TOWN OF LYNDON, SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - A Town of Lyndon young adult is charged for sexually assaulting a teenage girl last October.  19 year old Nicholus Hefter faces two felonies for second degree sexual assault of an intoxicated victim.

According to the criminal complaint, the then 16 year old female was attending a party in the Village of Cascade and had several drinks before passing out, thinking something was slipped in a drink.  Throughout the rest of the night, the victim says Hefter sexually assaulted her several times.  Evidence analyzed by the State Crime Lab found Hefter’s D-N-A on the victim’s clothing.

Hefter made his initial court appearance Thursday and had a 15-thousand dollar cash bond set.

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - Local private schools part of the state’s Parental Choice program wishes Governor Walker’s proposed changes were slightly different.

Governor Walker’s budget proposes lifting the one-thousand voucher cap for those wanting to attend a private school but cannot afford it.

Jay Lindsey, Principal at St. John Lutheran School of Plymouth, says the plan would restrict when students from a private school could be eligible for a voucher.  "Say somebody is in a private school currently and wants to stay there but qualifies for the program; well if there kid is in like second or third grade, under the new rules they wouldn’t be allowed to do that," says Lindsey.

Paul Gnan, executive director of Sheboygan Lutheran High School, says he would like to see higher funding levels for high school student vouchers, matching those given in the Milwaukee area.  "I would also like to see the income levels change, that it would be the same as Milwaukee and Racine parental choice.  I didn’t know that poverty changes just because you weren’t in the city," says Gnan.

Both say they will be waiting and watching to see how this proposal will be finalized as the budget is debated.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man recently received a special financial literacy honor from the governor.  Kenneth King of Sheboygan was one of 16 individuals and organizations to receive a 2014 Governor’s Financial Literacy Award last week.

King was honored for being the first Certified Consumer Credit Counselor in Wisconsin, and used the position to help educate people on how to improve their financial capabilities with newspaper articles, presentations to professional organizations, and teaching other educators.  King also helped to create the Wisconsin Jump$tart Coalition, and was a charter member of the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - For the tenth year Sheboygan North’s girls’ basketball team will be holding their “Play 4 Pink” game Saturday evening.

Susie Runaas, Community Education Coordinator at St. Nicholas Hospital, started this tradition ten years ago when she coached the Lady Raiders team, only asking that people wear pick as her team wore pink warm ups.  It has since grown.  "This year what we’re having (an) education booth, and a photo booth, and giveaways, and raffle prizes," says Runaas.

Ranaas says all donations and proceeds will go towards the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund.  "All of the funds in the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund are kept local, so we’re helping to take care of our own," says Ranaas.

Last year the event raised around one-thousand dollars.

Sheboygan,WI- (WHBL) Sheboygan Police have arrested Alderman  Kevin S. Matichek, 33 on a charge of sexual assault of a child. Matichek currently serves as  Sheboygan District 4 Alderman.

On Friday, 2/6/15, the Sheboygan Police Department arrested Matichek. The investigation is ongoing and investigators are making every effort to ensure that all victims have been identified and those that have are receiving the appropriate support and services. 

Matichek, currently serves as District 4 Alderperson for the City of Sheboygan,  and was placed in the Sheboygan County Detention Center.  The case has been referred to the Sheboygan County District Attorney’s Office for review.

 The Sheboygan Police Department has scheduled an 11:00 AM press conference for Monday, February 9th, at the Sheboygan Police Department

Experts say that heroin use is an epidemic in Wisconsin, especially in smaller communities.

You may not hear about it much in your neighborhood, but Dr. John  L. Olsen, MD.,  of Prevea Health says, make no mistake about it, heroin is a problem in Wisconsin- including here in Sheboygan.

Dr. Olsen, who is a Psychiatrist in Sheboygan says, “The misuse of heroin is a serious problem in Sheboygan, especially among young adults.”

According to Dr. Olsen, heroin consumption in Wisconsin mirrors a growing national trend of increased heroin use, which often results in deadly outcomes.

Wisconsin’s rate of heroin-related deaths has steadily risen over the last ten years according to Doctor Olsen. He says that between the years 2000, and 2007, there were twenty-nine heroin related deaths annually.  By 2010, the rate was ninety-three, and nearly two hundred in 2012. By 2013 there were 227 heroin related deaths reported in Wisconsin - a ten percent increase over the previous year, Dr. Olsen says.

Data released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) only shows three-to-six recorded heroin related deaths in Sheboygan County over the last five years. But, Dr. Olsen believes those statistics do not accurately reflect what he believes in reality is a growing deadly trend. Dr. Olsen says many factors contribute to the difficulty of declaring some deaths as being, “heroin related.”  Therefore, he suspects there is a serious problem of under reporting.               

Dr. Olsen says the devil may be in the details of autopsy reports which are not typically performed in cases that are deemed by coroners to be non-suspicious.

 “County coroners say death records likely underestimate the number of overdose deaths. Heroin breaks down quickly in our systems and may not be identified as a cause of death,” says Olsen.

Note: Next, Doctor Olsen explains how to recognize the signs of heroin addiction.

Sheboygan,WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan Council President Alderman Don Hammond says this case reminds him of the city’s troubled past when recalled mayor Bob Ryan drew media attention for alcohol–fueled run ins with the law

Hammond says,” It sure does. The type of media press we like up here isn’t this type of press.”

Except this time the allegations are more dire, and could land Fourth District Alderman Kevin Matichek Behind bars for at least Sixty Years

The thirty three year old Alderman is charged sexually assaulting a child – possibly as young as age fourteen. Don Hammond calls the allegations, if true,”Disappointing.”

Sheboygan police allege in a criminal complaint that Maticheck had several encounters with the child.

Alderman Hammond says the Common Council members are weighing a number of options on dealing with Maticheck’s seat – which is up for re-election in sixty days

“Certainly we’ve got options. We can remove him. Certainly he has the option of resigning as well,” says Hammond.

Hammond says that he will await more information from a press conference by the Sheboygan Police Department which is scheduled for later today, before charting a course of action.

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - The return of the railroad line between Plymouth and Sheboygan is still on schedule.

Sheboygan Falls Mayor Randy Meyer provided an update on the project during Sunday’s “A Closer Look” program.  "The bids were just opened on Monday, so we know who has the contract, and so the project will be proceeding," says Meyer.  "They have a deadline to be done by the end of October."

Meyer says the return of railroad service will be beneficial in helping manufacturers all along the line with their future business.  The line will be following the path of the previous tracks.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Since 2002, the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund has helped those who have had cancer and were treated in Sheboygan County.  Board Vice President Tim Renzelmann says their main goal focuses on their “gestures”, or financial gifts to cover the costs due to the disease.  "From medications that aren’t covered by insurance, to a wig for hair loss, to – even often times when someone newly diagnosed we’ll help with some basic living expenses to kind of free up some funds to help them pay down some of their medical bills," says Renzelmann.

The fund has grown over the years, and the group is now nearing the one million dollar mark for gestures.  In addition, Renzelmann says the group also helps cancer survivors recover physically with exercise programs and activities, including a planned hike of the Ice Age Trail.  "They’re all cancer survivors, and we’ll be backpacking over a 30 mile trip over three days in May," says Renzelmann.

You can learn more about the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund on their website, scccf.org.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan Alderman Kevin Matichek is charged for having a sexual relationship with a 15 year old boy, and is under investigation for a similar relationship with a 17 year old.

Mayor Mike Vandersteen says all this is a disappointment, adding all elected city officials should be role models for the community.  As for what will happen with his elected seat, Vandersteen says it could resolve itself in April.  "Currently the office that he is holding is going to end in April with the coming election, and he has filed as a candidate and he does have an opponent," says Vandersteen.

Vandersteen says he is willing to let the legal system work out the matter, but the council does have the option to remove a council member if need be.   

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan Alderman Kevin Matichek is charged with a repeated sexual assault of a child felony for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 15 year old boy.  The criminal complaint states Matichek and the victim had multiple sexual encounters over a period of several months.  Matichek says he and the victim had a friendship and did make out, but did not perform any sexual activities.

Police Captain Kurt Brasser says they did receive tips about possible criminal acts as early as last June when the alleged sexual acts began.  "We received some information in the past that we were unable to substantiate, but the tip last week was really the catalysts that led us into the investigation to identify actual victims that we were able to speak with," says  Brasser.

Brasser says a 17 year old boy also had a sexual encounter with Matichek, though no charges have been filed in connection to this.

An investigation is ongoing, and Matichek remains in custody.

TOWN OF GREENBUSH, SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - One person was killed in a one vehicle accident Monday in western Sheboygan County.  The accident occurred on Highway 23 near Chicadee Drive in the Town of Greenbush around 10:15 a.m.

Sheboygan County Sheriff Sergeant Doug Tuttle says a vehicle, driven by a 37 year old Sheboygan woman, left the roadway and continued for about 50 yards through a field before hitting a tree head on.  Rescue crews tried reviving the woman, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.  An investigation continues.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - After several months of talks Aurora Health Care, the Sheboygan Area School District, and the City of Sheboygan have reached a plan to create a new medical building and recreational facility.

S-A-S-D would sell Field of Dreams North to Aurora so they can build a new outpatient care facility.  Dave Graebner, president of Sheboygan Memorial, says the change will help with space issues.  "We’ve been at 100-percent capacity at both our clinic and our hospital.  So what it will provide for us is the ability to make some further investment or program changes that will enhance the care both at the hospital and the clinic," says Graebner.

In exchange, Aurora will help transform the former Butzen Farm property on the city’s southside into a state-of-the-art sports facility, with a focus mostly on soccer.  Sheboygan Council President Don Hammond says they got the land last year with a request to make its use recreational.  "The idea was to create tournament-grade fields so that we can hold, or they could host, major regional tournaments," says Hammond

S-A-S-D’s Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the Field of Dreams North land sale Tuesday night.  If all goes as plan, the new facilities would be open for use by the end of 2018.

Sheboygan, WI (WHBL) - Heroin’s footprint is spreading in Wisconsin, according to Dr. Joel L. Olsen MD., of Prevea Health.

Dr. Olsen says that thirty nine Wisconsin counties reported heroin related deaths in 2013, including Sheboygan County - which recorded only three deaths that same year. But, Dr. Olsen says that data is two years old, and he suspects the numbers of heroin deaths in Sheboygan County are much higher now - but go largely under reported.

“County coroners say death records underestimate the number of overdose deaths,” Olsen says

According to Dr. Olsen, it is possible to get help for family or friends who become heroin addicts. But, he says that starts with recognizing when the problem exists, by knowing the key indicators.

Area law enforcement agencies say that a rise in property crimes and the increase of retail theft in rural areas are likely indicators of a growing heroin use problem.

The following are just some of the tell-tale signs of heroin addiction, according to Dr. Olsen;

• Sudden change in appearance / Sudden wieght loss
• Sudden change in behavior  and needing opiates to feel normal
• Frequently telling lies, or breaking promises
• Frequently borrowing, or stealing money
• Frequent inability to concentrate
• Frequent oversleeping
• Sudden change in friends, and quality of friends
• Adult depression and ideation of suicide may indicate an addiction
• Forgetful
• Become Secretive
• Loss of interest in hobbies
• Loss of appetite
• Cigarette filters cut in half
• Bruises on areas of the skin from needle insertion

Doctor Olsen says Getting Clean will take a lot of work for people who become addicted to heroin.

Note: Tomorrow we will take a look into area treatment options for Heroin Users

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Following the arrest of Sheboygan Alderman Kevin Matichek for sexual assault of minors and the alcoholic problems that led to the recall of former mayor Bob Ryan, could the City of Sheboygan conduct background checks for those running for elected offices?

Council President Don Hammond says they are not conducted now.  "From our standpoint, as elected officials, the voters are the ones that put him into office, so we don’t - as a routine - run background checks on aldermen," says Hammond.

Hammond does say the city will be taking a look at a number of issues, given the recent arrest of Matichek.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) -

Sheboygan County residents will narrow the field Tuesday for who will be the newest judge in the county’s circuit court system.  One of those candidates is Catherine Delahunt, who has been practicing law for several decades and has been the only judge for the Sheboygan/Kohler Municipal Court since its creation in 2005.

Delahunt says she’s ready to focus on being just a circuit court judge and use all of her past experiences to benefit the community.  "I believe that this is a job that I’m applying for, and I’m applying to the voters in Sheboygan County; and I want them to know my background, and my qualifications, and my experience," says Delahunt.

Delahunt says those who break the law must be held accountable for their actions with sentences that are fair and, if an offender shows wiliness to do so, allows for improvement.  "Once they, kind of, take and make amends for what they’ve done, there’s more hope, there’s definitely something they can move on to," says Delahunt.

Delahunt faces Matthew Mooney and Rebecca Persick for the judge seat currently held by the retiring Judge Terrence Bourke.

Sheboygan, WI (WHBL) - Medical experts say that heroin addiction is a rampant problem in Wisconsin that often results in overdose, or death.

Doctors say that heroin addiction is progressive, worsens over time, and becomes more difficult to treat.

It is a race against time for first responders who use the drug Narcan to revive people who overdose on opiates. In Wisconsin, Narcan was deployed more than nine thousand times between 2011 and 2012, according to Doctor John L. Olsen MD., of Sheboygan’s Prevea Health. Olsen, a psychiatrist, says it is possible to beat heroin addiction, but warns it is not an easy road.

“..It takes a lot of work,” says Olsen.

Still, Dr. Olsen says a number of medical treatments for Opiate addiction are showing promise including; inpatient treatment centers, outpatient programs, and medication therapy- as well as twelve step programs.

Some of the medications showing promise in the fight against heroin addiction include the drugs Buprenorphine and Suboxone.

Suboxone, says Doctor Olsen, reduced the rate of heroin related deaths by eighty eight percent within the first six months of being used in the United States. Similar results were seen in France, where the drug was first used.

Doctor Olsen can be reached at Prevea Health Behavioral in Sheboygan at (920) 458-5557.

PLYMOUTH, WI (WHBL) -

The community of Plymouth is getting recognized for its intergenerational work.  It was selected by Generations United and MedLife Foundation as one of three communities nationwide to earn their 2015 award for being one of the best intergenerational communities.

Generations’ Executive Director Joann Van Horn Wieland says their facilities have great support from local residents and are used by all ages.  "We do a lot of different things with seniors, middle school students, high school students, the head start child at our facilities," says Van Horn Wieland.

Appropriately, Van Horn Wieland is leading a group of people from several generations to receive this honor in Washington D.C. Wednesday.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) -  As Sheboygan Alderman Kevin Matichek remains in custody on charges for repeated sexual assault of a minor, his attorney is preparing for his defense.

Casey Hoff tells W-H-B-L News that the case is relatively new and it will be changing.  "We’ve merely received the criminal complaint," says Hoff.  "We haven’t received any of the evidence in the case, any of the police reports, or anything else for that matter."

As this process moves along, Hoff is asking the public to remember that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.  "It’s one of the foundations of our system of justice, it’s part of our due process, and anybody who is accused of any sort of crime should be entitled to that very same right," says Hoff.

Matichek remains in custody after his arrest last week on a 75-thousand dollar bond.  Sheboygan Police continue to investigate.

TOWN OF PLYMOUTH, WI (WHBL) - Traffic on Highway 57 just north of Plymouth was impacted by a trailer fire Tuesday.

A trailer full of large hay bales caught fire just after 4:30 p.m. on Highway 57 near County Road “O."  The Wisconsin State Patrol says traffic was closed in both directions for about an hour as fire crews put out the blaze and visibility was reduced due to heavy smoke.  It was then restricted for one direction for a few more hours as crews cleaned up the scene.

There were no reports of injuries or what caused the fire.