LAWRENCE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - One man is dead after a crash that happened on I-41 southbound just south of Scheuring Road in the Lawrence area around noon Sunday.

Police say a 29-year old Green Bay man was traveling south on I-41.

The man lost control of his vehicle and hit a vehicle that was stopped on the right shoulder.

The man whose vehicle was stopped on the side of the road died at the scene. His name has not been released at this time.

Authorities believe alcohol and speed may have contributed to the to the crash.

Police say I-41 south from Scheuring Road to County Highway S was closed for hours as authorities reconstructed the crash.

The crash is under investigation.

MADISO, WI (WRN) - A package of bills being introduced at the Capitol could help with efforts to quickly identify cases of lead poisoning in children.

State Representative Chris Taylor of Madison is introducing four bills, which she says will help local health officials spot contamination early and react quickly.

"We obviously all want kids to be safe. We want them to have the best opportunities to lead healthy lives. We have to get very serious about mitigating and ultimately removing lead"

The bills calls for updating testing standards that trigger investigations and requiring facilities where young children are cared for to test for lead.

"They include reduced intelligence, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, developmental delays"

Taylor says that means....

"For children the effects of lead are severe and they're permanent. And that's really why we have to take very swift and aggressive action"

The package also includes tax credits for replacing lead-contaminated windows and service lines, and having the state apply for federal remediation funding.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – An Oshkosh father pleads not guilty Monday to charges he caused extensive injuries to his two month old daughter.

20 year old Richard Root faces one count of child abuse -- recklessly causing great harm.

No trial date was set.

Court records show a plea and sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 19th.

Emergency room staff at Aurora Medical Center found the baby had nine broken ribs and several other serious injuries.

The criminal complaint says the baby also had a broken arm and a broken leg.

The complaint quotes Root saying he "snapped” because of stress and a lack of sleep.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The suspect in a fatal drunken driving crash was ordered Monday to stand trial.

20-year-old Zachary Potts waived a preliminary hearing on three counts, including homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle, for the Nov. 9 crash in De Pere which killed 20-year-old Bryan Kwarciany.

His arraignment is scheduled for May 8.

According to the criminal complaint:

• Police responded to a car-vs.-tree crash on Terry Lane, early in the morning of Nov. 9. Potts was found by officers in the driver's seat, injured and asking for help.
• Responders recovered Kwarciany from the passenger seat, but he died several days later. Neither was wearing a seat belt.
• At the hospital and in subsequent interviews, Potts said the two had left a party, but he denied that he was driving.
• A blood test determined Potts' blood alcohol level was .175, more than twice the legal limit for driving.
• The crash scene investigation determined the 2008 Dodge Charger was travelling at between 57-60 mph when it hit the tree -- but had been traveling at 88 mph just five seconds before impact. The posted speed limit was 25 mph.
• Tests found Potts' DNA on the driver's side airbag, floorboard and A-pillar of the car. Samples tested from the passenger-side airbag did not match Potts.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - A 21-year-old Wausau man is headed to trial on charges that he brought a gun onto the Appleton East High School campus.

Blong Vang faces felony counts of Conspiring to Cause Child Abuse, Possession of a Firearm on School Grounds, and Bail Jumping.

According to the criminal complaint, a school officer stopped 17-year-old Tou Thao and a 16-year-old in a building hallway after classes let out April 13 since he did not recognize them as students.

Upon learning they were not students, the officer went outside where he found a vehicle that was not registered to be at the school.  Vang was inside the car.

Police arrived, searched the vehicle, and reportedly found a loaded gun in a paper bag and another handgun in a black bag.

Investigators say both weapons were wrapped in the same bandanas that the two in the hallway were wearing, leading them to suspect possible gang affiliation.

The trio was allegedly at the school to get revenge on a student who had been bullying Vang's girlfriend.

Vang and the two boys told police they had no intentions to physically harm the student.

An arraignment hearing for Vang is scheduled for May 2 while Thao is due back in court Thursday. 

PULASKI, WI (WTAQ) - A 17-year-old Sobieski boy has been bound over to trial on charges he plotted violence at Pulaski High School.

Raven Jaworski faces one felony count of Making Terrorist Threats.

According to the criminal complaint, Jaworski told three other students that he was planning an attack at the school's 2018 graduation ceremony, plotting to hide guns under the stage and later open fire.

After denying the story several times, Jaworski reportedly admitted to the crime but claimed "it was a joke."

An arriagnment is scheduled for May 8.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Many Northeast Wisconsin residents are urged not to start fires at this time.

DNR Wildfire Prevention Specialist Catherine Koele says much of the area is under a 'high fire danger.'

Koele notes that is due to a combination of dry conditions, strong winds, and low humidity.

"When we start getting into this high and very high fire danger, it's really not recommended to introduce any sort of a fire in the outdoors, even campfires."

Koele urges people to wait for a safer day to conduct any burns.

However, she is unaware of when that will be since conditions vary heavily this time of year.

Koele notes forecasted rainfall later this week could alter the current advisory.

People can monitor daily burning restrictions at: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/ForestFire/restrictions.html.

DNR crews have kept busy thus far in 2017.

Through Sunday, Koele says there have been 336 wildfires in the Badger State, up from 265 in the same time period last year.

In Northeast Wisconsin, Koele says they've seen roughly 50-75 fires, with approximately 40 of those taking place in Marinette, Oconto, and Shawano counties.

She is not aware of any large fires in the area.

"Most of these fires are pretty small, usually about an acre or less than an acre, but it keeps our folks busy.  Even these little fires can be problematic because there's so many of them." 

Koele notes there is still the potential for larger fires as the state is heading into its 'spring dip,' which is known to bring blazes that cover more ground.

While Northeast Wisconsin's high fire danger typically lasts until late May, Koele says "we're starting to see some greening up in the southern part of the state.  As things green up, that really lessens the fire danger as well." 

She notes that is pushing the potential for more severe fires northward.  

PRINCETON, WI (WTAQ) - The 29-year-old Princeton man accused of killing his girlfriend and setting her body on fire has pleaded not guilty at arraignment.

Antonio Contreras faces felony counts of First Degree Intentional Homicide with the Use of a Dangerous Weapon, Arson, Mutilating a Corpse, and Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon.

According to the criminal complaint, Contreras shot 55-year-old Grace Reiter-Rudolph in the head at least four times following a March 12 argument.

Contreras reportedly admitted to smoking meth and drinking prior to the disagreement.

After shooting her, prosecutors say Contreras set their rental home ablaze in an effort to destroy the evidence.

Contreras was taken into custody a couple days later in Florida.

He is due back in court June 20 for a status hearing.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Merchants, property owners, and residents in Green Bay's Broadway District are concerned with the heavy truck traffic that's constantly maneuvering along the popular downtown road.

Broadway Street is a designated truck route creating excessive noise and safety concerns.  

Many are questioning what the district will look like in the future.

Director of On Broadway Inc., Brian Johnson, says businesses are affected on a daily basis.

"When you've got some of those office environment settings that require a quieter atmosphere, you know, we've got things like a recording studio that are constantly disrupted by vibrations," Johnson said. "So, when we start thinking about things like business recruitment and retention and ensuring that our storefronts are full, our office space is full, we want to create an environment that's healthy for us to be able to do that."

There's also safety concerns for pedestrians.

"If you really spend any amount of time down here in the district, you really do start to realize that the pedestrian traffic is, not as secure as you'd like it to be," Johnson said.

But it's more than that. It's also about the vision the district has for its future.

"If you look at some of the most successful downtown areas throughout the country, one of the things they don't have are designated truck routes that drive through the heart of them," explained Johnson. "A big part of this for us is trying to create an ambiance that's appropriate for the type of place that individuals want to come to and spend time and recreate."

A quote for a traffic study of the area came back higher than anticipated at $44,000 dollars.

On Broadway representatives are currently having discussions with city staff to come up with alternative solutions that are less costly.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A Green Bay man who was involved in a deadly crash this past weekend has been charged.

Shay Smyser faces one count of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and one charge of causing injury while operating while under the influence.

The accident happened on Interstate 41 in the Town of Lawrence around noon Sunday.

Officials say the 29-year-old was traveling south when he lost control of his vehicle and hit another vehicle that was parked on the shoulder.

The man whose vehicle was stopped along the highway died at the scene.

Police have not released his name.

Court records show that Smyser was given a ticket for declining to take a test for intoxication.

Following Sunday's crash, Hobart-Lawrence Police Lieutenant Dan Van Lanen says seven of Brown County's nine fatal accidents in 2017 have involved alcohol.  

Van Lanen notes alcohol has been present in at least 50% of Brown County traffic fatalities eight of the past eleven years.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A former Green Bay Packers' player has been ordered to pay a $500 fine after pleading no contest to a marijuana possession charge Monday.

Sam Shields was facing up to six months in jail for the October incident, where police smelled marijuana as they were walking up to his house for a check-up visit that stemmed from previous drug-related activity.

The cornerback admitted to the officers that there was marijuana in his house and showed them where to find the illegal drugs.

Before being released in February, Shields spent all seven NFL seasons in Green Bay.

He missed most of the 2016 campaign with a concussion sustained in the team's week one win in Jacksonville.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - New quarterly statistics from the Green Bay Police Department show that violent crime is down in the city compared to last year during the same time period.

Chief Andrew Smith says the total violent crime picture, which include murders, sexual assaults, robberies, and aggravated assaults are down 30% across the board.

"Last year we had a series of aggravated assaults where is seemed like it was back and forth or shooting people over low level narcotics disputes...20 bucks worth of marijuana gets you shot. We haven't seen anything like that this year and we're all really thankful."

Smith says there are many contributing factors to lower crime numbers, including hard working cops and with help from the community.

"The good ideas here come from mostly the street level officers who are out there working, who are looking at something and think, you know what, we can do better on it. I also get a lot of good ideas from members of our community who make suggestion on how we can change people's mindset or the way people operate here to prevent crimes," said Smith.

The department also looks at best practices from across the country to see what's working and what's not in other cities.

Besides violent crimes being down, property crimes are also down 8% over all.

All thefts were down too, expect for one area. Theft from auto rose 60% from 62 incidents in 2016 to 99 in 2017 during the same time period.

Chief Smith says this is one of the most preventable crimes.

"You have to lock your doors. We have people walking the streets and they're testing 30, 40 car doors in a row trying to find one that's open. If they find the open one and if it's your car, they're going to climb into your car, they're going to go through your glove box and take whatever you got," said Smith. "This is still a good sized city. There's still crime out there and there are still people who will take the opportunity to steal from you if you let them."

Smith says the key to keeping crime low is diligent officers and a community that's engaged.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Outagamie County leaders had their concerns heard Monday.

A group of state lawmakers was in Appleton to discuss local issues pertaining to Wisconsin's next two-year budget.

Among those concerns is transportation funding.

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson notes "Wisconsin constantly ranks toward the bottom nationwide in the quality of our roads and bridges."

According to Appleton Representative Amanda Stuck, "there is a $1,000,000,000 shortfall that we are looking at, and that's really just to keep up with what (road projects) we already have, and not looking at what needs to be done in the near future."

Governor Scott Walker has voiced opposition to raising the gas tax or increasing vehicle registration fees to cover that projected shortfall.  

A second key concern is property taxes.

Some county leaders believe the 'dark stores' loophole is causing them to miss out on tax dollars from big-box retail stores.

Stuck explains the loophole as: "they're looking at trying to get the stores assessed as though they were not operating, so as though they were closed and just paying for the property.  It significantly reduces the amount of taxes they have to pay."

In the past, retailers have won court battles, stating they should spend the same amount on property tax whether the business is operating or not.

Appleton Senator Roger Roth plans to bring forth legislation that addresses the loophole.

"The bill will introduce really the status quo back to our assessment process and just making sure everyone is paying their fair share."

The state's joint finance committee starts deliberations on Governor Walker's proposed budget next week.

It then goes to the full legislature before getting sent to the governor's desk.

The two-year spending plan is set to go into effect July 1.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Authorities are asking for the public's help in finding a wanted man believed to be in the Oshkosh area.

David L. Marks has a felony warrant out for his arrest from Wisconsin Community Correction for a parole violation.

Police describe the 35-year-old as 5' 10'', 220 lbs with brown hair and green eyes. He has tattoos on both arms.

If you know the whereabouts of Marks, you're asked to contact the Oshkosh Police Department at 920-236-5700 and give information to Detective Paul Frey.

If you have information, but wish to remain anonymous, please contact the Winnebago County Crime Stoppers at 920-231-8477, Text IGOTYA and your tip to 274637, or go to www.winnebagocrimestoppers.ord and sumit a tip. If an arrest is made, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

GRAND CHUTE, WI (WTAQ) - A 23-year-old Grand Chute man is in custody on charges he stabbed his roommate.

Police say they found a 31-year-old man unconscious when they arrived on the 1500 block of Tri Park Way.

Officers believe the incident started as an argument over noise while one of the men was trying to sleep.

The victim was taken to the hospital, and an investigation is ongoing.

JANESVILLE, WI (WTAQ) - The 32-year-old Wisconsin man accused of stealing more than one dozen weapons from a Janesville gun shop and sending an anti-government manifesto to President Trump has pleaded not guilty to federal charges.

Joseph Jakubowski was recently the subject of a ten-day manhunt that involved hundreds of authorities from the local, state, and federal levels.

He was apprehended April 14 from a primitive campsite in a Vernon County farm field.

Jakubowski's lawyer says he will not challenge his client's competency ahead of a scheduled September 25 trial.  

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - One elected official is expressing interest in Outagamie County's upcoming judicial vacancy.

The county's district attorney, Carrie Schneider, says she will apply to fill out the remainder of Judge Michael Gage's term, once he vacates his post July 9. 

Governor Scott Walker will appoint someone to serve until next spring's election.

The Republican Schneider is the county's longest serving district attorney, holding the position since 2002.

If appointed, Schneider says she will run for re-election next year.

People interested in applying for the judicial post can visit: https://walker.wi.gov/apply/judicial-application.

BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - It's time for people to get those unwanted medications out of their bathroom cabinets.

The Brown County Sheriff's Office is partnering with the state Department of Justice to hold a Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday.

From 11 am to 2 pm, people will be able to safely dispose of their drugs at the Allouez, Bellevue, and Denmark village halls as well as the Suamico Drug Enforcement Administration.

While prescription and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, inhalers, non-aerosol sprays, creams, vials, and pet medications are accepted, Brown County Sheriff's Lieutenant Kevin Kinnard says there are some items that will not be collected.

Those include illegal drugs, needles/sharps, acids, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous material, personal care products, household hazardous waste, and mercury thermometers.

Information on how to dispose of sharps is available at: http://www.co.brown.wi.us/departments/?department=fd7fb6bc484c&subdepartment=150121271284.

Kinnard says the reason for participating in the Prescription Drug Take Back Day is to bring focus to the issue of prescription medication diversion and concerns over prescription painkiller abuse.

While the collected substances might not seem dangerous, Kinnard notes "probably two-thirds of people who are abusing prescription painkillers will typically tell law enforcement that they're getting those pills from family members through unused prescriptions."

He says abusing prescription medications often leads to problems with heroin and other opiate drugs.

Once the drugs are collected, Kinnard notes "they're kept in secure storage until they're turned over to the Department of Justice, who properly disposes of them in an incinerator." 

There is no cost to the county or its municipalities.

People are advised to remove any solid, non-liquid medications from its original container and putting it directly into a disposal box or into a clear, plastic bag.

While plastic pill containers are not accepted, blister packages with medications will be taken.

Liquids, creams, and sprays must be in their original packaging for collection. 

A complete list of Wisconsin drop-off sites is available at http://doseofrealitywi.gov/drug-takeback/find-a-take-back-location/.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - A 28-year-old Appleton man has been taken into custody after police responded to a shots fired complaint on the city's north side.

Officers found a 35-year-old Manitowoc man shot outside an apartment building when they arrived near the intersection of North Union Street and East First Avenue at 1:06 pm Tuesday.

The victim was taken to the hospital with a lower-body injury that is non-life threatening.  

No word on his condition, whether or not he lives in the apartment, or if the shooting occurred inside the building.

After speaking with witnesses, officers quickly developed a suspect and took him into custody around 2:30 pm at the Riverside Cemetery.

The man was arrested along with his sibling, who was released a short time later when it was determined that person was not involved. 

Police believe it was an isolated incident but are unaware of what led to the shooting.

John Karll lives in the neighborhood of the shooting and heard what transpired.

"All of a sudden I heard a whole bunch of people screaming.  I looked outside and saw my neighbors running all over with their arms up in the air.  Two minutes later I heard just tons of sirens, and the neighborhood was just flooded with police cars."   

Six Appleton schools: Classical School, Einstein Middle School, Ferber Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Huntley Elementary, and Neighborhood Nursery 4K were put on lockdown as a precaution.

Sergeant Dave Lund notes "that lockdown is not because there was an immediate threat to the schools but based out of protocol and safety for those students.  We decided it was best to go into the lockdown of these local schools."  

An investigation is ongoing, and charges will be referred to the Outagamie County district attorney's office once it wraps up.  

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Saturday, April 29th marks President Donald Trump's 100th day since he took office and people around Northeast Wisconsin are weighing in.

Is Trump living up to his campaign promises?

Listen to the link above to hear what people are saying.

The White House is launching a website that promotes the accomplishments of President Trump's first 100 days.

In his daily briefing Tuesday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said jobs are up and illegal border crossings are down.

He also argued that the President has started rebuilding America's standing in the world.

Trump will celebrate the end of his first 100 days at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening.

Read more at the new website at whitehouse.gov/100-days.