TOWN OF MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - The Town of Menasha Police Department is teaming up with the FBI in the search for a suspect in a 2011 drive by shooting.

Police have been trying to track down Ger Chang since just after the August 13, 2011 shooting at Asian Taste Nightclub.

That night, someone drove through the parking lot and fired several shots toward the building at 236 W. Calumet Street. One man was shot, and several cars were damaged due to gunfire. The shooting victim spent several days in the hospital.

Three other men have been convicted in this case. Chang, who's the suspected gunman, has yet to be found. The 29-year-old Sheboygan man has ties to Green Bay and the Minneapolis/St. Paul areas. 

A federal arrest warrant was issued June 30, accusing Chang of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Anyone with information is asked to call town of Menasha police at (920) 720-7109. You may also call your local FBI office; those in other countries may contact the nearest American embassy or consulate.

Green Bay, WI (WTAQ) - On Friday, nearly 140 Vietnam veterans from northeast Wisconsin will make what promises to be an emotional trip to Washington D. C., and a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.  

This week, you'll meet a few of those veterans going on the Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight. They say they're looking forward to the trip, but with very mixed emotions.  

This is the first of a 4 part series.

SEYMOUR, WI (WTAQ) - Seymour police need the public's help in tracking down a man they believe may have been cooking meth inside a vacant house.

On June 13, officers were called for a report of a person going into and out of a foreclosed house at 532 Lincoln Street. Upon arrival, cops found that the person had left and the house had been used to cook meth.

After their investigation, police have issued a warrant for the arrest of 29-year-old Dustin J. Roskom. He's wanted on three counts of bail jumping and several counts related to the meth lab.

Anyone who knows where Roskom might be is asked to call Seymour police at (920) 833-2366.

MINNEAPOLIS (WTAQ) - A city commission in Minneapolis has upheld the firings of two police officers for causing a racially charged off-duty incident when they were in Green Bay.

Officers Brian Thole and Shawn Powell were terminated last year. That was after they exchanged words with a group of black men, and got into a fight outside a Green Bay night club last June 29th.

A short time later, the white officers went to Green Bay's police headquarters and made racial slurs.

Powell and Thole reportedly asked the city's officers not to include their names in any reports about the incident, saying their female police chief -- Janee Harteau -- was a lesbian looking to fire people.

The police union did not challenge the firings of Powell and Thole, but they did trigger an automatic appeal process.

The chief said the Minneapolis Civil Service Commission upheld the terminations last week.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Early voting is underway for Wisconsin's fall primaries.

Municipal clerks have opened their windows for a two week absentee voting period which ends a week from Friday -- 4 days before the August 12th Election Day.

Majority Republicans have scaled back early voting, which ran for several weeks a few years ago.

Earlier this year, the GOP banned the absentee voting after 7 p.m. and on weekends, saying small towns cannot hold the same hours as the bigger cities -- and there needs to be uniformity statewide.

Critics said the Republicans were just trying to inconvenience the Democrats, because they're generally more successful in winning elections in the bigger cities. Scot Ross of the liberal One Wisconsin Now says the change affects mainly younger people as well as city dwellers.

Meanwhile, Government Accountability Board director Kevin Kennedy says the biggest question he gets is why voters cannot vote in both parties' primaries. As he points out, the purpose of primaries is for parties to pick their own finalists for November.

Wisconsin is unlike most other states because it has an open primary -- where voters can choose their parties anonymously. In most states, voters must publicly ask for a certain party's ballot.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A Green Bay alderman wants to ban the use of cell phones while driving on city roads.

Jerry Wiezbiskie says he's had several close calls in his vehicle involving someone talking on their cell phone while driving, including on his way to City Hall Monday night.

“Actually came to a rolling stop as I went by them and almost hit me broadside,” Wiezbiskie told FOX 11. “I saw them on the cell phone and thought there is an example right now.”

Wiezbiskie had an ordinance drafted by city staff which would ban handheld use of electronic devices while driving. If someone is caught, they would be fined $50.

“It’s almost like a person who is intoxicated driving vehicle,” Wiezbiskie told FOX 11.

However, the four council members on Green Bay's Protection and Welfare committee feel it's an issue that should be taken up at the state level.

“I think it’s similar to the smoking ban where you ok this city by city, village by village, town, you’ll have people driving not knowing if cell phone use is banned while driving,” Alderman Chris Wery told FOX 11.

Earlier this year, the city of Wausau approved a similar ordinance. They put up signs coming into the city making drivers aware of the ban.

The committee voted for a recommendation to deny the cell phone ban. The full Green Bay City Council is expected to take up the issue in three weeks.

(Additional reporting from FOX 11).

WAUSAU, WI (WTAQ) - A man was given a new trial Tuesday in a drunk driving case in which a defense witness got into a confrontation with two jurors.

60-year-old Gerald Blasczyk of Oneida was convicted on all four criminal charges filed in 2011 in Outagamie County. That was after a witness saw Blasczyk passed out in his SUV while it was still running.

A third person, Frank Vandehei, told jurors it was he -- and not Blasczyk -- who was driving the vehicle. After his testimony, Vandehei confronted a juror in the parking lot about a question the juror asked in the courtroom. A second juror witnessed the confrontation.

Tuesday, the Third District Appellate Court in Wausau ruled that the incident could have influenced the jurors before they convicted Blasczyk -- and that's why the defendant deserves a new trial.

Blasczyk was charged with his 13th OWI offense, battery to authorities, and disorderly conduct. That was after he was found passed out in his SUV, which was still running at the time.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - As the U.S. presence in the Middle East goes away, so does big profits for the Oshkosh Corporation.

The company said Tuesday its quarterly sales dropped 46 percent from a year ago for its military vehicles. Total sales slipped by 12 percent, while total Oshkosh profits plunged by 29 percent.

The Oshkosh Corporation is the largest manufacturer in the Fox Valley, and it makes other large equipment besides military vehicles. Still, the Pentagon's cutbacks were the main reason Oshkosh profits fell to $105 million this year.

Sales fell to around $1.9 billion over the three-month period, while sales of military vehicles declined to $471 million.

Oshkosh CEO Charles Szews said his firm continues to manage the defense business reduction in a responsible manner. He said the company has finished cutting back its defense workforce, while retaining essential workers and leaders to support potential new military business -- like the U.S. Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - About one of every four Wisconsin adults have debts that were reported to collection agencies -- and while that sounds bad, the national average is a lot worse.

The Urban Institute released a study Tuesday showing that 26.5 percent of Wisconsinites with credit records have something that collection agencies are calling about. Those people are being hounded to pay back an average of $5,200 each -- and they often lose out on good jobs or the apartments they want.

That's according to Caroline Ratcliffe of the Urban Institute, who says the percentage of people in collections has stayed the same, even though total debt has gone down since the Great Recession. Ratcliffe calls that a disturbing trend.

All told, 4.2 percent of Wisconsin credit users have past due debts -- well below the national average of 5.3 percent.

The percentage of Badger State adults with something in collections is 8.5 percent below the national norm, while the amount in collections is about $100 more than average.

Also, the nation's 100 largest metro areas had their debt rates listed. Madison has the 6th-lowest percentage of people with debts in collections -- but it's still 22.6 percent. Metro Milwaukee is about 4 percent before the national norm, at 31 percent.

The figures are based on federal data, and numbers from the TransUnion credit bureau.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

TOWN OF POYGAN, WI (WTAQ) - Authorities in Winnebago County say one man has been arrested after shooting another man during a disturbance early Tuesday.

Sheriff's deputies were dispatched around 1:30 a.m. to a home in the Town of Poygan. 

An investigation found that a 44-year-old man had discharged a weapon and struck another man. The shooting victim was rushed to the hospital, where he was treated and released.

The investigation continues and sheriff's officials say more arrests are possible.

CRANDON, WI (WTAQ) - A plea deal was struck Tuesday for a Wabeno man in a child abuse case.

Online court records show Brandon Brunette pled guilty to a child abuse charge, while four other counts, including attempted homicide, were dropped. 

Authorities say Brunette threw his girlfriend's 19-month-old son across a room into a wall or TV stand. That caused the child to suffer a fractured skull.

As part of the deal, prosecutors reserved the right to re-file homicide charges if the boy dies before October 18. That's a year and a day after the crime.

Brunette will be sentenced October 14.

WHEELING, IL (WTAQ) - A nine-year-old suburban Chicago boy was reunited Tuesday with a Coast Guard crew that helped rescue him from Lake Michigan at Door County.

Tommy Alter and other relatives met the chopper crew at the Chicago Executive Airport. Tommy thanked the rescuers who saved him, his 9-year-old cousin Zach Suri, and his aunt Allison Alter.

They rented kayaks on July 10th and were only planning to be gone for just over an hour from the small bay in western Door County where they took off. Instead, they got caught in waves of up to two feet -- and they were found about 14 miles away in the Bay of Green Bay.

A search plane from the Royal Canadian Air Force located Tommy Alter and his relatives about 15 hours after they initially got on the water. They were checked out at a hospital and released the same day.

Young Zach and his mother Allison Alter used to live in Madison, where she and her husband worked at the UW.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Several hail storms went through Wisconsin late Tuesday.

The National Weather Service reported no major building damage.

McKinley in Polk County had two-and-three-quarter-inch hail, almost the size of a small softball. The Appleton area had quarter-sized hail.

Pellets covered the ground at Fifield in Price County. Smaller and lesser hail came down at Marshfield, Black Creek, Suring, Plymouth, and parts of Ashland County.

Ashland had 48 mile an hour winds. Trees fell at Waukesha. One tree fell on a car near Silver Lake in Kenosha County.

Most storm-related power outages have been resolved. The only noticeable outage Wednesday morning was in the New Berlin area, where We Energies said more than 80 customers were in the dark.

An upper level low pressure system is expected to hang over Wisconsin for the rest of the week, with stormy conditions possible each afternoon and evening.

Highs Wednesday are predicted to be near 80 except along Lake Michigan.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The general manager of the Green Bay Packers has signed a multi-year contract extension.

The Packers gave no details of Ted Thompson's new deal Wednesday. He had two years left on his current contract.

Team president Mark Murphy said Thompson's work was the main reason the Packers have had so much success in recent years. He's into his 10th season as Green Bay's GM.

Thompson said he wouldn't want to walk away from his current post, saying he's responsible for the people he works with.

The 61-year-old Executive Vice President and Director of Football Operations said he's been asked a lot if he ever thought about walking away -- and he hasn't.

Asked how long he wants to remain as the GM, Thompson said he'll let things play themselves out -- and a lot of people can be very productive later in life.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Two people in Oshkosh have been arrested after police executed a search warrant at their home and found heroin.

Authorities went to the home in the 600 block of W. 9th Ave. on Tuesday. During the search of the house, cops found heroin and heroin-related drug paraphernalia.

A 25-year-old Oshkosh man, who's believed to be associated with a pair of heroin overdose deaths, was arrested on heroin-related charges. A 27-year-old Oshkosh woman was taken into custody on unrelated warrants.

The investigation into the connection with the two overdose deaths continues.

TOWN OF OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - A small plane crash in a field in the Town of Oshkosh has left two brothers from Kentucky with non-life threatening injuries.

First responders were called to a small grass runway near the Hickory Oaks campground just after 3 p.m. Wednesday. Upon arrival, they found the brothers had crashed their home-built RV9A plane.

Oshkosh Fire Department officials say the pilot was attempting to land near the campground when he lost power at the entrance to the runway and just crashed. Both men were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

EAA officials say the plane wasn't part of Wednesday's AirVenture show. It's not clear if the brothers were attending the event.

The field where the crash happened is near the state prison.

(Additional reporting from FOX 11).

Green Bay, WI, (WTAQ) - Retail giant Walmart says it is done with its push for a downtown Green Bay store.  

In a statement released on Wednesday, Mitch Cox, Walmart’s regional general manager, said the level of adminstrative resistence from the city should be a warning to any business looking to move into or expand in Green Bay.

Two weeks ago, Green Bay’s city council voted down Walmart’s proposal to build a Supercenter on the Larsen Green site on Broadway.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - The Wisconsin Supreme Court has upheld the Act 10 public union bargaining restrictions.

On a 5-2 vote Thursday, the justices threw out previous rulings from Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas -- who said that the Act 10 public union bargaining limits did not apply to local and school unions.

It was among several lawsuits which challenged the constitutionality of Act 10, Governor Scott Walker's signature legislation from 2011 which banned collective bargaining except for pay raises at or above inflation.

Thursday's ruling was the final one pending in the state and federal courts -- and Republicans won them all. They can now claim full victory over preserving Act 10, as Walker and most GOP lawmakers run for re-election this fall.

After massive protests in 2011, Walker was put up for recall the following year over Act 10 -- and he became the first governor in U.S. history to survive such an effort.  

Thursday's ruling could also put a feather in Walker's cap nationally, where conservatives regard him as a hero for taking on public unions. Therefore, the ruling could be a boost to Walker's possible presidential bid for 2016.

Democratic challenger Mary Burke recently said she would try to restore many of the bargaining aspects of Act 10, while leaving the higher employee health and retirement contribution requirements in place.

PHOTO ID RULING

Also Thursday, the State Supreme Court upheld Wisconsin's photo ID law for voting -- but it won't be reinstated unless the federal courts also give their blessing.

On a 5-2 vote, the state justices dismissed lower court decisions that threw out the voter ID requirement.

A pair of Dane County judges had ruled in favor of the League of Women Voters and the NAACP, which contended that the 2011 ID requirement discouraged minorities, the elderly, and young people from voting.

Earlier this year, Federal Judge Lynn Adelman ruled that the ID law violated both the U.S. Constitution and the national Voting Rights Act. State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has appealed that decision -- but experts believe it will be awhile before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago makes its ruling.

As a result, voters will not need to show ID's in the August 12th partisan primaries -- and likely not in the November elections, either.

State Republicans say voters need to show ID's to prevent fraud.  Earlier court testimony indicated that 300,000 Wisconsinites don't have acceptable ID's under the law.

The state's two U.S. attorneys and two Justice Department civil rights lawyers say that's enough evidence to prove that the law disenfranchises certain groups.

In reaction to both of those rulings, Governor Scott Walker said in a statement, "Act 10 has saved Wisconsin taxpayers more than $3 billion. Today’s ruling is a victory for those hard-working taxpayers. Voter ID is a common sense reform that protects the integrity of our elections. People need to have confidence in our electoral process and to know their vote has been properly counted. We look forward to the same result from the federal court of appeals."

DOMESTIC PARTNER REGISTRY

The Supreme Court on Thursday also upheld the state's domestic partner registry which gives same-sex couples about 40 percent of the legal benefits of married couples.

It was a defeat for the Wisconsin Family Action group, which tried unsuccessfully to get the justices to strike down the registry just before it came into existence in 2009. The group bypassed the lower courts, saying the registry went against the state's previous constitutional ban on gay marriage.

The justices told Family Action to get in line and follow the normal procedure -- which it did. Former Governor Jim Doyle and his majority Democrats at the time said the registry provides fairness for gay couples.

It provides things like hospital visitation rights and various end of life decisions to about 2,300 couples which have applied.

When the GOP took over in 2011, it took the pro-family side -- and the Fair Wisconsin group intervened to defend the registry. Now, the registry's future might be a moot point, if the federal courts eventually throw out the state's ban on gay marriage.

Federal Judge Barbara Crabb tossed it out in June, and the state's now appealing that move.

(Additional reporting by Wheeler News Service)

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - A plane crash Thursday morning at Wittman Regional Airport has killed one man and seriously injured a female passenger.

According to EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski, the pilot tried to land the breezy type plane when it bounced and then crashed on the southeast side of the airport around 9 a.m.

Two people were on board the plane and both were rushed to the hospital. A 74-year-old Kentucky man died from his injuries at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah. The woman was in serious condition at last word.

Officials closed the airport in Oshkosh for about an hour after the crash.

(Additional reporting from FOX 11).

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials are asking drivers to prepare for possible heavy traffic this weekend due to some popular attractions.

With Packers Family Night and EAA's AirVenture on Saturday, officials expect increased traffic volumes. The heaviest congestion is expected to be at the Highway 41/172 interchange in Brown County and in the Oshkosh area. 

The DOT says peak travel times are expected to happen between 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

While construction is put on hold for the weekend, the DOT says there will still be temporary barrier walls, narrow lanes and orange barrels.

Major road projects in the area include:

US 41

All construction on US 41 will cease for the weekend, although barrier walls, narrow lanes, and orange barrels will be present in various locations.

• Brown County –
  • Drivers will encounter 11-foot travel lanes and reduced shoulders in multiple locations along a 10-mile segment of highway. The speed limit is reduced to 55 mph from just south of Grant Street to Lineville Road. Temporary barrier walls at various locations will cause traffic to slow.
• Winnebago County –
  • US 41 northbound and southbound are reduced from 3 lanes to 2 lanes between Snell Road and County G. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained in each direction.

WIS 172 and US 41/WIS 172 interchange

• Brown County –
  • Eastbound WIS 172 to northbound US 41 ramp is closed for reconstruction. Eastbound WIS 172 traffic wanting to exit to Lambeau Field will continue east on WIS 172 and take the Oneida Street/Ashland Avenue exit.
  • Expect congestion on northbound US 41 where the WIS 172 westbound ramp merges with US 41 northbound.  

I-43

• Brown County –
  • The speed limit is reduced to 55 mph on I-43 between Atkinson Drive and US 41.  

WIS 29

• Brown County –
  • WIS 29 has narrower shoulders due to temporary barrier wall at various locations that will cause traffic to slow.
  • WIS 29/Shawano Avenue between Packerland Drive and Taylor Street is closed for reconstruction; this includes all four US 41 exit and entrance ramps at Shawano Avenue.
    • WIS 29 westbound is detoured south on Military Avenue to Mason Street, Mason west to US 41 and US 41 north to WIS 29.
    • WIS 29 eastbound is detoured south on US 41 to WIS 172, WIS 172 east to I-43, and I-43 south to WIS 29.
  • Access to and from US 41 via the new free-flow interchange ramps will be available.  

WIS 32/57

• Calumet County
  • The intersection of US 10 and WIS 32/57 in Forest Junction will be closed for construction of a roundabout. WIS 32/57 detour route follows WIS 32/57 to County HR to US 10 to County PP to County K to WIS 32/57.  

I-43

• Ozaukee County

• Traffic will be reduced to one lane on both I-43 north and south at County LL, near Fredonia. Delays of several miles are anticipated. WisDOT is encouraging northbound traffic to take alternate routes, if possible. The recommended alternate route follows WIS 57 northbound to WIS 23 eastbound, back to I-43.

Real-time traffic information is available at 511wi.gov or by calling 511.