GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A water rate increase could be coming to Green Bay.
The Green Bay Water Utility says the increase would address aging infrastructure.
Residents may see nearly a 10% increase.
Engineers say replacing aging equipment is the safest and most cost-effective option they have.
The increase would equate to an average of $1.44 per month, the average for a household of four.
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue says the fire at the historical Brin building last week was caused by electrical wiring.
Officials say the fire started in the attic space between the second-floor ceiling and the roof structure covering.
The building is 90 years old.
The future of the building is still undetermined, but the property owner is working with the insurance company to determine it.
GREEN BAY (WTAQ) - A dispute over a tarnished copper dome atop the historic courthouse in Green Bay has been settled between Brown County and a Chicago engineering company.
A $70,000 payout from Simpson Gumpertz and Heger has been accepted by the county's board of supervisors, according to the Green Bay Gazette.
The engineering company recommended coating the dome with boiled linseed, which has contributed to rapid, blotchy discoloration.
The dome will be coated with a yet-to-be-determined sealant, once dark material, which is believed to be mildew, is professionally cleaned.
CALUMET COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - The state Department of Transportation has announced a construction project that will impact 11 miles of roadways in Calumet County.
Crews will be working on Highway 55 between Highway 151 in Brothertown and Highway 114 in Sherwood.
Some lanes and shoulders will be closed on Highway 55 but will remain open to traffic throughout the project.
The project will begin Monday and is expected to close in October.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - President Trump has made his nominee for the Supreme Court and Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson believes it was the right choice.
Conservative circuit judge Brett Kavanugh is the pick by President Trump to become the next Supreme Court Justice.
Senator Ron Johnson joined the John Muir Show on Friday morning to discuss the selection. Johnson explained that he likes the judge's interpretation of the position.
"He said in his own writing that a judge is meant to interpret the law; not make law and not make policy," said Johnson.
Beyond that, the Senator believes Kavanugh has the experience necessary to be effective in his role.
"He's incredibly qualified," claimed Johnson. "He's got twelve years on D.C. circuit court bench where the Democrats have all the information they need to evaluate it."
Hearings for the nominee are scheduled to start the day after Labor Day and considerable push-back is expected from Democrats.
"They are just making a bunch of noise and playing to their base," said Johnson. "It's just unfortunate."
Senator Johnson believes this nominee should be universally accepted.
"He ought to be confirmed one-hundred to zero," claimed Johnson. "But unfortunately Democrats have turned these court nominations into a knock-down drag-out fight."
The full interview with Senator Ron Johnson on the John Muir Show can be heard here.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The addition of a "College Express" route was announced on Friday by Green Bay Metro.
The new route, which connects students attending UW-Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to the downtown Green Bay area, will start on Monday.
The routes will run between 7:15 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. Monday thru Friday and will depart each campus every half hour making one stop at the Transit Center.
The newly added route is planned to run until May 2019.
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - An announcement was made Monday by the Octoberfest committee that they have awarded a $15,000 grant to the city of Appleton.
The money from the grant is to fund a public safety drone.
The committee hopes the drone will provide an additional safety measure to the city.
Over the past 37 years, the Octoberfest committee has given more than $2.5 million dollars to the Appleton community to fund various projects and functions.
MILWAUKEE, WI (WTAQ) - Heavy rains in the Milwaukee area stranded several motorists on Friday morning in sections of Interstate 43.
Some motorists were forced to climb atop their flooded cars and were eventually helped by the North Shore Fire Department that responded to the scene.
Two motorists got out on their own, while four others required assistance.
Recent construction has narrowed the highways and allowed the flooding to occur.
No one was hurt.
ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Fans at the Packers game Thursday were treated to an unexpected flyover.
As U.S. Navy helicopters flew over Lambeau, heads looked to the sky. A pair of MH-60R Seahawk helicopters made a quick appearance just seconds after a touchdown early in the first quarter. The timing was so perfect, fans there thought it was planned."Right on queue! Right after Jimmy Graham did the Lambeau Leap, and then the helicopters came in, and it was like, 'Oh, alright. Cool! Something new,’" said Packers fan Andy Harbath.
For another fan, traveling all the way from Las Vegas just to cheer the Packers on, Thursday night's flyover was a special treat - It was the cherry on top her first visit to Lambeau Field.
"We just figured, 'Oh it's just part of the evening!' Last home game…Go Pack!" said Packer fan and Las Vegas resident Joanna Minter.
The Navy helicopters also took the Packers and the Green Bay Police Department by surprise. Both confirmed they were unaware, and this was not at all a planned feature of the game.
They are working with federal authorities to gather more information.
In fact, this was so unexpected, the Navy pilots even caught their own military branch off-guard.
"We're still trying to find out exactly what they were doing,” said U.S. Naval Air Forces public affairs officer Ron Flanders. “We take great pride in our safety and professionalism in the air, and I think it's too early to speculate as to whether or not this was anything other than a normal flight."
Naval Air Forces officials believe the helicopters were in training at the time of the flyover.
They, too, confirmed it wasn't planned, and they will continue to investigate the spontaneous incident.
FOX VALLEY, WI (WTAQ) - Fox Valley road work is causing a headache for several businesses in the area and has forced some of them to close for good.
The 441 Tri-County Project started in early August and includes widening the highway's bridges over Oneida Street to six lanes and transitioning from a six-lane roadway to an existing four-lane roadway east of the interchange to help improve the flow of traffic.
Terrance Wilder the owner of Owner of Wilder's Cutting Edge Bistro said he can't wait for the project to wrap up so he can get back to business as usual.
"We just got to weather the storm and as of right now we are looking at a little more than two months before its all over," said Wilder.
Since the construction started Wilder said his sales are down more than 60 percent, so he's trying new ways to get people in the door.
"We have road construction signs up by the highway, we do buy one get one free meals, anything to keep our name out here but it's been tough," explained Wilder.
Just down the road Richard Niemuth, the owner of Niemuth's Southside Market said he is experiencing the same problems and has had a decrease in sales for the last couple of years.
"The road construction has put a damper on our participation of the last two years of the economy," said Niemuth. "We Just need all the help we can get to get people in here and shopping. This is going to be the hardest," he said.
Fox11 reached out to the Mayor of Appleton and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to see if anything is being done to help these businesses during construction, but no one from either office was available to comment.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says the 441 Tri-County Project should be done by November of 2019.
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Two people were taken into custody Friday after a child abuse complaint.
Oshkosh Police arrived at a residence on Wyldewood Drive in the City of Oshkosh.
A 30-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man from Oshkosh were arrested.
The child was put in protective custody.
TOWN OF VINLAND, WI (WTAQ) -Two Neenah women and a dog are missing after a boat collision on Lake Winnebago Saturday.
Winnebago County Sheriff's Department responded to a boat collision just after 8:30 Saturday night.
Officials say a 26-foot boat hit a 20-foot boat east of Paynes Point
A total of six people were on the boats.
The 20-year-old woman and a 26-year-old woman from Neenah were ejected from the boat.
The two others on the 20-foot boat were taken to the hospital.
The two people on the 26-foot boat were treated on shore.
Search efforts for the two missing Neenah women will resume Sunday morning.
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Police responded to a call of shots fired on Prospect Avenue and Memorial Drive Saturday.
Officials say they are investigating a vehicle to vehicle shooting.
The investigation showed that a motorcycle driver pulled up next to a truck at the intersection and fired multiple shots.
Both vehicles left the scene before officers arrived.
Officers say it is unknown if anyone was hurt, and they do not believe that the public is in any danger.
they say it was a targeted incident.
If anyone has information about the incident, they are asked to contact Appleton Police at (920) 832-5500
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ)- A 27-year-old Appleton resident has been taken into custody after running into a truck that was painting lines on Highway 41 on Ballard Road early Saturday morning.
Officials say the driver was arrested for a 2nd offense OWI Causing Injury.
Officials arrived at the scene around 3:45 a.m and helped two people who were injured with non-life threatening injuries.
MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - The "Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin" competition is back for their third annual contest.
Event spokesperson Nick Novak explains the competition is attempting to shift focus onto an important state industry.
"The Coolest Thing is meant to highlight our vibrant manufacturing industry here in Wisconsin," says Novak.
Vibrant might even be a bit conservative after considering statistics.
"Nearly one in five people work in manufacturing in our state," says Novak.
Any product manufactured in Wisconsin is qualified for the contest, which features a wide array of different nominees.
"Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac last year had a joy-stick piloting technology that literally allows you to drive a boat sideways," says Novak.
Past participating products range from boats to motors to cheese to even beer.
Roughly 200,000 votes were cast and 150 products were nominated in last years competition.
The 2017 winner was Oshkosh Corporation for their Joint Light Tactical Vehicle
Nominations are open until August 31st and can be submitted online at Made In W-I-S Dot Com.
ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Four St. Norbert students are traveling from Green Bay to Milwaukee in an effort to help local veterans.
It's called the "For Them Ruck March."
And it was created to raise money and awareness for veterans.
The students started at the Veterans Memorial outside of Lambeau Field and will end at Veterans Park in Milwaukee.
In total, the group will ruck 140 miles over the course of six days.
Student Jake Swenson tells FOX 11 this is their 2nd year.
"Last year we saw all of the logistical and developing and we saw our dream with this ruck march come to fruition, so both Zuki and I agreed we wanted to do it again and we wanted to lead it this year. It's been a great experience so far, and we're excited to get going again."
The group took their first break in Luxemburg Sunday and will continue south today.
BELLEVUE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Isabella and Ireland Kirkpatrick sell their lemonade for just one dollar, but last year they raised $2,600.
“I thought we were just going to make, like, a couple hundred,” said Isabella Kirkpatrick.
“We love it,” said Deputy Jason Vogel.
He tells FOX 11 it's heart-warming to see kids taking such an active role.
“These girls are taking the initiative on their own to help try and combat this issue that is nationwide.”
It's their anti-bullying message that brought residents and law enforcement from around the state to buy lemonade from two middle schoolers in Bellevue.
“Our brother was getting bullied and we wanted to make sure no other kids had to go through what our brother did,” said Kirkpatrick.
The funds raised at last year's lemonade stand paid for national speaker Kirk Smalley from 'Stand up for the Silent' to talk to students at Washington Middle School.
Smalley tells the story of how his 11-year-old son died by suicide after being bullied in school for two years.
According to stopbullying.gov, 1 in 3 students in the U.S say they've been bullied, nearly 71 percent of young people say they’ve seen bullying in their school, and 41 percent of school faculty witness bullying more than once a week.
In Wisconsin, the suicide rate among high schoolers has gone up 30 percent in the last 8 years, and those statistics are disturbing to the Kirkpatrick family.
“I don’t think any child should feel like the world would be a better place without them,” said the girl’s aunt Lisa Harley. “To me that’s heartbreaking.”
This year they hope to have Smalley speak at multiple schools in the area.
Lisa Harley tells FOX 11 she's proud of her nieces for what they've accomplished.
“They took the time and empathized with other kids and they really wanted to help.”
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Manitowoc police are asking for help after they say a dog bit a child in the face around 4:30 Sunday afternoon.
Police say the incident happened at Union Park in the city.
The dog is a beagle or terrier-type breed, black and brown with white spots.
Police say the owner is a woman in her 40s with purplish or red hair.
Police think she lives in the area because she’s been seen near the park before.
Officials say without proof the dog has had its rabies vaccine, the child may need further medical treatment.
If you have any information you’re asked to call 920-686-6551.
HARRISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A 53-year-old Appleton woman, who was the passenger of a motorcycle, is dead after a crash in the town of Harrison in Calumet County.
Sheriff deputies say a motorcycle struck a bicyclist around 8:30 last night (SUNDAY) at the intersection of State Park Road and County Highway KK.
The motorcycle driver, a 22-year-old Kaukauna man suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The 13-year-old boy on the bike is in stable condition after being flown to the hospital.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A 52-year-old Hibert man appeared in federal court in Green Bay on Monday and pleaded guilty to violating federal tax law.
Kurt Van Voorhis is the manager and operator of a commercial cleaning business, Ultimate Cleaning Limited, and faces up to five years in prison after prosecutors alleged he failed to pay the IRS more than $200,000 in payroll taxes.
Voorhis also allegedly failed to file quarterly payroll tax returns during this time, which occurred between January 2012 and June 2016.
He is scheduled to receive his sentencing on November 2.
