MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) - Police are investigating the theft of money from a Manitowoc church.
A $500 reward is being offered after a money bag containing weekly offerings was stolen from First German Lutheran Church, 1033 S. 8th Street, on May 16.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (920) 683-4466 or Manitowoc police at (920) 686-6551.
NEENAH, WI (WTAQ) - Plexus says they will move its Neenah Design Center to the city's downtown.
Officials with the Neenah-based designer and manufacturer of electronic parts says plans are to move the design center to the Gateway Building, which is currently under construction.
Currently, the Neenah Design Center is located near Interstate 41 on the city's west side.
"Plexus remains committed to our presence in Wisconsin and passionate about investing in our local community," Todd Kelsey, Plexus executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a news release. "We are excited to move our Neenah Design Center employees to downtown Neenah. The close proximity with our Global Headquarters will facilitate stronger collaboration between our teams and enable our Neenah Design Center employees to take advantage of the great amenities that the community has to offer."
The move is expected to happen in the summer of 2017. About 200 employees will move downtown.
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - One day after four schools in our region received threatening phone calls, police are now faced with the task of figuring out who was on the other end of the line.
"Our school resource officer, who's working on our specific case, is doing a lot of follow up with investigators around the state," says Sgt. Dave Lund with the Appleton Police Department. "Trying to compare information with them regarding the duration of the call, the specifics that were said, the times that they came in so we're able to make some comparisons."
On Monday, the Appleton Area School District said a "short and anonymous automated phone call" about a bomb in the building was made to Janet Berry Elementary School at 11:47 a.m.
Early Monday afternoon, Green Bay police was alerted to a "threatening call" being made to Edison Middle School. Just before noon, a threatening phone call was made to Oakwood Elementary School near Oshkosh. Manitowoc's Wilson Junior High School also received a similar automated call just before 11:40 a.m., police there said.
School leaders that day made reference to similar calls made to schools across Wisconsin and around the country.
"I think the best way that we can describe these is it's a lot like the fraudulent IRS scam calls that are out there," Lund says. "Our difficulty in law enforcement in following these calls is generally related to the fact that these calls get sent through many routers, there's a lot of technology being involved to mask the callers' identity and where they're actually making these calls from."
With a lot of agencies working on this, Lund hopes sharing the information helps them track down the source of these calls.
DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
School evacuations on Monday due to threats of this nature were reported from New England to California, and even in the United Kingdom. Those reports said that authorities in Colorado and New Hampshire had to evacuate some of the schools getting these calls.
Lund says the nationwide, multi-agency investigations happening in the wake of these threats isn't necessarily a good thing.
"Definitely a complexity because of the sheer number of calls. A lot of time is taken up by our investigator to follow up with the other state agencies to find out what exactly the messages were, whether it was identical, or a different message," Lund explains. "Conversely, it may result in the undoing of someone because you have many more eyes on the originating point of those calls than you typically would if it was just one agency."
Lund says their investigation is being kept locally and that there is no defined "lead investigative agency" at this time.
WTAQ reached out to the Wisconsin Department of Justice about their role in this investigation. In a statement, spokesman Johnny Koremenos said:
"The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is assisting local law enforcement agencies in their ongoing investigations into these incidents."
THREATS ARE 'SIMILAR'
The call received by staff at Janet Berry Elementary School in Appleton was a "bomb threat," but that specific reference was not publicly acknowledged by officials in Green Bay and Winnebago County with their phone calls.
"There are some similarities, but not an exact message being reported from each of those agencies," Lund says. "Similar in nature as far as threats, but not identical."
Whether the calls stated the same threat or different ones, it was enough to put schools either on lock down or get officials to evacuate the buildings. In each situation, however, none of the threats received Monday by schools were deemed credible.
UNDATED (WTAQ) - Expect extra patrols throughout northeast Wisconsin roads, as travelers gear up for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
Mike Panosh with the Wisconsin State Patrol says they will be watching for drunk drivers as well as other offenders.
"Every minute of the holiday weekend we'll have officers somewhere enforcing all sorts of traffic violations but certainly alcohol is always a high priority on any of these holiday weekends."
Special details will be placed in Manitowoc and Sheboygan Counties.
"We have there what's called "high visibility enforcement and education" so, not only will officers be on the road but they will also be, prior to the deployment, going into taverns and bars to educate servers about our effort," says Panosh.
He says the best advice is to slow down, buckle up, and drive sober.
"All we want is for people to get to and where they're going safely. We enjoy the holiday weekend as much as anyone else does and all we're asking is for people to do things the right way."
There were 11 traffic fatalities in Wisconsin during the Memorial Day weekend last year.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - An intersection in Oshkosh is closed until further notice after a crash Tuesday.
Oshkosh Police say the two-vehicle crash occurred at County Highway A and E. Snell Road.
Three people were taken to the hospital. A spokesperson for ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah says one female is listed in serious condition and two males are being evaluated. No further information on the victims was available.
Drivers are asked to avoid the area while authorities investigate the crash.
LEDGEVIEW, WI (WTAQ) - Family and friends are remembering the life of Nikki VanderHeyden of Ledgeview.
The 31-year-old's body was found Saturday in a field in Bellevue.
Tiffany Hoffman says she remembers when she first heard the news.
"I myself, just started shaking and fell to the ground in disbelief because anybody is not prepared to get news like that."
Hoffman had been friends with VanderHeyden for five years. During that time they had been neighbors at one point and their kids attended school together at Webster Elementary.
There were many things that Hoffman remembers about her friend but one thing stands out more than others.
"She would always try to take something negative or where somebody might, you know, grapple with thoughts of 'wow this really kind of stinks in life' and she would always try to find the positive in it."
Hoffman says VanderHeyden's three children are staying with family and are adjusting as well as they can.
Two funds have been set up in VanderHeyden's memory that will help with funeral expenses and provide support for her children.
You can donate at www.gofundme.com or www.generosity.com.
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - A fire in Appleton forced the College Avenue Bridge to close for nearly an hour during the afternoon commute Tuesday.
The blaze happened inside a townhouse apartment building under the bridge.
Firefighters used the bridge to establish a better position to fight the flames.
It is unknown if there are any injuries and what was damaged.
MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin's right-to-work law is back in effect.
That's after an appeals court overturned a lower judge's ruling which temporarily blocked the law while the case moves through the courts.
The appeals court judge said the lower court erred in its decision, saying there is not enough evidence that harm would be done if the law stays in effect.
The law prohibits businesses from requiring all employees to pay union dues, not just union members.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A De Pere man is facing multiple charges for allegedly causing a hit-and-run crash in a vehicle he drove without a license three months before getting caught stealing items from a store.
21-year-old Dakota J. Jourdan is charged with 7 misdemeanor counts including hit-and-run/attended vehicle, 5th offense operating a motor vehicle while revoked, retail theft and obstructing an officer.
According to the first criminal complaint, Green Bay police were called on February 4 for a hit-and-run crash on E. Mason Street.
A caller said that a black SUV had hit her car and left. The victim told an officer that she was waiting for a parking spot to open, when the suspect vehicle allegedly backed out of a stall right into her car.
She claimed that the driver got out and said that he, "Did not have a license and did not own the vehicle." When she told him that she was going to call police, the man allegedly said he didn't think the owner of the vehicle had insurance and asked that she not call the cops.
He then allegedly started to leave when the victim snapped a photo of his license plate on her phone.
Police ran the plate and found the registered owner of the SUV. The woman allegedly told officers that her daughter drives the vehicle, but was, "Arrested the night before." A man named Dakota Jourdan was apparently with her daughter when she was arrested and, "Took custody of the vehicle and her daughter's phone."
When the officer got the phone number and called, a man allegedly answered and said it, "Wasn't Dakota's phone." The man identified himself as "James", and was asked where Dakota was and that he had, "Dropped him off on the west side, but will get Dakota to call him."
Minutes later, the same man called the officer back and allegedly said that, "He was Dakota." The man admitted to being in the accident and said the SUV only has minor paint scrapes on the rear bumper. Dakota allegedly told police he tried to give the other driver the insurance information, "But she wouldn't take it."
The officer allegedly told Dakota to, "Try again." Then, Dakota admitted that he was, "Afraid he would get into trouble because he did not have a license."
Then on May 13, the second criminal complaint states that Green Bay police were called to a department store on E. Mason Street for a retail theft in progress.
The dispatcher was told that a loss prevention employee was watching a woman allegedly, "Remove tags from a sports bra and place it in her purse." She was seen with a man at the time.
As the man and woman left the store and went into the parking lot, officers intercepted them. The woman was taken by officers to the loss prevention office, where she allegedly admitted to stealing clothes and became emotional.
The man had identified himself as "Damien L. Jordan". When police ran that name, it came back "Not on file."
Both the man and woman were taken to the Brown County Jail so that they could begin a photo identification process. The man allegedly had, "Unpaid merchandise" on him at the time. Once at the jail, one of the corporals recognized the man as Dakota J. Jourdan, according to the complaint.
Jourdan is due back in court on June 13 for his final pre-trial hearing. If convicted on all counts, Jourdan faces more than 11 years in prison.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - A proposal in Oshkosh for city wide inspections of rental properties.
Oshkosh City leaders are calling for the inspection program. It would mean inspecting every rental on a regular basis.
Allen Davis is the city's Community Development director. Over the last two years, the city dealt with nearly 2,000 code violations.
"we're concerned about the effect they have on neighborhoods...the impact they have on property values"
Others, however, say this will drive up rental prices and infringe on rights.
Landlords would be charged $125 for an individual inspection, or $180 for a building with several units.
Samantha Teal just bought her first rental property.
"with all the fees we might have incur over the next 20 years, we're kind of thinking maybe we should pull out and invest in the stock market like everyone else..... why take on risk ? "
The Oshkosh City Council will ultimately have to approve this plan. No date yet for a vote.
RIPON, WI (WTAQ) - TreeHouse Foods will close its cookie plant in Ripon, putting about 60 people out of work.
TreeHouse says there isn't enough demand for those to keep the plant open. It makes private label sugar wafer cookies for grocery retailers. T
TreeHouse says it is working to eliminate excess capacity. The Oak Brook, Illinois, company will offer severance pay.
"Full facility closure and the end of production at Ripon is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2016," a news release states.
Another plant in California will also close, putting 660 people out of work there.
Closing the plants will cost TreeHouse about $17 million, or 19 cents per share, over the next five quarters through the second quarter of next year.
TreeHouse purchased the facility from ConAgra. Another plant in Ripon closed last year, putting 285 people out of work. TreeHouse acquired ConAgra in February.
NEENAH, WI (WTAQ) - Three schools in northeast Wisconsin evacuated on Wednesday after receiving threatening phone calls.
In Green Bay, district leaders said that a threat made to Nicolet Elementary School was deemed, "not credible."
According to a post on the Neenah Joint School District's Twitter account, students from Shattuck Middle School, 600 Elm St., were evacuated to the football stadium after a call came in at 9:47 a.m.
District spokesman Jim Strick said that police were contacted and searched the school building. Nothing was found and the threat was also deemed not credible. Students and staff were able to return to the building in about an hour.
Meanwhile, an elementary school in Fond du Lac was also evacuated for a time Wednesday morning following a phone threat.
The school district says students and staff from Evans Elementary School, 140 S. Peters Ave., were evacuated while police searched the building.
Officers determined the threat was not credible, and allowed students and staff back into the school.
It is unknown whether the threats are connected or related to a series of threats made to schools across the U.S. and United Kingdom on Monday. In those cases, schools received what they described as automated calls.
Schools in Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh and Manitowoc were among the schools that received threats.
Also on Wednesday, Franklin High School and County Line Elementary School in Germantown were evacuated after receiving what was described as a computer-generated threat.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The man accused of killing his live-in girlfriend in Brown County had his bond set at $1 million cash.
34-year-old Douglass Detrie was arrested Monday night, just two days after 31-year-old Nicole VanderHeyden's body was found in a Bellevue field off of Hoffman Road.
Investigators spent Monday searching the couple's Ledgeview home for evidence. Their home is about 3 miles from where VanderHeyden was found.
In court Wednesday, prosecutors say VanderHeyden had been strangled and beaten. They also say a shoe print found on the her body, matches a shoe found in Detrie's home.
"I understand an Air Jordan is a fairly common shoe. I don't know if it's 'the' most common as Mr. Meyers (Detrie's Attorney) is asserting but it's a fairly common shoe but it's quite significant frankly that's probably the most significant piece of circumstantial evidence that I can see," says a Brown County court commissioner.
Defense lawyers argued that there wasn't enough evidence to hold Detrie.
Detrie returns to court for his initial appearance on June 2.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - It's a sure sign that summer is right around the corner.
The Saturday Farmers Market starts this weekend in downtown Green Bay.
There will be over 150 vendors to enjoy featuring local, home-grown, hand-made goods and products.
Brehanna Skaletski is the marketing and events manager with Downtown Green Bay Inc. and says there's something for everyone.
"There's free yoga from 8-9 a.m. You just bring your yoga mat and then live music is right after. This year we're actually just starting a kid's scavenger hunt so they can come to the info booth, pick up the scavenger hunt, fill that out and we have some nice little prizes."
The farmers market is located on South Washington Street from Walnut to Stuart.
There's free parking in the Cherry Street Ramp as well as some nearby streets.
If you're riding your bike, there are permanent racks that can hold 26 bikes near Market Square off the trail.
For more information or to download a map go to www.downtowngreenbay.com.
BRILLION, WI (WTAQ) - A federal complaint has been filed against Ariens Company, four months after the Brillion-based manufacturer started heavily enforcing its break policy.
"Pray is an obligatory and central aspect of these workers core religious beliefs," said Maha Sayed, a spokesperson for the Council on American Islamic Relations.
CAIR filed the complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at their regional office in Milwaukee, and the National Labor Relations Board.
"Ariens Unilateral and arbitrary decision to revoke the company's break policy solely with respect to religiously motivated requests and it's complete and unwilling to engage in an interactive process with the aggrieved Muslim workers about its accommodation policies violates Tile VII and EEOC guidelines," Sayed goes on to say during a video statement posted to their Facebook page.
Ariens break policy allows for two scheduled breaks each lasting 10 minutes.
"Muslims pray at 5 prescribed times each day which generally occur at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and nighttime," Sayed said.
Ariens said since the company started enforcing its pray policy, 11 Muslim employees were fired, 15 resigned and 27 still work at Ariens.
In a statement, Ariens said "It's disappointing that a group based in Washington D.C. is filing an EEOC complaint." It goes on to say "Wet respects the workers' faith and we respects the work they do at Ariens Company,"
The EEOC and the NLRB will conduct an investigation into the complaint which could take months.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - It's National Safe Boating week and with a busy Memorial Day holiday wekeend approaching, officals are getting the word out about safe boating on the Fox River.
This as the Fox River Cleanup Project is in its 8th year of trying to reduce the risk to human health and the environment due to the presence of harmful PCB's in the river sediment.
The project uses several specialized barges and pipelines in its dredging, capping and sand covering operations.
Authorities are urging boaters use caution and heed the markers and buoys that mark the cleanup equipment.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Fire officials say an unattended candle caused a fire at a home in Green Bay Wednesday afternoon.
Green Bay Fire was called to 1323 South Chestnut Avenue at 12:19 p.m.
An occupant of the home was inside sleeping, with two small children, when an unattended candle caught the window curtains on fire.
The occupant woke up to the curtains on fire and evacuated safely with both children.
Upon arrival, crews say the fire had spread to a mattress and was burning out of a window.
The fire was quickly extinguished by crews.
The Red Cross is assisting the family.
WASHINTON, DC (WTAQ) - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan is still not endorsing presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
The Janesville Republican and Trump were scheduled to speak by phone last night, with a spokesman for Ryan saying the conversation was to be about party unity and the campaign agenda.
Ryan says he and Trump have had productive conversations, but also said yesterday he still hasn't made a decision regarding an endorsement.
STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Expect congestion and delays if you plan on visiting Door County this weekend. Road construction and improvements to the Bayview Bridge in Sturgeon Bay continue.
Jeremy Ashauer is the DOT project mananger for Door County.
"bridge decks have a life span of roughly about 40 years, and that's where we're at approximately"
The detours because of that will mean extra traffic congestion in the city.
Despite all of that, Door County Visitor Bureau Director of Communications Jon Jarosh says he hasn't heard too many complaints and adds the weekend events will go on as planned.
"Sturgeon Bay has their big Fine Art Fair, Jacksonport has their annual Mayfest celebration, Sister Bay has something with a car show, so there's a lot of stuff going on in Door County this weekend"
Police sent out travel advice to drivers, some of which includes planning ahead and avoiding left turns in certain areas.
Bayview Bridge work expected to be complete by the 4th of July.
GREEN BAY, WI, (WTAQ) - The Green Bay Packers announced today that Packers Family Night will take place Sunday evening, July 31.
‘Family Night’ is in its 16th year, and will serve as the introduction of the 2016 Green Bay Packers to a capacity crowd in Lambeau Field and on television to a state-wide audience. The event, which begins with in-stadium activities at 5:30 p.m., will benefit the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids foster care adoption program, a signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The format of this year’s Family Night will once again be a full practice, in order for the team to accomplish its preparation goals for the regular season.
The full practice will include 11-on-11 sessions that will feature live contact. The evening remains family-focused and will feature a game-like atmosphere with use of the video boards, gameday music and a fireworks show at the end of the night.
Tickets, priced at $10, will go on sale June 27 at 10 a.m. CT.
Fans can purchase their tickets through Ticketmaster, over the phone or via the internet. Tickets also can be purchased at the Packers’ ticket office in person.
There will be a limit of 10 tickets per purchase during the first day of ticket sales.
