GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The light snowfall Wednesday left police, sheriff's deputies and state patrol troopers across northeast Wisconsin scrambling to respond to accidents.

They continue to be busy.

Green Bay Police say the I-43/Leo Frigo Bridge has reopened following several crashes earlier today on the bridge span.

A tow ban has also been put into effect in Brown County, meaning disabled vehicles will not be towed until the ban is lifted.

Meanwhile, Winnebago County Sherifff John Matz says the northbound lanes of 41 are back open between Highways 26 and 44 in Oshkosh.

A thin layer of ice is on all major roadways, and temperatures are too cold for de-icing solution to work.

In Waupaca County, a tow ban has been put into place on Highway 10.

(Additional reporting from FOX 11)

MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) - Steven Gove will soon get a new tricycle to deliver newspapers in Manitowoc.

His old trike got mangled up last Saturday night when it was hit by an alleged drunk driver.  

John Brunner, who owns The Fitness Store in Manitowoc, said he was so touched by Gove's calm response to the incident, that he agreed to give Gove a new adult trike for free. It will be delivered in a few days.  

Gove called it unbelievable, and he couldn't fathom such generosity.  

A 20-year-old man is awaiting charges in last weekend's incident. Authorities said he hit the tricycle that Gove was using to deliver the Lakeshore Chronicle -- and Gove was pushed through the car's windshield where he stayed until the driver got home and discovered what happened.  

Gove escaped with minor cuts. He walked off until police found him about a block away. Gove said he loves delivering newspapers, and he'll be back at it soon.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The public will be able to get a look and ask questions about Walmart's plans for a store in downtown Green Bay.

It'll be held at the Neville Public Museum from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Officials from Walmart will be on hand and similar in nature to the one held back on September 24.

The big box retailer wants to build a 154,000 square foot store in the Broadway District.

Officials say these plans, submitted to the city, were adjusted using public feedback. 

On Monday night, Green Bay's Plan Commission will take up a request from Walmart to rezone that property. The city council would also have to approve of the request.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - It's been almost nine months since a Brown County woman went missing.

Now, the family of 59-year-old Victoria Prokopovitz is offering a $1,000 reward for information that could help find her.

"They've been working hard to gather the money and today we put the reward out that's going to be out there for 90 days," says Brown County Sheriff's Lt. Scott Semb. "To make sure people are still aware of this and that the family and the sheriff's office is still looking for this individual."

Victoria Prokopovitz was last seen around 10 p.m. April 25, 2013, at her home on Kunesh Road in the town of Pittsfield. She left behind her purse with its contents including ID, money and her cell phone.

"She did suffer from depression and the family was stating that she may be a harm to herself," says Lt. Semb. "But the medication she had been taking was missing."

A dive team searched for Prokopovitz in a quarry near Pulaski in May, but that search came up empty.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Brown County Sheriff's Investigative Division at (920) 448-4230. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling (920) 432-7867 or sending a text message starting with the keyword GBTIP to 274637.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Wind chill advisories continue through noon in all of Wisconsin, as January's second major cold snap enters its final day.  

Siren in Burnett County was the state's cold spot at 8 a.m. Thursday, with an actual temperature of 21-below zero and a wind chill of minus-37.

Parts of southeast Wisconsin were the only places above zero. Sheboygan was at 3, and the region had wind chills generally in the minus-teens.

Much of far northern Wisconsin along Lake Superior did not get as much lake effect snow as predicted. Herbster in Bayfield County had 1.5 inches, and Cornucopia picked up 3 inches before the snow tapered off Thursday morning.

Gile in Iron County had just under six inches as of Wednesday night, and it was still coming down. That area could get the predicted total of 7 or more inches.  

A sunny day is in store for Thursday, with highs from zero to 10-above. It could get down to minus-12 Thursday night, before warming up into the 20's Friday with more light snow. Colder highs in the single digits are forecast for the weekend.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

KIMBERLY, WI (WTAQ) - Some people in the Fox Valley got a look at what the future holds for the former NewPage paper mill in Kimberly.

During an open house Wednesday, plans were publicly unveiled for the Cedars at Kimberly.

“It's just interesting to see what's going to happen to the place where we went every day for most of our lives,” Gary Breier told FOX 11.

Since their debut back in November, the plans have been tweaked a little.

“We've taken the next step to include an implementation document which is a guide for the plan commission and other planning materials. We also have renderings of the neighborhoods that are about to be created on this site,” Randy Stadtmueller of Stadtmueller and Associates, the consulting firm working on the project, told FOX 11.

The Cedars at Kimberly will feature a mix of living spaces as well as retail and restaurant space. Developers also plan to add riverfront walkways.

Some folks still have reservations about the project, including the proposed size of the development.

The plan commission still has to approve the final details of the development. Road and sewer system construction could begin as early as this fall.

(Additional reporting from FOX 11)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Brown County's Medical Examiner says the deaths of a mother and son earlier this week has been ruled a murder-suicide.

In a statement from the Green Bay Police Department, Medical Examiner Al Klimek released preliminary autopsy results on 9-year-old Damien Veraghen and 33-year-old April Veraghen.

Damian Veraghen died as the result of manual suffocation. It is suspected that he was medicated prior to the suffocation, but toxicology results are still pending.

April Veraghen died as the result on a combination of prescription medication toxicity and hypoxia due to suffocation. That is considered a self-inflicted act.

Police officers responded to a welfare check at an apartment in the 500 block of S. Fisk Street, on the city's west side Tuesday around 9:30 a.m. When they arrived, cops found both April Veraghen and her son dead.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The biggest night of the year for the Green Bay Gamblers is coming up Saturday as they host the 15th annual Teddy Bear Toss Night at the Resch Center.

"Fans can legally throw something on the ice for this game," says Terry Charles with PMI Entertainment Group. "So it's a fun thing, it's a huge event, kids love it and families love it."

Every fan is asked to bring a new teddy bear to the game. When the Gamblers score their first goal, everyone tosses their bear on the ice.

"Once it happens it's just a sea of bears raining onto the ice, it's such an awesome sight," says Charles. "Everybody's smiling and laughing...it's a great thing."

The donated bears are collected and given to pediatric patients at Aurora BayCare Medical Center and clinics as well as other community organizations. So even if you bring a "used" bear, Charles says they will find a kid in need that can use it.

Last year, more than 6,700 teddy bears were tossed. Since its inception, the teddy bear toss has meant almost 78,000 teddy bears and other stuffed animals for kids in a time of need.

Tickets to the event are available at all Ticket Star locations, including the Resch Center box office.

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - Two Appleton police officers had to act quickly when they pulled a 25-year-old man from a burning SUV early Thursday.

The incident happened in the 100 block of S. State Street around 4 a.m.

The cops arrived on scene and saw the burning vehicle with an unconscious man inside. They quickly pulled him to safety. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Small explosions were seen and heard from the burning Jeep as crews from the Appleton Fire Department arrived.

According to investigators, the blaze was caused by a mechanical or electronic issue.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - President Obama has unveiled a new Task Force on Protecting Students from sexual assault.

The goal is to reduce sexual violence on college campuses.

Local colleges believe it's a step in the right direction to address this issue.

"I like the idea that they're putting together a team to kind of create a tool box of here's the best practices we're finding across the country," says UW-Green Bay Judicial Affairs Coordinator Mark Olkowski. "So that we could pick out some of those and say we think these will work on our campus or this will work for our population on campus."

Olkowski points out that what works for their traditional 18-to-22-year-olds that are living in residence halls are different than what they might do for their 30-to-40-year-olds who take online courses.

At St. Norbert College, officials hold very frank discussions with new students about life on campus, the warning signs, how to get treatment and report it. They also bring out statistics freshmen need to hear.

"I've been here 17 years, and I would say 95 to 98% of the time alcohol was involved," says Vice President for Mission and Student Affairs Jay Fostner. "We have not had any stranger assaults; ours that are reported are aquaintance sexual misconducts."

On each campus, the schools make all the information available to the students in a variety of ways. In the 21st century, that includes campus-wide alerts and even freshening up the verbiage for students in order to get the message out.

"We've actually got one student that's becoming our primary writer of a lot of that content, so that we're putting it in language that students understand and so it meets their needs," says Olkowski.

All in all, the White House's goal is to ensure every American gets basic security, justice and dignity. 

"Everything that gets reported to us gets reported to De Pere police automatically for checks and balances," says Fostner. "But the main point is that people are supported if something happens to them."

A White House report on sexual violence on college campuses shows that one-in-five young women have been sexually assaulted while in college.

(Partial reporting by Metro Source)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - How cold is it? La Crosse has had more days below zero in the past two months than it normally gets in a whole winter.

The National Weather Service said La Crosse averages 22 days of sub zero temperatures each winter -- and they've already had 23 this season, including Friday. It's a lot warmer than it was overnight, but it's also windier.  

In Marshfield, the mercury jumped by 27 degrees in eight hours, as a low pressure system spread southwesterly winds throughout the Badger State.

The strongest winds are close to Lake Michigan. Milwaukee had gusts up to 42 miles an hour at mid-day, but the city's wind chill factor was still a halfway tolerable 13-below at 10 a.m. That was the coldest wind chill in the state.  

Far northwest Wisconsin was the first to break of this week's cold snap early Friday. The mercury hit 20 late Friday morning in Siren, Osceola, and New Richmond.  

The warmer temperatures are only supposed to last for Friday, however. Some light, blowing snow is in the forecast into Saturday -- when highs will again drop to the single digits. The deep freeze is scheduled to resume next week.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

MANITOWOC COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - Authorities in eastern Wisconsin are investigating a pair of traffic deaths from Thursday afternoon.

In Manitowoc County, investigators said a 78-year-old Cato woman died after her van was hit by a pickup truck that failed to stop for a stop sign. It happened in the town of Cato  at Hilltop and Hempton Lake roads.

The pickup driver, a 49-year-old Cato man, was not hurt.  

In Washington County, a 55-year-old Sheboygan man died after a car hit a trailer that was attached to a truck. The truck was stopped on County Trunk "A" in the town of Farmington.

The driver was outside the truck when the car slammed into the trailer. The car driver, a 28-year-old West Bend woman, was extricated and flown to a hospital.  

The names of both people who died were not immediately released.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ) - A fire destroys a home in the 200 block of East Bank Street in Fond du Lac early Friday morning.

Fire Chief Peter O' Leary says the resident of the home had to jump out of a window to escape the flames.

"One occupant of the home had noticed the fire, smoke alarm went off and he felt he couldn't get out safely," says O'Leary. 

The house is a total loss, but O'Leary calls it a successful firefighting effort because no one was hurt.

"It was a tough fire fight and we had to get extra personnel in here," O'Leary says. "By doing so, I think we kept everybody as safe as we could."

Because of the bitter cold and all the water used to put out the flames, what remains of the home will have to be boarded up and then heated so they can investigate the cause of the fire.

MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) - Manitowoc County taxpayers are no longer picking up health insurance for the spouses of county employees who can get affordable coverage elsewhere.

Under the county's budget for the new year, working spouses are no longer covered under their spouses' government plans if they could get insured by their own companies for $249 a month or less.

The Manitowoc Herald-Times Reporter said 126 spouses lost their county coverage -- while 100 other spouses remained eligible.

County Executive Bob Ziegelbauer proposed the change. He said the part of the Obama health reform law which required coverage for employees' dependents did not apply to working spouses.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - The suspect in a number of burglaries at Fox Valley taverns has agreed to a plea dea.

Matthew Connor pled no contest to charges including two counts of burglary, two counts of criminal damage to property, two counts of theft and obstruction. Several other charges were dropped as part of the deal.

Connor was arrested after the series of break-ins, including one at the Milltown Still and Grill in Combined Locks.

He's scheduled to be sentenced April 15.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - One area lawmaker is looking to cut down on the amount of phosphorous in our drinking water.

Green Bay Senator Robert Cowles says his bill offers a new compliance option in addition to the existing options in order for water utilities, manufacturers and small farms.

“Our goal in introducing this legislation is to clean up our valuable waterways by greatly reducing their phosphorus content while still being mindful of water utility ratepayers and Wisconsin manufacturers’ need to remain competitive in a global marketplace,” said Cowles. "It will offer a new compliance option in addition to the existing options in order for water utilities and manufacturers to meet Wisconsin’s strict phosphorus discharge standards."

Cowles says the bill allows the multi-discharger variance concept to be utilized in Wisconsin. The new option offered will allow water utilities and manufacturers to provide significant monetary support for reductions in agricultural phosphorus discharges, which constitutes a majority of phosphorus in our waters.

It will require approval by the federal Environmental Protection Agency before it can be offered to dischargers in Wisconsin.

The bill is co-sponsored by Pewaukee Republican Paul Farrow and Clinton Republican Amy Loudenbeck.

SULLIVAN, WI (WTAQ) - Another round of frigid cold temperatures is forcing several school districts to plan for the possibility of canceling classes on Monday.

The National Weather Service in Sullivan is predicting a series of arctic fronts over the weekend, including Sunday night into Monday.

A spokesperson for the service says wind chills could dip between 20 to 40 degrees below zero in some locations. That's cold enough to cause frost bite on exposed skin within 20 minutes or less.

In addition to the schools, the Department of Natural Resources has already cancelled several events across the state, which can be viewed on their website at DNR.WI.GOV.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ) - Marinette County Emergency Management officials are swinging into action thanks to the propane shortage hitting the Midwestern U.S.

“I didn’t expect what we’re seeing,” said Eric Burmeister, Emergency Management Director for Marinette County. “I didn’t expect the magnitude of it.”

Burmeister says several dozen families have called his emergency management office in Marinette in the past two days because their propane levels have dipped dangerously low.

“We’ve been working with the Red Cross with a couple of sites in the county that have expressed interest in opening a shelter should we need that. I will be going to the town of Silver Cliff tomorrow,” he said.

Marinette County emergency management says the red cross is poised to open shelters, including one in the Village of Crivitz. Burmeister says he's meeting with officials in the Town of Silver Cliff Saturday to discuss shelter options there.

Officials are also talking about the current supply situation in the county.

According to Burmeister, "A survey of propane dealers in Marinette County revealed that most are not taking new customers, and are also restricting amounts to existing customers. It may also take longer for you to get your delivery because of the high demand. Many of the restrictions are because they themselves are getting limited supplies. So contact your propane vendor when your tank reaches 30% full to help ensure you don’t run out before they can deliver."

Burmeister says there are things you can do to conserve and extend your fuel supply.

• Lower your thermostat and wear more layers of clothing
• Seal cracks and holes in outside walls and foundations.  Check where cables (TV, phone) and pipes enter the house.
• Ensure adequate insulation in walls, attics and crawl spaces
• If you use an alternative heat source (space heater, wood stove, etc.), ensure proper ventilation and care are used.

SHAWANO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A barn in Shawano County was destroyed after a fire Sunday.

Fire crews had to battle flames and cold temperatures during the incident. Officials have not said if any of the animals died.

Crews were on the scene for more than five hours in the single-digit temperatures and high wind. Firefighters from five different departments responded.

The Salvation Army was there to help firefighters stay warm.

No one was injured by the fire, or the weather.

(Additional reporting from FOX 11)

MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - A crash on Highway 41 Sunday leaves a Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper injured.

Authorities say it happened at County Trunk Highway II near Menasha just before Noon.

According to the State Patrol, 36-year-old Justin Hansen was near the back of his cruiser while investigating a crash when a car lost control and struck the rear of the squad car.

Hansen got pinned between both vehicles and suffered serious injuries. He was rushed to the hospital, with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The other driver, identified as 41-year-old Brian VanLankveldt of Little Chute, was not hurt.

Highway 41 in that area was shut down for several hours.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the crash.