GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - An allegedly troubled Green Bay school has started a new year.
Washington Middle School welcomed students back today with an assembly that covered behavioral expectations and the culture the school hopes to establish.
District officials have been working to make changes at Washington since a former teacher made allegations of an unsafe environment for students and staff when she publicly submitted her resignation in June.
BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A 28-year-old Greenleaf woman has pleaded not guilty at arraignment to charges she drunkenly crashed into an Ashwaubenon Public Safety officer along I-41.
Kalin McGuire is accused of being over the legal limit on July 22 when she struck Officer Brian Murphy as he was responding to a car fire along the highway.
Murphy spent four weeks in the hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.
McGuire has a status conference scheduled for November 17. No trial date has been announced.
DODGE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - One of the five men serving life sentences for murdering Green Bay paper mill worker Tom Monfils has been released from prison.
Failing health is cited for the parole of 76-year-old Dale Basten, with the written decision saying he has little or no orientation of his surroundings.
Basten was most recently at the Dodge Correctional Institution.
He will now be under electronic monitoring at a Fox Valley assisted living center.
Keith Kutska, Rey Moore, Michael Hirn, and Michael Johnson remain in prison for the 1992 murder.
Michael Piaskowski's conviction was later overturned by a federal judge.
ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Austin Straubel International Airport officials are encouraged by the results of a newly-released economic impact study.
Director Tom Miller notes the airport contributes more than $265,000,000 annually to the local and regional economies, an increase of $155,000,000 from the last study in 2010.
"(The airport) supports 1,719 jobs and $77,200,000 in labor income."
Miller shares what he considers to be one of the most exciting changes in the past seven years.
"There's a significant increase in the number of jobs that are either directly or indirectly related to the operation at the aiport, somewhere around 1,000-1,200 more jobs."
Miller notes they are seeking to build on that recent growth.
"We're always looking for new and complimentary air service being offered by another airline, or it could be an incumbent carrier."
Miller notes they currently have three airlines that fly to a total of four U.S. cities, in addition to seeing arrivals from countries around the world.
DODGE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A 55-year-old truck driver from Pennsylvania was taken to the hospital after being assaulted and robbed in a Dodge County bathroom stall.
Sheriff's officials say it happened late Monday at a wayside stop along I-41 southbound.
Investigators believe two men are involved and ask anyone with information to call the sheriff's office at (920) 386-03726.
CINCINNATI, OH (WTAQ) - Former Brewer Scooter Gennett hit a three-run homer during a five-run seventh inning to lift the Reds past the Milwaukee, 9-3, at Great American Ball Park.
Gennett has 24 bombs on the season.
Robert Stephenson improved to 4-and-4, allowing one run with seven strikeouts in six-plus innings.
Raisel Iglesias got six outs for his 25th save as Cincinnati has taken the first two of the three-game series.
Travis Shaw had a two-run blast in the defeat. Zach Davies' record dropped to 16-and-8 despite giving up only one earned run in five-and-two-thirds innings.
Milwaukee is three-and-a-half games behind the Cubs for first in the National League Central and 2 1/2 behind the Rockies in the wild card chase.
The two teams finish the series with a day game today.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - On Saturday, August 26th, 2017, at 10:43 am, the Check into Cash at 2056 Main St, was robbed at gunpoint.
Based on the current investigation, Green Bay Police are looking for information on the attached vehicle, as it was in the area at the time of the robbery and appeared to be circling the block.
The vehicle is believed to be blue in color.
Any information on the make and model is appreciated. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Green Bay Police at 920-448-3208.
Or, if wishing to leave anonymous information on this vehicle, the subject involved in this robbery, or any other crime, contact Crime Stoppers, either by using the P3 app on any android or apple device, or going to www.432stop.com.
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - A 36-year-old Medford man is being guarded by Appleton Police at a local hospital after they say he nearly died while fleeing officers.
At 8:15 am Tuesday, Sergeant Dave Lund says a lieutenant saw a disturbance in progress in a parking lot near the intersection of North Richmond Street and West Wisconsin Avenue.
When the officer turned into the lot to investigate, Lund says the man ran from a vehicle, climbed a fence, and disappeared into a residential area.
Officers set up a perimeter and learned there was a felony warrant out for the man's arrest.
Soon after, Lund says a city employee told officers that he had heard yelling from the collection area of his recycling truck, stopped the vehicle, and watched the man crawl out of the hopper to again flee.
Lund believes the man was hiding in the recycling dumpster at a local business.
Officers checked the area and found the man in a nearby yard.
Lund says the man hopped another fence but collapsed in the next yard.
The man was taken to the hospital with a serious head injury, which officers believe was suffered when he was dumped into the recycling truck.
"It looked like he had struck his head either on the hopper area of the vehicle or something within the vehicle. He is very lucky that none of the other mechanics were engaged, nothing to crush or compress the load that had just been dumped."
Once the man is given medical clearance, Lund says he will be taken to the Outagamie County Jail.
In addition to the felony warrant, Lund says charges of Obstructing an Officer will be requested, with more charges possible in the future since an Appleton officer was injured during the pursuit.
"(The officer was) going through the yard and stepped on a board that had a nail coming out of it. The nail went through that officer's shoe and into their foot."
Lund notes that officer was treated at the hospital and later released.
CALUMET COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A 58-year-old man has been released from the hospital after officers say he was assaulted outside a Calumet County strip club.
Investigators believe the man was pushed to the ground, hit several times in the head, and had cash stolen as he returned to his truck outside Blu Sapphires Cabaret early Wednesday.
They say the suspects, who are both described as being roughly 6' tall and husky, fled westbound on Highway 10/114.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Calumet County Sheriff's Office at (920) 849-2335 or Crimestoppers at 1-877-765-8327, or send a text message to 274637 with the keyword "Calumet."
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Two Oshkosh schools were temporarily placed on lockdown around lunch time Wednesday.
Police say they responded to reports of an armed robbery at Evans Street and East Lincoln Avenue, which is near both Emmeline Cook Elementary School and Webster Stanley Elementary and Middle School.
It was later determined the report was actually a disturbance between several known parties, and the lockdown was lifted after about 30 minutes.
While they were still trying to locate one person involved at last word, Oshkosh Police says there is no threat to the community.
The incident remains under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Winnebago County Crime Stoppers at 920-231-8477, text 'IGOTYA' and the crime trip to 274637, or submit the tip online by clicking here.
OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - Outagamie County has a new district attorney.
Governor Scott Walker has appointed Melinda Tempelis to serve for a term which ends after the November 2020 election.
“I am pleased to appoint Melinda Tempelis to be the next district attorney in Outagamie County. She has distinguished herself in her career as a prosecutor, and I am confident she will serve the public with wisdom, integrity, and a strong commitment to justice.”
Tempelis has served as deputy DA for the last ten years and has been a prosecutor in Outagamie County for nearly 15 years.
Governor Walker says Tempelis was recommended by former Governor Tommy Thompson, Attorney General Brad Schimel, and Outagamie County Sheriff Brad Gehring.
She replaces Carrie Schneider, who was appointed as a county judge earlier this year.
NORTHEAST WISCONSIN (WTAQ) - The Red Cross is forced to juggle its resources as Hurricane Irma heads toward Florida.
Northeast Wisconsin Chapter Executive Steve Hansen notes the Badger State is playing its part in both helping prepare for Irma and aiding Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas.
"We've sent 130 or so volunteers to both Hurricane Harvey and to Irma. The majority of them are in Texas right now, but we already have about 30 volunteers that have deployed for Florida."
Even though Irma is currently in the Caribbean and isn't expected to make landfall in Florida until this weekend, Hansen says Red Cross efforts are up and running, as residents start to leave their homes.
"Some of those folks have no place to go and therefore the Red Cross already does have shelters set up, and we are already housing people that have been evacuated."
In addition to having the human resources ready, Hansen says the Red Cross has large warehouses in the Carolinas.
"We store disaster supplies and equipment. We'll be pulling from those warehouses again once we're prepared and ready to move in."
Despite having to shift its focus in a new direction, Hansen says the Red Cross remains committed to helping Harvey victims throughout the recovery process.
"We're still running a massive sheltering operation down there. There's thousands of people that are still not able to get back in their homes, and likely won't be able to get back in for weeks, potentially months to come."
While Hansen says there are roughly 2,000 trained Red Cross disaster volunteers in Wisconsin, he notes many of them only handle local matters.
As a result, they are seeking new volunteers.
People can access the volunteer application form by clicking here.
The Red Cross is currently offering an accelerated training program, which involves a four hour orientation on the type of work that is done and the living conditions volunteers should expect.
Donations to the Red Cross can be made by clicking here.
OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A 42-year-old Menasha man has been charged in a weekend stabbing.
Luis Avila faces one felony count of First Degree Reckless Injury and one misdemeanor count of Carrying a Concealed Knife for allegedly stabbing a man Saturday inside Dieter's Bar in Appleton.
The criminal complaint reads that a fight, involving nearly a dozen people, broke out after somebody bumped into one of Avila's friends.
Police say they found one man stabbed in the back and another stabbed in the stomach.
The man who was stabbed in the back was suffering from internal bleeding and had to have a lung removed at the hospital.
Although the man stabbed in the stomach believes Avila or one of his friends stabbed him, he could not confirm who was responsible.
Avila reportedly told his girlfriend that he was responsible for stabbing the man in the back.
Investigators believe Avila threw the knife on the roof after the fight. They later recovered the weapon.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 14.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - A local school has launched an 'Honors College.'
UW-Oshkosh's fifth college, for which the sign was unveiled Wednesday, is designed to enhance more research-based curriculum.
Students will be required to engage in high impact, faculty-mentored research to graduate from the college.
Chancellor Andrew Leavitt notes Honors College students will be able to take classes in any of the school's four existing colleges: business, nursing, letters and science, or education and human services.
"Many of these students have wonderful choices. They can go anywhere they want. They can go to private school. They can go to public school. In my estimation, a great honors college provides a private-school-like environment for those students who choose to be a part of it."
School officials believe the Honors College will help them in recruiting future students.
Honors courses will account for 20% of a student's degree requirements, for those pursuing that path.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A Green Bay immigration organization is concerned about what the announcement of DACA ending could mean to its clients.
Father Ken DeGroot of Casa Alba Melanie says numerous clients have expressed concerns about the Obama-era program that protects people who were illegally brought to the United States as children being phased out over the next six months.
"Right now there are so many hispanics living in Green Bay and in this area who are traumatized. They're just afraid that when they get up in the morning, it might be their last day here."
DeGroot says he will continue to discuss options with his clients.
"I just fear that if this does pass, it's going to be a lot of work to do with them."
Attorney John Sesini, who provides free legal advice to clients of Casa Alba Melanie, says he's seeing inaccurate postings on the internet following the DACA announcement.
"There is some misinformation online saying 'the administration wants you to self-deport now' and all that kind of stuff."
Congress has been tasked with finding a solution to the immigration issue.
CINCINNATI, OH (WTAQ) - Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Matt Garza fell apart after only two innings, giving up five runs and leading to a 7-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
Second baseman Neil Walker had the Brewers on the board early with a home run in the first inning, but that was to be one of only four hits the Brewers would secure over the game.
Reds righty Luis Castillo went eight full innings for 10 strikeouts.
Garza's performance ended in the third inning after he had given up six hits and five runs.
The Brewers fielded six more pitchers to finish the game, including closer Corey Knebel, who threw a home run pitch to José Peraza in the eighth.
The Brew Crew are on the ropes, but they'll have the day off in preparation for a major series with the Chicago Cubs, which could decide the eventual winner of the NL Central Division.
Coverage beings Friday at 6:30 p.m. on WTAQ.
ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The public is invited to next week's grand opening for the Titletown District park.
The park, featuring a football field, plaza, activity area and playground, is set to open Sept. 15th.
The grand opening ceremony, running from 3-7:30 p.m., is scheduled to include exercise and wellness classes, chess lessons, children's activities, live music, face painting and outdoor shuffleboard, bean bag toss and giant jenga.
The park's amenities include:
*The plaza, adjacent to Ridge Road, features landscaping as well as hardscape. The area will be programmed in multiple ways, with festivals and holiday fairs, or simply as a space in which to relax.
*The activity area features games such as horseshoes, shuffleboard, bocce, ping pong and bean bag toss, as well as other activities, such as a reading rack, art cart and a variety of board games.
*The playground features dynamic equipment with a Play 60 theme in a setting and configuration that is unique to the community. The 36,000 square-foot area also has football-specific equipment and a 40-yard dash component.
*The sports field, sized as a regulation football field, utilizes an artificial surface that will maximize its use in a variety of ways through much of the year and features infill created from recycled Nike shoes.
The Titletown District is land owned by the Green Bay Packers just west of Lambeau Field.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) -- A city-owned golf course in Oshkosh may be the new home for a large employer in the community.
Oshkosh Corporation is looking to build a new headquarters. The city manager has suggested the company build on Lakeshore Golf Course, but others say, it's a bad idea.
Golfers say the municipal Lakeshore Golf Course is a jewel in Oshkosh.
"It's a great golf course. It's the cheapest one around and, I'd argue, the highest quality. It's great for the youth and seniors."
Brett Spangler created a Facebook group called 'Save Oshkosh's Public Land' to fight the course's possible sale. He spoke to WLUK.
"It just sets a precedent being able to sell public land to anyone who wants it." But the city IS considering selling part of Lakeshore and Oshkosh Corporation is considering buying it.
"They're not looking for the best site in Oshkosh. They're looking for the best site anywhere in the country."
City manager Mark Rohloff says Lakeshore is the most attractive site to keep the corporate headquarters in Oshkosh.
"Access. They're gonna be looking for visibility and a site that is gonna be large enough to accommodate their needs for a growing work force." A spokesperson for Oshkosh Corporation offered a written statement
"Oshkosh Corporation is exploring the opportunity for a new corporate headquarters that aligns with our People First culture, allow us to operate more efficiently, continue to attract top talent and remain an important contributor in the community. We have issued Letters of Interest and Access Agreements for several properties and are reviewing the benefits of each potential location in coordination with local and state officials. We are in the early stages of a long evaluation and planning process. We are committed to doing what is best for the Oshkosh Corporation family, our customers, our shareholders and our community."
Rohloff says Oshkosh Corporation would only need about 30 of the 107 acres of the course. The other acreage could still be used for public recreation, just not golf.
"Can we add river walks? Can we add fishing piers? Can you add more ball diamonds?"
"I'd just be worried, because number one, turning it into anything else would cost taxpayer dollars to convert it," Spangler pointed out.
Rohloff said if Oshkosh Corporation's corporate headquarters leaves, that could devastate the city. He says the company's production could follow.
"You're talking millions and millions of dollars." "There's so much other land out there. So I just don't think we need to resort to selling the golf course first," said Spangler.
Rohloff says Oshkosh Corporation will likely start soil-testing on the golf course within the next few weeks. After that any possible plan for the company to buy part of the golf course would need to be approved by the full city council.
He says people will still be able to play golf thru this fall.
MARINETTE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - Help could be on the way for the Marinette County District Attorney's Office.
The state budget proposal passed Wednesday by the Joint Finance Committee includes funding to make a part-time prosecutor position full-time for two years.
Former DA Allen Brey cited understaffing as the reason for a backlog of more than 400 cases when he resigned in June.
JFC Co-Chair John Nygren of Marinette hopes new DA DeShea Morrow can work to reduce that backlog.
"The taxpayers of Marinette County deserve to have an effective and efficient DA, and I am extremely confident that District Attorney Morrow will be able to do just that. Her first-hand knowledge of the situation will be invaluable as we begin to improve upon the current situation."
The budget needs approval from the full Legislature and a signature from Governor Walker.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Following Tuesday's announcement that the Trump Administration plans to phase out DACA over the next six months, the Green Bay Police Department is reaffirming its stance on immigration status.
Through a department Facebook post, Captain Kevin Warych says they were trying to ease fears they've heard since the November election.
"There's a lot of uncertainty and confusion amongst the immigrant community in Green Bay. We are here to help everyone, protect and serve everyone."
Warych says the department is committed to acting impartially, regardless of legal residency status.
"There has been an instinctive fear in the Hispanic community of deportation."
The captain says what has been constant for a long time is the department's stance on residency status matters.
"Local police agencies like the Green Bay Police Department are in the business of stopping criminal activity and keeping the community safe, not enforcing federal immigration laws."
Warych hopes reaffirming this will help the department work toward its goal.
"We hope everybody in the community establishes a relationship with police officers and the department that is based on trust, mutual respect, and a common desire to make the Green Bay area safe."
