MANITOWOC COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - It was 17 years ago Sunday when a hit and run driver killed a teenager near Manitowoc, and the victim's mother still hopes the driver can be identified.

Authorities say 17-year-old Ricky Hochstetler was walking home from a friend's house when an oncoming vehicle dragged him for almost 200 feet and kept going.

It happened January 10th of 1999 in the Manitowoc County town of Newton.

Hochstetler's mother Debi tells the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter the hardest part of dealing with the tragedy is not knowing who caused it.

Officials say the driver could have been drunk or had fallen asleep at the wheel.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Green Bay Packers are moving on in the playoffs, and the team wants to continue offering a week's worth of activities to ramp up fan excitement.

For the second consecutive week, the "Letters to Lambeau" campaign will take place. Mailing Monday is for fans to send letters or drawings to the team. Selected submissions will be featured on Packers.com, social media accounts and near the locker room where the players can see them.

• Click here to learn how to submit your Letter to Lambeau

Team officials say for Paint the Town Tuesday, "Get Loud Lambeau" window clings will be displayed at local schools, businesses and public buildings. Clings are also being offered free with any purchase at Cenex gas stations.

Then on Wednesday, Win It Wednesday takes place where the Packers plan to give away team clothing and other items. Fans are also asked to follow the team's social media accounts for details.

The week continues with Thankful Thursday, where team officials will hit the Internet to express appreciation for Packers fans. A free Packers cellphone ringtone will also be offered.

Friday is Green and Gold Friday, where fans are encouraged to wear team colors to work or school.

For fans traveling to Saturday night's game in Glendale, Arizona, a pep rally is in the works, with details to be announced later this week on the team's website and social media accounts.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - It appears Green Bay has its first victim of the dangerous sub-zero temperatures.

Green Bay police say a woman's body was found outside the Rendezvous Bar at 2928 W. Mason Street around 7:30 a.m. Monday.

Authorities say the woman is an Oneida resident in her 40's, but have yet to identify her as they are still alerting family.

Investigators believe that alcohol and the frigid cold contributed to her death. 

Due to the frigid temperatures, here are some tips to protect yourself from being a victim of the cold:

• Dress accordingly as being outside for an extended period of time could result in a medical emergency 
• Travel in groups. If one person needs assistance, the other can summon aid 
• Use a designated driver or call a cab if you need a ride. 
• Have a plan and let others know what the plan is. 

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) -

UPDATE: In a tweet, Oshkosh Police say they have identified the woman.

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Police in Oshkosh need your help identifying a woman who used stolen credit cards at a Rogan's Shoe Store on Sunday.

Officers were called to the store, located at 2145 S. Koeller Street. They were told the woman, pictured above, used stolen credit cards around 10:45 a.m.

Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Munsch at (920) 231-8477.

If you would like to remain anonymous, you can call the Winnebago County Wide Crime Stoppers at (920) 231-8477 or text IGOTYA and your tip to 274637 or go to winnebagocrimestoppers.org. You may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ) - Authorities have identified the man arrested following an armed standoff in Marinette County that began Sunday morning.

According to sheriff's deputies, 25-year-old Justin Bunker is behind bars in the Marinette County Jail on recommended charges of disorderly conduct, being armed while intoxicated and five counts of recklessly endangering safety.

Authorities responded to a home in the 4300 block of County Road W in the Town of Grover for a domestic incident just before 11 a.m. Sunday.

Officials say Bunker was armed with several people inside the home, including small children.

A negotiator eventually talked Bunker into surrendering around 2:30 p.m.

No one was injured during the standoff.

Bunker has not been formally charged.

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APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Police are searching for a suspect following an armed robbery Monday afternoon.

Appleton police responded to a call at the Family Dollar Store in the 800 block of W. Wisconsin Avenue at 2:46 p.m.

Authorities say the suspect is described as a white man, about 6 feet tall with a skinny build. He was wearing a dark jacket over a hooded dark sweatshirt with blue jeans and dark boots. The suspect wrapped his face with a scarf and wore sunglasses.

No one was hurt in the robbery.

Schools in the neighborhood were put on lockdown for about 9 minutes before it was lifted.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please call Sgt. Chue Thao at the Appleton Police Department at (920) 832-5953 or 911 if you see the suspect. If you have info and wish to remain anonymous, you can use Text-a-Tip. Text CRIMES (274-637) with the keyword ADTIPS at the start of your message.

This incident follows three other business robberies that occurred in the Appleton area in recent weeks at Cartridge World, Secrets Lingerie and Zza Odyssey Pizza.

MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) - "Making a Murderer" has become a national phenomenon, but the 10-part Netflix series about Steven Avery is leading to outrage at Manitowoc County. 

County Executive Bob Ziegelbauer says he's been on the receiving end.

"Smarmy emails from around the country, maybe 2 or 3 a day, on the week of New Year's and Christmas," said Ziegelbauer on Monday. "But that has tapered off."

Ziegelbauer says he hasn't watched the series, and likely won't be, especially considering he doesn't have Netflix. But one thing he wants to make clear is that those who reside in Manitowoc County have dealt with the trials and tribulations of Steven Avery for years.

"We aren't only at the beck and call of 10 episodes, we have all the information," Ziegelbauer says. "The first case, it was a miscarriage of justice. The former sheriff and the former DA are long gone, and they should have some accountability too. I think the second case is much less of that."

Ziegelbauer believes time will eventually cool down the rhetoric and says people shouldn't judge Manitowoc County based on "Making a Murderer". 

"Don't let one side of a controversial presentation affect what you think of Manitowoc County," says Ziegelbauer. "But I think it's dying out a little bit because of the feedback and the pushback of law enforcement and the media types who have taken a different view."

We reached out to the Manitowoc Area Visitor and Convention Bureau for their reaction to the fallout, and what they may be doing to counter the negative perception of the region.

President Jason Ring tells WTAQ that the best way of fighting that publicity surrounding the docu-series is to stop talking to the media. Ring refused to answer any follow-up questions.

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GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A Brown County judge has approved a request to delay the trial of a former sheriff's deputy charged with stealing funds from the D.A.R.E. program.

In court Monday, attorneys for Kevin Vanden Heuvel got their request approved so that they could review new evidence in the case.

Vanden Heuvel's trial, scheduled to begin Wednesday, will now start on March 23.

Vanden Heuvel and another man are charged with stealing tens of thousands of dollars over years from the D.A.R.E. fund, by selling fake parking passes for home Packers games.

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - An Ashwaubenon business says they are closing its warehouse, leading to layoffs.

Grainger-Imperial Supplies says they're shutting down the warehouse, but officials say the 43 workers have been told they could transfer to Janesville.

The first layoffs are scheduled to begin March 18, according to Grainger officials.

The company says they told workers that it would be moving its warehouse, located at 1176 Contact Drive, elsewhere 9 months ago.

The company adds that some workers have indicated they plan to follow the work to Janesville.

UNDATED (WTAQ) - The new attorney for Steven Avery says she's not doing any interviews about the case.

Those are the words from Kathleen Zellner, who says she's focusing on all possible legal options for Avery. He was convicted in the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach and is the subject of the Netflix phenomenon "Making a Murderer".

In a statement Monday, Zellner said her Chicago-area law firm is confident Avery's conviction will be overturned when new evidence and results of her firm's work are presented to a court.

Tens of thousands of people petitioned the White House online, asking for a presidential pardon.

But the president says because the convictions are for state crimes, he can't pardon Avery, or his nephew, Brendan Dassey.

Governor Scott Walker has said he would not pardon Avery.

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Green Bay, WI (WTAQ) - As the Green Bay Packers gear up to take on the Arizona Cardinals this Saturday, local businesses are also preparing.

At the Stadium View, just a Hail Mary down the road from Lambeau Field, staff is preparing as if it were home game. Extra staff, extra seating. Amber Wrona, is manager at Stadium View.... "We're expecting to fill up. We're going to open up our back bar, our back seating, have extra room for everybody".

She added, the bar is expecting a large crowd similar to the crowd it sees on a home game day. "For some of the away games we fill up, but we don't have that three deep as we call it behind the bar or around the bar, we're hoping it's like a home game and we're filled close to capacity."

Travel agents say they're busy booking flights to Phoenix. Nanci Dennissen is the tour manager at EVENT USA. She says the phones starting rining right after the Packers victory Sunday over the Redskins.... "It's starting at $549, then it goes up from there depending if you're flying out of Green Bay or Milwaukee".

Then there's ticket prices. Travel website Price Line say the average ticket will cost $381.

And, if you're sticking around, the city of Green Bay is planning to hold another pep rally Friday afternoon downtown, to get fans in the spirit. "With this being an away game, we need to show the team and their families and everyone who is a Packers fan, that the Green Bay Packers are supported here locally," says Jeff Mirkes, the executive director of Downtown Green Bay, Inc.

The pep rally will be at 3:00 p.m. at the Packers Heritage Trail Monument.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)- Imagine enduring these sub-zero winter temperatures with no heated place to stay during the day.  I can't.  But there are people in the area that need shelters just to stay warm.

The problem is that warming shelters are normally open around 5 p.m. and close around 8:00 a.m.  So where do people go to stay warm during the day?

The Salvation Army of Brown County has opened up their Green Bay Corps community center as a daytime warming shelter to help off set that problem.

I spoke with Catherine Kroll, Community Relations coordinator with the Salvation Army of Brown County.  She says they are looking to help offset those hours.

"If they are required to leave the shelter during the day, then they can come to our west side location.  They will be able to stay warm in our chapel during the day," says Kroll.

I also asked Kroll whether she was concerned with going over room capacity since the temperatures will be very cold for multiple days in a row.  She said it hasn't been a issue in the past.

"We do have the capacity of that room but we typically see around 25 people using it, so capacity hasn't been an issue for us," Kroll explained.

The Green Bay Corps community center is located at 626 Union Court and is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on any day when the temperature, actual or wind chill, is below negative 10 degrees.

Oshkosh, WI (WTAQ) - The bitter cold weather is starting to cause problems on local waterways. Two ice fishermen were rescued from Lake Poygan early this morning (Tuesday) after winds caused ice shoves.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office says the anglers went out Monday and were planning to get in a long day and overnight of fishing.

This morning, around 4:30, one of the fishermen called the Sheriff’s Office to report they were stranded near Noffke’s boat ramp in Winneconne.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office and Winneconne-Poygan first responders answered the call and launched an air boat to help rescue the men. They were back on shore and safe within an hour.

According to officials the fishermen were dressed for the conditions and were not hurt. But they had to leave their ATV out on the lake.

Authorities are urging anglers to use caution while the ice is unpredictable. They say it is best to check in with the DNR, local bait shops and esidents before heading out on the ice.

On their facebook page, Oshkosoh-based OB Outdoors posted that a large crack had opened off the south shore of the lake and an ATV went in the water.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Appleton police are investigating a reported burglary at a business Tuesday morning.

Authorities say there is some damage inside the Spin Fresh Coin Laundry, located at 1310 N. Linwood Avenue.

No other information is available at this time.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - The Powerball jackpot may be a world record, but Wisconsin ticket sales fell short for last week.

The state lottery says $21.7 million worth of Powerball tickets were sold in a week when the jackpots climbed to a U.S. record $900 million.

The state Powerball sales record is $22.3 million in August of 2001 for a jackpot of $295 million. Those tickets cost just $1 back then instead of the present $2, which means that actual ticket purchases are way down from the record sales revenues of '01.

The top prize for Wednesday is now $1.5 billion with a cash option of $868 million.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

UNDATED (WTAQ) - Fox Valley residents are being alerted about a Clerk of Courts Offices scam involving jury duty.

According to officials, the caller claims they are a police officer who says there is a bench warrant out for the person because they didn't appear for grand jury selection in an armed robbery case.

The caller then tells the victim they need to buy 3 pre-paid $100 cards from either Walgreens or Family Dollar and bring them to the courthouse where the caller will meet them.

They advise the party that they are to contact them each time they leave their home, the store where the cards were purchased, and when they arrive at the courthouse.  

The caller also informs the party that they are being monitored throughout the entire process.

If you are selected for any jury duty, officials say you will receive a written letter from the Clerk of Courts and not a phone call.

If you receive a phone call of this nature, please contact your local law enforcement agency.

Green Bay, WI (WTAQ) -Snow, wind, ice....it all adds up to a busy time in northeast Wisconsin doctor's offices and hospital E-R's. 

Doctor Alyssa Kasper, who works out the Bellin Health office in Howard, has seen her share of winter season patients. There's often a common denominator...."sliping and falling on the ice, pulling muscles, back injuries". 

But it's not just bumps, bruises and broken bones either.  Kasper says this is also a dangerous time for people with heart conditions.  Overdoing while shoveling out your driveway can lead to cardiac arrest.  

Kasper's advice....."make sure you're protecting exposed skin to minimize the risk of frostbite. And don't overdo it if you're shoveling....take a break and give yourself a rest".

And even in cold weather, make sure you stay hydrated.

She says she's been lucky so far.  They haven't seen a major spike in the number of snow and ice related injuries this year yet.  But Kasper says that can all change within a few hours.

UNDATED (WTAQ) - Steven Avery wants his 2005 murder conviction thrown out in an appeal filed on January 11.

In the appeal, Avery claims the jurors were, "tainted because one juror made repeated comments that he was "f***ing guilty."

This news comes days after we learned the man convicted of killing Teresa Halbach got a brand new attorney.

Avery, who filed the appeal documents himself, claims his, "lawyer incompetently repped him." 

You can read the filed documents here.

Also Tuesday, Avery's attorney Kathleen Zellner tweeted, "Visit w/Steven Avery at Waupon CC. He is identical to the other 17 innocent men we've cleared. Won't quit until he's out. #MakingAMurderer"

All this comes as national public sentiment grows for Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey to be released from prison due to the Netflix 10-part series "Making a Murderer".

A website is also up which claims to be a defense and investigation fund site.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to join in the conversation.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - An Indiana bank will buy Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin in a deal valued at $461 million.

Old National Bank, of Evansville, Indiana, announced Tuesday that it will purchase Anchor, the 3rd largest bank in Wisconsin with assets of $2.2 billion.

If approved by regulators and shareholders, the transaction could be completed by the end of June.

The Madison-based Anchor BanCorp is the parent company of AnchorBank.

Its CEO and President Chris Bauer says Old National Bank has "a strong history of growth and a deep commitment to providing high-quality community banking and a rewarding workplace for its employees."

AnchorBank operates 46 banking centers, including 32 in the Madison, Milwaukee and Fox Valley.

Old National was founded in 1834, has nearly $12 billion in assets and 160 banks.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Charges were filed against a Green Bay man in connection with the stabbing of his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend.

Matthew Gregory is facing a charge of aggravated battery, after he and Wayne Fredich argued and scuffled leading to Gregory stabbing Fredich. Police say the injuries were not life-threatening.

The fight took place at a home on Oakwood Drive back on January 2.

On Tuesday, a judge set Gregory's bond at $50,000 cash. Online court records indicate that the balance of his initial appearance is set for January 20.

Green Bay police initially requested attempted homicide charges.