BERLIN, WI (WTAQ) - The Red Cross is helping four families who lost their homes in a fire in Green Lake County.

Crews were called to the Quarry Street Apartments in the 100 block of Quarry St. just before 8 p.m. Tuesday in the City of Berlin.

The building had four apartment units.

Everyone got out and no one was injured.

Authorities say the building is a total loss.

Captain Kevin Block of the Berlin Police Department tells WLUK.

“Berlin is a close knit community and will come together to help these families that suffered this loss"

The Berlin Fire Department, Berlin Police Department and the State of Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating.

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - A 17-year-old girl has been reported missing from Ashwaubenon.

Ashwaubenon Public Safety says Kylee Hegeman was last seen on Monday. It's not known whether she's in immediate danger, police say.

She is 4-foot-11, 110 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Her family released the above photo.

Anyone with information is asked to call Ashwaubenon Public Safety at (920) 492-2995.

Anonymous tips may be left with Crimestoppers by phone at (920) 432-7867 or online. Crimestoppers tips may be eligible for cash rewards.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - The man who held up six valley convenience stores was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison.

Phillip Thomas was also placed on extended supervision for six years.

Thomas was responsible for armed robberies at convenience stores in Neenah, town of Neenah, and Fox Crossing between May 26 and June 16. Two stores were targeted twice.

He was originally charged with six counts of armed robbery, but was convicted of three.

MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) - Manitowoc Police say they've taken roughly $3,000 worth of heroin off the streets.

Officers were dispatched to the area of South Tenth Street and Green Street late Wednesday morning after receiving a citizen complaint of two men loitering in the area, who appeared to be doing drugs.  

The caller stated he saw one of the men inject a needle from a syringe into his arm.

When police arrived, the two suspects reportedly began stuffing items in their pockets and took off on foot.  Officers captured them a short time later.

While one man was released without charges since he was not in possession of any illegal items, 28-year-old Eric L. Schmidt of Whitelaw was arrested.

Authorities say Schmidt had 11 grams of heroin and a small amount of crystal meth.  According to officers, the drugs had a combined street value of over $3,000.  

Schmidt could face a variety of charges inlcuding Possession with Intent to Deliver for both heroin and crystal meth, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Resisting Arrest, and Bail Jumping.

He is being held at the Manitowoc County Jail. 

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - No one was hurt in a house fire in Appleton Wednesday.

Fire crews were dispatched to 716 W. Elsie Street around 10:51 a.m.

Upon arrival, crews noted smoke coming from the eaves of the house and smoke coming from the basement.

The fire was quickly under control.

The basement of the home sustained fire and smoke damage while other areas of the home sustained some smoke damage.

The estimated cost of damage has not been determined and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Residents of the home, including the pet dog, made it out of the home safely.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - In the past week, confirmed cases of the flu have spiked in Wisconsin.

The state's Department of Health Services says there were 591 cases reported last week, up from 246 the week prior.  

Since the season started in the fall, nearly 1,000 cases have been confirmed in the Badger State.

The 1,200 statewide hospitalizations this season are signifcantly more than the 235 seen at this time last year.  

While local statistics are not yet available, Brown County Health officials say the county seems to be in line with the statewide trend.

County Nurse Manager Ann Steinberger is not suprised by the recent uptick in cases, saying that February is typically the month where flu cases peak.  She says that typically lasts anywhere from one week to one month.

Steinberger notes health officials have identified this year's strain of the flu as the H3N2, which has a more severe affect on the elderly and young children than the H1N1 variation. 

Since it is unknown when the season will end, Steinberger encourages people to ask their health provider for a flu shot, if they have not received one already.

Steinberger says the current vaccine should be good through June.  

In an effort to avoid the flu, she also encourages people to follow common sense practices such as frequently washing their hands, covering their mouth when coughing or sneezing, and staying home when sick. 

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Green Bay YWCA held it's the fifth installment of a lunchtime series called Stand Against Racism on Wednesday.

Kay Baranczyk is the CEO of the organization and says this free, one hour event, aims to raise community awareness of the affects of racism on all of us.

"So we want greater Green Bay to be a place where people of different cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds can get along well together, can have a place of community harmony, and we believe this begins with awareness. That's a really necessary first step," said Baranczyk.

Guest speaker Mohammed Bey is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. He shared his experience of growing up in Chicago and how education changed his life.

"I don't always want to share my story but I've found that it's very relevant and it helps people understand that you can make it through whatever you go through," Bey said. "And I hope that other kids out there and people that have gone through stuff or are going through, can hear my story because they can get through anything, and I mean it."

Bey also discussed the book "Between the World and Me" and opened up the audience to comments and questions.

Baranczyk says the YWCA is a perfect place to have conversations like the one today.

"We are non-partisan, we are unaffiliated, we are neutral and we are welcoming to all."

Members of the public and community leaders were in attendance. The next event in the lunchtime series is on April 26 at 12 p.m. at the YWCA located at 230 S. Madison Street in Green Bay.

It will provide a panel discussion on the newest Neville Public Museum exhibit opening May 5th called Estamos Aqui ("We are Here").

The lunchtime series is in it's second year.

TOWN OF ROYALTON, WI (WTAQ) - Two people were airlifted to the hospital in a two-vehicle crash in Waupaca County.

The crash happened on Highway 54 near Marsh Road in the Town of Royalton at 11:20 a.m. Wednesday.

Deputies say a semi-truck collided with a car as the car was attempting to turn into a private driveway.

Both the driver of the car, a 70-year-old New London woman, and the passenger, a 92-year-old New London woman, were airlifted to the hospital.

The driver of the semi-truck, a 58-year-old Marinette man, was not injured in the crash.The crash remains under investigation.

Both lanes of Highway 54 were closed for two hours following the crash.

FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - During an active shooter conference Wednesday in Fond du Lac, agencies from around the state heard from those who've dealt with the situations, first-hand.

Images of active shooter and mass casualty situations in the U.S. have become much more common.

The F.B.I. says these incidents have increased 600% in the last 15 years.

Jay Darin, a Special Agent with the FBI, spoke to WLUK.

"There's been more and more every single year. So it's not a phenomenon that's going to go away, they're ever-increasing."

But there are many viewpoints on the best way to combat this issue.

For one... President Trump is planning to re-issue his executive order, halting travel from seven nations he says pose a high risk of terrorism.

But San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan, says he's not sure this policy would prevent similar incidents.

"The male suspect in our case was an American citizen, born and raised in the United States and he was a radicalized. He even had been involved in a conspiracy back in 2011-2012, long before he met [the female suspect in the San Bernardino shooting], so he was dangerous in and of himself. A different policy may or not have prevented her, she legally entered the country on an immigration visa, so I don't know that it's going to completely stop everything."

He says what he does believe can help... is training.

"On that particular day, the men and women who responded kind of went into training mode, and they knew exactly what they were trained to do. We’re one of the folks in the industry that have some life experience of actually doing this. We saw what worked, we saw what didn’t work, our goal is simply to share that with other professionals in the field, with the hope that God forbid they have to deal with something similar, that they could respond and respond effectively."

Burguan came to Fond du Lac Wednesday, for an active shooter response conference, to share what he and his department learned in the December 2015 San Bernardino attack.

The conference focused on the joint training for fire, police, and EMS units from all over Wisconsin.

William Lamb is the Fond du Lac Police Chief.

"Preparedness for all the different services, we all have a different role and responsibility in the event of one of these crises"

Conference organizers say it's also important to train for the cooperation of the surrounding communities.

Burguan said, "We've got some capacity within our organization, but even this particular incident, this particular day well exceeded what I had available to respond."

The conference had the goal of training emergency personnel to save as many lives as possible.

Darin said, "We know they're going to happen, we just have to be ready for them."

Conference organizers say this joint training of EMS, fire, and police units is the first of its kind in the state.

BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Riding a wave of daytime temperatures in the 50's & 60's....The Woods Golf Club opened Wednesday thanks to the warm weather.

Mark Siegworth tell WLUK that his friends decided to play nine holes.

"We've been golfing the last few years where we get together. We're all retired. We kind of retired all at the same time and we come out here, a great way to get together"

Before Mark continued along the course, he admitted, sun in the sky and a chance to golf this time of year in Wisconsin is rare.

When asked, when's the last time he golfed in February....

"Never! This has never happened for us so we have been, you know, we're thrilled!"

While patches of green grass are easy to spot, remnants of winter still remain on the course. But, you won't hear Mark complain.

"We're going to take it in. We know what the weather forecast is"

At Voyager Park in De Pere, plenty of people decided to advantage of the warmth.

Chelsie VanLieshout and her mom Toni are on their second day of fishing along the Fox River.

"I'm, as people would say, a hardcore fisherwoman and so it feels pretty good to be out here fishing" 

Chelsie's mom, Toni VanLieshout, agrees

"It's amazing. It's going to be hard to go back"

But that's what's going to happen. Beloew freezing temperatures and snow back in the forecast for this weekend.

PITTSFIELD, WI (WTAQ) - "There wasn't anything that came up that would lead us to believe at this point that there was anything suspicious that would require us to take a different direction in the investigation."

Brown County's Chief Deputy Sheriff Todd Delain says the initial investigation into the fire that claimed two lives and destroyed a Town of Pittsfield home last Friday has been completed.  

With that, Delain says officials were able to turn the property over to the victims' family.

Upon completion of the initial investigation, Delain says the Brown County Fire Investigation Task Force's role in the matter wrapped up.  He notes they will continue to aid the State Fire Marshal's Office, if needed, to determine the fire's cause and origin.

Last Friday, a neighbor noticed the blaze at the 3902 Tamarack Drive house around 1 am and called 911.

When crews arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames and was deemed a complete loss.

Later that day, the structure's remains were torn down.  That's when they were able to determine that two people lost their lives: 49-year-old Allen Reiner and 41-year-old Molly Brochman.   

MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) - In less than 24 hours, the Manitowoc Police Department made three notable drug busts.  

Captain Larry Zimney calls the 11 grams of heroin recovered in the first incident "the largest quantity of heroin he has seen during his 29 years on the force."

A citizen called the police late Wednesday morning, saying  two men were doing drugs in the area of South 10th Street and Green Street.  

When officers arrived on scene, the two men fled but were tracked down a short time later.  

While one man was released since he did not have any illegal substances on him, 28-year-old Eric Schmidt of Whitelaw was arrested for allegedly possessing 11 grams of heroin and a small amount of methamphetamine.  Police value the drugs over $3,000.  

The second incident resulted from a 9:30 pm traffic stop on the city's south side for a defective brake light.

Zimney says the officer smelled a strong stench of cologne when walking up to the vehicle and then noticed a slight marijuana odor as talks with the driver progressed.

Upon searching the vehicle, the officer reportedly found 22 separate bags of marijuana, totaling over 65 grams and valued over $1,300, along with drug paraphernalia.  

The 25-year-old Manitowoc woman who was driving was arrested on multiple drug charges.  One of the three passengers in the vehicle was also taken into custody for an outstanding warrant.

The final incident was also the result of a south side traffic stop for defective lighting.  

At 2:15 am, the officer approached the vehicle and upon speaking with the two occupants, could immediately tell the passenger was nervous. 

When speaking privately with the passenger, a 46-year-old Manitowoc man, an officer says a small bag of methamphetamine fell out of the man's pocket.

The same drug was also reportedly found on the driver, a 21-year-old Maribel man.  

Both men were arrested on a variety of drug charges as officers say a total upwards of 15 grams of methamphetamine was found, in addition to a small amount of marijuana.  Total street value is estimated at $360.

No names have been released in either the second or third incident.

Zimney praises the citizen for the tip in the first arrest and commends the work of the department's officers in the traffic stops.  

He says taking drugs off the streets is a team effort and encourages citizens to contact the Manitowoc Police Department if they learn of potential drug activity.  

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Ashwaubenon Public Safety say they know a 17-year-old missing teen is alive but they're still looking for where she may be.

Captain Jody Crocker says Kylee Hegeman was last seen Wednesday around noon at a Green Bay gas station using her debit card and then got into a car.

"Between myself and the officers, we've had many, many leads that we've been following and we've also incorporated the assistance of the Green Bay FBI office who are helping us out."

Hegeman has been missing since Monday.

Investigators are trying to determine whether she left on her own or was coerced.

"There are many people that have had contact with her and they have been messaging with her in different avenues or speaking to her in person and they're posting things out on social media sites," said Crocker.

Crocker says their department is using a lot of resources to locate Hegeman and it seems like there are individuals who are obstructing the investigation.

"In this day and age of human trafficking, our biggest concern is a person like her falling into the wrong hands."

Police say if anyone is harboring Hegeman or interfering with parental custody, they will be charged criminally.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Renovations at the downtown Green Bay YMCA are nearing completion and Thursday they received an added financial boost.

Tyson Foods donated $100,000 to the multi-million dollar project, which began in April 2016.

The renovated facility will feature an open-concept design, family adventure center, upgrades to the pool, track and gymnastics room.

Leaders with the YMCA say it's donations like this that allow them to continue what they do.

"It's the kind of generosity that really helps make this type of project become a reality and there's along with the hundreds of other contributors to this campaign is really allowed us to do this major renovation," said Steve Harty, President and CEO of the Greater Green Bay YMCA.

Renovations are expected to be finished by July.

And at that time the building will go by the name, The Ferguson Family YMCA. It recognizes the gift of Larry and Kayleen Ferguson.

Larry Ferguson was a YMCA board member and former CEO of Schreiber Foods.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Unseasonably warm temperatures this winter has kept Green Bay's Public Works department busy...filling potholes.

Green Bay Public Works director, Steve Grenier, says it's been another bad winter for those pesky holes.

"When we have temperatures moving around, if it goes above freezing and back below freezing, that's the worst thing in the world we can get because that does foster pothole development." Grenier says during the winter they are typically busy working on two main things...plowing snow and patching potholes. And despite recent spring-like temperatures, they are ready for another winter blast.

"We've been out and we've brined all the primaries, so all 142 miles of primary streets in the city of Green Bay have brine on them."

Crews will be keeping an eye on the road conditions throughout the day and re-salt the roads if needed.

Grenier reminds the public that they typically don't start plowing unless there's two inches of snow on the ground.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The Green Bay Police Department is continuing its efforts to have a conversation with members of the community.

An event called "A Place at the Table" was held at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay Thursday.

The goal of the event is to give the students, faculty and staff at NWTC the opportunity to build positive relationships with local law enforcement.

NWTC student M. J. Hunter spoke to WLUK.

"I think it's amazing. Not a lot of people get this opportunity with the police from their community" Hunter and other students listened to a presentation by the Green Bay Police Department.

One of the topics included a police officer's use of force. The discussion offered examples like officers use force to prevent escapes, or to defend others.

"The dialogue will continue about the use of force and understanding that and, again, what the process is that police have to go through when making those split second decisions," said Mohammed Bey.

Bey is the NWTC's Diversity & Inclusion Director. He and Green Bay's police chief, Andrew Smith, say events like this one are needed and necessary.

"I think the only way we can really do our jobs as police officers and to do our job here in Green Bay is to really connect with the community, work together at them, have that mutual respect so that they are willing to partner with us"

The event also helped officers and community members to learn from each other. Smith says that's what happened last year when NWTC and Green Bay police held a similar event.

"Some of them were really eye opening for me, learning what their concerns were, answering the questions about why police did the things that they did"

Smith says his department will continue to hold similar events in the future.

MENOMINEE, MI (WTAQ) - A Menominee, MI man accused of murdering his former girlfriend and leaving her body in the trunk of her car has been convicted.

A jury deliberated for more than eight hours to find Gregory Ihander guilty of second-degree murder.

On Sept. 9, 2015, the body of 43-year-old Jolene Eichhorn of Carney was found in the trunk of her car at the Cedar River Harbor parking lot, between Escanaba and Menominee.

Ihander was arrested the next day after authorities say they found evidence in his home.

The trial began February 13th.

GREEN BAY, WI (METRO) - A Facebook post could land a Green Bay woman in prison for up to three years.  

Thirty-four-year-old Michelle Boswell wrote on social media to a Waukesha judge that she hopes someone would shoot him on his way from work and called him a, quote, "pathetic excuse of a honkey."  

She is facing felony charges, and while she admits writing the post, denied it was a threat.  

And she didn't stop at the judge.

The criminal complaint also alleges Boswell threatened to kill her probation agent.

SURING, WI (WTAQ) - Oconto County Sheriff's officials are looking for a 16-year-old Suring-area girl who has been reported missing.

Tessa Tock was last seen at her residence on February 17.  

Authorities say she is 5'6", 130 pounds with long, blonde hair and blue eyes.  

According to the sheriff's office, Tock has connections in the Appleton area and possibly on the Menominee Indian Reservation.  

She may be traveling in a 1997 Gold Saturn CS1 Coupe with the Wisconsin license plate: 483-ZJT.

Anyone with information on Tock's whereabouts should contact the Oconto Sheriff's Office at 920-834-6900 or the Oconto County Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-322-0373 by referencing Oconto County case 17-001727.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Officials for Brown County announcing plans for more bicycle facilities along urban and rural roadways.

County Executive Troy Streckenbach released more details about a 5 year plan on Friday as part of an overall vision for a more walkable and bikeable county.

Plans for 2017 include developing a 5 foot shoulder on 4 miles of county Highway D that stretches through the town of Lawrence and City of De Pere.

"So we're not going to do these on every road. We're going to do it on the roads that basically make the most sense, is in the best interest of the tax payer, and ultimately accomplishes what we're trying to do...and that is to connect municipality to municipality, that when resident is going to one municipality to the next, they feel safe transferring from that municipality," said Streckenbach.

Brown County Senior Planner Dan Teaters says it's not just bicycle lanes being added to roadways but paved shoulders, off street trails among other pedestrian ways.

Implementing these facilitates to county roadways was a collaborative effort.

"We engaged the public. We engaged all the individual communities and we gained as much information as we possibly can and we try to listen to our constituents, just like Troy (Streckenbach) had mentioned to make sure we're incorporating things that they want in their communities," said Teaters.

Funding for the projects will be shared between state, federal, county and local dollars. The county plans on bonding at 8 million annually through 2020.

Construction will likely start this spring.