GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Obama administration is asking schools nationwide to drop "zero tolerance" discipline policies in order to avoid discriminating against minority students.

But officials with the Green Bay Area Public School District say it wouldn't affect them.

"First of all, we do not have zero tolerance policies because we don't believe zero tolerance works," says Director of Pupil Services Barbara Dorff. "We try to look at individual situations, and give students a second chance or third chance if needed."

Dorff touted the district's Alternative Behavior Program.

"Where students do something that might get them expelled in another district, we have some special schools they go to and they can continue with their education until they're ready to go back to their regular placement," Dorff says.

On Wednesday, a wide-ranging series of guidelines were issued informing school districts that they must adhere to the principal of fairness and equity in student discipline or run the risk of strong action. 

"A routine school disciplinary infraction should land a student in the principal's office, not in a police precinct," said U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

The alternative program at the Green Bay Area Public School District appears to already fall in-line with that thinking. If a student were to get in trouble, Dorff says the following would happen:

"We would provide a consequence, which would be a suspension, and then we would provide support in the form of an assessment and try to get some counseling for the student," Dorff says. "If there are multiple offenses and they're just not learning, we're going to move them to an alternative program. But we still would most likely not expel and deny them their education; we would try to make them better."

Another issue raised is the proportion of minority students falling under school discipline as compared with the general population. Government civil rights data from 2011-2012 show black students without disabilities were more than three times as likely as whites to be expelled or suspended. 

Out of the 1,181 students suspended by Green Bay schools during the 2011-12 school year, 747 of them were minorities, including blacks, Hispanics and Native American students. 434 were white students.

Dorff indicates that while the disproportion of minority students getting in trouble is a concern, the district doesn't look at race as a determining factor when it comes to discipline.

"So if someone is in trouble, be it a Hispanic, black and white student, those three students are going to be treated the same way based on the incident," said Dorff. "The numbers are about the same, however because we have a lower number of minority students, percentage-wise the numbers are higher."

The other recommendations laid out by the Obama administration are:

• Ensure that school personnel understand that they are responsible for administering routine student discipline instead of security or police officers.
• Draw clear distinctions about the responsibilities of school security personnel
• Provide opportunities for school security officers to develop relationships with students and parents.

Dorff added that despite some language barriers with minority students, they believe officials have developed a great relationship with students and parents. The use of several interpreters also can help bridge the gap between cultures and reaching out to troubled kids.

BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - Sheriff's officials in Brown County are warning drivers to use caution on the roads.

That's after the overnight hours were busy with reports of numerous car accidents. It began around 11 p.m. Thursday.

Calls were coming in complaining of slippery roads and crashes. Roads are icing over due to the warmup in the temperatures.

None of those crashes are believed to be serious.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory until 6 a.m. Saturday for much of Wisconsin.

That's due to a wintry mix of precipitation moving in to the region that will change over to snow.

Roads will become slippery so drive with care on your commute home from work or if you're heading out Friday night.

FOX 11 reports the snow will last into the early morning hours, but not much accumulation is expected. Generally around one inch, maybe 2-4 inches far northwest sections.

The issue with this storm is that objects and ground temperatures are still very cold from the arctic blast this week and temperatures will just barely break freezing. So when liquid precipitation falls, it will coat and freeze to some of those cold objects. That could cause problems overnight.

High temperatures will stay around freezing for Saturday and Sunday with a chance of some more snow or rain late on Sunday. 

The far northwest expects 2 to 4 inches of snow through Saturday, mainly in Price County. Lesser amounts of snow are forecast between Sawyer and Iron counties.  

Far southern Wisconsin is under an air quality advisory until Friday evening, due to fine particles that are not blowing very much.  

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Port of Green Bay ended the 2013 shipping season with numbers not seen since 2007.  2.2 million metric tons of cargo came in or went out of the port.  Port  Director Dean Haen says that's a lot of coal, salt and limestone.  And all of this with a shortened shipping season, because the thick ice started to form on the Fox River in early December.  Haen believes the start of the 2014 season will be a good one, but the national economy will determine how far things go the rest of the way.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - After announcing this week that a Green Bay police officer was cleared of any wrongdoing in a fatal shooting last month, officials made public the dash cam video and 911 call from that morning.

On December 16, Green Bay Officers Clint Beguhn and Mark Opicka responded about 5:35 a.m. to an apartment building located at 1499 Capitol Drive. That's on the city's west side.

The estranged wife of 63-year-old Darold VandenHeuvel made the call, fearing for her safety, after spotting VandenHeuvel through the peephole in her apartment door.

Police Chief Tom Molitor says both officers encountered VandenHeuvel inside the building's garage, asking him several times to put his hands in the air, but he refused.

"As Darold started drawing the weapon, Officer Beguhn fired 10 rounds from his handgun and struck Darold several times," Chief Molitor said. "A tenant of one of the apartments above the garage said she heard someone yelling 'hands' shortly before she heard several loud bangs."

Beguhn has been with the department four-and-a-half years. He's a veteran of the U.S. Army, along with being an active field training officer and a member of the police officer's support team.

MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ) - A Marinette County judge has sentenced Brent Kaempf to life in prison without parole for killing his girlfriend last year.

In court Friday, Judge David Miron had the option of giving Kaempf a chance at parole after 20 years, but decided against that.

Kaempf was found guilty of murdering Trish Waschbisch at the Peshtigo home the couple shared on April 28, 2013. Waschbisch was the interim director at Rainbow House, a domestic violence shelter in Marinette. 

Court records show that Kaempf and Waschbisch started a relationship in 2005. Five years later, Kaempf was charged with misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct, after allegedly hitting Waschbisch in the face. 

Prior to the murder, Waschbisch told friends she was leaving Kaempf.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Drivers throughout the eastern half of Wisconsin had an adventure getting around Friday night.

Roads across the region were ice covered, meaning if you didn't really take your time getting to where you were going, you likely ended up off the road.

"I could've rolled the truck. I'm grateful I just landed in the ditch like this," Travis McCormick told FOX 11 about his drive from Milwaukee to Oshkosh on Highway 41. But it was when he got to Highway 26 when things got worse. "Everything was fine then I got off the off ramp and it was just black ice.  I started sliding all over the place and went in the ditch, tried to get out, it didn't work," McCormick explained.

The cause of all this was the wintry mix of precipitation that arrived in the area Friday afternoon.

According to the Brown County Sheriff's Department, deputies responded to at least dozen cars sliding off the road between Denmark and Green Bay.

The Winnebago Sheriff's Office responded to 21 cars in the ditch and a dozen crashes, none of which had serious injuries. Five crashes and two cars sliding off the road on Highway 41 were being reported by the Wisconsin State Patrol.

Slick road conditions continues to be a problem Saturday, so drivers are advised to leave early, slow down and allow extra distance between the vehicle in front of you.

(Additional reporting from FOX 11)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Be prepared for more precipitation Saturday morning, but it won't be the freezing rain we saw Friday night.

FOX 11 reports light snow or flurries will be expected, as temperatures will reach near freezing under cloudy skies.

Travel will continue to be adventurous, with untreated roads still ice covered.

Saturday night the story changes, as skies turn partly cloudy with lows in the mid-teens. For Sunday, it'll be partly sunny with highs in the mid-30s. However, Sunday night we could see another round of freezing rain making roads a sheet of ice once again.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - The investigation is underway into what caused a fire at an Oshkosh bar.

Police say it happened at Timbuktu Bar on W. 17th Avenue around 2 a.m. Sunday.

No one was hurt, and police have not released any more information.

TOWN OF CENTER, WI (WTAQ) - A crash overnight in Outagamie County leaves one person dead.

Sheriff's officials say it happened on County Highway A in the Town of Center at 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

Officials say a passer-by found the driver of the vehicle partially ejected and unresponsive. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim's identity has not been released and the investigation continues.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay police say a man is back in custody after he escaped for a short time early Monday.

According to authorities, they were transferring the suspect from the police department to the jail a little before 5 a.m. Just before getting the 30-year-old man to jail, he kicked out the rear window of the squad car and dove head first out of the window while it was moving.

The suspect landed on the road and then ran off into some woods. Officials say he was found a short time later.

That suspect is facing numerous charges including criminal damage, escape and obstructing an officer. 

Green Bay police say this man is the same suspect behind a robbery at the El Ranchito Convenience Store earlier Monday. Cops believe this suspect may also be responsible for the two gas station robberies from Sunday night.

MAIDSON, WI (WTAQ) - About 23,000 customers of the Wisconsin Auto Title Loans' company are expected to get checks next month in the settlement of a state lawsuit.  

The state Justice Department and Milwaukee's Legal Aid Society accused the company of adding extra costs to title loans, by enrolling borrowers into a motor club.  

The lawsuit said Wisconsin Auto Title Loans never told certain customers about the enrollment, or else they said it was mandatory.

Under a settlement announced in September, the firm put $2.75 million into a restitution fund for customers who took out loans from 1999 through 2010, and paid back the amounts of their loans or more.  

To get settlement checks, customers had to confirm their addresses by last November 15th.

Auto Title Loans is based in Green Bay and has 22 locations throughout the state.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - While Monday proved to be pretty quiet weather-wise across Northeast Wisconsin, Tuesday is looking to be a different story.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Calumet, Manitowoc and Winnebago counties from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. Tuesday. A storm system is expected to bring snow and blowing snow to the region, with accumulations of 5 to 7 inches possible.

Meteorologists say strong winds out of the north will produce blowing and drifting, which could lower visibilities to less than a half-mile at times. That will make it difficult for drivers going to-and-from school and work.

The remainder of the listening area will be under a Winter Weather Advisory during that time. Snow totals could reach 4 to 6 inches, with blowing and drifting snow possible.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - New studies are being planned to try and liven-up a growing dead zone in the Bay of Green Bay.  

The Great Lakes Commission and the U.S. Agriculture Department are spearheading a $1 million experiment to provide oxygen that's currently lacking in the dead zone.  

A second project is headed by the Green Bay sewerage district's NEW Water program and the Oneida Indian tribe. They'll test various methods for reducing phosphorus runoff.  

High phosphorus levels are blamed for the dead water, in which there's not enough oxygen to keep fish and other local organisms alive.

Experts say the problem can be corrected -- but it might take a couple decades.  

For years, farms have been required to have plans to reduce their runoff into the bay. Various techniques will start being tested this spring. The studies will deal with the impact on area farms.  

Bill Hafs of the NEW Water program says farms are responsible for over half the phosphorus placed into lower Green Bay and the adjoining Fox River.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

SHAWANO, WI (WTAQ) - Budget cuts have hit all types of government -- and convicts have told officers it's easier to commit drug crimes in rural areas.  

Not true, says Shawano County sheriff's captain Tom Tuma.

He tells the Green Bay Press-Gazette that more rural counties are partnering with others to nab drug dealers on a regional basis -- with the goal of eliminating the perception of "safe zones." Tuma says rural officers have spoken with jail inmates who are doing time for drug crimes -- and because smaller agencies have fewer resources, drug criminals are working in those areas more extensively.  

Tuma says drug officers are trying to get the message out to dealers that, "We're on to you" -- and they'll work aggressively to prevent drug criminals from further exploiting remote areas.  

State lines are not an issue, either.  

In Marinette County Wisconsin and Menominee County Michigan, officers made 76 joint arrests last year for distributing illegal drugs. That's a 50 percent increase from the previous year.  

Also, federal agents get involved when drug lines flow to places like Milwaukee and Chicago.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GRAND CHUTE, WI (WTAQ) - There are plans to replace a long-time Fox Valley strip club with a bank.

Bank First, a subsidiary of First Manitowoc Bancorp, Inc., says they want to build their first Appleton-area branch at the site of the former Paradise Club. That's located at 4201 W. Wisconsin Avenue.

"Bank First's strong and stable performance has provided us the resources to construct a new office in the Appleton area," bank president and CEO Mike Molepske said in a news release. "It bridges the gap between our Green Bay and Oshkosh offices and allows our relationship managers the opportunity to build further relationships in the Fox Valley area."

Last year, a developer purchased the one-acre property just north of the Fox River Mall where the Paradise Club stood for decades. Court documents show that the Paradise Club was one of seven properties by the same owner foreclosed on in July.

Meantime, Bank First plans to open that location as a branch later this year. Their plans still need regulatory and municipal approval.

(Additional reporting from FOX 11).

FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ) - A Fond du Lac woman charged with killing her husband is pleading not guilty.

On Friday, Eve Nance entered that plea to charges of first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse. 

Nance admitted to murdering Timothy Nance, according to the criminal complaint. Court documents show that the couple's troubled marriage and an extramarital affair may have played a role in the incident.

Authorities say Eve Nance shot her husband in the head, wrapped his body in plastic, and dumped it in a wooded area in Milwaukee. Timothy's body was found on Thanksgiving.

A trial date has yet to be scheduled.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - A 19-year-old man has pled not guilty to charges he and a friend shot marbles at vehicles driving on Interstate 43 in Green Bay.

Griffin Lawson will stand trial March 26 on five counts, including recklessly endangering safety.

The other suspect, 20-year-old Kyle Akerboom, had his arraignment postponed Monday to January 27.

According to authorities, the two men shot marbles at vehicles back in October. Some of the vehicles had smashed windows and dented bodies. One woman was hit in the thigh as she rode on a motorcycle.

Police say the two admitted that they got tired of shooting birds and squirrels in the forested area along the interstate and decided to make a game out of shooting at cars.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Many Wisconsinites celebrated the end of last week's cold snap by walking outside, and getting hurt in the process.  

Doctor Al Salmi of St. Mary's Hospital in Green Bay says he hadn't seen as many cases of slipping and falling as he saw this past weekend. Temperatures rose above freezing after being well-below zero for the greater part of a week.  

Salmi says that no extremity is safe when falling on the ice -- and even the most agile person can go down quickly with just one misstep.  

Prevea Health therapist Heidi Gutschow said the best way to walk on the ice is to take shorter steps, so your weight stands a little more upright. It also helps to turn the feet out a little bit -- and to wear outdoor sport shoes or hiking boots on the ice.  

Meanwhile, new snow is falling in Wisconsin Tuesday morning -- and doctors say it will cover the ice that's on the ground and make things even more slippery.  

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Tuesday's winter storm forced schools in the region to close early.

Green Bay Area Public Schools will close two hours early, and have cancelled Head Start, early childhood, and 4K programs are cancelled for today. All after-school and evening activities are cancelled.

De Pere Schools will also close two hours early, and cancelled all activities and events. 

Other school districts closing early include Ashwaubenon, Howard-Suamico, Manitowoc, Oconto, Shawano and Hortonville.

A complete list of cancellations can be found here.