LITTLE CHUTE, WI (WTAQ) - No one was hurt following a house fire in Little Chute overnight.
Firefighters were called to the home on Carol Lynn Drive around midnight.
Part of a wall had to be torn down, and there appeared to be damage around the chimney.
No word yet on how much damage was done to the home or exactly what caused the fire.
MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin's gun deer hunting season is six days away, and officials are reminding hunters that their hats must be at least half blaze orange.
A 1980 law requires hats to be at least 50 percent orange, but wardens say they run into sizable numbers of people who don't meet the mandate.
Wardens plan to give out orange-knit hats to hunters with the phrase, "Hunt Safe in Wisconsin."
The Badger State has had an impressive safety record in recent years. No hunters have been shot to death during the nine-day gun season in 3 of the past 4 years -- and the only other year on record with no shooting deaths was in 1972.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Just in time for deer hunting, the state DNR has expanded hours at a number of its service centers throughout Wisconsin.
Diane Brookbank says a new call routing system has helped the agency improve scheduling at the centers with the greatest needs.
As a result, a half-dozen centers are open longer -- including Wausau, where the counters are now open for a full seven-and-a-half hours each weekday instead of just 3.
Brookbank said the DNR did not have to add resources for the improvement -- and it comes at a time when many local service centers sell up to 50 percent of their sporting licenses the week before the gun-deer season opens.
That season begins on Saturday. In addition to the counter service, DNR call centers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. More information is available at DNR.WI.Gov.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
KAUKAUNA, WI (WTAQ) - The state DNR is deciding whether to approve a new transfer station at a lock on the Fox River between Lakes Michigan and Winnebago.
The river's Navigational System Authority plans to spend both public and private funds on a $3.8 million system which is raising concerns about invasive species getting in.
Under state law, the Rapide Croche lock at Kaukauna must remain closed to prevent sea lamprey and other invasive species from entering the Fox and Lake Winnebago from the Great Lakes.
The project would hoist boats, wash them, and then place them back into the river.
The authority says the treatment would remove the risk of invasive species entering the Fox. But a DNR environmental assessment said the project would raise the risk of foreign species getting into a network that covers about 17 percent of the state's inland waters.
It said an invasive species could jeopardize an estimated $234 million a year that the Fox-Winnebago system generates.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp is considering a decision -- and it's premature to say what she'll do. The paper cites a survey showing that about 1,300 boats would use the cleaning system at least twice a year.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Pope Francis confirmed Monday morning that he'll visit the U.S. next September to attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.
Now, we'll wait to find out if the pontiff will visit Wisconsin as part of his time on American soil. We won't know for sure until next spring or summer, when his schedule is finalized.
Pope Francis is expected to be in Philly from September 25th through 27th. Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput said the challenges for families is one of the pope's major focuses, and as he put it -- "His charisma, presence, and voice will electrify the gathering."
It will be only the 4th U.S. visit by a sitting pope. He's also expected to address Congress and the United Nations to mark that body's 70th anniversary. Nothing has been made official yet.
Back in February, Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt invited Francis to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. That's about 15 miles northeast of Green Bay in the town of Champion.
The Catholic Church verified in 2010 that the Virgin Mary had appeared to a young girl at the shrine in 1859. The Marian shrine is the only site of its kind in the U.S. that the Catholic Church officially recognizes.
Schmitt also said the pontiff could hold a Mass at the 78,000 seat Lambeau Field.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A former employee at Pilgrim Lutheran School in Green Bay has been convicted of sexual assault.
Online court records indicate Wayne Makela pled no contest to charges of exposing a child to harmful material and second-degree sexual assault of a child. Four other counts were dismissed during a court hearing November 7th.
Makela will be sentenced on January 16th.
According to the criminal complaint, Makela said he had sexual relations with a 13-year-old student. He worked at Pilgrim Lutheran School as a computer teacher and coach.
OMRO, WI (WTAQ) - Reckless homicide charges are being sought by Omro police in connection with the death of a man last month.
The body of Andrew Hansen was found at an Oshkosh hotel room on October 9th. Police say the events leading to his death took place in Omro.
However, police have not detailed what those are.
Formal charges have not been filed by the Winnebago County district attorney's office yet, and the suspect is not expected to appear in court Monday.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Bond was set at $1,500 cash for an Oshkosh man accused of running a meth operation.
Werner Roggenbuck is charged with four counts including manufacturing meth and maintaining a drug trafficking place out of a home on Franklin Street.
According to online court records, Roggenbuck will have a preliminary hearing November 24th.
Oshkosh police say on November 11th, they were waiting to execute a search warrant around 5:30 p.m. when a car left the house. Police pulled over that car about a block away at the corner of Jackson and Lincoln.
Inside the home, authorities say they found meth and equipment to make more.
A woman who was driving the car and got arrested has not been charged.
NEENAH, WI (WTAQ) - The Winnebago County Sheriff's Department says one person was hurt during one of two separate crashes involving parked police cars on Sunday.
Deputies say despite their November 13th enforcement effort of Wisconsin's Move Over Law, where 21 drivers were stopped for violations, two squad vehicles were severely damaged after being hit by drivers who failed to move over and struck them.
The first incident involved a Wisconsin State Patrol car parked on the shoulder of Highway 41 near County Highway II in Neenah while a trooper was assisting a crash. The driver of a passing car lost control of their vehicle at 8:11 a.m. and struck the rear of the police car. The trooper was not inside the vehicle when it happened.
In the second incident, a Winnebago County Sheriff's Department squad was parked on Highway 41 northbound at the Lake Butte des Morts Bridge helping a single-vehicle crash. While the deputy was outside of the squad car, a driver of a passing car lost control of their vehicle at 8:42 a.m. and hit the back of the squad. Moments later, the driver of a second passing car also lost control and struck the police car.
Authorities say a motorist who was being assisted by the deputy was in the car during both crashes. They sustained minor injuries.
The Winnebago County Sheriff Office’s car is likely totaled and the State Patrol’s car was severely damaged.
Officials are reminding drivers to be conscious of law enforcement officers, tow truck operators, emergency responders and utility workers doing their jobs on the side of roadways. The Wisconsin Move Over Law requires drivers to shift lanes if possible or slow down in order to create a safety zone for those that work on the side of roadways.
State Patrol Sgt. Tim McGrath says, “When law enforcement officers, tow truck operators and others respond to assist vehicles that have crashed or slid off slippery roads, they face a tremendous danger of being struck by vehicles that have not moved over. By obeying the Move Over Law, drivers can protect themselves, their passengers, our officers and others who work on highways from needless injuries and deaths.”
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A Green Bay woman has been sentenced to six years in prison for supplying pain medication patches that caused another woman to die from an overdose.
48-year-old Laura Osborne had pleaded no contest to first-degree reckless homicide. A drug delivery charge was dropped in a plea deal with Brown County prosecutors.
Officials said Osborne and two others provided Fentanyl patches that were a significant factor in the death of 29-year-old Amber Kunstman of Green Bay in the late summer of last year.
38-year-old David Smet of Ashwaubenon has a January 26th trial date scheduled on counts of reckless homicide, two drug-related possession charges, and resisting police.
47-year-old Thomas Stone of Green Bay is due back in court January 12th on a reckless homicide charge.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Nicolet Bank customers are being urged to monitor their bank accounts closely for unauthorized activity after Green Bay police say they've received reports of stolen debit card numbers.
On Tuesday, the Green Bay Police Department said they got 4 calls from customers saying their card numbers were stolen and used in Texas. In some cases, the debit cards were used at Walmart and virtually cleaned out the bank accounts.
Police say if you believe your credit or debit card number was stolen; contact Nicolet Bank immediately at (800) 369-0226 to report it. You should cancel your debit or credit card and have Nicolet Bank issue you a new one.
Officials with Nicolet Bank say members won't be charged for any unauthorized transactions, however it may take a few days to recover any stolen money and replace it in the account.
Since Nicolet Bank is aware of this problem, you do not need to contact the police department. Nicolet Bank will contact the necessary law enforcement agencies to further investigate. If the bank tells you to call the police, you may call the Green Bay Police Department at (920) 448-3208.
If you bank at a different location and your debit or credit card number was stolen, you’re asked to contact your bank first.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Formal charges have now been filed against a second person involved in a meth bust in Oshkosh.
Shanon Nowak is charged with five counts, including manufacture of amphetamine and possession of methamphetamine precursors.
On Tuesday, a judge set Nowak's bond at $25,000 cash.
Nowak and Werner Roggenbuck were arrested on November 11 after they tried to drive away from a home on Franklin Street that police were waiting to execute a search warrant on.
Police say they found meth inside the home as well as the equipment to make more.
Roggenbuck is due back in court November 24, and is charged with manufacturing meth, maintaining a drug trafficking place, and two other counts for allegedly running the drug house.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay Police are warning residents about a man believed to be in the area who's known in other states to take advantage of the generosity of community groups and churches.
According to police, the man calls local community groups and churches and asks for personal information about the organization and its leaders. The man, who identifies himself as Alan Michael Farha, then uses that information to take money from those groups.
The warning is being issued because police say they got a call from an area church saying a man named Farha called them asking for personal information. Police can't confirm if this individual is the same person from the cases in other states, but the man is using a (920) area code number starting in 664.
If you have any information on this or any other case, please contact the Green Bay Police Detective 920-448-3200 or contact Green Bay Area Crime Stoppers at 920-432-STOP (7867), www.432stop.com, or text “GBTIP” plus your message to 274637.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A new survey shows that adults in the Green Bay area do more binge drinking than folks elsewhere in Wisconsin.
Community officials have issued their first "Brown County Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey." It showed that 38 percent of county adults took part in binge drinking in the past 30 days -- meaning they had 5 or more drinks in a day.
Similar studies from the past year show that 35 percent of Wisconsin adults went on a drinking binge at least once, higher than the 32 percent national average.
Also, the highest rates of Brown County binge drinking occurs in young adults. 59 percent of those age 18 to 24 admitted binges at least once in the previous 30 days.
Conversely, a third of Brown County adults did not drink at all in the past month -- and 64 percent said they had only a drink or two in that same period.
About 400 phone calls were made to folks about a variety of health-related habits.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Three months after a fire destroyed Preble High School's field house, school officials are unveiling the renovated gym.
“It’s a great day at Preble today to finally close the chapter on this,” said Dan Retzki, Preble High School’s associate principal and athletic director.
Retzki says some changes had to be made, especially with getting new bleachers.
"We were able to advance it with [logos] on our bleachers,” Retzki said. "But we lost some of our capacity, so what we'll do is we'll be adding on portable bleachers on each of the end lines. It'll be much more of a bowl atmosphere during a competition. That will bring our capacity to about 2,000 seats."
The August 8th fire was sparked after workers improperly threw away rags that were used to resurface the floor. It caused about $7.5 million in damage to the field house and parts of the school building.
According to school officials, Preble hired a new safety person and is reexamining cleaning protocols.
Retzki says the students are the most excited bunch, to get inside and use the new field house.
“It’s nice. It’s very sticky. In the old gym it was a little slippery but now that we’re out here, it’s real nice,” said Preble senior Parker Kraft.
“It’s a different look and a different feel but I’m excited to have a different feel to the season senior year,” Preble senior Nic DeKeyser said.
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) - Police in Manitowoc are searching for a thief who stuffed two bottles of vodka down his pants and walked out.
It happened between 12:35 p.m. and 12:41 p.m. Monday at Superior Discount Liquor, 4355 Calumet Avenue.
Security cameras showed the thief was in the store during that time. He was with another man who did pay for what he bought.
Police released a still frame taken from the surveillance video, which can be seen above.
Anyone with information is asked to call Manitowoc police at (920) 686-6500.
OCONTO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - Fire officials say no one was hurt when two mobile homes in Pulaski were destroyed by fire Wednesday.
Crews from multiple agencies spent a good part of Wednesday afternoon battling the flames at the Pleasant View Trailer Park near Jaworski Road.
One of the residents of the mobile homes, Jerry Poquette, told FOX 11, “My heart started pounding and I was shaking like a leaf. I knew that my trailer was gone too, because the flames were shooting so high and the wind was blowing. It seemed like the wind was blowing the flames toward my trailer really fast. It didn’t take long and it was through my trailer already.”
The Pulaski Community School District said students that live in the mobile park home are being held at Glenbrook Elementary School. Parents can pick them up there. If parents are unable to pick their children up, a bus will be available when the road re-opens. If parents need to contact the school, they may call the Glenbrook main line at (920) 822-6100.
(Additional reporting from FOX 11).
SHAWANO, WI (WTAQ) - The Shawano County Sheriff's Department says a school bus driver involved in a fatal crash near Pulaski earlier this year was given two citations.
75-year-old James Mueller was cited for failure to yield from a stop sign resulting in death and failure to yield from a stop sign resulting in great bodily harm.
Mueller was behind the wheel taking the Pulaski High School girls volleyball team back from a match in Seymour on September 2. The bus tried to cross Highway 29 to get to St. Augustine Street around 9 p.m. when a car heading westbound on 29 slammed into the bus.
24-year-old Shannon Hall was a passenger in that car and died. Her fiancé, 27-year-old Justin Cyzan, was driving their car to the Wausau area after a pre-marriage counseling session in Green Bay.
Cyzan, along with more than a dozen people from the bus, were hospitalized with injuries.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - A criminal investigation headed by the FBI is ongoing in Oshkosh.
A spokesman for the FBI says there was operational activity in the city Thursday morning, but said there was no danger to the public.
FOX 11 reports that several FBI agents were working at a home in the 1600 block of Congress Avenue.
Oshkosh police contend this investigation is not related to an incident involving ricin last month. That’s when a 21-year-old UW-Oshkosh student was arrested and charged with allegedly making the deadly toxin.
(Additional reporting from FOX 11).
TOWN OF ABRAMS, WI (WTAQ) - A rural Abrams man was killed in a farm accident this week.
The Brown County medical examiner's office said Thursday that 53-year-old Rob Jahnke died on Monday.
Officials said Jahnke tripped as he was climbing off a skid-steer loader on his property.
He fell and struck his head on the plow blade, and could not breathe after he got pinned underneath.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
