Green Bay News
Questions about brawl follow d-lineman to Draft
INDIANAPOLIS — Sometimes, as the prospect himself says, one mistake can follow you. Former Memphis defensive lineman Martin Ifedi set a school record for most career sacks, but what he’s being asked about just about more than anything was his role in the huge brawl at the conclusion of this year’s Miami Beach Bowl against BYU. According to accounts, Ifedi appeared to be shoved as the game ended. He pushed back and the brawl was on. Ifedi, who is projected by some sites as a late-round draft pick and says he can play either standing up or on the line in a 3-4 defense, is moving past the mistake.
What he learned in the brawl
Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. You don’t have to retaliate to everything. We got the win and that’s what was most important.
Did emotion get the best of him?
Just retaliation, you don’t have to, you can let that one slide.
If coaches have asked about the incident at the Combine
They just want to know what happened, the story behind it.
What he tells coaches
Just the build up aggression, just the detail what happened.
What he tries to convey in interviews with teams
It’s very important, show them your true character and the person you are.
If someone was instigating things with him the whole bowl game
It was the whole game.
Several players or just one?
It was one guy.
Does he feel remorse about his role in the brawl
Not really.
On being known for the brawl instead of academics or other work
Well, one mistake can really mess you up and you’ll be judged by that. If you ask anybody else, that’s not the kind of guy I am. Just made a mistake.
playing leftside defensive end, or interior on passing downs … 3-4 see him playing either standup or interior
Snowy owl unexpectedly turns up on osprey cam
TOWN OF ROCKLAND – When the osprey’s away, the snowy owl will play?
The osprey cam at the Neustadter Nature Center at Collins Marsh in Manitowoc County is showing the winter bird perched on a tower that normally houses an osprey nest during the summer. There is a live webcam focused on the bird.
According to the nature center, snowy owls have migrated from their breeding grounds in the Arctic to wintering grounds across Canada and the northern United States. During the winter, snowy owls feed on voles, small rodents, rabbits, waterfowl and other birds.
The family of osprey don’t mind letting someone use their summer home during the winter. The two adult birds, which nested at the marsh beginning last April, raised three chicks last summer before heading off to South America for the winter.
Walker comes out in support of right-to-work bill
MADISON (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will sign a right-to-work bill that’s being rushed through the Legislature next week.
Walker’s spokeswoman Laurel Patrick issued a statement Friday saying that if the bill passes, Walker will sign it.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald announced, in a surprise move Friday, that the Legislature would be calling itself into an extraordinary session to take up the issue next week.
Walker had urged the Legislature to wait, saying the issue would be a distraction.
But now Walker is saying that he will sign it. Walker had co-sponsored a right-to-work bill when he was a member of the state Assembly in the 1990s.
Walker is in Washington attending a National Governors Association meeting.
Audit: UW System generated nearly $5 billion in fiscal year
MADISON (AP) – A new audit shows the University of Wisconsin System generated nearly $5 billion in revenue during the last fiscal year, down slightly from the year before.
The Legislative Audit Bureau released a report Friday that found that during the year that ended June 30, the system brought in $4.9 billion in revenue, down from $5.1 billion in the previous year. Student tuition and fees totaled $1.13 billion in 2013-14, down 3.1 percent from 2012-13 thanks largely to a tuition freeze legislators imposed.
The system’s expenses for the last fiscal year totaled $4.8 billion, including $3 billion for salary and benefits.
The system had $1.2 billion generated through program revenue on hand. Most of that – $973.3 million – came from funding sources that don’t have a restriction on their use.
Ice cutting planned on Green Bay
Those who spend time on the bay of Green Bay are asked to be aware of ice cutting planned for next week.
The Coast Guard says cutting is set for Monday through Thursday. The ship is expected to enter the Sturgeon Bay ship canal from Lake Michigan on its way to Bay Shipbuilding.
Ice shacks should be removed and snowmobile, ATV and other recreational users are asked to avoid the area and be careful near the ice.
Anyone with further questions can call (906) 635-3232.
US to fine air bag maker Takata $14,000 per day
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The U.S. government will fine Japanese air bag maker Takata Corp. $14,000 per day for failing to fully cooperate in a long-running investigation of faulty and potentially dangerous air bag inflators.
The inflators, which are in cars made by 10 auto companies, can explode with too much force, spewing shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least six people have been killed and 64 injured worldwide due to the problem.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the fines on Friday in Richmond, Virginia, on a bus tour to promote a major transportation bill. He called Takata a “bad actor” and said the fines will grow each day that it fails to comply with two special orders issued last year by the department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Takata has resisted demands to recall its driver’s side air bags nationwide, although automakers have done recalls themselves. The agency also has demanded data from the company, but said in a letter to Takata that it has failed to explain a “deluge” of 2.4 million pages of documents that were turned over. Federal law requires Takata to provide a catalog or index with the documents so investigators know what to look for.
Takata officials have said publicly that they are cooperating, but that’s not the case, Foxx said at a news conference at the Richmond airport. “This is silly,” he said. “We have a very serious defect issue. We’re working as hard as we can to get defective (cars) off our roads. … We will not tolerate this.”
Foxx accused Takata of flooding NHTSA with unexplained documents. “It’s a dump, and that’s not what they’re supposed to do.”
Takata is required by law to point out “safety relevant” information in the documents, but hasn’t done that, said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind.
Messages left for Takata spokesmen were not immediately returned on Friday.
The letter, from NHTSA Chief Counsel O. Kevin Vincent, says Takata isn’t being forthcoming or being cooperative with NHTSA’s probe. “At this point, Takata has still not taken any steps to provide the agency with an explanation of the documents,” the letter said.
Fines will continue to accrue until Takata “fully and substantively” explains the documents, according to the letter.
Vincent also threatens in the letter to begin taking depositions of Takata employees in the U.S. and Japan if the company doesn’t comply, and it also threatens to refer the case to the Justice Department for further court action.
NHTSA has said that Takata’s inflator propellant, ammonium nitrate, can burn faster than designed if exposed to prolonged moisture in the air. That can cause it to blow apart a metal canister meant to contain the explosion. So far, automakers have recalled about 15 million vehicles in the U.S. and about 22 million globally due to problems with Takata inflators. There could be as many as 30 million with the air bags nationwide.
The transportation bill, called the Grow America Act, was unveiled by the administration last year. It would the amount the government can fine automakers from $35 million to $300 million. It would also triple NHTSA’s investigations budget to $31.3 million and give the agency new authority to stop the sales of defective autos on the grounds that they are an “imminent hazard” before the agency’s defect investigation is complete.
Also in the bill are provisions requiring used car dealers and rental car companies to get recall repairs made before they can rent or sell cars.
“I am asking Congress to pass the Grow America Act, which provide the tools and resources needed to change the culture of safety for bad actors like Takata,” Foxx said.
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Krisher reported from Detroit.
Chargers and Raiders pitch joint stadium in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers are planning a shared stadium in the Los Angeles area if both teams fail to get new stadium deals in their current hometowns, the teams said in a joint statement, adding another layer of complexity to a possible NFL return to the region.
The proposed $1.7 billion stadium would be in Carson, 15 miles south of downtown Los Angeles and home to the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team.
Thursday night’s statement says the teams have tried and failed for years to find stadium solutions in Oakland and San Diego, and without new agreements in those cities their hands will be forced.
“We are pursuing this stadium option in Carson for one straightforward reason,” the statement says. “If we cannot find a permanent solution in our home markets, we have no alternative but to preserve other options to guarantee the future economic viability of our franchises.”
The plan creates the odd prospect of divisional rivals suddenly sharing a home field, and of Los Angeles having two NFL teams after going two decades with none.
And it takes the muddled issue of the NFL’s return to Southern California and makes it downright messy, with at least three viable stadium plans in the works.
St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is part of a joint venture to build an 80,000-seat stadium at the site of the former Hollywood Park horse track just 10 miles from Carson in Inglewood.
And a plan remains alive for an NFL facility in downtown Los Angeles. That stadium known as Farmers Field, until recently the leading candidate for the NFL’s return, now becomes a long shot with multiple competitors and no clear team attached.
Earlier this month, the NFL sent a memo warning teams that the league itself will be behind any decision to move to Southern California, and established a committee of owners to review the options.
The Chargers and Raiders statement says they will respect and adhere to the guidelines the league laid out.
The teams said they plan to work in good faith through 2015 to find new agreements to stay in their current homes, where they are both in year-to-year leases and both have sought public funding that has been hard to get.
The Chargers’ talks with San Diego City Hall to replace the nearly 50-year-old Qualcomm Stadium have grown increasingly contentious. Mayor Kevin Faulconer appointed an advisory group earlier this month to recommend a site and financing plan for a new stadium that can go on the November 2016 ballot. But Chargers’ attorney Mark Fabiani told the group that there may not be a publicly acceptable solution to the problem and warned them against using the team for political advantage.
The head of the mayor’s group Adam Day said the new plan came as a “complete surprise.”
“While it’s disappointing to hear the Chargers are moving forward with plans in Los Angeles, we remain committed to finding a solution in San Diego,” Day said in a statement.
The Raiders’ even older Oakland Coliseum has had sewage and electrical problems and is now the only stadium in the US used as the home for both an NFL and Major League Baseball team, the Oakland Athletics. The team wants to build a new stadium at the site but talks with the city have shown little progress.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said she spoke Thursday night with team president and CEO Marc Badain, “and he continued to assure me that the Raiders’ first priority is to stay in Oakland in a new stadium.”
Schaaf said she wants to be “a responsible steward of the public dollar, to keep my sports teams and” to redevelop the neighborhood around the Coliseum. She added: “I am committed to not putting public dollars into stadium construction.”
The Rams have been in a similar struggle with St. Louis, but have made progress with a burgeoning plan for a 64,000-seat stadium there on the city’s north riverfront.
All three teams have Los Angeles ties. The Rams called the area home from 1946 to 1994, the Raiders were here from 1982 to 1994 and the Chargers played their inaugural 1960 season in LA.
800,000 HealthCare.gov customers given wrong tax info
WASHINGTON (AP) — About 800,000 HealthCare.gov customers got the wrong tax information from the government, the Obama administration said Friday, and officials are asking those affected to delay filing their 2014 returns.
The tax mistake is a self-inflicted injury that comes on the heels of what President Barack Obama had touted as a successful enrollment season, with about 11.4 million people signed up.
California, which is running its own insurance market, on Thursday announced a similar problem affecting about 100,000 people in that state.
The errors mean that nearly 1 million people may have to wait longer to get their income tax refunds this year. And they could also affect the size of those refunds.
Another 50,000 or so who already filed may have to resubmit their returns.
Federal officials also announced Friday a special sign-up extension for uninsured people facing the health care law’s tax penalties for the first time this year.
Several million households could benefit from that grace period, which had been sought by Democratic lawmakers in Congress. Uninsured people who go to file their taxes and learn they’re facing a penalty will have between March 15 and April 30 to sign up for subsidized coverage through HealthCare.gov. The fines for being uninsured are going up in 2015.
The tax error highlights the complicated links between Obama’s health care law and taxes, connections that consumers will experience for the first time this year. The law subsidizes private health insurance for people who don’t have access to job-based coverage.
By delivering those subsidies through the income tax system, the White House and the law’s supporters were able to tout the health care overhaul as a tax cut. But it also introduced new wrinkles to an already-complicated tax system.
The errors disclosed Friday are in new forms that HealthCare.gov sent to millions of consumers receiving coverage through the federal insurance market that serves most states. Those forms, called 1095-As, are like a W-2 for health care. They provided a month-by-month accounting of the subsidies consumers received to help pay their premiums. That information is then used to make sure everybody got the right amount, not too much, or too little.
Andy Slavitt, a top administration official overseeing federal health insurance programs, said the administration is still investigating the root cause of the problem. Slavitt said it had to do with erroneous calculations of a “benchmark” premium that is used to help determine the amount of subsidies that individuals receive.
It’s unclear how the error would affect consumers, Slavitt said. He said it’s a mix of people who would have gotten too much assistance with their premiums, or too little.
Slavitt said the administration started notifying the affected consumers today. He urged them to wait to file their taxes until they receive corrected forms.
An estimated 50,000 who have already filed will receive special instructions from the Treasury Department, he said.
“We’re not doing any victory laps,” HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan told reporters.
Wisconsin Democrats sound off on right-to-work vote
MADISON (AP) – Wisconsin Democrats say Republicans push to pass right-to-work legislation is a distraction that would interfere with businesses’ operations and result in lower wages for workers.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Juneau Republican, announced Friday that the Senate plans to take up a right-to-work bill next week. The legislation hasn’t been introduced yet, but such measures typically bar unions from forcing employees to join them and pay dues as a condition of employment.
Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, a La Crosse Democrat, says pursing right-to-work is an absurd distraction. She says a bill would interfere with private business contacts and drive down wages.
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, a Kenosha Democrat, says right-to-work would only make things worse in a state that’s still struggling to jumpstart its economy.
MLB makes small pace of game changes, passes on bigger steps
NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball is making some changes to speed up the length of games but it won’t implement some of the more radical proposals to make games shorter.
The league and the players’ union announced an agreement Friday to enforce the rule requiring a hitter to keep at least one foot in the batter’s box in most cases. MLB also will post stadium clocks timing pitching changes and between-inning breaks.
MLB did not institute many of the ideas experimented with during the Arizona Fall League, such as a 20-second clock between pitches, a limitation of pitcher’s mound conferences involving catchers and managers, and no-pitch intentional walks.
Penalties for violating the new rules start May 1 and will involve only fines. In the AFL, strikes and balls were called against violators.
Girls describe stabbing classmate in interrogation video
WAUKESHA (AP) – Police interrogation video of two Wisconsin girls accused of nearly killing a classmate to please a fictional character called Slender Man shows them describing their plan to kill their friend, telling her they were going to go bird watching.
“People who trust you become very gullible,” one of the girls told a police investigator following a May 31 attack in a wooded area of a park in Waukesha, a community about 20 miles west of Milwaukee.
“It was sort of sad,” the girl added.
WISN-TV obtained 9 hours of separate videotaped interrogations of the Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, who were both 12 at the time. Weier has since turned 13. In the video, one of the girls wipes away tears as she explains how they hoped to please Slender Man by killing the victim, who survived 19 stab wounds and crawled to a path near the woods after her attackers left.
“So we told her we were going to get help, but we really weren’t. We were going to run and let her pass away. So, we ran,” one girl explains to a detective.
The other girl spent about 6 hours in an interrogation room, some of which she sits alone singing to herself.
“We knew it was going to be at my birthday sleepover. You have no idea how difficult it was not to tell anyone,” the girl said to an investigator. “Truth be told, I wanted to be locked up so I couldn’t hurt her. But, that time has passed and now I’m in here because we were so careless. I knew this would happen. I knew we’d get in trouble.”
Both girls described the character Slender Man during their interrogations.
“He has tendrils that are very sharp,” one girl said. “I see him in my dreams.”
Authorities arrested the girls walking along a highway about 5 hours after the victim was found a passing bicyclist. They told authorities they were on their way to the Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin, where they thought they would join Slender Man in his mansion.
The two girls are charged in adult court with attempted first-degree intentional homicide. If convicted, each could be sentenced to up to 65 years in the state prison system. Their attorneys want their cases moved to children’s court where a conviction could send them to a secure facility until age 25.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren said he intends to issue a ruling in the case March 13.
The victim, who turned 13 last week, has recovered from the attack and returned to school.
Wisconsin Republicans plan vote on right-to-work next week
MADISON (AP) – The Wisconsin Legislature will take up a right-to-work bill next week in a surprise move that runs contrary to the wishes of likely 2016 presidential candidate Gov. Scott Walker who had urged lawmakers to delay any debate until later in the year.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald announced the plan Friday on WTMJ radio, saying he expects Walker will sign the bill even though he doesn’t have any assurances. Walker was in Washington on Friday for a National Governors Association meeting and his spokeswoman didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
Walker rose to prominence in 2011, when he pushed through a law known as Act 10 that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. That led to protests involving as many as 100,000 people at the state Capitol and a 2012 recall election that Walker won.
Walker is a longtime supporter of right to work and even sponsored a bill when he was in the state Assembly in the early 1990s. But this year, as he eyes a White House bid, he urged the Republican-controlled Legislature not to take up the issue because he saw it as a distraction.
Unlike Act 10, which Walker proposed, the right-to-work push is coming from Republicans who control the Legislature.
“I think we can do this next week without it getting really ugly,” Fitzgerald said on WTMJ. “We’ll see next week whether the Capitol blows up. I don’t know.”
Karen Hickey, a spokeswoman for Wisconsin’s AFL-CIO chapter, didn’t immediately return email and telephone messages. Neither did officials at the Wisconsin Laborers District Council.
Steve Lyons, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Contractor Coalition, a group of more than 300 construction-related private businesses in Wisconsin that oppose right-to-work legislation, also didn’t return a telephone message.
Under right to work, private-sector workers would not be required to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment. Twenty-four other states already have the laws in place.
Proponents of right-to-work argue it will make Wisconsin more competitive and that workers should have the freedom to decide whether to pay and join a union, rather than having dues automatically withdrawn.
Passing right-to-work is a priority for Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the statewide chamber of commerce that represents 3,800 large and small manufacturers and companies, local chambers of commerce and specialized trade associations.
Opponents argue the law is an intrusion on the private operations of businesses and results in lower earnings, weaker benefits and higher health insurance premiums. Critics also say right-to-work would jeopardize a successful business model under which workers receive privately funded training to prepare them for work.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Sen. Jennifer Shilling called it “absurd” that the issue was being fast-tracked.
“Rather than creating economic uncertainty for Wisconsin families and small businesses, Republicans should focus their attention on boosting family wages, closing the skills gap and fixing the $2.2 billion budget crisis they created,” she said in a statement.
Fitzgerald said in the radio interview that the bill would be introduced Friday with a vote planned for Wednesday night or Thursday morning. He said he finalized the plan on Thursday with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
The Legislature will call itself into extraordinary session to quickly pass the bill, Fitzgerald said.
Republicans currently have an 18-14 majority in the Senate. That will grow to 19-14 after an April election to fill a vacancy where a Republican is the only candidate on the ballot.
“The theory is when you have the votes, you gotta go,” Fitzgerald said. “They know this is the right thing to do. The senators know it.”
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Associated Press writer Todd Richmond contributed to this report.
McCarthy, Thompson start shaping next season’s Packers
INDIANAPOLIS — If Packers fans are still smarting from a dramatic close to their season, the team’s leaders don’t seem to be. Wearing an Acme Packers pullover at Lucas Oil Stadium Thursday, head coach Mike McCarthy walked to the podium to talk to media members and tried to start things off with some pleasantries.
“Good afternoon everyone,” he said. After waiting a beat for a polite response from the note-scribbling scribes, he replied to himself, “good afternoon to you, Mike.”
At his season-ending press conference at Lambeau Field weeks ago, McCarthy said the NFC Championship Game loss to the Seattle Seahawks would not stick with next year’s team. GM Ted Thompson, who started his press conference joking he usually gives away the “treasures of the kingdom” to reporters, is similarly past the game.
“That’s a hard thing, it’s hard for our players, our organization,” said Thompson. “At the same time, we’re done with that. Appreciate the question, but we’re not going to lay in that too much longer. We’re moving on.”
Moved on, the team is now focused on the Draft, with staff converging in Indianapolis to watch players test and, in some cases, meet them face-to-face for the first time. Ever secretive about his Draft plans, Thompson dodged questions from media unfamiliar with his policy on evaluating specific potential players.
“I think you’re always looking for a little bit of a sparkle in somebody’s eye,” said Thompson of what he gets from interviewing players at the Combine. “A little bit of a twinkle that maybe you don’t see out of everybody else.”
McCarthy gave a few more hints — but nothing more than hints — about what he’d like to see added to the roster. He said it’s hard to pass up a good quarterback if one comes along at an appropriate time during the Draft; but he won’t rule out bringing back free agent backups Matt Flynn or Scott Tolzien, the latter of which he still sees as an ascending player. McCarthy also says, like safety was addressed with the drafting of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix a year ago, another interior defender could help this time.
“I think the inside linebacker position could be compared to where we were last year at the safety position,” said McCarthy.
The Packers also have decisions to make about their free agent class. Thompson’s policy, as he notes he reiterates “every year,” is to “keep all of our guys together” and sign any free agent they can. That group includes players like cornerback Tramon Williams, right tackle Bryan Bulaga and receiver Randall Cobb who is coming off career highs in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns.
“[Cobb’s] earned this position that he put himself in,” said McCarthy. “It’s a business situation. We want all of our guys back. Randall is a big part of what we do.”
The team also faces a different situation with another free agent, defensive lineman Letroy Guion. He’s facing felony drug and gun charges in Florida. Thompson says the team is “monitoring” the situation and is not close to making a decision. McCarthy says Guion has been back in Green Bay and he hopes the lineman returns to the team next year.
WIFEE AND THE HUZz BAND
WIFFEE AND THE HUZz BAND will perform at an album release show at Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay on Saturday, February 21st at 8:30 pm.
The band will celebrate the official release of their New Album “Songs of Eternal Love and Immediate Satisfaction” and WiFEE’s birthday!!
For more information about the band, click here
Sheboygan school administrator on leave after a felon helped in classroom
SHEBOYGAN (WITI) — She hid the corpse of her own child, so parents in Sheboygan are wondering why she was allowed to help teach their kids. Lake Country Academy officials say a felon is now gone, and the school’s founder has been placed on administrative leave.
The Lake Country Academy, just off of 40th Street in Sheboygan serves Pre-K through eighth-grade students. The public charter school is currently without one of its founders. Carla Koepp has been placed on administrative leave after parents raised concerns about someone in the classroom.
Back in 2006, in Winnebago County, 17-year-old Kristen Cleaver was accused of concealing her pregnancy — eventually giving birth in a bathtub. She was accused of letting her baby drown and then hiding the corpse in a bedroom closet. Her parents noticed a foul smell, and that led to Cleaver pleading no contest to concealing the death of a child. She was sentenced to six months in prison and two years probation.
Lake Country Academy parents can’t believe Cleaver was helping teach kids at their school. She now goes by the name Kristen Kintopf.
A statement released by Lake Country Academy officials says:
“This individual was hired by our school initially in a cleaning role. Later she was moved to a marketing/test coordination role. She did sub recently in a Direct Instruction math group as a para-professional under the supervision of teachers.”
Parents notified school officials as to Kintopf’s past. School officials say:
“Hiring at our school is the role of the administrator. In this case, processes were not followed.”
Kintopf has subsequently been fired. Carla Koepp will be on administrative leave for the remainder of this school year.
Below is the full statement issued by Lake Country Academy officials:
“Lake Country Academy is dedicated to Core Knowledge, Core Virtues and Direct Instruction. As a public chartered school with the Sheboygan Area School District, we understand the importance of providing information. The topics that are a part of the Sheboygan Press article posted last night and today are confidential and sensitive to all involved. However, we feel it is important to respond to inquiries to ensure we are communicating appropriately.
Hiring at our school is the role of the Administrator. In this case, processes in place were not followed appropriately. This individual was hired at our school initially in a cleaning role. Later, she was moved to a marketing/test coordination role. She did sub recently in a Direct Instruction math group as a para-professional under the supervision of teachers. When the Board was made aware of the background of this individual by some parents, we immediately directed the Administrator to remove her from any student contact and she is no longer with the school.
Our Administrator, Carla Koepp is on administrative leave for the balance of the school year.
Lake Country Academy is committed to providing educational excellence as a public chartered school in partnership with the Sheboygan Area School District. We are working hard to move our school forward, and embrace the opportunities we have to become an even stronger school.”
House a total loss after a fire in the Manitowoc area
Update as of 8 a.m.
Officials on scene tell us it was a house fire and that everyone got out safely.
It’s a total loss.
Fire crews on scene tell us they’re having a hard time in this cold weather.
The fire is on Johnston Drive in the Town of Rockwood.
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MANITOWOC- We have a crew headed to a fire in the Manitowoc area.
Witnesses tell us the fire broke out on Johnston Drive, which is just north of Manitowoc.
Sandy sent a couple pictures to Report It.
We will continue to follow this story.
Oscars watching party: give it the golden touch
GREEN BAY – A red carpet, black tie formal wear, and golden statues. Jennie Sykes of Jennie Elizabeth Designs is using the signature colors of the Academy Awards to throw an Oscars party. Sykes calls the overall feel “comfortable elegance.” At this party you would be encouraged to wear yoga pants while you sip champagne and watch the stars shine.
Flashback Friday: The lure of lures
OSHKOSH – Some people just can’t resist the lure of fishing.
Or the lure of lures as we are reminded in this Flashback Friday report from Jack Jones on February 20, 1992.
If fishing is your sport and you’ve been at it for a few years, chances are down in your basement or out in your garage, you’ve got that tackle box full of the extra things you never used like an old wooden plug.
You know, the kind you wouldn’t dare fish with now for fear your buddies would laugh at you right out of your boat. But, you may get the last laugh yet because some of these old plugs are worth a pretty penny.
For example, some collectors will pay in the neighborhood of a thousand dollars for a 1911 head and black sucker like this one.
But not all collectors are in it for the money.
Take Tom Winter of Oshkosh, he’s got an assemblage of lures like no other.
“How many lures you think you got?,” asked Jack Jones, reporter.
“Oh probably 4,000,” said Winter
There’s a reason he got so many. He started collecting as a young boy back in the 30s when his father ran a general store.
“I remember going in the store and the cards would come in with nice lures on there. I just started collecting them,” said Winter.
He has factory cards and glass cases that could fill a museum.
In fact his basement looks like a museum and there’s a reason for that too because he prepares exhibit for the Oshkosh Public Museum.
Just look around. Here is one of the first wooden plugs made in 1903.
That’s a 97 pound sturgeon Tom caught in ’62 at the times of state and world record.
And then there’s this thing.
“That’s called a Detroit minnow trap. Around 1890. The covers screws off, you put a minnow in it,” said Winter.
This is a world class collection, but none of it’s for sale. Tom’s not hungry for money. He’s a true collector, hook, line and sinker.
Racine County teens accused in sexual assault of young girls
WATERFORD, Wis. (AP) – Two Racine County teenagers are facing sexual assault charges after allegedly giving alcohol to two young girls at a party and having sex with them.
The 17-year-old from Waterford was charged Thursday with first-degree sexual assault of a child, while the 17-year-old from Rochester was charged with repeated sexual assault of a child.
According to a criminal complaint, the Waterford teen invited two 13-year-old girls and a 12-year-old girl to a party at his house last Friday. The complaint states the other partygoers got upset and left after learning the girls’ ages, and then the alleged sexual assaults took place.
The Waterford teen is accused of having sex with the 12-year-old, and the Rochester teen is accused of having sex multiple times with one of the 13-year-olds.
Mishicot’s first Winterfest
MISHICOT – If you’re looking for some winter fun this weekend, Mishicot might be the place to be.
The village of Mishicot will hold its first Winterfest on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The celebration will take place at Village Park.
Some events to look forward to include kickball, human foosball and dog sled racing. There will also a snow sculpture will be made by Team USA.
FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning checking out the event.
For more information on Mishicot’s Winterfest, click here.