Morning Headlines - Monday, Jan. 19, 2026

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

Minneapolis Area Hotels Shut Down, Citing ‘Safety And Well-Being’

Hotels are closing in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region because of safety concerns as tensions escalate between federal immigration authorities and anti-ICE protesters.

The Double Tree in downtown St. Paul informed some guests with a notice slipped under the door of their rooms saying their reservation would be canceled as of noon Sunday. Staff would help guests find alternate accommodations, it said.

Downtown St. Paul is about two miles from the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where anti-ICE protesters have clashed with federal agents.

Trump Wants Nations To Pay $1 Billion For Permanent Board Of Peace Seats

The Trump administration wants nations to pay $1 billion to remain on its Board of Peace, according to reports citing a draft charter for the proposed group.

President Donald Trump would serve as the group’s inaugural chairman, and choose which members to invite, according to the draft seen by Bloomberg.

Trump has invited several countries to join the Board of Peace, but the total number is currently unclear.

Trump's Greenland Threats Prompt 'Extraordinary Meeting' Of European Leaders

The leaders of all 27 European Union nations will meet for an "extraordinary meeting" later this week, European Council President Antonio Costa said on Sunday, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's escalating pressure campaign to acquire Greenland.

Costa said he had called the meeting due to the "significance of recent developments."

European leaders are mobilizing after Trump on Saturday announced a 10% tariff to be imposed on all goods sent to the U.S. from eight NATO nations that recently sent small contingents of troops to Greenland to take part in military exercises there.

Rand Paul Says Us In ‘Ongoing War’ With Venezuela

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Sunday said the United States is in an “ongoing war” with Venezuela.

“That is an act of war, it’s an ongoing war, to continue to take their oil, ongoing war, to distribute it,” Paul said during a Sunday appearance on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”

“I still hope it works out for the best, but we are still involved in an active war with Venezuela,” he added.

The Kentucky senator also noted that, “we still have hundreds of ships with a 100 percent blockade of the coast.”

The 2026 Olympics Are The Most Widespread In History. See What's Happening Where

The 2026 Olympics are set to be the most geographically widespread Games in history, the first to span multiple regions and two host cities: Milan and Cortina, which are about 250 miles apart from each other by road.

Over the course of two and a half weeks, athletes in 16 sports will compete in events at 25 venues.

The action is divided among four main clusters across northern Italy: Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme. Athletes will live in one of six Olympic Villages throughout the region: Milan, Cortina, Anterselva, Bormio, Livigno and Predazzo.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Has Its Fewest Dairy Herds In Decades — And About The Same Number Of Cows

For decades, the number of dairy farms operating in Wisconsin has been declining.

The latest licensing data shows there were about 5,100 dairy herds operating in the state at the start of 2026.

That’s just over half of the number of farms operating ten years ago, and roughly a third of the number of farms that were licensed two decades ago.

Former Marquette University Student-athlete Charged With 12 Felonies Involving Child Sex Crimes

A former Marquette University track and field student-athlete is being held at the Langlade County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond.

21-year-old William Waterstradt is charged with 12 felonies involving child sex crimes. According to Wisconsin Circuit Court records, the felonies include 2nd degree sexual assault of a child, child enticement, and use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.

As of Saturday, Jan. 17, the Marquette University Track and Field website shows Waterstradt was a Junior on the team in the 2024-25 season.

Wisconsin Tribes Oppose Ending Protections For Roadless Areas On National Forests

Tribes in Wisconsin and beyond are opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to end protections for millions of acres of roadless areas on national forest land.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to repeal the “roadless rule” that’s been in place for 25 years. Around 58 million acres, or 30 percent of national forest lands, are inventoried as roadless areas. The rule blocks logging and construction on 44.7 million acres, including 69,000 acres of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin.

Legislature Needs To Rein In State DHS’s Authoritarian “Science”

For decades, as I have written before, American public health functioned like a vertically integrated skyscraper.

Federal agencies issued guidance; state agencies fell over each other to adopt them, not just as hard-and-fast rules commandeering our daily lives, but as Gospel from the Lord above, and bureaucrats enforced them with glee, arms extended outward to the regulatory heavens.

Nobody had any problems, so long as you followed the UN-WHO/federal-state “recommendations.” “The science.” It was vertical integration with a smiley face, as George Carlin might say, because the bureaucrats at every level—international, federal, state, and local—were only looking out for you. They always had your best interests at heart.

LaFleur's Contract Means Final Goal Is A Packers Super Bowl

Despite ending 2025 with five straight losses, including a wild-card collapse against the rival Chicago Bears, Ed Policy opted for stability and Matt LaFleur decided he had unfinished business. Thus, the Green Bay Packers' president and their veteran head coach agreed to forge ahead with the hope that they will finally break through and get to a Super Bowl.

LaFleur, 46, will return as the Packers head coach, per sources. He signed a multiyear contract extension Saturday that a source said is "not a prove-it deal but a real commitment." New deals for general manager Brian Gutekunst and vice president Russ Ball are also in the works.