Check it out!

When I launched www.MichaelPKing.com almost two full years ago... I envisioned a constantly changing site that would accurately portray me and my work to the outside world. That sure didn't happen. In two years the site saw no significant updates at all.

Until now.

Check out www.MichaelPKing.com today! Same great design, new great content.

Miss two years, miss a lot!

National Women's Pro Faspitch Championship Series, Day 3

Haha, I'm not there. It's my day off! Woot!

National Women's Pro Faspitch Championship Series, Day 2

Chicago Bandits centerfielder Laura Harms (6) congratulates teammate rightfielder Jaime Clark (24) on a diving catch over the fence in the third inning of a game against the Philadelphia Force in Game 4 of the National Women's Pro Fastpitch Championship Series at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wis., Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008.

Chicago Bandits Mindy Cowles (15) throws off balance to first base in the second inning.

National Women's Pro Faspitch Championship Series, Day 1

Chicago Bandits Kristina Thorson pitches in a National Women's Pro Fastpitch Championship Series game against the New England Riptide at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wis., Friday evening, Aug. 22, 2008.

New England Riptide third baseman Jackie Pasquerella (32) throws to first off balance after fielding a short grounder in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Lisa Mogdlin (22) is welcomed to the plate after hitting a home run.

Memorial Tree

An ornament hangs from a memorial tree outside the Neuro Spine Center of Wisconsin in Grand Chute. The center’s Dr. Thomas Wascher, neurosurgeon, and David Bond, nurse practitioner, founded Fox Valley Brain Tumor Coalition in 2001 to help families experiencing the extreme costs of fighting brain tumors.

Way to go, Cory!

The Post-Crescent sports writer Cory Jennerjohn rips his fifth homer in the first round of the celebrity home run derby during an opening ceremony for the National Women's Pro Fastpitch Championship Series at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wis., Thursday evening, Aug. 21, 2008. Jennerjohn won the contest with a total of eight home runs in two rounds.

Election season begins

Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D., officially announces his candidacy for reelection during a campaign event at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton, Wis., Wednesday evening, Aug. 20, 2008.

Police pull out all the stops

Police dogs, multiple agencies, sergeants, lieutenants, chiefs of police...

All for what MAY have been a shooting... no proof a weapon was even fired...

Law enforcement officers from Winnebago County and City of Appleton search a wooded area near the scene of a possible shooting incident on South Schindler Place in Appleton, Wis., on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008.

Traffic... ha...

This is what we call bad traffic here in the Fox Cities. I know my friend Steve in New York is laughing his butt off right about now...

Looking north from the Newberry Street overpass in Appleton, traffic backs up on Hwy 441 due to road construction on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008.

Olympics vault interest in gymnastics

Emily Wehrle, 17, of New London prepares for a tumbling and floor exercise during levels 7-10 gymnastics practice at the Heart of the Valley YMCA in Kimberly, Wis., Tuesday morning, Aug. 12, 2008.

It's a Seussihouse

There's so much to know about Dr. Seuss, apparently. An Appleton couple is building a 10,000 square foot home on the north side that will house their Dr. Seuss collection. We're not talking just books here...

A gang of contractors help move a bronze Yertle the Turtle statue at Daryl Price's new home under construction in Appleton, Wis., Thursday afternoon, Aug. 14, 2008. The statue weighs roughly 280 pounds and is about 6 feet tall.

Dr. Seuss also painted and sculpted. He illustrated his own books, as well.
These are original serigraphs here.

Chinese culture

Portrait of Wen-Lei Gu, an assistant professor of music and violin at Lawrence University for a story about local Chinese culture as it relates to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

It's just a day at the beach...

Lots on my mind lately... traveled east to clear it all at the beach in Two Rivers this afternoon. Snapped this with my camera phone...

Ever feel like that seagull?

Stickers, stickers, everywhere

Small stickers such as this one shown on a pole at College Avenue and Oneida Street in downtown Appleton, Wis., on Thursday morning, Aug. 14, 2008 have recently appeared on hundreds of various objects around town.

Church demolition

This scene made me think about the Bible quote: "...and upon this rock I will build My church..."

Demolition workers take down the former Pathways Church that will be the site of the future Fuddruckers burger restaurant in Grand Chute, Wis., Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008.

College Avenue bridge prepared for demolition

Ever since the I-35 bridge collapsed in Minnesota, stories about the conditions of our towns' bridges have been numerous. This isn't just Appleton... lots of papers across the country hopped on that wagon.

One of our main bridges – the College Avenue bridge that spans over the Fox River on the city's east side – is being replaced as it approaches it's 50th year in service.

The old bridge will be taken down, piece by piece, beginning next Monday. But the street lights come down first...

They sure look a lot smaller up on those poles!

Peter Isherwood, front, and Larry Van Den Heuvel of Kaukauna's Elmstar Electric Corporation take down a street lamp on the College Avenue bridge in Appleton, Wis., Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 12, 2008. The two said they will take down a total of 28 such lamps.

Out with the old [Favre]; in with the new [Rodgers]

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers prepares in the bench area for a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., Monday evening, Aug. 11, 2008.

Well...

It's been a long time coming. Two seasons short of his contract expiration, Aaron Rodgers finally started a game! Preseason games don't officially count towards official stats, but this was still his first ever start with the Packers.

Our photo staff is most preoccupied with what we'll call Favre-cam now (our photographer who was solely dedicated to shooting all-things-Favre during the game). Any suggestions?

Rodgers throws a pass in the first quarter.

The new QB played every series in the first quarter of play. That was surprising for a preseason game (the more you play, the greater the chances of injury before the big games begin). But with an interception and a couple sacks the first few drives (none of which, I think, were his fault), I guess they wanted to give Rodgers a chance to prove himself.

And prove himself he did. Rodgers completed a pass to Green Bay Packers Ruvell Martin (82) over Cincinnati Bengals David Jones (20) in the first quarter.

Rodgers finally got some protection behind the line...

Green Bay Packers Tramon Williams (38) breaks up a pass intended for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Glenn Holt (16) in the first quarter.

The Packers defense looks pretty solid. I don't think the Bengals are the best in the world but they're not a pushover team, either. The Pack held Cincinnati to 14 yards of offense in the first three series.

Puppy Playtime

Dewey, a three month old German short hair, bottom, and Bella, four-and-a-half month English setter play during Puppy Playtime before Puppy Power, a puppy obedience class at Clever K9s in Kaukauna, Wis., Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008. Dewey is owned by Bryan Steiner and Amy Vertz. Bella is owned by Kathy Thielke.

Burgerfest in Seymour

It is storied that it was 1885 when Charlie Nagreen served the first hamburger: a flattened meatball between slices of bread. The place, they say, was Seymour, Wis.

The "Hamburger Charlie" statue in the town square.

Seymour is proud of their history, and for past 20 years they have celebrated it with a parade and festival. In 1989 the town set a Guinness World Record for the largest hamburger ever cooked: 5,520 pounds. More than 13,000 partook in that greasy, grilled delight.

Today, the day is filled with activities, including a burger eating contest sponsored by Hardee's, and the grilling of a very large (but not gigantic) burger of roughly 120-pounds.

Betty Morgan of Seymour, left, and Mike "The Hammer" Fitzgerald of Menasha, right, bite into their burgers during the Hardee's Hamburger Eating Contest during the 20th Annual Burger Fest in Seymour, Wis., Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. Morgan was the only female competitor. Fitzgerald set a new event record by eating seven and one-third Hardee's Thickburgers in under 12 minutes.

"It's definitely a hobby. I always had a big appetite," said Fitzgerald. "You see it on TV, and I just thought hey I could do that."

Organizer Travis Gracyalny of Hardee's of Green Bay confirmed that the previous contest record was five and one-quarter Thickburgers, each of which are about half a pound of food when including the bun, the third-pound patty and the fixings.

Old Bavarian

It is pretty surprising that in a very Germanic state like Wisconsin, there aren't more authentic German restaurants.

Old Bavarian is one of the very few in Appleton. They just moved to a new location in town, and I'm eager to try some of the German beers from their unique 8-product tap.

They also have some very tasty-looking schnitzel... I don't have the slightest clue exactly what schnitzel is, but like I said... it looks really, really good...

Tanja Schadt pours a Spaten Oktoberfest beer from the unique 8-product beer tap at the Old Bavarian's new location at 3025 W. College Ave. in Grand Chute, Wis., Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 6, 2008.

Favre may be gone for good...

'This is the end, beautiful friend' - the first few verses of The Doors' "The End" do seem oddly apropos.

A Brett Favre trade [finally] seems immanent... a Green Bay Packer no more. Maybe the Tamba Bay Buccaneers, maybe the N.Y. Jets, maybe the Minnesota Vikings.

Yesterday I was on a stakeout with other media waiting for Favre to emerge from dreadfully long meetings with Packers muckety mucks. Favre described the whole situation as a 'stalemate' and disappointing.

He emerged from the stadium's loading dock area and hugged Jerry Parins, director of corporate security with the Green Bay Packers. To insiders and locals, Parins has been a special figure in the organization for sometime and it's probable that there is some degree of friendship between him and Favre.

We chose this photo because of the mood. It has a real sense of finality... the shell-shocked expression, the hug, the face buried, the bag of belongings.

Or maybe we read into the image too much... maybe it's just a bag of empty Tupperware from his "brown-bagged" lunch. Maybe the two always hug...

Mike's Popcorn

No, not mine... it's good popcorn though...

Mike Courtney poses for a portrait in the window of his popcorn stand on West Wisconsin Avenue in Appleton, Wis., Friday afternoon, July 25, 2008.

The 'Bike Kids' of Green Bay

Hans Reitan of Ashwaubenon said it best:

“This is so traditional. Nobody else does this. You can just shine in the glory of the Packers, with them on your favorite bikes. It’s amazing. I love it.”




On the opening day of the Green Bay Packers’ training camp, Wisconsin youth converged on Lambeau Field with their Schwinn, Mongoose and Trek bikes in tow. As team members emerged from the players’ entrance, dozens of eager children, called the “bike kids,” turned into hawkers.

“Atari! Atari! Mr. Bigby!” they yelled.

“Pick me! Pick me!” shouted one boy.

“Look at my handlebars!” hollered another.

Accompanying their gridiron heroes from Lambeau Field to Clarke Hinkle Field, some stood on the axle pegs, some sat on the handlebars, and others ran alongside.

It has been a fixture of Packers training camp for about 40 years.

“All the Lombardi guys – Starr, Horning, Taylor – took part in it,” said Aaron Popkey, manager of corporate communications for the Packers. Popkey, who grew up in De Pere, was once a “bike kid” himself.

Local children started the tradition, Popkey said. As the activity became more popular with kids and players, Packers coaches began encouraging it.

“It’s something that has evolved a bit, but the charm and the tradition has remained.”

Some players use the same bike-child combination for every day of training camp. James Lofton, a Packers wide receiver from 1978-1986, is part of the Packers’ Hall of Fame Class of 2003.

“He made sure his bike kid was there at the [induction] ceremony with him,” said Popkey.

Experienced “bike kids” will be the first to mention that occasionally linemen and children’s bikes don’t mix. Frames bend and tires pop.

“There’s been some flat tires through the years,” said Popkey with a smile. “That’s part of the lore, too.”

According to Popkey, the tradition is stronger than ever.

“This is what makes Green Bay Packers football unique. The bond we have with the community – this is just another facet of that.”

Fire merger

In nearby Calumet County, the Town of Harrison fire departments and first responders are merging. To illustrate the story I spent an evening at a joint training session. Lucky for us, the training was taking place on a tower about 80' above the highest ground in the valley (High Cliff)... not to mention it was all going down at sunset!

The sun sets over Lake Winnebago as Lt. Mark Vanderzee of Harrison Fire Department No. 1, left, prepares a tripod and pulley system with his fellow firefighters during high-angle rescue training atop the tower at High Cliff State Park in Sherwood, Wis., Thursday evening, July 24, 2008. Plans are advancing for a Jan. 1, 2009, merger between the Town of Harrison Fire Departments No. 1, No. 2 and First Responders. They have already begun training together.

Seizure treatment

Ben Anderson, 15, lets a scarf float and land on his face while participating in a Lawrence Academy of Music music for special needs class at Trinity Lutheran Church in Appleton, Wis., Monday afternoon, April 21, 2008. For five years, Anderson has been seizure-free thanks to an implanted vagus nerve stimulator.

Tennis tournament

Fox Cities Maria Gee's Rootin' Tootin' Cowboys' Maria Georgen returns a shot from opponent Samantha Nagin in a Fox Cities Racquet Club-hosted USTA Wisconsin junior tennis tournament in Grand Chute, Wis., Saturday, July 26, 2008.

Your Helpful Neighbor

This was a Living Well story about a local businesswoman who watches houses, pets, and teenagers when you can't be home.

Max, below, is just about the cutest gigantic dog I've ever seen. And I'm scared of big dogs. He's only a puppy! I think he looks like he was bred from Clifford and the Downy bear.

Paperfest

Brothers Michael, left, 10, and Chris, 7, Carreon of Kimberly joust at Paperfest at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wis., Friday afternoon, July 18, 2008.

Racetrack washed out

Paint lines on a condiment stand show the former ground level as Roger Van Daalwyk, background, owner of Wisconsin International Raceway walks the grounds near the racing venue's drag racing track Thursday, July 17, 2008 after it fell victim to water erosion from Wednesday's storms in Buchanan, Wis.
The evening's races were canceled.

Garage Politics

They're opinionated, conservative and strict constitutionalists. And they'd be proud to tell you that.

They're The Group – a semi-formal political discussion group that meets monthly in Brian Garrow's garage in Appleton about 2-3 blocks from my place. They discuss local and state politicians and issues and decide who they will support in upcoming elections.

It's grassroot politics at its best.

Peter Stueck, far left, a candidate for Wisconsin's 57th Assembly District, speaks while being interviewed by The Group, a small political discussion group, that gathers at the garage of Brian Garrow in Appleton, Wis., Wednesday evening, July 9, 2008.

Vested member Chuck Schmidt, right, asks a pointed question of Stueck during the interview Wednesday evening.

Junior golf

Erik Thulien cringes after narrowly missing a putt on the 15th hole during second round play of the Fox Cities Amateur junior golf tournament at Reid Municipal Golf Course in Appleton, Wis., Wednesday, July 16, 2008.

A.J. Selig punches out of a bunker on the 16th hole.

Lost lovers no longer lost

Another photo from our series of stories about the reunion of Don Spooner and Shirley (Brown) Kerber who were torn apart by World War II and separated for 66 years. With an open-ended plane ticket, Shirley came to Appleton to see Don for the first time on June 21. She hasn't left.

Don Spooner puckers up for a smooch on reunited love Shirly (Brown) Kerber at Waverly Beach in Menasha, Wis., Thursday afternoon, July 10, 2008.

Bird Bath Invitational

The Bird Bath Invitational.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 teams with each having between 0-80 members.

I think somebody needs to start having tryouts and cuts!

Another year of covering the youth swim meet. Trying to make different pictures than last year... not sure if that really happened...

There's the good and the bad...

I love my job. I get to experience some really great things. Unfortunately bad things come with that: crime, accidents, death, disasters. Life is a wide gamut of happenings...

On my way back to the office from an assignment in Wisconsin Rapids, I was called about a possible fatal accident on the freeway on the north side of the city. I didn't have a radio with me so I didn't have much information other than an approximate location.

It was a situation where you really don't have a way of getting information at the scene. It's in the median of a highway – it's loud, you can't cross, authorities won't really go out of their way to help you this early in the investigation. All you can do is shoot what you see and ask questions later.

Back at the office we got the official press release from the state highway patrol and the gravity of the situation set in. What we thought was a collision between two cars actually turned out to be a collision between a single car and a pedestrian who entered the roadway.

According to the release, a man blew out a tire, pulled onto the shoulder and then got out of his vehicle to remove debris from the road. At that moment he was struck by an oncoming car driven by a 16-year-old girl.

It bothered me.

Usually you view a crash in terms of whose fault it is. You can point a finger. You can condemn somebody's actions as irresponsible or reckless.

This time I really didn't know who to feel more sorry for. The man was killed while trying to do something responsible. And the whole experience will certainly occupy the mind of that teenage girl for a long-time... the crash being something she may not have been able to avoid.

Authorities investigate the scene of a fatal collision between a teenage driver and pedestrian on southbound US 41 east of Ballard Road and west of Hwy. 441 in Appleton, Wis., Friday afternoon, July 11, 2008.

Rack 'n' Roll

Cal Peterman of Grand Chute wheels his bike away from the No. 8 bus at the Appleton Transit Center in downtown Appleton, Wis., Tuesday afternoon, July 8, 2008. Valley Transit says that usage of their Rack 'n' Roll bike program is up 79 percent.

Mid-Western Rodeo in Manawa

This is the third year in a row I've covered the Mid-Western Rodeo in Manawa. I feel like I come out of it every year with the same pictures, but I got a couple different ones this year. Finally some decent bucking action and a detail I've never shot before.

Bareback rider James Earl Carter of Ellsinore, Mo., hangs on for the ride during competition at the Mid-Western Rodeo in Manawa, Wis., Saturday afternoon, July 5, 2008.

Fireworks on the 4th

Last time I shot the Appleton fireworks was when I was an intern. I got a better shot this year. Next time, if possible, I want to see how well I can shoot the show from the top of the Post-Crescent building, much in the same style as the lunar eclipse I shot in winter.

Fireworks explode in the sky over Memorial Park in Appleton, Wis., Thursday evening, July 3, 2008.

Grappling Club

From a story about a fight club in Grand Chute. Photo was nixed because it didn't mesh with the story's lede about dude (and a few dudettes) beating the crap out of each other.

Olivia Arbogast-Holton, 11-months-old, hangs out ringside while mom, Amanda, background at right, trains at the Fox Valley Grappling Club in Grand Chute, Wis., Wednesday afternoon, June 25, 2008.