FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ) - A 52-year-old Oshkosh business owner, who allegedly defrauded a Fond du Lac business out of millions of dollars, posted a $1 million cash bond Monday.

Sterling Kienbaum made his initial appearance in Fond du Lac County Court on racketeering and felony theft charges.

Kienbaum bilked Sadoff Iron and Metal out of $14.3 million.

Fond du Lac County Deputy District Attorney Dennis Krueger says Kienbaum was allegedly involved in a scheme in which scrap automobiles loaded with dirt were brought into Sadoff’s for money.

"His business was taking scrap to Sadoff Iron and Metal. The loads were overweight and because of the overweight, they were paid extra money but the complaint alleges it was done intentionally to defraud Sadoff's into paying them more than what would be out for the scrap," said Krueger.

According to an investigation, the amounts Kienbaum took were:

$740,325 in 2009

$2,164,964 in 2010

$3,465,950 in 2011

$2,905,528 in 2012

$2,732,040 in 2013

$2,166,421 in 2014

$149,267 in 2015

Two other men, Daniel Christianson and Donald Krueger, have already been convicted for their roles in the scheme.

Kienbaum is the owner of Fox Valley Iron and Metal.

His preliminary hearing is set for March 16th.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to as much as 65 years in prison.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Northeast Wisconsin drivers are dealing with a jump at the pump.

According to GasBuddy, the average price of a gallon of gas in the Green Bay area was $2.28 as of Sunday, a 4.6-cent rise from a week earlier.

In the Appleton area, gas was $2.22 a gallon, up 1.4 cents from a week earlier.

"Gasoline prices are starting to pick up steam as a majority of states see their average rise over last week, a function of the season's theatrics coming into view: refinery maintenance and the transition to cleaner gasoline pumping up prices,” Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, said in a news release.

The national average gas price was 2.28 on Sunday, a 2.4-cent jump from a week earlier.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - It's not your ordinary blood drive.

One longtime American Red Cross volunteer is hoping to collect 101 blood donations on her 101st birthday later this month.

The life-saving organization invites the public to help volunteer Blanche Baudhuin reach her goal on Monday, March 13th.

The event will take place at Faith Lutheran Church at 2235 S. Webster Ave. in Green Bay from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

"It is Red Cross month. We want to make a lady who's very special, who's been a volunteer for the Red Cross for over 40 years birthday wish come true," said American Red Cross external communications manager Laura McGuire.

This isn't the first year Baudhuin has celebrated her special day with a blood drive either.

"Last year she caused quite the excitement in the state, where we had people venturing and traveling though out the state to help make her birthday wish come true," McGuire said.

Baudhuin celebrated her 100th birthday the same way, with a blood drive and a goal of 100 pints donated. Her goal was exceeded by 14 pints.

This year they hope for even more people to come out.

Festival Foods and Thrivent Financial will be donating refreshments for the event.

If you're interested in donating blood to the American Red Cross, learn more by visiting www.redcrossblood.org.

NEENAH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A new lighted crosswalk in Neenah was unveiled Monday outside Neenah Paper.

The city hopes the measure will make it safer for mill workers to cross Commercial Street.

Before, workers had to cross without any lights or restrictions on drivers.

Now, the drivers will have to stop when the light is red.

Workers need to cross the street to get to their parking lot from the mill.

The crosswalk project cost more than $80,000.

FOX CROSSING, WI (WTAQ) - Police think they've found the people responsible for stealing roughly 100,000 diapers from a charitable organization.

The Fox Crossing Police Department says officers arrested two men on Friday and are currently holding them at the Winnebago County Jail.  

Authorities say the diapers were found in a Fox Crossing warehouse after it was announced last week that the goods were stolen from the Fox Cities Diaper Bank.

Those diapers were intended to be given to families in need through a United Way effort.

Program spokeswoman Nanci Micke says they will now partner with Valley Packaging to use a more secure warehouse to store the diapers.

After the theft was announced, Kimberly-Clark and Amazon both donated 100,000 diapers to the diaper bank.

More information about the case is expected to be released at a Tuesday morning press conference. 

FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Crews were called to the scene of a rollover crash in Fond du Lac Monday.

The crash happened just before noon in the area of 13th and Ellis Street.

Fond du Lac Fire says one person was hurt.

The condition of the person is not known.

No more details were available.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay police are investigating a weekend report of shots fired in the city. 

Officers received a call around 4:40 am Saturday, reporting possible gunshots fired near the intersection of North Ashland Avenue and Bond Street.

Police say nobody was hit with a bullet and there were no injuries.

Authorities do not believe there is any threat to the public as it appears to be an isolated incident between 'parties who are believed to be known to each other, and not a random occurrence.'

No further information is being released as the investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Green Bay Police at 920-448-3208.

People can also file a report anonymously by calling CrimeStoppers at 920-432-7867, visiting www.432stop.com, or texting "GBTIP" to 274637. 

MOUNTAIN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The search for the elusive creature known as Bigfoot brought a cable television show's staff to Northeast Wisconsin.

And while the creature itself has been elusive, the crew from Animal Planet's "Finding Bigfoot" was spotted in Oconto County last summer.

One area business is hoping to cash in on the curiosity.

In the community of Mountain, Karen's Unique Gifts offers customers a little bit of everything, including all things Bigfoot.

Owner Karen Wirth spoke to WLUK

"I have some magnets here. I have coasters. I can take your picture and put it on a T-shirt for you with Sasquatch. I guess he was on television. They were looking for him anyway" Wirth is referring to "Finding Bigfoot." Its television crew spent a couple days in the Mountain area. Much of the investigation centered around the Mountain Fire Lookout Tower.

"They had to take pictures of the fire tower and the sign"

Wirth says since the show aired last month, Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, is the talk of the town.

"We've had a few people coming in, saying that they saw Sasquatch, the show 'Finding Bigfoot,' and they wanted to come and get their picture taken here and take a memento. One guy was going to put it on his desk in his office. He bought a statue"

And tourism leaders say anytime a small town gets national attention is good for business.

"It brings different variety of people that never been here before. They come up and take a look at what we have to offer them," said Wade Lewandowski, president of the Mountain Area Business Association.

So, will Mountain be the next Bigfoot capital?

Wirth hopes so....

"That would put a name for Mountain. Mountain could use some help in advertising"

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is cautioning motorists as they travel across the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay.

A wind advisory is in affect for the I-43 bridge and the DOT recommends folks use and alternate route.

If you do have to use the bridge, slow down to 45 miles an hour.

Drivers with high profile vehicles like semis, RV's, and tall trailers should avoid the bridge altogether.

Winds gusts of 45 mph and higher have been reported making travel extremely difficult and dangerous.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Northeast Wisconsin and most of the state feeling the effects of dangerously high winds Tuesday.

Don Herman, the owner of Sunk? Dive and Ice Service in Oshkosh says he's keeping a close eye on Lake Winnebago for the formation of ice shoves.

"Today, it's (the wind) coming out of the south, southwest. I'm sure they're piling up somewhere, I just don't know where yet," said Herman. "I'm sure on the east shore and the northeast shore, I'm sure they're going to get some ice shoves today."

Herman says he's already seen property damage along the lake due to powerful shoves earlier this year.

"I know there were a couple of docks that were taken out and I know there was a boathouse that was moved off its foundation already on the east shore so, there's been some damage already."

Herman explains ice shoves are formed when high winds grab the top of the ice and pushes it to the shoreline.

The National Weather Service has a wind advisory in effect for the area until 7pm Wednesday.

Wind gusts reached over 40 mph in certain areas of the state on Tuesday.

FOX CROSSING, WI (WTAQ) - 17 hundred cases of diapers worth $45 thousand stolen from a warehouse used to store donations to the Fox Cities Diaper bank.

The thefts were committed between January 3rd and February 15th.

"In my 23 years of law enforcement...it was pretty shocking to see the volume of diapers that were taken"

But Lt Scott Blaschka caught a break.

Tips from the public led to the arrest of 2 suspects in the case and the recovery of some of the diapers.

"This was a case where tips from the public was crucial in being able to track them down"

Peter Kelly, with United Way Fox Valley, calls the a blow to the agency.

"The theft was approximately a 3rd of our inventory...so it was a significant impact"

Perhaps more remarkable, when word got out about the theft Kelly says the community came to the rescue.

"I've been doing this for a number of years, but I'm still amazed at how generous people are"

The calls started coming in as soon as the report hit the media.

"We will have certainly more than doubled the amount of diapers that were stolen...which will allow us to give away that many more diapers to families in need"

The suspects, 42 year old Jason Havel and 52 year old John Forbes, are former employees of Valley Packaging.

Police are recommending charges of felony theft against both of them.

FOND, DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-KFIZ) - 25-year- old Fond du Lac woman who lost one baby boy and saw another severely injured through child abuse has entered an Alford plea to a charge of neglecting a child with a consequence of death.

The plea means Airrealle (ARIEL) Smart doesn’t admit guilt, but the Fond du Lac County Court finds her guilty of the charge.

Thirty-year- old Daniel Griffin of Bellwood, Illinois was sentenced in January to 65 years in prison for killing one of Smart’s 14-month- old twin boys in July of 2015 by stepping on him and causing severe injuries to the other twin through a similar act.

District Attorney Eric Toney says Smart was charged because she saw what happened, but didn’t stop it.

"The allegations are that she observed Mr. Griffin put his foot on one of her children's chest and stepped down....and that she says that"

Toney says during Griffin’s trial a child abuse expert testified that the children were victims of previous child abuse, which Smart also likely knew about.

"The state''s position was Miss Smart should have been aware of that given what she knew of the children's injuries and where they came from. And Mr. Griffin's responsibility for other acts prior to the death of one of her children"

A pre-sentence investigation was ordered.

The maximum penalty for the charge is 15 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.

Three other charges against Smart were read into the record and dismissed.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - For a seventh straight year, the Tri-County Material Recovery Facility processed more recyclables in 2016 than it did the year prior.

Brown County Resource Recovery Development Manager Mark Walter says the facility, which primarily serves Brown, Outagamie, and Winnebago counties but also accepts contracted waste from nearby counties and outside parties, processed over 110,000 tons of recyclables last year, an increase of nearly 14,000 tons from 2015.

He says the numbers have increased each year since the 26,000 tons that were collected when the shift to a single stream recycling system took place in 2009.

While Brown and Winnebago counties both saw recycling increases last year and Outagamie County had a slight decrease, Walter says all three counties have had fairly level numbers over the past seven years.

However, Walter says the largest increase in materials processed in recent years has come from nearby counties.

In 2016, Walter says the Tri-County facility charged between $6.50-$20 per ton of recyclables processed, depending on the market.  Upon being brought in, he says materials are sorted and then sold, with that money helping keep the plant in operation.

Looking ahead, Walter says officials hope to find additional ways to increase the efficiency of the machines that clean up glass that comes into the plant, in an effort to boost its resale value.   

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Brown County residents are being asked to be part of the solution in addressing local traffic congestion.

The county's Planning Department is asking drivers to help in the process of updating its congestion-management plan.

County Transportation Planner Devin Yoder says the current 83-page version was created in 2013 and identified Brown County's most congested traffic areas as the downtown on both sides of the Fox River, Mason Street near the US-41 Interchange, and the crossing of the Claude Allouez Bridge in De Pere. 

To add other spots that often see heavy congestion, residents are asked to either take an online survey or interact with an online map that allows participants to drop a virtual pin on any intersections in question and then provide commentary.

Once the feedback is assembled, the Green Bay Metropolitan Planning Organization will analyze it, update the management plan, and make recommendations on how to address the issues, depending on what funding is available.

Yoder says all Brown County municipalities qualify with the exception of the Towns of Eaton, New Denmark, and Pittsfield, as well as large portions of Glenmore, Humboldt, and the Town of Green Bay.

The congestion-management plan is federally mandated for all areas with at least 200,000 residents and needs to be updated every four or five years.

The survey and map can be accessed through the county's website at http://www.co.brown.wi.us/departments/page_859eb3d35e96/?department=2317176c7f00&subdepartment=b4d10bb9388e.

Responses are due by March 17.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Strong winds blew throughout Northeast Wisconsin on Tuesday.

Green Bay peaked at 45 miles per hour while the area's highest reading came from Omro at 55 miles per hour. 

The winds were enough for Mark Kantola of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Northeast Division to issue a travel advisory for the Leo Frigo Bridge.  Kantola says that happens whenever winds consistenly reach 35 miles per hour.  

During an advisory, motorists are encouraged to avoid traveling on the bridge or reduce their speeds if there is no alternative.  

In addition to the travel advisory, the wind caused plenty of damage.

An uprooted tree landed on and damaged multiple squad cars outside the Langlade County Sheriff's Office.

The sign outside a Julie's Cafe in Green Bay was knocked over and destroyed, after standing for roughly 40 years. 

Garbage bins were toppled outside homes throughout Northeast Wisconsin, and trash that escaped from the Outagamie County landfill lined the sides of nearby highways.  

As of 5 pm Tuesday, the Wisconsin Public Service said power had been restored to roughly 25,000 residents while nearly 23,000 were still without service.

The wind advisory is expected to remain in effect until 7 pm Wednesday.  

DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) - It's a continued effort to crack down on crime brought on by widespread opioid abuse in the state of Wisconsin.

Attorney General Brad Schimel, along with the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, announced Tuesday a new training tool to help pharmacies and their employees better deter robberies from happening.

Schimel says there's a problem in Wisconsin.

"We are also one of the leading states on pharmacy robberies. In 2015 we were #3 in the nation, not per capita but raw numbers. We had more than California, Texas, Florida, and New York," said Schimel.

The Pharmacy Robbery Prevention and Response training was created to deter those kind of robberies.

Through a secured website, pharmacy personnel will be able to access a series of recommendations to make pharmacy premises resistant to robberies.

Schimel explains some of the suggestions within the training.

"They might do things, for instance, like a time-delayed safe holding the drugs. If there's a sign out front that tells a would-be pharmacy robber that there's a time-delayed safe, they're not going to rob that pharmacy."

Other best practices include model opening and closing practices, camera and monitoring placement, and phone etiquette.

"And we're hoping that they're going to work together, that pharmacies will work with their local law enforcement to do security assessments to make sure that their stores are safe," Schimel said.

Pharmacists have access to the training immediately and although the training is not required, it's encouraged to protect the safety of pharmacy employees, customers, and the public.

Get more information on other ways the DOJ is cracking down on opioid abuse in the state by going to www.doseofrealitywi.gov/

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Green Bay's city council voted late last night (TUE) to wait another 45 days before making another decision on the Hotel Northland project.

Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt asked council members to hold off on ordering a full financial audit. That's because the hunt for financing continues for the $44 million project.

“I want to give you a comfort level, but I want you to also know I’m just as frustrated”

The Northland's developer has spent all of 2017 trying to secure a new senior lender after the original bank pulled its $12.8 million in support.

The original top bank for the project pulled its loan because it said the developer had several loan defaults. The developer has denied that claim.

Keith Harenda, the developer, thought a new bank was lined up, but the loan request was denied.

Brigette Brietenbach is a project spokesperson.

“We believe it was due in part to some of the negative publicity, but we also believe it's because it's a very difficult loan for a regional bank to make for a half-built hotel”

The Northland owners have now hired Sonnenblick-Eichner Company, a California firm, to find a new senior lender. They say a third party feasibility study was conducted to help with the process.

“Those results came back in last week and in fact they did prove accurately that our Pro forma is sound and that they're going to move forward with this,” said Brietenbach.

While the search continues for a new loan, work has virtually stopped on the hotel.

However, the hotel owners say they're working with junior lenders to get subcontractors back to work as early as April 1st.

Council President Tom DeWane had requested the city conduct a third party audit of the project's finances.

But he tells WLUK he's good with waiting 45 more days before making a decision.

“Their third party study is what we're basically waiting on. They said they'll bring one. They're going to bring something forward as soon as possible. We'll look at that and decide. That's part of the equation.”

Renovation work is said to be more than 70 percent complete. The goal is to finish this summer.

TOWN OF ONEIDA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - There were some scary moments for a school bus driver Wednesday morning.

Town of Oneida firefighters say the Lamers bus ran over a TV cable on Crook Road near Hwy. E.

Not knowing whether the wire might be a live electrical wire, firefighters and utility crews were called to the scene.

When they realized it was a Spectrium TV cable, crews unraveled it from the bus's wheel and sent the bus on its way.

Outagamie County sheriff's officials say it's likely the cable was loose because of high winds.

No children were on the bus, as the driver had just begun her route.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - An Oshkosh man is in custody for reportedly abusing his two-month old daughter.

Oshkosh Police say the incident was reported on March 3 after the man took the girl to Aurora Hospital.  She was later flown to the Children's Hospital in Milwaukee.

Doctors determined the girl sustained at least twenty broken bones, which included injuries to the ribs, legs, and arms.  She also had multiple brain bleeds and bruises to the face and head.

The child has since been released from the hospital and is staying with a family member.

No further information about the suspect has been released.

FOX CROSSING, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The two men arrested in connection with the theft of $45,000 worth of diapers have been charged.

John Forbes and Jason Havel are each charged with one count of theft of movable property.

Bond was set at $1,000 cash for Forbes and $2,500 cash for Havel Wednesday.

Authorities say the two men stole more than 1,700 cases of diapers.

The diapers were being stored at a Valley Packaging storage facility prior to being donated to the Fox Cities Diaper Bank, an initiative that assists low-income families with their diaper needs.

Officials say both Forbes and Havel had worked at the facility so they had knowledge of security measures.

Investigators believe Forbes and Havel had plans to resell the diapers.

Since the theft, the Fox Cities Diaper Bank says it has received an overwhelming amount of donations.

Forbes and Havel are both due back in court Mar. 16.