OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - One of the state's largest farm shows begins Tuesday in Oshkosh.

The Wisconsin Public Service utility is holding its 55th annual WPS Farm Show through Thursday on the grounds of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

It will highlight the latest in rural technology. Among other things, speakers and exhibitors will feature the latest in solar electricity, manure digesters, computer systems, and the use of drones.

Organizer Rob Juneau says folks will notice a bigger show this year, with the opening of a new 16,000 square foot tent. Almost 500 exhibitors will fill that tent -- as well as four hangers and the outdoor grounds.

The show normally attracts visitors from throughout Wisconsin. Folks also travel from Canada, Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Winter is about to make a brief return in Wisconsin's mid-section.

The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories from 7 p.m. Tuesday until 7 a.m. Wednesday for much of west central Wisconsin.

The same advisories take effect Wednesday from 1 a.m. to 10 a.m. in central, north central, and east central areas.

In most cases, sleet and freezing rain are expected to create a glaze on the roadways before 1 to 4 inches of snow cover it up. All snow is possible in the far north.

Parts of southwest Wisconsin will get its second bout of winter, after much of that region got 8 to 15 inches of snow on Sunday night and Monday.

It's all supposed to clear out by late Wednesday morning. Dry and colder weather is then expected for the rest of the week, with highs generally in the 40's Wednesday and the 30's on Thursday and Friday.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A Green Bay has pled guilty to a charge of sexual exploitation of a child.

According to federal prosecutors, 29-year-old Joseph J. Valdez used a smartphone to talk "hundreds" of underage girls into sending him sexually explicit photos of themselves.

Valdez claimed to be a modeling agent and used text messages and the messaging app Kik to contact girls as young as 9.

Prosecutors say after getting the photos, Valdez would often blackmail the victims into sending more graphic images by threatening to forward the images he already had to the girls' parents, friends and school administrators. Investigators indicate that this caused several of the girls to threaten suicide.

Prosecutors say the girls came from across the U.S., including some in Northeast Wisconsin.

Valdez faces 15 to 30 years in prison and at least 5 years of supervised release. He's currently behind bars and will be sentenced on June 22.

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Mike McCarthy Way is now officially in play.

Crews began putting up Mike McCarthy Way signs on part of Potts Avenue Tuesday near Lambeau Field in Ashwaubenon.

The new Mike McCarthy Way will intersect with Bart Starr Drive and Holmgren Way, and runs parallel to Lombardi Avenue.

During an official sign ceremony last summer, McCarthy called it an honor that wouldn't have been possible without his family, players, and team’s general manager.

FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ)- Trevor Casper of Kiel is the state trooper killed by a suspected bank robber yesterday, as both died in an exchange of gunfire in Fond du Lac.  

The Wisconsin Professional Police Association confirmed the trooper's identity this morning on its Facebook page.  

He was among three people who died in a crime spree that spanned about 150 miles through eastern Wisconsin.  

Authorities said the suspect robbed a bank in Wausaukee, stole a pick-up truck, dumped it nearby where he car-jacked another vehicle and killed the driver, then drove to Fond du Lac where Casper caught him and both later died by gunfire.  

A bank robbery in Fond du Lac may be tied to the crime spree, but officials were not sure as of last night.  

The Justice Department continues to try and piece everything together.  The D-O-T said trooper Casper was among 47 graduates last December from the State Patrol Academy.  

Condolences were written on a Facebook page created in the officer's memory.  

The state police union wrote, "May we never forget his sacrifice, and that of his loved ones who shared and supported his devotion to our common security."  

Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels tweeted that he was "completely saddened" by Casper's loss.  

He offered prayers for the victim's family and for "all law enforcement officers." 

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)-  WPS says power has been restored to everyone except 110 customers.

About 5,000 people in the Green Bay area were without power earlier Wednesday morning.

WPS officials say a transformer failed...It could be weather related.

The outage is on the city’s west side in the area of Bond and Military.

FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ) - Trevor Casper was the first Wisconsin state trooper in 42-and-a-half years to be killed in the line of duty.

He and a suspected bank robber, identified as Steven Timothy Snyder of Michigan, both died Tuesday during a shootout in Fond du Lac. It ended a crime spree which started with a bank robbery in Wausaukee, the theft of a bank employee's pickup truck, a car-jacking a short distance away, and the murder of the stolen car's driver.

Casper found and tailed the stolen car just before the shootout took place. Officials said a Fond du Lac bank was robbed about 500 yards from where the shootout occurred.

Mark Stevens, who was walking out of a nearby grocery store, tells the Fond du Lac Reporter he heard 10 to 15 shots in all.

The state Justice Department continues to investigate, piecing together a timeline. In a statement mid-day Wednesday, DOJ spokesperson Anne E. Schwartz said notifications were made to Trooper Casper’s family in Wisconsin and Snyder’s family in Michigan.

Casper is the first state trooper to be killed on duty since Donald Pederson was shot in August of 1972 by a teen motorist he stopped earlier after a high speed chase.

Also, the incident strikes a nerve on Fond du Lac's west side -- where the shootings happened just over 4 years after city police officer Craig Birkholz was killed while investigating a domestic sexual assault. Fellow officer Ryan Williams survived a bullet wound to the chest, and his K-9 dog partner Grendel was also wounded.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

FOND DU LAC/WAUSAUKEE, WI (WTAQ) - State and federal law enforcement agencies are now leading the investigation into a crime spree on Tuesday that culminated with the deaths of three people, including a Wisconsin State Trooper.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, video surveillance shows that Steven Timothy Snyder of Michigan committed a robbery at the State Bank of Florence at 1:43 p.m. in the Village of Wausaukee.

Marinette County Sheriff's officials say that Snyder fired his handgun inside the bank. He took an undetermined amount of cash, then stole a bank employee's vehicle to flee the scene.

Authorities indicate that about an hour later, they found 59-year-old Thomas C. Christ of Wausaukee dead alongside a still-running pickup truck on a road east of Wausaukee. DOJ officials say that Marinette County Sheriff Jerry Sauve reported that an encounter took place between Snyder and Christ near Christ's property in the Town of Wausaukee.

It is believed that Snyder then took another vehicle and headed south. Sheriff's deputies’ report finding the bank employee's stolen vehicle in the area of Christ's property, which was on Jermac Road.

Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper Trevor Casper, who had graduated from the State Patrol Academy in December, was working on his first shift alone Tuesday afternoon. Casper saw the suspect's vehicle driving in Fond du Lac around 5:30 p.m. and followed it.

Fond du Lac Police Chief William Lamb says shortly afterward, the shootout took place. Both the 21-year-old Casper and Snyder were killed.

There was also a bank robbery in Fond du Lac not far from where the shootout took place. However, the DOJ has said that it has not been confirmed that Snyder was involved in that crime.

Meantime, the FBI Milwaukee Division issued a statement Wednesday saying they continue to work with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation on our joint investigation into the bank robberies that took place.

The FBI also continues to investigate the possibility of connections to Snyder and other unsolved bank robberies in Wisconsin and other states.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Almost half of Wisconsin's 72 counties saw their populations go down during the year ending last July.

The U.S. Census Bureau said Adams County had the largest percentage decline in the Badger State, losing 1.4 percent of its residents.

Menominee County, home of the Indian tribe that carries its name, had the largest percentage growth in its one-year population at 3.2 percent.

Dane County, which includes Madison, gained the largest number of residents with over 6,200. Manitowoc County had the biggest net loss of people, with 463.

Milwaukee County, the state's most populated by far, had a small net gain of 20 residents.

The Census Bureau said Wisconsin gained about 14,600 residents from July of 2013 to July of '14, for a total population of 5,757,564. That's almost 68,000 more than in the last Census in 2010.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

KIEL, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin State Trooper Trevor Casper was only on the job for a few months, after recently graduating from the State Patrol Academy in December.

The 21-year-old Kiel native was alone on patrol for the first time Tuesday, when he was killed in a shootout with murder and robbery suspect Steven Snyder.

Kiel Police Chief Dave Funkhouser says funeral arrangements are still days away. He says Trevor Casper will most likely be buried in Kiel, with full police honors.

A memorial fund have been set up in honor of Trevor Casper. 

You can donate to it in-person at any branch location of National Exchange Bank & Trust. The account is titled "Benefit for Wisconsin Trooper Trevor Casper". You can find locations listed on the bank's website.

There's also a way to donate online through GoFundMe.

ONEIDA, WI (WTAQ) - Authorities in Outagamie County say they're dealing with an armed suicidal person in Oneida.

Sheriff's officials were called around 1:30 p.m. Thursday to a house on Mullen Drive. 

Deputies say the man fired several shots out the back door of the house. They say a negotiator has been speaking with the person over the phone from the county's dispatch center.

Schools in the area have been told to avoid sending buses into the immediate area. All residents are asked to also avoid the area, while neighbors are being asked to remain indoors.

No one has been hurt.

KIEL, WI (WTAQ) - Services for a fallen Wisconsin state trooper have been made.

According to an obituary for Trooper Trevor Casper, he will be laid to rest at Kiel High School at 5 p.m. Sunday. Visitation is scheduled to begin at noon. After the funeral, a private burial will take place.

The 21-year-old Casper was killed in an exchange of gunfire Tuesday with murder and robbery suspect Steven T. Snyder in Fond du Lac. Casper was on his first solo assignment since graduating from the State Patrol Academy in December.

Casper was a 2011 graduate of Kiel High School. He was involved in both soccer and wrestling. You can read his full obit here.

Also, Governor Scott Walker has ordered flags in Wisconsin lowered to half-staff until Tuesday in Casper’s honor. 

In a statement Thursday, Walker said, "We recognize Trooper Trevor Casper for his heroism and remember his dedication to his community. Trooper Casper served the state faithfully and died protecting fellow citizens from harm. Tonette and I are keeping Trevor's family and friends in our thoughts and prayers."

FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ) - Police reiterated that a bank robbery in Fond du Lac Tuesday afternoon near where a suspect and a Wisconsin State Trooper killed each other was not connected.

Fond du Lac police said in a statement Thursday they, along with investigators with the Wisconsin DOJ's Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI, have not established any evidence that directly links 38-year-old Steven T. Snyder to the robbery at Hometown Bank.

Snyder has been confirmed as the suspect who robbed the State Bank of Florence in the Village of Wausaukee Tuesday. He also was involved in the fatal shooting of 21-year-old State Trooper Trevor Casper, and the shooting death of 59-year-old Thomas Christ.

Fond du Lac police investigators have released surveillance photos, which you can see above, of the suspect in the robbery that happened at 4:25 p.m. Tuesday. Hometown Bank is located at 245 N. Peters Ave.

The suspect is being described as a white man, between 35 and 50-years-old, about 5'9", weighing 175 to 185 pounds, with a mole growth on his right cheek. He was last seen wearing a black or charcoal colored hoodie, with dark sunglasses and a dark colored winter hat.

Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to call the Fond du Lac Police Department at (920) 906-5555 or the Crime Alert number at (920) 322-3740.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Local leaders were able to get a look at how the expansion and renovation is going at the KI Convention Center.

On Thursday, some of those folks got their first look inside the downtown Green Bay construction project since a ground breaking ceremony was held in December 2013.

Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt told the group that work on both the convention center and the Hampton Inn next door should be completed by August. He added that more naming opportunities are available.

“As people come to experience Green Bay, no better place than here at the George Kress ballroom at the KI Convention Center, anchored by a Hyatt and the Hampton,” Schmitt told FOX 11. “You’re going to be hearing about the Northland in less than a month.”

Green Bay's redevelopment authority is taking out loans to pay for most of the $24 million project, but the city is getting some financial support from the Kress Family and the Green Bay Packers.

According to Schmitt, the expansion will bring $4 million of new spending to the area each year.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - For the only time before Election Day, both Green Bay mayoral candidates got together for a debate.

On Thursday night, incumbent mayor Jim Schmitt and city council president Tom De Wane discussed their views on the current state of Green Bay.

“You talk to other municipalities and they think we’re a joke that we would turn away these types of projects and people are talking, why go to Green Bay?” De Wane said, according to FOX 11.

“He’s voted for 90 percent of the things I’ve proposed, so I think the city works well together,” said Schmitt. “It could always be better and that’s what I’m going to focus on.”

The Walmart issue became exhibit A for disagreement between both candidates. De Wane wanted to do it, but Schmitt staunchly opposed it. Schmitt says he's come up with an alternative for the Larsen Green site.

“I will tell you we have a signed letter from a developer and it has been through two levels of approval from a bank and needs one more,” said Schmitt. “It’s going to be a mixed use development.”

“I hope the mayor is being honest about this and truthful,” said De Wane. “You can keep crying wolf and pretty soon people will stop listening to you.”

De Wane believes his leadership with the city council would help him make changes as mayor.

“I’ve proven I can do it,” said De Wane. “I want to bring more to Green Bay than just downtown.”

Schmitt, on the other hand, said he wants to keep Green Bay on the path he’s laid the past 12 years.

“I’m the guy that wants to take it to that next level and the way you get there is not easy,” said Schmitt.

Election Day is coming up on April 7th.

TOWN OF MUKWA, WI (WTAQ) - The driver involved in a rear-end crash involving a New London school bus Tuesday morning has died.

Authorities in Waupaca County say 19-year-old Edgar Soriano of Manawa was driving his car east on Highway 54 near New London when he ran into the back of a school bus. The bus had stopped to pick up a student.

Emergency crews had to cut Soriano out of his vehicle and was flown to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah. Officials said Friday that Soriano died from his injuries.

8 students and a driver were on board the bus, according to school district leaders. None of them were hurt.

FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ) - Authorities have made an arrest in connection with a Fond du Lac County cold case.

Sheriff's officials have arrested 61-year-old Dennis Brantner for the murder of 18-year-old Berit Beck in 1990.

Beck's van was found in a Fond du Lac parking lot that July, and her body was found in a Waupun ditch nearly six weeks later.

Beck was on her way to Appleton from her home in Sturtevant when she disappeared.

Multiple media reports say Brantner was taken into custody during an appearance in Kenosha County court Friday on an unrelated charge.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin-Green Bay basketball coach Brian Wardle is leaving the Phoenix to become the new head coach at Bradley.

Wardle coached Green Bay for five seasons, compiling a 95-65 record, reaching the NIT the last two years.

The Phoenix won 24 games the last two seasons and Wardle was Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2014.

Wardle is an Illinois native. In a statement, Wardle said he is honored by his appointment, adding that Bradley’s tradition and support was a draw for him.

Wisconsin Badger assistant Greg Gard was a finalist for the job five years ago. Other possible replacements are St. Norbert College coach Gary Greszk and Wardle’s assistants.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

KIEL, WI (WTAQ) - Anticipated large crowds for the funeral of Wisconsin State Trooper Trevor Casper have local officials scrambling to get organized before Sunday.

Kiel’s population is about 3,700, but that number could be doubled by those wanting to honor the fallen trooper. Governor Scott Walker plans to attend.

The Kiel chief of police is warning people to be prepared for crowded conditions and delays.

Casper was killed in a shootout last week. He graduated from Kiel High School 3 years ago.

A memorial service will be held at the high school before the funeral.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A multi-vehicle crash on Highway 41 in Green Bay caused some traffic headaches Saturday morning.

Green Bay police say the crash happened on Highway 41 northbound near the Mason Street exit around 11:45 a.m.

8 vehicles in all were involved in what police said was a series of minor fender benders. No one was hurt.

Police shut down one lane for nearly an hour while debris was cleaned up.