Green Bay News

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HOWARD – From Tucson, Arizona to Howard, Wisconsin, it’s the tale of one Yorkshire terrier’s journey and how he ended up a long way from home.

But sometimes the smallest decisions can make a big difference.

“I don’t think we’ve quite had something like this happen before,” Lori Nachtwey, with the Bay Area Humane Society.

Members of the Bay Area Humane Society say the Yorkie’s name is Nicholas and he was found last Friday.

If Nicholas could talk, he’d probably have a great story to tell. He might even say he took a very long walk.

“We don’t know exactly what happened or how he ended up here,” Nachtwey said.

The woman who found Nicholas didn’t want to go on camera but she did tell FOX 11 that that he was running along Lenwood Avenue in Howard. She said when she found him, she let him in her car because she thought it was her grandson’s dog.

Nicholas’ rescuer quickly realized the Yorkie wasn’t a part of her family and that’s when Animal Control Officer Monica Hoff’s phone rang.

“When I got there, cute little Yorkie dog just cute as a button and friendly. The first thing I do is I take my microchip reader and check because he didn’t have any collar or tags on him,” said Hoff.

Eventually Hoff tracked down the owner, thanks to a microchip in the back of Nicholas’ neck.

“She’s like, ‘Where is this? Where is he?’ because obviously Tucson, Arizona to Wisconsin is a pretty long trip,” Hoff said.

That’s around 1,800 miles away from home.

The Yorkie was taken to the Bay Area Humane Society and worker Lori Nachtwey called Nicholas’ owner.

“As far as she was concerned, her dog was outside playing and when she went to go get him, he was gone,” Nachtwey said.

Nachtwey says the owner had been looking for Nicholas for two months.

“She just couldn’t believe we found her dog,” Nachtwey said.

So after thousands of miles and two months of waiting, Nicholas is headed back home.

“She was more than willing to try to get a flight scheduled so that we could get the dog back,” Nachtwey said.

But sometimes things don’t always go as planned.

“It’s too cold,” Nachtwey said.

The airline said Nicholas couldn’t travel as cargo because of cold temperatures.

Nachtwey says Nicholas’ owner has decided to come get him to take him back home.

The Bay Area Humane Society says if it wasn’t for the Nicholas’ microchip, finding his owner would have been nearly impossible.

GREEN BAY- Most of the area received 2 to 3 inches of snow from the storm system that moved through Tuesday night.

Expect a chance of snow showers and or drizzle Wednesday and it will get colder.

Temperatures will top out near 32 at about noon then drop to near 22 by 5 p.m. as northwest winds pick up at 15 to 25 mph.

When you wake up Thursday morning the temperature will be near zero, and it will feel like -15. Winds will continue to howl at 15 to 25 mph overnight gusting to 30 mph.

Highs on Thursday only top out at 10 degrees with partly sunny skies. It will still be breezy, with a stiff wind out of the northwest.

SCHOFIELD- No one was injured in a restaurant fire in Schofield.

Officials say the fire started around 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Taco John’s.

An employee called the fire in. When firefighters arrived on the scene, heavy smoke was coming from the roof.

The cause of the fire isn’t known.

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1 envelope (1 ounces) dry onion soup mix
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, breadcrumbs, soup mix, 1/2 cup ketchup and egg. Using an ice cream scoop, place a scoop of the beef mixture into muffin tin cups that have been sprayed with cooking spray. If you’d like, spoon a little of the remaining ketchup on top of each. Bake for 15 to 30 minutes or until meatloaves are cooked through. Remove from oven and let rest a couple minutes before removing from tins.

Makes about a dozen mini meatloaves.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Sam Dekker matched his career high with 21 points, and No. 5 Wisconsin built a big lead early and then held off Nebraska’s late comeback bid for a 65-55 victory on Tuesday night.

The Badgers (22-2, 10-1 Big Ten) won their seventh straight game and extended their lead in the Big Ten to three games over the four teams tied for second place. The Cornhuskers (13-11, 5-7) lost for the fourth time in five games.

Wisconsin has its best 24-game record in program history and best 11-game record in Big Ten play since the 1913-14 squad went unbeaten.

Frank Kaminsky added 13 points and 12 rebounds and Bronson Koenig had 13 points for the Badgers.

Terran Petteway had 16 of his 21 points in the second half for Nebraska, and Shavon Shields finished with 12 points.

The Badgers were up 15 points in the last four minutes before Nebraska made one last run. Tai Webster’s three-point play and his layup after a turnover made it 52-42, and it was 58-53 with a minute left after Petteway converted a three-point play and made a 3-pointer.

Wisconsin went the last 4:53 without a field goal and was just 6 of 17 from the field in the second half. But the Badgers, who shot 39 percent for the game, made 24 of 31 free throws and 15 of their last 18 to improve their road record to 10-1.

The Badgers, who beat the Huskers 70-55 in Madison last month, swept the season series and avenged a 77-68 loss in Lincoln in last season’s final regular-season game. Last year’s upset of the then-No. 9 Badgers in Lincoln, played before an amped sellout crowd, clinched the Huskers’ first NCAA tournament berth since 1998.

Nebraska has looked like anything but an NCAA team this season and struggled again early Tuesday. Wisconsin had its first double-digit lead less than seven minutes into the game and led 27-13 at half. It was the second straight game Nebraska managed only 13 first-half points.

The Badgers had things going their way from the start. Leslee Smith blocked Kaminsky’s 3-point try from the top of the key after the tipoff. The ball came right back to Kaminsky, who fed Dekker for an easy basket.

Wisconsin shot just 42 percent and was 1 of 6 on 3-pointers in the first half, but that was enough to take control against a Nebraska team that shot 21.4 percent (6 of 28) in the first half and went scoreless for more than seven minutes.

Petteway, who scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half of the January loss at Wisconsin, had just five points on 2-of-11 shooting in the first 20 minutes.

TIP-INS

Wisconsin: The Badgers clinched a winning Big Ten record for the 15th straight year. … Wisconsin is 6-1 against Nebraska since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2010.

Nebraska: World lightweight boxing champion Terence “Bud” Crawford of Omaha gave a motivational speech to the Huskers this week and was introduced in the first half to big applause. Ex-Husker stars Will Shields (Pro Football Hall of Fame) and Alex Gordon (Kansas City Royals Gold Glove left fielder) also were in the crowd. … Shields made his 75th consecutive start. … The first 2,500 fans received the new state quarter, the Homestead Quarter, as part of a bank promotion.

UP NEXT

Wisconsin: hosts Illinois on Sunday.

Nebraska: visits Purdue on Sunday.

Getting down to crunch time for area basketball teams as we near the end of the regular season. For the girls only a few games left before brackets are released this Sunday. Click on the video to watch Seymour, De Pere, Green Bay Southwest and Kimberly record victories.

ROSENDALE – Some students at an area school district could be saying good bye to the traditional summer break. The Fond du Lac county district is considering a year ’round program.

Once students leave their desks behind for summer break, parents and teachers say the “summer slide” begins.

“With the summer breaks being longer, I think it’s harder for them to get back into school,” said mom Melinda Boyd.

“Especially elementary students regress in math and reading skills,” said District Administrator of the Rosendale-Brandon School District Gary Hansen.

So the district is considering a possible solution to the problem, for some students.

“Year ’round schooling seems to have some impact on that,” Hansen explained.

Hansen told FOX 11 the district would offer an optional year ’round schedule for kindergarten through 5th grade.

“Student breaks are more frequent, but shorter,” he added.

There would still be a traditional schedule for those grades too.

But Hansen told us there seem to be a lot of benefits to nixing that traditional three month summer break.

“We’re also told from the research that student behavior and student attendance seems to be better,” he explained.

Hansen said it’s still early in the planning process, but the year ’round program would likely be held in one of the elementary schools with a dedicated teaching staff.

He told FOX 11 goal is to start the new program in July. Hanson said 60 students are already signed up, if the school board approves.

“We need to move forward here in February with the planning and to have the parent meetings,” Hansen explained.

According to Hansen the program would not cost the district extra money, but there would be start up costs. He did not have an exact figure on those costs yet.

Parents we talked with said a year ’round program wouldn’t work for everyone.

“The obstacle that I would have to face is figuring out how to have daycare, some kind of child care available for my kids during weeks or intermissions they have off,” said mom Brooke Straks.

Some said the schedule might work better if offered to all grade levels.

“It would only affect one of them. So I won’t wanna send one of my children and not the other three to school in July. I don’t think he would wanna go to school if his siblings aren’t going to school,” said Boyd.

The school board will discuss the schedule and the costs at its meeting Monday.

KESHENA – The Menominee Tribe has decided it will march to the state capitol in protest of Governor Walker’s casino decision.

The march was voted on in a special tribal legislature meeting Tuesday night in Keshena.

Heading into its special meeting, members of the Menominee Tribe say they’ve been upset since Governor Walker turned down its Kenosha Casino.

“I’m angry,” said Carmen Sweetwood of Keshena.

“A lot of mad, sad, unhappy,” said Rose Schanandoer of Keshena. “We’ve seen a lot coming for us and because of one person, could destroy 8,500 lives here.”

The Menominees decided they are going to show their feelings in an approximately 156 mile march from Keshena to Madison. They are asking anyone and everyone to join them.

“I extend my hand out there to the UW System,” said Vyron Dixon, a member of the Menominee Tribal Legislature. “He’s picking on you, well come join the march. He picked on us. We’re not standing down. I’m looking at everyone. I’m looking at Wisconsin.”

Not everyone from the tribe is optimistic the march will lead to any reconsideration.

“He shot us down once now, why should we go back to the table and try to deal again?” said Mary Ninham of Neopit. “That’s just a waste of our money.”

Others say they also aren’t in favor of the new offer to help fund a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Regardless, Menominee leaders say their march will start at 8 am Friday from tribal offices.

Senators from Wisconsin on both sides of the aisle agree that the U-S must take increased action against the Islamic State.

“We need to achieve the goal that President Obama has stated: degrade and ultimately defeat ISIS,” said Republican Senator Ron Johnson.

Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin echoed that feeling.

Through a statement, Baldwin said, “ISIL is a group of barbaric terrorists, and their extreme tactics display a shocking brutality that must be confronted.”

Both Senators Johnson and Baldwin say they need more details from the president about what extent of military action might be taken.

“Beyond that President Obama needs to define what he means by defeat. Is it in Iraq, is it in Syria, is it in the eight countries that now have affiliated groups with ISIS?” said Johnson.

But Baldwin said proper authorization for force is needed. Her statement also said she’s “extremely concerned that the current operation lacks measurable goals, benchmarks of success and a clear scope.”

However, Johnson approves of putting boots on the ground in this fight.

“Every military expert would tell you we need ground troops if we’re going to be successful in defeating ISIS,” said Johnson.

Baldwin said military action could put the “United States at risk of repeating the mistakes of the past.”

GRAND CHUTE – Police in Grand Chute are asking the public for help in identifying a suspect in a bank robbery at Fox Communities Credit Union on Tuesday afternoon.

Police arrive on scene of a bank robbery at Fox Communities Credit Union in Grand Chute Feb. 10, 2015. (WLUK/Alex Ronallo)

Grand Chute Police say the man entered the bank, located at 2531 Highway Drive, and walked up to the teller window and placed a note on the counter demanding cash. The man walked out of the bank at 4:17 p.m. with an undisclosed amount of cash. The man left the bank on a bicycle.

The man did not display a weapon and no one was injured.

The man is described as a younger white man about 5’02”-5’05” tall, weighing approximately 165-180 pounds with blue eyes. Witnesses say he had a scar over his right eye. He was wearing white athletic shoes, light blue jeans, black leather gloves and an oversized medium to dark grey hooded sweatshirt.

If you recognize the man or have any information on this incident, please contact the Grand Chute Police Department by phone (920) 832-1575, fax (920) 832-1749, or text “GCPD” and your tip to 847411 or leave your tip on the Grand Chute Police Department’s Facebook page.

 

NEW YORK (AP) – NBC announced Tuesday that it is suspending Brian Williams as “Nightly News” anchor and managing editor for six months without pay for misleading the public about his experiences covering the Iraq War.

The network’s decision came less than a week after Williams apologized for saying on the air that he was in a helicopter hit by a grenade in 2003. Instead, another helicopter flying ahead of his was hit, and some veterans involved in the mission called him out on it.

NBC Chief Executive Steve Burke said Tuesday that Williams jeopardized the trust he has built up with viewers during his decade as the network’s lead anchor.

“His actions are inexcusable and this suspension is severe and appropriate,” Burke said. But he said Williams “deserves a second chance and we are rooting for him. Brian has shared his deep remorse with me and he is committed to winning back everyone’s trust.”

Williams declined to comment following the announcement.

NBC News President Deborah Turness said the review of Williams’ work by NBC’s investigative editor Richard Esposito, together with the network’s general counsel, is continuing. She said she was concerned with Williams’ comments both on the air and in outside venues. Williams told the war story on David Letterman’s talk show two years ago in addition to “Nightly News” on Jan. 30.

Williams has the responsibility to be truthful and uphold the standards of the news division, Turness said. But she said she felt it would be wrong to disregard the work that Williams has done and the “special relationship” he has built with viewers over 22 years.

“As I’m sure you understand, this was a very hard decision,” she said in a memo to NBC staff members. “Certainly there will be those who will disagree. But we believe this suspension is the appropriate and proportionate action.”

Some critics called for Williams’ firing, suggesting that it would be difficult for NBC viewers to trust him again. But others, including several viewers who wrote on NBC’s Facebook page, said they would be angry if NBC let him go for this violation.

It was a crucial commercial decision for NBC, too. “Nightly News” has remained atop the evening news ratings, and averaged more than 10 million viewers a night last week. Other NBC News shows, like “Today” and “Meet the Press,” have faltered in the ratings.

Lester Holt, Williams’ primary substitute, will fill in for him during the six-month suspension, Turness said.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States is preparing to withdraw nearly all of its troops fighting the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the White House said Tuesday, as the global health crisis recedes amid a sharp decline in Ebola cases.

Of the 2,800 troops the U.S. deployed, just 100 will remain in West Africa after April 30, officials said. About 1,500 of those troops have already returned home. Those staying in West Africa will work with Liberia’s military, regional partners and U.S. civilians to continue fighting Ebola.

“Just 10 months since the first U.S. government personnel deployed, we have delivered extraordinary results,” said U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah, adding that Ebola cases were down 80 percent and that in hard-hit Liberia, new cases have dwindled to just one or two per day.

President Barack Obama was to announce the withdrawal and outline the next steps the U.S. plans to take on Ebola at an event Wednesday at the White House. The move comes as Ron Klain, who led Obama’s Ebola response and was informally dubbed the “Ebola czar,” wraps up his work. The White House said Klain debriefed Obama as the Ebola response enters a new phase.

The Pentagon said all returning troops will undergo “established controlled monitoring procedures” to ensure they have not contracted Ebola.

While careful not to declare the crisis over, the White House touted declining Ebola cases as a sign that U.S. and global efforts had paid off. Officials said the U.S. helped build 15 Ebola treatment units, trained more than 1,500 health workers and coaxed the world community into contributing more than $2 billion to Ebola efforts.

The worst Ebola outbreak in world history has killed almost 9,000 people, and the World Health Organization has warned it will be challenging to bring cases to zero. The outbreak is expected to cost the three most-affected countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – at least $1.6 billion in lost economic growth.

Obama faced intense initial criticism over his administration’s Ebola response, particularly after health workers contracted the virus at a Texas hospital while treating a patient that had been infected in Africa. The U.S. tightened policies at home and dedicated a surge in resources to West Africa to address the epidemic.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comedy Central says that Jon Stewart will leave “The Daily Show” as host later this year.

His departure was announced by Comedy Central President Michele Ganeless after Stewart broke the news to the audience at Tuesday’s taping in New York.

Thank you Jon. pic.twitter.com/yPdxjnkuLw

— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral) February 10, 2015

Stewart took over the show in 1999. He took a several months-long hiatus in 2013 to direct “Rosewater,” a film about an Iranian-born journalist who was imprisoned for 118 days in Tehran and accused of being a spy.

The network lost another major host last year when Stephen Colbert left to take over David Letterman’s late night show on CBS.

 

SHIOCTON – Sturgeon spearing begins in just a few days on Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes. But a new scientific approach hopes to shed some light, or sound on how the prehistoric creatures reproduce.

The sounds of sturgeon spawning on many stretches of the Wolf River are familiar to many. But beneath all the splashing and thrashing, there may be more than meets the ear.

“The first time I heard it, it was scary. Like the hair would go up on the side of your arms. Because you’re like oh, what is that?” asked Chris Bocast, UW-Platteville Audio Research Specialist.

Bocast said his research reveals the sound of a sturgeon.

There is rapping.

And chirping too.

“We brought these sounds to science, and were able to accurately analyze them,” said Bocast.

Bocast spent three seasons in the chilly waters of the Wolf and Embarrass Rivers recording the underwater sounds. The groundbreaking research was the foundation for his doctorate in the field.

“What we learned really surprised us. We found out that these sounds were infrasonic. In other words, they were below the level of human hearing,” said Bocast.

Bocast says he sifted through more than 40 hours of audio.

“The sounds work as a shock wave basically. Boom. And that’s it. So it’s not like whales, where they’re bouncing very low frequency sounds off the sea floor, and sending them for hundreds of miles. It’s not one of those situations. They only go for a short distance, he said.

Bocast says contours in the river bottom prevent low frequency sounds from traveling more than 15 feet. But high frequency sounds are more powerful.

“You can hear the hydrodynamic sounds of the pods thrashing for at least 200 feet downstream,” he said.

So the big question is why?

“The noises that we’ve documented are pretty much during spawning season,” said Ron Bruch, Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Fisheries Director.

Bruch took part in the research project. He says the fish likely make the sounds through vibrations in their swim bladders. He says males and females make the sounds, perhaps trying to improve the chance of success.

“When these fish are migrating hundreds of miles up the river, there’s a lot of different rock piles that they can spawn on. The males have to know where this female is going to be. So they listen for this action, and then they know that there’s something taking place that they want to participate in,” said Bruch.

And researchers say sturgeon use whiskers to help them hear.

“They’re called barbels, and those are common in fish species that are electro-receptive,” said Bocast.

Biologists say knowing the sounds can help manage the population.

“So you get a hydrophone out, and if you hear the sound, you know you have spawning fish,” said Bruch.

Bocast says he is proud to be part of the project.

“Making an actual scientific discovery was really quite thrilling,” he said.

Bocast says his research is far from finished. He plans to be back on the river.

This time he wants to record the sturgeon activity from above the surface.

DE PERE – Drew Nowak already knows which play you probably want to hear about. He’s answered the questions already and is happy to do it again.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever felt that feeling before of something just being taken away,” said the De Pere High School alum Nowak. “Every bad feeling in your body you could possibly have happened.”

Nowak is an offensive lineman for the Seattle Seahawks, spending the past season on the team’s practice squad. He had one of the best views in the world of the Super Bowl’s defining play, Russell Wilson’s late interception. The Western Michigan University product says he was standing on the sideline near the 50-yard line, not far from Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.

“My stomach felt weird, my knees felt weak,” said Nowak. “My heart was racing. It was just like, ‘did that just really happen?’”

The outcome notwithstanding – Nowak says he still hasn’t seen the play on TV, he’s avoided ‘SportsCenter’ at all costs – being a part of a Super Bowl was an incredible experience. His parents arrived in Arizona the Friday before the game which was a highlight, as was the Media Day circus where he didn’t mimic teammate Marshawn Lynch’s silent treatment for reporters.

“I had a blast during Media Day,” said Nowak. “Got to meet [former Steelers defensive lineman with a huge beard] Brett Keisel. I thought that was awesome. Got to talk about beards. I got asked about Taylor Swift’s belly button. Asked about Katy Perry.”

Nowak is now focused on the future. He’s currently spending time with his wife’s family in Michigan before taking some time back in Wisconsin. Readying for his fourth professional season, he plans on training in Arizona leading up to getting back to Seattle for offseason works. Nowak calls the season on Seattle’ practice squad valuable, working on both the offensive and defensive lines, but sees his future opportunity at center.

“[The season] was good, I got to play both guards this year in practice and a little bit of center,” said Nowak. “I think it’s going to be huge to come back and get an opportunity at center.

“With the way the opportunities are with the roster and everything, I think there’s definitely a chance for me to get a shot to play.”

In the meantime, Nowak is enjoying a little bit of time away from football. He’s taking it easy on the trash talk, too, for his Packers-loving friends and relatives still aching from Seattle’s win in the NFC Championship game.

“Honestly, it was the craziest win I’ve ever been a part of,” said Nowak. “All my friends and family were basically like, ‘we love you but we’re rooting for the Packers.’”

Nowak didn’t play in the game against Green Bay, but just like all season, he had a great idea of the gameplan and preparations for the game. That included, as he watched the game, knowing the Seahawks would fake a field goal that led to a Jon Ryan touchdown pass, one of the game’s turning points.

“I knew when they were running the fake,” said Nowak. “We said if they lined up the way we thought they were going to, we were going to call the fake, and they did exactly the way we thought they would.”

Nowak signed a futures contract with the Seahawks after the season, announced on February 4th. That allows him to work with the team during the offseason and compete for a spot on the team.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A liberal group has filed a complaint alleging that a new tax-exempt group created by Gov. Scott Walker is acting in violation of federal election law because it is actually a presidential exploratory committee.

The American Democracy Legal Fund filed the complaint Tuesday with the Federal Elections Commission. It alleges that Walker’s 527 group Our American Revival is raising and spending money in violation of federal law.

The complaint cites press reports that Walker’s group had accepted donations in excess of the $2,700 limits allowed for exploratory committees.

The issue revolves around whether the type of committee Walker established and the work it is doing requires it to be organized differently to avoid running afoul of federal law.

A spokeswoman for Our American Revival calls the complaint frivolous.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Six-foot-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo will start concentrating on dunks after Wednesday.

The first priority for the Milwaukee forward is to help his team beat the Sacramento Kings in the Bucks’ last game before the All-Star break. Then he can focus on mapping out his plan as one of the participants in the All-Star weekend dunk contest.

Antetokounmpo is thinking big, just like the rest of a team that has been one of the NBA’s pleasant surprises this year.

“After the (Kings) game I will be like, ‘Ah, dunking all over the place!’ I will let you guys know,” said the Bucks’ emerging, 20-year-old star.

At 29-23 going into Wednesday night’s game, the Bucks are already one win away from doubling their victory total from all of last season.

New owners took over last April and coach Jason Kidd joined the team over the summer. Jabari Parker was drafted with the second overall pick out of Duke to join Antetokounmpo as young franchise building blocks.

All that change generated new energy around the club. Even so, most prognosticators picked the Bucks to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. They were written off again after Parker went down with a season-ending knee injury in mid-December.

Instead, the Bucks have only gotten better.

They’re 16-11 since Parker was lost for the season. Milwaukee is also comfortably nestled into the sixth seed in the conference race, seemingly a postseason lock in the mediocre East.

General manager John Hammond is among many in the organization who did not expect the team to be approaching 30 wins at the break.

“I think this is a great story of overachievement of our guys,” Hammond said Tuesday.

Under Kidd, the Bucks are one of the best defensive teams in the league, bolstered by the length and speed of young players like Antetokounmpo and point guard Brandon Knight.

Hammond has also brought in veterans Jared Dudley and Jerryd Bayless to add experience and bolster depth. Dudley, especially, seems to be a vocal but calming presence in the locker room.

Dudley said that there was “a lot of trust in J-Kidd and how he coaches and the way he goes about his business.”

The better-than-expected success has Dudley rethinking goals.

“For us, it’s to stay at the 6 spot or move up,” Dudley said about playoff positioning after the 103-97 win Monday night over Brooklyn. “For us, we would love to get a get a first-round series at home.”

The timing couldn’t have been better for an organization hoping to generate statewide support for a new downtown arena.

The sale of the team last April from former U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl to a group headed by New York investment firm executives Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry included a contingency that allowed the NBA to take possession of the team if a new arena wasn’t built by 2017.

That means the Bucks would likely move from Milwaukee. Governor Scott Walker’s budget proposal this year calls for issuing $220 million in state bonds to help pay for the new arena.

“We think we’re a year ahead. It accelerates interest. It accelerates enthusiasm,” team President Peter Feigin said. “We’re going into (season ticket) selling season and renewal season, so it couldn’t be better to have a winning record, when everybody’s expectations were so low.”

But don’t expect the team to change course from its long-term rebuilding blueprint. The goal is build a championship contender built to last, not just to make a one-year push.

“I think we’re all aware that’s not who we want to be,” Hammond said. “Right now, anything we’re looking at today is still hopefully going to be focused on maybe acquiring a piece or adding a piece that can be future-to-long term players for this organization.”

The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 19.

Also Tuesday, Hammond said there are has been no determination from the NBA on when center Larry Sanders could return from suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Sanders has been out since Dec. 23 for personal reasons. He was suspended by the NBA for a minimum of 10 games starting Jan. 16.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS-TV) — A tattered and moth eaten West Point vintage sweater bought at the Goodwill store on Patton Avenue in West Asheville could fetch more than $20,000.

On Saturday Feb. 21, Heritage Auctions based in Dallas will sell the item now traced back to its original owner — legendary football coach Vince Lombardi.

Lombardi served as an assistant at West Point from 1949-1953. An old picture shows Lombardi wearing the same sweater.

Sean McEvoy was shopping with his wife Rikki when he bought the vintage West Point item for $0.58 in Goodwill’s outlet store. The couple own a vintage store in Knoxville called Roslyn Trading Co.

McEvoy bought the sweater last June to sell at the store, but said he was watching TV one night and saw a photo that took him aback.

“I was watching a Vince Lombardi documentary and I said to my wife, we have a sweater just like that,” McEvoy said. “Wouldn’t it be great if it was actually Vince Lombardi’s?”

His wife then told him she had seen a name tag inside.

“She said I think it’s that guy, Lombardi,” McEvoy said. “My heart kind of sank into my stomach a bit.”

He couldn’t believe his luck. McEvoy called the Pro Football Hall of Fame but said they wanted him to donate the sweater.

“My wife put the kabosh on that,” McEvoy said who then called Heritage Auctions in Dallas.

He said he decided to drive from Knoxville to Dallas himself to bring the sweater to get looked at. An authenticator hired by Heritage confirmed the sweater was the one worn by Lombardi in the photo.

“They examined the types of fabric that are used on the sweater the different types of stitching,” Chris Nerat said, consignment director at Heritage. “I think that it could easily hit the $20,000 range.”

Stories like these give the average thrift store shopper a little motivation for in their hunts.

“It will definitely make me come back here a lot more,” Goodwill shopper Ben Carroll said. “And search through some of these bins.”

As head coach, Lombardi won five national championships and two Super Bowls for the Green Bay Packers.

 

Baseball great Ted Williams. World War II general and future president Dwight Eisenhower. Veteran broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow. They all spent time fishing in Wisconsin, and there a newly digitized collection of photos documents their excursions.

In a photo dated 1957, broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow poses with a fishing pole next to Belle Lake in Vilas County. (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources photo)

There are more than famous faces in the Wisconsin’s Historic Natural Resources Photos collection, however. The collection, which covers the 1930s to the 1970s, contains around 500 photos of Wisconsin’s outdoors.

“These photos are treasures that should be shared with the public,” Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp said in a news release. “Just like old family photos, for years they’ve been stashed in the basement of the State Natural Resources Building waiting for somebody to put them in an album. This project makes them a click away to anybody who wants to see them.”

The DNR says staff members are picking out about 2,200 photos to be uploaded. They add details, then University of Wisconsin staff members and student workers digitize and index the pictures before adding them to the UW Digital Collections website.

The project is scheduled to be finished in May of next year.

• Click here to see the collection