Wisconsin

Wisconsin warns of “sextortion,” online crimes against kids

Published

5 months ago

December 23, 2025

Wisconsin warns of “sextortion,” online crimes against kids

MILWAUKEE – The FBI calls it an online crime against kids – perpetrators convincing kids to send sexual images of themselves and then blackmailing them.

Online crime against kids

The backstory:

The reality is settling in. This will be Brittney Bird’s first Christmas without her son, Bradyn Bohn, since he was born. That is because just nine months ago, the 15-year-old died by suicide, just hours after telling his family good night.

“This winter has been pretty heavy,” Bird said. “This will be a lot of first this year.”

Bird said Bradyn was the kind of kid who would always try to make you launch. The teen had a lot of friends, played sports, did well academically, and had big plans for the future.

“Definitely a kid who we were just so proud of,” Bird said. “Bradyn never struggled with or suffered from mental illness or depression or anything of that nature so immediately we knew, you know something’s wrong.”

Once police went through Bradyn’s phone, she said it came out he was the victim of the cyber crime, sextortion.

What is sextortion?

What we know:

“Sextortion is a form of online child exploitation where a child is coerced by a perpetrator to send compromising images,” said Jesse Crowe from the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

This week, the Wisconsin Department of Justice sent out a public service announcement on sextortion.

Officials say suspects often pose as someone else online. While exchanging messages, they convince a child to send images of themselves. Once they have explicit images of the child, they use the photos or videos to blackmail the child into sending even more images, money or ask for sexual favors.

FBI data, change in Wisconsin law

Dig deeper:

The FBI said victims are typically males between the ages of 14 and 17, but any child can be a target.

This crime led to at least 20 suicides between October 2021 and March 2023.

In the months after Bradyn’s death, change would come to Wisconsin. Earlier in December, Gov. Tony Evers signed Bradyn’s Law. It creates a new crime of sexual extortion in Wisconsin. It aims to ensure harsh penalties for those who exploit children online.

“It will bring, hopefully statewide, eventually nationwide attention to where every family is having this conversation with their kids,” Bird told FOX6 News.

Take action

What you can do:

The Department of Justice said the best thing to do if a child finds themselves in this situation is the following:

Block the perpetrator
Report the account, but do not delete the messages
Tell a trusted adult
Do not send any money

Resources available

The Source: Information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.

Crime and Public SafetyMilwaukeeNews

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Wisconsin

Suspected human bones found in northern Wisconsin

Published

7 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Suspected human bones found in northern Wisconsin

(WFRV) – Authorities in northern Wisconsin are investigating after suspected human bones may have been found by a forester.

According to a release from the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, a forester marking trees on Friday, May 8, notified officials that he may have found human bones.

Rusk County deputies, DNR officials, and officials with the Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigations responded to the scene and were led through the woods and recovered the suspected human bones.

Authorities say they are working with the Rusk County Medical Examiner’s office and a forensic anthropologist to confirm the identity.

Positive identification has not yet been made, but officials say a positive identification is expected to be made based off of medical records.

No other information is available at this time.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for May 10, 2026

Published

19 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for May 10, 2026

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

Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 10 drawing

Midday: 4-5-6

Evening: 6-9-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 10 drawing

Midday: 3-8-0-8

Evening: 5-0-5-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning All or Nothing numbers from May 10 drawing

Midday: 07-08-09-11-12-15-16-17-20-21-22

Evening: 02-05-06-07-11-13-17-18-19-20-22

Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Badger 5 numbers from May 10 drawing

17-19-23-28-29

Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning SuperCash numbers from May 10 drawing

05-09-10-14-33-39, 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

How many homes could be built in Northeast Wisconsin in 2026?

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

How many homes could be built in Northeast Wisconsin in 2026?

(Stacker) – Homebuilding plays a critical role in maintaining a steady housing supply and keeping prices at sustainable levels. As the U.S. population grows, more housing is needed to meet demand. Since the Great Recession, construction has lagged well behind what is needed, which is one of the main reasons home prices are so high today.

Supply has slowly increased over the past few years but is still below what is needed for the market to balance out. Until that gap closes, prices are likely to remain elevated, and many buyers will likely struggle to afford a home.

So, how many homes are getting built in Northeast Wisconsin in 2026? Is construction increasing or decreasing?

Redfin Real Estate analyzed the rate of housing permits issued in the cities of Appleton, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Oshkosh and Sheboygan over the past 13 months to find out.

Appleton

Appleton housing permits January 2025-January 2026(WBAY)

2026

January – Building permits: 29 (1.2 per 10,000 population)

2025

January – Building permits: 57 (2.3 per 10,000 population)
February – Building permits: 52 (2.1 per 10k)
March – Building permits: 46 (1.9 per 10k)
April – Building permits: 74 (3.0 per 10k)
May – Building permits: 74 (3.0 per 10k)
June – Building permits: 60 (2.5 per 10k)
July – Building permits: 183 (7.5 per 10k)
August – Building permits: 53 (2.2 per 10k)
September – Building permits: 128 (5.3 per 10k)
October – Building permits: 139 (5.7 per 10k)
November – Building permits: 86 (3.5 per 10k)
December – Building permits: 246 (10.1 per 10k)

Fond du Lac

2026

January – Building permits: 10 (1.0 per 10,000 population)

2025

January – Building permits: 12 (1.2 per 10,000 population)
February – Building permits: 12 (1.2 per 10k)
March – Building permits: 11 (1.1 per 10k)
April – Building permits: 20 (1.9 per 10k)
May – Building permits: 21 (2.0 per 10k)
June – Building permits: 15 (1.4 per 10k)
July – Building permits: 17 (1.6 per 10k)
August – Building permits: 16 (1.5 per 10k)
September – Building permits: 21 (2.0 per 10k)
October – Building permits: 19 (1.8 per 10k)
November – Building permits: 11 (1.1 per 10k)
December – Building permits: 20 (1.9 per 10k)

Green Bay

2026

January – Building permits: 304 (9.3 per 10,000 population)

2025

January – Building permits: 84 (2.6 per 10,000 population)
February – Building permits: 67 (2.0 per 10k)
March – Building permits: 97 (3.0 per 10k)
April – Building permits: 166 (5.1 per 10k)
May – Building permits: 141 (4.3 per 10k)
June – Building permits: 93 (2.8 per 10k)
July – Building permits: 185 (5.6 per 10k)
August – Building permits: 120 (3.7 per 10k)
September – Building permits: 88 (2.7 per 10k)
October – Building permits: 155 (4.7 per 10k)
November – Building permits: 156 (4.8 per 10k)
December – Building permits: 62 (1.9 per 10k)

Oshkosh

2026

January – Building permits: 16 (0.9 per 10,000 population)

2025

January – Building permits: 15 (0.9 per 10,000 population)
February – Building permits: 23 (1.3 per 10k)
March – Building permits: 22 (1.3 per 10k)
April – Building permits: 46 (2.7 per 10k)
May – Building permits: 61 (3.6 per 10k)
June – Building permits: 54 (3.1 per 10k)
July – Building permits: 77 (4.5 per 10k)
August – Building permits: 26 (1.5 per 10k)
September – Building permits: 87 (5.1 per 10k)
October – Building permits: 125 (7.3 per 10k)
November – Building permits: 16 (0.9 per 10k)
December – Building permits: 79 (4.6 per 10k)

Sheboygan

2026

January – Building permits: 3 (0.3 per 10,000 population)

2025

January – Building permits: 13 (1.1 per 10,000 population)
February – Building permits: 31 (2.6 per 10k)
March – Building permits: 27 (2.3 per 10k)
April – Building permits: 9 (0.8 per 10k)
May – Building permits: 19 (1.6 per 10k)
June – Building permits: 22 (1.9 per 10k)
July – Building permits: 11 (0.9 per 10k)
August – Building permits: 11 (0.9 per 10k)
September – Building permits: 15 (1.3 per 10k)
October – Building permits: 174 (14.7 per 10k)
November – Building permits: 13 (1.1 per 10k)
December – Building permits: 38 (3.2 per 10k)

Nationally

2026

January – Building permits: 1,386,000 (44.2 per 10,000 population)

2025

January – Building permits: 1,460,000 (46.6 per 10,000 population)
February – Building permits: 1,454,000 (44.2 per 10k)
March – Building permits: 1,481,000 (47.2 per 10k)
April – Building permits: 1,422,000 (45.4 per 10k)
May – Building permits: 1,394,000 (44.5 per 10k)
June – Building permits: 1,393,000 (44.4 per 10k)
July – Building permits: 1,362,000 (43.5 per 10k)
August – Building permits: 1,330,000 (42.4 per 10k)
September – Building permits: 1,425,000 (45.1 per 10k)
October – Building permits: 1,411,000 (45.0 per 10k)
November – Building permits: 1,388,000 (44.3 per 10k)
December – Building permits: 1,455,000 (46.4 per 10k)

National permit data is a seasonally adjusted annual rate; metro-level permit data is the non-seasonally adjusted total number of permits issued per month.

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