Green Bay News

WEST BEND (WITI) – At first glance, it looks a bit like a lighthouse. Stare a little longer and you’ll see it’s about as land-locked as it’s possible to be.

“I made the mistake of watching the Tree House Masters show a couple times and I decided that that was something that I could probably do,” said carpenter Kevin Krause.

But instead of heading for the nearest tree, Krause gave the traditional format a twist and plopped a mini-home into a vacant silo on his family’s property.

“We’ve thought about doing something with this for years and I’ve kind of amused myself by thinking maybe I’d build a deck on top of it or something like that,” Krause said.

But this is a man who, according to his wife does things to the maximum. Which is why what started as a deck, soon evolved into a three-story house.

“Got a spot up there for a TV so we can watch the news when we to,” said Krause.

And let’s be honest: it’s always a good time to watch the news.

What started as a pet project, after thousands of hours of labor, has no turned into a family battle to claim use of the space.

Kevin’s wife, Debra, said “We’ve been arguing quite a bit because I said that’s mom’s house and then I said it was dad’s office and now the kids just have confiscated it all, so we have to incorporate it all, that’s why there’s three floors.”

Whatever they end up settling on, you have to admit, their two ids are going to have bragging rights for the coolest play place.

“My daughter, her birthday is March 8th and she’s pretty much told me that it needs to be finished for her big sleepover for her birthday,” Krause says.

The family says they started the house last summer and they’re hoping to have it completely done within the next few months.

LAKE MILLS (WISN) – It’s a frozen tribute in Wisconsin to the famed Stonehenge in England.

The Icehenge was built in Lake Mills, near I-94 between Madison and Milwaukee.

A group of friends carved the sculpture from ice on Rock Lake.

The work is drawing crowds from all over the state.

DOOR COUNTY – Ice Volcanoes have been popping up at Whitefish Dunes State Park in Door County.

There’s rhythm on this part of Lake Michigan this time of year. The cold surf splashing against the frozen shore. But when the wind, and waves combine just right,

“This is gorgeous. I’ve never seen one of these volcanoes, these ice volcanoes before in my life,” said Richard Calvetti, West Salem.

Richard and Gwen Calvetti traveled to Whitefish Dunes State Park for a quiet hike.

“We just feel really fortunate that we happened to pick now to come up here and see something like this. It’s pretty amazing,” said Gwen Calvetti, West Salem.

Naturalist Carolyn Rock says this volcano started to form Thursday. By Friday morning, the cone was the biggest of the season. It was ten feet tall, with a blow-hole, two feet wide.

Rock says waves crash into each other under a shelf of ice. Cracks form, and water is forced up and out.

“The water comes up through the hole. It sprays all over and starts building up in line a cone-shape of a volcano,” said Carolyn Rock, Whitefish Dunes State Park Naturalist.

“It looks like a regular volcano, and just to see the wave action, these waves hitting some of the spouts of water that come out of there, is amazing,” said Richard Calvetti.

“It’s pretty spectacular. And I know a lot of people are hoping to go see the ice caves up near Bayfield, but they can just come here, and see something pretty awesome,” said Gwen Calvetti.

Naturalists say the volcanoes are short-lived, lasting only a few days. But they say as one volcano fades, the rhythm of the lake will create another one to take its place.

If you want to go to Whitefish Dunes to check out the ice volcanoes, the park is holding Winter hiking events throughout the month of February.

Depending on the weather, people can shoeshoe, or hike each Saturday.

Guides will be on hand if you need help, or you can explore Whitefish Dunes State Park yourself.

Click here for more information on what to do after a data breach.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama, outlining a new national security blueprint for his last two years in office, warned against American “overreach” abroad Friday, even as he cast the U.S. as an indispensable force in combating global challenges including terrorism, climate change and cyber threats.

The 29-page document released by the White House hews closely to Obama’s long-held views and forecasts no major shifts in the military campaign against Islamic State militants or in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Obama said threat of terrorism against the U.S. “has diminished, but still persists” and vowed to degrade extremist groups like the Islamic State using counterterrorism operations and global coalitions, not large-scale, American-led ground wars.

“The United States will always defend our interests and uphold our commitments to allies and partners,” he wrote in an introduction to the White House strategy paper. “But we have to make hard choices among many competing priorities and we must always resist the over-reach that comes when we make decisions based upon fear.”

The president is required by law to send Congress a national security strategy annually. However, most presidents, including Obama, have done so only sporadically. Obama’s only previous memo to lawmakers came in 2010 and formalized his desire to broaden U.S. national security posture beyond anti-terror campaigns.

Obama’s critics have accused the president of putting his desire to keep the U.S. out of overseas conflicts ahead of the need for more robust action against the world’s bad actors. Some members of Congress have called for Obama to send more American ground troops to the Middle East to combat the Islamic State group, while also pushing for the White House to authorize shipments of defensive weapons to Ukraine to help its beleaguered military in the fight against Russian-backed separatists.

Administration officials have said that Obama is reconsidering his opposition to giving Ukraine lethal aid, though he continues to have concerns about the effectiveness of that step.

The president’s blueprint was met with predictable criticism from congressional Republicans. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Obama’s foreign policy doctrine had “led the world into chaos” and left the U.S. “less secure and at greater risk.”

For much of his presidency, Obama has sought to recalibrate the focus of U.S. foreign policy away from the Middle East and toward fast-growing regions like Asia and Africa. He’s made numerous trips to Asia, in particular, and National Security Adviser Susan Rice announced Friday that Obama would be hosting state visits this year for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In one area where Obama has overlap with Republicans, he reaffirmed his support for free trade agreements with Asia, as well as Europe.

Obama’s updated security strategy comes amid fresh fears of cyberattacks following the hacking of Sony, which the U.S. blamed on North Korea. The president said the danger of disruptive and even destructive cyberattacks is growing and vowed to “impose costs on malicious cyber actors,” though he did not specify what those costs would be.

The U.S. levied new economic sanctions on North Korea in retaliation for the Sony hack.

The president also addressed the risks of climate change and infectious diseases like the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa. And while U.S. oil and gas production is robust, Obama said the U.S. must support the creation of new energy sources, in part because of the plummeting price of oil.

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) – A man who says he got a traffic ticket for eating a cheeseburger while driving in metro Atlanta won’t be prosecuted after all.

Cobb County Solicitor General Barry Morgan said in a written statement Friday that his office submitted a dismissal of the case against Madison Turner, and a judge signed it.

Morgan said the state didn’t believe it had the evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, given the facts and circumstances his office investigated.

Turner, who lives in Alabama, said he was enjoying a double quarter-pounder with cheese as he drove down a highway outside Atlanta when he was ticketed for violating Georgia’s distracted driving law.

He said the officer told him, “You can’t just go down the road eating a hamburger.”

MADISON — Good teams need players who enjoy doing the little things on the court to succeed. The guys behind the stars who will dive for loose balls, draw charges and throw their bodies into shutting down an opponent’s best scorer.

At No. 5 Wisconsin, that guy is Josh Gasser. And for once, the Badgers’ ironman will be the center of attention on Saturday for the start of the team’s home game against Northwestern. Assuming that Gasser takes his regular spot in the starting lineup, he will make his 127th career start to pass Alando Tucker for the school record.

“He’s been here 15 years, so it’s not surprising at all,” deadpanned fellow senior Frank Kaminsky.

It actually hasn’t been that long, though it might feel that way at times for Gasser given the ups and downs during five seasons in Madison.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the milestone is that Gasser is reaching the mark after having sat out a year in the middle of his career with a left knee injury.

Gasser tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee just before the start of the season 2012-13 season. He wore a brace on the knee last year, his first season back, when current stars Kaminsky and Sam Dekker emerged as starters to help lead the team to the Final Four.

This season, Gasser is free of the brace and averaging 7.6 points and 2.9 rebounds a game. He hasn’t missed a start in the two seasons since the injury and he again regularly draws the toughest defensive assignment.

And he is a master, once more, of drawing charges in the lane.

“Behind the scenes, Josh is a great motivator, a great leader, a great captain,” Kaminsky said. “It kind of shows on the court with him diving for loose balls, setting the tone defensively.”

Gasser recalled receiving a congratulatory text from Mike Kelley, a former Wisconsin player also known his defensive prowess. Kelley told Gasser to think back to when he was 10 years old, and if Gasser thought then if he would ever make that kind of impact on the program.

Apparently, there were doubters, though Gasser left high school in Port Washington, Wisconsin as the career leader in scoring and rebounding.

“Coming into here, no one really thought I could make it, though I could I do it, but I just worked my tail off, and did whatever people asked me to do,” Gasser said Thursday.

“And then obviously the knee injury, coming back from that,” he added. “Just being able to help my team and play well, that’s something that I’m really proud of.”

But the record itself is something he said that he might dwell on 10 years from now – if he’s not playing anymore.

Physically, he has shown that he can bounce back and play through pain. A couple weeks ago during an 82-50 win over Iowa, Gasser left the court for about 3 minutes after holding his left arm in pain.

He was cleared to return after an exam in the locker room. It was the kind of performance that led Kaminsky – the team’s resident funny guy – to assign Gasser a nickname.

“Josh is Captain America. Josh is the hero of our team,” Kaminsky joked.

Gasser’s play can get lost at times amid the Badgers’ offensive firepower.

Seven-footer Kaminsky draws headlines for his inside-out work and a resume that makes him a contender for player-of-the-year honors. Forward Sam Dekker provides energy up front with athletic slams, and Nigel Hayes boasts impressive baseline and spin moves to the bucket.

With sharpshooter Ben Brust gone from last year’s team, Gasser was asked to help contribute more from the outside. A career 40 percent shooter from 3-point range, Gasser is averaging 3.4 attempts from behind the arc this season, up from 2.9 last year.

“If you dug down deep into the foundations of this program, and what was at the core, you’d find Josh’s definition in terms of everything he brings,” associate head coach Greg Gard said. “Toughness, leadership, work ethic. Does whatever is in the best interest of the team. Doesn’t care who gets the credit, as long as we’re successful.”

MILWAUKEE (AP) – A 32-year-old man who died last month when he drove the wrong way on Interstate 94 and crashed into a car had a blood-alcohol content that more than three times the legal limit.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office says Marcos Cortez of Wauwatosa had a blood alcohol level of .282. The legal limit in Wisconsin is .08.

Authorities say Cortez entered the freeway on the night of Jan. 23 and was travelling westbound in the eastbound lanes without headlights on when he crashed into another car.

Cortez was not wearing his seatbelt and was ejected from his car. He died at the scene.

Four other vehicles were involved in secondary crashes and a total of five people were injured.

Click here to read more about the American Heart Association and National Heart Month.

GREEN BAY – A developer wants to build a 77-room, $11.1 million hotel adjacent to Brett Favre’s Steakhouse, just a few blocks east of Lambeau Field.

A company called Green Bay Hotel Partners LCC has submitted a request to the city’s Plan Commission for a conditional use permit for a Staybridge Suites Hotel, including asking for permission to exceed the city’s building height limit.

While plans do not call for it to be attached to existing restaurant, the proposal shares the same address – 1004 Brett Favre Pass – and there would be a courtyard linking the properties. The hotel would be just to the north of the restaurant.

The limit in that area is 35′. The hotel’s plans call for a 60′, five-story building, according to city community development director Kim Flom.  Other hotels in the area received similar permission, including the 69′ Spring Hill Suites, and the Hilton Garden Inn, she said.

The website for a St. Cloud, MN, company called United Development Solutions describes the project this way:

“75 Unit Staybridge Extended Stay hotel to be built and connected to iconic steakhouse and event space across the street from Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers.  Total project value of approximately $11.1 million,” it says.

Documents submitted to the city describe it as a 77-guest-room facility that would also contain a pool, small meeting room, exercise room and administrative offices.

City staff has recommended the project be approved.

The Plan Commission will review the conditional use permit request at 6 p.m. Monday in room 604 of Green Bay City Hall.

The city’s Board of Appeals also likely be asked to consider waivers to regulations on parking and landscaping, Flom said. That could happen at a Feb. 23 meeting.

ISIS has taken its campaign of terror against humanity to a new low, according to the United Nations. The UN released a report on the “Rights of the Child” finding no mercy has been spared for children.

Among the report’s findings in Iraq:

• The systematic killing of children belonging to religious and ethnic minorities. In some instances terrorists carried out mass executions of boys. There’s also evidence of beheadings, crucifixions and burying kids while they are alive.
• Children have also been injured or killed by airstrikes carried out by Iraqi security forces trying to defeat ISIS.
• Other children have been abducted by ISIL. Some after seeing their parents murdered.

“We have had reports of children, especially children that are mentally challenged, who have been used as suicide bombers, most probably without them even understanding what has happened or what they have to expect,” said Renate Winter, expert on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

“ISIS is a group that has shown the most flagrant disregard for the laws of war,” said Fred Abrahams, an expert on children’s rights in the Middle East. Abrahams works with Human Rights Watch.

“They don’t try to hide these crimes,” he said.  “They advertise these crimes.”

“I hope this report draws attention but the conclusion isn’t just bomb more,” Abrahams said.  “It’s engage more and find a military and political solution to protect civilians and to help children who are in desperate need.”

OSHKOSH – The U.S. Army is asking Oshkosh Defense to fix and upgrade 300 vehicles.

The company, a division of Oshkosh Corp., says it has been awarded three separate options on a contract, each for 100 vehicles. The vehicles, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles, or M-ATVs, go through a “reset” process in Oshkosh. Crews inspect the vehicles, repair them, replace missing parts and install upgrades to the underbody and fire extinguishing systems, among other safety improvements.

The original contract for 500 vehicles was awarded last August. With the three options, the contract is now worth a total of $77 million.

TOWN OF STEPHENSON – Officials are investigating a possible child neglect/abuse case in Marinette County.

On Feb. 2, the Marinette County Sheriff’s Office was called to a home in the Town of Stephenson at 11:05 p.m. after receiving reports of an infant in need of medical attention.

The 4 1/2-month-old boy was transported to the Bay Area Medical Center in Marinette and later flown to a hospital in the Milwaukee area to treat his serious injuries.

The infant remains in serious condition.

GREEN BAY – Preparations were underway Friday afternoon for the annual Winter Family Festival at Green Bay Botanical Garden.

The event is set for Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Organizers say admission to the event is free for all ages.

The festival features some professional snow carvers. They began working on their creations at the garden Friday.

The event, which started in 2013, also includes snowshoe activities, a winter scavenger hunt, crafts for children and stories.

The garden is located at 2600 Larsen Road.

FOX 11’s Andrew LaCombe will show us the snow carvers’ preparation work tonight on FOX 11 News at Five and Nine.

The Green Bay women’s basketball team returns to the Kress Center on Saturday two days after its eight-game winning streak was halted by Oakland.

Green Bay (17-4, 7-1) suffered its first defeat at home this season, losing 70-67, to the Golden Grizzlies, despite holding an 11-point second-half lead. The Phoenix hosts Cleveland State (13-8, 5-3 HL) at 1 p.m. and will look to hold onto the Horizon League all alone as Wright State is in second place at 6-2.

While losing isn’t good, Green Bay has followed its previous three losses with a win as it has not lost two games in a row this season.

Phoenix Notes: Green Bay beat Cleveland State earlier this season, 65-61. … Four of the next five games for Green Bay are at the Kress Center. … Phoenix coach Kevin Borseth has 596 career wins. Green Bay’s next four games are: Cleveland State (Saturday), Wright State (Feb. 12), at Milwaukee (Feb. 14) and Valparaiso (Feb. 19). … Green Bay is 1-3 when allowing opponents 70 points or more. … Mehryn Kraker leads Green Bay in scoring at 12.2 ppg., while Tesha Buck adds 10.7, Kaili Lukan 8.9 and Sam Terry and Megan Lukan 8.1 each, respectively. … Megan Lukan and Mehryn Kraker lead Green Bay in rebounding at 5.0.

NEW YORK (AP) – TurboTax, the country’s most popular do-it-yourself tax preparation software, said Friday that it has temporarily stopped processing state tax returns because of an increase in fraudulent filings.

State agencies have reported a rise in filings with stolen personal information, said Intuit, the company behind TurboTax.

Most victims found out that a fraudulent tax return was submitted in their name when they received a rejection notice after filing their returns, said Intuit spokeswoman Julie Miller.

There haven’t been issues with federal returns to date because the Internal Revenue Service has implemented stronger fraud detection policies, Miller said.

Intuit is working with security company Palantir to investigate the problem. So far, there has been no security breach of its systems, the company said. Instead, it believes personal information was stolen elsewhere and used to file returns on TurboTax.

Miller linked the problem to recent security breaches at large companies. Just this week, Blue Cross Blue Shield insurer Anthem Inc. said hackers gained access to the Social Security numbers, names, addresses and other personal information of about 80 million people. It follows other security breaches at JPMorgan Chase and several retailers, including Home Depot and Target.

“You have a pretty rich pool of data out there in the world,” said Miller.

Intuit said state tax returns already filed when the halt began on Thursday will be transmitted as soon as possible. Consumers can still use TurboTax, and the company will file the state tax returns when the halt is lifted. The company expects to start processing state returns again on Friday with increased fraud protections, said Miller.

TurboTax processed 30 million tax returns last year, Miller said.

Rival H&R Block Inc., which also sells tax preparation software, did not respond to a request for comment.

Another tax preparer, Liberty Tax Inc., said it is letting TurboTax customers to file state returns for free at its more than 4,000 locations around the country.

Shares of Intuit Inc., based in Mountain View, California, fell $3.41, or 3.7 percent, to $88.30 in afternoon trading Friday.

The State Bar of Wisconsin will present Fox 11’s Robert Hornacek with a “Golden Gavel Award” for a story about police agencies redacting information from accident reports.

The story, which aired Aug. 29, 2013, explained why agencies were not releasing the information and the objections by media outlets. State news agencies and law enforcement later reached an agreement, leading to a deal to allow access to complete records.

Hornacek was also honored by the organization in 2013 for the story “Explaining ALEC,” in 2012 for “Impact of Sex Offender Ordinance,” and in 2008 for “A Department Divided.”

“Journalists play a crucial role in helping the public understand the justice system and appreciate our system of law,” said Attorney Megan McDermott, chair of the State Bar’s Media Law Subcommittee. “Winners of the Gavel Award have exemplified excellence in reporting, by going beyond the headlines to thoroughly explain tough subjects to their readers in an accurate and compelling manner. On behalf of the legal profession, we thank these journalists for a job well done.”

Other Gavel recipients this year are:

Mike Simonson, Reporter
Gilman Halsted, Reporter
Chuck Quirmbach, Reporter
WPR
The Legacy of Gideon Wainwright Series

Samantha Hernandez, Reporter
Door County Advocate
Amending Justice Series

Stephanie Jones, Reporter
Cara Spoto, Reporter
The Journal Times
RICO and the bar owners’ lawsuit against the city

Shereen Siewert, Investigative Reporter
Wausau Daily Herald
The meaning of life

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) – Mayor D. Michael Collins died Friday, five days after suffering cardiac arrest while driving during a snowstorm. He was 70.

City spokeswoman Stacy Weber confirmed Collins died at the University of Toledo Medical Center.

Collins crashed his SUV into a utility pole on Sunday afternoon after his heart stopped beating, doctors and city officials said. He had earlier attended a news conference about the city’s response to the storm and may have been checking road conditions.

Two passers-by found him unconscious and had to break a car window so they could give him CPR until emergency workers arrived.

Collins, who was thrust into the spotlight over the summer when the city’s water supply was contaminated by toxins in Lake Erie, had just completed his first year as mayor of Ohio’s fourth largest city.

He testified before a U.S. Senate committee in December and called on the federal government to devote full attention to improving water quality in America’s lakes and rivers.

Collins warned that the toxic algae blooms that tainted the tap water for 400,000 people in Ohio and Michigan for two days in August could happen again if the problem isn’t addressed.

“Don’t give this lip service. It’s a canary in the coal mine,” Collins said. “If we forget what happened in Toledo, it is doomed to be repeated.”

He began his political career after spending 27 years with the Toledo Police Department. He earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Toledo while working for the department and taught criminal justice classes at the university.

A political independent, Collins was elected to the Toledo City Council in 2007. He made an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2009 but defeated incumbent Michael Bell four years later. Collins took office in January 2014.

His first year as mayor proved tumultuous. Two city firefighters were killed while fighting an apartment fire just a few weeks into his term. The city then suffered one of its worst winters ever.

The summer bought the algae blooms to Lake Erie, and Collins then found himself trying to keep Fiat Chrysler Automobiles from moving its Jeep Wrangler production line out of Toledo.

Collins grew up in Toledo and joined the Marine Corps after high school.

He is survived by his wife, Sandy Drabik, and three daughters.

Water gushes through a hole in an “ice volcano” Feb. 6, 2015, at Whitefish Dunes State Park in Door County.

NEW YORK (AP) – Pepperidge Farm is recalling about 46,000 packages of bagels because they may contain peanuts or almonds that could set off a serious allergic reaction.

The company said Friday that no illnesses have been reported. It was alerted to the problem by a bakery that makes the bagels.

The recall includes plain, everything and cinnamon raisin bagels. Mini bagels, sold in whole wheat, cinnamon raisin and brown sugar with cinnamon flavors, are also being recalled. The affected bagels have sell by dates ranging from Feb. 7 to Feb. 12.

The bagels were sent to stores in 23 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Customers can return the bagels to the store for a full refund.

Pepperidge Farm is owned by the Campbell Soup Co., based in Camden, New Jersey.