GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Green Bay mayoral race has lost another candidate for April's election.

Peter Nugent, a Green Bay business leader and President of On Broadway Inc., has cited recent family challenges as the reason for ending his candidacy, which initially kicked off in January.

Current Mayor Jim Schmitt affirmed last month that he would not seek a fifth term.

The list of candidates who have publicly declared their intentions to run includes Brown County supervisors Patrick Buckley and Patrick Evans, Green Bay city council president Mark Steuer, Democratic State Rep. Eric Genrich and political newcomer Nick Mortensen.

Nugent released the following statement regarding the end of his campaign:

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - An Ashwaubenon celebrity is looking to avoid ending up on a dinner plate this Thanksgiving.

Smoke the Turkey has been called the unofficial Mayor of Ashwaubenon. Perhaps a fitting moniker for a bird that often leisurely strolls the village's streets as if he owns them.

But Commander Randy Tews with Ashwaubenon Public Safety warns motorists if you take a corner too fast and smoke... Smoke... you'll have some explaining to do.

"He has a large fan base of probably close to over 3,000 followers," says Commander Tews. "So he has a lot of eyes on him daily."

Actually, "Smoke the Turkey - Mayor of Ashwaubenon" currently has around 3,100 members on Facebook.

And Smoke has even transformed from local celebrity to an international, well-cultured bird.

"This bird is worldwide now," explains Commander Tews. "We've got some stuff from Iceland, we've got some stuff from Australia."

With that much attention, no one wants to see Smoke "disappear" this Thanksgiving.

"I don't think anybody would want to risk taking him out of the picture anytime soon," he says.

Smoke stands about 4 feet tall and weighs around 20 pounds. He's been known to frequently hang out on the village's west side.

Officials are making their best guesses on how Smoke will celebrate Turkey Day.

"I think Smoke on Thursday will probably wake up and do his morning duties and probably take an afternoon nap," Commander Tews says. "Then get up and do his afternoon duties and hopefully get through the day unscathed."

And Smoke's tendency to impact the flow of traffic has village officials wondering if he's created a position for himself.

"If he keeps directing traffic in the morning and afternoon we might have to put him on our payroll," says Commander Tews.

SHAWANO, WI (WTAQ) - When the Department of Natural Resources released opening weekend harvest numbers for the 9-day gun deer hunt season, Waupaca and Shawano County once again topped the state in overall deer harvested.

Shawano County leading the pack is not unusual to see year after year.

Shawano County DNR Warden Clark Delzer says there are many reasons why Shawano is always near the top.

"We have a high population of deer hunters up here. You drive through anywhere on opening weekend and you see orange in pretty much every parcel."

Delzer says much of it also has to deal with the fact that many Sportsmen in the county take hunting seriously, and that includes lots of research before the season starts. 

"They do their homework. They have their game cams up and they do their scouting, so they know where those deer are and they know where to set up during the weekend."

Shawano County also has a unique opportunity for hunters who travel into the county.

"We have Navarino State land where we have people coming up to hunt from all over the state to hunt that 15-16 thousand acres there."

Lastly, Delzer says representatives from the Shawano County DNR take extra time to be out in the community promoting safe and active hunting. 

"Game Wardens out in the field are contacting hunters, but at the same time they are out in the community and part of those events that are advocating getting our youth outdoors and safe hunting practices."

In all, 118,670 deer were registered in the state, 3,800 of them were from Shawano.

MARINETTE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A stretch of Highway 141 is utilizing a corridor to keep both motorists and wildlife safe.

The underpass in Marinette County is designed to help motorists avoid colliding with deer.

The Department of Transportation had an idea before a new highway was built around Coleman and Pound 13 years ago.

"It was a unique area," says Mike Helmrick, Wisconsin Department of Transportation Environmental Coordinator. "We don't do a lot of these and it kind of has to be the right scenario."

The wildlife corridor utilizes double-high eight-foot fences to keep wildlife off the road and funnel deer along a creek and under the highway.

DNR Area Wildlife Supervisor John Huff says the long overpass design gives wildlife enough room to roam.

"It's got plenty of cover underneath the bridge and a big wide place so animals wouldn't feel constricted," he says.

And officials are turning to the proof in-person, rather than on paper, to validate the success of the design.

"You can look and you can see defined deer trails going underneath the bridge, so you know they're using it," says Helmrick.

It keeps animals safe and motorists away from possibly expensive and dangerous accidents.

"Hitting a deer is going to be several hundred, to several thousand dollars worth of expense to people who do that," says Huff. "So anything that you can do to kind of reduce that possibility is a good thing."

There are around 20,000 vehicle-deer collisions every year, according to the DNR.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes is denying it fired a Green Bay troop leader for her role in organizing and collecting money for a recent vigil, but the former troop leader says what they are saying is not true.

"What Council is saying that I was let go for different reasons, that is a blatant lie. If I was fired for something else I would like to know what it is," said Elizabeth Steffel.

What started as an idea to help a Girl Scout Troop devastated by the loss of three girls and a mother,  has left a Troop Leader without her troop and big concerns after Steffel was dismissed nine days after the money was collected at a vigil she helped organize for three Girl Scouts and the Scout mother

Steffel was fired from her paid position involving Girl Scouts and removed from leading her Troop of 53 Girl Scouts in Green Bay. 

Steffel says she was told in a meeting with HR that it was in relation to her helping organize raising money directly for the family of the victims.

Last month, three Girl Scouts and a Scout Mother were killed after being struck by a vehicle while doing roadside clean-up in Chippewa County.

Steffel said in a Facebook post that on November 3, she received multiple Facebook messages from parents in her troop asking if she was aware of the incident in Chippewa Falls.

She said they wanted to do something for the families and decided to make a Facebook post in their troop leader group page so other would be able to communicate easier. 

According to Steffel on November 4, the leaders were discussing the idea of holding a small vigil in Green Bay for the troop and families. She says that soon spread to 6 troops that wanted to hold a vigil at the same time. She says once they made a public Facebook post, it grew to over 2000 followers instantly. 

She says the next day she realized it was bigger than she expected and felt the Girl Scouts of Northwestern Great Lakes Council should be involved in the process.

"My Troop, respecting the Council, and the family that was suffering in Chippewa were all my consideration with every decision that I made."

She says she was told by the Council that it might be hurting families affected by the incident. Steffel said after considering canceling, she contacted people directly involved and discovered that was not how the people involved felt and that they supporting the fundraising effort and vigil.

"We never wanted it to get this big," Steffel said.

She says the confusion started when GSNWGL released a statement that told people they could make donations directly to them.

"The money directed to them would not go to the families."

Steffel says after contacting troop leaders, they decided to follow the families wishes and go through with the fundraiser and vigil with the money going directly to the families and not GSNWGL.

"We knew this would be a tough choice, but felt the families and Chippewa Valley community mattered more."

Steffel said in her post that when she informed the Council that they were proceeding, all she was told was that she could not mention the Council's name as supporting it.

Steffel said it was Monday when she was told to meet in the GS office and HR was there. 

"I was told that I needed to explicitly state to my leaders that council was not profiting off of this," Steffel said in her post. "I asked if Girl Scouts were giving money donated to them to the families, they said no. I told them I could not do that because that would be lying."

Steffel says it was at that point that Steffel was told she needed to do it or be fired, and chose to part ways with her paid position, but never expected to lose her troop. 

"Right now my biggest concern is my Troop. There are 53 girls who rely on this Troop that I have been working with for three years who are heartbroken. They rely on us to give them a safe place they have lost that now."

It's unclear what the future is for Steffel's former troop. 

"None of this is what the Girl Scout mission is all about. The Girl Scout mission is to help others and make the world a better place," Steffel said. "What is happening now is contrary to that mission."

On Tuesday, GSNWGL released another statement.

1) Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes makes every attempt to retain our valued volunteers and staff working with individuals to make sure both their needs and Council standards are met.

2) Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes did not take punitive action on any individual, organization, or troop for any event or action related to supporting the families impacted by the Chippewa Falls tragedy.

3) Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, as a 501(c)(3) did not, will not, and cannot fundraise for the families impacted by the Chippewa Falls tragedy or direct the use of funds others raised. Any funds raised through private efforts, such as GoFundMe, are not for use by our Council. Accordingly, we have no stake in how these funds are used.

We understand that emotions are high and personal relationships may impact how certain events are interpreted. Our Council, members, and volunteers were deeply saddened by the great loss in Chippewa Falls and those feelings extended far and wide in the Girl Scout sisterhood.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - It's Thanksgiving Eve and a time many Wisconsinites use as a getaway day for travel to their turkey day destination.

The roads south and west out of the Green Bay area will be busy. But the weather shouldn't be an issue.

"the weather looks pretty good going south to Milwaukee or Chicago....or going west to Minneapolis."

Jeff Last, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, says the return trip could be a little more unsettled.

"the focus appears to be on the southeast two-thirds of Wisconsin."

Friday night could be rainy. But a system moving in Sunday afternoon could bring a change to a large part of the Midwest.

"which could produce some snow, or rain and snow, across parts of Wisconsin."

Triple-A is estimating a big increase in road travel this Thanksgiving. Nationwide an increase of about five-percent is expected over last year.

About 48 million people are projected to drive at least 50 miles or more from home for the holiday.

In Wisconsin, about a million drivers will take a road trip this week, with the worst of the traffic today from noon until 8 p.m.

Last says travel home Saturday could be the most surefire time to avoid weather issues.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The official start of the holiday shopping season kicks off Friday and according to a study by the National Retail Federation, consumers are expected to spend as much as 1.1 trillion dollars.

While retailers are preparing for one of their biggest weekends of the year, as a consumer you should be doing some preparations of your own.

Patrick Stoa, a financial adviser for Macco Financial Group, tells FOX 11 it's important to create a financial plan before heading to the stores, to help avoid overspending during the season.

"There's a lot to tempt us in the stores, and Black Friday is a great example. There's a lot of opportunities to buy and then you buy without that spending plan and they spend too much."

According to the National Retail Federation, the average American is expected to spend a little more than $1,000 on gifts this season and with the economy doing so well, some shoppers are already looking to spend as much as $500 more than they did last year.

To keep you from going over your budget, Stoa said the best thing to do is avoid using credit cards, especially if you don't plan to pay them off entirely by the end of the month.

"People do use a lot of credit cards because they are convenient, but like a lot of people know you can get in trouble with them. Credit card companies aren't afraid to charge 15-20% interest rates which are crazy."

Stoa said the fear of going into debt shouldn't stop shoppers from going all out during the holidays, but only if they have the means to do it.

"The key is to not spend money you don't have. The method that you use, whether it's the Christmas account, debit card, or credit card, don't use the money you don't have."

NEENAH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Some parents were upset when they found out an identified sex offender was permitted to be on Washington Elementary School's campus.

It sparked a conversation of changing requirements for those who want to volunteer at the Neenah elementary school.

The change in policy says not only is any volunteer in a classroom or at a chaperoned event subject to a background check but also anyone currently on a registered sex offender list will not be permitted to volunteer in schools "in any capacity."

Before the change, Neenah Joint School District communications manager Jim Strick says volunteers were not required to undergo a background check.

Another major change includes the direct reference to restricting registered sex offenders in the area. Strick says now, it's "clearly stated."

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin Public Service is asking its customers to be cautious if they get a phone call from them demanding payment.

The utility company says in recent days it has received about 40 reports of fraudulent callers trying to get money from WPS customers in the Green Bay area.

The callers claim to be from WPS and threaten to disconnect power unless a payment is made.

In one case, a customer fell victim to the call and paid hundreds of dollars.

If you receive a phone call like this, WPS recommends you hang up immediately and call the company directly at 800-450-7260 to check the legitimacy of the call.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Green Bay Metro Fire Department is providing some last minute reminders to make sure your Thanksgiving gathering doesn't go up in flames.

Maybe you've had a hard time perfecting your holiday bird in the past... Many swear by frying the turkey to get the most flavor possible.

If you're planning on giving your turkey a bath in hot oil for Thanksgiving, fire officials want you to remember a few things first.

Lieutenant Shauna Walesh with the Green Bay Metro Fire Department says more times than not, a fire stemming from frying a turkey is preventable if the fryer is placed in a safe location.

"Never cook these or never use these in a garage," says Lt. Walesh. "Keep these at least ten feet, if not farther, from any buildings or cars."

Lt. Shauna Walesh helped conduct a safe demonstration of what can go wrong with frying a turkey at NWTC on Wednesday morning.

She says to remember that your turkey still has to be thawed out beforehand, not straight out of the freezer.

"The turkey we used today was frozen solid, so don't do that," she says.

And even if the fryer is in a safe location and the bird has thawed it's still important to be prepared for the worst.

"Have an extinguisher ready as well, just in case something does happen," explains Lt. Walesh.

And often times a small fire can be contained and total disaster can be avoided if you act quickly and contact officials.

"If something does happen call 9-1-1, we're here for a reason to help out if needed," she says.

Officials say that Thanksgiving trumps Christmas Day for the most frequent home cooking fires.

The leading cause of home cooking fires is unattended cooking.

It's important to make the kitchen as "kid-friendly" as possible, which means keeping the floor clear of anything kids could trip over and keeping knives out of reach.

Matches and utility lighters should also be kept out of the reach of children and they shouldn't be left alone in a room with a lit candle.

Lastly, make sure your home smoke alarm is working properly by simply pushing the test button. 

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - UPDATE: Kiley was found safe in Green Bay.

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The family of a missing Green Bay woman is concerned about her well being, according to Police.

25-year-old Tricia Kiley was last seen Monday morning in the 300 block of S. Adams Street.

Kiley has a disability and could be in the company of another man, Leo Wolf.

She was last seen wearing a white winter jacket, with a gray tank top and black leggings. She also has two lower lip piercings.

Please contact Green Bay Police at (920) 432-3208 if you have any information on her possible location.

You can remain anonymous by calling Green Bay Area Crime Stoppers at (920) 432-7867.

LEDGEVIEW, WI (WTAQ) - A teenager has been arrested following a father-son dispute in Ledgeview on Tuesday night.

17-year-old Donovan Kaiver was arrested on a possible charge of recklessly endangering safety and no charges have been filed yet, according to jail records.

Kaiver could appear in court sometime Wednesday afternoon.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department says that the father suffered non-life threatening injuries.

LINCOLN, WI (WTAQ) - One man is in custody following a Forest County drug bust.

A search warrant was executed on Monday at 5525 Wejmogek Court in the town of Lincoln.

A number of charges, including felony delivery of crack cocaine and knowingly keeping a drug house, are being recommended against 31-year-old Joseph Sahpenais after a drug bust resulted in around $22,000 worth of heroin, crack cocaine and prescription pills being seized.

Found inside the home were twelve grams of pre-packaged heroin, more than 80 grams of pre-packaged bags of crack cocaine, prescription pills, cash, and firearms.

Sahpenais was taken into custody, but has not yet been formally charged.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A new boardwalk has opened at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary.

The wooden boardwalk will provide access to prime bird watching areas and runs behind the Nature Center to Old Sanctuary road.

“This boardwalk gives people access to an area that, for most of this year, was too wet to walk on,” Mike Reed of the Wildlife Sanctuary told Fox 11 News. "We were able to install a wooden boardwalk that provides great access through a prime bird watching area. It’s a wonderful complement to our hiking/walking trails.”

Construction by Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary on an addition to the Nature Center is also set to begin soon. 

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Before they sit down for a Thanksgiving meal, thousands across Northeast Wisconsin will hit the pavement in the annual Festival Foods Turkey Trot.

The event starts at 8 a.m. Thanksgiving morning in Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac and Manitowoc.

The morning jog looks chilly. Temperatures will start in the low 20's at sunrise and likely be near 24 degrees at 8 a.m. Expect lots of clouds overhead and a stray flurry or two possible, especially along the Lakeshore early in the day.

Winds shouldn’t be too strong, with an east to southeasterly breeze at 5 to 10 miles per hour.

We’ll remain chilly and cloudy for the rest of Thanksgiving with highs only reaching the low 30's.

Each participant gets a shirt to start and a pumpkin pie and coffee at the finish line.

The profits go to benefit local charities where Festival Foods stores are located.

Race maps can be found here.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The Green Bay Packers are teaming up with the Salvation Army to help raise money.

Each Monday during the holiday season, Packers players will sign autographs for fans in exchange for $20 donations to the Salvation Army.

Blake Martinez and Oren Burks will be at next week's autograph signing on Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. inside the Lambeau Field atrium.

The names of players will be announced a week ahead of the signing:

• Nov. 26, at 6 p.m.: Blake Martinez and Oren Burks
• Dec. 3, at 6 p.m.: TBA
• Dec. 10, at 6 p.m.: TBA
• Dec. 17, at 6 p.m.: TBA

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has pledged to match each donation made during the autograph signings, which will double the amount of received during the five signing events, up to $50,000.

Last year, the autograph signing series raised $34,274.65 for the Salvation Army.

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A longtime Green Bay area business owner is no longer with us.

Jerry Watson, the owner of a popular bar, on game days died of a stroke, early Wednesday morning.

When you stepped inside Stadium View Bar and Grille, right off Holmgren Way in Ashwaubenon, Watson would usually be sitting at the bar.

Every Packers season, Watson could count on fans to spend cash and fill the bar.

A lot has changed since the bar opened.

It played a key roll in making the Stadium District what it is today.

In the fall of 1992, Watson and his wife Diane turned what was once a clothing store for women into a sports bar.

Throughout the years, the bar hosted arm wrestling matches, weddings and even a boxing match.

Years ago, Watson even invited fans to the bar to celebrate Brett Favre's birthday.

"Yeah, we're gonna have six full sheets all stuck together with pictures from his childhood all up to the NFL," the cakemaker told FOX 11.

Earlier this year, Stadium View got a major upgrade.

FOX 11 talked to Watson about the changes.

"First remodel from 26 years. We built it 26 years ago. It was pretty nice. There's gonna be new flooring, new walls, new windows."

While you won't be able to catch Watson sitting at the bar, chatting with customers and perhaps admiring the upgraded bar... it's highly likely Stadium View will continue to be the place where customers will stop for a drink or food especially when the Packers play at home.

Watson was 72 years old.

The restaurant will have a celebration of his life on Sunday, Nov. 25 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - The Friday after Thanksgiving is a busy one for those in the retail business, but it is also one of the bigger days of the year for plumbers. 

To some, it is called "Brown Friday" because garbage disposals can take quite a bit of abuse on a holiday.

Randy Lorge of Shawano is an experienced plumber who now is using his knowledge to help teach the next generation of plumbers. He says when it comes to garbage disposal use, less is more.

"What doesn't belong down the drain should not go down the drain. The garbage is the garbage."

He says too often, people misuse the garbage disposal and sinks to try to get rid of food waste from a big holiday meal.

"It tends to lead to more solids down the drain and plugging it up because of the volume of the size meals we make."

He says not only is it a task for plumbers to take on, but it can also be pretty costly to for the homeowner.

"It can snowball once you start opening up something like that. What went from a simple pulling the trap off went to a miniature repipe of the whole system."

Lorge said plumbers are also busy after holidays fixing issues in the home's bathroom.

"A lot of times it is the overuse. You get more people in the house or you have a home that is not on city sewer, you can actually start to have septic problems." 

Holiday food items to avoid feeding your disposal are egg shells, potato peels, and carrot peels.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)- Let the shopping begin.

Green Bay Police Captain Kevin Warych says it will be a good chance to put one of their latest missions to work.

"We launched a program earlier in the summer called Like It, Hide It, Keep It. So if they Lock It and Hide It, they are going to keep their stuff."

Earlier in the year, police responded to multiple reports of theft from vehicles. Warych says the Christmas season is the time when that occurs because many are traveling with valuable items in their vehicle while Christmas shopping."

"Hopefully that phrase catches on. If people lock their cars, they reduce their chances of becoming a victim. If they lock their cars and hide their stuff, they probably double their chances."

He says they are also taking to tell businesses to make it part of their Christmas shopping routine to remind customers that they should take the necessary time and steps to help from becoming a victim of Scrooge.

"We want to make sure people have an enjoyable holiday season but we want to make sure they know that if they lock their cars and hide their stuff comes the most important goal, they are going to keep their items."

WILD ROSE, WI (WTAQ) - There may not be much snow on the ground locally, but that's not a concern at Nordic Mountain in Wild Rose.

They're able to open their doors for the season today thanks to some hi-tech snow guns.

Those guns have been firing away for weeks now and the result is a winter wonderland for skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts from the area.

Opening the day after Thanksgiving isn't unusual for the mountain, but having this much terrain available is.

"What is different this season is we're going to have nine or ten of our runs open versus in the past we would only have three or four," says Nordic Mountain General Manager William Ringenoldus.

The number of runs open may not seem overwhelming, but the totality of landscape available is significant. 

"Even though it's only ten of our runs out of eighteen, they are our larger main runs," explains Ringenoldus. "So they cover a larger percentage of our acreage."

And not only will the runs be open, but the conditions will be ideal.

"We've spent a lot of money the last few years on our snowmaking and it's as state-of-the-art as it gets," he explains. "It should be very good conditions."

He explains that they've been fortunate with some cold weather recently to provide favorable conditions for snowmaking.

"If the temperature allows we'll run all day, otherwise we'll run just at night," says Ringenoldus.

The temperature typically needs to be twenty-eight degrees or colder to allow for effective snow making.

And even if you're a little challenged when it comes to balance, you still will have an opportunity to enjoy the snow.

"We've never opened our tubing this early," he explains. "So to be able to get that open for this Thanksgiving weekend is really exciting."

Information on lift ticket pricing and rental rates can be found here.