KEWAUNEE, WI (WTAQ) - A drowning last month in the Kewaunee harbor has been ruled accidental.
Police say 40-year-old Shane Dillenburg of Green Bay died after his van drove into the water on June 23 with his 5-year-old son Dominic inside.
Dominic was rescued by some campers.
Authorities indicate an autopsy revealed no other health problems.
The State Patrol's inspection of the van found that nothing mechanical contributed to the crash.
Kewaunee police say the cause of the crash remains unknown.
TOWN OF OMRO, WI (WTAQ) - The body of a skydiver who was recovered landed from Lake Butte des Morts Tuesday evening has been identified.
Winnebago County Sheriff’s says the body of 55-year-old Paul Olson from Green Lake County, was recovered at 5:23 p.m. Tuesday after hours of searching by the Winnebago County dive team.
Crews responded around 12:45 p.m.
Olson was a master instructor and had logged over 5,000 jumps.
He and was tandem parachuting with a student Tuesday. Both landed in the lake about a quarter of a mile from shore near the Omro area after winds pushed them of course.
"A tandem diver jump master had a student attached to him. We believe because of the high winds and the storm that occurred they were blown off course," Winnebago County Sheriff John Matz told Fox 11.
When the two hit the lake, they separated.
The student was able to swim to shore but Olson did not make it.
GRAND CHUTE, WI (WTAQ) - Crews have contained a natural gas leak in Grand Chute.
Fire officials say the leak was caused by construction in the area of North Bluemound Dr. and West Glenpark Drive just before 10 a.m.. Tuesday.
We Energies was called to stop the leak.
Two nearby businesses were evacuated as a precaution.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - A motorcycle crash kills one person in Oshkosh.
It happened just before noon Tuesday in the 2600 block of Havenwood Drive.
Authorities say a motorcycle driven by a 38-year-old Winnebago County resident was heading westbound and lost control.
That driver was thrown from the motorcycle and struck a light pole.
The name of the driver hasn’t been released.
ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ) - We're learning that the investigation into the cause of a massive Allouez apartment fire will take longer than expected.
Green Bay Metro Fire Lt. Nick Craig tells 1360/97.5 WTAQ that it will be at least another two weeks before they can look at a key area.
"They will use heavy equipment to pull out the section of the building, the basement area where they believe the fire started and put it on the lawn," says Craig. "Hopefully we'll find something that will lead us to the cause or at least the exact location of the fire."
After that, it may be another few weeks before what may be found can be turned into that potential final piece of the puzzle.
"It all depends on what the investigators find," says Craig. "If they find something they think caused the fire, then that 'something' whatever it may be will have to be looked at by a professional to determine if it did cause it. If they find something in the area that did cause it, it may be a bit more cut and dried. But we won't know until we're there."
That is apparently up to the property owner's insurance company, who controls the scene.
"We don't have a legal right to be there unless we're invited, and the insurance company has graciously invited us back to assist in the investigation," says Craig.
Craig adds they're anxious to find out what may have sparked the massive six-alarm blaze.
The Hilltop Place Apartment fire, at 3415 Hilltop Way on May 23, caused over $3 million in damage and displaced about 100 residents.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A report shows the number of Americans getting government subsidized food assistance is higher than the number of full-time private sector workers.
An estimated 101 million Americans currently receive benefits from at least one of the 15 food programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, just over 97 million hold those full-time jobs in the private sector.
"It certainly is an eye-opener, an eye-popper," says St. Norbert College professor of economics Sandy Odorzynski.
Odorzynski believes there are several factors in play here. One is the continued slow recovery from the Great Recession.
"It officially ended in 2009, and we usually get a spike back up to health within 12 to 15 months and that just hasn't happened," says Odorzynski. "So here we are four years after the recession and we're still deep down."
A big concern for Odorzynski with regard to the full-time employment number is that the number of part-time workers is growing as a replacement. That will be especially true with the federal Affordable Care Act on the horizon.
"One of the unintended consequences of the act known as Obamacare is that it defines full-time work as 30 hours," says Odorzynski. "A lot of the sectors that are hiring now, the hospitality and retail business, a lot of those employers are trying to avoid having those workers qualify for health care benefits. By keeping workers at part-time, that gives them an edge out. If you're only working part-time, that's gonna help you qualify for those SNAP nutrition benefit programs."
Odorzynski says she expects Obamacare to impact these numbers even more down the road as it takes effect.
She admits there's no easy solution to this problem. But an alarming trend to go along with this, which she says may help explain the growth in Americans needing government assistance, has to do with the rise of children born in unwed circumstances.
"If you compare today with 1980, we have two-and-a-half times greater proportion of births to unwed women," says Odorzynski. "If you're unwed and you have a baby, how are you going to juggle going to work and caring for a baby and so if you don't work, and then you're going to qualify for this special assistance."
Odorzynski also believes that Greece can happen here in the U.S. if we're not careful.
"Absolutely. I think we have to be very careful that the number of people receiving does not become so large that it becomes the voting majority and therefore we have a tipping point that has too few helping out the too many," says Odorzynski.
She recommends screening more carefully for people who are able-bodied, non-elderly to meet some significant qualifiers for them continuing on the program.
HIBERT, WI (WTAQ) - Calumet County Sheriff’s Department says an 11-year-old boy drowned Tuesday afternoon while swimming with his brother.
Authorities say Jacob Meronek drowned in a retention pond around 4 p.m. near 12th Street in Hilbert.
The Calumet County Dive Team found the boy in about eight feet of water about an hour after the 911 call.
Authorities say Meronek and his nine-year-old brother were swimming when the boy went under.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A grocery store is getting closer to reality for downtown Green Bay.
New Leaf Market has been working for three years to find a site and start up a grocery store.
On Tuesday, the Redevelopment Authority approved a six-month planning option for a parcel of land at 901 Main Street near Whitney Park. The planning option locks up the city-owned site, so no other developer can come in.
New Leaf says it has a purchase agreement on an adjacent lot.
New Leaf Market would be community owned and operated through $180 memberships.
Over 680 people have already signed up to be part of the ownership group who would get a share of any profits down the road.
“When you have a community owned store people have an investment in keeping it here and making it healthy, making it a store that everyone wants to have,” said New Leaf Market President Lynn Walter.
Walter says they will present site plans in the coming weeks.
The project is estimated to be around $12 million, half of which includes a capital campaign that has just recently started.
New Leaf Market hopes to be up and running by next summer or fall.
The co-op food market could have some competition. During Mayor Jim Schmitt's State of the City Address, he mentioned an upcoming announcement involving a major grocery store chain coming to the downtown.
DEERBROOK, WI (WTAQ) - North central Wisconsin had one tornado, and maybe more Tuesday afternoon.
The National Weather Service said a twister kept going on and off the ground near Deerbrook in Langlade County around 4 p.m. Authorities said it landed in fields and woods, with no damage except for tree debris.
The same storm might have caused tornado damage an hour earlier to the west in Lincoln County. Trees and power lines went down near Irma and Gleason.
The Weather Service said tornado touchdowns might have been possible in both areas.
Later, funnel clouds were spotted during the 6 p.m. hour at Redgranite in Waushara County, and Lake Poygan in Winnebago County.
A mobile home tipped over near Oconto, where a couple homes had minor roof damage. Marinette had almost two inches of rain in two hours Tuesday evening.
The Wisconsin Public Service utility reports only about 40 customers without power in Menominee County Wednesday morning. About 1,000 customers lost their electricity during the Lincoln County storms.
Those storms are now gone, and a dry day is expected with gradual clearing. It’ll also be cooler, with highs in the 70’s statewide.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - An assisted living center in Appleton is being sued for negligence in the death of an 85-year-old resident.
Five children of Delores Wiersum filed suit Tuesday in Winnebago County.
Wiersum died from exposure early on January 17th, after she walked out of The Heritage living facility with temperatures in the teens.
Plaintiff Tom Wiersum tells FOX 11 that the family hopes to learn more about the circumstances which led the victim to leave the building.
The suit does not list a specific amount sought for pain and suffering.
ThedaCare of Neenah owns The Heritage. It did not comment on the suit, but it issued a statement expressing concern for the family – and the company works hard to protect residents’ safety.
ThedaCare has 45 days to file a legal response to the lawsuit.
FOX 11 said the state Health Services Department cited The Heritage in April for not following proper procedures in protecting Wiersum. ThedaCare later responded, saying it corrected the issues.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - UW-Oshkosh has started to build its third digester that turns waste into electricity.
The university recently began construction of a $7 million digester and public education center at the nearby Rosendale Dairy, the state’s largest dairy farm.
Officials say the facility will turn livestock waste into methane that can be burned to produce enough electricity to power 1,200 homes. Also, local farmers can use residue from the digester for a type of fertilizer that’s now available only on a distant basis from places like Canada and Florida.
The new center will also be used for related classes and research.
The electric sales from the digester will provide carbon credits for the university, and will help UW-Oshkosh reach its goals for producing green energy.
Officials of the dairy and the Oshkosh Foundation say the project is good for everyone involved – including the dairy’s neighbors who’ve wanted fewer odors from the farm.
The other UW-Oshkosh digesters are at a farm near Larsen, and across the Fox River from the campus.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A Green Bay trucking firm has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by its mechanics in California.
Schneider National will pay a total of $2 million to around 200 present and former employees who claimed they were shortchanged for overtime, and breaks for meals and rest.
Another $1.5 million would go to the plaintiffs’ attorneys – as well administrative and payroll costs due to the settlement.
A federal judge must still approve the deal. If that happens, each employee would get $9,000 to $10,000 each.
Schneider National was able to deny liability and wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Some of the world's best bowlers will visit the Green Bay area in 2015.
The United States Bowling Congress Championship Series will take place July 17 through August 11 at Ashwaubenon Bowl.
"We really want to come to cities that have a great bowling heritage and a great bowling culture," says Stu Upson, Executive Director of the United States Bowling Congress. "Out of all the places we talked to, Green Bay was the best."
USBC, in cooperation with the Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, will bring six separate events together for the first time ever.
The events include two of USBC's flagship events, the USBC Masters and USBC Queens, with the finals of both events broadcast. Other events include the Senior Masters, Senior Queens, Summer Team USA Trials and Senior Championships.
"We have been discussing this event with USBC for over a year, and we are very excited to have the opportunity to have this new series of events in our community," says Brad Toll, President and CEO of the Greater Green Bay CVB. "Greater Green Bay has hosted many USBC state championships. We have a long outstanding relationship with USBC and look forward to setting the bar high with an amazing experience at the inaugural USBC Championship Series."
The events are expected to bring in more than 2,000 visitors to the region with an economic impact estimated to be over $1.4 million.
You can get more information here.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Brown County United Way is holding their 2nd annual Diaper Drive from now through July 31st.
"Last year, we collected over 28,000 diapers and other baby products which were distributed to 18 programs serving at-risk children in Brown County," says Brown County United Way Community Services Liaison Dan Wadle. "Our goal for this year's drive is 30,000 items."
Items will go to organizations affiliated with the Community Partnership for Children, a community-wide initiative focused on keeping children from birth to age 5 safe, healthy and learning.
Wadle says they're in need of all sizes of diapers, baby wipes, diaper cream and baby bottles.
Interested donors can drop off the items at public collection boxes at 22 partners, which are all Festival Foods stores, Shopko stores, Brown County Library branches and Green Bay and Allouez fire stations.
You can also make a monetary donation online here.
ROSENDALE, WI (WTAQ) - A scary scene in Fond du Lac County when an ambulance flips over Wednesday afternoon.
It happened around 12:40 p.m. on Highway 26 near Rosendale as the ambulance was on its way to pick up a baby on a non-emergency call in Appleton.
Five Meriter Health Services employees, but no patients were inside at the time.
One doctor suffered head injuries and was flown to a Neenah hospital. No word on his condition.
Two others with injuries not believed to be serious were taken to other hospitals.
Officials say the cause is under investigation.
Meriter Health Services is based in Madison.
OCONTO, WI (WTAQ) - The National Weather Service now says three relatively-weak tornadoes touched down in central and northeast Wisconsin on Tuesday.
The first one ran for 28 miles in Lincoln and Langlade counties. It touched down three times near Irma, Gleason, and Deerbrook. Trees and power lines fell along the way, but the Weather Service said there was no other damage.
The second twister landed near Bancroft in Portage County. Officials said it briefly went into an open field and did little damage. Both those storms were classified as EF-0 tornadoes, with winds of 65 to 85 miles an hour.
The third twister was more severe. It touched down near Oconto on Tuesday night, and traveled for a mile-and-a-half. A mobile home was blown over, a few homes lost parts of their roofs, and trees and power lines went down. The Oconto storm was classified as an EF-1, with top wind speeds of 95 miles an hour.
All of Wisconsin had a pleasant day Wednesday, after the storms moved out. Another sunny day is in the offing for Thursday, with highs in the 80’s. Our next chance of rain is on Saturday.
OCONTO, WI (WTAQ) - A Green Bay man who killed a teenager in a car crash must spend one hour at the victim’s grave every year for 10 years after he gets out of prison.
The judge in the case, Michael Judge, also told 21-year-old Brandon Bosacki to speak to high school students about the crash three times a year for a decade. That’s after he spends 3 years behind bars on reduced charges of causing homicide and injuries by negligent driving.
Bosacki struck a plea deal in Oconto County, in which he pleaded no contest to causing a one-car crash near Abrams last June which killed 17-year-old Jamie Bialozynski. Two other teen girls were injured, when Bosacki lost control of his car while going at over 100 miles an hour.
The prison term was two years shorter than what prosecutors recommended.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay police have arrested three adults and three juveniles in connection with at least nine thefts from vehicles on the city’s far Westside.
A concerned neighbor called around 4:30 Thursday morning about the suspicious group in the 1800 block of Western Avenue.
Responding officers saw a vehicle leave the area at a high rate of speed and radioed other officers to make a traffic stop.
Lt. Jody Buth says some of the suspects, whose ages ranged from 15 to 19, fled by foot.
After a short chase, they are all arrested.
Buth says the suspects broke windows or simply entered unlocked vehicles to steal valuables.
Police know of nine incidents, but there may be more.
Police say you live in the surrounding area of Western Ave and Maryhill Dr and believe you may have been a victim of a theft during the overnight hours of July 10th to 11th you are urged to report it to the Green Bay Police Department at 920-448-3208
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The FBI has arrested four people in connection with a $2 million telemarketing timeshare fraud scheme.
From October 2009 through April of 2011, the group engaged in fraudulent and deceptive business tactics associated with several telemarketing businesses based in Green Bay. They include, National Timeshare Resales, Integrated Advertising Solutions, Administrative Timeshare Resales, and Midwest Timeshares.
All were owned or operated by the suspects.
Those arrested include 39-year-old Mark Parks of New London, 28-year-old Ashley Contant of Bellevue, 51-year-old Mindy Parks of Brussels, and 51-year-old Eileen Goltz of Port Charlotte, FL.
According to a press release, telemarketers employed by the timeshare companies would contact timeshare owners to inquire whether they were interested in selling their timeshares.
In a majority of the cases, the companies lied about finding a buyer and solicited fees ranging from $200 to $2,500, which in total came to over $2 million.
ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - The finishing touches are being put on the new Cabela's store in Ashwaubenon.
The hunting, fishing and outdoor retailer allowed the media to preview their 100,000-square-foot store on Thursday.
"We built this store in our next generation layout, it's designed to surround our customers in the outdoor experience," says Communications Specialist Nathan Borowski. "We do have the Wisconsin Sportmans's Hall of Fame and this unique not only to this state, but it's the first store we've had with a hall of fame in it."
The location on Lombardi Avenue just off U.S. Highway 41 features dynamic wildlife displays and an aquarium with fish found in our local area. It also has an indoor archery range, boat shop, bargain cave, gun library along with a fudge shop and deli.
"We wanted to create a destination and an experience for the entire family," says Borowski. "We try to include something for everyone from Mom, Dad, Grandpa, right down to the little children."
Officials expect about 2 million visitors to the store each year when it opens to the public July 25.
This is Cabela's third store in Wisconsin, joining Richfield and Prairie du Chien.
