GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)- A man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and her mother withdrew his plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
Jacob Cayer is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the 2016 deaths of Sabrina Teague and Heesun "Sunny" Teague.
Cayer's trial has also been delayed to allow more time for his blood tests to be completed.
FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ)- Fond Du Lac's Deputy District Attorney Dennis Krueger died suddenly at his home Saturday.
Officials say Krueger's death appears to be from natural causes.
Krueger worked in Fond Du Lac county since 2012. He was 56 years old.
GREENVILLE, WI (WTAQ)- In August, The Town of Greenville will be asking for help in building a new fire and safety building.
Voters in Greenville will be asked to approve a 6.5 million dollar referendum to build a larger building which allows for better safety for equipment and those who use it.
Town Administrator Joel Gregozeski says it is important for the community to know why it is needed.
He says cancer is a concern if the equipment is not properly decontaminated.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)- A mother and her boyfriend are facing child abuse charges in the death of a 15-month-old child.
Sarah Kairys was charged with neglecting a child -- consequence is death and child abuse -- failing to prevent bodily harm. She is scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon.
Juan Maravilla was charged with first-degree reckless homicide, and physical abuse of a child -- repeated acts causing death. An arrest warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Police responded to the hospital on May 25, 2017 for a child that was reported deceased. That child was brought in by her parents.
According to the report, the girl had multiple bruises, and Kairys told police that she had fallen down the stairs.
Upon subsequent questioning, Maravilla described abuse that he said Kairys inflicted on the girl, including hitting her.
Maravilla was later questioned again, and this time admitted to his role in her death.
According to the autopsy, the child suffered multiple fractures, including two ribs, and injuries which resulted in a perforated bowel, leading to death, the complaint states.
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A man was shot and killed by Appleton officers Monday at a home on the city's south side.
Sgt. David Lund says officers were dispatched to a residence just after 6:00 p.m. in the 100 block of S. Matthias Street for a disturbance call involving a weapon.
Lund says when officers arrived, they were met by a man outside with a shotgun.
Lund says the man confronted officers with the shotgun, so multiple officers fired.
The man was pronounced dead.
No officers were injured in the incident.
Lund says all residents living in the area are safe and there is no threat to the public.
More information is expected to be released today.
Since Appleton officers are involved, the Green Bay Police Department will take over the investigation.
Tourism dollars are on the rise in the Fox Cities.
"Tourism in 2017 in the Fox Cities went to $470 million dollars of visitor spending. It was a really wonderful surprise continuing a very strong growth of the last five to six years."
Despite a year of construction and renovations on hotels, 2017 tourism dollars were once again on the up.
Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau Spokesperson Pam Seidl says the number of tourism dollars is significant.
"Each household in the Fox Cities would have to be taxed an additional $955 dollars per year to replace the impact of that spending."
She says the building of the new Exhibition Center will only help the 2018 numbers. There are also plans for an indoor sports facility in the future.
The Fox Cities CVB also presented the Fox Cities Tourism Awards.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)- The Green Bay Water utility kicked off National Drinking Water Week with a ribbon cutting for the installation of the first water station on CityDeck.
National Drinking Water Week recognizes the importance of drinking water.
The Green Bay Water Utility handed out free, reusable water bottles filled with water.
Nancy Quirk, General Manager of the Green Bay Water Utility says clean tasting water is valuable.
"People sometimes take the value of water for granted and we want to ensure people of the valuable resources we have in our communities and how it impacts our quality of life."
\Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt signed the proclamation declaring it Drinking Water Week city-wide.
ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The CP Center in Allouez offers therapy services for people of all ages and all abilities.
For a while, space at the CP Center had been an issue, but that's no longer the case.
CP launched a $7.5 million campaign which allowed them to build an addition and update the original building.
Construction began last May and a year later, space is open.
Grace Quinlan has been a regular at the center for over six years. Her mother, Jill Quinlan, tells FOX 11 it's a community for their family.
"Grace's needs are pretty complex and she's got medical needs, and sensory, and speech needs. And just overall, I've needed a lot of encouragement and training to know how to help my own daughter."
The Quinlan family is not alone.
Most of the center's programs have had wait-lists.
"We just had a high demand for our services," said Kristen Paquet, director of marketing and communications at CP.
"And so after a lot of our feasibility studies and really just understanding the community needs, we decided to launch a capital campaign for this 21,000 square-foot project."
Paquet says the space not only makes everything more efficient, it allows 16 more spots in childcare a day and 31 more spots for therapy a month.
The new space will now be home to all the therapy and childcare sessions and the original building will house the aquatic center and adult day services.
DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Sturgeon spawning and scientists handling the fish are activities not exclusive to places like the Wolf River.
A UW-Green Bay research team handled fish Monday on the Fox River in De Pere.
On the shoreline of a rugged island just downstream from the De Pere Dam, graduate student Stefan Tucker is in his element.
"This is kind of our version of the sturgeon rodeo. It's a blast."
Tucker and a UW-Green Bay crew are capturing sturgeon during the annual spawning run on the Fox River in De Pere.
Patrick Forsythe, UW-Green Bay Associate Biology Professor, tells FOX 11....
"I think a lot of people are familiar that spawning takes place here, but I think what we're trying to learn is exactly how many fish are spawning here."
But netting hundred-plus pound fish in the choppy waters can be a challenge. The sturgeon are measured and tagged. The information is recorded right on the shoreline.
"We're seeing both males and females. Some really large females, somewhere on the order of 150 pounds or so. And males that are also relatively large. Larger than I've seen," said Forsythe.
"This gives us an idea of how old these fish are. It really paints a picture of the population structure of the Fox River," said Tucker.
Tucker is researching sturgeon as part of his graduate project. He hopes the work will help him land a job as a wildlife biologist.
"It's such a competitive field. And so really gaining skills and knowledge is important. And so hopefully this opportunity right here is giving me all those experiences."
On Monday, Tucker and the team handled 25 fish, including an 81-inch monster.
"Sturgeon, they're the dinosaurs of the Great Lakes. They've been here since the time of the dinosaurs. They're the biggest fish in the Great Lakes."
The research team expects the sturgeon run to continue in the area for another 5-10 days.
They plan to be back on the river, to track the success rate as the young sturgeon head downstream to the waters of Green Bay.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The Green Bay Public School District is hiring help for Washington Middle School.
Green Bay's school board voted Monday evening to spend up to $394,000 to hire what it is calling a "turnaround partner.”
That partner is American Institutes for Research, which has a history of turning around struggling schools.
School district leaders say they've put a focus this year on improving behavior at Washington after a former teacher brought up safety concerns last summer.
They claim that area has improved, and now it is time to put more resources toward academics.
“There has been a lot to establish a safe opportunity for students, but we want to make sure it's engaging as possible, that the academic progress is made as well,” said John Magas, Associate Superintendent of Continuous Improvement for the district.
American Institutes for Research uses a three-component approach, which includes a comprehensive needs assessment, leadership coaching, and instructional coaching.
Rhonda Sitnikau spoke to FOX 11. She was the only one of seven school board members to vote against the plan.
“The community was given information three days ago. It's not an appropriate amount of time in order to absorb what's happening.”
District leaders say time is of the essence because a needs assessment needs to be done before school is out for the year.
Plus, Maga says the firm is highly sought after and could move on if the district waits on hiring it.
“We all know how to change schools over a longer period of time, but this is an opportunity for us to learn as much as possible how to change schools as quickly as possible.”
Sitknikau says the money could be better used elsewhere.
“There is a lot of mental health issues and we still have class sizes that are not appropriate for teachers, they need support.”
The district says the money is coming from this year's budget. The district didn't spend as much on teacher development as originally planned.
The $394,000 would only be for one year.
Magas says it is possible the firm's work will not be that much. He also says contracting for additional years of work likely would not cost as much.
As part of its agreement to spend the money, the school board added an amendment to hold a session with the public regarding the firm's needs assessment.
Also, as part of Washington's turnaround, they are still searching for a new principal.
The state identified Washington as meeting few expectations for its academics in the ’16-’17 school year.
TWO RIVERS, WI (WTAQ) - Cigarette butts inside a coffee can outside an apartment building started a fire last night in Two Rivers.
Crews were called to 1814 19th Street just before 5:00 p.m. for a fire on the outside of the building.
Both occupants were not home at the time of the fire but crews were able to rescue their four cats, bird and guinea pig.
The fire was quickly put out.
Officials say the fire damaged the exterior siding and burned through the floor in the basement.
The fire cost an estimated $15,000 in damage.
The Red Cross is assisting the displaced occupants.
All other residents of the building were able to remain in their apartments.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Area law enforcement agencies are improving their abilities in fighting internet crimes against children.
The 'Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children' Conference was held Monday at the KI Convention Center.
One of the keynote speakers was Alicia Kozakiewicz, a survivor, and advocate for child internet safety.
"I thought this was a boy around my age and he was interested in me," she said. "What I was about, and wanted to talk to me."
At the age of 13, she was lured out her Pittsburgh home, to meet someone who she considered a friend online.
But, she tells FOX 11, that person turned out to be is any parent's worst nightmare.
"He was instantly a monster. He instantly threatened my life, and that was when I knew I no longer had control of my life."
Kozakiewicz was kidnapped and taken to Virginia.
She says she was chained up, raped and tortured in a basement for four days.
"I did whatever I had to survive. No matter how humiliating or brutal or disgusting. I did it because I wanted to live."
She was rescued by the fast work of the FBI. And it's her story, which created 'Alicia's Law.'
"Alicia's Law has been helpful in helping to get to victims faster," said Wisconsin Attorney General, Brad Schimel.
The law was signed into Wisconsin legislation in 2016. It helps fund the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.
Schimel says the law allows officers to use the most updated technology working to catch predators quicker.
"They're working at it, they spend a lot of hours perfecting their craft. That's why it's so important that law enforcement is perfecting their craft."
With her mission to save more children from falling prey, Kozakiewicz says her work has just begun.
"When horrible things happen, we need to learn from it, and we need to make changes."
"Alicia's Law" has been signed into law in 11 states.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)- Two Brown County parents have officially been convicted of child abuse, after starving a child.
Bradley Fahrenkrug pleaded no contest to one count of neglecting a child resulting in great bodily harm. Kimberly Fahrenkrug pleaded no contest to the charges two weeks ago.
Police say doctors treated their 5-year-old son who was just 29 pounds.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK)- Funeral will be held Wednesday for a girl who was killed after being hit by a vehicle while riding her bike in Oshkosh.
Arya Rae Vaughn was killed last Thursday.
he was a member of New Life Community Church, attended Peace Lutheran School, and was a student of Richard's School of the Dance, according to the obituary posted by Seefeld Funeral & Cremation Services.
Oshkosh police continue to investigate the crash.
CHILTON, WI (WTAQ)- A woman who supplied drugs which killed a 25-year-old man was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday.
Paris Verderami was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide for the 2016 death.
Her mother Jennifer Verderami was sentenced to five years in prison earlier for supplying Paris with the drugs.
Paris Verderami was also placed on extended supervision for seven years.
TOWN OF CLAYTON, WI (WTAQ)- Winnebago County Sheriff Detectives have confirmed the identities of the two victims of a fatal fire last week.
27-year-old Ashley Mielke of Appleton and 36-year-old Jeremy Wallenfang have been identified as the deceased. Sheriff officials say Wallenfang lived in the home that was destroyed.
Captain of Detectives David Mack says his crew is still working on the why and the what portion of the investigation.
"Whenever we are dealing with an investigation where a good chunk of our physical evidence is destroyed such as this, that adds a whole set of problems that we need to deal with."
Mack says the victim's remains are significantly degraded, so they are relying on interviews, physical evidence, and technology to answer the other questions.
"We need to understand why it occurred, how it occurred, but first we need to understand what occurred.
The fire happened last week at a residence on the 3000 block of Breezewood Lane.
Investigators say Wallenfang lived at the residence.
When they arrived on the scene, police were told that gunshots were fired in the house.
That remains under investigation.
OCONTO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ)- Boulder Lake Campground in Oconto County is scheduled to reopen later this month.
The U.S. Forest Service said that the previous concerns that led to the campground closing, have subsided.
The campground was closed last year due to safety concerns having to do with someone who lived nearby.
Karl Klimes was investigated for holding target practice on his property.
No charges were ever filed against Klimes for those incidents, but he has been charged with separate crimes in three counties.
OCONTO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK)- Many have waited for Oconto County ATV-UTV trails to open for the season, and weather permitting, that wait could end Friday.
Stretching for about 90 miles, many consider the Nicolet State Trail to be a recreational lifeline connecting places like Gillett to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. But on Wednesday morning the gravel path was silent.
"Right. You can see it today. There's not much going on up here. The last two weeks it's kind of been that way," said Jim Wisneski Hidden Bear ATV Club.
Monty Brink, Oconto County Forestry and Parks Administrator says the county allows for the trails to be open the last weekend of April.
"So when we went and inspected the trails when we were due to open in April, there was still snow on the trail. The late snowstorm caused a lot of flooding. Wrecked the trails a little bit and took the trees down."
Brink says patience is the key as early season traffic could cause ruts and hurt trail conditions.
"We want to do the best we can with the environment, and not wreck the trails, and cause more work for the clubs that maintain these trails for me," he said.
ATV club leaders agree. Jim Wisneski of the Hidden Bear ATV Club says quiet trails equals low business.
"It hurts the local businesses every time we have to delay it. Unfortunately, it hurts the economic impact in this area. At the same token, we got to make sure the trails are safe to ride," said Wisneski.
If all goes well, the wait is almost over.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)- Tourism has led to a successful 2017 in Brown County.
Tourism dollars increased 5.2 percent last year.
Brad Toll, President of the Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau says 5.7 million people visited with $671 million dollars in direct sales.
"The total impact that comes from that spending rose to $1.11 billion dollars."
The report was given during a Convention and Visitors Bureau annual meeting luncheon Tuesday.
Toll added that $.24 cents of every dollar spent was spent on food, and says Brown County has a lot to offer visitors to eat.
"Visitors here are fascinated with our cheese curds and booyah and the spaghetti noodles in the bottom of the chili bowl."
The second most money was spent on lodging, and retail spending came in third.
"Brown County has nearly 12,000 people whose jobs are related to the tourism industry," he said. "It is a tremendous industry, and one that we want to see continue to grow."
He says that in order to maintain the same services that tourism dollars brought in last year, each household in Brown County would have to pay an addition $900 dollars.
Toll says 2018 is off to a good start, and with the Packers 100th season this year along with the return of the LPGA Tournament, it could be good news again at this time next year.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)- A groundbreaking for an expansion at Eisenhower Elementary School was held Tuesday.
Multiple classrooms and multi-purpose rooms will add more space for the Green Bay School.
Principal Annette Zernicke says the expansion is important for the present and the future.
"The addition will positively affect all of our students and help us to achieve our mission here at Eisenhower to ensure that all students graduate college-career and community-ready, inspired to succeed in our diverse community."
Construction is set to be complete by January. Both district officials and students participated in the groundbreaking.
