HOWARDS GROVE, WI (WHBL) - Firefighters from Howards Grove, Ada and Haven are on the scene of a house fire on County MM northwest of Howards Grove. According to scanner reports the call came in about 8:15 of a possible fire in the attic. The home is located on County MM between Belgian and Meadow Lark Roads. Firefighters and First Responders are on the scene at this hour. More details as they become available.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Two Sheboygan residents who allegedly placed bomb threat notes in a men’s bathroom at their place of work have been bound over for trial.
23 year old Thomas Smith and 21 year old Nicole Morgan were back in Sheboygan County Court this week for preliminary hearings. Judge Timothy Van Akkeren found sufficient evidence against Morgan, while Smith waived his hearing. Both suspects have entered not guilty pleas to a bomb scare felony offense.
According to criminal complaints, both worked at Nemak and allegedly wrote notes on separate dates earlier this year saying bombs would go off later that day. An investigation by the company and Sheboygan Police connected the two to the crime.
Both face three and a half years in prison if found guilty.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Freezing rain and light snow overnight have caused slippery conditions throughout the Sheboygan area this morning. The Sheriff’s Department reports 7 or 8 vehicles in the ditch overnight and 5 fender-bender accidents. No injuries or major damage as of 5am. Road crews are out and conditions should improve as the day goes on. A freezing rain advisory is in effect until 9am.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Listeners to Midwest Communications stations will make Christmas a little brighter for kids in the Sheboygan area. Over 100 toys, more than $400 in grocery store gift cards, and various clothing items and blankets have been donated as part of our third annual Christmas Tree Giving event. The Giving Tree in the lobby is empty today and all of the donated items have been turned over to the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Sheboygan County for children in those programs.
SHEBOYAN, WI (WHBL) - Students from Jackson Elementary School created one-of-a-kind ornaments to decorate the Christmas Tree located at the Sheboygan Area School District Central Administration Building. The ornaments were created under the direction of Art Teacher Connie Berken. Several student representatives worked alongside Superintendent Joseph Sheehan to decorate the tree.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man will spend 30 years in prison for terrorizing his wife and five children for years. Judge Timothy Van Akkeren sentenced 40 year old Lao Jin Friday morning in Sheboygan County Court to the prison term, to be followed by 28 years extended supervision.
Jin faced numerous charges of child abuse, mental harm to a child, strangulation and suffocation, and recklessly endangering safety. Statements by the family in court recounted some of the physical, mental, and sexual abuse they endured, including being hurt with a shock collar, being forced to eat dust, being choked or cut with knifes, and threats to end their lives.
Judge Van Akkeren said this was one of the worst cases he has seen in his 24 years as a judge, and Jin needed to pay the price for the harm he caused his family in the past and their future.
UNDATED (WHBL) - A major winter storm will likely throw a wrench into some holiday travel plans in the state. The National Weather Service in Sullivan has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the entire southern portion of Wisconsin, from 9pm Saturday through 6pm Sunday. The weather service says a low pressure system will strengthen rapidly, bringing heavy snowfall with it. Six to nine inches of snow is expected. Roads will likely be icy and snow-covered. Officials say commuters should take extra caution while driving.
UNDATED (WHBL) - A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for most of the southern and north eastern part of the state today. The National Weather Service in Sullivan is predicting four to eight inches of snow. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation reports the freezing rain before turning into snow will make for hazardous road conditions. In addition, windy conditions will cause limited visibility at times.
The Winter Storm Warning for Sheboygan County remains in effect until 6pm Sunday.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Roads throughout Sheboygan County are snow-covered and slippery as cleanup continues from Sunday's snowstorm. Sgt. Brad Jorsch, of the Sheriff’s Department, said there were no accidents or vehicles in the ditch overnight, but it was a different story during the day Sunday as the area received 7 to 8 inches of snow. Jorsch said there were reports of 16 vehicles in the ditch and 5 property damage accidents.
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan County saw a third straight month of lower home sales last month.
According to the latest figures from the Wisconsin Realtors Association, eight fewer sales took place in November than compared to last year. The median price for a home also dropped for a second month, down 8.9-percent. Statewide last month homes sales were also down six percent, with officials saying this was likely to happen due to the high number of sales last year.
Last month’s figures have not stopped 2013 from being a better year than 2012 for sellers. Sales and the median price in Sheboygan County remain around nine percent higher this year than last year.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man was sentenced recently to a prison term after selling heroin to an undercover officer in the city of Sheboygan last July. 24 year old Randy Keefe will spend a year and a half in prison and two and a half years on extended supervision after he gets out. He sold the heroin to the agent in a drug deal that went down at North 11th and Lincoln Avenue. Judge Terrence Bourke handed down the sentence.
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - Roads and busy intersections may still be slick this morning if they have not been treated following a dusting of snow last evening. No more than an inch fell, but it led to an even whiter Christmas this year. As for the snowfall on Christmas Eve night, Sheboygan County saw around three inches.
The good news is that people are getting used to driving with snow on the ground. The Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department said they only had five incidents of vehicles in the ditch during the overnight hours the past few nights. This does not include Christmas night. They believe people driving too fast for conditions led to these incidents.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Cedar Grove man will spend 20 months in prison for his sixth OWI offense. Judge L. Edward Stengel sentenced 35-year-old John Peter Norum earlier this week for the offense.
Norum was arrested during the early morning hours of October 26 following a short foot chase in the Village of Random Lake. A blood alcohol test found Norum’s to be more than twice over the legal limit.
In additional to the prison term, Norum will spend three years on extended supervision, have his license revoked for three years, and be required to have an ignition interlock for three years.
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - Snowmobile trails are open in Sheboygan County. The Northern Kettle Moraine Snowmobile Association and county officials say grooming earlier this week allowed a base of seven inches, making them in good condition. They also remind riders to please stay on marked trails or else you may be the one responsible for the closure of certain routes.
The early season snowfalls have allowed surrounding counties to open their trails as well. Conditions for them range from fair in Fond du Lac and Manitowoc, to good in Calumet and Ozaukee, to excellent in Washington.
A complete list of trail conditions across the state can be found at travelwisconsin.com.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - The latest numbers for unemployment in our area was a mix of good and not so good news.
The state Department of Workforce Development said Thursday seasonally adjusted employment in the Sheboygan metro area grew by 500 last month. However, that did not change the unemployment rate in the Sheboygan area, as it stayed at 6.4 percent. For all of Sheboygan County, November’s unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percent to 5.2.
Across Wisconsin, most counties saw their unemployment rate increase last month. For the state as a whole, the rate dropped two-tenths to 6.3, and preliminary numbers showed a seasonally adjusted growth of 3,600 jobs.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan Police are searching for a Sheboygan man not seen for over a month.
Captain Stephen Cobb said a family member reported 48 year old Allen L. Townsend missing on Christmas Eve. Townsend was last seen by friends walking away from a residence on the 1100 block of Alabama Avenue on or about November 20.
Townsend is described as black non hispanic, five-foot eleven-inches tall, weighing 190 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a long sleaved yellow and brown plaid button down shirt, blue jeans, a black hooded leather jacket, and possibly a black winter hat.
Anyone with information regarding Townsend's whereabouts is asked to contact the Sheboygan Police Department at (920) 459-3333.
PLYMOUTH, WI (WHBL) - The Plymouth School District is mourning the loss of its board president. 53 year old Mark Rhyan passed away on Christmas Day due to pancreatic cancer. The former executive vice president and chief operations officer at Sargento Foods was first elected to the Plymouth Board of Education in 2008, won reelection in 2011, and served as board president all those years.
In a statement on the district’s website, Superintendent Carrie Dassow said Rhyan was a strong leader for the district and they will continue to try to follow his vision of giving all students the education needed for them to fulfill their dreams. Board vice president Tim St. Clair will take over as president.
A public memorial service will be held January 1 at 4 p.m. at the Plymouth High School Auditorium.
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - Those wanting to enjoy a warm, sunny day on area snowmobile trails this Saturday will have no options available.
The Northern Kettle Moraine Snowmobile Association announced last evening all trails in Sheboygan County are closed due to the expected above freezing temperatures. The trails were opened earlier this week following grooming after the early season snowfalls. In addition, all trails in Calumet, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Ozaukee and Washington counties are also closed due to the warmer weather.
Trails may reopen once weather conditions are more favorable for trails to be maintained.
PLYMOUTH, WI (WHBL) - Plymouth Police are looking for the man who attempted to rob Marshall’s Westside Pantry in downtown Plymouth Sunday night. Lt. Richard Vander Sande said the suspect, who may have had a weapon, entered the Pantry around 7 p.m. and threatened the clerk, demanding money. Vander Sande said the clerk refused to open the cash register and pressed the panic alarm. The suspect then fled the store on foot in an unknown direction. Anyone with any information is being asked to contact the Plymouth Police Department or Crime Stoppers.
PLYMOUTH, WI (WHBL) - Plymouth Police have arrested a suspect in Sunday’s attempted robbery of Marshall’s Westside Pantry in Plymouth. Lt. Richard VanderSande said officers received information Monday about a possible suspect and, after executing a search warrant at a residence in the city of Plymouth, arrested a 25 year old man. VanderSande said, during the arrest, a 58 year old woman was also taken into custody on charges of assaulting officers. The male had allegedly entered the store around 7 o’clock Sunday night and threatened the clerk. However, the clerk refused to open the cash register and the robber fled on foot. The suspect is now in the county jail, awaiting a court appearance.
