Morning Headlines - Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 | Recent News

Start your day informed with today’s must-read headlines from around Wisconsin and the world. And don’t forget to check out our Meme of the Day at the end for a little humor to go with your news!

U.S. and World Headlines

Sheriff In Nancy Guthrie Case Withholding Key Evidence, FBI Says

An FBI official tells NewsNation that Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is blocking federal agents from accessing key evidence in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, hindering the bureau’s ability to assist in the case.

The evidence includes a glove discovered inside Nancy Guthrie’s home and DNA samples described as “basically all the evidence” in the case so far, according to the FBI source. The sheriff sent the evidence to a private lab in Florida for testing instead of allowing the FBI to send it to its laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.

DHS Shutdown Imminent After Senate Democrats Block Homeland Security Bill

Senate Democrats voted Thursday to block a motion to advance a House-passed bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, putting Washington on the brink of a partial government shutdown that will affect more than 260,000 federal employees.

The motion, which required 60 votes, failed to advance by a vote of 52-47.

USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Headed From Caribbean To Middle East

The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group is expected to leave the Caribbean and head towards the Middle East in the coming days, according to three U.S. officials.

The deployment of the Ford and the three destroyers accompanying it will mean that there will be two aircraft carriers in the Middle East as it joins the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.

Amazon’s Ring Cancels Flock Partnership Amid Super Bowl Ad Backlash

Amazon’s Ring has terminated its partnership with police tech company Flock Safety.

The partnership came under scrutiny after the Amazon doorbell company ran an ad during the Super Bowl that touted a “Search Party” feature that uses AI to help locate lost pets.

Ring’s decision to cancel its partnership with Flock comes as tech companies face growing pressure to reexamine their work with federal agencies.

Have Astronomers Witnessed The Birth Of A Black Hole?

A bright star in a nearby galaxy has essentially vanished. Astronomers believe that it died and collapsed in on itself, transforming into the eerie cosmic phenomenon known as a black hole.

"It used to be one of the brightest stars in the Andromeda galaxy," says Kishalay De, an astronomer with Columbia University and the Flatiron Institute. "Today, it is nowhere to be seen, even with the most sensitive telescopes."

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Bill Removing Race-Based Higher Ed Programs

In moves they described as efforts to make the state’s higher education system more meritocratic and safe for conservative students, Assembly Republicans voted Thursday to change eligibility for certain financial aid programs, and make it easier to sue universities for free speech violations.

One proposal that would affect state schools would remove race-based criteria for certain higher education programs, like a teacher loan program and undergraduate grants for students from certain minority racial backgrounds. Instead, it would replace those ethnic criteria with a wider range of “social and economic disadvantage” criteria, “without regard to race or sex.”

Another Billion-Dollar Wisconsin Data Center Is Eyed For Cassville In Grant County

A site in the Driftless Area in southwest Wisconsin is being eyed for a possible $1 billion data center, just as the state considers who should pay to provide the unprecedented amount of electricity such projects need.

It would be the eighth major data center known to have been proposed in Wisconsin, though one of those, near Madison, has been dropped.

Wisconsin Residents Rally Against AI Data Center Expansion

Dozens of community members from across Wisconsin gathered at the Capitol on Thursday to demand lawmakers reconsider the expansion of large-scale data centers in the state.

Organizers say the rapid growth of hyperscale AI data centers could lead to increased household electricity rates, strain water resources, disrupt local land use and create reliance on fossil fuel infrastructure.

Wisconsin GOP Leaders Split On Tax Relief Negotiations

Wisconsin’s Republican leaders remain divided on how to provide tax relief to people as the legislative session nears its end, with disagreements over spending the state’s budget surplus threatening to derail an agreement.

“The governor and the Speaker are still negotiating, and I have not been invited to those negotiations,” said state Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg.

LeMahieu wants to give $1,000 tax rebates to married filers in Wisconsin and $500 rebates to single filers.