Morning Headlines - Monday, Dec. 30, 2024 | 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 and the end for a little humor to go with your news!

U.S. and World Headlines

Jimmy Carter, Former President And Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dies At Age 100

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, died Sunday at the age of 100. Though he served only one term in office, he went on to a distinguished second act of humanitarian work, and he lived long enough to become the oldest former president in U.S. history.

Carter "died peacefully Sunday, Dec. 29, at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family," the Carter Center announced in a statement.

179 Dead, 2 Rescued After Plane Crashes While Landing In South Korea

All 181 passengers and crew aboard a passenger jet that crashed upon landing in South Korea on Sunday morning are presumed dead except for two people rescued from the wreckage, authorities said.

The two survivors have been described as a male crew member from the flight, who is receiving care for non-life-threatening injuries in an intensive care unit, and a female crew member who is recovering with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Health Ministry officials on Sunday evening.

Astronomers Ready For Dazzling But Brief Celestial Show After 80-Year Wait

On a cold February night in 1946, a 15-year-old schoolboy made a surprising discovery as he peered out of his bedroom window.

Michael Woodman, a keen amateur astronomer from Newport, had stayed up late waiting for his father to come home when he noticed something strange in the night sky.

"There was the constellation of Corona Borealis, but in the ring of the Corona, the second star down was bright - very bright," he explains.

"And I thought 'I've never seen anything like that before.'"

DEI Programs Weathered A Myriad Of Attacks This Year, With More To Come In 2025

One by one, diversity, equity and inclusion programs at some of the country’s biggest companies fell apart in 2024, with signs that efforts to reverse DEI initiatives will only ramp up in 2025.

This year saw the rise in prominent figures like Elon Musk and Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, among others, who vocally pushed against DEI initiatives. Major companies, including Walmart, Lowe’s, Ford and Toyota, heeded the calls and dialed back their DEI programs, particularly after social media-driven campaigns by influencers like Robby Starbuck.

Former Trump Adviser: If Denmark Can’t Defend Greenland, Let US Buy It To ‘Become Part Of Alaska’

Former national security adviser Robert O’Brien said in a Sunday interview that Denmark should let the U.S. “buy” Greenland if it cannot defend the self-governing country, noting the territory will become increasingly important in the coming years.

In an interview on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” O’Brien described Greenland as a “highway from the Arctic all the way to North America” and noted that the autonomous country, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, will become increasingly important as the climate warms in the coming years.

Wisconsin Man Arrested In Kentucky

A Wisconsin man has been arrested in Kentucky, accused of shooting and killing a 31-year-old woman and attempting to kill another.

Police say 23-year-old Roosevelt Davis III admitted to robbing a bank in Wisconsin and using the money to buy two guns, before driving to Kentucky with the intention of killing the victims.

Wisconsin Pension Fund Managers Earn Millions, Manage Fewer Assets

Employees at a state agency that manages public employee retirement funds received $30.6 million in annual bonuses last year as fund assets are increasingly overseen by external managers, according to a recent report from state auditors.

The nearly 300-employee State of Wisconsin Investment Board is responsible for over $155 billion in assets. A majority of the assets are retirement contributions for thousands of current and former state employees. The agency is also home to some of the highest paid public workers in the state.

Coalition Of Groups Call For Nearly $1B Investment For Safe Drinking Water

A coalition of groups are asking Wisconsin lawmakers to invest almost $1 billion in water infrastructure in addition to policy changes and other preventive measures to protect safe drinking water.

More than 30 conservation, environmental and citizens groups signed a letter calling on lawmakers to invest $953 million for drinking water infrastructure under the next two-year state budget. The request comes as the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Packers Fall To Vikings, 27-25, After A Late-Game Comeback

Sam Darnold added another exploit to his career-altering season, passing for a personal-best 377 yards and three touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings hung on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25 on Sunday for their ninth consecutive victory that put them one win from the NFC's top seed for the playoffs.

Archaeologists Are Finding Dugout Canoes In The American Midwest As Old As The Great Pyramids Of Egypt

Tamara Thomsen was 24 feet underwater when she spotted it: the decaying end of a dugout canoe, a great white oak carved some 1,200 years ago.

It was jutting out of a sandy ridge in Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota—a body of water skirting Madison, the state capital—and she knew it was a remarkable find. “What I did not understand was the breadth of the discovery.”