GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Just as summer is getting started, the Northeast Wisconsin chapter of the Red Cross is gearing up for one of it's largest, and most important, blood drives of the year.

Super Donor Day is set for Monday, July 3rd at Shopko Hall in Ashwaubenon.

"Just to insure that doctors and hospitals have what they need on the shelves for patients in need this summer."

Debbie Mylener, is a donor recruitment specialist with the Red Cross.

"We do try to keep blood right here locally. But if there's a need in a different location, we'll send blood to that location."

Summer can often be a time of low blood supplies because people are traveling and more focused on other activities.

But it's also a time when emergencies come up and the need for blood increases.

Super Donor Day will run from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

And to spice it up the Red Cross will be hosting a cookout, handing out gift cards, and raffling off tickets to Brewers games.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - People will notice a new work of art in downtown Green Bay.

On Thursday, the fifth mural in the 'Art on Main' program was unveiled.

Downtown Green Bay Executive Director Jeff Merkes notes it is located on the Pomp's Tire Services building at 419 North Clay Street.

"'Breezn,' which is a beautiful image of a '55 Chevy going down a neat highway with Green Bay as the destination."

Local artist Larry Jankowski spent roughly six weeks creating the roughly 15' x 53' image.

Jankowski says the setting is 'wherever people want it to be.'

"They may reminisce a place they have been somewhere in the United States.  They're going to think back, and that's where the road begins.  They can take the road wherever they want it to go."

Merkes explains the purpose of the mural series.

"It sends a message that we are a creative community.  We have a lot of local talent.  I think it also inspires people.  It inspires peoples' creativity."

Merkes says more murals are on the way.

"Hopefully this summer.  We're talking to a couple other property owners that would like to offer their building as a mural canvas."

The previous mural in the 'Art of Main' program was unveiled last summer.

TOWN OF HERMAN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - One woman was killed in a crash on Hwy. 29 in Shawano County Thursday morning.

The Shawano County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened just before 11 a.m. near the intersection with Rangeline Road in the Town of Herman.

Investigators say a 31-year-old Shawano man was headed east in his car when he crossed the center line and hit a car headed west.

The driver of the westbound car, a 41-year-old Appleton woman, died despite being helped by a passerby and emergency crews.

Two children who were riding in the car survived and were taken to the hospital.

The driver of the eastbound car was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The sheriff's office and Wisconsin State Patrol continue to investigate the crash.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A city leader is reacting to the Green Bay School District's response to reported abusive conditions at Washington Middle School.

The district held a news conference this week and asked for a "call to action" within the community.

Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt's Chief of Staff, Celestine Jeffreys.

"We look to the school district, they're the educators as to how the problems need to be solved. If they're deeper rooted, then we look to them to identify those deeper roots and then we can see if there's a way that we can be part of the solution," said Jeffreys.

The district's response Wednesday, was in regards to a shocking description of conditions at Washington by now former sixth grade teacher Kerstin Westcott.

Westcott resigned during a June 5th school board meeting, where she said students and staff members were "physically, verbally, emotionally, and mentally, sexually abused" every day by students in the building.

Jeffreys says she was aware of some of the alleged issues within the school because she used to be on the school board.

"But with every amazing teacher, student, parent, administrator...we have problems. We have students who have problems, we have families who have problems."

The mayor's chief of staff says the city has a great relationship with the district and would be happy to talk to leaders and help with a solution.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Oshkosh Police are looking for two men who both have active warrants out for their arrests.

Authorities say 25-year-old Kyle J. Kamine and 30-year-old Jeremy L. Barforth may be together and are thought to be in the Oshkosh area.

Police say Kamine is also believe to be armed with a firearm.

Kamine is described at 5' 8", 162 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Barforth is 5' 7", 130 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

If you observe Kamine and/or Barforth or know their whereabouts please contact the Oshkosh Police Department at (920) 236-5700 or Investigator Paul Frey at (920) 379-3576.

Do not attempt to make contact with them. If you have information and would like to remain anonymous, please contact Winnebago County Wide Crime Stoppers at (920) 231-8477; or text IGOTYA and your crime tip to 274637 or go to www.winnebagocrimestopper.org and submit your text via the web.

You may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK)- Firefighters are working to clear a Howard apartment fire after a bathroom fan caught fire and started to spread.

It happened Thursday at a complex on Lenwood Avenue, between Roland Lane and Military Avenue.

Officials say the fire has been put out but there is both fire and water damage.

No one was injured and everyone evacuated the building safely.

TOWN OF MORRISON, WI (WTAQ) - A man driving a motorcycle was seriously hurt during an accident Thursday afternoon.

The Brown County Sheriff's Office responded to a motorcycle versus car crash a little after 1 p.m. on County trunk highway W at Hill Road in the Town of Morrison.

Officials say the 55-year-old motorcycle driver from Green Bay was traveling northbound when a 22-year-old man driving a car pulled out from a stop sign. The two vehicles collided.

The motorcycle driver was ejected and suffered a serious head injury.

He was not wearing a helmet.

The man was transported to St. Vincent’s via Eagle III where he is being treated.

The driver of the car was not injured.

Sheriff's officials are looking into charges of failure to yield from stop sign and others.

CINCINNATI, OH (WTAQ) - The Brewers bats exploded Thursday night en route to an 11-3 win over the Reds.

All-in-all, eight home runs were hit in the game, six by the Brewers alone.

Ryan Braun started things off in the first inning with a solo shot. Manny Pina would then hit a solo home run in the second inning. Jonathon Villar would also homer in the third inning. He would hit his second solo home run of the game in the fourth inning as well. Jesus Aguilar would also hit a three-run shot in the fourth. Domingo Santana would also get in on the fun, smacking a solo homer in the eighth.

Reds first-baseman Joey Votto hit two solo home runs for Cincinnati, one in fourth and another in the seventh.

It was a quality start for Jimmy Nelson as he pitched seven innings giving up two earned and striking out eleven.

Milwaukee returns home to Miller Park tonight night as they welcome the Marlins to town for a three game weekend series.

Brewers will turn to Matt Garza in game one of the series.

Pregame coverage will begin on WTAQ at 6:35 with the ball game getting underway around 7:10.

MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Thousands of seagulls never left with the old Mid-Cities Mall in Manitowoc when it was demolished about two years ago.

Now, the property owner is hoping the sound of an air cannon will get rid of them.

Deputy Chief Gregg Kadow of the Manitowoc Fire Department tells WLUK...

“In recent weeks we've been getting more complaints from the public about the smell and sound of the seagulls.”

The air cannon will start being used this Saturday. It will sound a few times between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and again between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Kadow says it will alert residents if the cannon is needed more than just a few days.

“It's just a big boom and then they'll wait for a while and they'll do it again. I would imagine most of the people with the right wind conditions in Manitowoc would be able to hear it.”

Kadow says the birds used to sit on the mall's roof. The air cannon was used back then, and he says it was successful to a degree.

However, the birds eventually returned.

“They do have to go somewhere,” said Chad Scheinoha, the operations division manager for the City of Manitowoc.

“Where they'll go, I guess that's up to the birds.”

Scheinoha controls the seagull population on city properties like beaches.

He says he has found success hazing the birds with a flare gun, but believes the air cannon should work.

“Since I've been around, we haven't had to use the lethal methods. We've just used the hazing methods.”

“If they want to waste their money shooting cannons off, that's fine,” said Ralph Schwark, a nearby resident. “I don't think they're going to chase the seagulls away.”

Schwark doesn't think the cannon worked in the past, and he became used to the sound.

The mall was torn down in 2015 after sitting empty for about a decade.

BEAR CREEK, WI (WTAQ) - A 12-year-old Bear Creek boy is in stable condition after being shot in the shoulder by his 14-year-old cousin.  

Waupaca County Sheriff's officials believe the Thursday night shooting was an accident.  

The victim was airlifted to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa.

An investigation is ongoing.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay Police are investigating why shots were fired at two separate homes in the city within an hour of each other.

The first occurrence happened Thursday around 10:30 p.m. at 1123 Roscoe Street. 

"The complaint/victim reported that they were inside their house and a bullet had come through the wall and landed in the closet," said Captain Kevin Warych.

No injuries were reported.

During the investigation, officers discovered there were multiple shots fired and found eight shell casings outside the residence.

It's not known if this was a targeted or random act.

"In a situation like this it is concerning because we have a shooting in a residential neighborhood and people should automatically be concerned but based on our experience, we believe that random acts just don't occur. There has to be a reason," Warych said.

Police are also investigating a second shots fired report that came in around 10:40 a.m. Friday in the 900 block of Christiana Street.

"When officers responded, they located several holes in the house and window that were similar to that of a gun," Warych said.

The homeowner told investigators that the shooting may have happened around 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

Police are working to see if the two shootings may be related.

If you have any information on either incident or may have noticed any suspicious activity in the neighborhoods before or after the incidents, you're asked to call the Green Bay Police at 920-448-3208.

To remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward, contact Crime Stoppers at 920-432-7867 or text “GBTIP” to 274637.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Appleton Police have found a 43-year-old man dead in his garage.  

Officers responded to the 600 block of East South River Street around 4 pm Thursday.  

An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday at the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner's Office.  

Police say there is no threat to the public.

An investigation is ongoing.  

WILSON, WI (WTAQ) - Sheboygan County Sheriff's officials say they have removed 36 dogs from a Town of Wilson property.  

Several search warrants were executed Thursday afternoon in connection with an animal welfare investigation.  

The dogs were actually seized and removed on Friday.  

No charges have been filed, and no names or addresses have been released.  

The Sheboygan County Humane Society and Wisconsin Humane Society are caring for the animals.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - TripAdvisor recently ranked Bay Beach Amusement Park 23rd in the top 25 amusement parks in the nation.

Park manager Jason Arnoldi thinks there are several reasons why Bay Beach is so great; it’s affordable, has a nostalgic feel, and it's family friendly.

"It's aimed directly at families. Every member of the family has something they can do there...it's something they can enjoy. We really aim for that family time and I think that's really important," said Arnoldi.

He says the park received more national attention after acquiring the Zippin Pippin in 2011.

"People come in from really all over the world. Last summer we had two coaster enthusiasts groups from Europe come out. They made it a point to stop by. So you really see a lot more regional, even national coverage with our little park," explained Arnoldi.

Over 3 million riders enjoyed Bay Beach every year for the last three years.

Bay Beach Amusement Park is celebrating its 125 year anniversary this year.

To learn more about the park's hours or rides, go to greenbaywi.gov/baybeach.

WAUPUN, WI (WTAQ) - A 76-year-old Crivitz man convicted of trying to hire a hit man to kill his son and his son's wife has died in prison.

Robert Dettmering passed Thursday night.

He was serving a 20-year prison sentence at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun.

The cause of death has not been released as the Department of Corrections is investigating.

FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ) - A more than 100-year-old church is undergoing renovations after it recently started crumbling.

"You could see them way up on the top of the tower, and one of those stones just came tumbling down. Nobody was here."

Despite the problems, Holy Family Catholic Community Director of Advancement Gail Craig says St. Mary's Church in downtown Fond du Lac still draws more than 800 worshipers each weekend.

"It was a surprise to everyone.  We weren't aware that the issues were quite as deep as they were, but it was good to get up there and take a look before anything else happened."

Church officials put up a fence and closed off one of the building's entrances, which they believe will keep people safe.

Some neighbors, like Eugene Weyh, are still a bit skeptical.

"I won't walk over there right now.  I'd hate to get hit in the head with a brick or something."

Craig hopes the renovations will be complete by mid-November.

"Almost all of the stone work up there is going to need to be restored so the project, we're anticipating at least $100,000 at this point, if not more."

St. Mary's is staying open while construction is taking place.

MADISON, WI (WRN) - For the second budget in a row, Wisconsin will ends its fiscal year without a new two-year spending plan in place.

The current biennium is set to ended at midnight, with majority Republicans in the state Assembly and Senate still far apart on finalizing details of a new budget.

While the state will start a new fiscal year July 1 with no budget in place, government operations will continue.

The lack of a plan simply means the state’s current taxing and funding levels remain in place for the time being.

Among the remaining areas still under negotiation are K-12 education and transportation funding.

While GOP leaders in both chambers have said they are close to an agreement on schools, how to pay for the state’s road projects over the next two years remains a major point of contention.

The Senate favors an approach which would have the state rely on almost $850 million borrowing, while Assembly Republicans argue the focus should be on finding new sources of revenue.

Governor Scott Walker has said he will veto any budget that raises taxes or fees to pay for transportation.

Lawmakers met behind closed doors and with the governor this week, which saw some of the discontent between the two chambers makes its way out into public view.

Negotiations held Tuesday were cut short abruptly, and leadership quickly pointed fingers at each other over who was to blame.

Attitudes seemed to shift the next day, with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) more optimistic after meeting with the governor.

Still, the two chambers have shown no sign that they are any closer to an agreement.

A plan that emerged later in the week, which calls for imposing a miles traveled tax on heavy trucks to pay for roads, appeared to initially have some support. However, five Republican senators released a statement on Friday indicating they oppose the concept, making it unlikely it would have the support needed to pass through the state Senate.

It’s not the first time lawmakers have been late on passing a spending plan.

In the past decade alone, the 2015 state budget was not signed by the governor until mid-July, while the 2007 budget was not signed until late October.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - After a shooting at a hospital in New York City Friday, it's ironic that training for such an occurrence ws going on in Appleton.

Fox Crossing Police Officer Jason Weber often trains organizations to prepare for active shooters. And tells WLUK Friday's training was timely.

"This afternoon, as this was unfolding in New York, we were conducting a training for one of our local clinics here> "

Weber said prevention is one of the first things hospital and clinic employees learn.

"Studies have shown most of these incidents are pre-planned."

So Weber advises, as the old saying goes, 'if you see something, say something.' Meaning pay attention attention to odd behavior of co-workers, former co-workers, friends and family.

"We tell people to look out for red flags, to look out for clues, to, kind of, pick up those indicators of work place violence."

But it's not always possible to control whether these incidents happen.

"What we do have control over is how we react to the situation," said Kevin Pullen who works in safety and security for ThedaCare.

According to Pullen employees get regular training in reacting to violent situations.

"The Department of Homeland Security put together a program called 'Run, Hide, Fight,' that's something that we train all of our employees to do."

Meaning, get away from the situation if you can, find somewhere to hide if you can't and if faced with the threat, fight it.

It's also important that any visitors to hospitals or clinics pay attention or any alerts or directions they're given.

"Overhead announcements, staff wanting you to com into a room, things like that to get you out of harm's way."

Training varies depending on the hospital or clinic, because of issues like different staff and layouts.

"It takes a little bit of work and there's different levels of security," said Weber.

Pullen says the most important thing is that the training is done and done again to make the reaction second nature.

MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ) - The U.S. Navy will soon receive its 15th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

The future USS Billings was christened Saturday at Marinette Marine.

Representative Mike Gallagher, who was among the elected officials on hand, says today's world climate calls for these fast, maneuverable ships.

"They're finding ways to improve the ship.  They've got a harpoon missile on the Independence-class variant that's out there in Singapore right now, so this is really, I think, the wave of the future."

The Green Bay Republican serves on the House Armed Services Committee.

Earlier this week, Gallagher fought for full funding for three LCS's in the 2018 budget, saying he sees the importance in continuing to work toward the Navy's call for a 355 ship fleet.

"Since 2010, China has increased their defense budget by 54%.  We've gutted our own by 22%.  If we want to be the country that enforces the global rules of behavior, like we have been since World War II, we're going to need to make a down payment in our fleet."

Gallagher's colleague, Representative Jack Bergman of Michigan, is a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General and notes the importance of these versatile ships.

"The LCS is a multi-mission platform.  With the emerging worldwide threat today, you don't want to be a one-trick pony."

United States Senator Tammy Baldwin says she supports adding more of these ships to the fleet going forward, advocating for their inclusion in President Donald Trump's 2018 budget.

"This is one of the most cost-effective and capable ships that is built for the Navy.  We've got to fight to keep this program running strong."

While only one LCS was initially included in President Trump's 2018 spending plan, Baldwin says she was encouraged to see him add a second one to that proposal earlier this week.

The 389-foot Billings, named for Montana's largest city, can accommodate 98 sailors and can reach speeds greater than 40 knots.

The ship's sponsor is Sharla Tester, the wife of Montana Senator Jon Tester.  

She notes "Billings is humbled.  The state of Montana is humbled.  We're proud.  They called me to be the sponsor, and I almost fell through the floor."

Before she broke the champaign bottle at the Saturday morning ceremony, Tester says she put something inside the ship.

"There's a little bit of our farm on that ship.  A little bit of dirt (in a jar).  It's just not our dirt, it's the American soil that they are defending."

Tester says, fortunately, the actual christening went smoother than Friday's practice run.

"They gave me a wooden bottle, and I was hitting that thing so hard, I splintered the wooden bottle. That's never happened before so now they have to replace the wooden bottle."

The future USS Billings will continue to undergo outfitting and testing at Marinette Marine before it is delivered to the Navy. 

FREEDOM,WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Freedom police offered a warning with an important reminder to everyone.

Police say that a Town of Freedom residence heard someone knocking on their front door around midnight on a week day.

When the people living at the residence went to the door, they found an adult woman all by herself, crying and very upset about something.

She asked to come inside the home. When residents offered to call the police for her on multiple occasions, the woman refused help and did not want police to be contacted.

The woman left the area after residents did not allow her to come inside the house.

Police say the woman's behavior was "very strange," because she did not want the police and only wanted to come into the house. It is still unknown why she was upset and knocking on the door that late at night.

Authorities used this incident to remind everyone that they should never let someone they don't know into their house under any circumstances.

They say that people should call the police right away so an officer can be sent to help with the situation.