KING (WLUK) -- It's been eight decades since World War II ended, but a Fox Valley children's book author is making sure the legacy of a local canine hero is never forgotten a life-sized bronze dog statue on the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King campus was dedicated to Brownie a German Shepherd mix from King who served in the Army during the Second World War Kelly Nelson penned a children's picture book published last summer called "Brownie the War Dog: Veterans' Best Friend" which tells the brave pooch's true story She's the one who led the fundraising effort to have a memorial created in Brownie's honor soliciting donations from local businesses and community members "2024 marked the 75th anniversary of his passing so I had made every effort to have this [sculpture dedication] take place in 2024 and I'm hoping today is Brownie's," said Nelson there was no such thing as military dogs prior to World War II so a civilian group of dog enthusiasts formed the Dogs for Defense Regional recruiters were put in place and families were asked to donate their family pet for war service selflessly donated Brownie to the war effort and he was shipped out to the Pacific Theatre as a Sentry Dog and so he kept his handler and his troops safe until a bullet wound to the eye cost him half his vision The Army replaced Brownie's eye with a glass eye and honorably discharged him "Families were given the option to either accept the animal back or to not and so he came back here," said Nelson he wasn't content with his civilian life Brownie began escorting Oren's mother Brownie visited the veterans and their spouses as the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King used to have rows of cottages where veterans lived Brownie was beloved by the residents and he became an unofficial mascot serving as a precursor to what would today be considered a certified therapy dog Because he was so well loved by the Veterans Home the Commandant asked Brownie's family if he could be buried with his fellow human veterans Brownie is the only non-human veteran in the world to be buried with human veterans in a veterans memorial cemetery "We're just celebrating his lifetime of service to his fellow soldiers He just was an extraordinary animal and I felt that I wanted to be the voice for him and to celebrate all that he did," said Nelson In addition to Friday's statue dedication there was also a full military service held at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King organized by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Guests were encouraged to bring their own dogs to the ceremony for a puppy parade and costume contest in Brownie's memory Randolph Rose Collection crafted the statue of Brownie I'm your neighborhood reporter for Manitowoc and the Lakeshore region WAUPACA COUNTY — A UTV crash in Waupaca County just after midnight Sunday morning left one man dead according to the Waupaca County Sheriff's office The crash happened at Mud Lake Road just north of Nitke Road in the township of Harrison The sheriff's office says that the crash remains under investigation We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Andrew "Andy" O. Wendt, age 83, of Waupaca, WI, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, March 7, 2025. Andy was born October 31, 1941 in New London, WI; son of the late Roy and Elda (Strey) Wendt. He had many friends and loads of fun during his... View Obituary & Service Information Wendt created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Made with love by funeralOne with Togstad’s father one of the drivers involved A July 14 trial is scheduled A motions hearing was held before Judge Raymond Huber on April 23 Test results showed him to be a "major male contributor" to the fluids recovered from Togstad's body Haase disclosed to investigators that his father had been killed in a snowmobile accident when he was 5 or 8 years old Investigators had discovered Haase's father died on Dec Haase continued and described that his father was operating a snowmobile in a group of three that was racing The second snowmobile hit his father's The third snowmobile then ran over the driver of the second One of those drivers was Togstad's father Haase explained that on the evening of March 20 he became very drunk as he went from one bar to another by himself he started to think about the accident that killed his father Those thoughts led to him going to the home of Tanna Togstad Haase could not articulate why he went there but insisted it was not to hurt anyone He described himself as being in a drunken stupor that night Haase describes getting into a "scuffle" with Mumbrue He could not remember if he had brought a knife or if the knife was at the house During the "scuffle," he and Mumbrue were wrestling while standing up and he moved his arm in a stabbing motion toward Mumbrue's chest He described Mumbrue falling to the floor near the foot of the bed "What the f---," and that is when he punched her in the face It is believed he would have knocked her out at this time and that is when he stabbed her in the chest When asked why he didn't tell investigators right away "I didn't want it to sound like I had it planned." Haase told investigators he did not know why he did it Haase told investigators when he saw the news report he thought Togstad died of one stab wound to the chest according to the autopsy report cited in the criminal complaint WAUPACA COUNTY (WLUK) -- The inland sport fishing season kicks off Saturday and it's part of "How WI Live" in Wisconsin There are more than 15,000 lakes and 42,000 miles of rivers and streams to choose a shoreline restoration project is ready for opening day "This is Brainard's Bridge Park, where we're in partnership with WDNR and the city of Waupaca We had a joint project," said Kyle Kossel Kossel says work at the 20-acre park includes restoring parts of the Waupaca River shoreline "The islands were getting destroyed from floods and ice dams in here because this is one of the most busiest parks in the city of Waupaca," he said Kossel says the river flowing through the park is ready for opening day Across town at the Minnow Bucket Bait & Archery Shop We call this go-time," said employee Mike Alvarez "Check your equipment before you go out You never want to have a bad experience out there especially if you're fishing by yourself It can get sticky pretty quick in some situations Kossel says part of the Waupaca River is home to brook trout He says Brainard's Bridge Park was stocked a couple weeks ago with catchable trout But there's tons of trout in the Waupaca River to be caught especially on opening day," said Kossel Fishing begins early Saturday. The DNR reminds everyone to check the regulations before heading out New this year is the DNR Wisconsin Fishing Finder It is a one-stop shop with information on launch locations (WLUK) - A man is dead in the township of Harrison according to the Waupaca County Sheriff's Office Life-saving measures were performed on the man before he was pronounced dead on scene Deputies received a report of a UTV crash and when they arrived they found the man outside of the UTV before performing the life-saving measures LITTLE WOLF (WLUK) -- A person died and another was injured after a pickup truck rear-ended a tractor in Waupaca County Wednesday on State Highway 22-110 a Fuhs Road in the town of Little Wolf Preliminary investigation determined the crash involved three northbound vehicles: a pickup truck Deputies say the pickup truck rear-ended the tractor causing both the driver and passenger of the tractor to be ejected The passenger of the tractor was then struck by the passenger vehicle The male passenger of the tractor was pronounced dead at the scene The driver of the tractor was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries WAUPACA (WLUK) -- Richard Klimek was sentenced Monday to 21 years in prison for multiple sexual assaults of several children at a Waupaca County campground Klimek, 66, was convicted of child enticement and repeated sexual assault of the same child He was placed on the sex offender registry for life as well as seven years on extended supervision by Judge Vicki Clussman Officials said a 12-year-old girl said she was sexually assaulted by Klimek several times at Farmer Genes Campground in the town of Dupont Klimek had a permanent site at the campground An 11-year-old girl told authorities Klimek had touched her inappropriately many times between May 1 The assaults starting happening when she was 8 or 9 years old She also said she had been at Klimek's home in Appleton where he and a woman babysat her told investigators Klimek inappropriately touched her while she was in the swimming pool at the campground on June 9 the family of the child recently obtained a permanent campsite at the campground and the mother told officials she was suspicious of how Klimek was always hanging around young girls and giving them rides on his golf cart She was also aware that the children called him "uber Rick." say Klimek sexually assaulted them when they were children All three victims say they were sexually assaulted at Klimek's home in Appleton while he babysat them One of the victims says she was sexually assaulted at the campground as well Cindya Gullickson and her partner Sky Byrd have been trying to have a baby for around four years after about a year of working with a physician at ThedaCare Medical Center-Waupaca Gullickson found out she was pregnant.  “I was really confident in Waupaca and with my doctor because it took me a long time to find a doctor that I trusted But in late November, the couple learned that ThedaCare would be ending labor and delivery services at the Waupaca hospital on Feb 15 — just three weeks before Gullickson’s due date “I was about three-and-a-half months away from giving birth when I figured out that I was going to have to find a whole different plan,” she said Gullickson and Byrd have been organizing to try to convince ThedaCare to preserve birthing services at the Waupaca hospital. They helped organize a protest outside the health system’s headquarters in Neenah last Friday They aren’t the only ones upset with ThedaCare’s decision. An online petition to keep the labor and delivery services garnered more than 3,500 signatures, roughly half the population of the city of Waupaca And last month, the Waupaca City Council also unanimously approved a resolution asking ThedaCare to reconsider closing the birthing unit ThedaCare confirmed it planned to close labor and delivery services in Waupaca next month calling it a “difficult decision and one that was not made lightly.” ThedaCare said deliveries have been declining and mothers are choosing to deliver at larger birth centers as the health system also faces a nationwide shortage of rural doctors and nurses.  The hospital system also stated physicians will work with expecting mothers to coordinate delivery plans at its hospitals in Appleton Neenah and Shawano — each at least a roughly 40 minute drive from Waupaca.  “Mothers can be confident in continuing their pre- and post-delivery care breastfeeding support and well-baby care at ThedaCare Medical Center-Waupaca as these are important ongoing services to provide in our local communities,” the statement added A group of retired health care workers who live in Waupaca County have also been trying to persuade the health system to reconsider a retired nurse who used to work in the Waupaca hospital said Waupaca has been trying to attract more residents and has been building additional housing to try to attract young families She said closing labor and delivery services would hurt those efforts “It’s like it’s pulling the rug out from under it,” Reynolds said “It’s fine to drive an hour to Target but it’s not fine to drive (an hour) to the hospital when you’re in labor.” who moved to the Waupaca area in 1990 to work at the hospital said moving birthing services could increase the risk of health complications “Severe maternal morbidity happens in one in 125 deliveries in Wisconsin Bleeding is the most common form,” Butkiewicz said “You can imagine somebody’s bleeding and they are trying to travel a good distance the chances of there being a bad outcome — a bad thing with the infant or a bad thing with the mom — is pretty significant.” Former employees also said they felt frustration and sadness over what they called a “corporate decision” to end labor and delivery services in Waupaca “My heart goes out to the people of this community,” Butkiewicz said as he became emotional And my heart goes out to the medical staff because it’s gonna tear them apart It’s gonna be bad all the way around.” “We were always the kind of community that was willing to do the right thing,” added Reynolds ThedaCare’s move follows a trend of declining access to maternity care at rural hospitals across the country.  About 57 percent of rural hospitals in the United States do not have labor and delivery services, including 49 percent of Wisconsin’s rural hospitals, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform associate director for Women’s Health Policy at KFF a health policy research and news organization lower patient volumes and inadequate Medicaid reimbursement have played a role in the loss of birthing units at rural hospitals it has been difficult to maintain comprehensive health care services and maternity care in particular has heavy reliance on Medicaid,” she said some people think that that also contributes to this.” Ranji also said labor and delivery unit closures can lead to the relocation of prenatal care to places with closer access to where patients will be delivering “The immediate (effect) might be on labor and delivery but I think over the longer term it can certainly have an effect on access to prenatal care,” she said said she recently learned she would have to deliver her baby at ThedaCare’s birthing center in Neenah if she wanted to do so with her doctor.  Gullickson and Byrd said they’ve both known family members who have had negative experiences at that hospital and they do not feel comfortable having their baby there The couple says they’ve met with a midwife service out of Iola and plan to have a home birth Gullickson said she believes the government should do more to ensure birthing services are available in rural communities “We’re doing the best that we can to help advocate in our local community and we’re doing the best we can to help our local moms,” she said “But it needs to be something that is changed on the state and the country level.” Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board Join the AVP Family & get 15% off in the AVP Shop Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website you can trust the funeral directors at Lewin Funeral Home to help you celebrate your loved one’s life Our staff has experience planning a variety of funeral services and can assist your family in honoring your loved one no matter your personal preference We pride ourselves on serving the Fremont community and surrounding areas with compassion Lewin Funeral Home is dedicated to providing personalized Our goal is to lessen the burden on your family so that you can focus on celebrating your loved one's life and beginning your grief journey.Hear what other families have said about our services and get to know our experienced staff We're here to help you create a service thats unique to you or your loved one Making arrangements beforehand gives you time to consider all of your options it can be difficult to know how to cope with the loss See what families have to say about our services Lewin Funeral HomePhone: (920) 446-2288210 W © Lewin Funeral HomeSupported by SRS Computing and TA Your browser may not work with certain site. Upgrade now. WAUPACA — ThedaCare Medical Center-Waupaca will stop offering labor and delivery services beginning in mid-February meaning those choosing a hospital birth will have to drive at least 30 minutes to the nearest delivery unit Concerned community members say that's precious time when delivering a baby petition with over 3,000 signatures and now an upcoming protest at ThedaCare's corporate offices in Neenah More: More Wisconsin families are choosing to give birth at home or with midwives. Here's why. Labor and delivery services will cease Feb ThedaCare said ThedaCare Medical Center-Waupaca will continue prenatal The closest hospital with delivery services is Aspirus Stevens Point roughly 30 miles from the Waupaca birth center "Physicians will work with expectant mothers to create coordinated labor and delivery plans at the birth center of their choice Why is ThedaCare ending its birth services in Waupaca?ThedaCare cited changing patient needs and staffing issues "The needs and demands of expectant mothers are shifting — deliveries have been declining and mothers are choosing to deliver at larger birth centers," ThedaCare said in its statement "The shortage of physicians and nurses in rural areas is an issue being felt across the country as labor and delivery complexity is increasing." How many babies are born at the ThedaCare Waupaca facility each year is unknown; at the time of publication Removing birth services from Waupaca not only disrupts families' birth plans "Our community members will need to drive up to an hour from their homes to receive maternity care. This is more than an inconvenience for our community — research shows that lack of local maternity care increases rates of maternal and infant death," reads the petition Carl Ferguson and Waupaca resident Mary Case told the council the end of nearby labor and delivery services could impede the community's growth "How can we invite younger families and younger people to join our community if we don't have an OB (labor unit)?" said Chase ThedaCare did not respond to the petition or the resolution The "Save Waupaca Labor & Delivery" Facebook group is planning a protest outside ThedaCare's corporate offices in Neenah Related: A ‘crisis’ in rural health care. Wisconsin hospital systems face increasing challenges in providing services in rural communities WEYAUWEGA (WLUK) -- Three people were hurt in a Waupaca County crash deputies received a report of a one-vehicle crash on Pufahl Road north of Zabel Road in the town of Weyauwega The driver was flown to the hospital with life-threatening injuries A passenger was flown to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries A second passenger was taken to the hospital by ambulance and a third passenger was released from the scene Further details on the crash were not released Waller created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories WAUPACA (WLUK) - Labor and delivery services at ThedaCare Medical Center-Waupaca will close in February prompting a petition asking the hospital to reverse the decision Froedtert ThedaCare says labor and delivery services will end Feb “ThedaCare is committed to providing access to safe we must change with them to provide the right level of care at the right place The needs and demands of expectant mothers are shifting – deliveries have been declining and mothers are choosing to deliver at larger birth centers The shortage of physicians and nurses in rural areas is an issue being felt across the country as labor and delivery complexity is increasing,” a statement says An online petition by employees and community members “The health care team in Waupaca has provided maternity care for the Waupaca community since before Riverside Hospital was built We continue to provide high quality respectful care for pregnant people and newborns from around our area Our team excels in supporting breastfeeding and our breastfeeding rates are the highest in the ThedaCare system The family medicine physicians that staff our hospital have come from around the country to practice in our community because they love taking care of pregnant people and babies Obstetrics is the heart of our clinic and of our critical access hospital,” it states The petition also mentions the distance to other such services “If the labor and delivery unit at ThedaCare Waupaca closes there will be no hospital providing pregnancy care in a wide swath of central Wisconsin Our community members will need to drive up to an hour from their homes to receive maternity care This is more than an inconvenience for our community Research shows that lack of local maternity care increases rates of maternal and infant death,” it states ThedaCare says services will be available elsewhere in the region “As an integrated health system with our network of hospitals physicians will work with expectant mothers to create coordinated labor and delivery plans at the birth center of their choice Neenah and Shawano,” the hospital statement says If the company does follow through with closing the unit, it will be following a concerning trend of obstetrics practices leaving rural areas.  WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” spoke with Dr founding and sentry dean of the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Central Wisconsin campus about the state of obstetrical care in rural Wisconsin.  The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.  but … the two things that really put obstetrical care at risk are the workforce and the ability to pay for it Some physicians are not willing to go and practice in areas where they are the only one on call to practice the breadth that is needed there — and then the distance from referral centers and things like that the hospitals themselves have to train nurses technicians and all sorts of other people within the hospital system to deal with obstetrical problems that come up in routine delivery And so it’s a combination workforce problem — not just physicians but also many other healthcare providers that have to maintain their certifications and maintain their ability to care for decreasing births in rural areas LD: We are able to place our students with practicing physicians in smaller communities where they really get to participate in the day-to-day care of the patients as well as see high quality physicians doing a full scope of practice That’s hard to see if you’re practicing in Milwaukee or Madison or some other larger city where you tend to see primary care physicians having a much more limited scope of practice because they’re able to refer out a lot more readily I love having our students in some of our smallest hospitals where they’re assisting at surgeries and doing other things that you just don’t get the opportunity as a student to participate in as fully in larger places LD: The biggest change that is needed is a change in mindset by legislators that women’s and children’s health is an investment but it is also an investment in preserving the life of my car Even the most mercenary among us should recognize that prenatal care saves money in preventing complications Once the obstetrical services disappear from the hospital it also becomes much harder to maintain prenatal and postnatal services We need to focus and get us back to recognizing this is an investment in our communities — in our health and in our young people — and stop kind of couching it in terms of just cost and whether it makes any money or not This is a national problem and there are certainly many many closures of obstetrical units based on finances alone but the unintended consequences of economic development: What business wants to move to a place where their young employees can’t get the services that most of them need chronic disease screenings — all of those things diminish when you reduce what a hospital or clinic can provide in a rural area And my belief has always been that rural populations deserve the same great quality of care as everybody in the U.S Thomas Alan Shambeau passed away on Saturday, March 22, 2025 in Bonita Springs FL. Tom was born on February 26, 1941 in New London, WI, the oldest child of David A. Shambeau and Emilene (Harber) Shambeau. He graduated from Waupaca High School... View Obituary & Service Information Shambeau created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Thomas Alan Shambeau passed away on Saturday The video shows a pickup truck hauling a trailer crashing into the back of a stopped school bus on Highway 54 and Pine Street in the town of Royalton Tuesday just before 4 p.m At the time of the crash two students had just gotten off the bus One more student was getting off the bus during the crash and one last student was still on the bus during the crash The sheriff's office did not say if charges will be filed against the driver of the pickup truck the second count was reduced to misdemeanor child neglect If he completes all of the terms of probation the reckless homicide count would be dismissed Schachtschneider must complete a skid steer safety course and spend ten hours speaking publicly about the injuries to his children and the death of his child District Attorney Kat Turner said the state was motivated to strike the plea deal to spare the other children in the home from having to testify at a trial But given the repeated incidents with several children involving the same equipment my office was left with no choice but to say But I can certainly hope that him speaking out with other people in and around our rural community will help prevent the unnecessary death of other children,” Turner said Defense attorney Nila Robinson noted Schachtneider was in a position being the primary caregiver for six children while running the farm he has had a farm safety assessment done at the property “This was an imaginably horrible experience for him But to paint him as someone who was callous about that Turner is in no position to know how many sleepless nights how much horror all of this caused,” Robinson said Schachtschneider declined to address the court According to the criminal complaint: “Caleb said he was using it to clear manure and Victim was on his lap Caleb said Victim's head hit between the cross member on the bucket boom Caleb believed he was still lowering the bucket and Victim's head got crushed Caleb said I did not have him secured and I should have (An officer) asked Caleb how often The victim rides in the skid steer with him and he stated The victim rides with him 2 to 3 times a week in the skid steer Caleb stated that when he purchased the skid steer it came with a front door but that he had removed the front door several years ago and the door is in one of the sheds.” This was not the first incident in this family with the skid steer a 5-year-old boy was riding it with Schachtschneider a 6-year-old boy had driven the steer into his older brother WAUPACA COUNTY (NBC 26) — A pickup truck slammed into the back of a school bus with students onboard in Waupaca County Tuesday on Highway 54 and Pine Street in the town of Royalton according to the Waupaca County Sheriff's Office Deputies said the school bus was stopped to allow students on and off but the truck did not stop and hit the back end of the bus There were two students who had just gotten off the bus one actively getting off the bus and one still on it at the time of the crash sent us the video above and this photo of the crash He said the three students getting off — two 13-year-old twins and their five-year-old little sister — are his children Kresucher told us his children had some bumps The sheriff's office says no serious injuries were reported but NBC 26 is working to learn more on the extent of the injuries WAUPACA COUNTY (WLUK) -- For many, life on the farm is more than a place to raise crops and animals It's part of "How WI Live" in Wisconsin And in Waupaca County, the Hoewisch family is celebrating a special honor. They were recently named one of 10 finalists for the National Outstanding Young Farmer Award At Hoewisch Homestead Dairy just east of Fremont Jake Hoewisch says he milks 150 Holstein dairy cows twice a day He says life on the farm is in his heritage "My great-grandfather came over from Germany in the 1860s and homesteaded this property I'm the fifth generation to take over the family farm," said Jake Hoewisch says the president of the Waupaca County Farm Bureau nominated his family to compete in the National Outstanding Young Farmers Award program After being evaluated for conservation practices including no-till farming and planting cover crops the Hoewisches were chosen to represent Wisconsin at the awards banquet in Des Moines "It was more of a networking opportunity We came out of there having nine other young farmers throughout the U.S that we can reach out to and rub shoulders with now," said Jake says raising their family on the farm is important "Just getting to spend all that extra time and we decided to homeschool our children as well They get to see kind of the ins and outs of everyday and just building some hard work ethic and it's just a really great opportunity," said Jennifer Jake says being a young family on the farm is the life for him it's my passion and I would just love to instill that in my children But if they decided to go a different direction But just having them to be able to be in the trenches with us So many things that are hard to be taught," he said While the Hoewisch family wasn't among the winners they says it's an experience they will never forget His attorney filed several motions this week all aimed at limiting the evidence which could be used against him at trial Prosecutors have not formally replied to the motions and a DNA sample was taken from him during a traffic stop Steven Donald Brunner, age 71, of Waupaca, WI, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at ThedaCare Medical Center in Berlin, WI. He was born on June 17, 1953 in Manitowoc, WI, the son of Donald and Florence (Gosz) Brunner. The Brunner... View Obituary & Service Information Brunner created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories WAUPACA (WLUK) – A judge Monday dismissed one of the two counts against former Waupaca County Assistant District Attorney Ben Szilagyi for allegedly threatening other court officials Szilagyi, 42, allegedly threatened a judge and another prosecutor The count for the alleged threat against the judge remains pending but the other was dismissed Monday by Portage County Judge Louis Molepske A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan Szilagyi may have been upset about an incident in court [VICTIM] I feel it's fair to let you know that you are on my (expletive) list If I hear you name again you're gonna be sorry Victim1 felt this was a legitimate threat against him based on a prior court hearing from July 1st where Victim1 called out Benjamin for not being prepared stating his displeasure," the complaint states Waupaca County has three judges but the complaint does not identify which he was upset with Szilagyi allegedly shouted and swore at another prosecutor.