Morning Headlines - Monday, Aug. 12, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

Pentagon Chief Orders Submarine To The Middle East

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area, the Defense Department said Sunday.

The moves come as the U.S. and other allies push for Israel and Hamas to achieve a cease-fire agreement that could help calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

Russia Evacuates Another Border Region As Ukraine Advances

Russia urged more civilians to flee an intensifying Ukrainian assault Monday after a stunning incursion that has seen Kyiv's forces advance some 20 miles and seize back the initiative in the two-and-a-half-year war.

Fighting continued inside Russian territory for a seventh day following the incursion into the Kursk border region, with residents in parts of neighboring Belgorod also urged to flee their homes in the latest sign that the Kremlin had failed to repel the Ukrainian threat. Meanwhile, the two sides accused each other of endangering Europe’s largest nuclear plant after a major fire broke out at the site.

Team USA Tops Olympic Medal Count At 2024 Paris Games

Team USA topped the medals table at the Paris Olympic Games with 40 gold medals and a total of 126.

China, who were the last team apart from the U.S. to top the medal table when they did it at home at the 2008 Beijing Games, also won 40 golds. But because they managed only 27 silvers, they finished second on the medals table. The U.S. earned 44 silver medals.

New Houses Now Cost Less Per Square Foot Than Old Houses

New U.S. homes are selling for $3.50 less per square foot than old ones, the widest gap in at least six years, according to a recent Zillow report.

People typically pay a premium for brand-new houses, but in this brutal home market, some are finding deals among new construction.

Horses Can Plan And Strategise, New Study Shows

You can lead a horse to water and, it turns out, convince it to drink if the reward is great enough, researchers have found.

A new study has suggested horses are more intelligent than previously thought, having been observed to quickly adapt to a treat-based game with changing rules.

Wisconsin Headlines

Long-Term Care Caught Up In Wisconsin Government’s Battle Over Spending Power

Gov. Tony Evers earlier this month announced a plan to spend $258 million in pandemic relief to increase Medicaid reimbursements to long-term care providers — a proposal previously halted by the Legislature’s Republican budget-writing committee.

The Democrat’s move kept long-term care, among other issues affecting families, in the middle of his tug of war with the Republican-controlled Legislature over spending authority. While a July Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling gave more leeway to the Evers administration, the outcome of a Tuesday vote on two constitutional amendment questions could shift some power back to the Legislature.

A yes vote on both questions would restrict the governor’s ability to allocate emergency federal funds without legislative approval.

Six Wisconsin Assembly Primaries To Watch On Tuesday

Voters’ decisions in the primary and then again in November will widely shape the makeup of the Assembly in the next legislative session, especially as Wisconsin Democrats aim to win enough seats to hold a majority in the Assembly for the first time since 2009, while Wisconsin Republicans seek to protect their majority.

The Wisconsin Examiner looked at six Assembly primaries — three on the Democratic side and three on the Republican side — to examine some of the choices voters across the state will make on Tuesday.

What To Expect In Wisconsin's 2024 Partisan Primary Election

Voters in Wisconsin will select candidates on Aug. 13 who will compete in some of the most closely watched 2024 races.

Republicans will choose a challenger to run against U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is seeking a third term. There are also primaries in two U.S. House districts that could be important for control of Congress.

Wisconsin DOJ Launches Missing Child Alert

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul today announced the new Missing Child Alert, that broadens options for alerting the public to missing children. 2023 Wisconsin Act 272, authored by state Senator LaTonya Johnson, state Senator Jesse James, Assemblywoman Shelia Stubbs and Assemblyman John Spiros, expands Wisconsin’s alerts to include the new Missing Child Alert.

“The Missing Child Alert will provide an additional way to help locate missing children and get them home safely,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Thank you to everyone who worked to launch this new alert.”

Oshkosh Man Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Drug Trafficking While Serving A Sentence For A Prior Drug Trafficking Conviction

Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Sherman M. Threets (age: 39) to 15 years in federal prison after Threets was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.

According to court records, Threets was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. In January 2022, Threets was released to a residential reentry center, commonly known as a halfway house, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He immediately began distributing controlled substances and recruiting partners for his newly formed drug trafficking organization. In April 2022, after several controlled buys of controlled substances, a search warrant was executed, during which law enforcement seized approximately 12 pounds of methamphetamine, over one pound of cocaine, and 100 grams of fentanyl which Threets had stored at a residence.