GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-Wisconsin Radio Network) - Scammers are sending out more targeted email attacks against specific people, in a process known as Spear phishing.

State consumer protection director Michelle Reinen says the scammers specifically target people with the authority to make payments or have access to financial information.

One common tactic of the scam is to pose as your boss's boss. 

"The CEO or president of the company asks you to send over some piece of financial information or confirm something, and then you hand over important information for the company," she says.

She says scammers are looking to capitalize on the idea that you might just blindly fill out an invoice or pay a phony bill without realizing it. 

"Don't let the busyness of the day help you to fall off guard with these situations, and don't ever click on links from unsolicited emails," says Reinen.

Scammers will send people in charge of finances phony invoice or bills that need to be paid, while impersonating someone else in the company or organization.

"We've seen it with small towns that end up playing an invoice, and in their small town budget, they don't necessarily have that money," explains Reinen.

She reminds people to always check who's sending you a mail, and not to get complacent about responding to emails that seem out of the ordinary. 

People need to really look at emails that ask for payment or financial information, even if it seems like they're coming from inside the company. 

As always, carefully scan your email before responding, and never click links in an unsolicited email.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Governor-elect Tony Evers is announcing a statewide listening tour for the new state budget.

He’ll make his first stop this evening in Green Bay.

It will be from 4:30 to 6:00 pm at UWGB University Union on campus. Those who wish to speak at the event must register in advance.

Evers will hold similar events Wednesday in Wausau and next Tuesday and Wednesday at La Crosse and Milwaukee.

Through this process, we are going to hear directly from the people and build a budget that reflects the values and priorities of the citizens of Wisconsin," Evers said in a written statement.

During the campaign Evers proposed $340-million in tax relief for middle-income families, to be paid for by cuts to agricultural subsidies and manufacturing credits.

Evers says his plan would cut state taxes for individuals earning less than $100,000 a year.

Evers also said he will restore two-thirds state funding for schools, which would lead to a funding increase of close to $1.4-billion.

The budget will be an early test of whether Evers can work with the GOP controlled legislature.

The governor-elect has already clashed with lawmakers over a series of lame-duck bills that limit his power once he takes office in January.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Several cities and one county are getting new transit buses, including Appleton.

The funds are coming from money that Volkswagen paid in fines after cheating on emissions tests.

Of almost $3 billion in fines, Wisconsin will get $67 million. $32 million will be used for new buses.

In Appleton, more than 30 transit buses are running 17 hours a day, 6 days a week.

Most of the buses? Nearly a quarter century old.

"A mass transit bus is designed to run a minimum of 12 years or 500,000 miles," said Ron McDonald, the Valley Transit general manager.

McDonald tells FOX 11 in the next 5 years the city will replace its entire fleet.

Valley Transit plans to use the grant to replace 15 buses.

"Maintenance costs are going to be far less, we're excited to get clean diesel buses," said McDonald.

McDonald said the clean diesel buses will reduce air pollution emissions by 97%, compared to the old buses.

But why not invest in electric vehicles?

"We weren't ready for electric buses, not confident enough in the technology yet at this point."

McDonald also says in colder weather, electric buses will travel far less than 200 miles per day.

Mechanics say the technology needed for electric buses would be costly.

"I think the electric buses are for something of the future, for when battery technology gets to where it needs to be for longevity, holding a charge," said Mike Farrell, the Diesel technology instructor at the Fox Valley Technical College.

McDonald said aside from the environmental impacts, the new buses will benefit folks who are physically impaired.

Green Bay is set to receive almost $2 million and Appleton more than $7 million.

More than $5 million will go toward buses in Milwaukee County. More than $6 million to Racine and almost a $1 million to Sheboygan.

In Madison, public transportation will utilize roughly $5 million and a $1.5 million for Janesville.

Finally, Wausau is set to receive almost a $1 million, La Crosse about $200,000 and $2 million for Eau Claire.

After each city and county submitted a request for funding, the State Department of Administration decided how to allocate the money.

KEWAUNEE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The snow was flying along the Lakeshore Monday, but it wasn't all coming from the sky.

Mechanical snowmaking machines are working to lay the foundation for the upcoming season at Winter Park near Kewaunee.

"We have three guns running on our ski hill behind me here, and the other side on our tubing hill, we have two guns going right now," said Dave Myers, Kewaunee County Parks Director.

Myers tells FOX 11 crews started making snow last week.

"It's just basically pressurizing water, and spraying it into the air. So, by the time it falls, it turns to snow. So, it's as easy as that. We like to be in the teens, or at least low 20s, to make decent snow. Once it starts getting in the high 20s, it's starting to get a little wet," said Myers.

Winter Park officials say it typically takes about a foot and a half base, to form the frozen foundation for the five snowboarding and skiing runs.

And there's a popular multi-lane snow tubing run, complete with an uphill mechanized conveyor called the Magic Carpet.

"Last year, that really set us up for a record-breaking season, welcoming over 11,000 visitors from 23 states here," said Jennifer Gonzalez, Kewaunee County Tourism Coordinator.

And there are other improvements, including a refurbished tow rope for the beginner hill, and a new storage barn for the park's trail groomer.

"Winter Park, is it's a whole lot of fun packed into one little park," said Gonzalez.

Myers says the park is expected to open the weekend before Christmas if the weather cooperates.

"We've been running all through the weekend here, and now we're just going to take a break with the warm weather and probably go back at it at night when it cools off a bit more."

Winter Park will open on the weekends, for tubing, skiing, snowboarding and even snowshoeing.

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Five people and two dogs were able to safely escape a fire that started in a garage of an Ashwaubenon home on Marvelle Lane Tuesday morning just before 9:00 a.m.

Captain Jody Crocker of Ashwaubenon Public Safety says the Green Bay fire chaplain from Green Bay Fire, Andrew Collins, was the one to make the 911 call. 

"He happened to be driving past at the time and being well versed in fires, he noticed that the house was on fire and called. 

Crocker added that a passerby Linda Noel was driving by with a 3-year-old in the car when she noticed smoke coming from the home.  She also dialed 911 and stayed until officers arrived.

The first person to respond was an officer in police uniform and was able to make contact with one person inside the residence.

"There was plenty of smoke and flames going on, enough that the officer without a breathing apparatus was not able to stay in the environment and he knew that and backed out."

Fire crews then entered the residence with SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus)

Crocker said with people in the home, time was a factor but was also on their side.

"This residence is only a couple of blocks from our station so the response was quick."

Some of the residents escaped through a basement window.

All persons were treated by EMS on the scene and none were transported to the hospital.

The fire caused significant damage and the cause has yet to be determined.

The fire is under investigation by the Brown County Fire Investigation Task Force.

HOBART, WI (WTAQ) - Local and state leaders gathered in Hobart on Tuesday to celebrate the group effort conducted in acquiring the largest federal transportation grant in Brown County history.

The villages of Hobart and Howard continue to grow and with that comes a need for improved infrastructure.

Officials got all they could have wished for and more when they secured a nearly $20 million federal grant for the State Highway 29 and County Highway VV interchange project. 

"Today is a great day for Brown County, its municipalities, businesses, and families," says Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach. "It's not every day we secure an investment like this. It speaks volumes to the success we can achieve by working together to improve our quality of life for future generations."

Executive Streckenbach did note that it was a challenging process.

"As we all know infrastructure dollars are very tough to come by and when you're dealing with federal systems it's very difficult to stand out in a crowd when there is 50 other states," he says.

And to effectively stand out it takes all hands on deck, or as Streckenbach noted a couple of times, a "full court press."

"When we're a group, we're strong," he explains. "When we're standing alone, we're weak."

Streckenbach was speaking at Reading Connections in Hobart, along with federal highway administration officials, congressional, state, and local officials, and area business owners.

The project, which is being funded by the 2018 Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD) Discretionary Grant Program, is aimed at improving safety.

Local officials and business owners mentioned the dangerous "J-Turn" featured at the existing State Highway 29 and County Highway VV intersection.

The new interchange will feature sidewalks, striped on-street bicycle lanes, and roundabouts in an effort to improve road safety.

In addition to safety, the project is looking to stimulate an area that has demonstrated both population and economic growth.

"From 2010 to 2014, Hobart was the fastest growing municipality in the state of Wisconsin," says Village President Rich Heidel.

He notes that Hobart's population has doubled in the past ten years.

They also aren't just growing in physical numbers, but dollar figures as well.

"We have created $155 million of a new tax base," says Heidel. "We are the home for almost 200 new full-time employment opportunities."

A project of this magnitude will take some time to get underway and Executive Streckenbach addressed the timeline moving forward.

"Right now we're thinking this is around a $30 million project," he says. "Essentially, we're hoping to be able to start it around 2022, give or take a year."

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Governor Scott Walker is remaining hopeful that a tax incentives bill to save a Kimberly-Clark facility can be struck prior to him leaving office, while Republican leaders are saying they're focused on making that happen.

The outgoing Governor has voiced his disappointment in the recent past and reiterated that he's not giving up and would love for an agreement to be the last thing he does prior to leaving office in January.

State Senator Roger Roth reciprocated Walker's sense of urgency and the idea that any available avenue should be explored. He says there are some important questions to be asked if an agreement becomes unrealistic.

"Is there something that can be done?" he asks. "Is there some common ground, some commonality, that we can get to with the company and with the union?"

Senator Roth points out that it's not just a select group of Republican leaders that want the bill to be passed in order to ensure that jobs stay in place.

"The union wants the company to stay here, I think the company genuinely wants to stay here," he says. "The leaders of northeast Wisconsin want it to stay here, it's just seeing if there's something out there that can make this work."

The bill was never voted on in last week's extraordinary session with Republican leaders saying they didn't have the necessary support for its passage.

While Governor Walker and Senator Roth voiced their displeasure with that outcome, it still is encouraging for them that such a session can take place if needed in the future.

"That extraordinary session called still looms out there, so we have the ability and the mechanism to come and do that if we can get a consensus behind the bill," explains Senator Roth.

For Senator Roth, the timeline of the Kimberly-Clark discussion also proves to be a positive sign moving forward.

"If you would have told me on January 31, when the company said they were leaving, that we would be at a point right now where we're still talking about the possibility of saving these jobs, a lot of people wouldn't have believed that," he explains.

Without the proposed tax incentives package, which could reach as high as $100 million, company officials have said that they will close their doors.

That announcement sparked Republican leaders to act decisively in crafting a possible bill that would keep the company in place and open.

"That's why the Governor and I came out with the bill as we have in the legislature right now," he says. "It's changed the conversation, it went from the company wanting to leave to considering staying."

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Governor-elect Tony Evers kicked off his informal community-based budget tour at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Tuesday.

The initial 90-minute session of the "Building the People's Budget" Tour featured a collection of students, community members, and elected officials coming together in small groups to voice their values and priorities for the state.

Governor-elect Evers noted that the goal of the tour is less about final numbers and more about hearing directly from the people of Wisconsin.

"No expectations about the bottom line, our hope obviously is to keep taxes at a reasonable level and hopefully not raise them at all," he says.

He highlighted one of the topics brought up.

"E-cigarettes are now causing people to use more tobacco than ever before when just the opposite was expected to happen," he explains. "As a result, we have more costs when it comes to tobacco use."

While many of the other things brought up were some of the same topics Evers stressed throughout his campaign.

"We believe that what we ran on, the issues of transportation, the issues of health care, the issues to make sure that we have a strong education system, still are partial to what folks are talking about," explains Governor-elect Evers.

For the Governor-elect, it's also an opportunity to move on from last weeks legislative session in Madison.

"The difference between this type of input and what we had a week or so ago in the capital is stark," he says. "So we feel very good about the results."

He went on to further address the extraordinary session, saying last weeks events never would have even taken place had November's election gone differently.

"I know we've had special sessions before, but nothing like this," explains Governor-elect Evers. "We wouldn't be here talking about it had Scott Walker won this race."

Governor-elect Evers says all the legislation passed last week was unfair, not just particular items.

"It's my belief that it should be repealed completely," he says. "I'm not going to negotiate with him [Walker] over various issues because, frankly, it's all bad."

Evers remains hopeful that Governor Walker will veto the lame-duck legislation.

"It was 141-pages of hot mess," he says. "And to say 'Oh gosh, this one is more important than that,' I can not say it."

Next up on the tour is a stop in Wausau at the Wausau Labor Temple on Wednesday starting at Noon.

The tour wraps up next week with stops Tuesday in La Crosse and Wednesday in Milwaukee.

FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A suspect has been identified by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office for a string of gun thefts from area homes.

Matthew R.K. Britton is considered armed and dangerous, according to authorities. He has a warrant for his arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Since October, seventeen guns have been stolen from homes, with the robberies taken place in the northwestern part of the county, in the towns of Eldorado and Friendship.

The Fond du Lac Sheriff's office is asking anyone with information to contact its non-emergency number, (920) 929-3399.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Shopko announced an agreement between them and Kroger on Tuesday, which will result in Shopko selling 42 of their 227 pharmacy locations across the country.

25 of the 72 pharmacy locations located in Wisconsin are also included in the sale.

Part of the agreement will keep the main stores and optical centers open.

Kroger pharmacy services are available at Pick ‘n Save, Copps and Metro Market stores operated by Kroger’s Roundy’s Division, according to Shopko.

The 25 Wisconsin locations closing are listed below:

• 1000 W. Northland Ave., Appleton, WI
• W3208 Van Roy Road, Appleton, WI
• 2101 E. Evergreen Dr., Appleton, WI
• 616 W. Johnson St., Fond Du Lac, WI
• 1771 Wisconsin Ave., Grafton, WI
• 216 S. Military Ave., Green Bay, WI
• 301 Bay Park Square, Green Bay, WI
• 2430 E. Mason St., Green Bay, WI
• 5300 52nd St., Kenosha, WI
• 800 E. Maes Ave., Kimberly, WI
• 3415 Calumet Ave., Manitowoc, WI
• 1306 N. Central Ave., Marshfield, WI
• 1578 Appleton Rd., Menasha, WI
• 699 S. Green Bay Road, Neenah, WI
• 1300 S. Koeller Road, Oshkosh, WI
• 1800 Plover Road, Plover, WI
• 4801 Washington Ave., Racine, WI
• 1105 E. Grand Ave., Rothschild, WI
• 518 S. Taylor Dr., Sheboygan, WI
• 1200 Main St., Stevens Point, WI
• N66 W25201 County VV, Sussex, WI
• 701 S. Church St., Watertown, WI
• 200 S. 18th Ave., Wausau, WI
• 1710 S. Main St., West Bend, WI
• 1100 E. Riverview Expressway, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay Police are looking for a man who they say threatened a restaurant employee at gunpoint Tuesday night.

Police say they were informed by the employee of an armed robbery at the Dairy Queen on Main Street. 

The call came into police at 7:21 p.m

Police have not provided a description of the suspect or disclosed how much, if any, money was taken.

Also, Green Bay police are investigating an armed robbery at Speedway overnight.   

That's in the 1600 block of East Mason Street.

They say a man walked into the business with a handgun and left with an unknown amount of cash.  Police did not say if this robbery is connected to a recent robbery at Dairy Queen.

They are still searching for the suspect. 

MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ) - It's Extreme Home Makeover, Business District edition and Marinette/Menominee is a Top 10 finalist for the Small Business Revolution Challenge and is on the road to be featured on the TV show Small Business Revolution.

The news was announced Tuesday.  

Marinette/Menominee area Business Owner Keith Killen says it puts them on the map with representatives from Deluxe, the company that makes the show happen.  

"They will be coming to the market and will do workshops and work with us."  

Kellen says business owners will be meeting to prepare for that and will need to come up with a plan for that meeting with the company.  

"Here is what I set out to do in small business. Here are the hurdles that I have and here is what I want to accomplish."  

Killen says it would be a dream come true to be selected as the top community in the nation and would be extra special because they are the first twin town entry, but win or lose, they already feel like winners.  

"We are going to benefit from this whole process whether we are the overall winner or not."  

He says in this process they have learned a lot and have become closer as a business community.   The top five will be selected in February.  

Killen says the overall winner will be voted on and you can help them win by posting about business in Marinette/Menominee and use the hashtag mymarinettemenominee when doing so.  

The winning business community will receive $500,000 dollars for improvements and will have six businesses featured on the TV show.

DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Door County is a popular destination for tourists, especially in the summer, but some people say when the people start coming the internet slows down.

Keeping Door County's natural beauty while accommodating the thousands of people who come to visit every year-- Jim Schuessler, the executive director of Door County's Economic Development Corporation, tells FOX 11 that's been the challenge.

“We’re not your typical rural area. We have significant commerce that moves into door county the average week in the summertime we go from a population of 30,000 to 300,000, and so that puts significant stress on what we do have available here as far as broadband.”

Schuessler says an increase in visitors means more people trying to connect to the internet at one time.

"That’s putting significant stress on businesses that use the technology to connect with their lenders for example when they’re running a credit card."

Heidi Teich is the village clerk in Sister Bay.

“The further you go north the less availability there is for good high-speed internet service.”

In Sister Bay, Teich tells FOX 11 a survey went out with 2018 Tax Bills.

“To question people and property and businesses here in the village about their internet service and their ability to get online when they want to.”

Schuessler says all municipalities have been asked to distribute the survey.

They hope to increase the amount of mobile and fixed broadband data Door County has available.

Nsight, Cellcom's parent company is one carrier in Door County helping with that. Last April, Nsight finished the installation of an underground fiber-optic line that runs from a couple towers in Green Bay to Gills Rock in Door County.

They're also embedding fiber into the underground power lines being installed in Washington Island.

“That summer traffic surge is a concern,” said Lee Thibaudeau, Nsight’s vice president of engineering.

Thibaudeau says it's difficult to pinpoint just how much more infrastructure is needed in Door County.

“The number of cell towers required to serve a potential area is determined by a whole lot of factors obviously the population and the number of users by also by the terrain.”

This makes Door County a difficult place to service.

Once Door County's Economic Development Corporation gets the results from the surveys, they’ll work with Nsight on a plan going forward.

The economic development corporation will meet again in February to review the surveys.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The Fox Cities Salvation Army says it’s desperately searching for volunteers to ring bells. It’s the last couple of weeks of its Red Kettle Campaign, and numbers are low.

“I think that it would be wonderful for anyone to volunteer, even an hour of their time, and it’s just a rewarding experience,” said bell ringer for the Fox Cities Salvation Army Helen Mclellan.

Mclellan tells FOX 11 she has been a volunteer bell ringer for over 15 years.

“It’s a very worthwhile thing to be able to help the community and, especially, the Salvation Army, because it’s such a wonderful organization.”

Bells have been ringing, but not as many as the Fox Cities Salvation Army would like to hear.

More than half of the organization's spots still need to be filled before Christmas Eve.

“There are very few bell ringers right now, and so we’re quite worried,” said Major David Minks of the Fox Cities Salvation Army.

“Some days we lose several thousands of dollars because no one’s outside ringing.”

When a red kettle is manned by a bell ringer, the Salvation Army says it collects about $60 an hour. But without one, that number drops significantly, sometimes to as low as less than $1 an hour.

“If no one is ringing the bell, people don’t usually put any money in,” Mclellan said.

The Fox Cities Salvation Army said this year it's down about 20% from its overall goal of $1.2 million.

Minks tells FOX 11 those funds are critical to continue helping thousands in need.

"Year-round, the Salvation Army helps with food for those who have little, it helps feed children, of course, toys at Christmas time, and there’s a homeless population in the area that is taken care of.”

In the next week, there will be several days where donations are doubled by local corporations, so the Salvation Army says having more bell ringers out is crucial.

If you would like to learn more about volunteering at the Fox Cities Salvation Army or at different locations around Northeast Wisconsin, visit their website.

NEENAH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - His parents say it's a miracle he survived.

Four months after 13-year-old Henry Schinke was hit by a motorcycle while riding his bike, he's thanking ThedaCare's trauma staff for saving his life.

“When I arrived at the scene, they told me that ThedaStar was called,” said Henry's mom, Sara Schinke.

“There were a lot of good Samaritans that night.”

That night, August 19th, at around 8:30 p.m. when Henry was riding his bike in the town of Harrison.

That's when he was hit by a drunken driving suspect on a motorcycle.

The crash left a 53-year-old woman dead at the scene, while Henry was flown to the hospital.

Suffering from critical injuries to his liver, kidney, and pelvis, as well as broken bones, Henry was first taken to ThedaCare in Neenah, then flown to Milwaukee for additional treatment.

“It is cool visiting the ThedaStar team,” Henry said. “I’m glad I am able to come back and see everything and everyone.”

He returned home six weeks later.

ThedaStar Air Medical-Flight Nurse, Erin Rusch, tells FOX 11...

“Every second counts, every minute. That’s why we do what we do. There is a lot of out of the box thinking and a lot of split-second decisions being made to ensure the health and care of our patients.”

The Schinke family says they are grateful for the difference ThedaCare and ThedaStar have made in their lives.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - On Tuesday Night, December 11th, two armed robberies were reported in the city of Green Bay.

The first occurred at the Dairy Queen on Main Street at approximately 7:20pm. The second robbery occurred several hours later at approximately 10:48pm at the Speedway gas station on E. Mason Street.

In both cases, a black male entered the stores with a handgun. He was wearing a blue puffy looking winter jacket and a gray over black Milwaukee Bucks stocking cap with a black ball or pom-pom on the top.

The male demanded money from the stores but appeared to be apologetic and told clerks that he was sorry.

Based on comments he made at the scene he appears to be going through an emotionally challenging time in his life.

In the first robbery, he identified himself to the clerk as “Shawn”. In the second robbery incident, he was seen getting into a white or very light colored 4 door car that was described as “boxy-looking”.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Anyone with information on these incidents is encouraged to contact Detective John Peters at the Green Bay Police Department (920) 448-3208 and reference case numbers #18-213886 and 18-213888.

You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward by contacting Green Bay Area Crime Stoppers by phone at (920) 432-STOP (7867), through their website at www.432stop.com, or by downloading the P3 app through Google Play or App store

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - After teasing everyone with the prospect that he may run for Brown County Executive in 2019, outgoing Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt says now is not the right time.

Schmitt released the following statement today. (WED)

After considerable thought and evaluation, I’ve decided not to be a candidate for elected office at this time. My love for our city, our county, and our state is sincere and unwavering. As I enter the next phase of my professional life, I have every intention of remaining a loyal, non-elected, supporter of this community. I enjoy and am invigorated by the election process. However, elections are very time consuming, and in the next three months, I’m focusing my attention on accomplishing the following priorities:

Completing the $7 million fundraising campaign to Bring Back the Beach at Bay Beach;

Assuring the grand opening of the Hotel Northland, a Marriott Autograph Collection property;

Breaking ground on the townhouses at the Railyard;

Breaking ground on the first phase of development at the Shipyard; and

Securing a new job that uses my experience and talents, and that also benefits the people of Green Bay

Last week, Schmitt had taken out the paperwork needed to run for Brown County Executive. He had until January 2nd to complete the paperwork and turn it in to officially be a candidate.

Earlier this year, Mayor Schmitt announced that he would not seek another term as Mayor.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - An iconic basketball team mixed fun with a serious message as they spoke at a Green Bay elementary school on Wednesday.

The Harlem Globetrotters have been embarrassing the Washington Generals for decades, but they told Fort Howard Elementary School students that bullying is no joke.

Orlando El Gato Melendez is a 7-year Globetrotter veteran that still has trouble believing he's wearing the red, white, and blue.

"Funny part is I never thought I was going to be a Globetrotter," he explains. "The first time that I saw them was on Scooby-Doo, so I was like, 'Oh wow,' when I found out they were real and I had a chance to become a Globetrotter."

Prior to being with the Globetrotters, Melendez was recruited to play for the University of North Carolina Tarheels by legendary coach Dean Smith. He spent time playing alongside future NBA players like Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison before graduating from the program in 2001. 

He would spend time playing professionally in Europe and for the Puerto Rico National Team before eventually landing with the Globetrotters, where he says he enjoys the time he's able to spend traveling and interacting with kids all over the world. 

In situations like Wednesday, he says kids definitely enjoy the games and tricks, but do a great job listening to their message. 

"The kids are in-between super excited about the tricks and the Harlem Globetrotter part, but at the same time they pay a lot of attention and they see the serious thing about our message," explains Melendez.

He says a major concern with bullying is that often times a domino effect takes place after the initial incident.

"Once one person gets bullied, another person starts getting bullied, and another person starts getting bullied," he explains. "We're trying to stop that from the get-go and just try to make everybody happy."

Melendez says a key to their message is to remind students not to be afraid to speak up in bullying situations.

"It's to encourage kids to talk," he says. "Everybody is scared that if you say something bullying is going to continue and it's going to get to you."

He also taught students the ABC's of bullying prevention, which are action, bravery, and compassion.

The Globetrotters coordinate their anti-bullying efforts with the National Campaign to Stop Violence (NCSV).

The Harlem Globetrotters will be at the Resch Center on December 26, 2018.

Update: Makaiah is reported to have been found and is safe with her family. Ashwaubenon Public Safety is thanking the community for their support.

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - A 16-year-old girl has been reported missing by Ashwaubenon Public Safety.

Makaiah Hansen was last seen by her family on Monday, December 10 when she was dropped off at Seymour High School around 7:45 a.m.

Hansen's mother has verified that her daughter is 5'6" and is in need of her medication. She was last seen wearing a black jacket with a black backpack, blue jean capris, black-rimmed glasses, and earrings.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ashwaubenon Public Safety at 920-429-2315.