Your News Now on WHBY 10-31-2025

Local, regional and state news roundup with WHBY News Anchors Jonathon Krause & Terry Kovarik

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
With Your News Now on whby I'm Jonathan Krause.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
And I'm Terrykavarrek. Charges of possession of child pornography are
filed against Fox Valley Lutheran High School's band director James
newharr is charged with twenty counts of child porn possession.
According to the criminal complaint, Appleton police retrieved nearly two
thousand images from the hard drive taken from Newhart's home.
The complaint goes on to say that Newhart admitted that

(00:24):
many of those images are years old. There are also
no allegations that any of the images were of Fox
Valley Lutheran students. Newhart faces a minimum of three years
in prison for each count and placement on the sex
offender registry. Newhart has been placed on leave from Fox
Valley Lutheran High School.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Owasaki Man will spend eighteen years in prison for his
role in a robbery at a Grand Schue coin store.
Bo Wastell is also sentenced in Ottagamy County Court to
twelve years on extended supervision for armed robbery with the
use of force and bail jumping. Wastell is one of
three men that robbed affordable rare coins back in August
of last year, he entered the store and struck the

(01:01):
clerk in the head of the pipe wrench before stealing
those coins.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to return
mental health services funding to Wisconsin schools. Reporter Raymond Nupert
as the latest.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
Attorney General Josh Call announced that Wisconsin will once again
be getting ten million dollars in grant funding due to
the ruling. Seattle US District Court Judge Kimberly Evanson ruled
that the Trump administration must release millions of dollars in
grants intended to address the shortage of mental health workers
in schools. Evanson determined the US Department of Education caused

(01:34):
quote irrupable harm when it decided in April to stop
paying out grant funding that schools in sixteen states had
already budgeted for expanded services that included efforts at UW
Madison to train twenty four new school psychologists for high
need schools. Call calls the ruling a win for the
well being of Wisconsin students. Raymond Newport, Wisconsin Radio Network.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
A judge upholds a permit granted to a sand mine
in Wallpaca County neighbors opposed to the mind adjacent to
the Iola Old Car Grounds challenged a conditional use permit
granted to Falks Brothers Construction by the Wapaka County Board
of Adjustment. Falks Brothers is looking to mind sand at
the twenty two acres site over the next thirteen years.

(02:17):
The judge, brought in from Kiwani County due to conflicts
of interest, found that the board's decision on the permit
was valid and based on evidence presented at public meetings.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Fonded Like police arrest aman carrying a gun near a school.
A student at fondle Like High School reported a man
with a gun in his waistband near the school pond
around twelve forty five Thursday afternoon. The man ran off
when officers arrived, but was tracked down by a canine unit.
Police reportedly recovered a loaded nine millimeter handgun. Criminal charges
are pending.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
If you're contacted over the phone about a loan offer
or a loan you never paid back, watch out. Wisconsin
Consumer Protection Administrator Michelle Reinan says this classic phone scam
is coming back.

Speaker 4 (02:56):
The scammers are making these fake calls hoping consumers just
be come excited or even alarmed, and then will provide
their personal information to either complete or cancel these loan
applications before they have a chance to pause and think
about it.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
Ryn.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
It reminds you that anyone with a credible loan offer
or repayment notice will contact you by mail and we'll
be willing to let you see documentation before you have
to hand over any information.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
A key project in the I forty one expansion marks
its completion. Wizdot announces that the Hovend Road Overpass is
scheduled to reopen tonight. It was closed reconstruction back in June,
and that project is finishing on time.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
As the leaves continue to fall across Wisconsin, be aware
of increased wildfire risk. Reporter Shawn Maloney has more.

Speaker 5 (03:45):
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is asking you to
check fire danger levels before conducting any outdoor burning. Wildfire
risk increases this time of year when leaves have fallen
from the trees and plants go dormant before winter. There
have been over fifty wildfires in the month of October
alone that have burned roughly twenty acres according to the DNR.
Nearly all of those fires where human caused and preventable.

(04:08):
The US rout Monitors shows most of Wisconsin is experiencing
abnormally dry conditions after missing out on typical September and
October rainfall. Shaw Maloney Wisconsin Radio Network, and.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Today is the deadline for sturgeon spears to purchase their
twenty twenty six licenses. The sparing season opens on February fourteenth.
Those that applied for spearing tags on the up River
Lakes have already been notified if they'll be receiving one.