GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Northeast Wisconsin Technical College nursing students are making a difference for sick children.

Students were at St. Vincent Hospital on Friday giving out bags with gifts to child patients.

They put together about 65 bags for the kids.

The donations included hand-made blankets and books.

Organizers say the items make a big difference to kids going through a tough time.

"They are so excited, I can't even explain it to you guys because there's just so much, they get such big smiles on their faces," said St. Vincent child life specialist, Amy Hagel. "You know it's just one of these things that we want the experience to be pleasant for them."

NWTC students have donated hundreds of bags since the books and blankets program started four years ago.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) -- An Apollo 8 astronaut is being honored at a new EAA exhibit.

Frank Borman, commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to orbit the moon, is also a lifetime EAA member.

"The Borman Collection: An EAA Member's Space Odyssey" opened Friday, in honor of the Apollo 8 astronaut.

He was honored with a ribbon-cutting at his new exhibit.

It has hundreds of artifacts from his space missions, as well as his awards and correspondence with world-leaders over the years.

Before his NASA career, he served in the U.S. Air Force.

"My first love is always airplanes and aviation, and I think that EAA is responsible for the fact that we still have a robust general aviation industry in this country," said Borman.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8, Borman and fellow astronaut Jim Lovell were special guests at the Wright Brothers Memorial Banquet Friday night at EAA.

It’s been 50 years since the first human flight to the moon, but Borman, can still remember what he was thinking T- minus seconds before launch.

“My major concern was that the mission be done perfectly and that crew not screw up, so I was focused totally on a successful mission. That’s what was going through my mid the whole time,” Borman recounted.

Borman and his crew were the first, but certainly not the last, to make it to the moon and back.

Within four years of Apollo 8's astronauts orbiting the moon, six successful Apollo missions saw others land on it, with the last being in December of 1972.

“The Apollo program is a battle and a cold war, and we made an enormous effort, and we won. But, one of the problems with having a specific objective is when you win, it sort of ends it," said Borman.

But back on solid ground and years later, how obtainable does the moon look now to Borman from Earth?

“We never had a cohesive program since, to go back to the moon, but it appears now that they’re getting ready to go back, which I support,” Borman said.

It was once hard to believe they put a man on the moon, but it happened and Frank Borman played a huge role in that victory.

Accomplishing life on Mars, however, is a different story to the former astronaut.

“The idea of communities and colonies is completely unrealistic," Borman says.

Others are a bit more optimistic, though.

Retired Captain Dennis Hopkins of the U.S. Navy said, “John F. Kennedy said we’re going to put a man on the moon, or a person on the moon now, in less than 10 years, and we did it! It’s inconceivable that someday that it won’t happen."

Borman and Lovell both spoke at the banquet and were interviewed in a panel discussion held there.

Event organizers say the event was completely sold out.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - Oshkosh Police have arrested a 75-year-old YMCA employee for having inappropriate contact with a child.

The man was arrested Thursday night for first-degree sexual assault of a child and false imprisonment.

Oshkosh Police was called to the YMCA on West 20th Avenue in Oshkosh after receiving information that someone had inappropriate conduct with a child on November 27, launching the investigation in conjunction with the Winnebago County District Attorney's office and staff at the YMCA. 

Officers say the man worked in the YMCA's child drop off and daycare center.

The Oshkosh Community YMCA released the following statement on the incident:

“We are dismayed and appalled upon learning of the allegations against an employee. Upon learning of concerns regarding their conduct, the Oshkosh Community YMCA began an internal investigation that led to contacting the Oshkosh Police Department. Based upon our investigation, the employee was terminated as an employee of the Oshkosh Community YMCA. We are cooperating fully with authorities as they continue their investigation. Our focus now is providing care and assistance to our YMCA families and staff. Those with questions or concerns regarding this situation are urged to contact the Oshkosh Police Department.”

Police say any parent that feels their child may have been a victim to this type of contact should contact police. 

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Former Packers Coach Mike McCarthy is saying goodbye to Green Bay.

Saturday morning, he's thanking fans for their love and support.

McCarthy took out an ad in newspapers across the state.

In it, McCarthy says,

"Thank you for the immerse outpouring of love our family has received this week and throughout our time here.

This speaks to the quality of folks in the State of Wisconsin."

McCarthy then referenced a quote from Vince Lombardi, "Green Bay is all about Faith, Family, and Football".

His message can be found in several papers around the state.

ONEIDA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Family members of a man shot and killed by a Green Bay police officer plans to file a lawsuit against Green Bay and all police officers involved in the incident. 

Jonathon Tubby, 26, was arrested for an outstanding warrant on Oct. 19.

An officer shot and killed Tubby inside the Brown County Jail's sally port after they say a confrontation happened.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice has turned over its findings. 

The Brown County District Attorney's office confirms it has received reports and evidence in the shooting of Tubby.

Tubby's family members talked to the media Saturday. 

During their statements, Tubby's family members stressed the importance of supporting unity and peace.

Tubby's aunt says she hopes the lines of communication stay open going forward in the process.

"We hope that the communication between the city, and the district attorney, and our family will continue to remain open and that we have some opportunities to discuss avenues that we may feel are appropriate," said Sue Doxtator, Jonathan Tubby's aunt.

Once the district attorney's review has been finalized, a time will be set to release the findings of the report.

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Area police officers took some time Saturday to help some kids find the perfect holiday gift.

They were out at Shopko stores, shopping with kids to help find the perfect gift for their families.

The cops picked kids who were in need to participate in the event.

The day started with breakfast before shopping, and then the kids had cookies after the event and then wrapped the gifts for their families.

"They're having a great day shopping for their families, and um, just, you know, enjoying the, the camaraderie with the officers, and, and, the, the whole day, I mean, it's, it's positive, it's, it's a great event, and we're happy to be a part of it," said Michelle Hansen, Shopko Foundation public relations manager. 

The kids were also able to buy hats and gloves to keep them warm this winter.

KAUKAUNA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Wisconsin's fastest grocery bagger helped raise awareness for a new community project.

Jennifer Neubauer took on Kaukauna Mayor Tony Penterman in a speed bagging contest at StoneRidge Piggly Wiggly.

The mayor was no match for Neubauer's bagging skills.

She has been competing in the state speed bagging competition for three years.

To her credit, a lot of preparation goes into this.

"The first two years I went and I didn't do so well, but this year I won, we just kinda practice, um, usually at night, I'll grab some groceries, practice bagging, work on my speed, the construction of my bags, weight distributions and stuff like that," said 

This was part of an event to raise awareness and money for the Kaukauna Public Library's new Interactive Learning Garden.

Community officials helped bag groceries at the store.

The project will feature several outdoor classrooms which focus on different learning subjects.

The store is asking for donations for the project through January 8.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Green Bay Packers (5-7-1) rode two passing touchdowns by Aaron Rodgers, a rushing touchdown by Aaron Jones, and an interception return for a touchdown from Bashaud Breeland to a 34-20 victory at home against the Atlanta Falcons in interim head coach Joe Philbin's first game leading the team.

The Falcons (4-9) scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game, but would not score again until the fourth quarter. Quarterback Matt Ryan finished with 262 passing yards, three tochdowns, and one interception.

Aaron Jones ran for 78 yards on seventeen carries and scored one touchdown on the ground, which provided the Packers offense with some much needed balance. 

Aaron Rodgers finished 21 for 32 with two touchdowns, a 7 yard completion to Davante Adams in the first quarter and another 24 yard touchdown to Randall Cobb in the third quarter.

Rodgers broke a record set by Tom Brady, spanning the 2010 and 2011 seasons, for the most consecutive passes without throwing an interception. His current streak has been extended to 369 passes, which surpasses Brady's former high mark of 358 consecutive throws.

Cornerback Bashaud Breeland burned Matt Ryan with a second quarter pick six, while the Green Bay defense only managed to register one lone sack.

The "Joe Philbin era" got off to a seemingly rough start when the interim coach blew both the teams challanges on Atlanta's initial drive, throwing the red flag on completions that were upheld following review.

The Packers will next travel to Chicago to face the Bears on Sunday, December 16 at noon.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A project to clean up the Fox River has just completed a decade of work and leaders say their end goal is in sight.

The Fox River Cleanup Project wrapped up its 10th season of dredging, capping, and covering the river in November.

Scott Stein, project spokesperson, explains what they've been doing.

"Crews have been out on the river dredging some areas, capping and covering others, as a way of reducing the impact of the PCB's," says Stein.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls, or PCB's, are a toxic chlorine compound. Stein explains how they were introduced to the river.

"From the manufacture and recycling of carbonless paper, back in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s," he says.

The PCB's pose a significant risk to human health, as well as the environment. In some cases, those two areas can cross over.

"They get into the food chain by fish consuming the organics and then those fish eating advisories [are] in place for people to limit their fish consumption," he explains.

Stein says major progress has been made in the past ten years, even though you might not be able to tell.

"There's nothing that you'd see," says Stein. "The PCB's are not soluble so they are adhering to organics basically in the river's sediment."

Operations in 2018 produced nearly 325,000 tons of processed sediment and other materials. 

That type of heavy workload required more than 13,000 truckloads in order to haul the various material to the Hickory Meadows Landfill in Calumet County and the Ridgeview Landfill in Manitowoc County.

Also in 2018, the project continued to move downstream and was able to have 52 acres of river bottom either capped or sand covered.

The project is now suspended for the winter, which is typical, but when work resumes again in 2019 it might be the final go around.

"When things get going again in spring, in March or April, it is expected to be the final year of work on the river for this project," says Stein.

Project officials also point out that in more than 2.6 million accumulated work hours there has not been a single lost time incident recorded.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - After one of the largest Data Breaches In history, the Better Business Bureau working to protect those impacted.

Marriott International is reporting 500 million people have been affected leaving the door open for identity theft for anyone who was a customer on before September 10, 2018.  

"Hackers access peoples names, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, passport numbers, dates of birth, gender."  

Susan Bach, Regional Director of the Better Business Bureau of Northeast Wisconsin says that is just half the problem.  

"Not only is the initial data breach a big problem, but the scams that tend to come afterward can also be very problematic for some people."    

They worry about data breaches leading to future scams that put malware on victims computers or convince them to send large amounts of money.   

Bach says if you feel you could be a victim stay calm, request a free credit report and most importantly,   "I think this a prime example of why everyone needs to place a credit freeze on their credit report because a credit freeze makes it difficult for someone to open a new credit card under your name."  

It is also recommended to check credit statements to make sure there are not any extra charges that were not put on by the user.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - There's a new leader in charge at one of the area's biggest non-profits.

Sean Elliott has taken the reins as President and C-E-O of the Greater Green Bay YMCA.

New to NE Wisconsin, Elliott has worked for the YMCA for 19 years, the last 14 in Philadelphia. In looking for a new professional challenge, Elliott had some ideas.

It starts with the culture.

"I wanted to be a part of an organization, a Y organization, that really had a track record of growth."

And that's one of the things that appealed to him about this opportunity. Potential growth in programs, growth in people, and growth in facilities.

As for his management style...

"I believe in presence, I believe in visibility. I think the best way to know the Y is to use it."

And that's not just walking around the Y properties.

"The needs of the community will change, and they'll change if you're not paying attention to what you need to do. And the best way to find out what you need to do is to ask and be receptive to it."

One thing already on the radar is the Y adding a facility in De Pere. He calls it a growing community and one the YMCA can get a foothold in as it develops.

Sean Elliott takes over a Greater Green Bay YMCA that employs about 900 people and around 2 thousand volunteers for all of its programs.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - For the second week in a row, Packer's ticket prices dropped below face value.

Re-sellers were selling Tickets for Sunday's Packers versus Falcons game for as low as 30 dollars.

A pleasant surprise for those used to paying over face value for tickets.

“We paid 40 bucks for our tickets,” said Devan Waisbrot who traveled from New Mexico to Green Bay.

“I paid 75 dollars,” said Ryan Zimmerman. “Face value is 110.”

And fans tell FOX 11 they weren't surprised at the low prices.

“It makes sense because we lost our last game, we lost our head coach. So, everybody expected the prices to drop. It was super exciting seeing how cheap the tickets were. So, we had come," said Wainsbrot.

Attendance for the last two games have been the lowest all season. With just 77,329 at this week’s game and a season-low of 77, 234 at last weeks.

It wasn’t hard to find a bargain for those who waited for tickets.

“We paid 150 for our tickets, a piece, and that was in August, and we’re from Atlanta. We got here last night and we’re here to have fun for the experience,” said Devon Chin.

After seeing how low the price dropped for his ticket, he tells FOX 11 he's a little disappointed.

“We were like ‘aw man, we overpaid,’ It hurt. But we’re here that’s all that matters to support our team."

If they continue to win, tickets could rise again for the next home game, December 30th against the Detroit Lions.

After a win against the Falcons Sunday, there is still a chance the Packers could make the playoffs.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay Police are talking to people, but no arrests yet after a shooting on Green Bay's west side early this morning.

Police say it happened shortly before 1 A.M. in the 1800 block of Western Avenue, between Taylor and Military.

A 23-year-old man was shot multiple times and is in serious condition at an area hospital.

Anyone with information is asked to call Green Bay Police at (920) 448-3208.

DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - As the seasons change, and we get closer to winter, Door County tourism leaders want to let people know the area isn't just for summertime visits. , there is plenty to do in the coming months.

Jon Jarosh, with the Door County Visitor Bureau, tells FOX 11 there's plenty to do in the coming months.

"So many of the things that you can see in Door County, other times of the year, are available in the winter. It's just a little different. Maybe a little quieter, maybe a little chillier."

But Jarosh says the area offers more than just natural beauty.

He says of the two million Door County visitors each year, about a quarter visit in what's known as the shoulder season, from November to April.

"If you haven't come to Door County in the wintertime for maybe 10 or 15 years, you'll be amazed at how many places are open now in the wintertime."

Places like Bay Shore Outfitters in Sturgeon Bay. The store features all-things outdoors, and they sell and rent snowshoes and cross-country skis as well.

"We feel that we want to stay open year round just because of servicing the community too. With the locals coming in, with the rentals on the weekends, during the week to over the Christmas break time," said Julie Wilson, Bay Shore Outfitters.

Across the shipping channel along 3rd Avenue, open signs are all around the downtown.

Carol and Dave Hackett noticed. They moved to Sturgeon Bay four years ago, in part, for the year-round conveniences.

"I think probably the quaintness of the area, and our downtown's got a lot of cute little shops. And they're really high on selling local," said Carol Hackett, Sturgeon Bay.

"It's very important. It's good for everybody. It's good for the tourists, and it's good for the locals because it gives us more opportunities to spend," said Dave Hackett, Sturgeon Bay.

And there's more. Jarosh says from wineries to restaurants, to places to stay, the Door County Winter booklet is packed with information including a calendar of the major winter events.

"Give them an idea, maybe an excuse to want to come back and see what Door County is like in the colder months of the year."

From a pond hockey tournament on a frozen lake to a snowshoe trek through the woods,

"People are realizing that Door County, while it's different in the winter, it's still just as magical. And there are still some wonderful things to see and do while they're up here."

According to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, visitor spending was nearly $12.7 billion dollars statewide last year.

Door county made up almost $358.7 million of that, ranking it 7th of 72 counties.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The opportunity to grab tickets to see Paul McCartney perform at Lambeau Field was opened to the public at 10 a.m., which proved to be a frantic first few hours for both McCartney fans and local ticket brokers.

A select group of people were able to get a crack at purchasing pre-sale tickets last week, but for everyone else, the floodgates opened today.

Travis Loftus, Manager of Ticket King in Ashwaubenon, said there was real excitement Monday morning.

"As soon as 10 o'clock hit we had a bunch of people calling us and actually stopping [to come] into the office," he explains. "We've actually already had quite a few sales."

Loftus says they have a wide range of tickets available.

"The tickets that we own ourselves physically were anywhere from $120 to about $1800," he says.

Those upper scale seats will probably remain available for a while, but the same can't be said for the more low-scale entry level tickets. 

Loftus says the more economical seats have been the popular purchases, so far.

"Most people they just want to go in there to see him and just kind of get in the door," he says. "Most people have been picking out the bottom price."

And if that description fits you, then it might be a good idea to pull the trigger on a purchase sometime this week.

"Especially if you want to keep it under that $200 range, I'd buy them sooner rather than later," he explains.

Also, expect frenzied sales to continue beyond Monday and into the middle part of the week.

"The sales for the next couple of days I expect them to be pretty good, just because people are still making their plans, trying to get seats, or buying them for Christmas presents," he says. "There probably will be a little lull after the Holidays as people will pick at them here and there."

It was announced last Tuesday that Paul McCartney will be performing for the first time ever in Green Bay at Lambeau Field Saturday, June 8, 2019.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - The stalking case of Fox Crossing Municipal Judge Len Kachinsky, who was prominently featured in Netflix's Making a Murderer series, has ended in a not guilty verdict.

Judge Kachinsky was charged with stalking for his alleged activities with his court clerk and the jury did not reach a verdict after beginning deliberations on Friday, which led many to believe that the case was headed towards a mistrial.

According to the complaint, Kachinsky continued to have personal contact with the clerk, despite multiple admonishments from village officials that he restrict his interactions with the individual to professional items.

The jury sent a note to the judge, once deliberations resumed on Monday, saying that the panel was split 9-3 and members on both sides seemed unwilling to compromise.

The panel was sent back to the jury room to try again by Waupaca County Judge Guy Dutcher.

Kachinsky was previously suspended from handling the municipal judge duties by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

TOWNSHIPS OF ELDORADO AND FRIENDSHIP, WI (WTAQ) - 15 guns were stolen from two homes in the Townships of Eldorado and Friendship, according to Fond du Lac County deputies.

The burglaries happened on December 5 and 10 and items like cash and jewelry were left untouched, while several guns were taken from the two homes involved.

Both of the homes were unlocked between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., which is the time that the burglaries took place.

Deputies have the serial numbers for six of the fifteen stolen guns, which are listed below:

• Taurus PT709 9mm handgun: Serial #TJS18701
• Hipoint 45 semi auto with Woodland camo grip: Serial #X4340416
• Remington 870 shotgun: Serial #AB590027U
• Remington 700 deer rifle bolt action with Nikon scope: Serial #56249316
• Remington model 710 bolt action 30.06 rifle: Serial #71254121
• Hipoint model C9 semi auto handgun: Serial #P100002658

The nine other guns are described below, but exact serial numbers are not available:

• Heritage 22 caliber revolver
• Remington model 742 .308
• Remington 1100 12-gauge camo/synthetic
• Traditions 50 caliber muzzle loader nickle finish
• Remington Ducks Unlimited 30.06 black in color
• Traditions over-under 12 gauge
• Winchester 1200 12-gauge camo
• Thompson Contender 30-30 with .223 barrel

There are no leads or suspects yet according to The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office.

Please contact Detective Eric Muellenbach of the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office at 920-929-3399 if you have any information on the burglaries. 

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Forgetting the words can be the worse nightmare for anyone singing the National Anthem and for a Green Bay Area man, it happened Sunday at Lambeau Field.

It was a moment that a Green Bay area man would like to forget, but knows he will forever remember.

"Forever I will be known as that guy."

He says he knows the words well, but an incident in front of him threw him off of his game.

"As they were hauling the big flag out, a lady fell and a guy fell right on top of her and it distracted me for just a second, and I forgot the fourth phrase."

Hermans has performed the National Anthem hundreds of times,  and this one started well. 

Once Hermans got to "What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming, but then the next line became full of La, La, La.

He says with his experience in being a professional singer, he is trained to make up new words when that happens to get back on track, but not with the Star Spangled Banner.

"You cannot sacrilege the wording, so I just went la, la, la. Thank God."

He says he also had another thought going through his mind.

"Hey we have this timed out for the flyover, so I have to somehow come back in the timing and the phrasing of this song."

Hermans says he was asked that morning to fill in singing for a country artist that was not able to fly in due to weather and rehearsed perfectly just hours before. 

He says as tough as that was, being so well known in the community has led to tons of support from many.

"I do the CP Telethon every year and the charity shows that Let Me Frank Productions does, of course, it helped. In a day in age where it is tough to be forgiving and everyone is saying bad things about people, it is nice to see the support I am getting."

He says he knows he is not alone and since the event, he has been getting texts and emails from people giving examples of others who have messed up the words.

"Everybody is patting me on the back and saying it is okay, it was still strong. I screwed up the National Anthem, I am a professional singer, the veterans are very important to me. I have all these guys standing behind me and I screwed up. I have been wanting to sing at a Packer game forever."

He said after he got off stage, his 19-year-old son who also sings, came running down the stairs to tell him that he feels his pain, but that he sounded amazing.

Herman has been waiting for the chance since almost getting to sing in 1992. He says he was scheduled to sing, but the band director decided not to have a singer along with their performance, from then on, it has been a bucket list item.

Many are praising Hermans for not giving up and finishing on time like nothing happened.

"I was able to recover, but still I messed up the lyric."

Hermans was able to recover and finish strong, he says he hopes the Packers give him another chance sometime.

REESEVILLE, WI (WTAQ) - A Reeseville man was sentenced to six and a half years in prison on Monday for "moving thousands of dollars of cocaine into Dodge County."

According to prosecutors, 39-year-old Victor Adamemres sold an ounce of cocaine to undercover agents, seven different times, between December 2017 to March 2018.

1.6 pounds of cocaine that was packaged for sale was found at his residence in March of 2018 when a search warrant was executed.

During the executed search warrant authorities also found two loaded handguns, including a loaded AK47.

Officials say that a young child was living at the residence when the search warrant was executed. 

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay Police Officer Aaron Walker was honored on Monday by The Green Bay Rotary Club for his excellence in Public Safety.

Walker was nominated by other Green Bay officers for his commitment to the community, such as his tendency to have lunch with students at Washington Middle School when he's not training.

"There's some great kids out here and there's some great minds," he says. "One day some of them might wear this uniform and they can dictate and they can kind of control how this city works."

Walker served in the U.S. Army for six years, prior to his law enforcement career. He joined the Green Bay Police Department in April of 2015 and was selected as a "field training officer."

Officer Walker was described by Night Shift Capt. Todd LePine as “an individual who does the right thing for the right reasons, has qualities which make him an unselfish person and a tremendous employee.”

The award Officer Walker received is to recognize those who exemplify the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self."

In his spare time Officer Walker also coaches youth football.