TOWN OF KOSSUTH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Crews battled a house fire in northern Manitowoc County Monday afternoon.
The blaze hit a home on Highway K, between Kellnersville and I-43.
Kellnersville's fire chief says the house was vacant and is typically used for storage.
Officials do not believe the fire was suspicious.
No word has been given on the extent of the damage.
DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) - A state legislator is circulating a bill that would 'close the social host loophole.'
During a Monday morning press conference at St. Norbert College, Representative Andre Jacque said his legislation would allow law enforcement to issue citations to more people who host underage drinking parties.
Currently, the De Pere Republican says people can only be cited for hosting the legal activity if it is taking place on a licensed alcohol premises, even though the law prohibits adults from allowing minors to drink at a location they own or control.
Jacque says that is due to multiple court interpretations that have 'created and expanded' that loophole. He notes it was "essentially an oversight" as judges were reading the law as written.
In addition to helping officers do their job, Jacque says the legislation aims to reduce underage drinking. He points to statistics that show Wisconsin has the nation's highest rates of underage drinking, binge drinking, and drunk driving.
According to Jacque, a lot of those problems start before people can legally drink.
Jacque says Madison lawmakers could still vote on the measure during the current session.
WINNEBAGO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A 42-year-old Appleton man pleaded not guilty Monday to stealing thousands of dollars' worth of diapers from a local charity.
Jason Havel, along with 52-year-old John Forbes of Neenah, is accused of taking more than 1,700 cases of diapers from a Valley Packaging storage facility, where both men used to work.
The diapers were being stored for the Fox Cities Diaper Bank, which provides baby items to families in need.
Havel and Forbes reportedly planned to resell the diapers.
A jury trial for Havel has been set for May 23. Forbes is due to be arraigned one week prior.
TOWN OF SHERMAN, WI (WTAQ) - One person was killed in a Sheboygan County vehicle rollover.
According to the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred Monday at 5:24 pm on County Road SS at West Bates Road in the Town of Sherman.
Dispatch received a report of a vehicle on its roof. The caller said there was no response from within the vehicle.
The driver was pronounced dead on scene. Speed is believed to have been a factor in the crash.
The deceased's name is being withheld pending family notification.
SHAWANO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - Shawano County residents have a new way to learn about nearby emergency and severe weather situations.
The county has spent roughly $14,000 on the CodeRED program, which residents can sign up for at no cost.
Emergency Management Director Natalie Easterday says people can sign up at http://www.co.shawano.wi.us/departments/?department=ccd09df1cddb or by downloading the CodeRED smartphone application.
Easterday notes people can choose whether they want to receive notifications via phone, email, or text message. She says people can also opt out of weather alerts if they strictly want to hear about emergency situations.
According to Easterday, it is crucial that users provide their home address upon signing up. She also encourages people to enter their business address, if they work in a different part of the county.
While weather alerts are determined by National Weather Service issuances, Easterday says county officials determine who receives emergency notifications, based on address proximity.
Easterday says this program will give residents more time to respond to emergencies and also allow emergency management staff to have a more direct way to reach people.
SUAMICO, WI (WTAQ) - New features are coming to a Brown County attraction as it starts its fourth year of operation.
NEW Zoo Adventure Park's opening weekend is this Saturday and Sunday.
After drawing roughly 15,000 people in 2016, Park Supervisor Curt Hall says there are some new features this year.
Hall notes a slackline park will be open by the start of May. He describes it as a combination of a balance beam, tight rope, and trampoline that features a two-inch piece of webbing strung between two anchors.
According to Hall, it is roughly two or three feet off the ground and requires no safety equipment.
Another feature that is fairly new, after getting introduced midway through last season, is fat bike rentals.
Hall says fat bikes are moutain bikes with larger tires. Those rentals will be available once the park's trails dry out and open for the year.
Activities like the rope course and climbing wall come in multiple difficulties, which Hall says makes the park accessible for people of all skill levels.
Hall says there are three separate admissions people can purchase.
The Zip Line Package costs $12 and offers one ride on the zip line. Additional rides can be purchased for $6 each. It takes roughly 35 minutes from gear-up to gear-down.
The Ropes Package includes the climbing wall, ropes course challenge, and quick jump. It costs $15, and additional quick jump opportunities are available for $3 each. Officials say it takes 60-90 minutes.
The Full Package is a combination of the zip line and ropes packages, costs $25, and takes 2-2.5 hours.
Fat bike rentals are separate and cost $10 per hour.
Hall says season passes will be offered this year, costing $70 per individual or $200 per family of two adults and up to four children.
The park will be open on weekends from 10 am to 6 pm in April, May, September, and October, with the exception of group outings that are booked on weekdays. From June through August, those hours will be in effect seven days a week.
As for the zoo, rates did increase in 2017. Adult admission is $9 while kids and seniors cost $6. Children under three get in for free.
Operations Manager Patricia Jelen says an upcoming exhibit will allow visitors to crawl through a series of tubes that allows people to pop their head up at the same level as the prairie dogs.
From April 1 through May 31 and September 1 through October 31, the zoo is open each day from 9 am to 6 pm. The zoo operates from 9 am to 8 pm on June 1 through August 31. From November 1 through March 31, the zoo is open 9 am to 4 pm.
NEW Zoo is located at 4378 Reforestation Rd, Suamico, WI 54313.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Jim Schmitt opponents have been organizing the recall effort for the past five weeks.
That’s when Schmitt survived a city council vote to remove him from office. The council fell one vote short of the three-quarters agreement needed for Schmitt to lose his job.
Alderman Guy Zima tells WLUK the recall will likely be registered with the city clerk within the next two weeks.
Schmitt was convicted of three misdemeanor campaign finance violations on December 5th after a 20-month investigation.
As part of his sentence, Schmitt has served 40 hours of community service and paid $4,000 in fines.
Zima says he has a list of about 60 people ready to circulate recall petitions.
“When we feel we have the right number, we'll be going forward”
Zima has been collecting a list of volunteers because state law requires 8,467 signatures of qualified Green Bay voters to force a recall election for the city's mayor.
Once a recall is registered with the city clerk, a 60-day window starts to collect those signatures.
Before that clock begins, Zima would like a spokesperson for his group.
“I think the public needs to see this is more than just politicians. It's more than just Guy Zima who has really never had much respect for this mayor of ours.”
“I think it's unfortunate, but it is the right of the people to do it,” said Green Bay Alderperson Barbara Dorff.
Dorff is one of the four council members who voted in February against Schmitt's removal as mayor.
“I think it will again cause a lot of upheaval in the city and it will take our focus off of the work that we need to be doing, which is the work of the city”
That is the same approach Schmitt has taken to a possible recall.
Schmitt has said he plans to serve the rest of his term, which ends in 2019.
If the petition is registered within the next two weeks, and the signatures are collected and verified, an election could be held as early as this summer.
PULASKI, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A fundraising effort is underway in Pulaski with the goal of raising enough money to replace the police department's K9 Patrol.
The department's current K9 officer, Raider, along with his handler, Officer James Tinlin, are set to retire this August.
They're looking to raise $80,000 to cover the cost of a new K9, handler training and a K9 equipped vehicle.
The department would use the K9 to help with narcotics, tracking and suspect apprehension.
Raider and Officer Tinlin have served together for eight years.
Tinlin tells WLUK it's time to step away. "He'll be 10 when we retire, when I retire and I think to try to rebond a 10-year-old single-purpose dog to another handler by the time they do that, he'd be so old"
To raise money, organizers are hosting a 5K FUND RUN on April 23.
Organizers are also selling plush Raider dogs and collector coins, costing $15 each.
Both the coins and the stuffed dogs are available for purchase at the Pulaski Police Department, 585 E Glenbrook Dr.
The stuffed dogs are also available to those who register for the 5K event on Active.com.
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Usually police officers work on the same team to keep citizens safe, but for the last three months, there's been a rivalry in the Fox Valley.
Fox Valley Metro Police Officer Michael Lambie explains it to WLUK.
"First month, January, I believe Appleton PD took the crown, but February I'm proud to say Fox Valley Metro did take the lead," said Fox Valley Metro Police Officer Michael Lambie.
"In February Fox Valley Metro snuck in right at the end and got a huge donation," added Appleton Police Sergeant Dave Lund.
Eight valley police agencies are taking part in 'Arresting Hunger' to benefit St. Joseph Food Program.
Over four months they're competing to see who can take in the most donations of certain staple food items.
This being the first year, Lund says the expectations weren't very high.
"We thought maybe we'd get a couple bags full of peanut butter"
The departments combined collected more than three tons of peanut butter in January and more than three tons of jelly in February. They're collecting tuna this month.
Scott Schefe, operations manager for St. Joseph Food Service, is impressed.
"They blew us away in January with Peanut butter. They did even remarkably better with jelly"
If you'd like to help out by making a donation you can go to your nearest department and inside the lobby you should find a box where you can place your donations.
"Eight agencies throughout the valley so there's probably a department close to you," Lambie said.
Lambie says St. Joe's provides food for 30 area agencies and shelters and for more than 800 families.
"Covers their output for eight months. So that's eight months of food for our community for those staple items they need" That allows St. Joe's to buy more fresh foods for clients.
To keep the donations rolling in, Lambie says the departments use a little healthy competition.
"We try to have a little fun with some of our social media posts. It creates awareness. It's all for the greater good"
And it seems to be working.
"Phenomenal response from the community, which really shouldn't be surprising. We know how generous our community is," said Lund.
For the month of April.. the departments will be collecting pasta, and pasta sauces.
April is the last month of this year's contest. It'll start again next January.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Whether Russia meddled in the U-S presidential election last November is a question that will be debated and investigated for months to come.
Wisconsin's 8th District Congressman Mike Gallagher, appearing on WTAQ's Jerry Bader show, thinks any further collaboration with Russia needs to be done very cautiously.
"I think any objective assessments of Russia's longterm interests, shows that they don't really share our interests" Gallagher says the angst that the election debate has caused, and the time its taken away from other national issues, has been a win for Russia.
"The Russians have achieved their objective os making us question some of the basic institutions of our democracy"
Gallagher says one thing that has him very concerned is that while the U-S defense has stagnated in the last few years, Russia has been building up its military.
And while the finger pointing over why the GOP healthcare bill crashed in D. C. last week continues, Gallagher thinks it's better to have things slow down and get it right.
He says sooner or later dumping Obamacare will be necessary.
But setting artificial deadlines is not the best way to move forward.
"Increasing our mandatory spending on healthcare is crowding out all of our other priorities. So we need to take a broader look at how we approach the cost of healthcare"
Gallagher says when it comes to healthcare legislation Congress needs to follow the "Hippocratic Oath"....."first do no harm".
RIPON, WI (WTAQ) - Police have found the 71-year-old dementia patient who walked away from his assisted living facility in Ripon.
Thomas Jezwinski was found mid-Tuesday afternoon.
He had been missing since 11:15 am from Pleasant Park Place, located at 1450 Pleasant Street.
BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - The three alleged ringleaders of a Brown County cocaine ring that was busted earlier this month have been charged.
James Allen, Joshua Cook, and Charles Howard each face between 7 and 13 felony drug counts.
The trio was reportedly responsible for the majority of the 43 controlled buys informants made from the operation between June 2016 and March 2017.
Allen, Cook, and Howard were among 15 people arrested on March 14 during a search that spanned nine homes in Green Bay, Ashwaubenon, and Allouez.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Green Bay Police Department will be one of many law enforcement agencies across the state paying their respects for a fallen Everest Metro Police Detective Wednesday.
40-year-old Jason Weiland was one of four people killed last week during a series of shootings March 22 in the Wausau area. The other victims were Marathon Savings Bank employees Dianne Look and Karen Barclay and attorney Sara Quirt Sann.
Weiland's funeral is scheduled for noon at D.C. Everest Senior High School in Weston. A procession is planned for 1p.m.
Chief Andrew Smith says he will attending, as well as their honor guard.
"We will also be sending a contingent of four motorcycle officers and a bunch of volunteer officers who will be going on their own time to pay their respects to the officer that was fallen."
Smith says several of his officers knew Weiland personally.
"A partner of the detective at the time he was working, was the sister of one of our lieutenants."
There is an invisible bond that connects officers from all departments around the state and country.
"It just reminds us of how important for us to work together and to support each other. We want to be there for that department...for those families in a terrible time like this," Smith explains. "I think officers realize they have a difficult job to do. They can't do that job alone. They have to rely on their brother and sister officers to stand next to them, shoulder to shoulder, to keep our community safe."
Detective Weiland was an 18 year veteran of the force.
OCONTO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A 16-year-old Oconto Falls boy has been convicted of running from police.
Oconto County Clerk of Courts Mike Hodkiewicz says Cody Olson pled guilty Tuesday to fleeing an officer during a November traffic stop.
Olson still faces seven other charges tied to the incident where prosecutors say he led police on an I-41 chase that reached speeds around 100 miles per hour before losing control of his vehicle and leaving the roadway.
When asked why he fled, driving the wrong direction down the highway, Olson reportedly told officers that he was "an idiot."
The seven charges were initially filed in juvenile court but are now being handled in an adult courtroom.
A court trial is set for June 13.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A woman has been convicted for causing the death of her 3-month-old daughter.
26-year-old Keshia Waupoose pleaded no contest Tuesday to second-degree reckless homicide and child abuse, according to court officials.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 31.
Appleton police said Waupoose fell asleep on top of her baby after a night of drinking.
Waupoose joined her child in a makeshift bed on Aug. 27, 2015, and, at some point, laid on the child.
The autopsy listed the child's death as asphyxia.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Even though spring has officially sprung, many of us may still be having a tough time getting motivated to exercise after a long winter.
Dr. Amy Romandine Kratz, a primary care sports medicine physician for Prevea, says if you haven't exercised in a while, take it easy at first.
"Start slow, maybe 15-20 minutes at a time. Start with low weights and then slowly work your way up based on your fitness level. That's going to be different for everybody."
Other suggestions to get you excited about your fitness path, may include downloading some helpful apps on your phone, like MyFitnessPal or getting an exercise partner.
"You can motivate each other. It's also a lot harder to cancel on someone else, if someone's expecting you to be at the gym," said Romandine Kratz.
If you struggle with arthritis or low back pain, exercises like swimming or biking might be the best fit.
And what about the recent study that says a glass of red wine is equivalent to an hour at the gym. Dr. Romandine Kratz say although wine isn't all bad, not all the numbers add up.
"What that study was looking at is resveratrol. It's a substance that found actually in the skin of grapes and other dark fruits and berries. When you look at some animal studies they actually showed that when the animals were exercised, plus using the resveratrol, they had some benefits on muscle health, heart health, blood vessel health," says Romandine Kratz. However, "A 5 ounce serving of red wine is 125 calories. You've got to spend a lot of time at the gym or doing some really strenuous exercise to burn that."
If you'd like more tips on improving your exercise routine, go to www.preveahealth.com.
BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - Voters in the Howard-Suamico School District will see a referendum question on Tuesday's ballot that asks them to allow the district to exceed state revenue limits by up to $4,000,000 per year for an indefinite amount of years.
Communications Coordinator Brian Nicol says that money is needed to avoid a projected $3,000,000 budget deficit in the 2017-18 school year.
He notes tight finances already caused the district to defer 100% of its maintenance projects this year. If the referendum fails, Nicol says not only will that happen again in 2017-18, but class sizes will increase as roughly a dozen staffers will be let go.
The communications coordinator says the district has $7,200,000 in immediate facility repair needs.
Nicol says Howard-Suamico is in the bottom 10% of the state in funding. In recent years, district leaders have noted a lack of support from Madison.
If the referendum is successful, Nicol says it will primarily fund three areas: student support, staff compensation, and maintenance needs.
Nicol notes the funds from this referendum would not put Howard-Suamico ahead of other districts or even bring it to the state average for funding. He says it would merely help them stay afloat.
In December 2017, a successful referendum would cost the owner of a $150,000 home an extra $179 in property taxes.
The mill rate would increase from the current $9.19 to $10.38 per thousand dollars of assessed value.
Nicol says the average homeowner in Howard would pay an extra $250. That jumps $30 in Suamico.
If it does not pass, Nicol says the tax rate would likely stay around $9.19 per thousand, where it has been for the past two years.
Howard-Suamico's last successful referendum came in 2014. It allowed $13,400,000 for facility upgrades.
Nicol says the district is still paying off debt from that referendum as well as one from 2008, noting the last of the debt is not currently projected to fall off until the year 2034.
At this point, Nicol says no date has been identified for when the district might stop exceeding the revenue limit, if the referendum passes.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - In Oshkosh, the 57th annual Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show gave producers the chance to talk about the weeks ahead, and take a look at the latest in farm technology.
For many, the latest and greatest in the world of agriculture took over the taxi-way at EAA AirVenture.
"Everybody has their new toys, or trinkets," said Matt Osladil. He came over from Sheboygan.
Osladil tells WLUK he wanted to check out an excavator.
"There's always, oh, that would be nice, or that might be useful, or whatever else and just little things that might help you down the road" "Getting bigger, getting bigger," said Steve Dorshorst.
The Deerfield resident says a treaded-tractor was impressive.
"You look at what's out there. You know, see if it's going to pertain to you, and then you go from there" "A tractor today can range anywhere from $20,000 to $450,000," said Todd Vogel, Riesterer and Schnell Product Specialist.
Vogel says the Farm Show is the biggest event of the year for him.
"Some people have purchased equipment before coming here. Some are coming here to get ideas for their future purchases, and from a large-scale agriculture standpoint, you won't make too many instantaneous equipment sales here"
In addition to the show, farmers got the chance to talk milk prices, planting, and of course the weather.
Darrell McCauley is the Winnebago County Agricultural Agent.
"We've had a lot of rains. The soils are pretty wet, so it's going to take significant drying time for them to get out and really get on the land"
McCauley says spring planting in the area usually picks up in about a month.
More than 500 exhibitors make up the 57th annual WPS Farm Show. 20,000 people are expected at the event which runs through Thursday.
PESHTIGO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - At a stop in Peshtigo Tuesday, Governor Scott Walker said his proposed K-12 budget is a top priority.
The Governor is looking to set aside hundreds of millions of dollars.
However, some lawmakers say it's too soon to know exactly how much money will make it through the Legislature.
Shaking hands with educators, and talking about his proposed $649 million investment in education, Governor Walker spoke to WLUK and stressed the importance of support from lawmakers.
"I'm less worried about the process and more focused on the ultimate policy. And the policy is, we need to put more in our schools to help build our workforce"
On Monday, the Wisconsin Association of School Boards sent out a tweet saying, "ALERT: Aid increases for Schools Under Threat From Plan to Scrap Gov's Budget."
"The Governor has been very generous to public education, he has given us an increase that allows spendable resources for schools to keep pace with inflation, about $200 a student this year, and about $204 a student the next year. That is about a two percent increase for a typical school district," said Dan Rossmiller with the WASB.
Rossmiller said he is worried that lawmakers will put other issues ahead of education.
"That they (lawmakers) believe the overall spending is too high, or they want to significantly reallocate the Governor's proposals to different purposes"
However, Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steinke says it's too early in the process to say how much money would be put toward K-12 education.
"It would be irresponsible at this point to lock ourselves into any particular number given the uncertainty of what our outlook is going to be"
Steinke explained the state should receive new revenue estimates next month which could change how much money is put toward education.
"The revenue estimates could go up and we could be in better shape than we thought going in, or they could go down, so we'll just have to see where those numbers fall before making an ultimate decision"
The Joint Finance Committee will start holding public hearings on the proposed budget next week.
One public hearing will be held Friday, April 7th at Berlin High School, and another hearing will be held Friday, April 21th at Marinette High School.
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - A fatal car crash last night and speed appears to be a factor.
Appleton police respond to a report of a rollover crash just after 11p.m. on the 2900 block of South Eisenhower Drive.
Officers found a vehicle with significant damage. A driver, trapped inside the vehicle, died at the scene.
The vehicle appeared to be traveling north before leaving the road and flipping.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen what happened, or has information on the events leading up to the crash, to call the Appleton Police Department at 920-832-5500.
