VILLAGE OF HARRISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Some residents in the Village of Harrison have been stuck paying for a wheel tax.

So What ?

Harrison doesn't have a wheel tax, but Appleton and Kaukauna do and some Harrison residents have mailing addresses in those cities.

Right now Harrison Village Manager Travis Parish tells WLUK residents don't write Harrison on their mail. They write down one of five other municipalities instead.

"City of Appleton, the City of Menasha, the City of Kaukauna, the Village of Sherwood and Village of Hilbert"

For example: Harrison's village hall itself actually has a Menasha address.

Because the village lies within the zip codes of those five other communities, Parish says the Postal Service doesn't recognize Harrison as an address.

"What we're looking for is to be able to use 'Harrison' to go along with our zip codes"

So village president Jim Salm says leaders are working with the Postal Service to have Harrison recognized.

"So people would actually put instead of an Appleton address, they'd put 'Village of Harrison"

Parish says the current system causes problems. Like some residents have been stuck paying an Appleton or Kaukauna wheel tax.

"Many people don't know they're actually being charged 20 extra dollars on their vehicle registrations"

Parish also says some citizens don't know where to vote.

To make the change the Postal Service will send a survey to all Harrison residents. If at least 50% respond and at least 50% of the responses support the change it will go through.

"Then we move on to the next step which would be going and getting that changed," said Parish.

Parish says the plan has gotten positive feedback from residents and has the full support of the village board.

The board president says this will give people a greater sense of community in Harrison.

In an email, a representative for the Postal Service said officials are working with the Village of Harrison.

But, there's no time-line for when the surveys might go out or when the change could happen.

KEWAUNEE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Kewaunee County's new half-percent sales tax starts this Saturday.

At Port O'Call restaurant in downtown Kewaunee, not much needs to be done to prepare for the start of the county's new half percent sales tax.

“We just got to change our registers on Saturday so they pick up the extra half percent”

Owner Randy Vandenack tells WLUK that while it sounds like a simple change, it's not one he likes.

“You have to live within your budget,. If you can't then you have to stop spending on something.”

County leaders say the half percent sales tax is estimated to generate between $1.1 million and $1.4 million per year.

This year's county budget assumed $750,000 in revenue would be generated.

That's slightly more than the average of $720,000 a year the county says it has been losing in revenue since the Kewaunee Power Station shut down in 2013.

Scott Feldt, Kewaunee County Administrator, says they've been looking to make cuts. “We’ve eliminated some positions, what we’ve continued to do is look at healthcare costs. We’ve continued for the last probably three plus years is I’ve challenged the department heads to essentially provide me a zero percent increased budget”

Meanwhile, Jesse Yahnke, a salesman at Jorns Chevrolet, says people are aware of the tax hike.

“It's been a pretty busy month, especially with them knowing the sales tax will be changing”

Yahnke says he saw countless numbers of car buyers come from Brown County when it had a half percent sales tax.

Like Yahnke told those consumers, he has an important message for Kewaunee County car buyers.

“Whatever county they live in, that's where they have to pay the sales tax, whatever the county tax rate is”

The extra half percent tax is set to expire in 2021, however a provision allows the county board to extend it in the future.

“I would not want to venture to guess as to what a county board would be doing four years from now,” said Feldt.

Kewaunee is the 64th county in the state to add a sales tax.

In our area, Brown, Calumet, Manitowoc, Outagamie, and Winnebago are the counties that do not have the tax.

MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A Manitowoc Special Olympic Athlete returned home from the World Games in Austria with some new hardware.

Heidi Van Abel won a silver medal in cross-country skiing.

Thursday, the Manitowoc community came together to celebrate her big accomplishment.

Heidi Van Abel tells WLUK these types of accomplishments demand a lot of hard work.

"It was exciting, maybe a little frustrating at times"

And it's been a long road.

"I started out with track, then I figured try out snow shoe-ing. Then I tried cross country skiing, and that’s kind of what led me to the World Games, cross country skiing"

Van Abel set out with an extreme determination.

"I decided after high school nothing’s going to hold me back, and I want to try and make it to the World Games" That’s what brought her to athletic trainer Stephanie Schafer. Starting in November, Heidi and Stephanie got to work… preparing Heidi for her big challenge in Austria.

"It was hard, and then I started enjoying it. Working hard for it, and training really hard for it"

Stephanie Schafer is an athletic trainer with Aurora Medical Center- Manitowoc County

"I tried to cross train as much as I could. So for a couple weeks we would go in the pool to get her endurance up. A couple weeks we'd do cardio, a couple weeks to do weights to get her muscles stronger and make sure she was ready"

For Stephanie, training Heidi was a two-way street.

"She definitely likes to inspire, and she inspired me every day. She has a very positive, contagious attitude, she pushes you as much as it pushes her"

Heidi says she hopes other special Olympic athletes can learn from her success.

"I want them to know that they don’t need to be afraid, they can train for it, if they train real hard they’ll be able to do it"

Town of Seymour, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A one car rollover accident just before 1a. m. this morning sends a man to the hospital with serious injuries.  

Outagamie County sheriff's deputies called to the scene on Vandenheuvel Road, west of Hackel Road in the Town of Seymour.  

It took crews a couple hours to get the man, in his 30's, out of the vehicle.

The vehicle was wedged between two trees so it took a long time to get him out, according to Staff Sgt., Eugene Bunnell of the Outagamie County Sheriff's Department.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing. 

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Ashwaubenon Village President, Mike Aubinger, passed away Thursday night at the age of 63.

The announcement was made Friday morning during a news conference.

Aubinger has been Village President for the past 8 years.

Village clerk-treasurer Patrick Moynihan Jr. says Aubinger was a force in the community and his legacy will be reflected in a number of developments.

"Most notably, but not limited to, the Green Bay Packing expansion, Cabellas evolution, leading into phase 1 of the Titletown District."

Aubinger never missed an opportunity to promote Ashwaubenon wherever he went.

"The President was always on the phone, or meeting with someone, showcasing Ashwaubenon as "the" location to be," said Moynihan.

It was announced earlier this week that Aubinger was taking an indefinite leave of absence due to an illness.

Trustee Mary Kardoskee is serving as interim village president.

"With the great staff we have in our village, the great residents that we have, our village will move forward."

The rest of the Board of Trustees will meet soon to discuss the future of the village's leadership structure.

Funeral services for Mike Aubinger are still being coordinated.

OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A 19-year-old Appleton man involved in an abduction case has been convicted.

Toua Chang pled no contest Friday to felony counts of Intimidating a Victim with the Threat of Force and Stalking.  A felony Abduction charge was dismissed.

Chang took a 17-year-old girl after she left her workplace and brought her back to his home, where his family members helped free her.

The 19-year-old admitted to watching the girl prior to the incident and said he intended on keeping her with him.

Chang is scheduled to be sentenced May 31. 

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - March weather in the Green Bay area has been fairly 'par for the course.'

National Weather Service Meteorologist Jeff Last says the highest temperature reached was 59 degrees on March 7 while the low of six degrees was felt on both March 3 and 4.

Last notes those temperatures are fairly close to the averages and nowhere near either March extreme: 80 degrees in 2012 and -29 degrees in 1962.

According to Last, Green Bay's March snowfall total of nine inches has also been fairly typical.  He notes 5.9 inches came on March 1.

The all-time high and low March totals in the area are 48.2 inches in 1888 and zero inches in 2010.

Winter snowfall is recorded each year from September through May.

At the end of March, Green Bay has seen 53.2 inches of snow, up five inches from the norm.

High and low season records for the area are 147.7 inches in 1887-88 and 19.2 inches in 1960-61.

Also, Green Bay had 2.3 inches of rainfall in March, one-half inch above the month's average.

Looking at the long-range outlook, Last says there is a better than 50% chance that temperatures will be at or above normal in April, lessening the odds Green Bay sees another major snowfall this season.

Last notes April's high temperatures tend to hover in the mid-40's near the beginning of the month and the mid-50's in the latter stages.  He says that typically jumps into the 60's and 70's in May.

According to Last, people should still keep sweaters and sweatshirts handy for cool evenings. During many days in April and May, he says a light jacket should be all that is needed.

PRINCETON, WI (WTAQ) - Officials have released the name of the person killed in a suspicious Princeton house fire.

55-year-old Grace Reiter-Rudolph died in the March 13 blaze on South Farmer Street.

Based on the autopsy, officers say they are investigating the death as a homicide.

Police say a person of interest was arrested in the case, but no charges have been filed. 

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Appleton's golf course could soon have its slate wiped clean.

On Wednesday, the common council is expected to vote whether to transfer Reid Municipal Golf Course's roughly $800,000 in debt to the city tax roll.

The idea was suggested to make it easier for the course to borrow money for improvement projects, specifically to its clubhouse and parking lot.

Communications Coordinator Chad Doran notes the course does not receive property tax revenues. He says it is currently up to golfers to pay off the debt through green fees and clubhouse spending.

While the item is scheduled to be considered, the finance committee recommendation is to deny the resolution. 

MADISON, WI (WRN) - With the election just days away, the two candidates for state Superintendent of Public Instruction met Friday night in their final debate of the campaign.

Current Superintendent Tony Evers and challenger Lowell Holtz addressed a wide range of questions on Wisconsin Public Television, which included discussions of their plans to deal with an achievement gap in public schools, the use of career and technical education opportunities in high schools, and dealing with a declining number of teachers entering the profession.

The debate opened though with a discussion of a letter sent this week by the Whitnall school board, where Holtz previously served as superintendent, which alerted parents about possible campaign-related emails Holtz may have sent using a district account.

Holtz defended those messages sent to his wife, saying he did not believe there was anything wrong about them. He argued they were not about seeking donations or help setting up a campaign, and were sent before he was in the race.

“At that point, I had not decided to run for office,” he said.

However, Evers said he did believe they violate state campaign laws and an inappropriate use of a taxpayer-funded account.

The two also showed stark differences on issues such as the national Common Core education standards. Evers defended the often controversial guidelines, saying they have made a difference on how students learn in the classroom.

“It’s not about memorizing facts…it’s about taking those facts and applying them in real world situations”

Holtz said they have turned teachers into bookkeepers though, as they work to keep up with reporting requirements, and require an approach that’s too broad for districts with different needs.

“It’s a set of standards that goes from A to Z, and there is no such set of standards that that’s all you need to know to be successful”

The two also clashed over a state budget provision, which requires school districts to be fully in compliance with the employee benefit contributions allowed under Act 10 – Governor Scott Walker’s law that overhauled collective bargaining for public employees – in order to access a funding increase.

Holtz defended the proposal as simply sending a message to districts that Act 10 is the law of the land, but Evers questioned how it could even be implemented.

“It’s a significant issue of overreach by the state to kind of intervene between school districts and their employees…I think it’s a step in the wrong direction”

Evers is seeking a third four-year term as state superintendent. The election is Tuesday, April 4th.

MENASHA (WLUK) - Officials in Winnebago County began searching for a missing person in Little Lake Butte des Morts Saturday afternoon.

Just after 12:30 p.m Saturday, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a person in water.

When crews arrived, they discovered an empty boat.

The Neenah-Menasha Fire Department and the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office searched the water, but so far, no one has been found.

Officials will continue the search today.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Drivers in Appleton may not have to plug change into parking meters for much longer.

The common council is expected to vote on Wednesday on implementing a program that would allow people to pay for city parking through a smartphone application.

If successful, Appleton Communications Coordinator Chad Doran says people could enter the parking stall number posted on the meter into the free app and select how much money they would like to pay.

Doran notes a $0.15 convenience fee would be added on to each transaction.

He says the idea is all about convenience as it would keep people from having to carry coins while also allowing people to add time to their parking allotment without having to run back to the meter.

Doran says the program will also benefit people who travel between cities as the same app is used in places like Green Bay and Fond du Lac.

The city would pay a company called 'Passport' $2,500, a merchant processing fee of 2.9%, and $0.30 per transaction.  Doran says those costs are for Passport to manage credit card payments.

Doran notes there will be no changes to the current meters or parking hours and says people can still use coins to pay for parking, if they choose.

According to Doran, the idea came from a 2014 study that looked into the city's downtown parking.

If the council signs off, Doran believes the new program could be implemented this summer. 

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - On television it only takes an hour to solve a complicated crime and only seconds to lift fingerprints off evidence.

The real-life process is much different and takes quite a bit longer.

In the latest episode of Green Bay Crime we go behind the scenes within the police department's forensics unit and get an up-close look at how they retrieve prints off of crucial pieces of evidence.

The unit consists of 3 forensic specialists, Kurt Meier, Steve Krouth, and Baeleigh Larson.

Krouth says during the beginning process, they put a small amount of super glue in the fuming chamber which adheres to the evidence and helps in the print-lifting process.

"The nice thing about the super glue is that it kind of adheres to the ridges, so sometimes you can lift it (the print), and maybe even lift it again because it firms them up a little bit."

Evidence usually stays in the fuming chamber for about 10 minutes and then is dusted with black powder.

Larson says it can be a little tricky removing the perfect print...air bubbles are the enemy.

"When you lift a print, you want to roll it backwards and then slowly rub down."

After the print is lifted, it's labeled and logged into AFIS or Automated Fingerprint Identification System.

Check out the entire interview and process by watching the video above.

TOWN OF WAUPUN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A woman is dead after a one vehicle rollover crash in the Town of Waupun.

Authorities responded just after 6 a.m. Sunday to the intersection of Highway 26 and Willow Creek Road.

An investigation revealed the vehicle was traveling northbound and veered off the road onto the gravel shoulder, causing the driver to lose control. The vehicle then went into the east ditch, overturned, and caught fire.

WLUK is reports Fond du Lac County Sheriff's deputies say the 22 year-old Oshkosh woman, identified as Whitney Domer, was trapped inside the burning vehicle and died at the scene.

The driver of the vehicle, an 18-year-old Milwaukee man, escaped with non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Waupun Memorial Hospital.

The investigation is still ongoing by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office.

TOWN OF CENTER, WI (WTAQ) - A 38-year-old Center woman has died after rolling her vehicle early Saturday morning.

Outagamie County Sheriff's officials say Jessica Coleman was heading south on Highway 47 in the Town of Center when the incident occurred at 2:33 am.

Investigators say the vehicle left the road, glanced off a utility pole, went airborne, and rolled several times.  

Coleman was ejected from the vehicle and flown to Theda Care in Neenah, where she died from her injuries roughly five hours after the crash.

Officers say Coleman was not wearing a seatbelt and believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.

GRESHAM, WI (WTAQ) - A former Gresham School teacher has been arrested on multiple charges involving children.

Stockbridge-Munsee Police officials say the 69-year-old man was taken into custody at his Hutchins home on Friday.

On March 22, officers received word of possible inappropriate conduct by a Gresham teacher.

The next day, detectives located and interviewed the teacher and took possession of several electronic devices.  Those items were turned over to Shawano County detectives for analysis.

Also on March 23, officers received word that the teacher had resigned.

A search warrant was executed at the man's home Friday, and he was taken into custody without incident on a variety of charges involving crimes against children and child pornography.  Those charges have been referred to the Shawano-Menominee County District Attorney's Office.

The investigation is ongoing, and the suspect's name has not been released.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - One of the suspects in a series of vehicle break-ins and thefts was ordered Monday to stand trial.

17-year-old Jordan Murdock, faces seven counts, including three of burglary for his alleged role in $100,000 in property in less than six days, plus 11 guns and three vehicles.

Murdock was bound over for trial after a police officer testified at the preliminary hearing. His arraignment is April 24, according to court records.

Also charged are 19-year-old Tyler Wilhelm, and 18-year-old Dominic Lucht. Both are back in court Tuesday.

Police have tied the trio to at least 10 incidents.

They say the teens broke into vehicles at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, burglarized two businesses on Velp Avenue and two homes on the west side, including an apartment building unit on 9th Street.

STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Two men now face charges in connection with a teen reported missing from Door County last month.

Richard Whiting and Zerie Baker each face one count of child enticement, while Baker also faces one charge of soliciting a child for prostitution in connection with the disappearance of a 17-year-old boy.

He was later found, safe, in Chicago.

According to the criminal complaint, 20-year-old Baker and the teen chatted through a social media app on multiple occasions.

The teen agreed to make with Baker for sex and drugs.

Baker picked up the teen, drove to Green Bay, where the teen, Baker and 23-year-old Whiting allegedly did drugs and had sexual contact with each other.

The criminal complaint only details how the teen got from Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay.

He was later spotted in Oshkosh and Milwaukee before getting to Chicago, but the complaint does not explain how that happened.

Whiting and Baker are scheduled to make their initial appearances Thursday in Door County court.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A 19-year-old Bryant Ellis of Green Bay pleaded not guilty Monday in connection with the accidental shooting death of his friend.

No trial date as been set.

Ellis returns to court June 26.

According to the criminal complaint, Ellis told an officer that he didn't know the gun was loaded; he was just joking around and he couldn't believe he shot his friend, Andrew Tohulka.

Ellis admitted to investigators that he and Tohulka were drinking and smoking marijuana before the incident.

The incident happened Feb. 20 at an east-side home. 

HUDSON, WI (WTAQ) - A Suamico teen has been convicted for his role in setting a live chicken on fire.

Hayden Lammers pleaded guilty in a St. Croix County courtroom Monday to a misdemeanor count of Intentionally Mistreating an Animal.

The 17-year-old was ordered to perform 30 hours of community service at a humane society but will have the incident cleared from his record if he abides by the terms of his deferred prosecution agreement.

Last month, the court made a similar deal with 17-year-old Ryan McElmurry.

Lammers and McElmurry were visiting a friend's father at the time of the incident.

Four teens were asked to kill a chicken.  McElmurry pinned down the chicken while Lammers ignited the animal.

Since the flames did not kill the chicken, the boys used an axe.

The teens apologized after a video recording of the incident was posted to social media and shared with authorities.  

The other two teens were charged in juvenile court.  No word on those proceedings.