OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - A union worker strike at Hoffmaster in Oshkosh has been avoided.
Hoffmaster President Rory Leyden says a tentative contract agreement was reached Thursday night.
Laden says both sides met all day Thursday and that they each made compromises so a deal could be reached.
More than 300 union workers must still approve the deal. No word yet on when that vote will take place.
(Additional reporting from FOX 11)
MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin Republicans were not able to stop more than three-thousand public workers from getting both pensions and paychecks in the last half of 2013.
Gannett Wisconsin Media found that 3,025 retirees from state and local governments and public schools went back on the public payroll from July through December.
As part of the current state budget, the Republican majority prohibited retirees from working over 27 hours a week for a tax-funded employer without losing their pensions.
Sixty-percent of the retirees had been school teachers -- many of whom bolted in 2011, fearing that Governor Scott Walker would take away their pensions. He didn't -- and those who quit slowly started going back to other public jobs.
Gannett, which runs ten Wisconsin daily newspapers, found that the UW took back the most public retirees with 345. Various state agencies took over 330.
It became a hot-button issue in 2011 when UW-Green Bay pre-arranged a vice chancellor to return, after he retired in protest of Walker's public union bargaining limits.
Employers say it's cheaper to hire public retirees because they bring experience without having to pay into the pension system. Critics call it double-dipping.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
KEWAUNEE, WI (WTAQ) - Crews are battling a fire at a Kewaunee restaurant Friday evening.
Firefighters were called to Bubba J BBQ restaurant at 303 Harrison Street.
No word yet on how the fire started, or if anyone is hurt.
Mt. Calvary, WI (WTAQ) - Multiple crews are battling a fire at St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt. Calvary. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s office said crews were called to the 300 block of Church Street around 5:30 this morning (Saturday). Roads leading up to the seminary had to be blocked off. Officials say they will most likely be on scene through much of the day. No word on injuries or how the fire started.
KIMBERLY, WI (WTAQ) - The body of a man has been found early Saturday in the Village of Kimberly.
Outagamie County Sheriff's officials say the body was found around 6 a.m. along E. Kimberly Avenue.
Authorities have not released any more information.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Police in Green Bay say a driver either fell asleep or had a medical emergency that caused him to pass out before striking two homes on the city's west side Friday.
Cops were called to the corner of W. Mason Street and 15th Avenue around 8 p.m. Areas of Mason had to be closed to traffic due to the amount of debris.
Authorities say the man hit a curb, struck a house, went airborne over a snow bank, hit a second home, and flipped over.
“There were several witnesses to the accident. They said that they did not see any braking or swerving which would be indicative of somebody passed out behind the wheel,” Green Bay Police Lt. Tom Buchmann told FOX 11.
Authorities say the driver was able to climb out of the car without help. He was uninjured, but was hospitalized as a precaution. Police have ruled out drugs and alcohol as factors in the crash.
A family inside one of the affected homes was evacuated. The Red Cross was called in to help those displaced.
Officials with Wisconsin Public Service were called in to help deal with broken power lines laying in the street.
(Additional reporting by FOX 11).
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Officials with UW-Oshkosh say one shot was fired Saturday night during a student dance at Reeve Memorial Union.
Oshkosh and campus police immediately responded to the scene for an altercation. That's when one shot was fired in the air inside the building.
Authorities say that no one was hurt and the campus is safe and secure. An investigation is ongoing.
If you have any information you are urged to call University Police at their non-emergency line: (920) 424-1216
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Police at UW-Oshkosh are releasing a brief description of the suspect believed to have fired a gun at a dance on campus over the weekend.
UW-Oshkosh Police Chief Joseph LeMire says they are looking for a black man, between 5'7" and 5'10" with a short, buzz cut-style haircut. The suspect was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.
During a press conference Monday, LeMire says the department expects to identify the suspect this week at the earliest.
On Saturday night, a fight led to police being called to Reeve Memorial Union. The school's Black Student Union was holding a dance in two rooms on the building's second floor. After officers arrived, they heard what sounded like a gunshot.
Authorities say it was later determined a person attending the dance, which brought students from UW-Oshkosh and other campuses plus people off-campus, fired a handgun into the air. No one was hurt.
(Additional reporting from FOX 11)
KIMBERLY, WI (WTAQ) - Fox Valley Metro Police say the death of a man whose body was found Saturday morning appears to be medically related.
Cops were called around 6 a.m. to the 200 block of W. Kimberly Avenue for a report of a man who wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse. The 52-year-old Little Chute man was thought to be walking to work.
Authorities say there were no signs of foul play and nothing suspicious was found. Police say an autopsy is scheduled to confirm the cause of death.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsinites are enjoying the warmest day of 2014 by far.
It was warmer than expected in much of the Badger State as of 2 p.m. Forecasters had said the 50 degree barrier would only be broken in the southern part of state Monday. But it was 52 at mid-afternoon in two of the state's northern-most cities, Superior and Ashland.
Hayward, which often has the state's coldest readings during the winter, was among the warmest at 54. Land O'Lakes at the state's border with Upper Michigan was at 55.
Boscobel in southwest Wisconsin was the state's warm spot at 2 p.m. with 58 -- about ten degrees warmer than what forecasters predicted for what's supposed to be the warmest day of the week.
The National Weather Service in La Crosse said nearby Rochester Minnesota broke the 40 degree barrier for the first time since last November 30th. That happened just before 9 a.m.
As it stands now, some places in Wisconsin could be 20 degrees colder Tuesday, when a new storm system moves in with rain, sleet, and light snow.
Colder temperatures in the teens and 20's are expected Wednesday before the 40's return on Thursday.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) - A Manitowoc company is taking their production of a line of ice machines and moving it to Monterrey, Mexico.
Officials with Manitowoc Foodservice says about 150 workers on the Indigo line of ice machines will be affected. The company says it's intended to help it better service customers in Latin America and the U.S.
Company officials would not comment on the move.
The union representing employees at the plant tell FOX 11, “We’re probably going to have about 80 jobs left and we’re going to work with the company to retain the jobs at Manitowoc Ice. We’re never going to be able to compete for $3-an-hour jobs and we shouldn’t have to,” International Association of Machinists District 10 representative Russell Krings said. “It’s a shame we have to compete with jobs being run out of the country when we need the jobs here.”
According to Krings, the pending layoffs won't have anything to do with the union's current labor talks with Manitowoc Ice.
Product development, engineering, marketing, finance and service functions for Manitowoc Ice products are staying in Manitowoc. The company recently invested $3.2 million in the Wisconsin facility.
(Additional reporting from FOX 11).
BELLEVUE, WI (WTAQ) - The Brown County Sheriff's Department says that drug arrests have nearly doubled since 2008.
On Tuesday, the department released its 2013 Drug Task Force Report. Last year, agents made 659 arrests, which is up 7 percent from 2012.
The largest category of arrests continues to be marijuana, but authorities say the increase in heroin and methamphetamine use is the greatest concern.
While arrests are on the rise, task force officials say the numbers of tips are also going up. In 2013, over 825 tips were received.
Anyone who has a drug tip to report can call the Brown County Drug Task Force at (920) 437-3784.
TOWN OF LAWRENCE, WI (WTAQ) - A man from Milwaukee has been charged with supplying the heroin that killed a De Pere man.
23-year-old Arthur Graham is facing one count of first-degree reckless homicide.
Graham sold the heroin that caused Jeremy Schleis to fatally overdose at a home in the Town of Lawrence March 6, according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint goes on to reveal that Schleis and another man drove to Milwaukee a couple of times to purchase heroin from Graham.
Graham is due for his first appearance in court Tuesday.
MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ) - The CEO of Marinette Marine says his company is planning to hire 200 workers over the next six months.
Chuck Goddard says Marinette Marine will hire 100 skilled laborers and 100 entry level workers to undergo training to replace those retiring.
Currently, the boat manufacturer employs 1,400 people.
This comes just a day after the U.S. Navy modified a contract with Lockheed-Martin to add funding to build two more Littoral Combat Ships. It's part of the current 10-ship, multi-billion dollar contract.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Rotary clubs in the Fox Valley are helping fellow Rotarians in Peru provide food to the poor in that South American country.
Two Oshkosh clubs and one in Fond du Lac have resolved cultural differences to work with a Rotary Club in Lima Peru to make over 660 gallons of soy milk each day. The milk byproduct is used to make high protein bread, and both those items go to help the poor.
Bill Thimke of the Oshkosh Southwest Rotary Club said there was a lot of trial and error involved in making something like this happen.
Rotarians tell the Fond du Lac Reporter that they've overcome setbacks by hearing what the local residents in Peru want, and staying involved to meet their desires. Thimke says he's seen the faces of Peruvian youngsters when they get their milk. He said, "You can't get that kind of satisfaction anywhere else."
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A Wisconsin group says the mayor of Green Bay has no business inviting Pope Francis to his area.
Madison's Freedom from Religion Foundation has told Jim Schmitt that his recent invitation to the pontiff is, "grossly inappropriate."
The group that advocates the separation of church and state reminds Schmitt that he serves all of Green Bay's 100,000-plus residents -- and that includes athiests.
Schmitt says the protest will not deter him from pursuing a papal visit.
Pope Francis is expected to travel to the U.S. in September of next year for a family conference in Philadelphia.
While he's in the country, Mayor Schmitt is inviting him to see the Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion. He's also encouraging the pope to hold a Mass at Green Bay's 80,000 seat Lambeau Field.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A plea deal has been reached for a Green Bay man who drove into a police squad car, injuring an officer last summer.
On Monday, Ryan Rivard pled no contest to injury by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle, first-degree reckless injury and bail jumping.
Brown County Judge William Atkinson will hand down a sentence May 2, and can consider the five other counts dismissed. Those include 4th-offense OWI.
Rivard was speeding eastbound on Lombardi Avenue, when he slammed into a squad car driven by Officer Tracy Liska on August 4. She was pulling out of the Kwik Trip parking lot when she was hit. Liska suffered several injuries, including a broken collar bone, a broken rib and a punctured lung.
Witnesses estimate that Rivard was driving between 70 and 90 miles per hour, in an area with a posted speed limit of 35.
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - Menasha police indicate they're close to wrapping up their investigation into a case of sexting.
Authorities are looking over a final piece of evidence and contacting the parents of teenagers who shared nude photos. After those people involved have been notified, police said Wednesday they plan to recommend charges to prosecutors.
More than 50 nude or semi-nude photos of students were uploaded to the Internet last month. Police say about a dozen students, both boys and girls between 14 and 16-years-old, were part of that investigation. Most of them attend Menasha High School, but some other schools in the Fox Valley may be involved.
Police say they are nearing an end to their investigation into teens sharing nude photos.
Investigators are reviewing a final piece of evidence and contacting the parents of the teens, police said Wednesday. As soon as the people involved are notified, police plan to recommend charges to prosecutors.
Officers indicate the teens took photos of themselves, sent them to people they knew, who then uploaded them to a password-protected website without the permission of those who took the pictures. The password then got out to other students, and that is when the school district was notified.
Menasha Police say their investigation is expected to wrap up by Monday.
(Additional reporting from FOX 11)
LENA, WI (WTAQ) - A debate is raging in Oconto County over a bridge honoring a local veteran killed in the line of duty.
Ten years ago, Army Specialist Nichole Frye was killed in Iraq. Two years later, a bridge just north of Lena on Highway 141 was dedicated in her honor.
Frye's name isn't on the bridge itself and an effort to change that is underway. However, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has already said no.
“They named the bridge, but there’s nothing on the bridge to know about her sacrifice,” Lisa Frye, Nichole Frye’s mother, told FOX 11.
“Everybody goes past, they see a silver sign, and they don’t know what it’s for. They’re not really looking at it. You can’t read it from that far away and at that speed,” said Jayme Frye, Nichole Frye’s father.
The push to get Nichole Frye's name on the sign has been spurred on by the Rolling Thunder motorcycle club. Each year the group holds an honor ride and members feel the sign north of the bridge shouldn't be the only marker.
Frye’s family agrees. But the DOT says federal guidelines classify the sign as non-essential.
“When you have a policy, you need to adhere to the policy the best you can,” WisDOT spokesperson Kim Rudat also told FOX 11 there are safety concerns as well.
Crivitz Republican State Rep. Jeff Mursau has introduced a bill to have the sign installed.
“It was supposed to be on the road, or on the bridge, and for people to notice, that’s where it should be,” said State Rep. Jeff Mursau, R-Crivitz.
The Rolling Thunder motorcycle club has offered to pay for the signs, which the DOT estimates could run as high as $3,000.
State lawmakers hope to have a new sign up on the bridge by the fall.
(Additional reporting from FOX 11).
ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Crews battled an Ashwaubenon apartment fire that broke out early this morning (THUR). This all happens at the Creekwood Apartments on Viking Drive. The word is everyone was evacuated from the complex and no injuries are being reported. No word on how the fire started. 12 of the complex's 48 units sustained damages. The Red Cross is helping people displaced by the fire.
