Bizarre News from Sheboygan

Wisconsin man accused of slapping boys over missing frog

2011-07-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

SHEBOYGAN, Wis.—
A 26-year-old Sheboygan man is charged with slapping two young boys for letting his pet frog briefly escape.

Christopher D. Sipe faces a preliminary hearing Wednesday on two counts of felony child abuse. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

A Sheboygan Press report (http://bit.ly/qTe8dI ) says Sipe was living with the boys' mother. The criminal complaint says he discovered his frog missing earlier this month. Sipe told investigators that even after it was found, he acknowledged hitting the boys "very hard" because he thought they were responsible.

Prosecutors say Sipe had been drinking before he struck the boys, ages 8 and 6. Both boys had large red and blue marks between their noses and ears.

Defense attorney Casey Hoff says Sipe plans to plead not guilty.

Another Sheboygan County classic involving drinking...

2011-06-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Adell man faces 4th OWI after allegedly driving drunk to pick up wife at jail

A 52-year-old rural Adell man was charged Tuesday with his fourth offense of drunken driving after allegedly driving drunk to the Sheboygan County Jail to pick up his wife, who had also been arrested earlier in the day on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Steven D. Casarez, of 643 Highway BB, was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, his fourth offense in five years, and faces up to three years in prison and three years probation.

According to the complaint, Casarez on Sunday drove to the jail to pick up his wife, but was turned away after corrections officers gave him a preliminary Breathalyzer test and found that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.13.

Corrections officers saw Casarez walking to his car and called police, who later pulled Casarez over for driving erratically.

Casarez told police he had been out drinking at multiple bars in the Cedar Grove area and then drove to Sheboygan to pick up his wife.

Shevegas Press link

Free TV in Sheboygan Home on Craiglist

2011-05-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

Another classic, this one found on the WHBL site in Sheboygan...

http://whbl.com/news/articles/2011/may/09/free-tv-sheboygan-home-hoax/

Sheboygan, Wis. (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man who placed a neighbor’s large screen TV on Craigslist as a joke over the weekend could be headed to prison. 50 year old Anthony Berry has been charged with identity theft after placing an ad on Craigslist advertising a free 50 inch Sanyo TV that his neighbor had inside his home. According to the criminal complaint, officers were called when someone responding to the ad called police, concerned that the ad wasn’t real. When officers arrived on the scene, they noted a few other individuals who replied to the ad and showed up for the free TV. When the homeowner returned, he assumed it was his neighbor, Berry, playing a practical joke as Berry does sell things for the homeowner from time to time on craigslist. Berry confessed to the posting, and said he did it because the neighbor owed him money for the things he’d posted on craigslist for him. If convicted, Berry could spend 6 years in prison.

Sheboygan Woman Charged in 54 Year Old Murder

2011-01-31T17:08:00.000-08:00

Another story from Sheboygan. This one from WHBL, AM 1340.
http://whbl.com/news/articles/2011/jan/31/sheboygan-woman-charged-54-year-old-murder/

Sheboygan, Wis. (WHBL)- A shocking story unfolding in the city of Sheboygan today. An elderly Sheboygan woman was arrested at 9 o’clock this morning on a charge of 2^nd degree murder in the death of her infant daughter 54 years ago. Sheboygan Police said it took a sibling who came forward about two years ago and then dozens of interviews by Detectives Paul Hamman and Paul Olsen. Olsen said 74 year old Ruby Klokow has admitted to throwing her 6 month old daughter Jeaneen onto a couch because she was upset with her other children. Klokow was arrested at her home this morning. Olsen said the incident occurred in a home which no longer exists and was located where the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department is now located. Olsen said it was a long and difficult investigation because many of the key people involved have since died and there was no physical evidence preserved from the case. He said at the time of the death it was listed as suspicious but no arrests were ever made, although the child had died of severe head injuries. At the time, Klokow told officers the infant was injured in a fall from the couch. Hamman said the woman worked at a local factory until she retired and is currently doing part-time cleaning. She is now being held in the county jail pending a court appearance tomorrow morning on a charge of 2^nd degree murder.

Sheboygan reports on their bizarre news...

2010-12-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

Even the Sheboygan Press realizes most of their reporting was strange. I missed a couple highlights this year, check out the latest story at the Sheboygan Press for exciting news, including...

7. Teen kinks grandma's oxygen hose to avoid going to school

9. Man steals child's ashes during argument

10. Man smokes marijuana to celebrate end of probation

check out the rest here...
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20101228/SHE0101/12280384/Only-in-Sheboygan-Here-are-the-strange-and-the-wacky-stories

Only in Sheboygan: Here are the strange and the wacky stories

Woman Busted For Bloody Tongue Assault

2010-12-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

Check out the video on this story!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO2koX4Qj5M

DECEMBER 7--What kind of a woman bites off her 79-year-old husband’s tongue and then poses for a mug shot flashing her pearly whites?

Meet Karen Lueders.

The 57-year-old Wisconsin woman was arrested Monday evening on a felony mayhem-domestic violence count after she allegedly bit off half of her husband Willard’s tongue while kissing him, according to investigators.

Willard Lueders was transported to a hospital about 50 miles from the couple’s Sheboygan home, so doctors could attempt to re-attach the tongue.

It is unclear why Karen, pictured in the above mug shot, bit off Willard’s tongue. Though Willard--in written responses to police questions--said that his wife was a in "manic state" when he was attacked, and had been "talking very fast and talking about spiritual things" over the past few days.

Willard said that he had gotten up at around 11:15 PM to go to the bathroom, where his wife was sitting on the toilet. “He advised that he kissed her while she was sitting on the toilet and that she had gone into a manic state, biting off his tongue,” according to a criminal complaint filed today. Willard added that his wife had also grabbed his penis.

Responding to a 911 call from Willard, police found Karen outside their home, where she was singing Christmas carols with a New Year's horn in her hand.

According to a page on the Faith Alliance Church web site, Karen Lueders is a “full-time Activity Director for the elderly” who shares “a music ministry named ‘His Harmony’” with her husband. Lueders, the church notes, “teaches good thoughts in Christ are mandatory for a life of love and service.”

In April, Lueders, who has two grown daughters and five grandchildren, spoke at a women’s church seminar entitled “Misfeeding Our Appetites.” Lueders lectured attendees on how to “Gain understanding into what you are really hungry for, ‘retrain your brain,’ and seek out what will really fill you up. Live the life God intends for you to live!”

More on this story: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20025063-504083.html

Wisconsin pilot detained in Dominican Republic

2010-12-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

My friend Dennis sent me this one...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-dominicanrepublic,0,6993091.story

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. —

A Wisconsin pilot has been detained in the Dominican Republic after authorities found over 300 pounds of cocaine hidden in the plane, operated by Milwaukee-based Air Cargo Carriers.

The pilot is 31-year-old Kevin Kuranz, of Sheboygan. His father, Joe Kuranz, of Sheboygan, says his son called Thursday night to say he was OK. He says his son told him he had no idea how the drugs got onto the plane, which took off from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He says the pilots don't load the planes.

Dominican authorities have also detained 18 military and government officials in the case.

Joe Kuranz said Saturday his son has not been jailed but he and his co-pilot aren't allowed to leave the country.

Shoot or get off the pot!

2010-11-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

From my favorite source of Sheboygan News:
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20101129/SHE0101/101129117/Man-25-arrested-after-allegedly-firing-gun-while-on-the-toilet

Man, 25, arrested after allegedly firing gun while on the toilet

Sheboygan Press staff • November 29, 2010

A 25-year-old Sheboygan man was charged Monday after allegedly firing a handgun into the floor of his upstairs apartment unit while seated on his toilet, sending a bullet into an occupied downstairs apartment.

Dustin J. Sippel, of 1914B Calumet Drive, was charged with one felony count of first-degree reckless endangerment and misdemeanor counts of possession of a firearm while intoxicated, possession of drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.

According to a criminal complaint, Sippel told Sheboygan police that he’d been sitting on the toilet late Saturday night “playing with his gun,” and “racking rounds into the chamber,” when it accidentally fired into the floor. When confronted by his downstairs neighbor, Sippel said he’d been drilling a hole in the floor.

Sippel’s neighbor then called the police and officers surrounded the home and evacuated the downstairs residents before entering the upper apartment, which Sippel had fled. A search later revealed drug paraphernalia, a shotgun and ammunition.

Police later located Sippel — who was still armed — walking on Sibley Court, where he admitted to firing the gun in his bathroom. Sippel also told police he’d drunk about four beers and smoked marijuana prior to the incident.

Sheboygan woman allegedly passed out drunk in McDonald's drive-thru

2010-08-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

Another special one from Sheboygan. Thanks to the Sheboygan Press and my Dad pointing this one out...

Sheboygan woman allegedly passed out drunk in McDonald's drive-thru

A 27-year-old Sheboygan woman passed out drunk in her car while trying to place an order in a McDonald’s drive-thru earlier this month, according to court documents filed today.

Police officers summoned by employees found Stacy L. Erickson slumped over and snoring inside her 1991 Ford Escort, according to a criminal complaint. The incident occurred about 3:40 a.m. July 30 at the McDonald’s at 2425 S. Business Drive.

Officers’ initial attempts to rouse Erickson were unsuccessful, but she woke up after they turned off the car and tried again.

Erickson had to grab the car to steady herself as she got out, and she failed field sobriety tests. She registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 at the scene and 0.09 later at the Sheboygan Police Department.

Erickson, of 2223 Terrace View Drive, Apt. 2A, is charged with misdemeanor third-offense drunken driving and faces up to a year in jail, if convicted. She is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Aug. 30.

Drunk and Naked

2010-08-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

What happens in Shevegas, stays in Shevegas... I'll bet this guy is wishing that was the case:

http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20100817/SHE0101/100817019/1973/SHE04/Drunk-man-found-naked-in-Sheboygan-park

Sheboygan woman, 79, kills snake with ice chopper

2010-08-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

Another hot item from Sheboygan!

Sheboygan woman, 79, kills snake with ice chopper

(AP)

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — A 79-year-old Sheboygan woman who couldn't find any help when a rattlesnake showed up on her patio said it was no big deal taking matters into her own hands. Margaret Street said she used an ice chopper to kill the snake with three cuts behind the head.

She made some calls hoping to find someone who could help her. She said when that failed she killed the snake because she was afraid it could hurt someone at a nearby elementary school.

Dale Katsma, with the state Department of Natural Resources, said the massasauga rattlesnake is endangered in Wisconsin, but photos suggest this was a prairie rattlesnake, which isn't endangered or native to the area.

He told The Sheboygan Press the snake may have been aboard a train bringing materials to a local salvage yard.

Information from: The Sheboygan Press, http://www.sheboygan-press.com

Two men uninjured after sailboat capsizes

2010-07-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

This one may not be bizarre, but I like that is made the news and its about my cousin.
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20107040363

Two men uninjured after sailboat capsizes

Sheboygan Press staff

Two boaters were uninjured late Friday night after their sailboat capsized in Lake Michigan east of the Town of Wilson and they swam to shore, the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department reported.

According to Sgt. Jason Liermann:

The incident occurred about 9:10 p.m., when the sheriff's department received a 911 call about the capsized sailboat in the lake, directly east of North Evergreen Drive.

The Coast Guard was dispatched from Station Sheboygan, along with the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department Water Safety Patrol.

The owner of the 17-foot Hobie Cat sailboat, a 28-year-old Sheboygan man, and the passenger, a 29-year-old Wauwatosa man, were both wearing wet suits and personal floatation devices, and were able to swim to shore, while pulling in their boat.

Neither man was injured and there was no significant damage to the boat.

Assisting at the scene was the Town of Wilson constable.

Wis. teen accused of breaking into home for snacks

2009-11-23T17:04:00.000-08:00

Wis. teen accused of breaking into home for snacks
Associated Press
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-snacksearch-charg,0,584286.story

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - A Sheboygan teen has been charged with breaking into a neighbor's house to look for snack food.

Ronald M. Savela Jr. is 17 but is charged as an adult with felony attempted burglary. The Sheboygan Press says the charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 4 years.

Prosecutors say Savela broke into the same house last year through the same basement window, leading the owner to suspect him when the window was found broken again last week.

The criminal complaint quotes the teen as saying he smashed the window with a rock and removed the screen. He says he was looking for snack food but didn't find any.

His preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 2.

Online court records didn't list a defense attorney for Savela.

Mayor Bob Ryans wife's sister supposedly "Gives a good Hummer"

2009-09-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

Youtube video

Post Crescent Story

Story, YouTube video: Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan accused of sexual harassment

By Kate McGinty • Gannett Wisconsin Media • September 24, 2009

SHEBOYGAN — City leaders are crossing their fingers that the uproar dies down quickly over an Internet video that shows a drunken Mayor Bob Ryan making sexually explicit comments about his sister-in-law.
Advertisement

More than 6,500 people have already watched the YouTube video — posted on Tuesday evening by a user named “MrMeyerjoe” — of Ryan talking in a bar about his sister-in-law’s looks and sexual abilities.

Click here to sign up for news, weather and sports text alerts.

The video was the topic of talk radio programs across the state, and media from across eastern Wisconsin showed up Thursday for a news conference Ryan gave to apologize to the community.

Ryan also is facing a sexual harassment complaint from the city’s former human resources director, whom he fired in August.

“Over the past 48 hours, multiple events have put my reputation and my personal lifestyle in question,” Ryan said. “This situation has made it quite obvious to me that it is time to choose between my personal lifestyle and the job of running this city, and I choose the job.”

He said he plans to hire a medical professional “to guide me through my personal life to make sure that I’m heading in the right direction,” but he refused to say if that will be specifically related to alcohol use.

Asked if he has a drinking problem, Ryan said, “No, I do not.”

The few city and county leaders who would speak publicly on Thursday voiced support of Ryan, praising his work during five months as mayor. They hope, albeit with some uncertainty, that public attention will return to his political agenda.

Ald. Bill Wangemann, also a city historian who has been a public employee since 1963, called the video “character assassination.”

“I don’t give it much credibility. … We don’t know who took it, or where it was taken, or when it was taken,” Wangemann said.

That kind of video can be very damaging for a politician, though, said Bruce Browne, an English and communication arts professor at the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan and adviser to the student newspaper.

“I think the truth of the matter is that this can carry a political sledgehammer, simply because this kind of media can easily go viral,” he said.

“If it’s on YouTube today, it may well be on Jon Stewart tomorrow, and it may well be all over the blogosphere after that. The speed with which these things go is so much accelerated that this can get out of hand.”

Ryan said the two-minute video was shot in July without his knowledge. Wisconsin statues require that only one person in a conversation know that exchange is being recorded.

He said he learned of the video Wednesday but has not seen it. In an interview on WHBL-AM radio, he said there are “probably” additional videos out there and urged anyone who has them to release them now and “get it over with.”

Sheboygan brothers' pot grow busted

2009-06-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Not really bizarre, but entertaining anyway...

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local_wluk_sheboygan_pot_bust_200906221259_rev1

Sheboygan brothers' pot grow busted

Updated: Monday, 22 Jun 2009, 1:01 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 22 Jun 2009, 1:01 PM CDT

SHEBOYGAN - Sheboygan police busted a marijuana grow operation after being called to an apartment to stop an alleged axe attack.

Police arrested two brothers, ages 38 and 41, as well as the 36-year-old girlfriend of the younger brother, after the incident on the 1600 block of St. Clair Ave. around 6 p.m. Sunday. The girlfriend ran to the police station to tell officers the 41-year-old had struck her boyfriend several times with the axe, which was in a sheath. When police arrived, they surrounded the apartment and called the 38-year-old out. He had a small cut on his leg with some dried blood on it. He denied that anyone else was in the apartment, but the older brother eventually came out.

Police then went into the apartment and found marijuana plants growing throughout. With a search warrant, police took 20 marijuana plants, several large bags of marijuana, a rifle, two shotguns, a pistol and four axes.

Meat Wreck

2009-03-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

Photo/Jeffrey Phelps

Meaty mess

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/41199767.html

Semi truck collision leaves 40,000 pounds of meat scattered on roadway

By Linda Spice of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Mar. 13, 2009 6:56 a.m.

A two-semi crash in Sheboygan County early Friday left both drivers injured and a mess of 40,000 pounds of meat products scattered across the roadway, sheriff's officials reported this morning.

Emergency crews transported both drivers to St. Nicholas Hospital with non-life threatening injuries after the crash, which was reported at 12:57 a.m. near I-43 southbound and County Highway AA in the Town of Holland.

The interstate was closed for several hours but re-opened just before 6:30 a.m.

Dewitt Road, where much of the boxes of meat spilled, will remain closed for an undetermined amount of time during cleanup, according to Sheboygan County sheriff's Lt. Chad Broeren.

Sheriff's deputies investigating the crash learned that that two semi tractor-trailers were both southbound on I-43 when the second semi hit the rear end of the lead semi.

After being struck, the first semi continued southbound and eventually pulled off of the roadway.

The second semi traveled after the initial collision into a guard rail, then a bridge face before rolling several times down the embankment. It came to rest under I-43 on Dewitt Road after spilling its entire load of meat products onto the roadway.

Sheriff's officials report that the semi and trailer sustained severe damage with the passenger compartment and motor separating from the chassis as it rolled.

Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
Meat Products are strewn around near Dewitt Road and I-43 in Sheboygan County Friday after two trucks collided closing the southbound freeway for a while overnight. The freeway is now open but the cleanup is still going on as fire personnel and others clean up the meat.

Police: Sheboygan man steals car from woman, gets stuck in snow

2009-02-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20090223/SHE0101/90223013/1062/SHE01

Police: Sheboygan man steals car from woman, gets stuck in snow

Sheboygan Press staff • February 23, 2009

Sheboygan Police captured a car thief early this morning with help from an unlikely ally — snow.

According to the release from the department, a 42-year-old Sheboygan man was arrested after he allegedly stole a car from a woman at around 2 a.m. in the area of South 10th Street and Broadway Avenue.

Police said the husband of the victim called police, saying his wife was picking him up at a friend’s house, and while she waiting for him in the vehicle with the engine running a man approached the car and got in. The suspect grabbed the victim, shook her and told her to get out of the car, police said.

Fearing for her safety, the woman got out of the car and ran to the house. Her husband was leaving at the same time, and saw the suspect driving away in the car.

While checking the area a short time later, Police Officer Brandon Kehoe found the suspect trying to break free from a snowdrift in the stolen car several blocks away and arrested the man. No one else was in the vehicle.

The suspect, who was not identified by police, faces charges of robbery and second-offense OWI. He also had an outstanding bench warrant.

The victim’s car was not damaged.

Bouncers face charges in beating of patron at Muskego bar

2009-02-20T17:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, its not Sheboygan, but I feel its still just as bizarre and close to home. The last line is the part that makes it bizarre.

Bouncers face charges in beating of patron at Muskego bar

By Jacqui Seibel of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Feb. 20, 2009

Muskego - Two bouncers at Bushy's Pub & Grill are facing criminal charges accusing them of beating a patron until he was unconscious, police said.

Eric R. Hummer, 42, of Waukesha told police he needed staples to close a head wound and suffered a concussion, a broken rib and other bumps and bruises from two bouncers at the popular bar. He says he did nothing to provoke the assault, according to the police report.

The Jan. 17 incident sparked a flurry of posts to Craigslist, including one from a witness who said he didn't know any of the parties and was visiting Bushy's for the first time the night of the incident. After posting his account on the online site he reported what he witnessed to police. According to the police report, one of the bouncers responded to the Craigslist post by the witness, telling him that Hummer charged at the bouncers.

Police are recommending that the Waukesha County district attorney charge the bouncers, a 27-year-old Milwaukee man and a 32-year-old Hales Corners man, with felony battery, Capt. John LaTour said.

According to the police report:

Hummer and a friend were at Bushy's on Janesville Road about midnight Jan. 16. After finishing one beer, they each ordered a second and a male bartender threw a stack of napkins at them.

Hummer and his friend said they were confused by this because they didn't spill anything. Then the bartender told them they were causing trouble and had to leave, the police report says. The friend was trying to ask the bartender what was going on when Hummer was grabbed by the two bouncers and forced to the ground.

The bouncers held his arms, kicked Hummer in the side and struck him in the face. The bouncers then picked up Hummer, already bloody and bruised, pushed him toward the door and then outside and to the ground. As he fell, Hummer's head struck a jagged stone pillar.

Hummer's friend told police Hummer was unconscious and blood was pouring from his head as he lay outside.

Hummer reported the beating to police Jan. 19, the same day the man who had posted to Craigslist called police. The witness said he walked outside to see Hummer "out cold" and blood coming from his head.

The bartender told police he asked the bouncers to remove the men from the bar because Hummer refused to put a coaster under his beer, the report says.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/39887432.html

Man Gets Six Years For Stealing Piggy Bank

2008-09-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.wapt.com/money/17526957/detail.html

Wisconsin Man Has Criminal Past

POSTED: 7:46 am CDT September 22, 2008

UPDATED: 10:17 am CDT September 22, 2008

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- A man has been convicted of sneaking into a 2-year-old girl's bedroom and stealing $20 from a piggy bank while she slept and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Section: Smart Savings

Four-time convicted burglar Ryan Mueller was convicted last week after a two-day jury trial of felony burglary as a repeat offender. The 31-year-old from Sheboygan Falls was accused of breaking into the Town of Wilson home last August of 2007. The girl's mother Julie Herschleb walked into the room as Mueller shook money from the bank. She told Judge L. Edward Stengel the burglary left her fearful and sleepless. Stengel also sentenced Mueller to five years probation, which would be consecutive to a six-year prison sentence Stengel handed down in June for another burglary conviction.

Man rescued from raft on Lake Michigan

2008-08-03T07:45:00.001-07:00

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080730/GPG0101/80730175/1206/GPG01

SHEBOYGAN -- A man floated a mile out into Lake Michigan and had to be rescued after the wind caught his raft this afternoon, according to the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department.
OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1');
The man, whose identity was not immediately available, was in the water with his son just off Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center when the wind sent him off a sandbar and out into the lake, Sgt. Doug Tuttle said. The man was diabetic and unable to paddle or swim in himself.The incident occurred about 12:30 p.m.Family members alerted the U.S. Coast Guard, but a sheriff’s department boat responded because the Coast Guard craft was not in port, Tuttle said.Tuttle advised beachgoers to keep in mind that winds typically blow out over the lake and can pick up quickly.
Filed by the Sheboygan Press

Drunk runs into Parade in Sheboygan

2008-08-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

From JSOnline:
http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=1&date=8/2/2008&id=44220

Update: Police suspect driver was drunk
A police officer looks under the car that crashed into a group of people watching a parade at N. 14th street and Erie Saturday in Sheboygan. Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
Mario A. WhitePolice suspect a 21-year-old man was drunk when he led Sheboygan County sheriff's deputies on a chase before he crashed into a parade in Sheboygan this morning, injuring four people.Mario A. White, of Sheboygan, was arrested on suspicion of injury by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. White led deputies on a chase from I-43 near Highway 42 to downtown Sheboygan, sheriff's Capt. David Adams said.At 9:23 a.m., Sheriff's Department dispatchers received a 911 call reporting an erratic driver. Deputies located his vehicle, a Mercury Grand Marquis. White eventually headed east on Highway 23 into Sheboygan at 80 mph, Adams said.The car slowed to 60 mph around N. 23rd St., continued on Erie Ave. and lost control, striking a Sheboygan police captain in the left leg. He was treated and released, Adams said.The Grand Marquis went over the curb at 14th St. and Erie Ave. on the parade route, striking two women and a 6-year-old boy. None of their injuries is life-threatening.When deputies arrived, people in the parade crowd were holding White on the ground. Deputies took White into custody. The pursuit lasted less than 2 minutes.The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating the accident, and the Sheriff's Department will investigate the pursuit. Both investigations will be given to the district attorney's office for review.The parade was part of Johnsonville's Brat Days, a three-day festival.The Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department and Wisconsin State Patrol are asking anyone that has video of the chase and the crash that occurred during the Bratwurst Day Parade to contact either department at (920) 459-3114.

Wis. Man Accused of Stomping Pet Fish

2007-07-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

Wis. Man Accused of Stomping Pet Fish
Email this StoryJun 27, 11:19 PM (ET)
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SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) - A man accused of stomping a pet tropical fish to death during a dispute with a girlfriend faces charges of disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property. Anastacio Molina Jr., 40, was charged Wednesday in Sheboygan County Circuit Court.
The criminal complaint said police were called to Molina's home about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday after a caller said he was destroying things in the house.
Police had already been called to the house five hours earlier because of a verbal dispute when Molina ordered his girlfriend to move out.
When officers arrived the second time, they found remains of the pet fish, an Oscar, on the sidewalk, the complaint said, and the girlfriend's 12-year-old son told police Molina took it out of its tank and stomped it to death.
Molina also broke a stereo and shattered a picture window, the complaint said.
Both misdemeanor charges have penalty enhancers because of a prior conviction for child abuse. They carry up to four years in prison and up to $11,000 in fines.
Defense lawyer Patricia Adelman was not available when The Associated Press called her home number Wednesday night seeking comment.
---
Information from: The Sheboygan Press, http://www.sheboygan-press.com

Someday you might hear: Sheboygan, we have liftoff

2007-07-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

Someday you might hear: Sheboygan, we have liftoff
Wisconsin city plans to build a spaceport, offer rides to tourists
By TIM JONES Chicago Tribune

NOT ALONE Sheboygan isn't alone in the space race. Other states and towns are vying for the evolving tourism business.
• Florida: Gov. Jeb Bush asked lawmakers to commit $55 million next year to attract new space ventures. He is also pushing a commercial spaceport.
• New Mexico: The state has committed about $130 million — half the cost — to build a desert launch facility for British entrepreneur Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic airline. Sightseeing flights are scheduled to begin in late 2008.
• Texas: According to news reports, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos plans to use his 165,000-acre ranch near Van Horn, about 110 miles southeast of El Paso, for a spaceport for tourism.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. -->

SHEBOYGAN, WIS. - Some people, as Robert Kennedy once said, are content to look at the world and ask why.
But in Sheboygan, where untold thousands of tons of sausage have been crammed into sheep casings, some yearn for a life beyond the smoky barbecue haze of the "Bratwurst Capital of the World." So they look to the heavens and ask "Why not?"
Why not make Sheboygan a launch pad to outer space?
Why let the legendary Cape Canaveral be the tourist magnet for most things space when Sheboygan could just as easily be the Midwest space-research center and 21st-century catapult, vaulting adventurous people into space?
That's the plan Sheboygan officials envision. Build on an existing annual rocketry event on Lake Michigan. Attract millions of the curious from surrounding states by converting a hulking, World War II-vintage armory into a space-research center and build a planetarium next door. And then, with an infusion of private and public money, cash in on the next new frontier — commercial tourism that would carry small groups of people in rocket jet vehicles for half-hour, quarter-million-dollar, suborbital rides.
It's tempting to dismiss "Spaceport Sheboygan," as it is called, as another hokey Wisconsin tourist gimmick. But the Sheboygan proposal might not be goofy at all. Along Lake Michigan, Jim Testwuide, a local businessman involved in the proposal, said, "It's not just five sod-lifters from Sheboygan" with a big idea. "We feel it has legs to take off," Testwuide said.
Here's why: Sheboygan has been firing small rockets into the atmosphere — some as high as 35 miles — for a decade as part of the popular Rockets for Schools program.
The area boasts a massive block of restricted air space over Lake Michigan, granted by the government more than a half-century ago for military munitions testing. This no-fly zone provides an ideal safety buffer for vertical rocket and horizontal jet-plane space launches.
Former astronauts, including James Lovell, have endorsed the Spaceport Sheboygan proposal. Plenty of area politicians have joined the why-not chorus.
The Wisconsin Legislature is considering a measure to create a state aerospace authority, which could sell up to $100 million in bonds to purchase yet-to-be-identified land and build a launch facility.
Sheboygan plans a groundbreaking for the space center next winter, with a targeted opening date of March 2008.
Building a launch site for commercial space travel may be years down the road because private and public financing, public support and political will to endorse it are not assured.

Piggly Wiggly - boy inside toy 'claw' machine Part 2

2007-07-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/news/2741389/detail.html

Brat-eating world championship dropped from Brat Days

2007-07-18T05:32:00.000-07:00

Formerly televised event nixed as part of "strategy shift"
By Eric Litke Sheboygan Press staff
A year after drawing thousands of spectators and national television coverage to Sheboygan's Kiwanis Park, the Johnsonville Brat-Eating World Championship has been stricken from Sheboygan's Brat Days schedule.

Two years after introducing the sausage showdown, Johnsonville is dropping the event as part of a public relations "strategy shift," Johnsonville Marketing Manager Cory Bouck said Friday.

The competition last year was televised nationally on ESPN2 as Japanese sensation Takeru Kobayashi tore through 58 brats in 10 minutes, winning $8,000 and shattering the record of 35 brats set by Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas in 2005.

President Richard Shea of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, which sanctioned the contest, said he was disappointed by Johnsonville's decision to stop the world championship brat-eating contest.

"We were surprised and we were saddened," he said. "We would have loved to have been there."

Bouck said Johnsonville will continue to sponsor an amateur brat-eating contest at Brat Days, which has been a part of the Sheboygan Jaycees-run festival since 1953.

"The age-old tradition … the brat-eating contest, is still intact locally," Bouck said. "The idea of bringing in the competitive eaters, I just don't see it."

Kim Swisher, Sheboygan's tourism manager, said the national media exposure for the world championship brat-eating contest was a big plus for the city.

"We could never afford to do that type of marketing on our own," Swisher said. "We're the brat capital of the world, and we're proud of our heritage."

But others have decried the feeding frenzy as gluttonous and a poor reflection on Sheboygan.

Last year, former City Attorney Clarence Mertz called for the city to abolish both the professional and amateur brat-eating contests. On Friday, Mertz cheered the end of what he called a "disgusting event."

"This is the greatest news I've heard in ages," said Mertz, 85, reviving his call to end both contests. "We are telling our young children, who are already obese, that you can eat as much as you want."

Bouck said the event was a marketing success for Johnsonville last year, generating eight times more in exposure — tabulated as the cost of buying advertising with each media outlet that covered the event — than they paid to sponsor the contest.

"That was great, but that wasn't the exact message we want to get out," he said. "It's all about tying the great taste of a Johnsonville brat to the ability to raise money the way we do in Sheboygan County with (charity) brat frys."

Johnsonville's future marketing efforts will focus on charitable projects such as working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to bring brat frys to 25 to 30 cities next year, Bouck said. The company will also continue to sponsor Brat Days by funding various musical acts and the amateur brat-eating contest.

Jennifer Mills, Brat Days chairwoman, said the Jaycees will not pursue another sponsor for the professional brat-eating contest.

"It would be cool to have it, but since we don't, we brought other really neat things onboard and people will have a really good time and an experience they haven't had at Brat Days before," Mills said. New this year will be a third music stage, a total of 25 bands and first-time attractions such as a custom motorcycle contest run by Harley-Davidson, Mills said.

Brat Days, which runs Aug. 2-4 this year, is the Jaycees largest annual fundraiser.

Last year's event was broadcast tape-delayed on ESPN2 after the NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony ran long and pre-empted a planned live feed on ESPN.

Shea said the cancellation is especially unfortunate because this year it would have been a rematch between Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut, who toppled Kobayashi in a Fourth of July contest by downing 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes at Coney Island in New York.

"Just weeks after the Fourth — it would have been big," Shea said.

Last year in Sheboygan, Chestnut finished second to Kobayashi with 45 brats. Kobayashi also won the previous five hot dog-eating contests stretching back to 2001.
Reach Eric Litke at elitke@sheboygan-press.com and (920) 453-5119.