Green Bay News

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says the state will help the Milwaukee Bucks pay for a new basketball arena with $220 million in bonds that would be paid for by projected growth in income taxes from NBA players.

Walker said Tuesday the “Pay Their Way” proposal would protect the state’s taxpayers, while keeping the team in Milwaukee. A new arena could cost roughly $500 million.

New owners bought the team in April and have promised to contribute $150 million toward the new arena. Former owner and ex-U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl has promised $100 million of his own money to replace to help replace the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Walker says Bucks players and visiting teams generate about $6.5 million currently, but that is expected to grow.

Chart released by Office of Gov. Scott Walker. Chart released by Office of Gov. Scott Walker.

MADISON (AP) – Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced Tuesday that he formed a political organization to help boost a potential 2016 presidential run, the first concrete step toward a possible campaign that comes as others are also ramping up efforts to seek the GOP nomination.

The tax-exempt group, Our American Revival, was formed on Jan. 16. Walker’s campaign issued a statement Tuesday to The Washington Post announcing creation of the committee.

Walker has talked about “our American revival” in recent speeches to conservatives, including one Saturday night in Iowa. The group borrows that rhetoric.

“Our American Revival encompasses the shared values that make our country great: limiting the powers of the federal government to those defined in the Constitution while creating a leaner, more efficient, more effective and more accountable government to the American people,” Walker said in the statement.

Creation of the committee caps a busy month for Walker as he ramps up consideration of a White House bid. Earlier this month he hired a former Republican National Committee political adviser and a strategist to oversee his work in Iowa.

Walker, the 47-year-old son of a preacher, began his second term as governor this month and is best known for taking on public union rights four years ago. That fight led to Walker standing for a recall election in 2012, which he won, making him the first governor in U.S. history to survive such a vote.

Walker’s campaign spokesman, campaign manager and adviser did not immediately return email and text messages seeking comment on creation of the committee.

Likely presidential candidates have started laying the groundwork for White House bids, especially current and former governors. Those officials lack federal campaign accounts that members of Congress already have in place, and those would-be candidates who call state capitals home are playing catch-up. Their rivals with day jobs in the U.S. House or Senate have been raising dollars in accordance with federal rules, not state ones.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush sparked the still-forming 2016 contenders with the announcement he was forming a political committee. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney signaled to past donors that he, too, was considering a White House campaign. And just this week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced he also would be forming a federal political committee.

Such political committees allow likely candidates to travel to early nominating states, hire the shell of a presidential campaign and meet with donors. Ostensibly, the committees are designed to help like-minded candidates, but in practice they help expected contenders build credibility.

For instance, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida raised $3.8 million through his committee, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has raised $3.6 million and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has raised $2 million. All are considering White House bids and have sent millions more into early nominating states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

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Associated Press writer Brian Bakst contributed to this report from St. Paul, Minnesota. Elliott reported from Washington, D.C.

FOX 11’s Mark Leland follows up on a story involving the Green Bay Packers’ last trip to the Super Bowl. In 2011, nearly 3,000 ticket holders were unable to get a seat, or were let into their seating area at Cowboys Stadium after the game had already started. Learn what led Mark to investigate this story and how some local Packers fans are still affected today by one of the NFL’s biggest customer service missteps. This FOX 11 Investigates report airs Thursday, January 29, on FOX 11 News at Five and Nine.

RACINE (AP) – Authorities say slick roads were a factor in a fatal crash in Racine County.

A pickup truck and car collided in the Town of Dover about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. Sheriff’s officials say the female driver of the Prius was partially ejected and the pickup caught fire.

The driver of the car was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. The sheriff’s department did not immediately release the condition of the pickup driver.

Deputies say the Prius was southbound on Highway 75, began to fish tail, crossed over the center line and the two vehicles collided.

DE PERE – Lots of people will be giving or receiving chocolate on Valentine’s Day.

But as you sink your teeth into the sweet treat from your sweetheart, do you ever think about how that chocolate is made? At Seroogy’s Chocolates in De Pere, the process of preparing for Feb. 14 begins right after Christmas.

Go inside the melting room at Seroogy’s with Marjorie Hitchcock, Seroogy’s marketing director, in this FOX 11 Online Extra. Click the play button above to watch the video.

• Click here to see photos of the process
• Click here to see more video from Good Day Wisconsin

An inside look at the process of making candy at Seroogy’s Chocolates in De Pere, Jan. 27, 2015.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of Monarch butterflies that reached wintering grounds in Mexico has rebounded 69 percent from last year’s lowest-on-record levels, but their numbers remain very low, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Last year, the Monarchs covered only 1.65 acres (0.67 hectares), the smallest area since record-keeping began in 1993.

This year, the butterflies rebounded, to cover 2.79 acres (1.13 hectares), according to a formal census by Mexican environmental authorities and scientists released Tuesday.

The orange-and-black butterflies are suffering from loss of milkweed habitat in the United States, illegal logging in Mexico and climate change. Each year, the butterflies make a migration from Canada to Mexico and find the same pine and fir forests to spend the winter, even though no butterfly lives to make the round trip.

“Of course it is good news that the forest area occupied by Monarchs this season increased,” said Omar Vidal, head of the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico. “But let*s be crystal clear, 1.13 hectares is very, very low, and it is still the second-smallest forest surface occupied by this butterfly in 22 years of monitoring.”

In this Jan. 4, 2015 file photo, swarms of Monarch butterflies hang on tree branches, in the Piedra Herrada sanctuary, near Valle de Bravo, Mexico. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

At their peak in 1996, the Monarchs covered more than 44.5 acres (18 hectares) in the mountains west of Mexico City.

Lincoln Brower, a leading entomologist at Sweet Briar College in Virginia, has said that with anything below 2 hectares (4.1 acres), “they will remain in the danger category and I will continue to be concerned. ” A population covering 4 or 5 hectares (9 to 12 acres) would be a sign of significant recovery, he added.

The butterfly population has plummeted before, and then partially recovered.

In 2001, driving rain and bitter cold killed millions, leading scientists to speculate that migrating populations would be seriously depleted in 2002. To their surprise, twice as many returned as some had predicted.

In 2004, unfavorable weather, pollution and deforestation caused a drastic decline in the population, but the next year, the butterflies bounced back.

But the overall tendency since 1993 points to a steep, progressive decline. Each time the Monarchs rebound, they do so at lower levels. The species is found in many countries and is not in danger of extinction, but experts fear the migration could be disrupted if very few butterflies make the trip.

The temperate climate of the mountains west of Mexico City normally creates an ideal setting for the Monarchs. Every fall, tens of millions of the delicate creatures fly thousands of miles to their ancestral breeding grounds, creating clouds of butterflies. They clump together on trees, forming chandelier shapes of orange and black.

The migration is an inherited trait: No butterfly lives to make the full round trip, and it is unclear how they find the route back to the same patch of forest each year. Some scientists suggest the butterflies may release chemicals marking the migratory path and fear that if their numbers fall too low, the chemical traces will not be strong enough for others to follow.

Extreme cold and drought also hurt butterfly populations, and in Mexico, illegal logging can punch holes in the forest canopy that shelters them, creating a situation in which cold rainfall could kill millions.

Vidal said Mexico has been able to essentially stop illegal logging in the Monarch protected reserve, but he said habitat loss in the United States remains a huge problem. Milkweed, the butterflies’ main source of food has been crowded out by pesticide-resistant crops.

“The question we should all be asking now” is whether the U.S. can halt the loss of milkweed habitat, he said.

A ship named after Titletown is headed to Japan.

The U.S. Navy says the USS Green Bay is being deployed to Sasebo, Japan to join the 7th Fleet’s Forward Deployed Naval Forces. The Green Bay will replace the decommissioned USS Denver.

The Green Bay left San Diego Monday.

“The crew has worked hard to get Green Bay ready,” Capt. Kristy McCallum, the ship’s commanding officer, said in a news release. “By my count, we completed a total of 23 training, certification and maintenance cycles in six months. As we’ve trained, we have prepared ourselves to be ready for a dynamic security environment and diverse missions.”

Navy officials say the Green Bay brings new technology, increased carrying capacity and the ability to rapidly transfer troops and equipment by aircraft.

Commissioned in 2009, the Green Bay is on its third deployment.

BEIRUT (AP) – An online message purportedly from the Islamic State group warned Tuesday that a Japanese hostage and Jordanian pilot the extremists hold have less than “24 hours left to live.”

The message again demanded the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for involvement in a 2005 terror attack that killed 60 people. It also mentioned for the first time Jordanian pilot 1st Lt. Mu’ath al-Kaseasbeh, who is a captive of the Islamic State group, setting a Wednesday afternoon deadline.

Tuesday’s video matched a message released over the weekend, though neither bore the logo of the Islamic State group’s al-Furqan media arm. The weekend video showed a still photo of Kenji Goto holding what appears to be a photo of the body of Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa.

The Associated Press could not independently verify either video. However, several militant websites affiliated with the Islamic State group referenced the video and posted links to it late Tuesday afternoon.

The message says that unless the Jordanian government frees al-Rishawi within 24 hours, Goto and the pilot will be killed, adding that this would be the group’s last message. The message warns any delaying tactics by the government will result in the death of both men.

Goto has only “24 hours left to live and the pilot has even less,” the message said.

Japanese officials held emergency meetings after the video’s release. Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said he had seen the video released, but did not comment on its authenticity.

“In this extremely tough situation, we are continuing as before to request the cooperation of the Jordanian government to work toward the immediate release of Mr. Goto,” Suga said.

A Japanese envoy in Jordan, Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama, earlier expressed hope the two hostages would return home “with a smile on their faces.”

“I hope we can all firmly work hard and join hands to cooperate, and for the two countries (Japan and Jordan) to cooperate, in order for us to see the day when the Jordanian pilot and our Japanese national Mr. Goto, can both safely return to their own countries with a smile on their faces,” he told reporters late Monday night after another day of crisis talks in the Jordanian capital.

Japanese officials had no immediate comment on the new message.

Tuesday marked the first time a Japanese official mentioned al-Kaseasbeh, who has been held by the extremist Islamic State group after his Jordanian F-16 went down near the Islamic State group’s de facto capital of Raqqa in December. It wasn’t immediately clear when the pilot’s possible release had entered into the negotiations.

The 26-year-old Jordanian is the first foreign military pilot to fall into the extremists’ hands since an international coalition began its aerial campaign against the Islamic State group in September. Jordan is part of the U.S.-led coalition targeting Islamic State militants in Syria.

Goto, a freelance journalist, was seized in late October in Syria, apparently while trying to rescue Yukawa, 42, who was captured by the militants last summer.

The weekend message retracted a demand for payment of $200 million in ransom for the two Japanese, made in an earlier online message. It threatened to kill Goto unless al-Rishawi was released.

Japanese officials have indicated they are treating the video released over the weekend as authentic and thus accepting the likelihood that Yukawa was dead.

Securing the release of al-Rishawi would be a major propaganda coup for the Islamic State and would allow the group to reaffirm its links to al-Qaida in Iraq.

The mother of another Jordanian prisoner, Ziad al-Karboli, told the AP on Tuesday that her family was told that the Islamic State group also was seeking his release as part of a swap. It was unclear whether it was related to a possible deal involving the Japanese hostage.

Al-Karboli, an aide to a former al-Qaida leader in Iraq, was sentenced to death in 2008 for killing a Jordanian citizen.

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Kageyama reported from Tokyo. Associated Press writers Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan, Jon Gambrell and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo, and Kaori Hitomi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

BOSTON (AP) — A howling blizzard with wind gusts over 70 mph heaped snow on the Boston area along with other stretches of lower New England and Long Island on Tuesday but failed to live up to the hype in Philadelphia and New York City, where buses and subways started rolling again in the morning.

In New England, the storm was a bitter, paralyzing blast, while in the New York metro area, it was a bust that left forecasters apologizing, some New Yorkers griping, and officials defending their near-total shutdown on travel.

At least 2 feet of snow was expected in most of Massachusetts, potentially making it one of the top snowstorms of all time. The National Weather Service said a 78 mph gust was reported on Nantucket, and a 72 mph one on Martha’s Vineyard.

“It felt like sand hitting you in the face,” Bob Paglia said after walking his dog four times overnight in Whitman, a small town about 20 miles south of Boston.

Maureen Keller, who works at Gurney’s, an oceanfront resort in Montauk, New York, on the tip of Long Island, said: “It feels like a hurricane with snow.”

As of midmorning, the Boston area had about a foot of snow, while the far eastern tip of Long Island had more than 2 feet. Snowplow operators around New England struggled to keep up, and Boston police drove several dozen doctors and nurses to work at hospitals.

“At 4 o’clock this morning, it was the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said Larry Messier, a snowplow driver in Connecticut. “You could plow, and then five minutes later you’d have to plow again.”

As the storm pushed into the Northeast on Monday, the region came to a near standstill. More than 7,700 flights were canceled and schools, businesses and government offices closed. But as the storm northward, it tracked farther east than forecasters had been expecting, and conditions improved quickly in its wake.

By midmorning, New Jersey and New York City lifted driving bans, and subways and trains started rolling again, with a return to a full schedule expected Wednesday.

While Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey had braced for a foot or two of snow, they got far less than that. New York City receive about 8 inches, Philadelphia a mere inch or so. New Jersey got up to 8 inches.

A National Weather Service forecaster in Mount Holly, New Jersey, apologized on Twitter for the off-target forecast.

“You made a lot of tough decisions expecting us to get it right, and we didn’t. Once again, I’m sorry,” Gary Szatkowski tweeted.

Jim Bunker at the agency’s office in Mount Holly said forecasters will take a closer look at how they handled the storm and “see what we can do better next time.”

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defended his statewide ban on travel as “absolutely the right decision to make” in light of the dire forecast.

“We were acting based on what we were being told,” he said.

In New York City, Susanne Payot, a cabaret singer whose rehearsal Tuesday was canceled, said of the meager snowfall: “I’m just surprised and I’m laughing out loud. This is nothing. I don’t understand why the whole city shut down because of this.”

The turnaround scrambled business for some.

“It’s a huge inconvenience because everybody assumed the day was going to be off,” said Philadelphia flooring contractor Chris Diamond who had to come into work after all Tuesday morning.

But Brandon Bhajan, a security guard at a New York city buiilding, said he didn’t think officials had overreacted.

“I think it’s like the situation with Ebola … if you over-cover, people are ready and prepared rather than not giving it the attention it needs,” he said.

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Lavoie reported from Whitman, Massachusetts. Associated Press writers Mark Pratt and William J. Kole in Boston; Michelle R. Smith in Providence; Rhode Island; Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia; Kiley Armstrong, Ula Ilnytzky and Jennifer Peltz in New York City; Michael Melia in South Windsor, Connecticut; Shawn Marsh in Trenton, New Jersey; and Geoff Mulvihill in Haddonfield, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

PORTAGE (AP) – A Columbia County judge has postponed a homicide trial after questions were raised about the analysis of some evidence by the Wisconsin Crime Lab.

Judge Alan White has delayed the trial of Leah Jean Waldhart, who’s accused of killing her boyfriend, Curtis Wylesky, of Beaver Dam, in 2001.

Columbia County District Attorney Jane Kohlwey says prosecutors recently discovered “issues” with several pieces of evidence that were supposed to have been analyzed by the crime lab.

The Portage Daily Register says Kohlwey told the judge during a hearing Monday that fingerprint evidence is being held for review by the crime lab to assess the performance of a particular investigator. Also, the lab has not completed analysis of some DNA evidence. The Wisconsin Department of Justice did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – A man being treated in a Milwaukee hospital emergency room was burned when he started a small fire.

Milwaukee Fire Chief Mark Rohlfing says the man was being treated with oxygen when he flicked a handheld lighter and ignited the fire at Aurora Sinai Hospital Monday night.

WTMJ-TV reports nurses used an extinguisher to put out the fire. The patient was taken to the burn unit at Saint Mary’s Hospital.

KENOSHA (AP) – A 48-year-old Illinois woman is considered a hero by many after preventing a serious tour bus accident in Kenosha County after the driver suffered a medical emergency.

Jill Bien of Norridge, Illinois, is credited with saving 34 passengers from serious injuries Saturday when the 68-year-old driver collapsed. The unmanned bus swerved along Interstate 94 and veered into guard rails near the Illinois-Wisconsin border.

Bien says she was yelling at the driver to stop the bus until she realized he was no longer in his seat and the bus was going on its own. She says she was able to take control of the wheel and pull the bus over.

Eleven people suffered minor injuries. The bus driver wasn’t ticketed.

MADISON (AP) – One of the University of Wisconsin System’s toughest critics in the Legislature is blasting Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal give the system more autonomy.

A spokesman for Sen. Stephen Nass, a Whitewater Republican who serves as vice chairman of the Senate’s universities committee, said Tuesday that Nass fears the plan would allow the system to raise tuition dramatically.

Walker’s plan calls for cutting the system by $300 million in the next biennium and giving system leaders more independence, a move that would leave legislators with no way to stop the system from raising tuition as much as it wants starting in 2017.

System leaders issued statements Tuesday saying the proposal would give them more flexibility and opportunities. A system spokeswoman didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment on Nass’ stance.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker is proposing a 13 percent cut in state funding for the University of Wisconsin System, at the same time he wants to give all campuses more freedom from state laws.

Walker told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that he will be proposing that future funding to UW be a block grant funded by sales tax revenue and adjusted annually for inflation.

The Madison campus will remain a part of the system, but all 26 campuses will have more autonomy from the state.

Walker was to include the plan as part of his two-year state budget proposal next week.

Walker is also calling for a two-year tuition freeze, while also cutting state funding by $300 million to help solve a projected $2 billion budget shortfall.

GREEN BAY – Sharon Peterson of 136 Restaurant and Wine Bar in Sturgeon Bay showed us some great ideas for your game day spread.  We think these are “super!”! Southwest Burgers

1. grass fed beef burger 2. toasted ciabatta bread 3. bbq sauce 4. sliced jalapenos 5. sliced red onions 6. jalapeno cheddar cheese 7. leaf lettuce 8. chipotle aioli – recipe follows Chipotle Aioli 1 cup mayo 1 TBS minced jalapeno 1 garlic clove 1 tsp lime juice 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce – you may want to add more dependent on level of smokiness you desire * puree above ingredientss in food processor until well blended Cajun Fries cooked french fries cajun salt – recipe follows chipotle aioli Cajun salt 1/4 cup Lawry’s season salt 1 TBS chili powder – you may want to add more dependent upon how spicy you want your fries Tenderloin Sandwich loaf baguette bread sliced medium rare tenderloin roasted shallot gorgonzola dip – recipe follows lettuce balsamic dressing Roasted Shallot Gorgonzola Dip 1 TBS olive oil 1 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots * saute shallots over medium heat until crispy brown – 15 min * cool shallots to room temperature 3/4 cup mayo 3/4 cup sour cream 4 oz gorgonzola – crumbled *mix all ingredients together & chill in refrigerator for 2 hours

DOOR COUNTY – Cherry trees in Door County still have around three months before they start to blossom.

As the wind whipped through empty tart cherry trees, the owner of Cherry Lane Orchards patiently waits for the season to start.

“This time of year you cut blocks out if you’re going to cut trees out and I repair ladders,” said Tom Sayer, owner of Cherry Lane Orchards.

When Tom Sayer thinks back to last cherry season, he has some good memories.

“Last year was a great year. It was one of the best year’s we’ve had,” Sayer said.

Sayer says he had thousands of visitors and he remembers one day last summer when 6,000 cherries were picked.

Sayer’s orchard produced 40,000 tart cherries last year.

He says cherry trees last about 30 years.

“I pull a block of 150 or 200 and we pull them out and in a few years, I replant them,” Sayer said.

As the dormant trees wait for warmer weather, Sayer says it’s still too early to tell how this winter will affect his orchard.

“We won’t know anything until later,” Sayer said.

But during last year’s harsh winter, he did lose about 30 sweet cherry trees which will eventually be replaced with tart cherries.

“Sweet cherries don’t winter well if it’s as cold as it was last year and a lot of people lost sweet cherries. These trees right here, all these stumps, these are some of the old ones. All the way down, those ones are gone,” Sayer said.

Rain from last fall kept a portion of his apple and cherry trees under water for a couple of months.

“We go 20 something inches of rain in two and a half months here,” Sayer said.

When asked how the water will affect his trees, Sayer said, “Well, I’m not sure. We’re going to find out next year. Apparently the roots don’t get oxygen when they’re sitting in water and that’s not good.”

Sayer says with 13 acres of cherry and apple trees, he can’t wait to see what the new season will bring.

“You couldn’t beat a year like last year. I hope we have another one,” Sayer said.

Sayer says he’ll start pruning his tart cherry trees in March.

NEW YORK (AP) – Motorists can get back on the roads in New Jersey and New York City, and transit will restart soon.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says a snowstorm-related New York City area travel ban is lifted, except for Suffolk County on Long Island. He says drivers should still use extreme caution.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie lifted the ban on travel statewide at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. The restrictions were put in place on Monday night to aid plowing.

Service remains suspended on all New York and New Jersey commuter train and bus lines. But New York City buses, subways and trains are expected to restart sometime this morning.

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (AP) – Police say a 17-year-old boy snow-tubing down a New York street with friends has crashed into a light pole and died.

Suffolk County police say it happened around 10 p.m. Monday in Huntington on Long Island.

The boy was one of three teens taking turns snow-tubing. Police say he apparently lost control of the tube and struck a light pole.

Police identified the victim as Sean Urda of East Northport. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Long Island was under a blizzard warning at the time of the crash. A meteorologist with the National Weather Service says moderate to heavy snow was falling and winds were gusty.

GREEN BAY – If something happened to you, would your family be covered financially?  Financial professional Kevin Klug of Secure Retirement Solutions says life insurance is on the decline and he says 30% of U.S. households don’t have any life insurance at all. Klug shared some advice on what you should consider when it comes to life insurance.

Q: Fewer people are buying life insurance, why is that?

Klug: Many people are more concerned with paying their everyday bills, and they’re neglecting to look to the future. I caution people against this way of thinking. You never know what’s going to happen, and you want to make sure your family is taken care of.

Q: What should people consider before buying life insurance?

Know the Types

Klug: There are two main categories of life insurance policies. Term policies cover you for a specific number of years, and if you pass away during that time, a set amount is paid out to beneficiaries. Permanent policies cover you for life and are typically more expensive.

Identify Your Needs

Klug: Think about what you want to accomplish your life insurance. Are you hoping to cover funeral costs or pay off a mortgage and fund your child’s education? Then weigh those goals against the cost. The higher the benefit, the more you will likely pay in monthly premiums.

Compare Policies

Klug: Shop around before choosing which company you will go with to make sure you get the best rate. And pay attention to the fine print to make sure you are comparing the same coverage.

Re-evaluate

Klug: Life insurance isn’t something you can set and forget. You should re-evaluate your policy with every major life milestone, like getting married, buying a home, having children, etc. Even if you don’t hit a major milestone, you should still take a look at your policy every 2-3 years to make sure it’s still fitting your needs