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Wisconsin Big Boy in Sussex will close July 14, reopen in Wisconsin Dells this fall

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Wisconsin Big Boy in Sussex will close July 14, reopen in Wisconsin Dells this fall


Wisconsin Big Boy in Sussex will close on Sunday, July 14, owner Katie Johnson-Rizer has announced. It’s expected to reopen in Wisconsin Dells this fall under new ownership, she said.

Johnson-Rizer also owns The GOAT, which is next door to the Big Boy restaurant at N63 W23675 Main St.

In a letter posted on the Big Boy Wisconsin Facebook page, Johnson-Rizer said the reason for the closure is The GOAT needs more kitchen space.

“After opening the GOAT, we have quickly realized the current kitchen space that Big Boy occupies is needed to successfully handle the volume of The GOAT,” Johnson-Rizer said in the post. “While we are sorry to see Big Boy go, we will now be able to rewrite The Goat menu and add a few burger options, which have been requested by our patrons.”

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Big Boy returned to Wisconsin after 26 years in Germantown in July of 2021 under owners Chaz Hastings and Scott Carleton. It stayed open in Germantown until it closed in October of 2023 with plans to reopen in Sussex. That happened two months later.

Johnson-Rizer said she became the owner of The GOAT and also of Wisconsin Big Boy in Sussex in May.

“We realize this will upset some people, however, our ultimate goal is to make The GOAT top-notch for the people of Sussex and beyond,” Johnson-Rizer said in the post. “We feel that making this decision is necessary to accomplish our goals.”

Johnson-Rizer said Big Boy will reopen in Wisconsin Dells sometime in the fall, and they will sell the franchise to those owners.

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The GOAT is having its soft opening from 3 to 8 p.m. this week and will have its grand opening on Tuesday, July 16, according to its website.

It will then be open every day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and closed on Mondays. It will have an outside beer garden with happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m.

The GOAT is branded as having a “trendy vibe with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options with new dishes featured weekly, Johnson-Rizer told the Milwaukee Journal in May.

Johnson-Rizer said everything on the menu is homemade. Menu items include funnel fries, Basque cheesecake (bacon bourbon caramel with house whipped cream) avocado BLT, stuffed mushroom with goat cheese, artichoke dip, roasted red peppers zucchini, Calabrian chili oil and cilantro oil). A braised goat tostone is on the menu, too.

Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @kozlowicz_cathy.

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More: This Germantown woman changed careers during the pandemic. Now she’s a top real estate agent.

More: These Milwaukee area communities are not allowing later bar times during the RNC



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Stepmom from hell accused of starving 35-pound teen daughter enters plea — could spend the rest of her life behind bars

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Stepmom from hell accused of starving 35-pound teen daughter enters plea — could spend the rest of her life behind bars


The Wisconsin stepmother from hell accused of abusing her 35-pound 14-year-old daughter by depriving her of food and water has entered a no-contest plea in the twisted case.

Melissa Goodman, 52, now faces up to 46 years in prison if she’s handed the maximum sentence for charges of chronic neglect causing great bodily harm, chronic neglect causing emotional damage and false imprisonment.

She’s set to be sentenced on July 1.

Goodman, along with husband Walter Goodman, have been accused of starving her autistic stepdaughter. Outagamie County Jail

Goodman, along with husband Walter Goodman, has been accused of starving her autistic stepdaughter.

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Goodman’s daughter Savanna Goodman and her girlfriend Kayla Stemler were also charged over the alleged abuse, People reported.

The family is accused of locking the teen in a bedroom without a mattress, restricting her to only her room for years and depriving her of food and water, according to Wisconsin prosecutors.

The mobile home they lived in became a house of horrors for the teenager, who was mistaken for a 6-year-old when she was found by cops in August 2025 and rushed to the hospital.

Walter Goodman, the victim’s father, called 911 to report that his daughter was lethargic and ill.

Responding officers found her weighing just 35 pounds; she was hospitalized with multi-organ dysfunction, including respiratory failure and pancreatitis.

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Melissa Goodman
Walter Goodman, the victim’s father, called 911 to report that his daughter was lethargic and ill. WBAY TV-2 | Green Bay, WI/YouTube

From 2020 until August 2025, the victim, whose name is not disclosed because she is a minor, was allegedly isolated in a trailer on Hattie Lane, in Oneida, Wisconsin.

Extended family members were told she was away on vacation or with other relatives to explain her absence.



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‘Song Sung Blue’ subject Claire Sardina playing Wisconsin State Fair

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‘Song Sung Blue’ subject Claire Sardina playing Wisconsin State Fair


When “Song Sung Blue” – the biopic about Milwaukee Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder – had a premiere at the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee last December, star Hugh Jackman gave Claire Sardina (played in the film by Kate Hudson) an engraved bench honoring Lighting & Thunder to be installed at Wisconsin State Fair Park.

In August, Sardina will get to have a seat on that bench – and sing again on a State Fair stage.

Sardina will perform with tribute act So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience Aug. 9 at the Bank Five Nine Amphitheater, the largest stage at the fair featuring free concerts with admission.

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For Sardina, it will be a return to a place central to Lighting & Thunder. The band performed in the Milwaukee area from 1989 until Mike Sardina, aka Lightning, passed away in 2006. The State Fair was one of their favorite places to play, and the couple got married there in 1994.

The couple’s wild story – from a performance at a Pearl Jam Summerfest concert to major health issues – was the subject of the documentary “Song Sung Blue” that inspired the biopic, and earned Hudson an Oscar nomination for portraying Claire Sardina.

Fair officials May 8 revealed the full headliner lineup for the stage, which includes:

  • Aug. 6: Sixteen Candles
  • Aug. 7 and 8: Here Come The Mummies
  • Aug. 10 and 11: Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
  • Aug. 12: Hairbangers Ball
  • Aug. 13: Too Hype Crew
  • Aug. 14: The Gufs
  • Aug. 15: Let’s Sing Taylor – An Unofficial Live Tribute Show
  • Aug. 16: Pat McCurdy

All Bank Five Nine Amphitheater concerts are included with fair admission.

The lineup is also nearly complete for the Bank Five Nine Main Stage, with just a show on Aug. 11 to be announced.

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Tickets are on sale for these shows at wistatefair.com and include same-day fair admission:

  • Aug. 6: Hairball
  • Aug. 7: Nelly
  • Aug. 8: Bailey Zimmerman with Chandler Walters
  • Aug. 9: Wynonna Judd and Melissa Etheridge
  • Aug. 10: For King + Country with Rachel Lampa
  • Aug. 12: John Mulaney
  • Aug. 13: The All-American Rejects with Joyce Manor
  • Aug. 14: Lindsey Stirling with PVRIS
  • Aug. 15: AJR with Em Beihold
  • Aug. 16: The Beach Boys



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Wisconsin universities and schools impacted by Canvas data breach

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Wisconsin universities and schools impacted by Canvas data breach


WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW/GRAY NEWS) – A ransomware group has claimed to have breached the learning management system Canvas, possibly exposing the personal information of students, teachers and staff across the country.

According to a statement from the Universities of Wisconsin website, they were notified of a nationwide security breach experienced by Instructure, the provider of Canvas. Universities of Wisconsin schools use the cloud-based management system.

UW-Stevens Point tells NewsChannel 7 they have not confirmed UWSP was involved in the breach, but did send communication that Canvas was down and students should not perform any asked actions if prompted, as it may not be legitimate while Canvas is down.

Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, posted on May 1 about a cybersecurity incident that had been reported and was under investigation.

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The next day, Chief Information Security Officer Steve Proud wrote that the information involved in the attack included names, student ID numbers, messages between users and email addresses.

“At this time, we have found no evidence that passwords, dates of birth, government identifiers, or financial information were involved. If that changes, we will notify any impacted institutions,” he wrote.

The Wausau School District sent a letter to parents Wednesday regarding the cybersecurity incident. They said there is no evidence that passwords, single-sign-on credentials, financial information or social security numbers were impacted. They stressed that type of information is not stored in Canvas.

Wausau School District email to parents regarding Canvas data breach(WSAW)

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