PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods will return to golf at the Masters next month.

In a statement this morning, Woods said he will play at Augusta National after a four-month hiatus because of a sex scandal.

The Masters begins on April 8.

Woods says that while he’s returning to competition, he still has a lot of work to do in this personal life.

He last played Nov. 15 when he won the Australian Masters. Less than two weeks later, he crashed his car into a tree outside his Florida home, setting off revelations that he had been cheating on his wife.

The Kenosha Unified School Board is still on schedule to announce the hiring of a superintendent on or before its regular meeting March 23, board president Pam Stevens said.

“That’s what we’re hoping for. We’re still on schedule, so we’re hoping for the best,” Stevens said after a closed session of the board Monday morning.

Earlier this month, the board began negotiating exclusively with Michele Hancock, the chief of human capital initiatives for the Rochester (N.Y) City School District.

A fire at LPI Kitchen and Bath Outlet, 5718 52nd St., was out just after the Kenosha Fire Department arrived at 1:13 p.m. this afternoon.

A thick black smoke, which had an acrid smell, was smelled from as far away as Petco, 6910 Green Bay Road and seen from blocks away, according to fire officials.

Matt Haerter, battalion chief with the Kenosha Fire Department, said that just after they arrived the smoke turned white.

“That told us that it was being hit by a fire sprinkler system,” Haerter said.

There were no injuries.

No damage was done because the fire was put out by the company’s fire suppression system and was contained to the processing area. The cause of the fire was likely due to a spark from somewhere in the system, Haerter said. However, finding the cause of that spark would be difficult since the entire system was doused with water.

“We don’t know exactly right now what caused it and it will be likely difficult to tell,” Haerter said. “Because there was no claim to the insurance company, we’re letting their maintenance personnel figure that out.”

The smoke stack attached to the vacuum system collects the dust from the laminated product processing area, which is why the smoke smelled.

The sprinkler system saved the company from having an immense amount of damage, Haerter said.

“The representative from LPI was clearly thankful they had a sprinkler system and that it was in good working order,” Haerter said.

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Walker stumped for votes today at a brown bag lunch event at a Kenosha factory.

Walker appeared at Xten Industries, 9600 55th St., where he called for reductions in the taxes and regulations on businesses to achieve his goal of creating 250,000 jobs over the next four years.

The Milwaukee County executive plans to hold about 30 such lunch hour meetings with workers at Wisconsin businesses, a campaign he said reflects his own frugality.

“My wife doesn’t say I’m frugal,” Walker joked with the workers. “She just says I’m cheap.”

SILVER LAKE – The Silver Lake branch of the Community Library opens at 729 Cogswell Drive at 3:30 p.m. today.

The previous Silver Lake location closed early in the year due to maintenance issues and the new location was announced in February.

Hours at the new library site will be from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday; from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday; and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

John Gendron has been named the new superintendent of Riverview School in Silver Lake.

Gendron, who resides in Silver Lake, has been the principal at Elkhorn Area Middle School since 2004 and is a recent recipient of a Milken National Educator Award.

He has a masters degree in educational leadership, a masters degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. He is near completion of the superintendent certification program at Marquette University.

Gendron has also served as an athletic director and an eighth-grade math teacher during his educational career.

He said he hopes to help create “a culture and climate of collaboration, professional growth, and the commitment to the success of every individual student.”

Average retail gasoline prices in Wisconsin increased 1.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.75 a gallon today. This compares with the national average that has increased 3.6 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.78 a gallon, according to gasoline price website WisconsinGasPrices.com.

Prices in Wisconsin are 87.1 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 21.9 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 16.7 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 88.2 cents per gallon higher than this day a year ago.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The agent for longtime Green Bay Packers right tackle Mark Tauscher says the veteran has agreed to terms on a multi-year contract that will bring him back to the team.

Agent Neil Cornrich says the deal will allow Tauscher, who went to the University of Wisconsin, to play his entire football career in his home state. Tauscher was an unrestricted free agent.

Milwaukee’s ESPN 540 AM radio first reported Tauscher’s return on its Web site Saturday night.

Tauscher began the 2009 season out of football after sustaining a serious knee injury. The Packers brought him back in midseason and he returned to his starting spot, bringing stability to the NFL’s worst pass protection unit.

Wisconsin received a No. 4 seed while Marquette was given a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament when the bracket was released Sunday night.

Wisconsin will play Wofford on Friday in Jacksonville, Fla. Marquette will play Washington in San Jose on Thursday.

For a complete bracket and coverage, see Monday’s Kenosha News.

A person familiar with the injury says David Beckham will miss the World Cup after tearing his left Achilles’ tendon while playing for AC Milan.

The person, speaking Sunday on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made, said Beckham was certain to miss playing for England at this year’s tournament in South Africa.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jerry Stackhouse tied his season-high with 20 points and the Milwaukee Bucks survived a late rally from the short-handed Indiana Pacers for a 98-94 win on Sunday.

Andrew Bogut added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and John Salmons had 12 points for the Bucks, who won their sixth straight game and 12 of their last 13 — including home wins over Cleveland (without LeBron James), Boston and Utah Jazz this past week.

Luke Ridnour added 13 points for Milwaukee, which came in six games over .500 for the first time this season. It’s the latest they’ve been six over since they were 38-32 on March 28, 2002.

The Bucks swept the four-game series against the Pacers and it was their first since a six-game sweep during the 1981-82 season.

WIAA POSTSEASON BASKETBALL

.

GIRLS

REGIONAL FINALS

DIVISION-1

Bradford 50, Lake Geneva Badger 45

Verona 59, Tremper 32

DIVISION-3

at Wilmot

Shoreland Lutheran 59, Racine St. Catherine’s 51

.

BOYS

SECTIONAL FINALS

DIVISION-1

at Beloit

Verona 55, Bradford 48

.

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT

WOMEN’S

FIRST ROUND

Findlay 54, UW-Parkside 51

The Bradford boys basketball team will play Verona for a berth in the WIAA Division-1 State Tournament at Beloit Memorial High School at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Bradford has not been to the State Tournament since 1941.

Bradford defeated Beloit Memorial 56-49 Friday to reach the sectional final for the first time since 1989. Verona defeated Burlington 71-63 in the other semifinal Friday night.

GREEN BAY (AP) — The Green Bay Packers have signed safety Nick Collins and nose tackle Ryan Pickett to long-term contract extensions, securing the services of two cornerstones in their much-improved defense.

The team has not released details Friday of either deal.

Pickett was an unrestricted free agent, but the Packers placed the franchise tag on him earlier in the offseason. Collins was a restricted free agent.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

BOYS

Bradford 56, Beloit Memorial 49 (WIAA Division-1 sectional semifinal)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

MEN

Illinois Wesleyan 77, Carthage 72 (NCAA Division III Tournament)

WOMEN

George Fox 55, Carthage 48 (NCAA Division III Tournament)

Highway 31 reopened to traffic north of Highway S about 4:30 this afternoon, a Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department official said.

The road had been closed since early this morning, when a tanker truck flipped in the 2500 block, spilling more than 7,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Cleanup efforts continued throughout the day.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Mike Tisdale scored 21 points and Demetri McCamey had 13 as fifth-seeded Illinois hung on for a 58-54 upset of No. 13 Wisconsin in Friday’s Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

The Fighting Illini (19-13) now face No. 5 Ohio State in Saturday’s semifinals. The Buckeyes advanced with a last-second 69-68 win over Michigan.

Wisconsin (23-8) was led by Trevon Hughes and Jon Leuer, each with 14 points. Hughes led a frantic flurry in the closing minutes that got the Badgers in position to force overtime. But Jason Bohannon’s 3 with 15.9 seconds left clanked off the front of the rim, Mike Davis grabbed the rebound for Illinois and the Illini hung on.

Salem Democrat Steve Brown today announced his plans to challenge state Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Randall, in this fall’s 66th Assembly District race.

Brown made his plans known at a pair of events, this morning in Burlington and this afternoon outside the Chrysler Kenosha Engine Plant. He said his campaign will focus on job creation and Kerkman’s voting record on various bills.

The 66th District includes much of western Kenosha County and Somers, plus the city and town of Burlington. The election is Nov. 2, with primaries Sept. 14 if needed.

A plea deal has been discussed in the case against an Illinois man accused of trying to kill another man in 1999.

Details of the possible deal were not shared in court this morning, but attorneys said they have talked about reducing the charge against Orlando Salmeron, 47, of Cicero.

Salmeron has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree intentional homicide. If convicted, he faces 40 years in prison.

Prosecutors allege Salmeron, along with his cousin, Roberto Salmeron, 31, dragged a man into a wooded area in Kenosha County on Nov. 17, 1999, because they feared the Chicago man would tell police about another man the pair reportedly killed in Chicago a day earlier.

A hearing was set for later this month to revisit the potential plea offer.

A new witness has stepped forward in the case of an Illinois man accused of killing a man outside a Kenosha bar in 2008.

Attorneys offered no details this morning on Ira Burdine's possible testimony in the case against David B. “Crispy” Hall, 34, of Calumet City, Ill.

But, prosecutor Robert Zapf said, Burdine was a security guard at B&S Lounge, also known as Three Sisters Catering & Café, 5917 39th Ave. And, Zapf said, Burdine has stepped forward as a “cooperating witness.”

Hall is charged for killing Kenya L. “Cherokee” McEwen, 27, of Kenosha, who was shot at the B & S nightclub in May 2008. Hall also is charged for conspiring to kill witnesses in the McEwen case.

Hall is in jail while his case continues.