total respect and admiration for the man. You have to pay the utmost respect for a man like that.”

Schneider, coming off back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, can thank Wolf not just for the tutelage he received but also for his start in football. Schneider, a De Pere native, cold called Wolf looking for an internship while in college at the University of St. Thomas.

“Once he picked it up, I was like, ‘now what am I supposed to do?’” said Schneider. “I always joke with him now, like, ‘you were pretty intimidating.’ I was 20 years old at the time. I did an internship then went back to school, finished my senior year. I was like, ‘you were pretty intimidating.’ He’s like, ‘no I wasn’t, what are you talking about?’ He forgets what he paid us, too.”

Wolf instilled confidence in those he employed, confidence in their skills and abilities. He could be, as Schneider said, intimidating.

“I was intimidated a little bit, truth be told,” said Dorsey. “I got that first phone call, I was at Rutgers University doing a school day, I got this phone call, ‘John, this is Ron Wolf calling. ‘Yes, sir. How can I help you?’ ‘Curious, do you know how to work this computer.’ I go, ‘yes, sir.’ He goes, ‘well fly back here and show me everything that’s in it.’ I’m like, ‘oh, lord.’ I rushed back to the airport and got back as quick as I can. Ever since then, it’s been a fun ride with him.”

Wolf’s impact is seen around the league in more ways than just with the five GMs he taught. His strategies for team building and power structure are still used around the league.

“In terms of what he’s done you can see not only in Green Bay but around the league his influence on the way organizations are put together,” said Thompson. “I think it’s the system that was set up there before I was there. It was set up that way in the Ron Wolf era. Everybody has their job, everybody understands their job. It’s laid out long before anybody’s hired. It’s like, ‘this is what the general manager does, this is what the head coach does, this is what this guy does.’ I think it works well because everybody understands where we are.”

Wolf will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Saturday, August 8th. His son Eliot, an executive with the Packers, will be his presenter.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Injured Wisconsin point guard Traevon Jackson said he plans on playing next week for the fifth-ranked Badgers after being sidelined more than a month with a broken right foot.

Wisconsin’s senior leader was still wearing a boot Sunday on his surgically-repaired foot. Jackson did not say if he had been medically cleared.

Jackson said he would travel with the team for Tuesday’s game at Maryland and then would return to practice. The target to return is the March 1 game against Michigan State, which would be Wisconsin’s final home game.

Jackson’s proclamation took associate head coach Greg Gard by surprise after the guard spoke to reporters.

Wisconsin (25-2, 13-1 Big Ten) has won 10 straight since Jackson got hurt during a 67-62 loss at Rutgers.

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

Bitter cold air has returned to Northeast Wisconsin.

Sunshine today gives way to clear skies tonight, which allows temperatures to fall like a rock. The low Monday morning will be near -15 with wind chills near -30 thanks to a breeze of about 5-10 miles per hour. A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for all of NE Wisconsin from 9pm tonight until 10 am Monday.

Monday’s highs again stay in the single digits. Winds turn to the southwest and pick up to about 10-20 mph, which will keep the wind chills in the afternoon around 10 below zero. Sunny skies will turn partly cloudy as the day ends.

Some light snow is possible by Tuesday, and temperatures again get up into the upper 20s. Not much is expected in the way of accumulation, but this system brings in yet another shot of arctic air which will last through the rest of next week.

RIPON – In this digital age, many people might use Facebook or their cell phones as a personal photo collection.

But some people still enjoy the old-fashioned way of printing out pictures and putting them in creative photo albums.

With a sheet of paper, some stickers, and hundreds of pictures to choose from, sometimes Keycia Dahlvig can get lost in her work.

“I have found paper so I cut that out,” said Dahlvig as she sifts through construction paper.

She started scrapbooking years ago after a trip to Japan.

“A lot of people can’t believe I’ll just sit here for hours on end doing this but when you get the final result of what you were going for, it’s rewarding,” Dahlvig said.

Now the mother of three spends a majority of her time taking pictures and pasting those memories on unnumbered pages.

“This is a trip that we took so I wanted to highlight some of the things that we did,” Dahlvig said.

Dahlvig is one of millions of people who enjoy the hobby. At its prime, a 2007 survey found the scrapbooking industry was worth more than $2.8 billion.

But then something changed.

“A lot of people at one point went digital and then, I think, our industry of the actual hands-on, touching the texture, and 3D things kind of took a hit,” Renee Saul said.

Saul owns a scrapbooking store called Crop Paper Stickers downtown Ripon.

“It’s coming back. I’ve noticed more people saying, ‘Oh we went digital but we miss that texture or being able to write our own handwriting,”‘ Saul said.

Saul lives by the motto, “If it’s not in the scrapbook, it didn’t happen.”

So with dozens of friends and customers, Saul makes it her mission to share her creativity and remind people that scrapbookers can be artistic.

“It’s a great way to preserve your memories and pass down that history of things that are going on,” Saul said.

Even though the way we take and store pictures has changed, sometimes photos hold more meaning and look better on paper than they do on a screen.

“You just get to tell a story,” Dahlvig said.

If you’re interested in starting your own scrapbook or looking for new ideas, click here.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Authorities have released the name of a worker killed in a construction accident in Madison last week.

The Dane County medical examiner’s office identifies the victim as 58-year-old John Stoll of Fitchburg.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports Stoll was fatally injured when a wall collapsed and trapped him just after 7:30 a.m. Friday. Fire Department spokeswoman Lori Wirth says he had been working near a stairwell at the rear of the building.

The Dane County Medical Examiner says Stoll was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The accident happened at the Watermark Lofts, which is scheduled to open this summer with apartments and retail space. It’s being built at the site of a building that was destroyed by a large fire in 2012.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Visiting Mickey and Minnie just got more expensive.

The Walt Disney Co. raised ticket prices to attend Disneyland, Walt Disney World and the rest of its U.S. theme parks, effective Sunday.

A one-day ticket for either Disneyland or California Adventure in Anaheim, California, is now $99 for anyone 10 or older, the company said. That’s up from $96.

Single-day tickets for the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, are now $105, up from $99.

Disney has continued to see strong attendance growth at its theme parks and resorts.

For the quarter ended Dec. 27, revenue for the segment rose 9 percent to $3.9 billion, as attendance at the company’s California and Florida parks climbed 7 percent, with Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Resort each setting all-time quarterly attendance records.

A measles outbreak last month linked to Disney’s Southern California theme parks hasn’t hurt attendance.

Earlier this month, CEO Bob Iger said in an interview with CNBC that the company was seeing no discernible impact on attendance or bookings from the outbreak.

More than 70 people in California, including six Disneyland employees, and about two dozen others in six states, Mexico and Canada have been sickened in the outbreak.

Among other price changes that took effect Sunday: A one-day ticket to Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom now is $97, up from $94.

Disney also bumped up ticket prices for children ages 3 to 9.

Kids in that age bracket will be charged $93 for a single-day ticket at Disneyland. That’s up from $90. For the Magic Kingdom, that ticket is now $99, up from $93. For the other theme parks it’s now $91, up from $88.

Disney typically raises ticket prices at its U.S. theme parks annually, said Suzi Brown, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman.

“We continually add new experiences, and many of our guests select multiday tickets or annual passes, which provide a great value and additional savings,” she said.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Joey Logano, the driver who seemed washed up at 22 years old, has won his first career Daytona 500.

Logano took the lead in the white-knuckle race following a restart with 19 laps remaining on Sunday. Once out front, his Ford was stout and he seemed to have the race in control until a caution with three to go at Daytona International Speedway stopped the race.

NASCAR needed nearly seven minutes to clean the track, which gave Logano a two-lap sprint to the finish. He got a terrific jump on the field, and as Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. mounted a push for the lead, a wreck further back brought out the yellow flag.

It froze the field and Logano won under caution.

Logano was looking for work near the end of 2012 when Joe Gibbs Racing decided to cut him loose. He was snatched up by Roger Penske, and rewarded “The Captain” with owner’s second Daytona 500 title.

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

The path to the Kohl Center is set for area high school boys basketball teams. The WIAA released postseason brackets for Divisions 1-4 Sunday afternoon; Division 5 will be released Sunday evening. Regional play starts for teams March 3rd.

Click here to see the brackets.

Teams from Northeast Wisconsin earning number 1 seeds were:

Division One
Kimberly

Division Two
Shawano
Seymour
Kaukauna

Division Three
Ripon
Peshtigo
Xavier
Southern Door
Valders

Division Four
Lourdes Academy
Brillion

RACINE, Wis. (AP) – A Racine lawmaker wants to repeal Wisconsin’s 48-hour waiting period to buy handguns.

The original intent of the waiting period was to give gun dealers enough time to complete a background check, Republican state Sen. Van Wanggaard said.  Now that information is digitized and background checks can be done almost instantly, Wanggaard says a 48-hour waiting period amounts to a “time tax,” The Journal Times reported.

Handgun purchasers would still have to pass a background check to prove they can legally have a gun.

“An individual that is able to lawfully possess a firearm, they’re restricted – why?” Wanggaard said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Supporters of the waiting period say it gives people in emotional distress a needed cooling-off period.

For example, a suicidal person may be able to pass a background check and get a handgun. But if those persons had to wait a few days, they would have time to rethink or have a chance for an intervention, said Luann Simpson, program director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Racine County.

“If I could pass a background check and get a gun immediately, I’m more likely to make that suicide attempt than if I had to wait three days to get a weapon,” Simpson said. Simpson said NAMI isn’t necessarily opposed to the bill, but feels waiting periods can help tamp down impulsive behavior.

A waiting period also helpful for people struggling with domestic violence, said Laura Cutilletta, senior staff attorney for the California-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

“If you introduce a waiting period into that cycle, you may save somebody’s life,” Cutilletta said.

Wanggaard, a former police officer, rejects the argument that waiting periods for handgun purchases help prevent violence.

“If somebody has the thought of doing something, they’re going to use whatever is at their fingertips at the time they make that decision,” he said.

Ten states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring a waiting period to buy guns, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The organization did not have statistics comparing states with waiting-period laws to those without them.

The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety has scheduled a public hearing on the bill Thursday.

APPLETON – The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates nearly two dozen veterans will die by suicide every single day, over the course of a year.

The subject of mental health and suicide prevention are topics that can be difficult to discuss for anyone. But some Veterans Affairs officials in our area say steps being taken locally – and nationally – are moving the issue in the right direction.

According to a 2012 Suicide Data Report by the VA, it found that veterans comprised 22-percent of suicides reported during the project’s time of study, equating to a little more than 22 deaths each day.

“That’s an accurate figure,” said David Kapelle. “That’s happening throughout the United States.”

Kapelle is a social worker and the suicide prevention coordinator for VA clinics in Cleveland, Green Bay and Appleton.

“These aren’t numbers, these are human beings and they’re people who served our country,” Kapelle said.

Among the three clinics, the VA says about 3,900 vets are seeking treatment for their mental health – like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Kapelle says social workers are working to de-stigmatize the issues surrounding mental health.

“Why do you think there is a stigma with mental illness, depression, PTSD, among veterans?” FOX 11’s Bill Miston asked Kapelle.

“I would contend that that stigma is pretty much societal – not just among veterans.”

Like it’s for some reason worse to seek treatment for chronic depression than an injured elbow. But like physical health, if symptoms fester long enough, Kapelle says function will deteriorate.

“Suicide is a preventable thing – and a lot of cases, if we can get them help, right then, we can save a life,” he said.

Kapelle says the doubling of mental health staff (like psychiatrists, registered nurses and social workers) at the three clinics over the same amount of years and newly signed federal legislation is helping to do that.

President Barack Obama signed the bipartisan bill into law earlier this month. It will require annual evaluations of VA mental health and suicide prevention programs, the creation of a centralized website for Veterans mental health resources, a pilot program to attract psychiatrists to work at VA clinics by repaying portions of student loans, establish programs and peer support networks for soldiers transitioning to Veteran status and increase the VA care eligibility period by one year for recently discharged service members.

And Kapelle is feeling optimistic as more resources are being put toward the problem, like depression.

“It is a treatable condition. And it’s not something that people typically pull themselves out of,” he said. “But we know what works for it, and we’re trying to deliver that service.”

Like through individual or group therapy sessions.

“We do encourage them to at least try group therapy because there’s a lot of relief in knowing that you’re not the only one dealing with this. You’re not alone in it.”

And that someone is always a phone call away.

One of the first starting points for Veterans who might be in crisis is the Veterans Crisis Line.

In 2009, Kapelle says there were 74 consults for help; last year, 516. Kapelle says while numbers can’t really lay out what exactly is going on, it shows that something is being done right.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – The Milwaukee Bucks have waived center Larry Sanders, who has been out since Dec. 23 for personal reasons.

Sanders was suspended by the NBA Jan. 16 for violating the league’s drug policy. He was listed as “not with team – personal” for Milwaukee’s Feb. 11 game against Sacramento, an indication his suspension ended.

Bucks general manager John Hammond announced the waiver Saturday night, saying it is “in the best interest of our team.”

This season, Sanders played in 27 games for Milwaukee with 26 starts. He averaged 7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

The 26-year-old player from Virginia Commonwealth signed a $44 million, four-year contract extension with Milwaukee in 2013.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Advisory councils in nine Wisconsin counties whose deer are threatened by chronic wasting disease have recommended growing or maintaining their herds despite the advice of scientists who say that shrinking a herd is the best way to control the disease’s spread.

The state’s top wildlife official, Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp, endorsed the recommendations in a Feb. 16 memo to the agency’s board, but not without expressing misgivings.

“One has to question the rationale behind recommending an increase in the deer herd when the spread of a deadly disease occurs more quickly at higher deer densities,” Stepp wrote in a memo to the DNR’s board. On the next page she added: “While the concerns are many, I would like to allow the department, (the advisory committees) and the public to work within the recommendations and address the challenges together.”

Council chairmen in the counties say hunters want to see more deer and controlling CWD in their regions isn’t an issue. The testing of wild deer shows only four of the nine counties have seen a confirmed case of CWD. Adams County has seen four cases, Juneau one, Racine one and Washburn one. The remaining five counties – Burnett, Dodge, Kenosha, Sheboygan and Wood – border counties that have had confirmed cases but so far haven’t seen a case within their own boundaries.

“Our job is to represent Kenosha County and what the people and the hunters and citizens would like to see and that was overwhelmingly to increase the deer herd,” said Steve Kenesie, chairman of the Kenosha County advisory council. “It’s hard to justify to the public that we have a containment issue with CWD in Kenosha County.”

Forming the advisory councils as well as taking a more passive approach to CWD were among the recommendations Texas deer researcher James Kroll gave the DNR in 2012 to help improve deer management in Wisconsin. Gov. Scott Walker hired Kroll as his “deer czar” in 2011 and tasked him to find ways the agency could repair relationships with hunters who felt the agency had grown too draconian with its herd reduction strategies. Stepp is a Walker appointee.

The agency formed councils in each of the state’s 72 counties and asked them to recommend whether to increase, decrease or maintain the county’s herd. The councils began meeting late last summer. Most have recommended increasing or maintaining their herds. Only a half-dozen recommended shrinking the local herd. The DNR’s board is set to vote on whether to accept the recommendations Wednesday. Once approved, the DNR will use the recommendations to determine how many antlerless tags to issue for the 2015 fall hunting seasons.

Asked how Step reconciles endorsing the herd recommendations and questioning the CWD-affected county councils’ decisions, Bob Nack, the DNR’s big game section chief, said in an email that the DNR is working in partnership with the committees and “in any good partnership, open discussion and sharing of opinions and concerns should be encouraged.”