Wisconsin

Wisconsin couple sues Walgreens and Optum Rx, saying son died after $500 price rise for asthma meds

Published

1 year ago

February 5, 2025

Wisconsin couple sues Walgreens and Optum Rx, saying son died after 0 price rise for asthma meds

LA CROSSE, Wis. — A Wisconsin couple is suing Walgreens and a pharmacy benefits management company, alleging that their son died because he couldn’t afford a sudden $500 spike in his asthma medication.

Shanon and William Schmidtknecht, of Poynette, filed their lawsuit in federal court in Milwaukee on Jan. 21, a year to the day that their son Cole died at age 22.

According to the lawsuit, Cole Schmidtknecht suffered from asthma all his life. He managed it with daily doses of the medication Advair Diskus and its generic equivalents, which he ingested through an inhaler.

He stopped at a Walgreens pharmacy in Appleton on Jan. 10, 2024, to refill his prescription and was told the cost had jumped from $66 to $539 out-of-pocket. Unable to afford the new cost, he left the pharmacy without the medication. He tried to manage his condition with his rescue inhaler but suffered a fatal asthma attack days later, according to the lawsuit.

The Schmidtknechts allege that pharmacy benefits management company OptumRX violated Wisconsin law by raising the cost of the medication without a valid medical reason and failing to provide 30 days’ advance notice of drug price increases.

Pharmacy benefits managers act as intermediaries between health insurance companies, prescription drug companies and pharmacies. Optum Rx services prescription claims for more than 66 million people across the United States, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that the Walgreens pharmacy staffers failed to offer Cole any workarounds to obtain his usual medication. They told him there were no cheaper alternatives or generic medications available, they didn’t contact OptumRx to request an exception on Cole’s behalf, and they didn’t ask Cole’s doctor to request an exception for him, his parents contend.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

“The conduct of both OptumRx and Walgreens was deplorable,” one of the family’s attorneys, Michael Trunk, said in a statement. “The evidence in this case will show that both OptumRx and Walgreens put profits first, and are directly responsible for Cole’s death.”

OptumRx spokespeople didn’t immediately reply to Wednesday messages seeking comment. In a statement last April extending sympathy to the family, the company said that a review of Cole’s claims showed that on the day he visited the pharmacy, he did buy a different asthma medication, generic Albuterol, for a $5 co-pay on Jan. 10 — a medication that it says he also obtained in October 2023. His case was handled “consistent with industry practice and the patient’s insurance plan design,” the company said.

Trunk, though, said Wednesday that the $5 generic prescription Cole filled was for his rescue inhaler, not the Advair Diskus inhaler that he took daily. He said Cole was not able to fill his Advair Diskus prescription because it had suddenly become too expensive.

Walgreens officials didn’t immediately respond to a Wednesday email seeking comment on the lawsuit.

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Wisconsin

Ex-Wisconsin fullback Alec Ingold cut by Miami Dolphins

Published

2 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Ex-Wisconsin fullback Alec Ingold cut by Miami Dolphins

Alec Ingold, a Pro Bowl fullback for the Miami Dolphins, former Badger and graduate of Bay Port High School in the Green Bay area, is reportedly on the market.

NFL insider Mike Garafolo said Ingold and Miami are parting ways, and he’s free to sign with a new team immediately.

Ingold spent the last four seasons with the Dolphins, including a Pro Bowl year in 2023, after three years with the Las Vegas Raiders. He’s primarily a blocking back but does have 75 career receptions and six all-purpose touchdowns in his career.

Ingold is also a three-time nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. His Ingold Family Foundation advocates and financially supports children in the child welfare system, providing education, support and access to opportunities. He has authored a book, developed curriculum around overcoming adversity and works with SOS Children’s Villages Florida, a residential foster care community in Florida.

At the University of Wisconsin, Ingold moved from linebacker to running back as a freshman in 2015 and played in 51 career games, with 11 starts at fullback. He ran for 17 career touchdowns at Wisconsin from 2015 through 2018 and caught four touchdown passes.

Ingold was at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, announcing a Dolphins pick on Day 2.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for March 5, 2026

Published

14 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for March 5, 2026

The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 5, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 5 drawing

Midday: 7-1-9

Evening: 1-4-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 5 drawing

Midday: 0-5-6-8

Evening: 0-6-8-8

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning All or Nothing numbers from March 5 drawing

Midday: 04-06-07-10-12-13-14-18-20-21-22

Evening: 03-05-07-10-12-13-15-18-20-21-22

Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Badger 5 numbers from March 5 drawing

06-07-16-23-28

Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning SuperCash numbers from March 5 drawing

07-16-19-28-31-36, Doubler: N

Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.

Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?

No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.

When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.

That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **

WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin man accused of setting fire to congressman’s office over TikTok ban gets 7 years in prison

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin man accused of setting fire to congressman’s office over TikTok ban gets 7 years in prison

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin man who allegedly told police he tried to set fire to a Republican congressman’s office last year because he was angry that the lawmaker backed a bill requiring TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell off its U.S. operations was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison.

In addition to the prison time, Fond du Lac County Circuit Judge Tricia Walker sentenced 20-year-old Caiden Stachowicz to seven years of extended supervision, court records show.

Stachowicz, of Menasha, pleaded no contest to an arson charge in November. Prosecutors dropped burglary and property damage counts in exchange for Stachowicz’s no contest plea, which isn’t an admission of guilt but is treated as such for the purposes of sentencing.

Stachowicz’s attorney, Timothy Hogan, didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

According to a criminal complaint, a police officer responded to a fire outside Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman’s office in Fond du Lac, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee, at around 1 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2025, and saw Stachowicz standing nearby.

He told the officer that he started the fire because he doesn’t like Grothman, according to the complaint. He initially planned to break into the office and start the fire inside but he couldn’t break the window, so he poured gas on an electrical box behind the building and around the front of the building, lit a match and watched it burn, according to the complaint.

He said he wanted to burn down the office because the federal government was shutting down TikTok in violation of his constitutional rights and peace was not longer an option, the complaint states. He added that Grothman voted for the shutdown, but he didn’t want to hurt Grothman or anyone else.

This undated photo provided by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department and the Fond du Lac County District Attorney’s Office on Nov. 10, 2025, shows Caiden Stachowicz. Credit: AP/Uncredited

Grothman voted for a bill in April 2024 that required TikTok’s China-based company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operation. The deadline was Jan. 19, 2025, but President Donald Trump has issued multiple executive orders prolonging it. TikTok finalized a deal two months ago to create an American version of of the social video platform. Trump praised the deal.

A spokesperson for Grothman’s congressional office didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

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