KOHLER, WI (WHBL) - One of the longest performing arts series in the state is set to start its new season next Friday.

The Kohler Distinguished Guest Series begins its 72nd season with LeVar Burton, and in a sense it's going back to how it all started.  "The Distinguished Guest Series seventy-two years ago began as a lecture series," says Carolynn Lee, who oversees the series for the Kohler Foundation.

Over recent years, though, the series has taken a musical focus with a wide array of artists and performances filling the series slots.  The last lecture for the series was in 2008 when Maya Angelou spoke.

Lee says the foundation wanted to remember its past.  "Because this series began as a lecture series that has always been a piece of what we’re about.  It’s not just necessarily about music, but it’s about distinguished guests of all kinds."  The selection of LeVar Burton also fit the standards of finding a person with broad appeal and be interesting to a lot of people.

The actor and author will be talking about the power of storytelling, a topic he knows a lot about given his 26 years hosting Reading Rainbow on PBS, and pushing to get it re-started in a digital format.  "He is certainly one who’s an advocate for literacy, reading, and storytelling as something that can really change lives," says Lee.

The lecture, like all series events, will be held at the Kohler Memorial Theater.  More information on how to get tickets can be found here.

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - Both the Centers for Disease Control and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services are reporting no early outbreak of the flu this season.  But like the oncoming winter season, it’s a fact that flu season will come to our area.

That is why the Sheboygan County Health and Human Services Department is recommending everyone ages six months and older get the flu vaccine. Libby Holte says it takes time for a body to adjust to the vaccine once one gets it.  "After you get the vaccine it takes approximately two weeks for you to be fully covered.  The vaccine protects you for at least a year, so for a solid year it protects you against the flu."

Some may remember the lack of a match between last season’s vaccine and the most dominant flu strain that went around, causing more people than usual to suffer the consequences.

Starleene Grossman with the Health and Human Services Department says the Centers for Disease Control is confident this year’s vaccine will be a good match.  "They picked the right strains for this year.  There are no concerns that we’re going to have a repeat of last year’s difficulty with the vaccine."

In addition to the flu shot, people should practice good hygiene to prevent the spread of germs and viruses.  That includes washing hands, disinfecting shared items, and staying home and getting rest if you feel under the weather.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan Police are crediting an alert citizen for an arrest in a home burglary Friday.

Captain Kurt Brasser says someone was able to assist them in taking a person into custody for the burglary in the 1200 block of South Eighth Street.

He adds the suspect is known to the victims of the burglary, and there is no current danger to the community.

An investigation continues.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Not returning to jail, and then putting up a fight with law enforcement when found, will cost a Sheboygan man two years of probation.

Judge L. Edward Stengel sentenced 43 year old Roger Koski this week after he pleaded no contest to escape and resisting an officer charges.

Criminal complaints state Koski was allowed to leave the Sheboygan County Detention Center July 9th to go to work, but he never returned.

On July 15th, he was spotted at a home on the 1700 block of North 13th Street. Sheboygan Police tried to take him into custody, but Koski resisted by hiding and trying to physically keep officers out of the room he was in.  Eventually, a taser was used to subdue Koski and he was arrested.

SHEBOYGAN FALLS, WI (WHBL) - It looks like a case of who is afraid of whom more.

Prosecutors charged 55 year old Rexford Newcomb the Third Friday with disorderly conduct by use of a dangerous weapon after Sheboygan Falls Police investigated a domestic disturbance involving him and his 14 year old son Thursday.

The criminal complaint states the son claims he and his father got into a verbal argument at their State Street home. At one point, he accuses Newcomb of going into his bedroom, getting a shotgun, and then coming towards him.

Thinking his father would shoot him, the son allegedly ran outside as his father followed, believing he was getting the key to the trigger of the weapon. He eventually got to a nearby gas station and asked employees to call 911.

Newcomb claims his son’s story was fabricated to provide a reasonable explanation for why he got his shotgun. He reportedly said he is in fear of his son given his attitude and disrespect towards him, adding he keeps the gun and a bow and arrow in his vehicle because of it.  Newcomb added he and his son have not had a physical altercation in the past.

Online court records show Newcomb pleaded not guilty to the charge.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A citizen tip helped Sheboygan Police arrest a Sheboygan man for driving extremely fast in the city Thursday.

Sergeant Joel Kuszynski says an officer tried to stop the vehicle the 20 year old was driving at a high rate of speed on Calumet Drive. However, the pursuit was ended when the vehicle turned onto North 25th Street at a speed of 80 to 100 miles per hour, fearing for the safety of vehicles and citizens in that area.

On Friday, a tip that identified the suspect led officers to arrest the man.  Charges of fleeing an officer and reckless endangering safety are being recommended.

Kuszynski says an investigation found out a 20 year old female and a seven-week old infant were in the suspect’s vehicle at the time of the short pursuit.  He also said the decision by the officer not to continue the pursuit is an example of the department's policy to continuously weigh the safety of the community when situations like this occur.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Click on the link below to watch and listen to this week's "A Closer Look" program, a public affairs program on WHBL and WSCS.

This week's shows focuses on topic of suicides.  We speak with Denise Pazur from Empathos, Jonathan Tyler of Yurk Counseling Services, and Sheboygan County Sheriff Todd Priebe on the matter.  We find out how serious the situation is in the area, what impact does one of these deaths have in the community, and what can be done to prevent a person from attempting to take their own life.

A Closer Look Replay: Suicides in Sheboygan County

SHEBOYGAN AND FOND DU LAC COUNTIES, WI (WHBL/KFIZ) - The warmer than normal weather may have made it more enticing for motorcyclists to take advantage of the heat to get one more ride and enjoy the fall colors before the temperatures cool.

Unfortunately, there were at least three incidents of motorcyclists getting involved in accidents around the area.  Each accident involved one motorcycle each.

The first occurred Friday afternoon in southeast Fond du Lac County.  Sheriff's officials say the 71-year-old Greenfield man failed to negotiate a curve on County Road G south of Highway 67 in the Town of Osceola, causing the bike to strike a tree.  Officials say the man was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.  Alcohol and speed have been ruled out as factors in the accident.

The other two accidents happened in Sheboygan County Saturday.  The sheriff's department says  the first occurred around 3:20 p.m. on Highway 67 near Hermitage Road in the Town of Rhine.  63 year old Constance Wilterdink of Hingham tried to avoid hitting a deer, but she lost control of her Harley and was ejected.  She was taken to St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan with serious injuries.

The other accident occurred around 7:40 p.m. on County Road PP near Linwood Lane in the Town of Sheboygan Falls.  38 year old Eric Green of Port Washington lost control on a curve and went into the ditch.  He too was taken to St. Nicholas Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

The sheriff’s department says no citations are expected in either incident.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan teenager was sentenced on sexual assault charges involving a teenage girl this past summer.

Judge Timothy Van Akkeren ordered 18 year old Kenneth Burnette-York last week to serve six months in jail, and register as a sex offender for 15 years, after he pleaded no contest to charges of second-degree sexual assault of a child and two counts of exposing intimate parts to a child.

The charges stem from his interactions with a 13 year old girl in July.  The original criminal complaint filed against Burnette-York states the two met at North Beach on July 4th, interacted with each other on Facebook, and eventually had sex twice within a 24 hour period later in the month.

Sheboygan Police began investigating after the girl reportedly told her older brother, and he informed law enforcement.

As part of the sentence, Burnette-York was given a four year probation sentence that was withheld.  Also, the sexual assault change will be dropped if he can avoid future criminal troubles over the next five years.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan’s Common Council will be busy Monday evening discussing several matters that could change how much in taxes city residents pay and how they operate.  The council will meet as a Committee of the Whole at City Hall starting at 6 p.m. for the first time since last April’s elections.

One item on their agenda is to discuss a possible wheel tax to increase funds for road maintenance.  The city had such a tax in the past, but it was phased out.

Two other items on their agenda will allow for discussion regarding how the council operates.  One includes a proposal to allow council members to remotely attend meetings, meaning they can take part via telephone, video conference, or other means. Another would speed up approval for certain communications, resolutions, and ordinances by eliminating their second reading when not required by law.

The council will also discuss adopting an official mission/vision statement and core values for the body.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Teenagers who may have an interest in becoming a police officer or another job in law enforcement can learn more from the Sheboygan Police Department Monday evening.

The department is holding an open house for their Explorer Post program, which is designed to educate those ages 14 to 21 about jobs in law enforcement.

"It’s kind of a focus on the career, and we want to open up the police department for them to come in and see what we’re about," says Officer Alex Jaeger.

The open house is being used to sign up people for the program, which meets twice a month and gives participants hands-on experience with a small sample of what officers do in their job. “We go over certain topic in law enforcement; professional communication, some of our defense and arrest tactics, investigations, crime scene checking," says Jaeger.

The program has been around for a number of years, and it has proven successful for a number of reasons.  Jaeger says one is to give teenagers a chance to try out being an officer before committing to a career path and the training it would require.  “See if it is interesting to you, or something that an explorer would want to do as a career, and make that decision before they spend money on college.”

Another is the overall skills participants learn in addition to how officers operate. “It shows them the importance of police in society," says Jaeger.  "They develop professional communication skills, and there’s so many things available to them that can help them in any career they might choose."

The third reason is how program participants help the department in community outreach.  Jaeger says members helped with an effort last summer to get people to lock their vehicles to deter thefts, among others.

The open house gets underway at the department's municipal courtroom at 6:30 p.m.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan Police say an investigation continues into why two people were found dead inside a home near the downtown area Sunday.

Lieutenant William Adams says officers responded to a call around 11:15 a.m. to a building in the 1400 block of Erie Avenue after friends of the victims found the two inside.

All that is being made public about the deceased is that they were a 59 year old female and a 50 year old male.

Adams says there was no foul play involved in the deaths and there is no threat to the public.

Sheboygan, WI (WHBL)   20-year-old Elias Luna is facing one count of physical abuse of a child, and one count of disorderly conduct following a brawl on Indiana Avenue Friday night.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Sheboygan County Court, the fight broke out around 9pm between a group of black and Hispanic males, mostly teens.  Luna is accused of being part of the group of Hispanic males who wore black clothing and black hoodies that night. They spotted the group of black teens hanging out with female friends in an alley and summoned more associates to the location to engage in the fight.

Witnesses tell Sheboygan Police the fight may have spilled over from a graduation party that occurred back in June at which an acquaintance of the Hispanic teens was reportedly attacked. The Hispanic teens allegedly vowed revenge for the beating and chose Friday night to exact said payback.

 A fifteen year old who was hanging out with friends claims that she was trying to talk the teens out of fighting when Luna allegedly struck her with a metal broomstick. The victim says she was struck with such force to her upper right arm that it left a noticeable dent in the broom handle. She and other witnesses also say that every person in the group carried some type of weapon - from broken corona bottles to knives and sticks.

In addition to Luna, 20 Christopher Amador is charged with disorderly conduct and is believed to have been the ringleader in Friday’s fight.

18 year old Tavril M. Ringel is charged with disorderly conduct, use of a dangerous weapon.

21 year old Juan M. Valadez is charged with disorderly conduct, use of a dangerous weapon, and bail jumping charges.

Most of those involved scattered before police arrived to break up the fight, which may be far from over, according to witnesses, who say that one of the Hispanic males involved in the fight was heard telling others, “We know where you live and where you stay, and we’ll be back.”

Sheboygan Police continue to investigate the brawl and more arrests are possible.

MADISON, WI (WHBL) - Area State Senator Devin LeMahieu has been busy in Madison working on a number of bills that would change election laws in Wisconsin.

The most recent bill he has introduced is the Elections Technology, Access, and Security Bill, which has a committee hearing Tuesday.

The Oostburg Republican says it's designed to eliminate fraud with voter registration.  "And make sure that people who are eligible to vote line up, because the way we’re setting it up is going to go against D-M-V records, so you have to have a valid ID in the state to register online."

LeMahieu says the bill will not prevent groups from holding registration events, but gives them the chance to do it with tablets connected to the internet.  "It’s going to check the list against – there’s different lists with states around us, and with title transfers with property, death statements.  So we think it’s going to clean up the voter’s list."

LeMahieu says he had gotten support from clerk offices that will have a role in compiling voter lists.

The bill is also sponsored by Republican Assemblywoman Kathy Bernier and Democrat Assemblywoman Terese Berceau.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - We now know who was allegedly responsible for traveling at a high rate of speed on Sheboygan's north side last week, and was arrested one day later. Prosecutors charged Andrew Beltran Monday with first-degree recklessly endangering safety and attempting to flee or elude an officer.

The criminal complaint against the 20 year old Sheboygan man states a Sheboygan Police officer noticed a minivan on Highway 42 near Evergreen Park traveling at 79-miles per hour the night of October 8th. The officer tried to stop the vehicle, but ended their effort after the minivan turned onto North 25th Street and was traveling up to 100 miles per hour.

The next day, an anonymous tip to the department identified Beltran as the possible suspect. Officers arrived at his residence to take him into custody, and Beltran is accused of resisting.

When interviewed, Beltran at first denied being the driver.  However, when police told him that his girlfriend told law enforcement he was the one driving the minivan with her and her seven-week old child inside, he reportedly confessed and said he was sorry for putting the infant in such danger.

Beltran now faces up to 16 years in prison if found guilty of the charges.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Two Sheboygan men face burglary and joyriding charges, for allegedly entering a home, stealing items, and taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent. Prosecutors charged 25 year old Felton Canon and 21 year old Cameron Frei Monday for several incidents that occurred on the 1200 block of South Eighth Street.

The criminal complaints against the two states it all began October 9th when a female arrived at her mother’s home on that street to find a man, alleged to be Canon, going through her mother’s purse.  Sheboygan Police arrived, and found the suspect a block away with items on him reportedly taken from the home.

An investigation found a number of items were taken out of the home and placed outside, including four televisions, costume jewelry, video games and gaming systems, approximately 200 DVDs, and a diamond engagement ring valued at 15-hundred dollars.

While speaking to the victims, it was found that a vehicle, parked on the street outside the home and owned by one of the mother’s other daughters, was taken.  That person claims an ex-boyfriend, identified as Frei, took it without permission and returned it to them on October 10th.

Police interviewed the two suspects.  Canon reportedly said he and Frei entered the home, found the keys to the vehicle, and used it to go to Milwaukee to play pool.  Canon added he returned to the home October 9th to retrieve a backpack. When he couldn't find it, he decided to enter the home and take items outside until he got his stuff.

Frei reportedly told investigators he had permission to take the vehicle.

Canon now faces over 25 years in prison if guilty of all charges, while Frei faces over 13 years in prison for his charges.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - The cost to keep all streets in the City of Sheboygan up to date and smooth is not cheap.  In fact, the Sheboygan Public Works Department says to do this, it would require 47 million dollars to complete all necessary projects, not including what it cost to maintain roads afterwards.

That is why the Sheboygan Common Council, when meeting as a Committee of the Whole Monday, approved an ordinance that would bring back a wheel tax.  The tax had been around a while back, but was allowed to be phased out.

The ordinance would charge every vehicle a flat 20 dollar fee if it is registered with the state, customarily kept in the city, and has a gross weight under eight-thousand pounds.

All money raised would be used to pay for road maintenance projects.

A member of the city’s Public Works Department detailed the millions that it would cost to bring all the streets in Sheboygan up to date.  That included over 18-million for laying asphalt on roads with concrete surfaces, nearly 11-million for doing hot in place asphalt replacement, over ten-million dollars to remove and replace asphalt road surfaces, and over five-million for road reconstruction that currently has a concrete surface.

There was plenty of discussion between council members, and due to the meeting being a committee meeting, members of the public were allowed to speak.

Resident Jason Peters says the city could raise money if they were to sell the marina, sell the former Boston Store property, and eliminate the City Administrator position.  "Doing these three things would bring over one-point-four million dollars to fixing the streets.  It’s not enough to cover the entire formula, but it’s a better start that your wheel tax."  He says that will also give the city time to work with the county on a county-wide wheel tax or sales tax to increase revenues for both entities.

In the end, the council approved the ordinance with language amendments from City Attorney Charles Adams.  It was also amended to require a super majority from the council to take money away from what is gathered with the wheel tax if used for something other than road projects.

Sheboygan, WI (WHBL) - This really happened.

59-year-old Terrence J Wilcox apparently loves the  food at Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center on North 7^th Street -  so much so, that he figured out a way to get there on three occasions without hopping a taxi or driving himself.

 Wilcox dialed 911 complaining of chest pains and was whisked away to Memorial in the back of an ambulance. Three times Wilcox gamed the emergency service before first responders caught on to his scam.  Monday, October 12, 2015 was the final straw.

A criminal complaint filed in Sheboygan County court states that firefighters called Sheboygan police to Wilcox’s Primrose Court apartment to file a complaint for misuse of the  911 service. It turns out first responders had been called to the same residence twice the day before for “chest pains.”

Wilcox would get transported to the hospital, eat the meals, flirt with the nurses, and swear at other staff before going back home to repeat the routine.

The charade would have likely continued for days, or even weeks had Wilcox chosen not to share his dastardly deeds with nurses at the hospital. One of the nurses told Sheboygan police that after Wilcox was taken to the emergency room Monday, he boasted to staff members that he did not have chest pains adding, “I like you guys.” Wilcox allegedly went on to say that police “made” him go to the ER.

A hospital staffer pointed out to police that tending to Wilcox for non-medical reasons took staff time away from a newborn baby who was having difficulty breathing.

Wilcox is facing one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. He could get up to 90 days and face fines up to $1000, if convicted.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - It was a theft pattern that lasted around 20 days in June and July, but eventually a Sheboygan man was caught and will have to serve time.

41 year old Velaquice Hawkins will serve 30 days in jail, plus spend three years on probation after Judge Timothy Van Akkeren found him guilty of three counts of theft, plus a count each of resisting an officer and bail jumping.  Ten other counts, one for theft and the other nine for bail jumping, were dismissed as part of a plea deal.

The criminal complaint for the case describes what happened when the four thefts occurred in the Sheboygan area.

- The first two were on June 30 and each resulted in a purse stolen from a car.  One was at Wal-Mart on the south side, and the other was at Fischer’s Food and Liquor.

- The next theft was on July 10 at Lakeshore Display, and involved a vehicle being entered.

- The final one was on July 20 at the south side Wal-Mart, involving the theft of a wallet from a cart inside the store.

Surveillance video, and a hat recovered from one of the crime scenes, connected Hawkins as the suspect. On August 5 police took him into custody after finding him and stopping him from fleeing.

When interviewed, Hawkins admitted to the crimes, saying he stopped taking medication and was using heroin at the time.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - What reportedly began as a way to help a teenage girl improve her self esteem now has a Cleveland man charged with sexual assault. 29 year old Andrew Franz was charged Tuesday with second degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age, and exposing genitals.

The criminal complaint reports the 15 year old female victim began receiving what she called comfort and support from Franz during the summer of 2014 to combat her low self-esteem and social anxiety.  The victim reportedly knew Franz through an older cousin who dated him for seven years.

That relationship continued over time, with the most contact being Franz allegedly French kissing her. That reportedly changed this summer, as the victim claims Franz began to ask her to have sex, touched her breasts, and show her his genitals.

Franz was interviewed, and reportedly admitted to the claims against him.

He now faces over 40 years in prison and fines up to 110-thousand dollars if found guilty of the two charges.