GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin is back in the deep freeze, but forecasters say it will be warmer for New Year's Eve revelers.

For now, though, the Badger State is shivering through its coldest temperatures of the season, thanks to clear skies and cold Canadian air blowing our way.

It was 23-below zero in Tomahawk at 7 a.m. Tuesday, and it was minus-10 as far south as Marshfield. However, winds remain light or non-existent throughout most of the Badger State, keeping wind chills warmer than they could be.

Rhinelander had the coldest wind-chill at 7 a.m. with 33-below. Wind chills in southern Wisconsin were in the minus-single digits and teens.

Milwaukee and Racine had the warmest actual temperatures, with 8 above at 7 a.m.

It's supposed to get above zero everywhere in Wisconsin Tuesday, with readings in the teens in the south. Tuesday night, the deep freeze will make its biggest punch with wind chills of 20 to 30-below again in northern and central areas.

For New Year's Eve, party-goers can expect lows in the single digits and teens going into 2015. Light snow is possible on Thursday night, with a larger storm possible during the weekend.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Oshkosh police say two people, including a one-year-old child, were hurt after being struck by a vehicle Monday night.

Authorities say it happened on N. Koeller Street as a 21-year-old man and 22-year-old woman were pushing a stroller with the child in it in the right lane of traffic. A Chrysler PT Cruiser, driven by a 26-year-old Oshkosh woman, hit the 21-year-old and the stroller.

The man was taken to Theda Clark Hospital in Neenah with non-life threatening injuries to his leg and hand. The child was rushed to Aurora Hospital in Oshkosh with non-life threatening injuries. The woman was not hurt.

Police say the driver was cooperative and did submit to a blood test. Results will be released once analysis is complete. They do not believe alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.

Police have not issued any citations.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Brown County Drug Task Force is releasing more information about a major drug trafficking investigation that culminated with 36 arrests back in July.

In a statement put out by the Brown County Sheriff's Department, more information can now be discussed after a judge approved the release of information earlier this month.

According to a news release:

"The Brown County Drug Task Force and DEA worked with the Brown County District Attorney’s Office and Wisconsin HIDTA’s Investigative Support Center to target a heroin trafficking organization supplying heroin in Brown County. The heroin was being brought into the Brown County area from Illinois. The investigative objective was to identify, and arrest, all of the members in multiple tiers of the organization to prevent the organization from resuming operations once key members had been arrested.  To accomplish this, investigators petitioned to intercept the phone communications of a target phone, a practice commonly known as a “wiretap”.  The petition was granted and an order for intercept was issued. The investigation was aided by officers from the Green Bay Police Department and deputies from the Brown County Sheriff’s Office which provided additional manpower needed to conduct the investigation."

The intercept along with extensive surveillance was used to fully identify the organization, customers and places of distribution.

Following the arrests, the Brown County Drug Task Force received numerous requests from the media for information regarding the investigation. With the lifting of the broader seal, the Brown County Drug Task Force is now able to answer questions concerning the investigation. In accordance with WI law, the content of any intercepted communications remains under seal and therefore the specifics of those conversations will not be discussed.

During the investigation, officers purchased or seized 123.46 grams of heroin. Officers also seized 70 dosage units of various prescription drugs, 17.48 grams of marijuana, 23.51 grams of hash oil, 1 firearm and $2,573. Of the arrests made, 32 were arrested for charges which include heroin distribution or solicitation to distribute heroin.  The other four were arrested for possession of prescription drugs without a valid prescription and/or possession of THC.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay police say they are still investigating a man's death from last week they still are considering "suspicious".

On December 27th, officers and first responders were called to an apartment at 1438 Admiral Court for a man lying in the hallway. The complainant didn't know if the man had stopped breathing when the call was made around 4:50 p.m.

When authorities arrived, 58-year-old Marion E. Artis was found dead. An autopsy was performed and toxicology results have not come in yet.

Police say the public is not in any danger. At this point, investigators are considering the death suspicious.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - People in Green Bay are being reminded not to leave their keys inside their vehicles after two were reported stolen on the city's west side.

Authorities say the stolen vehicles were easily accessible because the owners left the keys inside.

Two stolen vehicles reports were received Monday by Green Bay P.D. Both were stolen within six blocks of each other and both were older Honda Accord models taken from parking lots of apartment complexes.

Police say the first car was a four-door maroon 1993 Accord with a black hood. It was stolen from the 300 block of S. Oneida Street and discovered missing at 8:09 a.m.

The second car was a two-door flat black 1991 Accord. It was stolen from the 1200 block of Shawano Avenue around 10:00 a.m. A friend of the owner attempted to chase the car and lost sight of it in Howard. A larger Asian man was seen driving the stolen car and may have been dropped off in a green Ford Ranger truck.

NEW YORK (WTAQ) - The National Football League has overturned the one-game suspension given to Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

It stems from Suh stepping twice on the left leg of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during this past Sunday's game at Lambeau Field.

Suh won his appeal, handed down Monday, and will instead be fined $70,000. More importantly, the Lions will now have the services of their best defensive player for this Sunday's wildcard playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - 2014 was a very busy year for news at WTAQ.com.

But what were the top 10 local and state stories based on web traffic statistics?

Here they are:

The top story is a wayward Wisconsin plane that went into restricted airspace in the nation's capital.

Number 2 on the list is the extremely cold weather in early 2014 that forced an emergency trucking rule.

Third was a fatal plane crash outside of this summer's EAA AirVenture.

Number 4 on the list was President Obama's planned visit to Waukesha in January.

Next up was the Wisconsin DOT denying the placement of speed bumps on a central Wisconsin highway.

Checking in at number 6, the dangerously cold weather forcing schools to close back in January.

Seventh-place went to U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin's criticism of the postal service and forest management.

Number 8 was the mother of the victim in the so-called "Slender Man" stabbing breaking her silence.

Coming in at number 9 was the D.C. Everest boycott of First Lady Michelle Obama's school lunch program.

Rounding out the top 10 is the fatal crash involving a school bus carrying the Pulaski High School girls' volleyball team.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - The State Claims Board has awarded $25,000 to a Fox Valley man who said he was wrongly convicted.

37-year-old Maxwell Verkuilen was found guilty by a jury in 2004 of sexually assaulting a woman he met at a bar in Appleton. An appeals court ordered a new trial, after Verkuilen's public defender failed to challenge a nurse's testimony at his original trial.  

His case was later dropped after the alleged victim refused to release her medical records. Verkuilen served 3 years and a month behind bars.

The Claims Board Tuesday agreed to give him just over $15,000 in compensation, plus $9,600 to pay his post-conviction legal fees.

He originally asked for $450,000. However, state law only allows compensation of $5,000 a year for up to five years. The governor and Legislature can approve more if they wish.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - It's a few degrees warmer than Tuesday morning in most of Wisconsin -- but it's still frigid.

Rhinelander was the state's cold spot at 6 a.m., with an actual temperature of 14-below and a wind chill of minus-33. Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha were the warm spots at 3 above -- but even there, wind chills were in the minus-teens.

The worst of this week's cold snap is over, but it won't exactly be warm for New Year's Eve revelers Wednesday night. Lows are expected to be 0 to 6 above in northern Wisconsin, and in the teens in the south under clear to partly cloudy skies.

There's a chance of light snow Thursday, as a cold front slides across the Upper Midwest. Southern Wisconsin could see temperatures rise into the mid-20's.

By Saturday, forecasters expect highs in the 20's and 30's statewide again, with another low pressure system bringing a good chance for snow in southern Wisconsin and a lesser chance for snow in the north.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - If you plan to go out for New Year's Eve, law enforcement will probably size up your sobriety at some point or other.

Drunk driving crackdowns are planned in various parts of Wisconsin Wednesday night, as well as into the New Year.

A task force of over 230 officers in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties has been targeting OWI offenders since October -- and they've made 69 arrests while giving out 730 citations.

The task force is made up of state troopers, county sheriff's deputies, and municipal police. They plan to hold a roll call ceremony at 4 p.m. in front of the Waukesha Fire Department to kick off their night of enforcement.

Numerous communities will offer safe rides home to revelers who've had one too many. The Tavern League of Wisconsin's Web site has a list of establishments offering rides home.

Miller Brewing is providing free bus rides in a number of cities including Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, and Green Bay.

Meanwhile, other authorities urge those hosting New Year's house parties to make sure their guests are safe -- and make a plan for those who get too drunk.

Portage County chief deputy Dan Kontos says that among other things, hosts should collect car keys from guests as soon as they come in -- and give them back only if they're sober enough to drive at the end of the night.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - The numbers of Wisconsinites who received high school equivalency diplomas plunged by 92 percent this year, due mainly to more rigorous testing requirements.

The Department of Public Instruction said Wednesday that only 912 people passed the General Education Development program this year -- way down from over 11,000 in 2013.

The state contracts with the national GED Testing Service, which started a new exam this year which more closely evaluates a person's readiness for college and-or a career.

Technology is more of a focus of the new exam, and it can only be taken on computers.

Also, the cost for taking the test has gone up. The price ranges from $75 to $135 in various parts of Wisconsin.

Beth Lewis, who heads the state's GED program, cited both factors for the drop in diplomas -- along with the fact that her agency sped things up last year to get as many graduated as possible before the new standards took effect last January.

The testing service says there are always large declines in graduates whenever a new exam comes out.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ) - A fire on New Year's Eve at an Allouez barbershop leaves four people out in the cold.

Firefighters were called around 4 p.m. Wednesday to Brien's Barbershop on Allouez Avenue. The building also contained residential units.

Crews say a 9-year-old discovered the blaze and safely evacuated.

The cause was found to be careless use of smoking materials. Damage is estimated at $10,000, mostly to the basement.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - If Wisconsin grocers have their way, shoppers could bring in half-gallon glass jugs and fill them with fresh tap beer.

The jugs are known as "growlers," and over a dozen other states let grocery stores sell the fresh beer for takeout.

The Wisconsin Grocers Association is seeking input from residents on the idea. It would expand the Class-"A" liquor licenses which allow grocers to sell pre-packaged beer and booze.

Martin Greenfield, the chief operating officer of Wisconsin's Festival Foods stores, says the industry is moving toward growlers -- and it would not be like having a tavern in a supermarket since all jugs would go home.

Joe Katchever of La Crosse's Pearl Street Brewery tells WKBT-TV that growlers are more environmentally friendly. That's because takeout shoppers don't have six packs of bottles or cans to dispose of.

However, the La Crosse Tavern League says it would bring more competition to an already struggling industry.

League president Mike Brown says tap beer is the last exclusive thing they offer. In his words, "We are losing enough market shares every year, so we are just trying to protect the little bit we do have left."

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

JACKSONPORT, WI (WTAQ) - As always, hundreds of people started their New Year by plunging into cold Wisconsin waters.

This week's sub-zero weather ended just in time for more comfortable plunges into Lake Michigan at Milwaukee and the Door County community of Jacksonport.

Temperatures at both spots were in the low 20's, with a water temperature of 35.

More than two dozen people plunged into Lake Petenwell in the Adams County town of Rome, in the 18th annual benefit for the Children's Miracle Network. Others plunged at Waupaca in a fundraiser for the local fire department.

In Milwaukee, Fire Department lieutenant Thomas Treutelaar said he plunged himself in an earlier life -- so he understands the attraction. He calls it an "exhilarating rush" that can get folks pumped up all day.

Treutelaar says he has never seen anyone get heart attacks or really serious health issues from plunging -- but people do get cuts on their feet, and frostbite if they hang around too long after leaving the water.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A little snow and a lot of cold are due in Wisconsin starting late Saturday.

Most northern and central areas had 1 to 2 inches on New Year's morning. Many of those same places could get another inch or two Saturday night and into Sunday.

A rain and snow mix is due in far southern Wisconsin. Areas from Sheboygan to Baraboo to Madison could get 3 to 4 inches Saturday and Sunday -- along with suddenly colder temperatures.

Highs are projected to be in the 20 to 30 degree range through Saturday, when a low pressure system is expected to make things much colder.

An Alberta Clipper will follow early next week. That means overnight wind chills could be in the 20 to 40-below range statewide from Sunday night through most of the week.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

PASADENA, CA (WTAQ) - A northeast Wisconsin woman and a former Green Bay Packers' star raised awareness of organ donations, by riding on a float in Thursday's Tournament of Roses Parade.

Jackie Pische of Gillett and 1970's Green Bay running back John Brockington -- both organ or tissue recipients -- were among 30 people who rode on the "Donate Life" float in Pasadena.

Brockington's wife Diane was among a dozen who walked with the float.

Pische is the mother of Joshua Richards, who was shot and killed in December of 2013 at the Luna Lounge in Appleton. Richards was an organ and tissue donor. Several people, including his mother, have received those.

Brockington met long-time Packer fan Diane Scott when he moved to San Diego after his playing days. Diane offered to give Brockington a kidney in late 2001 -- and it's still works perfectly 14 years later.

When he returned to health, Brockington and Scott married. Today, they run the John Brockington Foundation to raise awareness of organ and tissue donations, while raising funds for those on dialysis who wait for transplants.

Brockington became the first running back in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. This season, Eddie Lacy became only the second Packer to match Brockington's feat after two seasons.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Holiday Wreath Program by the Green Bay Metro Fire Department has concluded with a total of 13 residential fires in the period from November 27 to January 1, 2015.

The goal of the Holiday Wreath Program is to create fire safety awareness. All Green Bay Metro fire stations began with a wreath full of green lights. For every fire, one of the lights turned red.

• Six of the 13 fires were caused by unattended cooking.
• Two were chimney fires.
• Two were electrical causes.
• Two were careless use of smoking materials.

Officials say the number one cause of fires during the winter months is from heating equipment. It’s recommended to have your furnace and fireplace chimney inspected annually.

To prevent other types of fires, stay in the kitchen while you’re cooking, have a working smoke alarm, and if a grease fire should happen to start on the stove, turn the burner off and place a lid or cookie sheet over the burning pan. Do not move the pan.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay Police Capt. Todd Thomas will be sworn in as the new Appleton Police Chief on Monday.

Thomas, an Appleton native, replaces Pete Helein who retired back in September.

Thomas has been in law enforcement for over 27 years.

The ceremony is open to the public at police headquarters, 222 Walnut Street, and is at 8:30 a.m.

NEW YORK (WTAQ) - Green Bay Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers and fullback John Kuhn were named Friday to the Associated Press NFL All-Pro first team.

It was the second time Rodgers was picked, after he was given a similar honor for the 2011 season.

Kuhn has never made the All-Pro top squad, but he was a second team selection in 2011.

Two other Packers were named to the All-Pro second team -- receiver Jordy Nelson and guard Josh Sitton.

The players were selected by a nationwide media panel which covers the NFL.

The Packers have a bye during the first round of the playoffs this weekend. They'll host Dallas, Arizona, or Carolina in the divisional round on January 11th.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) - Manitowoc police are searching for a man who allegedly assaulted a girl on New Year's Day.

Authorities say they were called to the Trails End Trailer Park at 2000 Johnston Drive around 8 p.m. Thursday. Cops say they learned a girl may have been touched inappropriately.

The victim told officers that the suspect was a white man in his late teens or early 20s, wearing dark clothes and a puffy jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Trilling at (920) 686-6583 or the Manitowoc Police Department Shift Commander at (920) 686-6551.