Green Bay News

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The fight over union rights returns to Wisconsin this week, four years after a debate that sparked massive protests and catapulted Gov. Scott Walker onto the national political stage, setting up his likely presidential run.

In 2011, the battle was over Walker’s plan to curtail collective bargaining for public workers. This time, the focus is on private-sector workers and it’s the Republican Legislature taking the lead, planning to act within days on a measure that would make Wisconsin the 25th right-to-work state.

Right-to-work laws prohibit unions from reaching labor deals with businesses that require private-sector workers to pay fees to the union. Proponents, including the state chamber of commerce, see it as a way to help the economy, spur business and give workers more freedom to choose whether they want to pay union dues.

Opponents say the proposed change is just another way for Republicans to cripple unions, which generally back Democrats. They say making Wisconsin a right-to-work state would hurt workers, reduce their pay and divide the state – much like the debate in 2011 that led to efforts to recall 15 elected officials, including Walker.

While the debate over what came to be known as Act 10 four years ago sparked huge protests that tens of thousands of public workers and their supporters, it wasn’t immediately clear if the right-to-work bill would provoke a similar response from private-sector construction workers, pipe fitters and electricians.

There were early signs that the response may be more muted.

“I don’t know what banging on a plastic bucket and blowing on a horn will do,” Terry McGowan, the business manager for Operating Engineers Local 139, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Friday. His union represents about 9,100 heavy equipment operators.

The fear of a massive public backlash motivated the Republican strategy for acting quickly on the bill, giving little notice.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, in announcing the plans Friday, said he wanted to move fast after he got 17 Republican votes locked down because he was afraid unions were preparing television ads targeting senators to pressure them to change their positions.

“I lay awake at night losing sleep over that all the time,” he said.

A public hearing was scheduled for Tuesday before the Senate Labor Committee with debate beginning Wednesday in the Senate. The Assembly was to vote on it the week of March 2.

“I just have my fingers crossed that this isn’t going to turn into something that was similar to Act 10,” Fitzgerald said of the possible public response.

Walker has used the protests over Act 10 to his political advantage as he takes steps toward a presidential run, telling the story to audiences outside of Wisconsin about how he overcame the uproar and passed the bill.

He became a champion for conservatives for not backing down, a reputation that was only bolstered by his recall victory – the first governor to survive such an effort in U.S. history.

Walker was an early supporter of right to work – sponsoring a bill as a state Assembly member in 1993 – but he said during his re-election campaign last year that it wasn’t a priority and he didn’t want it to come up this session.

But on Friday, when Fitzgerald made the surprise announcement that the debate was coming this week, Walker said he would sign the bill.

His approach mirrors that taken by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in 2012, said Paul Secunda, labor law professor and program coordinator for Marquette Law School’s Labor and Employment Law Program in Milwaukee.

“Walker pulled a Snyder. Don’t want it, don’t want it. Oops! It’s on my desk,” Secunda said.

After repeatedly insisting during his first two years in office that right-to-work was not on his agenda, Snyder reversed course in December 2012, signing it the day it passed.

Wisconsin appears to be headed down a similar track. The bill will take effect as soon as Walker signs it.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
4 pieces of thick cut bacon
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
Plain wooden toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pound out chicken breasts until they are a little thin. Season chicken on both sides with a little salt and pepper. Lay a half cup of spinach on each chicken breast. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of feta cheese on top of the spinach. Roll up tightly. Wrap bacon strip around each chicken breast. Secure with toothpicks.
In a large oven-proof skillet heat oil. Brown chicken breasts for a few minutes on each side. Place skillet in the oven and bake 20 to 30 minutes or until chicken is done and juices run clear. If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet you can transfer chicken to a baking dish before baking.

DENMARK – You might expect to hear hymns filling the air of a church, but on a recent Monday at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Denmark, it was the hum of a sewing machine. For more than 30 years, volunteers have joined together at the church.

“All of the ladies have gathered to make quilts,” volunteer Shirley Petersen said.

Since January, the women have met each Monday to cut, tie, sew and weigh each quilt.

“It will go some place to keep somebody warm,” Petersen said.

This year the women will make nearly 300 quilts. The quilts are donated to local veterans and to Lutheran World Relief.

“It goes all over the world – South America, Asia, Africa,” Petersen said.

Lutheran World Relief is a ministry that serves people living in poverty overseas. In 2013, with the support of area communities, the ministry was able to reach more than 7 million people in 35 different countries.

“You see, hundreds of thousands of people that are disrupted due to weather or wars, they’re looking for something,” said volunteer Sheryl Reed.

Reed donates her time to help create the quilts.

“This is like a little piece of comfort,” said Reed.

All of the materials the women use for the quilts are donated.

“Taking stuff that nobody else wants or no one else can use or what have you, and being able to turn it into something valuable and warm, useful – why not?” said Reed.

With each quilt, the women reflect on who they’re helping.

“You know when you’re picking out the backs, I think ‘OH! look a this! This one is nice and bright. It would make a lady happy,'” said Reed.

For now, the quilts line the pews inside the church, reminding members that Making a Difference can be as easy as making a quilt.

“We just gotta have faith it’s going where it’s needed,” said Petersen.

The quilts will be shipped in October. The congregation donates the shipping costs – a little more than $2 per case. A handful of quilts are also donated to the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King in Waupaca County.

ASHWAUBENON – This week’s Cooking With You guest is Nichole Garcia!

Nichole joined FOX 11’s Emily Deem on Good Day Wisconsin to celebrate National Margarita Day!

Spicy Pineapple Margarita

1/2 cup pineapple chunk
·  1⁄8 cup cilantro leaf
·  1 cup ice, crushed
·  1⁄4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
·  1⁄4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
·  1 1⁄2 cups pineapple juice
·  1 cup tequila
·  1 cup triple sec
·  1⁄4 cup  agave nectar
Directions
1. Soak pineapple in tequila, if desired. or grill pineapple  for a smoky flavor
2. Add pineapple chunks, cilantro leaves and ice to pitcher.
3. Add lemon, lime and pineapple juices and stir.
4. Add tequila and triple sec.
5. Stir or shake for 60 seconds.
6. Sugar rims of glass if desired, use lime juice or pineapple juice to wet the rim for extra flavor.
7. Serve into glasses, over ice if desired.
8. Drink immediately and enjoy

Coconut Creamsicle Margarita
Ingredients
2 ounces grand marnier
2 ounces orange juice
1 1/2 ounces silver tequila
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce coconut water
1 ounce canned light coconut milk
1 ounce simple syrup
unsweetened shredded + toasted coconut for glass rims
orange + lime slices for serving
Method
To rim glasses, fill a plate with coconut. Rub honey or left over frosting on the rim – anything sticky that the coconut will stick too – then place on the plate to coat with coconut. Fill glass with ice. Combine all grand marnier, orange juice, tequila, lime juice, coconut water, coconut milk and simple syrup in a shaker and shake well for 30 seconds. Pour over ice and garnish with wedges of orange and limes.

APPLETON – The Appleton Fire Department responded to a structure fire Saturday afternoon.

Crews were called to MT Pockets Bar located at 2906 East Newberry Street in Appleton.

Once firefighters arrived on scene they found that everyone was able to get out of the bar safely. They were told the fire started in the kitchen area.

Crews were able to put the fire out quickly.

There is heavy fire damage in the kitchen area and smoke damage throughout the business.

Officials say no one was injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

ASHWAUBENON – Cold temperatures have moved back to Wisconsin.

Skies will be mostly sunny today, but temperatures will stay in the single digits.  A brisk northwesterly breeze will keep wind chills near 10 below zero.

Sunday night the skies clear out and temperatures will 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 work week.

APPLETON – The annual Northeast Wisconsin Sport Fishin’ Show wraps up Sunday.

Dozens of exhibitors have set up shop at Appleton’s Player’s Choice since Friday to show off the latest and greatest in fishing equipment.

Visitors can also take part in different seminars throughout each day.

The show is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission is $8 per person and children under the age of 12 are free.

FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning checking out what you won’t want to miss on the last day.

For more information on the Northeast Wisconsin Sport Fishin’ Show, click here.

DE PERE – The St. Norbert men’s hockey team fired past Lawrence 6-0 Saturday at the Cornerstone Community Center, to sweep the NCHA Harris Cup quarterfinal series.

Following a 5-0 blowout win Friday, the Green Knights kept the offense going in their second meeting. Forward Michael Hill scored a hat trick, with three other players tallying in the contest. Goaltender Tony Kujava made 23 saves to record his third consecutive shutout.

The victory improves SNC’s record to 19-5-2 overall. With the No. 2 seed heading into the tournament, the Green Knights will host either Lake Forest College or Milwaukee School of Engineering at 7 p.m. next Saturday in a NCHA semifinal.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Sophomore Bronson Koenig’s continued development as the starting point guard has kept No. 5 Wisconsin rolling on its methodical march toward the Big Ten regular season title.

Koenig, whose 10 starts at point guard have coincided with the Badgers’ 10-game winning streak, scored  a career-high 17 points and player of the year candidate Frank Kaminsky scored 21 in a 63-53 victory over Minnesota on Saturday.

The Badgers (25-2, 13-1 Big Ten) maintained their three-game conference lead in the loss column over Maryland, Purdue and Michigan State. Wisconsin is at Maryland on Tuesday and also has a game remaining with Michigan State.

Koenig was coming off his worst shooting game as a starter, going 2-for-10 overall and 0-for-5 from beyond the arc in a 55-47 win at Penn State.

“To be honest, my shots fell pretty good at Penn State, too. They just weren’t falling for me,” said Koenig. “So I just tried to come into this game with the same mindset as every game and just shoot when I’m open pretty much. Luckily a couple of them were falling. But, I was pretty disappointed with a couple of times I could have finished at the rim.”

Koenig, who took over at point after Traevon Jackson suffered a broken foot, committed just two turnovers in 39 minutes against a Minnesota team that forced 18 per game.  Wisconsin leads the nation in fewest turnovers at 7.4 per game, a pace that would set a new NCAA Division I record.

“I thought we did a good job of handling their pressure on the press, kind of breaking it and making them go back and play man-to-man,” said Koenig, who has turned the ball over just nine times in 459 minutes as a starter. “I thought we did a good job of making them play half-court, but I don’t think we did as good of a job, me personally as well, with handling the ball.”

Nate Mason and Carlos Morris had 11 points apiece for the Gophers (16-12, 5-10), who lost their third straight. Minnesota is 1-14 at the Kohl Center and 6-19 against Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan.

Minnesota attempted just one free throw the entire game – and missed it. The Badgers, who led the nation in fewest fouls at 12.9, were called for seven fouls, compared with 17 for the Gophers. Wisconsin was 11-of-14 from the line.

“We certainly lost to a really good team,” said Minnesota coach Richard Pitino. “That’s about as good a team in the country. They do a great job of not beating themselves by not fouling and not turning the ball over. I thought our guys gave great energy today. I thought we were very positive. We didn’t get down. We just lost to a really good team.”

Wisconsin led 35-27 at the half and pushed it to 49-34 on a 3-pointer by Kaminsky with 10:34 remaining.

Sam Dekker , who struggled from the field, gave the Badgers their biggest lead at 54-38 on a dunk with 6:51 left. Dekker, the team’s second-leading scorer 13.4 points and shooting 53 percent, was just 1-of-8.

Kaminsky sandwiched a pair baskets around a jumper by Morris to put the Badgers up 59-48 with 2:25 remaining. DeAndre Mathieu’s 3-pointer cut it to 61-53 with 27 seconds left.

“We felt in control pretty much the whole second half,” said Kaminsky, who made 9 of 13 shots  and also had three blocks. “We knew they were trying to catch us the whole time and we were getting some easy buckets and scoring and running some clock on offense. It was just one of those games where we got the lead and never looked back.”

Andre Hollins, the Gophers’ top scorer at 15 per game, also was 1-of-8 from the field and finished with two points.

TIP-INS:

Minnesota:  The third consecutive loss continued the Gophers’ season-long inconsistency. Minnesota had an earlier eight-game winning streak, followed by five straight losses. The Gophers also have had two three-game winning streaks, the last of which preceded these three losses.

Wisconsin:   Senior guard Josh Gasser reached the 1,000-point mark with his second basket of the first half. He joins Michael Finley as the only Badgers to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 250 assists. “It’s nice. We got the win,” Gasser said. “I know it’s cliché, it’s not really something I’m thinking about at all. We’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

UNFRIENDLY MADISON: Minnesota’s only win in its last 15 games at the Kohl Center was a 78-74 overtime victory in 2009. Prior to that, the Gophers last win in Madison came in 1994 when the Badgers played at the UW Field House.

STREAKING: Wisconsin 10-game streak is the longest conference win streak since closing the 1940-41 season with 11 straight Big Ten victories. The 25-2 start matches the 2006-07 season as the best 27-game start in school history.

UP NEXT

Minnesota is at Michigan State on Thursday

Wisconsin is at Maryland on Tuesday

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay women’s basketball team cruised past UIC 71-32 Saturday afternoon at the Kress Center.

With the victory, the Phoenix clinched their 17th-straight Horizon League regular season title. Kevin Borseth’s team will enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed.

Four players reached double figures as the Phoenix shot their way to a 15-2 first half lead and never looked back in. Tesha Buck led all with 14 points, teammate Mehryn Kraker adding 13.

The team’s most impressive performance was notable on the defensive end, where they held the Flames to an all-time program low field goal percentage of 14.9%.

Green Bay now begins a two-game road trip, starting with Oakland next Thursday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

GREEN BAY – Hundreds of local kids and parents gathered in Green Bay Saturday for tips on how to stay safe.

It was all for the annual Superbowl of Safety event that went on at the KI Convention Center.

Kids and parents received a broad range of tips, including animal safety, water safety, fire safety and more.

Organizers say the event is also an eye-opener for parents.

“Sometimes parents, we think as parents we know what we need to teach our kids about being safe, but we forget, or you think its being taught at school, and some of these things aren’t taught at school,” said Kimberly Hess with the Center for Childhood Safety.

All Superbowl of Safety participants will be entered into drawings for two bicycles and helmets.

The event typically brings in more than 2 thousand people each year.

LITTLE WOLF – After days of bitter cold weather, Saturday’s warmer temperatures gave people near Manawa a chance to spend time outdoors.

The annual snowmobile races attracted hundreds of people, and some might say it was a great day for a Snodeo.

“A Snodeo is actually a snowmobile derby,” said Dave Sarna, race director.

With one quick squeeze of the handlebar, racers headed out onto the track.

“This is kind of a hot bed and hub of snowmobile riding and racing throughout the whole nation. A lot of the best people in snowmobiling and racing came out of this immediate area,” Sarna said.

Nine-year-old Sawyer Griffin hopped on a sled, for the very first time, four years ago. Since then he’s started racing and enjoys when his sled picks up speed.

“When the flag goes down and they pull it up, that means you go. I like that one, that one, and that one because they’re all fast,” said Griffin.

When it comes to speed, snowmobiles aren’t the only machines zipping around the track.

“We have a group of friends that do the dirt bikes, and it’s just a lot of fun to watch,” said Tessha Tufnell.

As bikers kicked up snow and ice into the air, many spectators welcomed the warmer temperatures.

“I hate the cold but it’s actually a warm day. It’s a warm day and a perfect day for racing,” said Tara Tufnell.

“It’s a beautiful day out here,” said Travis Griffin.

“Compared to yesterday, today’s a really good day to be out,” said Tessha Tufnell.

The three-day event started eight years ago as a way to bring the community together.

The race organizer says now he’s hoping the Snodeo will inspire young racers and get them excited for the winter sport.

“Where we really want to go with this is start these racers [young] and eventually grow them to being world champions,” Sarna said.

Manawa’s Snodeo Snowmobile Races continue Sunday at 10 a.m.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Milwaukee police say an officer shot and injured an 18-year-old man who pointed a gun at him.

According to a news release, officers were dispatched at about 1 p.m. Saturday after firefighters who responded to a call for medical help discovered an “ongoing violent encounter.”

When officers arrived, they searched the home for a suspect and found an 18-year-old man with a long gun.

Police say the man pointed the gun at the 50-year-old officer and the officer fired. The suspect was taken to a hospital and no one else was injured.

The officer was placed on administrative duty, which is normal protocol. Police said the teen had a criminal record.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation.

PULASKI – The student-run newspaper in Pulaski is celebrating a major milestone with a new way to keep the community informed.

After 75 years, the Pulaski Newspaper is making the transition to digital. Many are hoping the change will ensure the paper will be making a difference for a long time to come.

There’s just something about sitting down at a computer with a blank page on the screen and a keyboard at her fingertips that gets senior Reiley Mattmiller’s creative juices flowing.

“It’s kind of like a canvas,” Mattmiller said. “You can create whatever the article you want to be about.”

Mattmiller is a student reporter for the Pulaski News. In January, the paper marked 75 years of stories at Pulaski High School and in the community, all the while giving young writers a taste of a possible future career.

“I treat this like my job,” said Mattmiller. “I have real deadlines (and) I have to budget my time and I have to schedule interviews for everyone. It’s a very great experience for me.”

It’s a milestone that not even the paper’s creator probably saw coming.

“I don’t think anybody could have predicted that,” said Brighid Riordan, the granddaughter of the paper’s creator.

Long before it became the longest run student community newspaper in the country, the Pulaski News was called the Tricopa. And when Riordan’s grandfather, Ray, started the paper, he wrote all of it.

“He loved writing,” Riordan said describing her grandfather. “You know, everything you can do can start from that and for him, he kind of realized that dream in starting the newspaper.”

More than 2,500 students have now written for the paper, including Brighid, but as the reporters and stories have changed, so has the paper’s readers.

“Sometimes picking up a paper takes a little bit too much time,” explained Kimberly Uelmen, the paper’s editor-in-chief.

Uelmen said paper subscriptions have stayed at about 3,000 for a while so it’s time to do what many other newspapers have done – go online. Starting in March, paper subscribers can opt for an electronic version.

Change can be scary, but Riordan said it’s also exciting to know 75 years isn’t the end of the story.

“From good writers to good researchers, it’s still important,” said Riordan. “So I think he would love that. I think that the fact that that propels it forward is fantastic.”

The change means many more young writers will have the chance to tell their stories on such important pages, in print or online.

“It’s a lot to live up to,” Mattmiller laughed. “You can look at the past and see what they’ve done in the past, and how far we’ve come and how far we’ve changed, and how the future’s going to be. It’s kind of eye-opening.”

The electronic subscription will be $15 a year and $30 for both the E-Newspaper and print. The Feb. 19 edition of the paper is already online and is free.

For more information on the Pulaski News, click here.

WINNEBAGO SYSTEM – The 2015 sturgeon spearing season is now complete.

DNR Winnebago System Sturgeon Biologist Ryan Koenigs says Saturday was by far the nicest weather of the season in comparison with the very cold temperatures most of the last week.

An additional 136 sturgeon were harvested on the final day of spearing, bringing the season total to 2,158 fish harvested (1,870 from Lake Winnebago and 288 from the Upriver Lakes).

The 1,870 fish harvested from Lake Winnebago ranks this season as the 6th highest harvest on record from the 1940-2015 seasons.

“That’s really pretty impressive when you consider that’s 75 spearing seasons, the majority of which had longer spearing days, no harvest caps, and seasons that were longer than 16 days,” Koenigs said.

Despite an anticipated increase in spearing effort, and in turn an increase in harvest, given that it’s a Saturday, Koenigs said that wasn’t the case, however. He said Saturday’s harvest numbers were actually one of the lowest of any day this season.

Koenigs says it was a special day for the Drexler family from Oshkosh. The day started with 12-year-old Derek harvesting a 70.1”, 75.6 pound fish. But that shanty wasn’t done giving up fish. A half hour after Derek’s fish came through, his father Robert speared a 23.9 pound, 50.2” fish out of the same hole!

The season may be over, but Koenigs says work at the DNR is just getting started. The agency will begin cleaning up its registration stations this week and then get started on data entry and report writing. Koenigs expects that will take some time given the number of fish harvested and other DNR commitments.

INDIANAPOLIS — There’s a buzzword floating around the NFL Scouting Combine that, appropriately, takes various forms. Players can show teams they’re fast and prove they’re strong, but one word almost every player says he stresses when meeting with coaches and scouts: versatility.

“The biggest thing I feel like I bring to the table is my versatility,” said former Florida defensive lineman Leon Orr.

On the other line, Arizona State’s Jamil Douglas says, “I think I can play both [guard and tackle], provide that versatility.”

As for multi-talented Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah: “”Being a guy who’s good in every area, not just running the football but also catching the football, blocking.”

There are plenty more.

“You get in an organization, I want to show I can play everywhere they want me to play,” said Oregon linebacker Tony Washington.

You get the idea — and so do players. They might be the best in their school’s history at their one position they played, but in the NFL with smaller rosters and limited active players on gameday, being able to do more than one thing, be it play multiple positions or just excel in several roles, can be critical.

“I’ve mostly played in the inside, but I’m always open to play outside!” said Rice defensive lineman Christian Covington.

Teams have shown they value versatile players. Take the Packers: they invented a defensive position, the ‘elephant’ role, based on versatility of their linebackers and linemen; guys like TJ Lang have played almost every offensive line position; even star receivers like Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson can line up in the slot or on the outside.

“I like to try to figure out if we can in 15 minutes or 20 minutes, whatever the time limits are, if this guy’s a good fit for your team,” said Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson.

Armed with this knowledge, many players take the word ‘versatile’ into their formal and informal meetings with teams and break it out in the far less important media interviews. It’s a strategy that makes sense: tell teams you’re willing to do whatever’s needed in order to get the chance to do whatever is needed.

“A lot of the teams I talked to say they only travel 7 linemen,” said Douglas, the Arizona State offensive lineman. “If you’re able to be versatile, play those different positions, you can be one of those guys they travel.”

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin AFL-CIO plans rallies Tuesday and Wednesday in Madison to protest a bill that would make Wisconsin a right-to-work state.

On Friday, Gov. Scott Walker backed a surprise move by Republican legislators to quickly vote on the bill, an action the likely 2016 presidential candidate initially said should be delayed to avoid re-igniting massive pro-union protests.

Walker rose to prominence in 2011, when he pushed through a law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. That led to protests with as many as 100,000 people and a 2012 recall election that Walker won.

On this bill, there’s a public hearing Tuesday followed by debate starting Wednesday.

Wisconsin AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Stephanie Bloomingdale couldn’t give an estimate on the size of the crowds, but said people are very concerned.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Somebody shot and wounded a Minneapolis police officer early Saturday in what appears to have been a targeted attack, department officials said.

Two officers were standing by their marked squad car after having just finished handling a burglary call at about 5 a.m. when someone shot one of them, police spokesman John Elder said. The wounded officer’s partner drove him to a hospital, where Elder said he was in “satisfactory but stable condition.” He didn’t go into further detail about the injuries.

Elder said they are investigating whether the burglary actually happened.

“We’re looking to see if that is a setup for the shooting, or did this individual just drive around looking for a police officer of some sort,” he said. “At this point we don’t know.”

Chief Janee Harteau met with the officer and his family at the hospital, the department said in a news release.

“There is little doubt that an officer was the intended target of this shooting and that this officer just happened to be the one who was there,” she said in a statement. “This is a reminder to all that every one of our officers face such danger simply because they choose to wear a uniform.”

Elder said the officer seemed to be targeted because he was an officer, but not because of his specific identity.

Police are searching the area but had not made any arrests.

In a news release, Mayor Betsy Hodges called the shooting a “cowardly act.”

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The state will take the lead in collecting and disposing of unused prescription drugs, now that the federal program has ended.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice says it will provide personnel and logistics for disposing of the excess drugs. Attorney General Brad Schimel says unused prescription opioids need to be collected and destroyed, in part to keep them from polluting the environment.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration began to conduct take-back events in 2010, but ended that practice late in 2014. Schimel says local law enforcement agencies don’t have the manpower to collect the drugs. So, the DOJ will hold a minimum of two collections per year.

A statewide collection effort last September resulted in disposal of more than 17 tons of unused prescription medication.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Federal aid for Wisconsin highways dropped by 3.6 percent, nearly $28 million, over the five years ending in 2013, according to data obtained by The Associated Press, exacerbating the state’s woes in finding money for road projects.

Wisconsin’s loss wasn’t as large as some of its neighboring states – Minnesota saw a nearly 33 percent drop because of unique circumstances, Michigan an 8 percent decline and Illinois a 6.4 percent dip, according to Federal Highway Administration data. But the drop doesn’t help Wisconsin lawmakers fighting over how to pay for the state’s road work.

Looked at another way, Wisconsin’s dropoff in federal highway money has actually been more precipitous than the five-year figure suggests. Over the past four years, it’s fallen nearly 10 percent from a high of about $833 million to $750.6 million in 2013.

“We have gas taxes, which are stagnant. We have transportation construction costs, which are going up. And then we’ve got federal revenue, which is declining. All of those is a toxic formula,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said. “We’ve got to take matters into our own hands.”

States rely on aid from the trust fund to cover about 80 percent of work on state highways, U.S. highways and interstates. Of the $710.8 million Wisconsin received in the 2013 fiscal year, more than half went to state highway repairs, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. About $50 million went to bridge projects.

Asked how the decline in aid has affected projects, Wisconsin Department of Transportation spokeswoman Peg Schmitt would say only that the agency manages and prioritizes projects according to funding.

Created in 1956, the federal highway fund is built through federal taxes on gas and diesel fuel. Congress divides the money among the states through appropriation bills.

More fuel-efficient vehicles on the road over the last five years has led to dwindling tax revenue, forcing Congress to supplement the account with general fund dollars. The latest extension, signed in August, transferred $9.7 billion to the fund. That extension expires in May. President Barack Obama’s administration has proposed a $478 billion bill that would keep the fund going for another six years using money from gas taxes and a new tax on U.S. companies’ foreign earnings.

Wisconsin uses a similar mechanism to fund its share of road projects, funneling gas taxes and vehicle registration fees into a transportation account. But the same dynamics of dwindling taxes afflicting the federal fund have been playing out here as well.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker has supplemented the transportation account with transfers from the state’s general fund and increased bonding. State DOT Secretary Mark Gottlieb asked Walker in November for an additional $751 million generated through a higher gas tax – the tax has stood at 30.9 cents per gallon since 2006 – and new fees on hybrid and electric vehicle drivers.

Walker, a likely 2016 presidential candidate, instead has called for borrowing an additional $1.3 billion for road projects.

GOP legislative leaders say that’s too much borrowing and they want a long-term solution for road funding.

Vos has proposed raising vehicle registration fees based on mileage driven; registration fees for passenger vehicles have stood at $75 annually since 2008. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, hasn’t ruled out such an increase but has warned that if lawmakers can’t raise more money they’ll have to cut projects.

Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, is the co-chairman of the Legislature’s powerful finance committee, which will revise Walker’s budget plan before passing it on to the full Assembly and Senate. He said the loss of federal money isn’t “what’s driving the train” on Wisconsin’s transportation funding problems. The solution in Wisconsin will have to be a mix of spending reductions, slowing down projects and what he called “some type of revenue enhancer” constituents will accept, he said.

“If you’re a (lawmaker) from wherever in Wisconsin,” he said, “and you have a choice of the project in your area not happening or maybe a small increase in the registration fee, that’s a decision all legislators are going to have to make.”