Wisconsin

Wisconsin man accused of setting congressman's office on fire over TikTok ban charged with arson

Published

1 year ago

January 22, 2025

Wisconsin man accused of setting congressman's office on fire over TikTok ban charged with arson

MADISON, Wis. — Prosecutors charged a Wisconsin man who allegedly told police he tried to burn down a congressman’s office because he was upset with the federal TikTok ban with multiple counts on Wednesday, including arson.

Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney filed a complaint against 19-year-old Caiden Stachowicz charging him with felony arson, making terrorist threats, attempted burglary and property damage. He would face more than 50 years behind bars if convicted on all counts.

Stachowicz, of Menasha, was scheduled to make his initial court appearance Wednesday morning. Online court records indicated Judge Tricia Walker set a $500,000 cash bail for him and ordered him to have no contact with Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman or his staff. She also barred him from possessing any dangerous weapons or fire-starting materials.

The records showed Stachowicz appeared via video conference from jail. They did not list an attorney for him.

According to the complaint, a police officer responded to a fire outside Grothman’s Fond du Lac office around 1 a.m. Sunday and saw Stachowicz standing nearby.

The officer said that as he worked to put out the flames with his extinguisher, Stachowicz told him that he started the fire because he doesn’t like Grothman. The officer handcuffed Stachowicz and took him to the police department. Firefighters and police quickly extinguished the fire, limiting the damage.

During an interview at the department, Stachowicz told the officer that he bought gas and matches to start a fire at Grothman’s office, according to the complaint. He said that he tried to break into the office so he could start the fire inside but couldn’t break the window. He then poured the gas on an electrical box in the back of 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 the building down because the U.S. government was shutting down TikTok and Grothman voted “yes” to shutting it down, according to the complaint. Grothman voted for a bill last April that mandated TikTok’s China-based company, ByteDance, sell its U.S. operation by Sunday.

Stachowicz said that he believed the shutdown violated his constitutional rights. He added that in the past he has participated in peaceful protests but no longer believes peace is an option, according to the complaint.

“Caiden said that it was a government building and wanted to cause disruption and make a point by starting the building on fire,” the complaint said. “Caiden said he wished the whole building would have burned down.”

Asked if he hoped people were inside the building, he said no and that he didn’t want to hurt anyone and didn’t want to harm Grothman himself.

TikTok went dark late Saturday, but the platform came back online hours later after then-President-elect Donald Trump said he would try to give ByteDance more time to find a buyer. Trump signed an executive order Monday after he was inaugurated instructing the U.S. attorney general not to enforce the ban for 75 days.

Asked for comment on the charges, Grothman spokesperson Noelle Young responded by saying Grothman would call The Associated Press directly. The congressman had not contacted the AP as of early Wednesday afternoon.

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Wisconsin

Flooding closes state highways around Northeast Wisconsin

Published

9 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Flooding closes state highways around Northeast Wisconsin

(WLUK) — Many roads remain closed as Northeast Wisconsin continues to deal with the effects of heavy rain and flooding.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation released this list of road closures Thursday for state highways in the area:

Highway 147 is closed at Church Street in Mishicot due to flooding.

A detour route is posted using County V, WIS 42 and County VV.

Highway 54 is closed in both directions from near N. Maple Street/Highway 47 in Black Creek to Hooyman Road/County M west of Shiocton due to flooding on roadway.

Alternate route for southbound: Take Highway 47 to County S to County M.
Reverse for northbound.

Highway 76 is closed in both directions from East Avenue in Shiocton to Oak Crest Drive in Stephensville due to flooding on roadway.

No detour is available with all other county roadways flooded in this area as well. Planned to be closed indefinitely.

Highway 76 is closed in both directions from County D in Bear Creek to Highway 54 in Shiocton because of flooding on roadway.

No detour is available with all other county roadways flooded in this area as well. Planned to be closed indefinitely.

Highway 54 is closed in both directions from Gorges Road in Northport to Jeanne Street in New London due to flooding on roadway. NOTE: Highway 45 north and south of New London is closed for an ongoing construction project.

Alternate Route for eastbound traffic: Traffic will exit Highway 54 at Highway 110/22, north on Highway 110/22 to County BB, east on County BB to County B, north on County B to Highway 22, east on Highway 22 to US 45, north on US 45 to Highway 22, North on Highway 22 to Highway 156, East on Highway 156 to Highway 47, south on Highway 47 back to Highway 54.
Reverse for westbound.

Highway 187 from Highway 156 in Shawano County to Highway 54 in Outagamie County is closed in both directions due to flooding.

Alternate route for southbound: Highway 156 to Highway 47 to Highway 54.
Reverse for northbound.

Highway 110 is closed in both directions south of Manawa from County B in Manawa to County BB due to flooding on roadway.

Alternate route for northbound: Northbound traffic will exit WIS 110 at County BB, east on County BB to County B, north on County B back to Highway 110.
Reverse for southbound.

If you can safely take a photo or video of conditions where you are, share it with us here:

The DOT also gave these tips for safe driving during flood conditions:

Please make sure you have the flooding tab clicked on the 511 map to view all locations of flooding.
Never attempt to cross a water-covered road. Just 12 inches of moving water can sweep a vehicle off the road.
Do not ignore barricades or road closure signs.

Flash flooding can occur suddenly anywhere in the area.

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Always check current road conditions before traveling:
Visit the 511 Wisconsin website for the latest weather and road alerts.
Motorists should plan extra time for travel, use designated alternate routes, and exercise extreme caution in low-lying areas. Conditions may change rapidly.
For the latest updates, monitor the 511 Wisconsin website. Stay safe and drive smart when in doubt, turn around and find another way.
For real-time information, please check the 511 Wisconsin website or call 511.

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Wisconsin

Next Weathermaker to bring more thunderstorms to already flooded Northeast Wisconsin

Published

21 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Next Weathermaker to bring more thunderstorms to already flooded Northeast Wisconsin

(WLUK) — More rain is on the way for Northeast Wisconsin.

Flood warnings are currently in effect for many area rivers and streams as recent rainfall has pushed some to reach flood level.

This morning, there’s a dense fog advisory in place.

Visibility could drop to a quarter mile in some places.

Today there’s a chance for showers and a few thunderstorms.

It will then become mostly sunny with a high near 66.

Tomorrow will be partly cloudy with a high of 70 before our Next Weathermaker brings showers and thunderstorms late in the day and into the evening.

Some of those storms could become severe with damaging wind, large hail and a few tornadoes.

Our area is in a level 2 and 3 out of 5 for severe weather risk.

If you see severe weather in your area and can safely take a photo or video, Chime In here:

After the rain tomorrow night, we should have a string of dry days, which will help with dropping high river levels.

Saturday we’ll see a mix of sun and clouds.

It will be windy with a high near 48.

Winds could gust to 35 mph out of the northwest.

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Click here for Director of Meteorology Pete Petoniak’s full forecast.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin basketball scores big with signings of Addie Deal, Kadidia Toure

Published

1 day ago

April 15, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin basketball scores big with signings of Addie Deal, Kadidia Toure

MADISON – Robin Pingeton and the Wisconsin women’s basketball program have made a statement signing during transfer portal season.

Addie Deal, 6-foot guard from Irvine, Calif., will be part of the Badgers’ 2026-27 roster. The former Iowa Hawkeye announced her choice on Instagram Wednesday, April 15. The Badgers announced the move in conjunction with the signing of Kadidia Toure, a 6-3 forward who played at Long Island this season.

Toure averaged a double-double for Sharks this season. Deal, meanwhile, comes with the cache of being a five-star recruit in high school.

She was a 2025 McDonald’s All-American and a member of the Big Ten’s all-freshman team this season.

Deal played in all 34 games for Iowa with three starts. She averaged 5.1 points, 1.6 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 15 minutes per game. She shot 39.4% overall and hit on 29.7% from 3-point range. She posted season highs of 20 points and five assists.

Toure was the Northeast Conference player of the year as well as a member of the league’s all-defensive team.

She started her career at James Madison and then played at Arizona State before joining Long Island’s program. She averaged 19.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game this season.

Toure led Long Island to a 21-11 record with a 14-4 mark in the Northeast Conference that tied the Sharks for second place. The team reached the final of the conference tournament.

The addition of Deal and Toure helps UW compensate for the loss of four players to the transfer portal.

Reserves Alie Bisballe and Jovana Spasovski announced their depatures from the program on social media. The departures of Breauna Ware and Kyrah Daniels were reported by On3.

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