Deer hunting off to good start; Record temperatures expected; Walker: Americans still trust Republicans; more briefs

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Early reports indicate that Wisconsin deer hunters had a lot of success during the opening weekend of the nine-day gun season.

But we won’t know for sure until the Department of Natural Resources issues preliminary numbers, which could come out this afternoon.

Hunters did not have cold weather and tracking snow, but they did benefit from the earlier start to the season as the mating period continues and deer remain more active.

A number of registration stations reported brisk activity, especially during the opening day on Saturday.

And there were more hunters in the woods. Just over 614,000 deer licenses were sold by midnight last Friday, almost 17,000 more than the previous year.

Meanwhile, two hunting-related deaths are being investigated in north central Wisconsin.

Marathon County sheriff’s deputies said Shawn Lemanski, 51, of Green Bay died after falling from a tree stand late Saturday afternoon. Steven Jackson, 51, of Antigo was found unresponsive Saturday evening near Gleason in Lincoln County. Sheriff’s deputies say foul play is not suspected.

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Record temperatures expected

The National Weather Service says record-high temperatures in the 60’s – and perhaps the 70’s – are possible in southwest Wisconsin on Wednesday and Thursday.

But while you’re giving thanks this week, state officials hope you’ll think about the person who will plow your street before long.

Gov. Scott Walker has proclaimed today as “Snowplow Driver Appreciation Day” in Wisconsin. The proclamation honors the efforts made by snowplow drivers to keep traffic moving and make the roads safer both during snowstorms and after them.

Officials urge you to use caution when meeting a snowplow. It’s against the law to drive less than 200 feet behind a plow. And before you go out, the Department of Transportation urges you to call 5-1-1 or go online for the latest road conditions.

It could be awhile before we run into those snowy conditions. The Weather Service says on W

But it’s more likely that the city’s record will be broken on Thanksgiving. That one record is 59 degrees set in 1963.

Some rain is expected today in the state’s mid-section. But otherwise, dry and mild weather is in the offing through the holiday. Cooler temperatures are predicted for Black Friday with highs in the 40’s statewide.

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Walker: Americans still trust Republicans

Wisconsin’s Scott Walker said on “Fox News Sunday” that Americans still trust Republicans, and governors like him can play a key role in making the party more diverse.

The GOP’s been doing a lot of soul searching since losing to President Obama 13 days ago. Democrat Obama got 80% of the non-white vote in exit polls, and Republican Mitt Romney outperformed 2008 nominee John McCain among white men and still couldn’t win.

Non-whites made up 28% of voters this year, up from 20% in 2000. The biggest growth came from Hispanics.

Walker will continue to have a high national profile as the new vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

He said 30 states will have GOP governors in January so “The trust factor is there.”

Walker said his party has a great message that works for young people and immigrants and for “anyone who wants to live their piece of the American dream.”

In a conference call with donors, Romney blamed his loss on “extraordinary financial gifts” which he said Obama gave to his political base – blacks, Hispanics and young people.

But Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the incoming chair of the GOP governors, said it’s not good politics to insult people and say their votes were bought.

On CNN, former U.S. commerce secretary Carlos Gutierrez said he has formed a campaign group to support Republicans who back immigration reform, including a legal status for the 11 million illegal immigrants now in the country.

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Two die in Sunday afternoon plane crash

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate a plane crash near the Burlington Municipal Airport that killed two people.

The FAA said a single-engine Grumman AA-1 crashed while it was trying to land at the airport a little before 1:30 p.m. Sunday. It went down on its side in a cornfield.

Media reports said the victims were a father and daughter from Illinois. There was no immediate word on where the flight originated. The plane was registered to a man from Antioch, just south of the Wisconsin border in northeast Illinois.

Lynn Lunsford of the FAA said the Burlington airport does not have a control tower, and the pilot was not in contact with air traffic controllers before the crash occurred.

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Over 50 flu cases reported

When you pass the turkey at the Thanksgiving table, make sure you don’t pass on the flu. That’s what state health officials are warning.

They’ve confirmed that over 50 people caught a flu bug in the last month and a half -- and that’s just those who went to a doctor for treatment. Many more didn’t so the state has no idea how many actual cases are out there.

Tom Haupt of the state Health Services Department said the flu season is starting earlier than in past years. Type AH3 is the more predominant of two flu strains that have been reported so far in the state’s nursing homes. Haupt said around 10 Wisconsin nursing home residents died from the flu last winter.

He said the oldest and the youngest people at the Thanksgiving table will be most vulnerable to getting sick.

The state’s flu season normally peaks around February, but officials say it can start as early as October and continue into May.

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Wisconsin survivalist missing in Alaska

A search was continuing at last word for a 31-year-old survivalist from northern Wisconsin who’s missing in the Alaskan wilderness.

Thomas Seibold of Three Lakes is an instructor at the Talking Drum Outdoor School He set out alone in late September.

School officials said he traveled to Ambler, Alaska; hiked 30 miles to a cabin; canoed with a woman and her son to a fishing camp; and then left the two Sept. 27. He was planning to stay in the backcountry in northwest Alaska through last month, and he booked a flight home to Wisconsin on Thursday. But he didn’t make the flight.

Seibold was expected to contact somebody by Nov. 11 and didn’t. He was reported missing at that point, and Alaska state troopers have conducted an aerial search with no sign of the man.

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Union pays $58,000 fine after board members were reimbursed for campaign donations

The Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin has paid a $58,000 fine on behalf of 11 former board members accused of violating federal election laws.

The fine was levied this summer, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said it was only recently made public.

Columnist Dan Bice first exposed the matter in 2010 when five board members resigned. He said union leaders made personal campaign donations to a national affiliate of the firefighters’ group, and then they had the union reimburse those expenses by claiming they went to meetings that were never held.

The paper said the 11 former executive board members took over $18,000 in their false claims, and they returned the money once the scheme became public.

Over the weekend, union chief Mahlon Mitchell confirmed that his group paid the fine, plus the legal fees for the former board members. Mitchell said the union paid the fines because the board members were acting in their official capacities at the time.

He said he’s glad the case is closed, and most union members want to move forward. The Professional Firefighters represent 3,200 members in 57 Wisconsin communities.

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Man dies when teen backs vehicle through garage door

Fond du Lac County authorities continue to investigate the death of a man who was killed inside a shed when a vehicle backed into it.

Robert Stahl, 59, of the town of Ashford was pronounced dead at the scene. Three others had non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver, a 17-year-old student at Campbellsport High School, was not hurt.

Officers said the teen was trying to back up and leave the property Saturday night when his vehicle went through a closed overhead garage door and hit the people inside. Investigators said alcohol was not a factor.

Tags: area news, news, wisconsin, outdoors