Green Bay News

MILWAUKEE – Warm up your lightsaber, dust off your cowboy boots and brush up on your “Major League” quotes before you head to Miller Park this year.

The Milwaukee Brewers have announced four theme nights for the 2015 season.

May 29 is Country Night. A concert by Joe Nichols follows the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks and fans who buy a special ticket package will receive a Brewers cowboy hat.

The next night is “Star Wars” Night. Characters from the movie are set to make special appearances and a special ticket package includes a “Jedi Luc” Jonathan Lucroy bobblehead doll to the first 4,000 fans.

The June 12 game against the Washington Nationals is the Brewers’ third-annual Zubazpalooza. A special ticket package available for that night includes a pair of green and blue Zubaz pants with the Brewers’ 1990s logo.

Milwaukee Brewers radio broadcaster Bob Uecker gets ready to go on the air before the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals Friday, July 23, 2010, in Milwaukee. The 75-year-old broadcaster underwent surgery April 30 to replace his aortic valve, aortic root and part of his ascending aorta and the game marks his first game back. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

July 21 will be “juuuuuust a bit outside” as the Brewers host the Cleveland Indians on “Major League” night. Fans who buy a special ticket package for that game will have the chance to get a bobblehead of the Harry Doyle character, played by Brewers radio announcer Bob Uecker. The talking doll comes with recordings of some famous quotes from the movie.

Ticket packages are available by calling the Brewers’ Group Sales Department at (414) 902-4777 or online. To receive the giveaways, tickets must be purchased in advance, the team says.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — At least 20 people were killed early Tuesday in the Haitian capital after a man on top of a musical group’s Carnival float was electrocuted, setting off a panic in which dozens of people were trampled, witnesses and officials said.

The accident occurred as thousands of people filled the streets of downtown Port-au-Prince for the raucous annual celebration. Video from the scene shows sparks coursing from the wire after a singer from the Haitian hip-hop group Barikad Crew was touched by an overhead power line as the float passed beneath it. The wire appeared to have electrocuted several others as well.

There were conflicting reports on the number of casualties. Nadia Lochard, a coordinator for the Department of Civil Protection, said at least 20 people were killed and 46 were injured. Radio station Zenith-FM quoted a doctor as saying that the singer, known by the stage name Fantom, was expected to survive.

Dr. Joel Desire, a doctor at General Hospital, said most of those killed appeared to have been trampled to death as the crowd surged away from the Carnival float.

The Barikad Crew float was one of 16 in the downtown Carnival parade. Witnesses said panic ensued when people jumped off the float to avoid being electrocuted.

“I saw the wire falling and sparks and I started running for my life,” said Natacha Saint Fleur, a 22-year-old who was near the float at the time.

A dazed Carlhenry Belan, who injured his foot in the stampede, said the crowd seemed to surge all at once. “I saw the spark and I saw people running so I did too,” the 25-year-old said as he was being treated at the General Hospital, where many victims were taken.

Video from the scene shows Haitian ambulance crews racing through the crowds in the pre-dawn darkness with victims on stretchers. Hundreds of people crowded around the hospital, carrying victims or looking for information about family and friends amid a chaotic scene. Some men and women wailed as people were declared dead and the hospital’s morgue soon overflowed.

Haitian officials were expected to announce later whether they would cancel Tuesday’s third and final day of Carnival events. Communications Minister Rothchild Francis said the government was working to assist victims. First lady Sophia Martelly visited some of the injured but left the hospital without speaking to reporters.

It is a common practice in Haiti and elsewhere to have someone positioned atop a parade float to move low-hanging power lines. In Brazil, officials said three people were killed early Tuesday when they were electrocuted while standing atop a Carnival float that hit a power line on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.

MADISON (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker is proposing that Wisconsin cut state tax funding for its parks system and make up for it by raising campsite and park entrance fees.

Walker’s spending plan would remove $4.6 million in tax funding from the budget for the state’s parks, trails and recreation areas, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.

Tax revenue makes up about a quarter of the current $16.7 million parks budget, which would decrease to $15.6 million under Walker’s spending plan, with more funding coming from fees.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is reviewing Walker’s proposal, according to agency spokesman Bill Cosh.

“The governor’s budget recognizes the potential of Wisconsin state parks as a user-supported state resource that will allow Wisconsin state parks to stay healthy and visitor-focused,” Cosh said.

The price of an annual state park pass would go up by $3 to $28, and nightly campsite fees would rise $2. The group Friends of Wisconsin State Parks backs the “modest” fee increase, group president Bill Zager said.

State tax funding for Wisconsin parks has gone down since the state legislature voted in 1995 to get rid of a requirement that the system be equally funded by fees and the general fund.

The National Conference of State Legislatures reported in 2012 that state parks generally have not been able to support themselves. Philip McKnelly, the former head of the National Association of State Park Directors, said Wisconsin’s proposed changes “would have a significant impact on the system.”

Wisconsin’s state parks system includes 46 parks, 14 state trails, four recreational areas and two national scenic trails. The parks account for about $1 billion in economic activity each year, according to a study by the state Department of Natural Resources and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

MADISON (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker’s administration plans to skip $100 million in debt payments this May to help deal with a budget shortfall.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday on a memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau that discussed the plan. The tactic has been used by Democratic and Republican governors for years as a short-term budget-balancing move.

Since 2011, more than $1.5 billion such payments have been delayed.

Delaying the $108 million payment helps avoid the need for a special bill in the Legislature to balance the budget that ends on June 30. That could be an unwanted distraction for Walker as he ramps up efforts for a likely 2016 presidential run.

The accounting move will require higher principal and interest payments in coming years.

MADISON – Wisconsin’s secretary of state says Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal would dismantle his office.

Secretary of State Doug La Follette, a Democrat, is holding a media briefing Tuesday morning in Madison. His office files and maintains state records.

The governor is proposing to nearly halve the office’s budget and staff – a $490,000 reduction – and move remaining staff members to an office in the capitol basement.

The governor’s spokesperson says the cut is intended to make state government more efficient and accountable.

State lawmakers are reviewing the governor’s budget proposal. They plan to begin meeting with state agencies and the public in the coming weeks.

FOX 11’s Andrew LaCombe will have balanced coverage from Madison tonight on FOX 11 News at Five.

MADISON (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker says he won’t change his mind about approving a Kenosha casino, rejecting a new offer from the Menominee Nation to help pay for construction of a new Milwaukee Bucks arena.

Walker on Monday sent the tribe a letter rejecting its offer to pay $220 million for the arena, replacing money from the state.

Walker says that idea was never brought forward during 18 months of negotiations related to the proposed $800 million casino and entertainment complex.

• Click here to read the letter

Walker rejected it the original casino plan, saying the risk to taxpayers was too large.

Walker’s rejection of the latest offer comes as members of the tribe continue to walk 155 miles to Madison to force a meeting with the governor. Their journey is scheduled to end mid-day on Wednesday.

WAUWATOSA (AP) – Dozens of demonstrators took their protest over proposed cuts to education to Gov. Scott Walker’s home.

More than 100 protesters rallied outside Walker’s house in Wauwatosa Monday evening in opposition to the governor’s proposed budget that cuts $300 million from the University of Wisconsin System and keeps school aid and revenue limits for K-12 school essentially flat over the next two years.

Jodi Elliott brought her two young children to the march. Elliott tells WTMJ-TV there’s a lot at stake, specifically her children’s future.

The governor’s office released a statement in response. It says the budget proposal “protects the state’s commitment to K-12 schools by increasing equalization aids and other categorical aid programs.” As for the UW System, the statement says the proposal provides it “with the authority and flexibility that it has been seeking for years.”

MADISON – You may remember him as the Little Chute special needs student who scored an unlikely touchdown, or from the video of his college acceptance letter that went viral.

Noah VanVooren’s parents captured the moment he found out about his unique opportunity.

So how is VanVooren doing in his second semester in college?

FOX 11’s Kelly Schlicht traveled to Edgewood College in Madison for a progress report.

Every time he walks the three blocks to and from class, Van Vooren takes another step toward independence.

“I walk here mid-morning,” said VanVooren, describing parts of his daily routine. “I go to class and I eat some breakfast.”

He’s more than 100 miles from his home in Little Chute. And despite Down syndrome, those close to him say VanVooren is finding success on campus.

“Being in college is great!” he said. “I love my classes.”

“Noah is a non-degree seeking student, so he’s taking classes for audit,” said Dedra Hafner, the director of the Cutting Edge program.

The Cutting Edge program places students with intellectual disabilities in college classes and career training programs.

Hafner says she’s seen tremendous growth from when VanVooren started last fall.

“He’s not scared anymore. He’s really figured out what he’s doing, where he needs to be, where his classes are. All of those are really critical components for Noah,” said Hafner.

On the day I visited, VanVooren showed his parents and me around campus.

“That’s my classroom right there,” said VanVooren.

He also introduced us to some of his many friends, like his peer mentor, Elizabeth Evans.

“He keeps me on my toes. Sometimes I have to keep him in line,” said Evans, a student at Edgewood who works in the Cutting Edge office. “But, no, I love it, he always is so uplifting and has such a great spirit.”

Peer mentors like Evans help guide VanVooren through college life. He also has a mentor who has gone through the Cutting Edge program.

“Brandon can kind of say things in a way that Noah can kind of understand better than anyone else saying it,” said Hafner.

Finding a common understanding was one of the VanVooren family’s greatest fears of sending their oldest child off to college.

And living off campus brought other concerns.

“I guess the biggest fear is safety,” said Todd VanVooren, Noah’s father.

“Todd had been more worried about his physical safety, while I kind of took over the emotional piece. I was more worried that he wouldn’t think that anybody liked him,” said Kara VanVooren, Noah’s mother.

Van Vooren lives in this house with other Cutting Edge program students, and a traditional student resident assistant.

“Is it tough being away from your family?”, Schlicht asked VanVooren.

“Going away from my mom and dad, my dad feels scared, my mom starts to cry,” said VanVooren.

But VanVooren says he’s starting to adjust.

“I felt kind of scared. It was my first year going to college but if you keep on doing it, it goes just like that,” said VanVooren.

Outside of class, VanVooren has started helping out with the Edgewood College basketball team. He’s also exploring his talents as a photographer in his photojournalism class. And his parents say their son’s perseverance is paying off.

“Noah is surpassing some of what we imagined. We’ve always had really high expectations of him and he has had them, too, of himself,” said Kara VanVooren.

“The biggest thing about him going to college is to show the world that it can happen. It doesn’t matter what your disability is. You can still do what you want to do,” said Todd VanVooren.

As for VanVooren’s path to success, one thing is certain: He’ll be back to class next fall.

Most students in the Cutting Edge program spend two to four years at the college. Right now, the VanVoorens say they are taking Noah’s plans one year at a time.

ASHWAUBENON- A water main break is causing problems for a school in Ashwaubenon.

Pioneer Elementary School is closed Tuesday because of the break.

Staff should report at noon.

All after school activities are also canceled.

APPLETON – Whether you want to start out your Mardi Gras festivities with a traditional paczki or bring a New Orleans style King Cake to the office, Simple Simon Bakery is ready for you!  We spent the morning live at the Appleton location to see what they are baking up for Fat Tuesday.  Owner Dawn Ebert says they have 11 different paczki flavors: lemon, raspberry, cherry, custard, blueberry, cream cheese, prune, strawberry, apricot, apple and poppy seed.

Simple Simon Bakery has two locations:

218 E. Wisconsin Ave
Appleton
(920) 733-4351

127 E. Main St
Little Chute
(920) 788-4926

 

 

 

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The winner of the Senate primary contest for Glenn Grothman’s seat will likely move on to the state Legislature.

The winner Tuesday faces no opposition in the April election.

The three candidates on the ballot are former state Rep. Duey Stroebel, Ozaukee County Board Chairman Lee Schlenvogt and Tiffany Koehler of Slinger, who made an unsuccessful run for the state Assembly last year. Grothman was elected to Congress last November.

The 20th Senate district is located in eastern Wisconsin and includes parts of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Washington counties.

HOUSTON (AP) – A federal judge in South Texas has temporarily blocked President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration, giving a coalition of 26 states time to pursue a lawsuit that aims to permanently stop the orders.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen’s decision late Monday puts on hold Obama’s orders that could spare from deportation as many as five million people who are in the U.S. illegally.

Hanen wrote in a memorandum accompanying his order that the lawsuit should go forward and that without a preliminary injunction the states would “suffer irreparable harm in this case.”

“The genie would be impossible to put back into the bottle,” he wrote, adding that he agreed that legalizing the presence of millions of people is a “virtually irreversible” action.

In a statement early Tuesday, the White House defended the executive orders issued in November as within the president’s legal authority, saying the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress have said federal officials can establish priorities in enforcing immigration laws.

“The district court’s decision wrongly prevents these lawful, commonsense policies from taking effect and the Department of Justice has indicated that it will appeal that decision,” the statement said. An appeal would be heard by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

The first of Obama’s orders – to expand a program that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children – was set to start taking effect Wednesday. The other major part of Obama’s order, which extends deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for some years, was not expected to begin until May 19.

Joaquin Guerra, political director of Texas Organizing Project, called the ruling a “temporary setback.”

“We will continue getting immigrants ready to apply for administrative relief,” he said in a statement. The nonprofit says it promotes social and economic equality for low to moderate income Texans.

The coalition of states, led by Texas and made up of mostly conservative states in the South and Midwest, argues that Obama has violated the “Take Care Clause” of the U.S. Constitution, which they say limits the scope of presidential power, and that his executive actions would be difficult to undo once immigrants started to apply for deferred action. They also say Obama’s order would force increased investment in law enforcement, health care and education.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the decision a “victory for the rule of law in America” in a statement late Monday. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who led the state into the lawsuit when he was the state’s attorney general, said Hanen’s decision “rightly stops the President’s overreach in its tracks.”

Hanen, who’s been on the federal court since 2002 after being nominated by President George W. Bush, regularly handles border cases but wasn’t known for being outspoken on immigration until a 2013 case. In that case, Hanen suggested that Homeland Security should be arresting parents living in the U.S. illegally who induce their children to cross the border.

Congressional Republicans have vowed to block Obama’s actions by cutting off Homeland Security Department spending for the program. Earlier this year, the Republican-controlled House passed a $39.7 billion spending bill to fund the department through the end of the budget year, but attached language to undo Obama’s executive actions. The fate of that House-passed bill is unclear as Republicans in the Senate do not have the 60-vote majority needed to advance most legislation.

Among those supporting Obama’s executive order is a group of 12 mostly liberal states, including Washington and California, as well as the District of Columbia. They filed a motion with Hanen in support of Obama, arguing the directives will substantially benefit states and will further the public interest.

A group of law enforcement officials, including the Major Cities Chiefs Association and more than 20 police chiefs and sheriffs from across the country, also filed a motion in support, arguing the executive action will improve public safety by encouraging cooperation between police and individuals with concerns about their immigration status.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Revelers in evening gowns and tuxedoes danced into the wee hours Tuesday at glitzy balls, kicking off the annual Mardi Gras bash that spills costumed merrymakers into the streets of New Orleans for partying, parades and trinkets tossed from floats.

Al Johnson, singer of the catchy Mardi Gras tune “Carnival Time,” served as grand marshal of the Red Beans and Rice foot parade, a Monday prelude to the all-out revelry known as “Fat Tuesday.” He also joined in eating spicy traditional fare of red beans and rice before attending the Orpheus Ball, one of several as the partying began in this Mississippi River port.

Johnson told The Associated Press his catchy song – now synonymous with the annual Carnival seasons – got its inspiration from the Lower 9th Ward, a New Orleans district devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “It all started down there,” he said of the Louisiana neighborhood where levees broke and surging stormwaters splintered wooden homes. But after Katrina, he said, “Life is going on.”

Celebrities and celebrity watchers are also around at Mardi Gras and this year was no exception.

The cast of the CBS crime drama “NCIS: New Orleans” got to experience Mardi Gras firsthand as they rode in the Orpheus parade late Monday, tossing beads to revelers lining city streets before heading off to the ball. Their Mardi Gras episode airs Tuesday night at 8 p.m. CST.

Other celebrities joining in the Orpheus revelry were comedian Ron White and country music star Dierks Bentley.

Ordinary folks took to dressing up. Friends Alexandra Sergutin and Ashley Dornier of New Orleans said donning elegant gowns for the Carnival balls is one of their favorite Mardi Gras activities.

“It feels good to be a part of that tradition. It really does. It touches your heart,” said Sergutin, draped in colorful beads. ” … You’re a part of something amazing and big.”

Around daybreak Tuesday, retired clarinetist Peter Fountain was to help kick off the citywide party.

Now 84, Fountain no longer makes the walk of 10 miles or so of his Half-Fast Walking Club, which he helped found more than half a century ago. And the threat of overcast skies and high temperatures in the 50s – on the cool side for south Louisiana winters – wasn’t expected to deter revelers coming out en masse – and later thronging the French Quarter.

“At least it’s not as cold as last year,” meteorologist Phil Grigsby said. “Last year was cold and rainy. This year at least will be dry.”

The 2014 Mardi Gras was the coldest ever in March, with a high of 42 degrees, said Robert Ricks, who prepared the National Weather Service’s Mardi Gras history webpage.

Celebrations also were scheduled throughout south Louisiana and in coastal Mississippi and Alabama, sharing the traditions brought by French Catholic colonists in the 18th century. In Louisiana’s swampy bayou parishes, costumed riders on horseback go from farm to farm, collecting ingredients for a huge community gumbo.

After Fountain’s group early Tuesday, parade groups follow, including the “krewe of Rex, king of Carnival,” who wears a golden crown and carries a golden scepter. That group features some of the season’s most wildly fantastic floats. After Rex come two groups of “truck floats” by the hundreds – flatbed trailers decorated by costumed riders – whether families, clubs or other social groups.

The parades all wind down late Tuesday afternoon and outdoor celebrations cease at midnight, when the solemn Catholic season of Lent begins. New Orleans police ride horseback down the French Quarter’s Bourbon Street to clear the last tipsy revelers at the end, signaling the party is over for another year.

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – A former Kenosha teacher and basketball coach has been arrested on accusations he kissed a 16-year-old player and sent sexual text messages to her and another teenage girl.

Police began investigating the Indian Trail High School and Academy staff member for misconduct earlier this month. The 25-year-old man resigned as math teacher and head coach of the girls basketball team several days later.

Officers exercised a search warrant at the man’s home Saturday and seized a desktop computer, two laptops and a cellphone. He was arrested and booked into the Kenosha County Jail on child enticement charges.

The man is expected to be formally charged later this week.

PULASKI – The Pulaski student run community newspaper is marking a recent milestone with some big changes.

The Pulaski News is the longest student-run newspaper in the country and marked 75 years last January.

The paper will now be offering electronic editions in addition to the printed paper.

The first e-edition will be the Feb. 19 issue and will be free.

Starting March 1, people looking to receive the e-editions can pay for a subscription of $15/year or pay for a package deal of E-edition and print for $30/year.

FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning with some of the paper’s budding journalists as well as some former members, Steve Peplinski who was a reporter between 1965-67, Dick Pamperin who was in charge of advertising in 1959 and Brighid Riordan who is a descendant of the person who started the first paper in Pulaski called the Tricopa.

To check out the free edition of the Feb. 19 issue, click here.

To subscribe to the Pulaski News, click here.

 

GERMANTOWN- Five people went to the hospital after their car hit a semi in Germantown.

Officials say three young children injured who were not in car seats. All three children were under the age of 4.

The crash happened around 7 p.m. Monday.

Police say the car was headed north on Highway 41, when it swerved into the semi.

The car then slammed into a median wall.

None of the injuries were serious.

Police have not said if the driver of the car will be cited or arrested.

GREEN BAY- A cold front is pushing through the state Tuesday morning resulting in northwest winds and a daytime high near 14 with mostly cloudy skies.

Winds pick up Wednesday as arctic air surges in. We’ll see mostly cloudy skies and high of only 5 degrees. Winds at 10-20 mph will make it feel as cold as -15 during the afternoon.

It will be an extremely cold morning Thursday with a wake up temperature of -13 degrees and wind chills between -20 and -30 which will probably bring wind chill advisories to the area.

Highs that afternoon only reach 4; at least we’ll see lots of sunshine. Wind chills throughout the day will be -10 to -20.

After another cold morning Friday (near -11) we’ll see highs in the teens.

GREEN BAY- It’s spring primary election day, as you decide 2015.

A few area communities have mayoral races.

In Green Bay, incumbent Jim Schmitt is taking on former State Senate and Assembly candidate David VanderLeest and Green Bay City Council President Tom De Wane in the primary.

The two candidates with the most votes will advance to the April general election.

For a list of other races we will be covering, click here.

TOWN OF MENASHA – The Town of Menasha Police Department held a public forum Monday to inform parents about emerging drug trends and how to spot the signs of drug use.

“My child is a drug addict.” Those are words Lori Cross Schotten and Kris Murphy told FOX 11 they never thought they’d say.

“You have to not have that thought that ‘it’s not gonna be my child,’ because it can be anybody’s child,” Cross Schotten explained.

Cross Schotten and Murphy formed the family addiction support group, Wisconsin United We CAN. They are both parents to recovering drug addicts.

Monday they assited the Town of Menasha Police Department on a presentation about emerging drug trends.

They talked about more than mairjuana, cocaine and heroin.

“Meth, the synthetic canabanoids, or K-2, things like ‘Molly,” added Officer Jason Weber.

This isn’t just about illegal drugs, this is about items that are perfectly legal that can be abused.

“If you go through a lot of cough medicine, that is something that can be used to get high off of, vanilla, smoked nutmeg,” said Cross Schotten, listing products you might have in your home that can be used as drugs.

The mothers also explained some household items that can signal drug use.

“‘Where’s all my tinfoil? How come I’m missing all my spoons? Why are there cotton balls everywhere?'” explained Murphy.

“They can all be signs that your child is using an intravenous drug,” added Cross Schotten.

Officer Jason Weber told us if parents think their child is using, the department has free home drug tests. The department received a grant to buy 50 urine drug tests.

“The whole intent of this is prevention and intervention,” said Weber.

Murphy told us the only way to prevent a problem is to pay attention to your child and talk about any concerns you have.

“Had I known then what I know now, we could’ve provided a much earlier intervention into my child’s recovery,” she said.

Wisconsin United We CAN, which stands for Change Addiction Now, also offers a private online support group and connects people to addiction-fighting resources. It is part of a national program.

This is a link to the website: http://www.changeaddictionnow.org/wisconsin.html

Packers player, Letroy Guion was in a Florida courtroom Monday, asking the judge for the return of $190,000 in cash that was confiscated from his truck along with marijuana, and a gun during a traffic stop.

Guion says he was swerving to avoid potholes when he was pulled over in his hometown two weeks ago.

His attorney argues there’s no reason for Guion to forfeit the money. Guion says the money was from his Packers paycheck, which he said he just cashed.

The judge will issue a decision in about a week. If the money and truck are not returned, the police department could eventually use the money toward police services, and equipment.

Monday’s hearing was not about the criminal charges he faces. That includes possession of marijuana, and felony possession of a gun.