GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) -  Green Bay Police say a 39-year-old man suffered serious injuries after an overnight stabbing on the city's east side.

Police did not say exactly where it happened but did say they continue to look for evidence outside a residence.

Investigators are also speaking with persons of interest.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Brown County officials say county engineers made a multi-million-dollar mistake and now taxpayers are going to be paying more to help keep Green Bay Packaging in the area.

In fast-track votes to start construction and keep the company from moving elsewhere, the state agreed to chip in $60 million in tax credits.

The city of Green Bay agreed to $23 million in tax assistance and Brown County agreed to $5.3 million for a retention pond and a pipe between the mill and the sewerage district.

Six months later, the county says its engineers were wrong in how they planned to build the stormwater management system.

“In the end, piping couldn't be run above ground,” said David Hemery, Brown County Corporation Counsel. “It had to go underground and it had to go deep underground 18 to 20 feet.”

The extra cost of putting the pipe in the ground and adding a lift station is about $6.5 million. Green Bay Packaging has agreed to pay $3.6 million for the lift station if the county covers the remaining $2.9 million.

“Complications happen,” said Patrick Evans, a Brown County Supervisor who is also running to be Green Bay’s next mayor. “It's the county's fault, so I mean what do you say? No, I'm not going to support this?”

Supervisor James Knieszel doesn't blame the county's engineers because he says they were given an unrealistic timeline to price out the work.

“I also believe that if Green Bay Packaging was using its own money to pay for this infrastructure that you better believe they would have done the work necessary to make sure that $5.3 million was an accurate cost estimate before proceeding,” said Kneiszel.

“We had to be fast-paced because we're in business and in business, you have to make decisions quickly,” said Bryan Hollenbach, Executive Vice President of Green Bay Packaging. “I think everyone did their best work. Once the project gets farther and farther down the road, you learn more things.”

The county board voted 21 to 3 to take the extra funding from the county's general fund for the project. Language was also put into the resolution stating the county will not put any additional money toward the project and if there is any excess sales tax revenue, it will be used to replenish the money taken from the county’s general fund.

The new mill is still expected to be ready in 2021. It is under construction next to the existing mill.

Green Bay Packaging employs 1,100 people in Brown County. It has said it will add as many as 200 new jobs when the new mill is ready.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - What seemed like a typical work day for an Appleton VA officer, turned into anything but.

Officer Cole Kantner, calls it dumb luck when he ironically left the VA office in Appleton for the one in Green Bay, earlier than usual on Dec. 12.

While driving along I-41 near Wrightstown, Officer Kantner heard a statewide "attempt to locate" alert over the Brown County radio frequency.

The alert was for an armed and dangerous person wanted for a possible kidnapping of an 18-month-old child.

"When they were giving some of the details and everything, I remember telling myself, 'Wow, this actually sounds like an interesting incident,'" Officer Kantner said. "When I happened to look up and see the vehicle that matched the description, at the time you kind of think to yourself, no way is this going to happen to me, there’s no way I am in the right spot at the right time."

Kantner quickly alerted authorities. Since VA officers have no law enforcement authority off VA property, he followed the vehicle until it was pulled over on University Avenue in Green Bay. The suspect was arrested and the child was safe.

Kantner says he doesn't believe he did anything anyone else wouldn't have done with the same information.

"I am a father myself and it kind of takes heart when you know there is a child involved and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome," Kantner said.

Colleges, friends and family have praised Kantner for his quick thinking, including Milwaukee VA police chief, Tim Jantz who says it was the best possible outcome of a very bad situation.

"I truly thank God that I was there at that time and able to do something about it," Kantner said.

Kantner also applauds the work of responding law enforcement who successfully made the traffic stop and took the suspect into custody.

FOX CROSSING, WI (WTAQ) - 49-year-old Alexander Bebris, who ran for Outagamie County Sheriff this past year, has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography.

The arrest came following a search warrant at his Fox Crossing home on Wednesday.

Multiple counts of child pornography possession are being recommended against Bebris, according to Winnebago County deputies.

A cyber tip through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was received by authorities regarding alleged electronic transfer of suspected child pornography.

Bebris has not been charged formally at this time.

Bebris lost in the August primary after entering the 2018 race to become the Outagamie County Sheriff.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Friday is the first day of winter, even though it might not feel or look like it yet.

Meteorologists are saying they expect the mild temperatures to continue, meaning you can keep that heavy winter coat in the closet for a few more weeks still.

A quick look out the window reveals a mainly brown landscape that's a far cry from the "White Christmas" Bing Crosby famously sang about.

Jeff Last, with the National Weather Service of Green Bay, says these temps have not been helpful for building a snowman.

"As we look at the first few weeks of December, temperatures averaged about five-degrees above normal," he says.

That's been frustrating for ice fisherman that have been twiddling their thumbs waiting for a cold snap. 

Last says they might still be waiting for another month or so.

"I don't see any real bitter cold air moving in until perhaps into the second part of January or February," he explains.

And the warmer temperatures mean much less snow on the ground than is typical for this time of year.

"We've only had about seven inches of snow so far," says Last. "That's about five or so inches below average."

He says if you're a Christmas traditionalist hoping for a dusting in the 11th hour, don't hold your breath.

"Now with mainly just brown ground, we may not end up seeing a white Christmas this year," explains Last.

While temperatures have been abnormally warm, he reminds everyone that the coldest dates of the year, on average, are still to come.

"The coldest period is the second half of January," he says. "Usually in the middle of the winter time is that period where we have the best chance for those arctic outbreaks."

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The Oshkosh Fire Department responded to calls of children playing out on the ice of the lagoons near South Park.

Is it safe enough? With kids ready to play, and others itching to fish, the Oshkosh Fire Department is issuing a warning.

John Holland, Public Information Officer with the Oshkosh Fire Department, says warmer temps are part of what's keeping people away from their favorite winter activities.

“This ice is not safe! It is 40 degrees out, or close to it, anyway. That is not a good time to be out on the ice,” he said.

Some people aren't hearing, or aren't listening, to that warning.

Oshkosh firefighters are getting calls about kids out on icy ponds near the South Park area.

We're told they found shoe prints on a thin layer of ice.

“We really strongly suggest staying off the ice until you’re absolutely certain that there’s enough ice thickness and enough safety to go out without incident,” said Mark Scheffler, of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Officials say a good rule of thumb is waiting until there’s at least four inches of solid ice before walking onto it.

While ice should never be considered to be 100% safe, one Appleton man says there's way to check if you can go out or not.

“You got to go out before and stab on the ice. If it goes through, you better back off! It’s not worth going out,” said Jim Reget.

And if you think small lagoons like the ones at South Park are safer than larger bodies of water, Oshkosh Fire says think again.

“Right now, there’s no such thing as safe ice,” Holland said.

Anglers out on Lake Butte des Morts tend to disagree.

“There’s a good solid four or five inches of ice, and the surface temperature is just that, you know. It gets cold at night, so I feel safe," defends Reget.

Even if the ice is thick enough, and you feel safe to test the frozen waters, the U.S. Coast Guard says you should still always have a "float plan" in place.

Officials also say when going out on any ice, among other precautions, you should go out with a friend and keep a good distance apart as you walk out.

PULASKI, WI (WTAQ) - It's not when you reach your goal, but if you reach your goal.

A local Marine veteran had a chance to graduate from high school Wednesday.

Pulaski school board gave Steve Kaster an honorary diploma, which came as a surprise.

Steve Kaster got an honorary diploma from Pulaski High School.

Kaster said that his dad pulled him out of high school, because his dad found out he tried out for the football team.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - As you run around to pick up those last-minute stocking stuffers, a local organization is reminding holiday shoppers that some gifts might not be appropriate for all ages.

It might seem like no-big-deal and harmless fun, but Rose Blozinski, the Executive Director with the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling, says little gifts such as scratch-offs and lottery tickets should be kept out of the hands of children.

"Give your lottery tickets to other adults and buy the kids something else is kind of the general thought process on that," she says.

She says one lottery ticket won't instantly give a child a gambling problem, but the concern is that it'll set them up for trouble down the road.

"The younger you start gambling the higher risk you have of developing a problem as an adult and later on in life," explains Blozinski.

Another concern is the many aspects of gambling that would especially appeal to kids.

"It's the excitement of the unknown, it's kind of a risk-taking thing," she explains. "You want to just be cautious when doing that with kids."

She adds that adults should go-ahead and open their scratch-off or lottery tickets if they're around kids, but take the opportunity to explain to them the potential problems that excessive gambling could have on an individual.

"I think if you're opening them around the children it's a great opportunity to say 'You know when you're an adult most people can gamble for fun, but there are times when someone can have a problem with this,'" she says.

And even with all the concerns, it shouldn't be a problem if you're buying lottery tickets for another adult.

"Buying lottery tickets and other types of gambling are a form of entertainment for most people and can be fun, but for five percent to seven percent of Wisconsin's population gambling can be a problem," says Blozinski. "We feel it's important to let parents, grandparents and others know that lottery tickets are not a good gift choice for children."

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem you can call the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLE-5.

More information on their organization can be found here.

KEWAUNEE, WI (WTAQ) - A Kewaunee County teen that is one of the suspects in a vandalism spree was sentenced to jail time on Thursday.

18-year-old Jacob Beauchaine will spend one week in jail, was placed on probation for three years, and must pay a share of $6,000 in restitution to cover the damages.

The Kewaunee County Sheriff’s Department says on February 6 multiple mailboxes were damaged, along with a vehicle windshield and a road sign.

The Clerk of Courts office and court records show that Beauchaine pleaded no contest to five misdemeanor counts of criminal damage to property.

40 victims, including the municipalities of Carlton, Casco, Franklin, Luxemburg, Montpelier, West Kewaunee, and Kewaunee County, are listed in the criminal complaint.

More than 30 residential mailboxes were damaged.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - As you work to finalize your holiday plans, make sure it includes a sober ride to wherever you're going.

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. There are more police vehicles on the road as it's part of the nationwide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

Lt. Brad Strouf with the Green Bay Police Department explains their current efforts.

"I'm normally putting anywhere between eight and a dozen extra officers," he explains. "And that's on top of the normal patrols."

The initiative began on December 14th and so far Green Bay Police officers have made six OWI arrests, which is compared to forty OWI arrests they made last year in seventeen days.

"I don't look at low arrest numbers as necessarily being a sign of something wrong," he says. "It probably is actually more of a sign of something right."

In order to keep yourself and the public safe, don't be afraid to ask your bartender about a ride home.

"We never want to see our patrons go out and cause an accident or worse," explains Don Mjelde, Brown County Tavern League President. "We want our customers to come back."

He says in the last year his organization has given out 2,200 safe rides to people in the community.

Presently, Mjelde in the midst of launching a safe ride program in connection with Lyft.

"The reason why I created this is I kind of want to provide an additional means of getting people around safely," he says.

A lot of times bars and taverns can help an intoxicated individual get home that had driven to their establishment, but a better plan would be to entirely eliminate driving yourself in the first place.

"That's why we would just say leave the keys at home," explains Mjelde. "At least you're acting safely and responsibly."

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - It was a successful 2018 for the Green Bay Police Department, as crime numbers are down in many crime categories.

With the change of the calendar, comes a change in the department.

"We had a very difficult budget year here in Green Bay, and we are going to be down 14 police officers," Chief Andrew Smith said.

That means Green Bay will go from 194 officers to 180.

He says may simple math alone, they are not going to be able to be in as many places.

"There is going to be fewer officers out on the street. It is going to be a challenge for all of us to keep that crime number trending in a downward direction."

2019 will also open the door for some new officers. 

"We are planning on hiring as many as six in January, so we are going to try to keep it at 180."

Smith says they do not need to rush to fill the spots.

"We have had a series of retirements this year and we did not fill those spots, so right now we can hire to attrition."

As always, Smith says taking their time is very important.

"We are going to pick the top candidates and not just settle on someone to fill a spot."

Smith says they get a candidate pool from all over the region.

MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A company in the Fox Valley is expanding, adding more than 200 new jobs.

Faith Technologies announced Thursday it is building a 225,000 square-foot building in Little Chute that will serve as its Excellerate's headquarters.

The energy company currently has five Excellerate manufacturing hubs throughout North America, including ones in Oshkosh, Neenah, and Appleton.

The Oshkosh and Neenah locations will continue to focus on manufacturing and assembly work for electrical construction, while the new Little Chute headquarters will be the hub for construction innovation in the areas of energy, microgrids, modular-builds, e-houses, and specialty engineering.

The building will also feature a natural energy microgrid.

Construction on the new headquarters is expected to start in the spring of 2019 and be completed by the fall.

“It's a large company, a lot of places to grow,” said James Golembeski, the executive director of Bay Area Workforce Development. “They pay well. They have good benefits.”

Golembeski tells FOX Faith Technologies' expansion announcement will likely be the first of many for 2019.

That's because a recent survey conducted by Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance of 164 area manufacturers found 34 percent are planning plant expansions in the year ahead.

59 percent of the companies are planning to hire in the first quarter of the year, which is a record for the nine years the survey has been conducted.

“When unemployment is at 2.8 percent there are not a lot of people without jobs,” said Golembeski.

“What we have are a lot of people that don't have good jobs.”

Golembeski says focusing on the underemployed sector should help fill the area's manufacturing jobs, including the ones at Faith Technologies.

“They're going to be looking throughout the area, finding those people that want to step up and we're going to help them find them.”

No word on the pay that might come with the new jobs.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Appleton's School Board meeting was standing room only Thursday night.

The district's controversial truancy court was the topic, and the board voted to end it for the rest of the year.

Tensions were rising before the meeting even started.

Protesters could be heard outside of the building, demanding a change.

The Appleton Area School District’s truancy court has been a contentious topic for years.

Community members raised concerns about the way Judge Mark McGinnis runs it.

"We were affected seriously by Judge McGinnis," one parent said.

Another speaker talked about how bad his experiences had been, dealing with McGinnis.

"I've been in Judge McGinnis' court in the midst of a truancy issue. I'll never forget it," Edward Perkins said.

Former AASD students and parents from the community also said kids have been handcuffed at school and sent to shelter care, others ordered to wear electronic monitoring devices as punishment for unexcused absences.

An AASD graduate spoke about what her brother went through in truancy court.

“For him, it was traumatizing, he didn’t want to go to school anymore," she said. "My mom ended up having to owe money for that bracelet, and she couldn’t afford that either.”

"On behalf of the district and our board of education, I apologize to the students and families that have been treated poorly during the truancy court process," said AASD Board of Education member and district superintendent Judy Baseman.

The board’s decision to temporarily do away with Appleton’s truancy court follows an independent attorney's review.

Madison-based attorney Duane McCrary shared his recommendations with the board, including replacing McGinnis.

“The district should request that Judge McGinnis no longer have the truancy court responsibility. A two-judge rotation between circuit court Judges Gill and Schneider could be implemented with their agreement, and Chief Judge Morrison’s concurrence.”

Although Appleton's truancy court is gone, for now, some board members want it gone for good.

“They eventually end up into this systematic push via pipeline from school to prison, and to me it’s clear," said AASD Board of Education member Alvin Dupree.

"For us not to really address that and clearly call it what it is and try to justify keeping it, it’s just completely wrong.”

Other members feel differently.

The board of education will set an action plan, responding to the findings and recommendations in the report on January 10.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for businesses and an increase in customers can also mean an increase in shoplifting.

"It doesn't happen here very often, but when it does happen, it is normally this time of the year," said Jennifer Brown, an optician for Faces Eyewear.

Brown tells FOX 11 the store can get pretty packed during the holidays.

"We have very attentive staff, normally our clientele that comes in here, we can usually kind of tell if there's somebody we have to keep an eye on."

She said the most recent shoplifter stole several items of eyewear. She said the value of the items stolen were so high the thief was charged as a felon.

Appleton P-D's Megan Cash tells FOX 11 the shoplifting increase could be from out of town folks.

"I think it's just a larger population coming into the city obviously to do their shopping, I think that's part of it."

Cash said thieves typically target big ticket items during this time of the year.

"It seems to be any stores you can think of; sometimes stores you wouldn't think would be a target still manages to have some shoplifting as well."

Cash said stealing seems to have dropped throughout the years because of online shopping.

Still, police remind store owners to be mindful. They say if something doesn't feel or look right, it probably isn't.

LOS ANGELES, CA (METRO) - Hundreds of toys donated by Green Bay Packers defensive lineman player Kenny Clark have gone missing.

According to KNBC in Los Angeles, the toys were set to be delivered to children in need when they were stolen from a shed in Clark's backyard.

Clark's mother says they had more than $7,000 worth of toys.

Thursday, Clark said this has been extra hard on his mom.

"It's just messed up man, it was for a bunch of kids. I mean it's difficult, especially for my family. My mom, she works so hard to do it. It's just really difficult for her, you know because she works so hard throughout the whole year putting it together."

Clark said that he has security cameras on his property and hopes to find out who stole the presents.

This year, the Packers nominated Clark for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his charity work.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - A sports bar inside Green Bay's Hotel Northland is now open for business.

Although the hotel itself isn't quite ready, the restaurant called "Poke The Bear" welcomed customers for lunch Thursday.

Just around 11:00 in the morning, Poke the Bear officially opened. Karen and Jim Genrich were the first customers.

"We were fortunate that we were both retired, so we had some time today, to be able to come down. We thought let's do it."

"We were afraid that maybe it wasn't going to open, but very, very happy that it has opened."

"It's really an exciting day," said John D. Williams, Hotel Northland General Manager.

Williams tells FOX the sports bar is the first step in getting the entire ten-story landmark open.

"The hotel has been closed for many years, there's been great anticipation to get the hotel back online and bring it back to life. And we have done that."

Construction on the $50 million dollar project started in 2015 but was delayed by financial problems. The City of Green Bay invested millions in tax incentives and loans as well.

Renovations continue throughout the hotel, but Williams says the parent company, Marriott, will open only when everything is ready.

"So very soon. In the month of February, the entire facility will be open to the public."

Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt tells FOX 11 the earlier, the better.

"Like I said, if I was the general manager, we'd be open, but they want every piece of artwork to be perfect, every vase to be perfect. So we're weeks away from that, but we're very excited and this is just going to be a great asset for Northeast Wisconsin."

Right now, the restaurant is open from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.Tuesday through Saturday. But when the entire hotel opens, Poke the Bear will be open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Three suspects have been arrested by Green Bay Police in connection to a December 10 shooting that happened at an apartment complex on Western Avenue.

25-year-old Ricardo Torres, 28-year-old Richard Torres, and 26-year-old Andrew Flor have been arrested in the case with a booking charge of first-degree intentional homicide. 

Green Bay Police Capt. Kevin Warych says that Ricardo Torres is the suspected shooter. The alleged involvement of the other two has not been detailed by police.

All three could make initial court appearances in Brown County court Friday afternoon and formal charges have not been filed yet.

A 23-year-old male was taken to the hospital following the shooting.

Jail records show that Richard Torres and Flor were booked into the jail this week.

Based on when he was booked into jail and his age, Ricardo Torres was the one individual reported by police to have been initially arrested in the case.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - One suspect in the presumed murder of a Green Bay man was convicted on Friday.

19-year-old Emma Brud pleaded no contest on Friday to a count of aiding a felon for the Feb. 25, 2017 death of Green Bay resident Jovanny Puga at a Milwaukee park.

The complaint states that Brud took Puga's clothes from the crime scene and disposed of them.

Court records show that she will be sentenced April 23.

Puga was beaten and left for dead in a Milwaukee river and his body has never been found. Brandan Guyton-Denn, Shawn Leitner, and Jaleel Schultz are charged with his murder.

Investigators first learned of reports of a man beaten to death and thrown into the Milwaukee River in March of 2017, according to the criminal complaint.

The criminal complaint states that three of the four suspects were arrested in March of 2017 when a vehicle that was reported stolen out of De Pere by Brud's mother was stopped by police.

Phrases such as "Lincoln Park Milwaukee satellite view", "Milwaukee deaths last night" and "Milwaukee deaths in the river," were found following internet searches of the suspect's cellphones. 

The complaint states that according to Brud, she and Guyton-Denn were dating and following a dispute they "wanted revenge" on Puga. According to prosecutors, Puga was brought to Milwaukee by Brud and she knew that he would be beaten. The complaint reads that Puga was undressed after being beaten and then tossed into the river.

Guyton-Denn is scheduled to stand trial on March 18 and Leitner is scheduled to stand trial on April 8, while Schultz has not been arrested and remains at large.

DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) - If you're getting ready to head out of town for the holidays, remember it's not too late to have a watchful eye check-in on your home while you're gone.

The De Pere Police Department is offering their annual vacation watch where they'll add your residence to their daily route and make sure everything's alright.

Officer Jedd Bradley with De Pere Police says they tend to check-in on some pretty basic things.

"[Make sure] doors are closed," he says. 

If there might be something unusual, like lights on in the house, you can let them know beforehand if that's expected or not.

"Sometimes lights are on timers, all those types of things are added to the sheet," he explains.

You can be as specific or general in your description as you feel necessary. 

"Aunt Sally is there for the weekend and she drives a red Corolla," says Officer Bradley. "So when the officers see something like that it's nothing out of the norm."

It's important to note that the officers still have their normal duties and routes to check throughout their shift, but they'll do their best to ensure that everything's OK at your residence.

"The officers will check it throughout the day and throughout their shifts," he says.

Officer Bradley says the service is fairly popular as people tend to enjoy having the peace of mind that comes with the extra set of eyes while they're out-of-town.

According to him, they've been offering the service for over two decades now.

If you're interested in adding your home to the list, simply give the De Pere Police Department a call during business hours at their non-emergency line (920) 339-4078.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A Green Bay man is set to go on trial in 2019 for the alleged killings of his ex-girlfriend and her mother – more than three years after the murders.

26-year-old Jacob Cayer is being charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide following the June 7, 2016, deaths of Sabrina Teague and Heesun “Sunny” Teague.

Cayer’s competency has been an ongoing issue in the case, but court records show that his attorney said he was not raising it again.

The five-day trial of Cayer is set to begin on June 10.

He'll first be back in court on March 4 for a pre-trial hearing.

Cayer faces a total of six charges total, including an attempted homicide count for allegedly stabbing Joel Kennedy during the incident at a Hobart home.