GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The support for victims of domestic violence continues this football season.

The Packers, Verizon Wireless and Bellin Health want your old cell phones and cash donations for the HopeLine program, and its extension awareness campaign "Protection is the Name of the Game".

“Verizon Wireless, through its HopeLine program, is committed to supporting survivors of domestic violence and the organizations that provide shelter and prevention programs. We are aware that one in four women, one in seven men, and three million children will experience domestic violence, so ending the cycle of violence in our communities starts with each of us,” said Brian Pascoe, region president, Verizon Wireless. “We know Packers fans have provided tremendous support in the past and we know they’ll come through again to help us offer help that is desperately needed.”

Packers receiver Jordy Nelson and his wife Emily also recorded a 30 second public service announcement encouraging fans to donate phones.

Bellin Health joined the Packers and Verizon for the campaign, as a part of the organization’s Titletown Wellness initiative. Titletown Wellness, a partnership between the Packers and Bellin Health, aims to identify and implement initiatives that improve the health and wellness of people in the region.

Bellin Health locations in the Green Bay area will serve as phone collection sites during the month of October, which is Domestic Violence Month.

“Protection is the Name of the Game” will include the following initiatives:

• Season-Long HopeLine Phone Drive: Verizon Wireless and the Packers will be collecting no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories at Packers home games during the regular season near the Verizon Wireless Gate and in the Atrium. The phones will be refurbished or sold to buy new phones for victims of domestic violence and to support local domestic shelters/organizations. Verizon will also host a special phone drive at every stadium gate during the Nov. 4Packers-Bears game. Fans unable to attend a game this season can still donate phones at any Verizon Wireless store at any time.
• $10 Match: For each phone collected during a special drive Nov. 4 at Lambeau Field before the Green Bay Packers game against the Chicago Bears, Verizon will donate $10 to Golden House in Green Bay.
• 30-second PSA: A PSA featuring Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson will be broadcast on TV stations throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula. It will be shown during each Packers home game, encouraging fans to donate their old phones to HopeLine.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - More than 500 people filed through the doors at the Neville Public Museum to see Walmart’s plans Tuesday night. 

Many in attendance said the proposed 150,000 sq/ft store looks the same as any other Walmart.  The downtown Green Bay store is nearly exactly the same size as the eastside location, and it will include groceries, a pharmacy, general merchandise and a garden center.

The building will feature a partial brick façade along with a colonnade, a series of columns along N. Broadway. The parking lot will have 640 spaces. 

Walmart spokeswoman Lisa Nelson says they plan to use the public feedback to see if they hit the mark with size, product, and fit for the community.  If they need to make changes they will. 

Nelson says they plan to submit plans to the city in a couple weeks.

B Local, a group connected with the Facebook group “No Way to Walmart on Broadway”, were active in collecting petition signatures against the big box retailer.  They plan to submit the petition to city leaders and the CEO of Walmart in hopes of derailing the project. 

However, there were mixed reactions from people.

“Moving a Walmart into the Broadway district is like putting a strip club next to a church,” said Rhonda Sitnikau of Green Bay.

Concerns were raised about the local businesses and unique specialty shops in the area and how Walmart could affect their revenue. 

The owner of Sassy Girl Nicole Zich didn’t think the same clientele that shops at Walmart would visit stores on Broadway, so she isn’t against WalMart’s plans to build. 

Some opinions changed after seeing the plans, while they don’t totally agree with Walmart’s business practices they shop there and see the store filling a need for groceries and convenience. 

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - It's going to be awhile before drivers in the Green Bay area will be able to use the Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge along Interstate 43 after officials say a dip was found in the roadway.

During a news conference Wednesday, Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb says the investigation into the sagging of a portion of Leo Frigo Bridge is just getting underway. From previous inspections DOT officials say they had no indication the bridge was anything but sound.

“I want to reiterate the bridge is not in any danger of collapse,” said Gottlieb.

Police received the first calls about a problem on the Leo Frigo Bridge around 4:50 a.m. Drivers said a part of the bridge on the east side was sagging.

Officers were quick to assess the problem and promptly shut the bridge down to all traffic around 5:30 a.m. before anyone was hurt.

Authorities say a section of bridge about 400 feet long is affected. The area is around pier 22 on the east side of the bridge, between Webster Ave. and the middle of the bridge.

The bridge itself rests on dozens of concrete reinforced piers. The piers don't just sit on the ground they're part of pilings that are dug deep, deep into the ground to maintain their structure. They're not supposed to move but one did about three feet into the ground.

“Initial observation appears to be some settling,” said Gov. Scott Walker.

Bridge engineers wouldn't give a timetable for correcting the problem. But when pressed officials say the closure of the bridge could last months even up to a year.

FOX 11 asked engineers if the pier would have to be removed to correct the problem. Their first indication was yes it would have to been removed. County officials tell us that’s an indication this process will take some time. In the meantime, the bridge will remain closed indefinitely. 

State transportation officials say drivers should plan to avoid the area and use alternate routes.

The detour route takes northbound Interstate 43 drivers to Webster Ave., south to Main St., west to Broadway, north to Mather St., west to Velp Ave., west to Atkinson Dr. and north back to I-43. Southbound drivers can reverse those directions. Police recommend crossing the Fox River at Mason Street because that bridge is designed to handle larger amounts of traffic. 

Heavy traffic has been reported in downtown Green Bay Wednesday, as the 40,000 vehicles that normally use the bridge each day have been forced to find alternate routes. 

Gov. Scott Walker says the cost of repairing the bridge is unknown, but that the state is committed to fixing it. 

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Heroin abuse is a problem in all of Wisconsin -- and officials hope to convince you of that during a public awareness campaign that begins Wednesday. 

State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen will hold a news conference in Madison with that city's police and fire chiefs and the Dane County sheriff. They'll highlight the impact of heroin use in the Madison area.

Similar news conferences are planned for Thursday in Wausau, Eau Claire, Appleton, and Sheboygan.  

Marathon County sheriff's official Gary Schneck said in May that more drug abusers in central Wisconsin have turned to heroin. He said it was after drug-makers added time release coatings to painkillers like Oxycontin, to try and cut down on their abuse. 

In late June, Van Hollen said the new awareness campaign would be coupled with grants to local law enforcement to fight heroin abuse.

At that time, he said there's no simple solution to fight the increase in heroin use -- and the state's approaching it from every angle it can. 

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Traffic in downtown Appleton will be heavily affected by this weekend's Octoberfest.

For Friday evening's License to Cruise car show, College Avenue will be closed between Drew and Lawe Streets at 1 p.m. The road will be shut down all the way to Richmond Street at 3 p.m. It will remain closed until Octoberfest the next day.

Octoberfest takes place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Traffic will be able to cross College Avenue at Morrison and Appleton streets.

Drivers headed through downtown from the Oneida Skyline Bridge on the south will be detoured onto W. Prospect Avenue and S. Memorial Drive. Drivers coming from the north on N. Appleton Street will be detoured to W. Franklin Street and N. Richmond Street.

Drivers are encouraged to cross the Fox River at E. College Avenue or Memorial Drive to avoid the downtown area.

Police remind festival-goers of the following rules:

• No alcoholic beverage carry-ins allowed at the events
• No glass containers
• No animals are allowed at special events
• Pedestrians must obey all traffic laws at intersections around the event
• Individuals consuming alcoholic beverages should plan a safe ride home. 
• Extra patrols will be out during and after the events to help ensure a safe time for all.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin's attorney general says most people do not know that heroin has become a huge problem throughout the Badger State.

J.B. Van Hollen kicked off a statewide awareness campaign Wednesday with a news conference in Madison. 

The new campaign is called "The Fly Effect." It will include TV and radio spots, posters, a Web site, and YouTube videos. 

One of those videos features Assembly finance chairman John Nygren of Marinette, whose daughter has struggled with heroin. 

Also Wednesday, Van Hollen announced a $25,000 grant for the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force to combat heroin. 

Similar announcements are expected Thursday at news conferences in Appleton, Sheboygan, Eau Claire, and Wausau. 

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Unemployment rates are down in all 12 Wisconsin metro areas. 

That's what state labor officials said Wednesday. 

Unadjusted, actual jobless rates range from 4.5 percent in Madison to 7.9 percent in Racine.

Unemployment also fell in all but three of Wisconsin's 72 counties. Monroe and Menominee counties were unchanged, while Bayfield was the only county where joblessness rose from the previous month. 

County rates ranged from 4 percent in St. Croix, near Minnesota's Twin Cities, to 16.7 percent at the home of the Menominee Indian reservation. 

Appleton, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, and Wausau were the only metros to have fewer jobs in August than July. Those figures are seasonally adjusted, but are based on surveys of only 3.5 percent of employers. 

The most accurate report is the Labor Department's quarterly job census, which is due out Thursday. The last report showed that about 60 percent of states saw their jobs at a faster pace than Wisconsin as of the end of 2012. 

Meanwhile, Governor Scott Walker told his Small Business Summit in Stevens Point Wednesday that almost 11,600 new businesses were created in the state since he took office.

DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) - Drivers in the De Pere area had to be detoured for over an hour after a semi truck hauling hay got stuck under a railroad overpass.

It happened as the truck drove east on Main Avenue, and got stuck near Fort Howard Avenue.

Crews had to unload some of the hay onto another truck in order to free the semi.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation said Thursday they expect to have a timetable for how long the Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge will be closed by next week.

During a news conference, engineers with the DOT say Pier 22 on the bridge sank 22 inches on the north side and 27 inches on the south end, causing a two foot dip in the road.

It was discovered early Wednesday morning and transportation officials say federal and outside experts will assist in the investigation.

At this time no cause has been determined and there is no estimate for when the bridge may be repaired or reopen, but says "There is a sense of immediacy for this project."

Meantime, drivers are being urged to be patient and plan for extra time as they find alternate routes through Green Bay.

The detour route takes northbound Interstate 43 drivers to Webster Ave., south to Main St., west to Broadway, north to Mather St., west to Velp Ave., west to Atkinson Dr. and north back to I-43. Southbound drivers can reverse those directions. Police recommend crossing the Fox River at Mason Street because that bridge is designed to handle larger amounts of traffic.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin school youngsters would spend more exercising under a bill proposed by an Assembly Republican. 

Chad Weininger of Green Bay says it's unfortunate that so many kids are obese.

State statistics show that 1 of every 4 high school students is overweight or obese. To change that, Weininger says he wants to require 30 to 45 minutes of exercise per day for kindergarteners through 8th graders when they don't have gym classes. 

Right now, 6th graders and younger generally have gym class three days a week. 7th and 8th graders have one day of phy-ed per week. 

Weininger says current gym class requirements are not working anymore. He says parents are working longer days -- and instead of playing pickup basketball, kids head home to snacks and TV.

Weininger says he'll wait to introduce his legislation, to make sure schools have enough flexibility to prevent from interfering with academic requirements.  

TOWN OF MISHICOT, WI (WTAQ) - Authorities in Manitowoc County say they've uncovered what's believed to be the largest outdoor marijuana growing operation in their history.

Last week, investigators seized 285 marijuana plants in the Town of Mishicot.

The 49-year-old property owner is facing charges which are still pending.

The plants are estimated to have produced up to $500,000 worth of pot.

The property owner admitted to distributing the drug throughout Manitowoc County.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A woman will stand trial for the murder of her boyfriend at an apartment complex in Howard.

Tricia Phillips is accused of killing David Rosenberg at the Northern Pines Apartments. Her arraignment is set for November 18.

According to the criminal complaint, Phillips told police she shot Rosenberg in the head after he had choked her during an argument after Phillips told Rosenberg she believed she was pregnant.

But the complaint shows Phillips talked to a neighbor the night before, and was mad because she thought Rosenberg was lying about talking to his ex-wife.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Walmart will soon submit plans to the city of Green Bay for a downtown store, and that has the co-op grocery store New Leaf Market reacting.

They have asked their marketing firm that did a 2012 feasibility study to rework the numbers and factor in a Walmart into the equation.

On Thursday, the yet to be built community owned grocery store gave an update to just over two dozen people on plans to build on the site of the current Grey Hound bus depot along Main Street.

“Having a competitive grocery store in the downtown, whether it’s Walmart or a Festival Foods, it changes the picture, changes the dynamic” said New Leaf Market board member Andrew Higgins.

Earlier this week, Walmart presented its plans for the first time and the open house was attended by more than 500 people.

New Leaf strongly believes that will offer something that Walmart can't; a niche for organic and locally grown foods.

“Anytime you perceive something to be negative is an opportunity, it’s an opportunity to get stronger in what you’re trying to accomplish” said Elaine Wagner is a member of the membership and marketing committee for New Leaf.

New Leaf will soon begin its capital campaign and is looking to raise $6 million in order to start building.

TOWN OF BEAVER, WI (WTAQ) - A Marinette County woman is dead following a farm accident.

Sheriff's deputies say it happened around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday on County Highway P in the Town of Beaver.

58-year-old Alice Fendryk died from her injuries in that accident.

Authorities have not released any details surrounding the accident.

BELLEVUE, WI (WTAQ) - Sheriff's in Brown County are investigating the armed robbery of a gas station.

Authorities say it happened at the Express Gas Station, 1356 Bellevue Road, in the Village of Bellevue Thursday night.

Deputies indicate someone walked into the gas station, displayed a 9mm handgun and demanded money. The teller handed over some money and the person ran away.

A K9 unit was called in to help with the search.

Deputies say the public is not in danger.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Police in Green Bay are investigating after a van drove into a building overnight.

Cops say it happened at a vacant building on N. Danz Avenue on the city's east side. That's near Northern Electric.

Police say the van was stolen and are looking for the person responsible.

NEENAH, WI (WTAQ) - A two vehicle crash on Highway 41 sends one person to the hospital with severe injuries.

Authorities say it happened in the Neenah area around 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

Officials say one vehicle rear-ended another, causing it to roll over several times.

The driver that caused the accident left the scene of the crash on foot. She was later arrested.

Two people were inside the other vehicle, one of them suffered severe injuries. The other person had non-life threatening injuries.

Officials believe alcohol was a factor.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin motorists will again face a high risk of colliding with deer this fall.

Car-deer crashes are a problem throughout the year -- but it gets worse in October and November during the deer mating season. 

Almost 19,000 vehicles struck deer in the Badger State last year. Dane County had the most with 851 crashes, followed by Shawano County with 800 and Waukesha with 710. 

Deer were involved in more than half of all traffic crashes last year in Taylor, Green Lake, and Shawano counties. 

The DOT's David Pabst says drivers must slow down whenever they see deer close to the roadways. 

If a driver cannot avoid striking a deer, Pabst says it's safer to hit the brakes and hit the animal, instead of swerving to miss it -- thus avoid a rollover crash or striking something else. 

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WTAQ) - A jury in Sheboygan has convicted a 23-year-old Oshkosh man for a stabbing death. 

Jurors refused to accept Michael Lemerande's claim that he acted in self-defense when he killed 41-year-old Nicholas Lehrke with a butcher knife. It happened earlier this year during a fight. 

Lemerande claimed he was defending a friend whom Lehrke was attacking. Prosecutors said the fight was not a major scuffle, and Lemerande's friend was never in serious danger. 

Lemerande was found guilty of second-degree reckless homicide. 

A sentencing date has not been set. The judge and attorneys in the case will get together for a status conference on November 25th.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin's governor is taking the first step in securing federal relief funding to cover what it will eventually cost to fix the Leo Frigo Bridge.

On Friday, Scott Walker signed a declaration of emergency, making the bridge carrying Interstate 43 over the Fox River potentially eligible for federal emergency relief funding through the Federal Highway Administration.

“Our number one objective is public safety,” Governor Walker said in a statement.  “The Leo Frigo Bridge is a critical transportation link for motorists and commerce in Brown County and the state of Wisconsin, and we are committed to fixing this bridge in a timely and responsible manner.”

The funding would reimburse 100 percent of the costs of repair for the first 180 days of the project. 

However, Walker and Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb said during a conference call Friday that it depends upon the cause of the bridge failure whether or not they get the declaration approved.

The bridge has been closed since Wednesday, when a section was discovered to be sagging. Transportation officials say a pillar on the east side of the bridge sunk more than 20 inches into the ground.

DOT officials say inspectors will evaluate the bridge over the weekend. They say they hope to have a cause of the damage as soon as possible.