Swanson expects to have a deal in place sometime next week after entering a contract with venue management company VenuWorks.

OSHKOSH – The Wisconsin Herd isn’t going anywhere.

Oshkosh Arena receiver Paul Swanson said he is nearing an agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks that would keep NBA team’s G League franchise in Oshkosh for the foreseeable future.

Swanson expects to have a deal in place with the Herd sometime next week after Judge John Jorgensen granted his motion for Iowa-based venue management company VenuWorks to oversee the operations of Oshkosh Arena.

“I don’t want to get specific and say it’s a new deal or that we’ll modify the old one, but I believe we’re going to reach an agreement in the short term with a goal towards reaching a long-term agreement at some point,” the veteran bankruptcy attorney told the Northwestern Aug. 9.

“It’s in everyone’s best interests to keep the Herd on the premises, so I’m counting on them playing at Oshkosh Arena, and I think they’re counting on playing at Oshkosh Arena.”

The news ends months of speculation about the Herd’s uncertain future after an inside source revealed to the Northwestern that the team could possibly leave Oshkosh as it “no longer wants to work” with Oshkosh Arena owner Fox Valley Pro Basketball Inc. over claims of a violation of the current lease.

NBA G League president believes Milwaukee Bucks affiliate Wisconsin Herd will stay in Oshkosh

Swanson confirmed the Herd’s lease agreement is in default.

The source also told the Northwestern the Herd has opt-out provisions that could release the team from its lease agreement, which Swanson confirmed is currently in default.

“They can walk away from it,” Swanson said.

The concerns over the Herd’s status only grew when Bayland Buildings, the company that built the arena, filed a foreclosure suit in Winnebago County Circuit Court claiming FVPB still owed an outstanding balance of $12,417,464.82.

This was after the City of Oshkosh’s Finance Department revealed back in May the Oshkosh Arena owner had unsettled personal property and real estate taxes arrears totaling more than $619,000.

Amid the arena’s financial struggles, the Herd still announced six of the team’s 24 home dates for the 2024-25 season in Oshkosh, as the court appointed Swanson as a neutral third party to temporarily manage Oshkosh Arena’s finances and business operations.

“For certain, the Herd will be playing games at Oshkosh Arena for the upcoming season, and I can’t see them wanting to leave because they really do like the place,” Swanson said.

“They just want the arena to be run professionally so my expectation is for them to be here for the long term so we’re going to have an agreement in place that’s acceptable to both sides.”

Swanson revealed parties are expressing interest in potentially buying the arena.

Fox Valley Pro Basketball listed Oshkosh Arena for sale in April before the foreclosure suit and Swanson said there are parties expressing initial interest in the facility.

The arena is listed on LoopNet as an 80,000-square-foot sports and entertainment building at 1212 S. Main St. for $19 million.

But the plan is to have VenuWorks manage the facility during the Herd’s upcoming season before engaging any perspective buyers in serious offers.

“I personally believe we have to have the venue up and running before we can get a reasonable price for it because any buyer will want to know what it can produce in terms of income,” Swanson said.

“The only complaints I’ve ever had about the arena is that consumers can’t get a beer because the lines are too long and that’s where you make your money with these venues … not the team but the sale of liquor and food.

“And that’s why I went with VenuWorks because they actually run 47 types of properties about this size and type, and they have experience and depth to manage it successfully,” he added.

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Swanson said the contract with VenuWorks is a five-year deal, but a new owner would have the provision to get out of that contract.

Oshkosh Chamber President/CEO Rob Kleman estimates each Herd home game generates about $100,000 of economic impact in the area.

The arena seats more than 4,000 people and the Herd averaged 87% capacity crowds in 24 home games during the 2022-23 season while selling out 11 of those contests.

According to team President Steve Brandes, the Herd donated $277,000 to charitable causes in that same season when they were also recognized as the NBA G League Franchise of the Year.

Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com.

It may be fair-ly easy to enjoy a fun (and affordable) day at any state fair event filled with fun and good food, but some voters at the Wisconsin State Fair can’t stop their heads from spinning over “skyrocketing” everyday costs.

When asked about what their biggest expense is right now, many families pointed to groceries, utilities and housing.

“[It’s] groceries, 100%. I do a little side hustle for the fun money,” one young mom told FOX Business’ Madison Alworth during a Friday “Varney & Co.” appearance before the fair’s official opening.

“Insurance, groceries, gas, I mean, you name it,” another mom said alongside her son and husband.

INFLATION IN THE U.S. IS HIGHEST AND LOWEST IN THESE CITIES

“My sister-in-law has a little map the kids go through, they pick out where they want to eat. We figure out what times we’re going, where we’re going,” an aunt with her niece detailed as a way to make budgeting fun.

In June, an inflation measure closely watched by the Federal Reserve eased slightly, even as high prices continued to weigh on millions of Americans.

On an annual basis, prices climbed 2.5% which is down just slightly from the previous month’s 2.6%.

Prices for services increased 0.2% for the month and remain up 3.9% from the same time last year. The cost of goods also rose 0.1% on a monthly basis, despite a 2.1% drop in energy prices, according to the report. Goods prices are down 0.2% when compared with last year.

And when excluding food and energy, core prices climbed 0.2% from the previous month and 2.6% from the previous year. Both of those figures are slightly higher than estimates.

“Our [utilities are] probably doubled,” the aunt added.

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“Our electric bill, it’s been skyrocketing this past year,” a fourth woman at the fair with her son told Alworth.

“I usually open my curtains instead of, like, turning on the lights sometimes,” the son chimed in, “because I just like to look at the natural sunlight sometimes. I also know, like, it helps her out.”

READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS

FOX Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this report.

Have mosquitoes felt extra annoying this year in Wisconsin? 

If so, that’s because they’re likely more prevalent than in previous years. Warm weather plus lots of rain create ideal conditions for mosquito  populations.

All major regions of the state are seeing above-average precipitation this year, according to the State Climatology Office.

But it can be challenging to gauge exactly how bad mosquitoes are in Wisconsin because the state lacks any major agency dedicated to the control and monitoring of the buzzing insects. 

Daniel Huff is executive director of the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District in Minnesota. Huff’s district covers seven counties around the Twin Cities and a majority of the neighboring state’s population. Huff recently told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that bad mosquito years are only going to become more common as the climate changes. 

“I think mosquito-borne diseases are the biggest risk to us with climate change,” he said, referring to Dengue fever, Zika, malaria and other illnesses. “We are concerned that those diseases will migrate (north).”  

Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported the first confirmed cases of West Nile virus for the year. 

Huff said there are three main kinds of mosquitoes in the Upper Midwest: snow-melt mosquitoes that come in the early spring; summer mosquitoes that arrive around May or June and breed all year long; and cattail mosquitoes, which arrive around Independence Day and are the most “aggressive” breed in the region. 

“What a great time for our July Fourth picnics,” Huff said. “And they actually live over winter.” 

On WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Huff talked about the risks of mosquito-borne disease due to climate change, the prevalence of mosquitoes this year and the work of his agency at controlling  and monitoring the insects. 

The following was edited for brevity and clarity. 

RF: We’re seeing earlier thaws and later frosts with climate change. Is that extending the breeding season for any mosquito varieties? 

DH: Absolutely. We’re getting mosquito species that we don’t normally get up here in the Upper Midwest. One of the beautiful side effects of our harsh winters is they kill off a lot of the mosquitoes that you might have down south. But as the winter changes, we risk having mosquitoes move up here and stay, being able to survive our winters now.

When you have a shorter winter and a longer warm spell, you’re going to have more mosquitoes. Mosquitoes need two things to reproduce: they need water and they need warm temperatures. The longer the summer, the more mosquitoes we’re going to have. 

RF: Most of us think of mosquitoes as a nuisance. We don’t want to get bit. We don’t want the itches. You’re worried about public health here. What are some of the concerns we have about mosquito season when it comes to communicable diseases?  

DH: The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District is at its heart a public health agency. We like to make people’s summers better and more enjoyable. But our primary function is to prevent the spread of diseases that are caused by mosquitoes. You may have seen the statistic that mosquitoes are the most dangerous animal in the world. They kill more humans than any other animal in the world, including other humans. And it’s because they carry disease.  

RF: Here in Wisconsin, we do mosquito research through the Universities of Wisconsin, the Department of Health Services and so on. But we don’t have a Metropolitan Mosquito Control District. Tell us a little about this outfit. 

DH: The Minnesota Legislature in 1958 set forth that we were going to have a seven-county, independent unit of government whose sole purpose was to track and control mosquitoes. We’re very fortunate to have that. It covers about 3,000 miles. That’s about the size of two Rhode Islands. And by focusing on such a large area, we’re able to control and suppress mosquitoes in the whole region. Mosquitoes can fly about 5 miles. Treating a little area doesn’t mean that you’re protecting the people who live in that little area.

RF: Are there things people can do in their yards to help with mosquitoes? 

DH: First of all, get rid of your breeding habitats, your old tarp or little bucket. I’ve seen a picture of mosquito larvae in a Coca-Cola bottlecap. They don’t need a lot of water to grow. Eliminate those sources of water.

And do what you can to promote other beneficial insects and vertebrates, like birds and bats. While they’re not major consumers of mosquitoes, they will consume them. It’s really about reducing the habitat, reducing those little puddles of water that might collect in your yard.