FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A fuel or oil spill has made a section of I-41 very slippery in Fond du Lac County.
This is on I-41 southbound from Fond du Lac south to the Fond du Lac/Dodge County line.
Officials say the interstate is extremely slippery.
Multiple vehicles are in the ditch.
As of 9:30 a.m. highway crews are on the way to the area.
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Department is asking people to use extreme caution if traveling in this area.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Work has wrapped up on the three-year renovation project of a downtown Green Bay facility.
The YMCA held a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday following completion of its $13,000,000 effort.
Work covered the first three floors of the seven-story, 92-year-old building.
Among the work that was done: a complete restoration of the building's exterior, replacement of most mechanical systems inside the building, expansions to the facility's gymnastics and wellness centers, and adding new equipment to the family and youth program spaces.
MENOMINEE, MI (WTAQ) - A Menominee, Michigan man has been sentenced to at least 40 years in prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend.
Gregory Ihander could spend as much as 50 years behind bars for the September 2015 incident.
Ihander killed 43-year-old Jolene Eichhorn of Carney.
Eichhorn's body was found in the trunk of her car at the Cedar River Harbor parking lot between Escanaba and Menominee.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - There are many events folks look forward to with the arrival of warmer spring temperatures, like prom season, graduations, and road trips but there is also a darker side that we get reminded of when tragedy strikes.
It's the time of year when more people get behind the wheel after drinking or doing drugs.
The Green Bay Police Department averages between 800-900 OWI arrests a year, which includes 1st through 10th offenses.
Patrol Officer Mike Knetzger is a 25 year police veteran and knows the consequences of inebriated driving all too well.
In June of 2008, his 18-year-old daughter Ashley was tragically killed by drunk driver in Green Bay.
But there are more and more instances where drugs like marijuana play a role in crashes.
That was the case when WTAQ rode along with Officer Knetzger during a recent OWI patrol in Green Bay.
The first call happened within minutes after the click of our seatbelts.
OWI Patrol went from 11:00 Saturday night until 3:00 Sunday morning.
The initial call was to an accident at the corner of Walnut and Broadway.
"So this young lady, unfortunately, has made a very poor decision tonight," said Knetzger.
The woman admitted to smoking marijuana prior to getting in her car and driving off. She hit another vehicle, injuring the driver.
And although the 20-year-old driver admitted to doing drugs before getting behind the wheel, she was still transported to St. Vincent hospital for further drug testing. "Because this particular incident involved a drugged driver as the primary factor or cause of the crash, we had a drug recognition expert administer a series of tests that they are certified in doing. So they have gone through extensive training where they are able to administer additional tests that will measure certain physiological aspects of the individual," Knetzger said.
Some of those aspects include heart rate, temperature, and pupil size.
All of these measurements help determine whether or not someone is impaired.
One of the things drug recognition experts look for is an eye flutter.
"That eye flutter is looked at in what is referred to as the Romberg Balance Test. That test also measures an individual's perception of time," explained Knetzger.
Drivers under the influence of a depressant have a slower sense of time.
"So, if we ask them to estimate 30 seconds, their estimation of 30 seconds may be 45 seconds to a minute."
Individuals taking stimulants, like cocaine, will perceive time as going by faster.
A new report released last week by the Governors Highway Safety Association and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, shows the number of drugged driving deaths is passing those of driving while drunk.
It shows positive drug tests were more common than the presence of alcohol among drivers killed in accidents in 2015.
Of those tested, 43 percent who died in auto accidents were on drugs, while 37 percent were drunk.
So far this year there's only been 1 alcohol related fatality in the city of Green Bay, compared to 2 in 2016 and 4 in 2015.
Knetzger says drunk or drugged driving is the #1 preventable crime in America.
OCONTO, WI (WTAQ) - One local county has announced new efforts to address current and future shortages of skilled workers.
During a Monday morning event at Nercon Engineering and Manufacturing, the Oconto County Economic Development Corporation, or OCEDC, shared its talent development plan.
It calls for implementing a variety of initiatives including: the formation of a new business and education alliance, an increase in teacher-externship opportunities to enhance classroom learning, and installing career-focused software at county schools.
Efforts would establish a workforce development partnership between the OCEDC and the county's school districts to bolster the employment pipeline, increase student job shadowing opportunities, and partner with regional post-secondary schools to guide workers to Oconto County jobs.
On Monday, Wisconsin Public Service announced a $5,000 donation to fund the development plan.
WPS' Manager of Community and Economic Development Carol Karls says her company is impressed with what has been drafted and feels it is needed in Northeast Wisconsin.
"I don't think that I have talked to a manufacturer that isn't having an issue with finding talent at some level. Even our company is in need of more engineers and linemen."
Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Paul Erhfurth says they hope to raise another $20,000 from the private sector.
A $25,000 Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation grant was secured earlier this year, and Erhfurth is optimistic they're application for a $42,000 USDA grant will also be successful.
He notes the total needed to launch the program is around $62,000.
Erhfurth says a recent analysis estimated there will be 29,000 manufacturing and trade industry openings in the Green Bay and surrounding areas through the year 2024.
To fill those positions, Erhfurth notes students need more than just proficiency in math and science.
"The soft skills: ability to communicate, ability to work as a team, ability to lead."
Officials say they selected Nercon as the announcement site since it is one of the county's largest employers.
Nercon began operations in Oshkosh in 1976 and expanded to Oconto six years later.
It's corporate headquarters are in Neenah.
Nercon makes conveyor systems for the food, beverage, health, and beauty industries.
Operations Manager Dan Bickel says they average $30,000,000 in annual sales but expects that to grow by $9,000,000-$12,000,000 in the next five to seven years.
Bickel notes that would likely mean adding 25-40 workers.
He says 20-25 of those would be in Oconto, where roughly 85 people are employed.
There are currently no openings at Nercon's Oconto facility.
Bickel feels it's important for students to know the truth about the industry.
"The misception that manufacturing is a dirty or low paying job needs to be overturned."
He notes new employees typically earn an hourly salary that ranges from $13.50 to the low $20's.
However, Bickel says there are Nercon employees who make six figure salaries.
Drew Oswald is a turn technician and assembler for Nercon and encourages students to pursue manufacturing.
"I would say give it a chance. If you have a willingness to learn, and you're a good communicator, you can work with others: the sky's the limit."
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - A new public exhibit aims to keep tragedy from striking area families.
Bev Kelley-Miller's 'Hidden in Plain Sight' is currently up at Fox Valley Technical College.
The exhibit features a mock bedroom, where Kelley-Miller notes just about anything can be used to hide drugs or alcohol.
"It looks like pen, but instead it's hollowed out, and they can use it to snort. My daughter had hollowed out pens in her make-up bag."
Kelley-Miller's daughter Megan died of a heroin overdose two years ago.
"We are living the grief every single day, and it's a forever loss. But I can try to prevent other parents from going through this."
Other hiding places Kelley-Miller notes include pillows, stuffed animals, and sunscreen containers.
"It's been there for years probably but suddenly now, it's a hiding place."
Prior to searching the teen or pre-teens room, Kelley-Miller suggests suspicious parents pay close attention to behavior and appearance.
"You're going to be tipped off by their behaviors. Are they having trouble in school? If your kid starts to pick at their face or has the nods, those can be signs."
Bill VanLopik checked out the exhibit Monday.
"Just a very powerful experience to see all of those little clues."
'Hidden in Plain Sight' is open May 1-3 and 8-10 from 9 am to Noon and 1 pm to 4 pm.
Opiate drug abuse has been a growing problem in some area communities.
The Fond du Lac Fire Department notes its responders administered Narcan, the drug that counteracts the effects of an opiate overdose, eleven times in April.
They say that is more instances than the previous four months combined.
BRILLION, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Some students claim it's better than recess, but Brillion Elementary School's new STEM Exploration Station is all about learning.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“They don't know they are learning,” said Sarah Russart, the STEM room coordinator.
She spoke to WLUK.
“It's a lot of hands-on experience, but they're so much more engaged than in the classroom just reading a book and answering the questions that way.”
The $1.5 million facility used to be an old cafeteria and gymnasium used for indoor recess.
Now, Russart says it's two levels of teaching space using the STEM design process of working together to solve a problem.
“That can be anywhere from 4-year-olds learning how to put a dinosaur together to a 5th grader learning about electrical circuits” While the STEM room combines fun and learning for the students, area businesses hope it will be the foundation for future workforces.
The Ariens Foundation and Endries Family Foundation each donated more than $200,000 to the facility.
Dan Ariens is President and CEO of Ariens Company.
“The more we can educate smart, problem-solving young adults and bring them into our business, the better off we're going to be”
This is the second STEM center in the Brillion School District. In 2007, the high school introduced its Fab Lab. Area companies, like Ariens, are already seeing the benefits of it.
“We have many graduates of that program now all over our business, from the manufacturing shop floor all the way into design engineering,” said Ariens.
Brillion Superintendent Dominick Madison says the STEM station was about 80 percent funded through private fundraising. The rest was approved through a 2014 referendum.
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ - WLUK) - A local leadership program has joined forces with the Menasha School District to address bullying.
The project is called "Be a Buddy, not a Bully."
Participants of Leadership Fox Cities raised funds to install designated safe areas, called "Buddy Benches."
The benches were placed on five elementary school playgrounds.
The program was launched at Jefferson Elementary Monday.
Sara Marquardt, of Leadership Fox Cities, tells WLUK children can sit on a "Buddy Bench" during recess when they feel lonely or bullied, signaling classmates to ask them to play.
"We found through the United Ways Lifestyle project that the Fox Cities area actually has a higher percentage of bullying than the state or national average. Our hopes were to kind of break the cycle of this bullying, starting in the elementary schools"
Throughout the rest of the week, the program will be introduced at the other four schools.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Of the roughly 18,000 Wisconsin municipalities, only 20 have wheel taxes.
That's according to Republican State Representative Michael Schraa.
But the Oshkosh Republican tells WLUK that could soon change.
"There's been a lot of rumblings of municipalities and counties that want to pass this and I just feel that the people that are gonna be paying it should have a say in the matter"
Schraa has authored a bill that would require cities and counties to hold a referendum to let voters decide if local leaders can create a wheel tax.
A wheel tax is an addtional fee paid on top off your car registration that is meant to be used for transportation and road projects.
Schraa said if municipalities need the money, they should to plead their cases to taxpayers.
"If they would do a good job in that education process then there wouldn't be a problem in passing some of these wheel taxes"
Democratic State Representative Amanda Stuck says Schraa's bill is unnecessary.
"Quite frankly, if the republican majority would just do their job and actually address transportation, the municipalities wouldn't have to figure out how to address transportation on their own"
Oshkosh Mayor Steve Cummings says the bill would take away local control.
"We know how to run our cities. We don't need this constant interference out of Madison"
According to Cummings Oshkosh voters said in a survey last year they did not want a wheel tax.
He said the city's long-range financing committee is still researching the idea, in case the city needs the funds in the future.
"Madison keeps mandating things and then doesn't fund it properly, or cuts back on payments to the communities"
But Schraa says the bill does not take away municipalities' autonomy.
"They just have to go to referendum to get the voters' approval. That's democracy, in my opinion"
According to Schraa his bill would not create any additional costs for municipalities, because he says part of the bill says a referendum would need to be done during a regular election.
Schraa said he is currently looking for co-sponsors of his bill. He hopes to have a committee hearing scheduled this month.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A man with a history of incidents involving sexual abuse of animals was arrested again by the Brown County Sheriff's Office.
According to jail records, 53 year old Sterling Rachwal was arrested for three counts: burglary, mistreatment of animals causing death, and sexual gratification with an animal.
Formal charges have not been announced, and Rachwal will not appear in court Tuesday.
No further details of the accusations have been released.
Rachwal has been convicted several times across the state for incidents with animals, often horses.
Those cases include:
In 1993 in Monroe County, he was convicted of three counts, including sexual gratification with an animal and mistreatment of animals causing death. He was sentenced to an eight-year prison term.
In 1996 in Waupaca County, he was convicted of four counts, including mistreating animals - but was declared not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
In 2010 in Fond du Lac County, he was convicted of disorderly conduct and sentenced to 90 days in jail. In that incident, he was found in a horse barn.
ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ) - A local facility that helps people with various developmental challenges is growing.
Ground has been broken on a 21,400 square foot expansion and renovation project at CP's Allouez location.
CP has four main focuses: adult day services that provide functional skills training to people with physical or developmental disabilities, various therapeutic services for children up to age 18, acquatic center classes that focus on health and fitness, and childcare for kids, both with and without special needs, age six weeks to seven years.
Executive Director Jon Syndergaard says the project will expand their adult day services and childcare spaces, add two family-friendly locker rooms near the aquatic center, and provide a facelift to various parts of the building.
Syndergaard notes the upgrades include new floors, walls, and ceilings.
According to Syndergaard, CP currently serves 2,100 people annually.
He believes the expansion will allow them to serve 100-150 people per day and would generate an additional $200,000-$250,000 in revenue each year.
Director of Development Callie Gallagher agrees, saying "our adult day services program: we're having to turn clients away, because we just don't have enough physical footprint. The same is true for daycare. Our daycare: we can currently bring in about 70 kids. We have families fighting for spots."
Syndergaard notes space restrictions have also caused problems for the people currently in the building.
"Accidents, bumps, bruises, and so forth...so that demand comes from the staff as well as the clients themselves."
Keller Construction is serving as the construction manager for the $7,000,000 effort.
President/CEO Wayne Stellmacher has worked with CP on past projects and says there is something special about working with the company.
"It's very heartwarming to not only see the clients but see the CP personnel and the dedication that they have."
Syndergaard expects expansion work will wrap up by the end of 2017 while renovation work will likely carry into August 2018.
Stellmacher says public informational meetings will be held along the way to provide project updates.
He notes the community has expressed support for the effort, despite possible noise concerns.
Syndergaard says a capital campaign has brought in $6,500,000 for the expansion.
He hopes the remaining $500,000 is secured by the time the project wraps up.
Donations can be made at: http://www.cp-center.org/donate/capital-campaign/.
CP was founded in the 1950's, has been in its current location on Webster Avenue since 1986, and has satellite locations in Kimberly and Two Rivers.
MARKESAN, WI (WTAQ) - Fire has damaged four buildings in Green Lake County.
Crews responded to Stubby's Bar in Markesan shortly after 2 am Tuesday.
The bar's owner reported the blaze at 4 South Bridge Street.
Crews extinguished the fire but not before it caused severe structural damage.
Also, a building to the south of Stubby's has suffered fire and water damage, displacing tenants of two apartments.
Meanwhile, two other structures have smoke damage.
One person received treatment for smoke inhalation but was later released.
Investigators are looking into the fire's cause.
DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) - A new date has been announced for a former Packers' garage sale.
Fans have a chance to get their hands on Eddie Lacy's unwanted stuff this weekend.
The sale runs Friday from 11 am to 5 pm and Saturday from 8 am to 12:30 pm at an unclosed De Pere location, which Lacy will announce via social media Friday morning.
All proceeds go to charity and any remaining items will be donated to Green Bay's Freedom House.
The moving sale was supposed to happen last month but was postponed due to flight issues.
Lacy signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks this off-season after spending his first four professional seasons with the Green and Gold.
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - A suspect has been identified in an Appleton shooting.
Following several interviews, investigators say they are looking for 29-year-old Terence C. Moore.
Sergeant Dave Lund believes Moore left the Appleton area shortly after the Sunday morning incident on the 1600 block of North Clark Street.
Investigators say Moore likely has ties both locally and in the Chicago area.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Anyone who sees the suspect should call law enforcement and are advised to avoid contact with Moore, who is believed to be armed and dangerous.
Meanwhile, Appleton Police was contacted Monday by the Oak Lawn Police Department in Illinois regarding a 30-year-old male who sought medical attention for a gunshot wound to his arm.
Investigators interviewed the man and have impounded a vehicle with bullet hole damage.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A woman has been injured in a shooting on Green Bay's east side.
Officers say the woman walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound, following the afternoon incident.
Police note a person of interest is in custody and say there is no danger to the public.
More information is expected Wednesday as the investigation is still in its early stages.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Changes are coming to the way tickets are handed out in the City of Oshkosh.
Starting Tuesday, police are using a digital handheld device that issues electronic parking citations.
Patrol Services Bureau Captain Kelly Kent says "we were handwriting a lot of the green, paper parking citations before. And now, with the new devices, these will be computer generated parking tickets, they'll have a different look."
Kent notes the change will increase efficiency.
"Instead of having to manually enter hand-written tickets into a database, that's already done because it was issued electronically to begin with."
The new technology could lead to an increase in parking citations, according to Kelly.
"Is it possible that more tickets will be written? I guess we'll have to wait and see."
UW-Oshkosh student Abby Boville is concerned.
"It's kind of inconvenient to come back and move your car, so I think it'll be a little more stressful to have to think about that."
Kent says the handheld devices will make it easier to enforce the citation that's being issued.
"Instead of just saying you're too close to the fire hydrant, we can now take a picture of the violation now."
While officers and civilians may have some differing views on the departmental change, there is one thing they can agree on.
Kent notes "it can be hard to read every piece of the (handwritten) ticket. This will eliminate that problem completely. All the tickets will be legible, readable, and uniform,"
Boville says she has received one parking citation in Oshkosh.
""The ticket that I got was pretty hard to read."
Oshkosh Police currently has ten of the electronic devices.
ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Brown County's Executive Troy Streckenbach delivering his State of the County Address Tuesday night and rolling out his big plan for the future.
That plan includes replacing the aging Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena with a new Expo Hall.
Streckenbach suggests funding the development with the existing Room Tax that will be available in 2029.
"Those Room Tax dollars are currently committed to the existing Resch debt, KI debt, and the KI expansion debt," said Streckenbach.
In the meantime, he's proposing a temporary 72-month sales tax to cover the gap.
"The new expo hall will tie the Green Bay's Legends District and the Titletown District in Ashwaubenon together, creating an economic development corridor for the greater Lombardi Avenue area," explained Streckenbach. "This will enhance Brown County as a tourist destination and build a community that attracts investment, businesses, hardworking families, and millennials to our area."
He says the sales tax would eliminate County bonding for 6 years, provide debt relief while investing $225 million in critical infrastructure for the community.
"It will fund $60 million worth of infrastructure and capital needs. It will fund $20 million for mental health and jail capacity. I will fund $20 million for improving our libraries. It will find $5 million for the STEM Innovation Center. I will provide $1 million for our museum. It will provide $10 million for public safety and our medical examiner's facility and provide for the $15 million that's responsible and needed for the funding for the gap that will take place from now until 2029. Lastly, it will provide for the maintenance dollars that are needed to maintain this corner," explained Streckenbach.
It will also reduce Brown County's property taxes by $6 million over that span.
"This is an investment in our community, it's an investment in our long-term success and it makes us a regional powerhouse that we ought to be when we're the 3rd largest city and the 4th largest county," Streckenbach said.
The County Board plans on debating the suggestion on May 8.
APPLETON (WTAQ-WLUK) - On May 2nd, 1857 Appleton first became a city, and Mayor Tim Hanna tells WLUK it's had a lot of other firsts in the decades since.
"First kindergarten in the state. First house in the world to be lit by hydro electric power. The first commercial telephone exchange" Going back to the beginning, historians say you might not have the city without Lawrence University. The college was built on the river bluffs and was established in 1847.
Gwen Sargeant is with the Appleton Historical Society.
"Lawrence was first. So Appleton and Lawrence are kind of inextricably connected"
Many of Appleton's streets sprang up around Lawrence, most notably College Avenue.
Sargeant says the Fox River is also an important starting point for the city. The water brought trade, manufacturing and innovation.
"I really like the history of the river itself. So the way the canals and dams were built"
Sargeant herself is a lifelong Appletonian. She is also the third generation owner of the Appleton Bicycle Shop.
"My grandpa started it back in 1939 and we've been doing bicycles since then, pedaling along!"
Another life-long resident is Mayor Tim Hanna.
"I love this city and I love my job"
Hanna has been mayor for 21 years.
"There's a feeling here of, of taking care of each other and of taking care of the place we live"
Hanna tells WLUK the city isn't perfect. It's had struggles with issues like inclusion and the economy.
He says Appleton, however, is moving toward the future with an eye on embracing diversity and the arts to help grow its economy.
"That's why it's so important for us to support those types of things and to promote them and celebrate them"
The Appleton Historical Society recently bought a building to set up exhibits of the city's history.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - UPDATE: 17-year-old Justin Hutcherson of Green Bay was in Brown County Court Wednesday.
He was formally charged with a felony count of Injury by Negligent Use of a Weapon and a misdemeanor count of possession of dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
*****
A suspect is in custody for Tuesday's shooting on Green Bay's east side.
Police say charges of First Degree Reckless Injury and Possession of a Dangerous Weapon by a Person Under the Age of 18 have been recommended against 17-year-old Justin Hutcherson of Green Bay.
At 1:24 pm Tuesday, officers responded to a local hospital for a 23-year-old female victim who had walked to the facility with a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
Investigators determined the shooting happened in a vehicle, which was located on West Walnut Street/Chestnut Street within one hour of the 911 call.
Hutcherson was reportedly handling the gun carelessly and fired one round into the woman.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - More charges have been listed for a man with a history of incidents involving sexual abuse of animals.
According to Tuesday's jail records, 53-year-old Sterling Rachwal was arrested for three counts: burglary, mistreatment of animals causing death, and sexual gratification with an animal.
On Wednesday's jail sheet, the number of charges jumped from three to five, with additional counts of mistreatment of animals causing death and sexual gratification with an animal.
Formal charges have not been filed.
Officers did not provide any additional details on the accusations when contacted by WTAQ, but prosecutors suspect Rachwal violated separate horses in the Town of Eaton in February and in Manitowoc County in April.
In a Brown County courtroom Wednesday, prosecutors say video surveillance and boot tracks tie him to the assaults.
Even when showed implicating visual evidence, prosecutors claim Rachwal denied involvement.
Cash bond has been set at $5,000.
Rachwal has been convicted several times across the state for incidents with animals, often horses.
Those cases include:
In 1993 in Monroe County, he was convicted of three counts, including sexual gratification with an animal and mistreatment of animals causing death. He was sentenced to an eight-year prison term.
In 1996 in Waupaca County, he was convicted of four counts, including mistreating animals - but was declared not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
In 2010 in Fond du Lac County, he was convicted of disorderly conduct and sentenced to 90 days in jail. In that incident, he was found in a horse barn.
