WINNEBAGO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A second teen has been sentenced in connection with phoning in threats to Oshkosh's high schools.  

Andrew Monroe will spend six months in jail and two years on probation for daring Dylan Bird to call in the threats on January 10.  

Schools let out early on the 11th and were closed on the 12th.  

Bird was previously sentenced to four months in jail and was given two years of probation.    

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - The Billy Joel performance at Lambeau Field last Saturday turned out to be a big win for fans and those working behind the scenes.

Green Bay Packers Game and Fan Development Manager, Kandi Goltz, says everyone was especially happy that the wet weather stayed away.

"Almost 44,000 people came and attended the concert. The weather held out, so we were really happy about that. There was no rain around Lambeau Field."

Goltz says there were a few factors that likely lead to the event going so smoothly: the weather, the professionals working back stage, and the demographic.

"People arriving at 6:30 p.m...There wasn't anything in the parking lot all day...like tailgating wasn't going on all day. So, we're here to just enjoy the music. I think that had a lot to do with that," Goltz said.

Lambeau Field will now be getting prepared for the Packers season for the next month and a half.

There are some places on the field that need a little TLC after the Billy Joel show because of cranes being on the grass. That damage was mainly kept to the end zone areas.

As for events down the road, Goltz says next year will be all about celebrating the Packers 100 year anniversary.

The next possibility for a big show at the home of the Packers will be in June of 2019.

"So we are talking to acts and different things but it needs to work with their tour schedule, plus it needs to work with our (schedule)."

Find out this year’s Packers schedule at www.packers.com.

NEKIMI, WI (WTAQ) - The first day of Country USA got off to a later than expected start.

Soggy ground conditions, caused by recent rains, delayed Tuesday's gate opening from 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm.

The first performance got underway at 3:30 pm.

Festival goers had to navigate around large areas of mud and standing water.

Many fans, like Adion Riutta of Marquette, Michigan, are not letting the rain keep them from having a good time.

"Wisconsin is always nice compared to upper Michigan. We got a big camper back there and we'll be alright."

Tuesday night's lineup features: Brett Young, Drake White and the Big Fire, Eli Young Band, and Blake Shelton.

Country USA runs through Saturday night.

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Ashwaubenon Public Safety continues to look for answers as it investigates a Sunday morning stabbing.

Captain Jody Crocker notes "we don't know of any specific enemies of our victim, and we don't know of any wrongdoings that would've caused somebody to come in and do this."

Crocker says the 50-year-old male victim, who was found lying outside a motor home in the 2200 block of South Ridge Road Sunday morning, remains in critical condition.

The victim initially told officers that the suspect was wearing a mask, but they have not been able to speak with the 50-year-old since.

Investigators are currently looking for the suspect's vehicle.

"One of the witnesses that actually saw the vehicle said that she thought it was a silver, four-door sedan, probably a late 90's model."

Dan Neuser is the owner of the property where the stabbing took place.

"We've had several break-ins in the back, but nobody has ever confronted anybody before."

While police are still looking for answers, Neuser has a theory as to what happened.

"Somebody might have thought it was something of value and broke in, that's what I'm thinking."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ashwaubenon Public Safety at 920-492-2995. 

MILWAUKEE, WI (WTAQ) - The Brewers have now dropped the first two games of a four game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, following their 7-3 loss Tuesday night.

Milwaukee would fall into a big hole early, giving up six runs in the top of the first inning. Brewers starter Zach Davies would be tagged for all seven Pirate runs in his five innings of work.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen had a big night for Pittsburgh going two-for-three and driving home three runs. One of those coming from a solo shot off of Davies in the third inning.

Nick Franklin would homer for the Crew in the second inning. He also doubled home a run in the third.

Brewers will look to turn things around tonight when they send Junior Guerra to the mound. Trevor Williams will pitch for the Pirates.

Pregame coverage on WTAQ starts at 6:35. 1st pitch is set for 7:10.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - In a 5 hour meeting last night, Green Bay's city council members addressed a number of major topics.

On a 10 to 2 vote, the council agreed to support Brown County's plan to build a new expo center.

Green Bay's support of the project is necessary to extend the area room tax to help pay for most of the project.

A blend of area elected officials filled Green Bay's city council meeting to voice their support for Brown County's sales and room tax plans.

“We should be celebrating this as a community,” said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach. “It's an opportunity for us to stand up and say we're going to make an investment.”

The county's $225 million plan would be paid for through two taxes.

A half percent sales tax would pay for a variety of county projects, including road repairs, a jail expansion, and library branch upgrades.

An extension of the area's room tax would pay for most of the $93 million expo center, which would replace the Brown County Arena.

John Gard, a Brown County resident and former State Assemblyman tells WLUK....

“I don't think there is a person in the county that goes into the Brown County Arena and says that building should still be there. I've never heard anybody say that is a thing of beauty, that ought to be preserved.”

Late last week, Mayor Jim Schmitt wrote a letter to council members urging them to not support the county's plan.

A majority of the council disagreed, passing a revised resolution that will return excess room tax revenue to the municipalities.

The council also discussed the stalled $44 million Hotel Northland project.

Developer Keith Harenda announced Kothe Real Estate and Great Lakes Management, both out of Madison, are joining the project as co-developers.

During the meeting, Harenda said he wants 60 days to finalize the deal with the new developers. Work on the hotel will begin after the 60-day period.

At its meeting last month, Mayor Schmitt provided an ultimatum: either a funding deal is in place to finish the hotel or foreclosure discussions should begin.

The hotel's developers say construction work is 75 percent finished. However, work has stopped amid struggles to replace the project's top lender.

Harenda says the goal is now to open the hotel in the first quarter of 2018. The previous goal was to open this fall.

Some aldermen questioned Harenda's ability to follow through with his announcements at the council meeting.

The council voted 7-5 to give Harenda the 60 day extension.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay Police has confirmed that the body found Monday in the Fox River was that of a missing man.

Doua Lor was last seen June 11 and was declared missing the following day.   

Some people working in the river made the discovery a little after 1p.m. Monday, just north of the Mason Street Bridge.

Officials say it appears Lor's body had been in the water for some time.

No foul play is suspected.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - The man suspected in a late April shooting in Appleton has been taken into custody.  

The U.S. Marshals Service has notified the department that 29-year-old Terence Moore was arrested Tuesday in Chicago.  

Moore faces a number of charges in Chicago and will be extradited in the future to face charges in Appleton, in connection with an April 30 residential shooting on the 1600 block of North Clark Street.  

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Hooks were baited, reels were cast, and new friendships were formed.

A local organization that helps those with physical and developmental disabilities held its annual fishing outing at the Izaak Walton League grounds Wednesday morning.

Roghly 25 CP clients teamed up with some new friends, including teenage volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Green Bay, to test their luck on the waters.

CP Core Program Specialist Tiffany Haldiman says it's a popular event with their clients.

"They want to come back every year.  They take their pictures home to their families and show them the big fish they caught."

Boys and Girls Club of Greater Green Bay's Communications and Development Director Stephanie Nespoli notes it's her organization's first year participating in the event.

"Our teens are really excited to just prove to people that 'hey we care about each other, we care about the community.'"

Arionna Hughes was one of the teenage volunteers. 

While she was able to aid the CP clients, Hughes notes it was a two-way street.

"It's my first time fishing.  I like that I'm helping other people fish while I'm learning to fish myself."

The fish were coming out of the water left and right.  

One of the clients who was having a great deal of success was Andy Seip, who offered some wise advice that even the most veteran angelers sometimes forget.

"You've got to keep calm until the fish come to get you."

Seip put his words to practice, catching three fish in the event's opening minutes, with plenty more to follow.

The group is already looking forward to its 2018 trip.   

WINNEBAGO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - The man accused of instigating the standoff at Neenah's Eagle Nation Cycles has again had his trial postponed.  

Brian Flatoff is now scheduled to have a two-week trial start January 8.  

The 47-year-old Stevens Point man faces 16 charges for allegedly firing at two police officers outside the bike shop and initiating the sequence of events that led to one of his hostages' death.   

Flatoff's current attorneys, his seventh set of counsel, asked to delay a September trial.

SHERWOOD, WI (WTAQ) - A 14-year-old girl has been flown to the hospital after falling off a cliff at High Cliff State Park.

She was reportedly riding her bike in an undesignated area when she fell of a 20-30 foot cliff near Red Bird Trail.

The girl was conscious and breathing and is described as being in 'good' condition.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Tuesday is officially the first day of summer and that also means it's also the day that has the most daylight.

Meteorologist Jeff Last with the National Weather Service says expect 15 1/2 hours of daylight.

"Because of the tilt of the earth, the farther north you go during the summer solstice, the more sunlight you're going to have."

The summer solstice starts when the sun is directly overhead in the Northern Hemisphere at 23 1/2 degrees north of the equator.

"In the continental U.S. anywhere in northern Minnesota, northern North Dakota, they will have over 16 hours of daylight. Of course in North America anywhere in central or northern Alaska and far northern Canada, you're going to have 24 hours of daylight," Last said.

So, just how much daylight will we lose on a weekly basis from now on?

"Every week here, at least for the next couple of weeks, we're going to lose 2-3 minutes over the course of that week. But we start losing the daylight a bit more rapidly as we get later into the summer," explains Last.

As for the wet weather we've been experiencing, Last says it will follow us into the summer a little while longer.

"This wet, late spring into early summer is going to continue for the next few days, as we see repeated weather systems move through the jet stream, across the upper Midwest and produce those summertime showers and thunderstorms," said Last.

CRANDON, WI (WTAQ) - Three people have arrested in connection with the death of a 25-year-old Crandon woman.  

Forest County deputies were called to the 200 block of East Cobb Boulevard in Crandon at 4 am Wednesday for reports of gunshots.  

Officers believe it was an isolated incident and that there is no danger to the public. 

BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - Now that the Green Bay City Council has agreed to divert room tax dollars to build a new Brown County expo hall, with a measure that differs from the one approved in five other local communities, County Executive Troy Streckenbach discusses what's next.

"It will need to be approved by the Village of Bellevue.  Then it will go back to the original municipalities that have approved it.  We're hoping to get all of those completed in the month of July and then have final approval by the county board in August."

Streckenbach notes Green Bay's main addition to the measure passed by Allouez, Ashwaubenon, De Pere, Howard, and Suamico is a stipulation that allows any excess room tax collected, beyond what is needed to fund the new expo hall, to be returned to the municipalities.  

"If we see the growth that we're having right now, you know the last five years, the room tax has actually averaged above what we're projecting we need, right around 6.5%, there's going to be excess available."

The county has previously set an August 15 deadline to get room tax agreements with all seven communities finalized.

Streckenbach does not believe the Green Bay council action throws that off.

"We fully expect to meet the deadline of September 1 to notify the Department of Revenue."

The $225,000,000 plan calls for room tax dollars largely funding the $93,000,000 expo hall and a 72-month sales tax generating a projected $147,000,000 to cover the eight other projects.

Streckenbach says the sales tax is still on track to go into effect January 1, 2018.  

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The feeling of summer was in the air around Green Bay Wednesday as hundreds of parents and kids were taking advantage of the first day of the season at Bay Beach Amusement Park.

Tiffany Eiseman and her family drove from Wausau for the day on a whim.

"Just spur of the moment, wanted to enjoy the nice weather since the last few days or so were rainy and yeah...turned out to be a perfect day."

Jenny Schnelle of Howards Grove says she brings her family to the park at least once a year.

"Well, their favorite, I think, is the little race cars that they get to go on and we went on the slides, the boats. My other son really loved the bumper cars."

Other folks were loving the blue skies, sunshine, and temperatures in the 70's pool side at Joannes Family Aquatic Center.

5-year-olds Nevaeh and Lola from De Pere were hanging out with their mom's pool side just relaxing and splashing around.

"I like swimming and going down the slide. And I like going down the slide with my mom and diving in the water."

For details on summer fun and hours at Joannes Family Aquatic Center at greenbaywi.gov/parks/aquatics.

Bay Beach is celebrating it 125 anniversary and will be having special activities throughout the year. More information can be found at greenbaywi.gov/baybeach.

MILWAUKEE, WI (WTAQ) - The Brewers bounced back from back-to-back losses to the Pirates with a 4-3 over Pittsburgh Wednesday evening.

Domingo Santana swung a hot bat for Milwaukee Wednesday night driving home three Brewer runs including the go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning.

Junior Guerra turned in a quality start for the Crew has he went six innings allowing the three Pittsburgh runs while striking out six along the way.

Closer Corey Knebel pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn save number eleven on the season.

Brewers will be looking to earn a split in their four game series with the Pirates this afternoon when Chase Anderson gets the ball.

Pittsburgh will counter with Ivan Nova.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The man accused in a fight that led to a deadly Appleton shooting was in court Wednesday.

Henry Nellum is facing a murder charge, even though the man who died, was shot by an officer.

Investigators suspect Henry Nellum is responsible for the deadly, officer-involved shooting, even though they say Nellum never shot anyone.

Outagamie County District Attorney Carrie Schneider spoke to WLUK.....

"We had the entire investigation into all of the dynamics of the shooting and then, based upon that, we filed the additional charges."

Two new charges were filed against Nellum. One of those being felony murder for the death of Jimmie Sanders.

According to police, Nellum fired a gun during an argument at Jack's Apple Pub in May.

Appleton Police Officer Jay Steinke responded and authorities say the officer tried to shoot at Nellum, instead shooting and killing Sanders.

Steinke was cleared of any wrong doing.

But Schneider says the law allows prosecutors to charge Nellum with Sanders's death.

"The statutes for felony murder allow, if during the course of an offense, the period can include the period of flight from the offense, if someone is, their death is caused and we can relate it back to a certain offense and relate it back to a certain individual, we can charge them under the felony murder statute."

That means since Nellum allegedly started the situation that brought police to the bar in the first place, authorities are claiming Sanders's death is then Nellum's fault.

"There has been a lot of research and writing done by scholars talking about whether or not the felony murder statute is constitutional and we may be addressing that in the case," said Nellum's attorney Paul Ksicinski.

He says his client is facing an uphill battle.

"I don't think anyone would say that, when you have two homicide counts, that it's a downhill battle. I mean, of course, it's difficult." Nellum is scheduled to be back in court July 21st.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A 60-day clock started Wednesday for Hotel Northland developer Keith Harenda to finalize his plan to finish construction work.

Part of the plan involves a major hotel franchise joining the project. However, Harenda is not disclosing what brand the Northland will be paired with.

The move is being made as an attempt to add value to the project, which has struggled to regain financing after its senior lender pulled its $12.8 million late last year.

During the 60-day planning period, construction crews will continue to stay away from the $44 million renovation project.

Green Bay alderman Mark Steuer tells WLUK he's getting frustrated.

“I'm just not very happy about it, I'll be honest.”

Steuer believes the Northland is one of a kind. Adding a flagship hotel brand wasn't part of the deal he voted for about three years ago.

“Now it will be a Sheraton or a Hilton Garden or something. This is the Hotel Northland, one of the most elegant hotels north of Milwaukee for years back in the 20s, 30s, and 40s.”

Hotel Northland spokesperson Brigette Breitenbach says Hotel Northland will remain the name.

“We have simply chosen to affiliate with a collection of hotels that are marketed under a major franchise. This allows us to tap into the largest registration system and loyalty program in the world, while allowing us the ability to still maintain our own brand and identity. This adds value which will make it easier to secure permanent financing."

“You have the support of the brand,” said Ron Zellers, the president of the Greater Green Bay Area Lodging Association.

“You have the support of marketing, reservations. There are many, many reasons why someone would want to put a franchise tag on a hotel.”

Zellers says plenty of people are loyal to certain hotel brands. Although, he admits the price of a brand license can be very expensive.

“They come with a cost, but they do certainly typically pay for themselves.”

Work on the hotel is said to be 75 percent complete. Developers hope to finish it by the first quarter of next year, a delay from the original goal of opening this fall.

After Harenda announced two new co-developers at Tuesday night's city council meeting, he was given his 60-day planning window.

Before that, there were a few calls for foreclosure discussions.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A new addition to the Appleton Police Department-- a puppy named Blue.

Patrolling the halls of the Appleton Police Department is Blue, the newest rookie officer in town.

His main duty -- lifting the spirits of everyone in the department.

Chief Todd Thomas got Blue, a 12-week-old golden doodle, to be a therapy dog for the department's employees, who often deal with stressful situations.

Thomas tells WLUK says Blue can help reduce stress.

"Wandering the station, checking in with people, we know how we all feel when a puppy or a dog walks into the room, our temperament changes."

Matt Fillebrown is,Appleton Police Department's lead CSO and humane officer.

"It's easy to be swept up in work, and trying to fix the city's problems. But once the dog walked into the office, it was like a light switched, and you just want to get on the ground and play with him."

But before Blue can get down to business, Thomas says he needs to be professionally trained.

"Right now he's a rookie officer, he's a puppy. He's gotta go through his classes, and he's gotta be certified just like a new police officer. And once he's certified, he's going to be able to come to work."

Wednesday, Blue attended his first class at the Fox Valley Humane Association.

Amy Christensen with the Fox Valley Humane Association...

"We do a lot of sit, down, stay. You have to be very in tune with your owner."

Once Blue is ready, Thomas says he can also help members of the community.

"We'll be able to use him for going to schools, reading to kids, visiting hospitals. If we have a traumatic incident, or some child victims, we can bring him in to help them."

There is no cost to the city of Appleton for the purchase and care of Blue. Chief Thomas and his family have it covered.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Walnut Street Bridge was closed for several hours early this morning.

Green Bay Police say a minivan got stuck on the bridge as it was opening. This all happened around 2:45.

The driver actually needed help to safely get out of the vehicle.

Mike Vanden Avond is a Battalion Chief with Green Bay Metro Fire. He's never seen anything like it.

The bridge tender says the last time anything like this happened might have been 15 year ago.

"I'm not sure the circumstances of why he got there. He was OK and not injured in the van itself"

They had to cut a hole in the roof to get the guy out

Vanden Avond says it's was a risky rescue for his crews too.

"It was quite risky. We had people working on the van tied down with ropes so they wouldn't fall in the hole"

No one was hurt. After an inspection the bridge was re-opened to traffic.