STURGEON BAY, Wis. (AP) — A man convicted of reckless homicide for starting a 2022 fire that killed two people when it destroyed a Wisconsin building housing a bar and rented rooms has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

A judge also sentenced Anthony Gonzalez, 60, on Friday to 15 years of extended supervision for the fire at Butch’s Bar and the building’s upstairs apartments, the Appleton Post-Crescent reported.

The February 2022 fire killed two tenants who lived above the Sturgeon Bay bar, Victor Jurss and Gary Heise, and seriously injured a third tenant. Gonzalez told investigators he accidentally started the fire in his room above the bar when he was trying to refill a cigarette lighter.

His attorney argued that the building lacked fire safety equipment and said Gonzalez wasn’t reckless because he tried to extinguish the fire and knocked other tenants’ doors to alert them to the fire.

A jury convicted Gonzalez in January of two counts of second-degree reckless homicide and five counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety. His attorney has said she plans to appeal the verdict.

Door County Judge D. Todd Ehlers said during Friday’s sentencing that Gonzalez has blamed others both for the fire and his convictions and that he has shown a lack of remorse.

Sturgeon Bay is located along Lake Michigan about 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Green Bay.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

The 2020 election, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, introduced unique challenges that affected nursing home voting, indefinitely confined voter lists, and third-party funding for election administration. Despite these obstacles, meticulous independent audits by both the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and the state’s Legislative Audit Bureau confirmed there was no widespread fraud. Furthermore, it is notable that former President Trump received 51,000 fewer votes in Wisconsin than Republican congressional candidates in the same election. 

The persistent claims that the 2020 election was stolen not only lacks a basis in fact but also erodes the foundational trust in our democratic process. Such allegations threaten the unity and confidence that are vital as we approach the 2024 election. 

As a former chair of the Wisconsin State Senate’s Committee on Elections and advocate for electoral integrity, I am confident that our state officials, both Republicans and Democrats, are dedicated to ensuring that every vote is counted fairly and transparently.

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Looking ahead to 2024, it is crucial that all leaders, regardless of party affiliation, respect the outcomes of our elections. The people of Wisconsin deserve a secure and fair voting process, and I am committed, alongside my fellow Wisconsinites, to guarantee just that. 

Kathy Bernier, state director, Keep Our Republic Wisconsin. Bernier, a Republican, served in the Wisconsin state legislature from 2011 to 2023 and earlier was the elected Chippewa County Clerk.

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The 3-0 win on the road sealed the series for the Anchorage Wolverines against the Wisconsin Windigo.

The result means Anchorage won in 3-0 games.

The visiting team took the lead late in the first period, with a goal from

Cole Frawner

. Artem Shchipanov assisted.

Arvega Hovsepyan

scored in the second period, assisted by

Bryce Monrean

and Camden Shasby.

The Wolverines made it 3-0 when Cole Christian found the back of the net, late in the second period.

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