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CRANDON - A Northwoods boy will never walk or talk again. That's because Brandon Brunette threw the boy across a room.
Brunette pled guilty to one felony for child abuse in Forest County court Tuesday. He could spend as many as 40 years in prison.
Brunette was originally charged with four felonies and one misdemeanor. The other charges were dropped, as part of a plea deal.
MADISON - The Wisconsin Supreme Court plans to rule Thursday in three major cases.
The court is planning to issue its ruling on the collective bargaining changes Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican Legislature approved in 2011, despite massive protests that led to a series of recall elections.
RHINELANDER - The former Rhinelander High School teacher convicted of having and making THC and stealing from the school district faces another charge for stealing.
Joshua Juergens is charged with a felony for stealing from Ministry St. Mary's in Rhinelander.
According to the criminal complaint, Juergens went to urgent care because his back hurt.
LINCOLN COUNTY - Highway 51 South near Irma could be closed until 6:00 Tuesday night.
An SUV hit a semi around 2:30 Tuesday afternoon. No one was seriously hurt.
MILWAUKEE - Early election voting is underway at city clerks' offices across Wisconsin.
Voters who can't make it to the polls for the primary election next month are able to cast ballots. It's the first election since the Legislature put limits on the process. In-person absentee voting can only be conducted during the two business weeks prior to an election. Voting is to take place from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
WOODRUFF - Construction on the intersection of Highway 51 and Highway 47 in Woodruff will be pushed back to 2018. The project was supposed to start in 2017.
That's because DOT supervisors aren't sure how they want to reconstruct the road yet. They're looking at a few different design plans right now.
Project leaders want to make sure they pick the safest option. They also want more community input before they make a decision.
CRANDON - People in Crandon could vote a new mayor into office Tuesday night after holding a recall election of current Mayor Rob Jaeger.
The recall comes after a group started collecting signatures in May. The small group lead by Larry Alsteen collected enough signatures for the recall.
The city council needed to order the recall as a formality under Wisconsin law. The council eventually ordered the recall after originally splitting its vote in June.
MERRILL - People who try to hide drugs in their cars don't stand a chance against Eros. He's the Merrill Police Department's new K9.
In the few months that he's been on the job, he's helped officers find a lot of drugs.
Merrill's Police Chief is so happy with Eros' work, he wants to make sure the department will always have a K9 unit.
ESCANABA, MI - The former mayor of a small Michigan town has admitted to embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from a local service club.
The Daily Press reports (http://bit.ly/1qh77zh ) Leo Evans of Escanaba pleaded guilty Monday to a felony embezzlement charge. He also agreed to pay restitution.
CRANDON - A Wabeno man acussed of tossing a toddler across the room pleads guilty to felony child abuse.
30 year old Brandon Brunette agreed to a plea deal Tuesday morning in Forest County Circuit Court.
He hurt the child last October.
WOODRUFF - Woodruff police want to know what happened to a person who died after ending up in the water.
The Woodruff Police Department was called to Indian Mounds boat landing about 4:30 p.m. Monday.
GREEN BAY - Rhinelander and Wausau tried to make streets safer by banning cell phones while driving.
Now Green Bay is the latest city in Wisconsin to consider banning cell phones behind the wheel.
IRONWOOD, MI - Police found a missing Hurley man in his car underwater in Ironwood, Sunday.
74-year-old Duane Jussila's car was found underwater under about 10 feet of water in an area off of Alfred Wright Boulevard.
RACINE - A 5-year-old girl has died after being struck by a van in the driveway of a Racine home.
Police say the child had just arrived for a party in the neighborhood Saturday afternoon and was facing the street when a 16-year-old boy backed a van over the girl.
MINNESOTA - Getting caught speeding through a road construction work zone is about to get more costly in Minnesota.
Starting Friday, the offense comes with an automatic $300 fine plus the normal traffic ticket surcharges. That's under a new state law approved during the legislative session.
WISCONSIN RAPIDS - An 80-year-old woman died Sunday in Wisconsin Rapids after getting hit by a train.
Police say Joyce Huber, 80, died at the scene.
Huber tried to cross the tracks and was hit by a Canadian National Railway train that was going south.
MERRILL - Lincoln County Fair organizers think new attractions will get more people to come to their fair this weekend.
The fair needs to stay competitive because two other local fairs will happen at the same time. Both the Oneida County Fair and the Wisconsin Valley Fair in Wausau will also start this week.
NATIONWIDE - You could spread fewer germs by going with the fist bump instead of a handshake.
A new study from Aberystwyth University in Wales shows a fist bump spreads 90 percent fewer germs compared to a handshake. That could be the difference between staying healthy and getting sick.
RHINELANDER - Doors officially opened for one Northwoods Grocery store.
Golden Harvest Market welcomed customers to their new location on County Road G Monday. The 17,000 square foot building has been under construction since November.
RHINELANDER - Volunteers started preparations Monday for the Oneida County Fair.
About 50 people helped set up.
A lot of work was completed ahead of schedule thanks to volunteers.
MILWAUKEE - A Wisconsin man has been sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for leading police on a drunken driving chase that ended in a near-fatal crash.
The Journal Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/1nSZKzi ) 41-year-old Kevin Hutchins Jr. of Milwaukee reached speeds of 100 mph during a seven-mile police chase. Deputy Scott Griffin was critically injured when Hutchins' vehicle bounced off of a barricade and smashed into his squad car.
MERRILL - "We normally do murals inside the high school by famous artists, and we do a re-creation of their work," says Merrill high school junior McKenzie Broeking.
But Broeking is painting with six other juniors, not only outside of the high school, but completely outdoors.
IRONWOOD, MI - The search for a missing Hurley man ended Sunday.
74 year old Duane Jussila's car was found underwater in Ironwood Michigan with him inside. Jussila was reported missing July 5th. He was last seen in Ironwood.
APPLETON - More Wisconsin school districts have begun to take advantage of a change in state law allowing them to borrow money to help fund energy efficient projects.
The Appleton Post-Crescent reports (http://post.cr/1plXwIE ) 55 districts raised more than $23 million without having to ask voters to approve a referendum. The amount raised has nearly tripled since the previous year.
WAUKESHA - The former majority leader of the Wisconsin Assembly will go on trial in October for sexual assault.
State Representative Bill Kramer is accused of shoving a woman into a car, groping her and making inappropriate comments.
The charges date back to a GOP event in April 2011.
MERRILL - Police need your help finding the driver of car involved in a hit and run accident over the weekend.
It happened around 3:30 in the morning on Saturday in the town of Merrill.
No one was hurt in the crash.
OSHKOSH - Aviation enthusiasts from as many as 70 countries will gather in Oshkosh this week for the annual Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture.
The convention draws about a half million people to the weeklong event near Wittman Regional Airport.
MINOCQUA - Craft beers can be hit or miss. The Lac du Flambeau Lions Club gave people the chance to try lots of different types of craft brews at their annual Brewfest.
People got to taste different local brews. There were also some wines and sodas.
LANSING, MI - The deadline is approaching for fall turkey hunting applications in Michigan.
The state Department of Natural Resources says applications are on sale until Friday for the fall season which runs Sept. 15 to Nov. 14.
MINOCQUA - Police think a West Bend man died from a drowning accident.
People saw the man struggling in Lake Shishebogama and called the police just before 11p.m.. Police say 56-year-old Russell Steiner's family members pulled him out of the water before rescue crews got there.
