APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - An Appleton man has been arrested for creating a bogus armed robbery report.

The man works at an Appleton business and told police that a man with a handgun came into the store and demanded money from the cash register.

Appleton police reviewed the surveillance footage from the store and saw that no attempted robbery ever took place.

At this point, the man admitted to police that he created the phony story. 

An obstructing charge is being requested against the 23-year-old man. 

MILWAUKEE, WI (WTAQ) - The Milwaukee Brewers acquired Joakim Soria from the Chicago White Soxs, in exchange for a pair of pitching prospects.

The Brewers sent left-handed pitcher Kodi Medeiros and right-handed pitcher Wilber Pérez to Chicago.

Soria, 34, was 0-3 with a 2.56 ERA and 16 saves in 40 relief appearances with the White Sox this season. He recorded 49 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched as opponents batted just .230. Over his last 25 outings, Soria posted a 0.74 ERA (24.1ip, 2er) and held opponents to a .161 batting average with 32 strikeouts in 24.1 innings pitched.

The two-time All-Star (2008 and 2010) owns a career record of 28-34 with a 2.84 ERA and 220 saves (seventh among active pitchers) in 613 games, all coming in relief. He has produced 662 strikeouts in 612.1 innings pitched and opponents have batted just .222. Soria has pitched for Kansas City (2007-11 and 2016-17), Texas (2013-14), Detroit (2014-15), Pittsburgh (2015) and Chicago-AL (2018).

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - For decades kids have flocked on their bikes to Lambeau Field for the start of Packers training camp and for the opportunity that a player might hop on their ride.

But with the national crowd at training camp, one Packer fan saw an opportunity to do some good.For six years Packer-fan Adam has been bringing extra bikes to training camp and already has been able to help a few kids experience the thrill of a lifetime this year.

"We have two kids using two bikes today from San Bernardino, Californa that came here with grandma and grandpa," said Adam.

He initially started his operation small, bringing just a few extra bikes, but now has enlarged his operation to eleven extra bikes and even managed to purchase a trailer in the six-years he's been handing out free bike rentals. 

His goal is to ensure the kids that travel with families on planes into Green Bay can enjoy the same experience that a kid living down the street could as well. 

Adam will be at Lambeau every day during training camp with a trailer full of bikes for out-of-state kids to use.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - No trial date was set for Nicole Gussert after she pleaded not guilty on Thursday in Appleton court to neglect charges for her daughter's death.

According to the criminal complaint, her daughter had health issues that required constant care and her eventual death was linked to infections caused by unsanitary conditions.

Gussert will return to court on September 24th for a pre-trial conference. 

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - The chance to see the Packers practice brings people in from all over the country.

Distance never seems to keep Packer fans away from Training Camp.  

Some arrived in Green Bay Thursday for the first time ever, others are re-living the experience again.   Tony Pappalozio came all the way from New York and was in Green Bay for the first time in two decades.  

He has met many past players like Ray Nitschke and has lots of signed memorabilia from past players, but had one goal for this visit.   

"I just want to see Aaron Rodgers throw a pass in person."  

He says being a Packer fan out east has its challenges, and compared to what he is used to at home, it is a breath of fresh air.    

"Usually I am surrounded by Giants, Jets, Bills and Cowboy fans, so this is a little like going to heaven for me."  

Others like 7-year-old Isaac from Arizona are just excited to meet whoever they can.  

"I honestly don't know which ones there are, so I am just going to go for whichever one."  

His grandfather Steve says coming to Training Camp allows him to show his true colors after moving to Arizona.  

"When I moved to Arizona, I made sure my grandson came home from the hospital with a green and gold Packer hat on."  

He said his grandson Isaac was meant to be a Packer fan.  

"One of his first words was when he saw a white G, he said Pappe, Pappe, Football, Football."  

Last year fans from all 50 states came to Green Bay for Training Camp.

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Packer Fans who attended the first day of Training Camp got to take part in a new experience.

 What better way to kick off the football season than to actually get in the game.   "We got up early in the morning, 5 o'clock in the morning. 5 o'clock in the morning. I'm coming from Waukesha, that's far. So, we got here probably about an hour ago and we've been walking around just kind of enjoying the festivities," said Mark Heinzelmann. 

He brought his 4-year-old son Kobe.

"This is his first experience. This is our first experience at Lambeau together. The main goal here is for Kobe to be a die-hard Packer fan," Heinzelmann said.

Among the activities, punting plenty of running, and a chance to practice catching and running with a football.

The area is broken into four different zones. Some of the other events include an obstacle course, dressing up like a Packers player and even a 40-yard dash.

"I ran it a couple of times. She beat me both times. And the first time, both times actually, I ran as fast as I could and she actually beat me," said Diane Zanter of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Zanter, along with her sister and nieces try to come out every year.

"This, I said, has been awesome so far going into the Pro Shop. Doing all the events for the kids," said Zanter's sister Nancy Wannemuehler.

For kids who love to draw and color, there are plenty of markers, wall space, and paper express themselves.

Packers Experience dates and times:

Friday, July 27: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 28: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Sunday, July 29: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

 OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Kids attending EAA AirVenture this week have a chance to get some free pilot training. It's an aviation simulator to help kids practice flying skills.

At first glance, it looks like a video game, and that's what makes it so fun, for 14-year-old Alex Tarara.

"When I was six, I was really in love with video games and it looks like a video game right? And so I started doing that and that's when I found my interest to fly," said Tarara.

Tarara tells FOX 11 he's been using the Redbird Flight simulators for years, up until he was able to fly a real aircraft.

"Its really helped a lot, it was a big step to learning on a real aircraft and I don't know, it was really nice."

The simulators are a hands-on training tool for existing pilots and anyone who wants to learn how to fly.

"We have a whole range of simulators," said Josh Harnagel, Redbird Flight Simulator Vice President of Marketing.

"Everything from a small desktop sim to a large full motion simulator, so we cover basically every plane you see on the grounds here, except for the large military airplanes, we can simulate."

Harnagel tells FOX 11 the technology is used in universities, high schools, middle schools and flight schools.

He said compared to real aircraft, the technology isn't 100 percent, but it's very close.

"The cockpits are set up just the same as a regular airplane, they have the yoke, the throttle, rotter pedals, just all the normal configuration that you would have in an airplane. "

Students say science, technology, engineering, and math are important to use in aviation training.

"You need to learn the floor of gravity of the airplane, that you learn in classes, all that helped a lot," explained Tarara.

Instructors say it's a great vehicle to get people involved in aviation.

"It gives them a real hands-on experience for the things they learn in the classroom."

Redbird is offering free classes for kids from 6th to 12th grade. It goes until Saturday.

Hours are from 9 am to 3 pm.

NEENAH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office has released dramatic dash cam and body cam video after an alleged drunken driver crashed into a parked sheriff's vehicle.

60-year-old Harold K. Strozewski has been charged with fourth-offense operating while intoxicated, causing injury; not installing an ignition interlock device, and driving after his license was revoked. He was also ticketed for not following the "move-over law" and driving without insurance.

The sheriff's office says the crash happened on Interstate 41 just after 10:15 p.m. Wednesday.

The sheriff's deputy was parked along I-41 southbound as he investigated an earlier crash between Winneconne Avenue (Hwy. JJ) and Breezewood Lane. The emergency lights were on.

The crash pushed the sheriff's vehicle into a car involved in the previous crash.

Investigators say Strozewski's car then spun into traffic, where it hit another car.

The deputy suffered minor injuries and kept working.

The driver of the car involved in the earlier crash, a 19-year-old Greenville man, was not injured. The driver and passenger of the fourth car, both 18-year-old women from Neenah, suffered minor injuries.

Strozewski suffered minor injuries.

According to the criminal complaint, Strozewski said he had one beer before going into work at 1 p.m. – more than nine hours before the crash. He later said he also drank during a break at work around 5 p.m.

He said he saw the squad’s lights but then was unclear about what happened.

“I may have slowed down more than I should have and the next thing I recall is hitting the squad car,” the complaint quotes his statement.

Due to prior offenses, Strozewski was supposed to have an ignition interlock device.

He failed a sobriety test, and a preliminary breath test -- which isn’t admissible in court -- revealed a blood alcohol level of .203.

That’s more than double the usual legal limit -- and 10 times Strozewski’s legal limit of .02, due to the prior convictions.

Court records show his most recent drunken driving conviction, a third-offense misdemeanor case from 2011, resulted in his placement in a treatment program for repeat drunk drivers.

His driver’s license was revoked for two years at that time but did not have a valid license now, according to the complaint.

Strozewski’s other drunk driving convictions were for offenses in 1998 and 2004.

A $750 cash bond was set for Strozewski during an appearance Thursday in Winnebago County Court.

He returns to court August 6th for a preliminary hearing.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - During the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture, the grounds become a city all its own.

With over 40,000 campers onsite, directors say it temporarily becomes the second largest city in Winnebago County.

Because of that, public safety is a major concern

Safety and security here in this make-shift town go hand-in-hand.

The safety side of things can be anything from making sure that potholes are filled-in, to having transportation routes that keep pedestrians and vehicles away from one another.

Designated medical services facilities with volunteer nurses and doctors are even on-site and care for hundreds of visitors.

Raymond King is one of them.

"We have a lot of people with blisters [and] other years, we had a lot of people with head injuries.

He tells FOX 11 how the drill works.

“We have, what we call, a cold room where we can rehydrate people and cool them down."

Visitors can also stop by clinics for common medical necessities, like aspirin or cough drops.

To help with the security aspect, EAA director of communications Dick Knapinski tells FOX 11 they work with local, state and federal officials for various tasks.

"Things that you see, such as bag checks, coming in the main gate and so forth, and things that you don't see. We have plain-clothes officers out here, we have others out there that keep track of those things."

There's EAA Security and Camp Schoeller Security.

Knapinski says security operates 24 hours a day during AirVenture, so dispatch can be called at any time for just about any reason.

"Everything in the campground from barking dogs, to overflowing port-a-pottys, to people maybe driving too fast, to disputes over a campsite…those type of things."

The Winnebago County Sheriff's Department is also stationed on grounds, and emergency medical services are available, as well.

At this large event, the EAA says safety and security is always a top priority.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Two people face two misdemeanor charges after they allegedly tried to castrate a cat.

27 year old Samantha Bruce and 24 year old Richard Krystof were charged Thursday with intentionally mistreating an animal, and practicing veterinary medicine without a license.

According to the criminal complaint, Bruce took the cat to a veterinarian after attempting the procedure on the year-old cat because the cat had developed an infection.

Bruce told police she went to vet school, knew the process for neutering a cat, and guided Krystof through the process.

She denied being involved in the actual act, saying Krystof did it. Krystof also denied being involved, saying Bruce did it.

Staff at the clinic completed the neutering, according to the complaint.

Krystof is scheduled is to make an initial appearance August 22nd. Bruce was in court Thursday afternoon.

KEWAUNEE, WI (WTAQ) - Seventeen-year-old Owen Froelich from Kewaunee pleaded not guilty to criminal damage charges on Friday. 

Froelich will return to court on September 6th for a pre-trial conference.

Multiple calls regarding damage to mailboxes were received by the Kewaunee County Sheriff's Department on February 6th. 

More than 40 victims were tallied on the criminal complaint list, which spans the municipalities of Carlton, Casco, Franklin, Luxemburg, Montpelier, West Kewaunee, and Kewaunee County 

More than 30 residential mailboxes were harmed, which equated to over six-thousand dollars in damages.

TOWN OF LOWELL, WI (WTAQ) - A Beaver Dam man has been sentenced for a 2015 incident in which he struck and killed a teenager with his vehicle.

23-year-old Cody Buechel has been sentenced to two years in prison and four years of extended supervision.

Buechel crossed the centerline and struck teenager Lucas Jaeger back on September 27th, 2015.

Jaeger died as a result of his injuries. 

DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A new email scam is using web cameras to make threats to users. 

Authorities in Door County say a new email scheme claims to hack into victims' web cameras and threatens to expose their supposed adult-website habits.

Door County officials say if you receive an email like this, you should not respond to it and delete it.

To keep digital information safe, officials recommend using strong passwords that include both uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols

. It is also encouraging to not use the same password for all online accounts and change your passwords several times a year.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - With Election coming up next month, the question of security has once again been brought up.

"Hacking into voter files is probably one of my biggest concerns, but I am concerned about voter files from other aspects as well, and of course they are trolling social media."

US Senator Ron Johnson says he is not surprised by the recent news that Russians are looking to interfere in the upcoming election but says, more importantly, the US has a very secure system in place.

"I am fairly confident in our electoral system. It is very difficult to change vote tallies."

Johnson said he is not as concerned with hacking that would impact vote totals, but rather looks at things that can result in bigger problems.

"My concern against Russian cyber attacks is against the critical infrastructure with things like the electrical grid and gaining access to operating systems."

Johnson says the Russians meddling in the elections is unacceptable, but still not the greatest threat to democracy.

He made his comments on WTAQ Morning News with Matt and Earl. You can hear the entire discussion by clicking here.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Volunteers flock to Oshkosh every summer to lend a hand at the EAA AirVenture festivities, but often times the public doesn't see what goes into helping the helpers.

With about 5,000 volunteers working tirelessly at EAA Airventure it is no small feat to make sure they stay fed.

Operation Thirst is dedicated to making sure that happens. 

Last year Operation Thirst made and distributed over 13,000 sandwiches and this year they are predicting around 16,000 in total.

The key to their operation is mobility, which is made possible through a delivery van that they run about four separate times every day.

MERRILL, WI (WSAU-WAOW) - Dozens of headstones were vandalized at a cemetery in Merrill.

Visitors and people who live nearby say they were disgusted to find headstones smashed, broken and toppled over at Merrill Memorial and St Francis cemetery.

The damage was discovered on Saturday.

It likely happened late Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Ed & Sharon's Restaurant posted to their Facebook page they are heartbroken and are offering a $500 reward for information about the incident.

Their post says: "We are sick and it is absolutely heartbreaking for the families for what had happened last night "

Anyone with information should call Merrill Police at 715-536-8311.

Police are contacting families who've had love-ones graves vandalized.  

TOWN OF UNDERHILL (WTAQ) - Oconto County Sheriff's Department is investigating a fatal crash that occurred Sunday morning in the Town of Underhill.

Officals say one man has died and one man is injured after the vehicle crashed into a tree stump. 

Sheriff Officials were called out to Klatt Road around 1:34 a.m. 

The two men were found at the scene of the crash.

Investigators say the vehicle lost control and went off the road. It is likely that speed played a factor.

GREEN BAY (WTAQ-WLUK) - An I-43 ramp was closed Sunday after a semi-truck drove off the road.

Brown County deputies were called to the ramp connecting I-43 northbound and State Hwy. 172 for most of the afternoon Sunday. 

Emergency crews were called to the scene around 1:16 p.m. 

Officials say the truck had hydroplaned in hte rain and ended up in the water.

NEENAH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office has released dramatic dash cam and body cam video after an alleged drunken driver crashed into a parked sheriff's vehicle.

60-year-old Harold K. Strozewski has been charged with fourth-offense operating while intoxicated, causing injury; not installing an ignition interlock device, and driving after his license was revoked. He was also ticketed for not following the "move-over law" and driving without insurance.

The sheriff's office says the crash happened on Interstate 41 just after 10:15 p.m. Wednesday.

The sheriff's deputy was parked along I-41 southbound as he investigated an earlier crash between Winneconne Avenue (Hwy. JJ) and Breezewood Lane. The emergency lights were on.

The crash pushed the sheriff's vehicle into a car involved in the previous crash.

Investigators say Strozewski's car then spun into traffic, where it hit another car.

The deputy suffered minor injuries and kept working.

The driver of the car involved in the earlier crash, a 19-year-old Greenville man, was not injured. The driver and passenger of the fourth car, both 18-year-old women from Neenah, suffered minor injuries.

Strozewski suffered minor injuries.

According to the criminal complaint, Strozewski said he had one beer before going into work at 1 p.m. – more than nine hours before the crash. He later said he also drank during a break at work around 5 p.m.

He said he saw the squad’s lights but then was unclear about what happened.

“I may have slowed down more than I should have and the next thing I recall is hitting the squad car,” the complaint quotes his statement.

Due to prior offenses, Strozewski was supposed to have an ignition interlock device.

He failed a sobriety test, and a preliminary breath test -- which isn’t admissible in court -- revealed a blood alcohol level of .203.

That’s more than double the usual legal limit -- and 10 times Strozewski’s legal limit of .02, due to the prior convictions.

Court records show his most recent drunken driving conviction, a third-offense misdemeanor case from 2011, resulted in his placement in a treatment program for repeat drunk drivers.

His driver’s license was revoked for two years at that time but did not have a valid license now, according to the complaint.

Strozewski’s other drunk driving convictions were for offenses in 1998 and 2004.

A $750 cash bond was set for Strozewski during an appearance Thursday in Winnebago County Court.

He returns to court August 6th for a preliminary hearing.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - During the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture, the grounds become a city all its own.

With over 40,000 campers onsite, directors say it temporarily becomes the second largest city in Winnebago County.

Because of that, public safety is a major concern

Safety and security here in this make-shift town go hand-in-hand.

The safety side of things can be anything from making sure that potholes are filled-in, to having transportation routes that keep pedestrians and vehicles away from one another.

Designated medical services facilities with volunteer nurses and doctors are even on-site and care for hundreds of visitors.

Raymond King is one of them.

"We have a lot of people with blisters [and] other years, we had a lot of people with head injuries.

He tells FOX 11 how the drill works.

“We have, what we call, a cold room where we can rehydrate people and cool them down."

Visitors can also stop by clinics for common medical necessities, like aspirin or cough drops.

To help with the security aspect, EAA director of communications Dick Knapinski tells FOX 11 they work with local, state and federal officials for various tasks.

"Things that you see, such as bag checks, coming in the main gate and so forth, and things that you don't see. We have plain-clothes officers out here, we have others out there that keep track of those things."

There's EAA Security and Camp Schoeller Security.

Knapinski says security operates 24 hours a day during AirVenture, so dispatch can be called at any time for just about any reason.

"Everything in the campground from barking dogs, to overflowing port-a-pottys, to people maybe driving too fast, to disputes over a campsite…those type of things."

The Winnebago County Sheriff's Department is also stationed on grounds, and emergency medical services are available, as well.

At this large event, the EAA says safety and security is always a top priority.