Good morning, Appleton.

The Wisconsin Lights of Hope Memorial Walk returned to Pierce Park this weekend—participants walked the park trails, reading 190 signs to honor loved ones lost to drug addiction while county health officials taught naloxone use.

Organized by three mothers to reduce stigma, the event pushed for community change.

Rising gas prices are making it harder for Unforgettable Underdogs (a volunteer-run dog rescue) as volunteers drive dogs to vets and foster homes across northeast Wisconsin and the Fox Valley.

Community fundraisers have helped ease costs.

Menasha High School began a homecoming clothing drive on Sept.

8 to help students whose homes were damaged by the July tornado, and the school will host an event on Sept. 26 for students to pick up donated outfits.

The 29th annual Joe Hendricks Jr. Memorial Golf Classic in De Pere is raising funds for an October 27 Old Glory Honor Flight from Appleton International Airport that will carry over 30 local veterans, honoring the legacy of a respected business owner.

Firefighters responded to a structure fire at McKinley Paper at 540 Prospect Street in Combined Locks just before 2:30 a.m. Saturday, and the mill resumed production after teams cooled hotspots — operations continued without significant damage.

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson launched his third book, The Green and Gold Standard: A People’s History of the Green Bay Packers, on Sept.

1 in Appleton. The book includes a foreword by Bob Harlan + covers Packers history from 1919 to today.

UA Local 400 in Kaukauna reports a record 139 first-year apprentices in its five-year pipe trades program — nearly 500 in total — reflecting growing interest in the trades.

Spurred by rising college costs, apprentices built tiny homes for veterans in Green Bay last week.

Hundreds of millions of birds will migrate through Wisconsin over the next few weeks.

The DNR says locals can reduce window collisions by turning off non-essential outdoor lights (11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.) and marking their windows to save birds.

Appleton taverns that do not serve food can welcome patrons with dogs after the Health Department gives approval — new rules require posted signs and restrict dogs to customer areas only.

Outagamie County will end its long-running Supportive Home Care program Dec.

31 — about 110 residents will transition to federally funded Family Care — as some worry about losing trusted in-home support and facing higher costs.

Wisconsin’s 988 crisis lifeline has handled over 345,000 contacts since its July 2022 launch but still depends on federal grants as state lawmakers have not provided permanent funding.

Advocates and some legislators are calling for a funding model—similar to the 911 fee—to boost in-state response rates and support local mental health care.