Morning Headlines - Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 | 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

Trump Looks To Remake America With Sweeping Second Act

Every new president begins a fresh chapter in American history. And when Donald Trump is inaugurated in a freezing Washington DC on Monday, he will be hoping to usher in a new era for this country.

The ceremony in the rotunda of the US Capitol, moved indoors for the first time in decades due to the bitter cold, will also mark the moment he starts being judged on action and not promises.

And he has promised seismic change as well as action on day one. At a raucous rally in the city on Sunday, Trump said he would sign a flurry of executive orders within moments of being inaugurated, covering issues ranging from immigration and deportations to the environment and transgender rights.

"You're going to have a lot of fun watching television tomorrow," he told the crowd here.

Chicago Braces For Immigration Crackdown And Deportations Under Trump

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar vows that the biggest city in the Midwest will be “ground zero” for mass deportations, and officials across the political spectrum in Chicago are bracing for a showdown.

On one end, Lincoln United Methodist Church, in the historically Hispanic Pilsen neighborhood, has canceled in-person Spanish services to protect its congregation from potential immigration roundups or targeted hate crimes. Worshippers can still access services online.

TikTok Is Back Online After Trump Pledged To Restore It

Around 12 hours after shutting itself down in the United States, TikTok is back for many users almost like it never left, attributing its return to a move by President-elect Donald Trump to save the app.

TikTok welcomed users back with a notification that said: “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”

The whiplash move to bring the app back comes after TikTok became unusable for Americans late Saturday night. Users who tried to open the app at that time were met with a message saying it was offline and asking users to “stay tuned.”

Alabama, Mississippi Also Honoring Robert E. Lee On Martin Luther King Day

The U.S. is marking Martin Luther King Day, the federal holiday set aside to honor the life of the civil rights icon. But in Alabama and Mississippi, Monday is also Robert E. Lee Day in honor of the Confederate general.

The two states recognize King and Lee on the third Monday in January. Their state governments created holidays more than a century ago to honor Lee and later combined the day with the federal holiday established in the 1980s to honor King.

Costco's Unionized Workers Vote To Authorize Nationwide Strike

Teamsters union members working at Costco Wholesale locations across the country voted to authorize a strike on Sunday, with more than 85% of members in favor of hitting the picket lines.

The union represents more than 18,000 Costco employees nationally.

"Our members have spoken loud and clear -- Costco must deliver a fair contract, or they'll be held accountable," Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien said in a press release Sunday.

Fond du Lac Police Say Suspect Set Fire To Congressman’s Office Over TikTok Ban

Fond du Lac Police say a 19-year-old man Sunday set fire to a Wisconsin congressman’s office over the federal ban on TikTok.

The department responded around 1 a.m. Sunday to a fire at a strip mall that houses an office of U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah.

Officers arrested a man from Menasha near the building who admitted to starting the fire “in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban”, according to a department press release.

Wausau Man Sentenced To More Than 8 Years For Cocaine Trafficking And Firearms Possession

Craig C. Gates, 46, Wausau, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 106 months in federal prison for possessing cocaine intended for distribution and possessing a loaded firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

In February 2022, Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force officers began investigating a methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking organization operating in Wausau, Wisconsin, led by Tommie Haney and Quo Vadis Lewis. The multi-year investigation involved the seizure of drug-laden packages from the mail, controlled purchases of narcotics, and seizures of firearms and large quantities of drugs from residence searches. From the investigation, officers believe the drug trafficking organization was distributing kilograms quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine.

Officer Involved Death Investigation In Oneida County

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is conducting an officer involved death investigation in the Township of Newbold, Oneida County, Wis. that occurred on the evening of Friday, January 17, 2025.

At approximately 9:15 p.m., an Oneida County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop on Highway 47 at Northwestern Avenue. The subject failed to stop, prompting a vehicle pursuit. The pursuit ended when the subject crossed into the opposite lane of traffic, crashing their vehicle and striking another vehicle near the intersection of State Highway 47 and Bridge Road in the Township of Newbold. The victim vehicle contained six passengers, all of whom sustained injuries. EMS was contacted and law enforcement attempted life-saving measures on the subject; however, the subject was pronounced deceased on scene. All injured victims were transported to local hospitals for treatment.

Two Wisconsin Men In Federal Custody After Being Charged With Armed Robbery Of Fitchburg Bank

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Parish Barbary-Wheatherby, 29, Madison, Wisconsin, and Daryle Shelton, 22, Windsor, Wisconsin, with armed bank robbery. The two men are also charged with brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The indictment alleges that they robbed a Fitchburg bank using a firearm on December 2, 2024. Barbary-Wheatherby is separately charged with possessing three firearms as a felon on December 19, 2024.

Shelton was arrested today in Windsor following a chase with police and made his initial appearance in federal court in Madison. When he was arrested, Shelton was found to be in possession of a loaded firearm. Barbary-Wheatherby was arrested in Fitchburg on December 19, 2024. Both men remain detained pending further proceedings.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Pushes Back Request To Release Guardianship Records

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Jan. 17 rejected an attempt by a conservative activist to obtain guardianship records in an effort to find ineligible voters, but the case could return.

The court did not rule on the merits of the case, instead saying in its 5-2 decision that a lower appeals court did not follow proper procedure when it issued a ruling saying the records should be released.