GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - City officials in Green Bay are looking to crack down on problem landlords.

At the start of the year, the city created the job of Residential Housing Investigator to help in that effort.

Gary Wisneski has owned properties across the area for 23 years. He says Green Bay is by far the most difficult municipality he has to deal with. Wisneski and other landlords in the city could soon be meeting the new investigator if they have serious issues with their tenants.

“If a tenant is being abused, and that's the word for it, by a bad landlord or being cheated, there's a person to go to now and that's the person we just hired,” Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt tells FOX 11.

That person is Bob Zaspel. He has nearly 30 years of consumer protection experience with the state.

“It's very streamlined,” said Zaspel. “The approach is that the city will have a much more direct role in the enforcement of problem landlords.”

Green Bay is the first municipality in the state to turn two state consumer protection laws into municipal ordinances. More than three years ago, budget cuts closed regional offices, leaving the laws rarely enforced outside of Madison.

The city will now have the authority to fine landlords up to $5,000 for violations such as not disclosing serious defects to tenants and not following eviction protocol.

“I don't consider myself a bully,” said Zaspel. “I'm more than happy to meet with landlords. My goal is to voluntarily work things out, but if a landlord will not meet us halfway, we will utilize this new process and we will refer cases for municipal court.”

“They're after me as soon as a tenant wrecks something and calls the inspection department because I'm evicting them,” said Wisneski. “They come there in their white horse to the rescue of the tenant and they're the shining knight for them. They're not there for us. They're there for the tenant.”

Depending on the violation, landlords could have up to 90 days to comply, or start facing fines. The new position is part-time. The city has budgeted $30,000 for it.

Other city inspectors and the police department will be assisting with enforcement.

STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ) - You can learn a lot from a mass shooter – and students at a tech college in Sturgeon Bay plan to do just that.

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College will offer a course in May on how to deal with mass shooting scenes. The training is geared toward business owners, but anyone can take the class.

Public safety training coordinator Michael Molnar says it will prepare people for an active shooting scenario, with a lesson on how the police would respond.

Green Bay school security administrator Barb Dorff says it’s wise to be ready, considering the numbers of mass shootings in recent years in a variety of places.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are planning several controlled burns throughout the Northeast region this spring.

DNR officials say the fires burn up dead plants, invasive species and other harmful plants. The result is a mineral-rich coating of ash on top of soil that is exposed to the sun, spurring the growth of native plants and creating habitat for wildlife.

The fires will be carried out in April, May and possibly June, depending on weather conditions.

Areas scheduled for burning are:

• Brown County: Holland Wildlife Area
• Calumet County: High Cliff State Park, Brillion Wildlife Area, Killsnake Wildlife Area, Stockbridge Ledge Natural Area
• Fond du Lac County: Comstock Bog, Muir Park, Red Banks, Stockbridge Ledge, Oakfield Ledge, various scattered small properties as part of the Glacial Habitat Restoration Area project
• Green Lake County: Berlin Fen
• Kewaunee County: Brusky Wildlife Area, Besadny Fish & Wildlife Area
• Manitowoc County: Rosecrans area, Collins Marsh Wildlife Area, 3 burns for easements within the county
• Marinette County: Dunbar Barrens State Natural Area, Green Bay West Shore Wildlife Area
• Marquette County: Wedde Creek
• Oconto County: Green Bay West Shore Wildlife Area
• Waushara County: Greenwood Wildlife Area, White River Fishery Area
• Winnebago County: Various scattered small properties as part of the Glacial Habitat Restoration Area project

The DNR says there are strict guidelines for the burns. Workers have plenty of firefighting equipment and start the fires only when weather conditions are favorable. The goal is to make sure the fire stops before it crosses property boundaries.

Land parcels are usually burned on a two- to five-year rotation and range in size from two to 340 acres.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - A state lawmaker is defending his proposal to make victims of asbestos contamination wait for their verdicts in lawsuits they file.

Assembly Republican Andre Jacque of De Pere wants to make judges put civil suits involving asbestos on hold, until the plaintiffs say whether they’re going after companies that are bankrupt.

Opponents say the bill is designed to stall justice, in the hope that plaintiffs die from their asbestos contamination before the court can making their rulings.

But at a public hearing Thursday, Jacque said the opponents are putting out “sickening accusations.”

Jacque told the Assembly Judiciary Committee his bill would help judges and juries understand how multiple defendants caused a plaintiff’s diseases – thus ensuring that the companies pay their fair amounts.

NEW YORK (WTAQ) - The National Football League has published the preseason schedule for the Green Bay Packers.

On Thursday, the NFL unveiled the slate of games in August involving the Packers, including a nationally-televised game on Friday August 23rd when they host the Seattle Seahawks.

The Packers will open the preseason at Lambeau Field on the weekend of August 8-11 when they host the Arizona Cardinals. They will then head to St. Louis the weekend of August 15-19 to play the Rams.

Then, the Green and Gold will host the Seahawks on August 23 at 7:00 p.m. Central time on CBS. The preseason slate will finish on August 29th or 30th when the Packers travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs.

The Packers have played the Chiefs in the final game of the preseason for each of the last three years.

GOODMAN, WI (WTAQ) - A pair of rural school districts in Northeast Wisconsin have found a different way to save money.

The Florence County School District and the Goodman-Armstrong Creek School District will share an administrator. Ben Niehaus, who's currently Goodman-Armstrong Creek's superintendent and principal, will fill both roles.

Last week, both districts approved a measure to hire Niehaus as the next administrator for both districts. The Florence County School District's current administrator is leaving.

The move will save both districts tens of thousands of dollars, according to school board members.

The districts are adjacent to each other, but the central offices are about 30 miles apart.

"I have a philosophy, if we have to make these tough decisions, lets make them as far from the classroom as possible," Niehaus told FOX 11. "In public education, we're being asked to do a lot more, as we have to find creative and unique ways to meet the demands that are placed upon us and I think this is one way."

Starting in July, Niehaus will spend three-days a week running the Florence District and two days a week at the smaller, Goodman-Armstrong Creek School District.

Florence will pay 65 percent of the salary, while Goodman-Armstrong Creek will cover the rest.

It's estimated the Goodman-Armstrong Creek School District will save around $39,000 a year and the Florence County School District is expected to see a $30,000 a year savings.

"Do you think this could be too much of a workload for one person? Do you think performance will suffer? I doubt it," Florence County School Board President Jim Churchill told FOX 11. "Course he's dealing with two different school boards, and two different communities, two different sets of staff, but I think he'll be able to handle that."

The current agreement is for one year. Both sides say if all goes well, it may be a permanent move.

Niehaus says Goodman-Armstrong Creek has found someone to fill the principal position.

ONEIDA, WI (WTAQ) - The push to build a waste-to-energy facility that recently failed in the city of Green Bay isn't dead yet.

The Oneida Seven Generations Corporation wants to build a plastics-to-energy plant on tribal land.

But much like how the east side Green Bay plan ran afoul of the city over the idea leaders were mis-led about the project, leading to a revoking of its conditional use permit last fall, there's a petition to block OSGC from building a plant on reservation land.

"Your concern is a lack of transparency?" Leah Dodge, the circulator of the petition, said to FOX 11. “Absolutely,” she responded.

Dodge started the petition among the Oneida tribe in January. The purpose?

For the General Tribal Council to direct the tribe's business committee to stop the OSGC from building a plant on tribal land; be it "gasification," "waste-to-energy," or "plastics recycling."

"I'm hoping the business committee can step up and do this job of protecting the Oneida people," said Dodge.

People, Dodge says the company misled. Dodge says the OSGC has not been truthful about the possible environmental impact of this project.

“It would be a form of genocide against Indian people, and for them to continue to propose this incinerator.”

Bobbi Webster, spokeswoman for the Oneida Nation, says Dodge's petition will be reviewed by the General Tribal Council and presented to tribe members.

"There will be an opportunity for the General Tribal Council to question, to ask, to participate and whether or not there will be a decision made is up to the General Tribal Council," Webster said.

OSGC responded to FOX 11’s request for comment with an emailed statement:

"Oneida Seven Generations Corporation is bound by Tribal law and processes that the Oneida Tribe has set forth for development on the reservation. The corporation has followed and continues to follow the tribal process set forth by the Tribe."

The special General Tribal Council meeting will be May 5th at the Radisson Hotel in Ashwaubenon.

HOBART, WI (WTAQ) - The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says a new turn will become a safer way for drivers to cross busy divided multi-lane highways.

It's called a J-turn, and it's coming to Highway 29 and County VV in Brown County. The J-turn is one phase of the $12-$17 million Highway 29 reconstruction project.

From 2006 to 2009, there were 68 vehicle crashes at intersections along Highway 29 from Green Bay west to the Brown County line. 

The DOT hopes this new design at one of those intersections will help reduce that number.

At the intersection of Highway 29 and County VV, Matthew Nurczyk says he's had plenty of close calls.

“I've nearly gotten hit a couple times in the last four months. People just not watching what they're doing, trying to beat the traffic, not paying attention,” Nurczyk told FOX 11.

The DOT says in a four-year stretch, there have been 26 crashes at the intersection. Construction on a J-turn begins next month.

The DOT provided video to show how it works. Traffic from the side roads is restricted. Vehicles will no longer be able to directly cross Highway 29.

“We would not allow left turns from County VV, Milltown, and Marley, onto Highway 29. However we would still allow the movement, and left turns from Highway 29 onto those side streets,” Jeremy Ashauer, DOT project manager, tells FOX 11.

Vehicles will have to make right turns onto Highway 29.

“We restrict the access at the intersection itself; however, we have a U-turn area about a quarter mile down the road on Highway 29 that allows the opportunity for drivers to change direction,” said Ashauer.

Ashauer says eliminating traffic through the median will lead to fewer crashes. 

The DOT says in the year since a J-turn was constructed in Northwest Wisconsin, crashes went from an average of four a year, to zero.

BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - The possible cases of welfare fraud under investigation in Brown County have jumped 25 percent in a year.

Authorities say it's part of a now two-year-old effort between the sheriff and human services departments to keep public assistance money in the right hands.

County officials have discovered over $1.2 million worth of taxpayer dollars being misused in two years.

“It's really important to uphold the integrity of the program,” Jenny Hoffman with the Brown County Human Services Department told FOX 11. “We want to make sure we are giving assistance to those that are in need.”

In Brown County about 25,000 receive taxpayer funded assistance for food, medical bills, child care and energy bills.

In 2011, one sheriff's deputy and about 30 case workers combined to investigate 333 possible cases of fraud. That number went up to 417 cases in 2012 when a second deputy was assigned to focus on the issue exclusively.

“They're extremely busy,” Brown County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Todd Delain tells FOX 11. “They get multiple tips everyday.”

Of the 333 cases investigated in 2011, only 54 resulted in either a criminal case or citation. In 2012, it was 61 of 417. However, with open cases that number could rise.

“Not everything does turn into fraud,” said Hoffman.

“They investigate every tip no matter how small it is, to the big, the biggest tips,” said Delain. “That is what takes so much time.”

Officials say when it comes to fraud, they have seen everything from people lying about who is living with them, to others claming food stamps of people who have passed away, or even selling food stamps for cash.

Anyone who might have information about fraud in Brown County is asked to call the fraud tip line at 448-6378.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A student was injured after being hit by a pickup truck near Preble High School Friday morning.

Green Bay police say it happened at Deckner Avenue and Danz Avenue just before 7 a.m.

Police say the student was in the crosswalk headed to school. The student was taken to St. Vincent Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police say the glare from the sun and heavy traffic were factors in the crash.

The driver of the pickup truck was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Spring was supposed to be sprung 16 days ago – but up to 7 inches of new snow are in the forecast in northern Wisconsin.

Winter weather advisories have been posted for Friday night and Saturday.

3 to 7 inches are expected in Superior, Ashland, Bayfield, and Hurley. Hayward and Park Falls could get 2-4 inches.

3 to 5 inches of snow, plus sleet, are predicted for Rhinelander, Eagle River, and Antigo. And the National Weather Service says all of Wisconsin will get mixed precipitation Friday night and Saturday, with a chance of thunderstorms Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, flood warnings continue on the Rock River at Newville and Afton in Rock County. Only minor floods are predicted for both places.

In Trempealeau County, a flood advisory was posted until 6:30 a.m. Friday, after the Trempealeau River at Arcadia got close to its flood stage during the night.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Police in Oshkosh are investigating an armed robbery Thursday night.

Police say it happened around 10:40 p.m. in the 800 block of John Street. A 22-year-old Antigo woman said she was trying to find a friend's house. A car, described as a dark blue or purple Neon, pulled up.

The people inside the car told the female her friend wasn't home, and to get in the car and they would take her for a ride.

When the woman got in, she told police the driver threatened her with a weapon and she gave the 3 people inside an undisclosed amount of cash. While riding around the area in the car for about 45 minutes, the victim called a friend to say she was in trouble. The people in the car took her phone. Eventually, they took the victim back to her car, let her out and returned the phone to her.

The victim then went to Appleton to report the crime. Appleton police reported the incident to Oshkosh police.

The driver of the car was described as a white man in his early 20s, with short, spiked blond hair. He was about six feet tall and had a tattoo of a skull and crossbones on the web of his right hand.

One of the passengers was a white man in his early 20s, with brown curly hair, brown eyes and a larger nose. The third passenger was described only as a white female with dirty blond hair about three inches past shoulder length.

Anyone with information is asked to call Oshkosh police at (920) 236-5700. Anonymous tips can be left with Winnebago County Wide Crime Stoppers by phone at (920) 231-8477, by text-messaging IGOTYA plus the tip to 274637, or online .

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Key regulatory approvals were given as Nicolet National Bank is moving closer to merging with Mid-Wisconsin Bank.

Mid-Wisconsin has 11 branches in north central Wisconsin. The combined bank will keep the Nicolet name.

The deal still needs shareholder approval.

If that happens, the merger could be completed by the end of the month.

DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) - Dredging on the Fox River resumed this week.

Dredging operations for the Fox River cleanup project is taking place near the Brown County Fairgrounds in De Pere. It's the 5th year of the large-scale dredging project, which is designed to remove harmful PCBs from the river.

Last year, just more than 662,000 cubic yards of sediment were dredged, bringing the four year total to more than 2.1 million cubic yards.

RIPON, WI (WTAQ) - A job fair Saturday aims to fill over 100 job openings in Ripon.

Alliance Laundry Systems is holding a job fair from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Royal Ridges, 1 Westgate Drive, in Ripon. The company says it is looking for 100 production workers as well as professional and supervisory positions to work at its plant.

Last fall, Alliance broke ground on a 20,000-square-foot, $23 million expansion to its plant. At that time, company leaders said production capacity was expected to grow by more than 40 percent. The expansion was expected to create 270 jobs in the coming years.

Alliance promotes itself as the world's largest maker of commercial laundry equipment. Its products include the Speed Queen line of washers and dryers.

WASHINGTON D.C. (Metro Source) - The Federal Aviation Administration will delay the closure of 149 air traffic control towers until mid-June. 

FAA officials made the announcement Friday as large-scale federal spending cuts continue to impact several government agencies. 

The towers were due to begin closing as early as Sunday, but mounting legal challenges prompted the delay. 

Airports across the country faced the loss of federally funded air traffic controllers.

Wisconsin was due to lose air traffic control towers at 8 airports due to the budget cuts, including Oshkosh's Wittman Regional Airport.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)-The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee will be at Lambeau Field today hearing from the public about Governor Scott Walker's two-year budget plan. It's the second of four hearings across the state.  The hearing begins at 10 a.m. It's scheduled to go until 5 p.m, and each speaker is generally limited to 2 minutes. Hundreds of Wisconsinites are expected to attend.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)-At least two of the eight anglers rescued Saturday afternoon didn’t realize they needed to be rescued. The U.S. Coast Guard and Door County fire departments conducted the rescue mission when strong winds opened up wide gaps in the ice cover on the bay of Green Bay. Winds were gusting up to 40 miles per hour.

SHEBOYGAN FALLS, WI (WTAQ)-A deadly crash closes down a stretch of Highway 32 in Sheboygan Falls Sunday night.  The Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department says they were called to the scene just before 7:00 p.m. after receiving a report of a multiple vehicle crash.  Two people were killed as a result of the crash.  A stretch of Hwy. 32 closed to traffic in both directions at county road J for about two hours while crews were handling the scene.

MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - An overnight fight in Menasha leads to four people being cited.

Authorities say it happened at the City Limits Tavern, 544 Fourth Street, around 12:15 a.m. Monday.

Officials say the argument took place between two groups about recent deaths in their families. Two women suffered minor injuries.

Four people were taken into custody. A 23-year-old Neenah woman, a 31-year-old Menasha man, and 2 Menasha women, ages 49 and 29. They were all cited for disorderly conduct.

The fight took place outside the bar.