Morning Headlines - Thursday, June 13, 2024 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Federal Judge Blocks Rule Closing ‘Gun-show Loophole’ In 4 States

A federal judge in Texas blocked the Biden administration’s attempt to close the so-called gun show loophole on Wednesday, expanding a prior temporary ruling to impact Texas, Louisiana, Utah and Mississippi.

Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled last month that the requirement to run a background check before purchasing a firearm could not go into effect in Texas. His final ruling Wednesday expands that injunction to the three other states.

The Biden administration rule went into effect May 20. The plaintiffs argued that it infringed on the rights of gun owners and exceeded the federal government’s authority.

Pentagon Downplays Russian Warships Arriving In Cuba

The Pentagon is downplaying Wednesday's arrival of four Russian Navy ships in Cuba as U.S. officials acknowledge that U.S. Navy ships "actively monitored" the Russian ships as they made their way to a port of call in Havana.

At the on-camera Pentagon press briefing, spokesperson Sabrina Singh downplayed the Russian naval flotilla's arrival in Havana noting that it's happened multiple times over the years but acknowledged that U.S. military assets had been tracking the ships on their way to Cuba.

Deal Sealed Between Disney And Disney World Governing District

Gov. Ron DeSantis' appointees on Wednesday gave final approval to an agreement that buries the hatchet between Disney and the governing district for Walt Disney World, which the Florida governor took over after the company two years ago publicly opposed a state law critics dubbed "Don't Say Gay."

The five DeSantis-appointed board members to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District unanimously voted to approve a 15-year development deal in which the district committed to making infrastructure improvements in exchange for Disney investing up to $17 billion into Disney World over the next two decades.

Instagram ‘Add Yours’ Templates Are The New Chain Mail

Old internet pastimes have taken on new formats as Instagram makes online chain mail trendy again.

Instagram’s “Add yours” stickers, which enable any user to create an easily resharable story template, have popularized photo-sharing trends reminiscent of 2000s-era email and Facebook chains threatening users to reshare copypasta — (often spammy) copied-and-pasted content — either to avoid negative consequences or to show support for causes.

NBA All-Time Great Jerry West Dies At Age 86

Hall of Fame NBA player and executive Jerry West -- who won eight NBA titles as a member of the front office for the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors -- died Wednesday.

West, known as "The Logo" due to his silhouette being used as the NBA logo, was 86 years old.

West, whose teams often came up short against Bill Russell and the Celtics in the '60s, finally won his only title as a player with the Lakers in 1972. Though his teams often came up short for the title, West won the NBA Finals MVP in 1969 -- the first award ever given -- despite losing the series.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Keeps State Ban On Mobile Absentee Voting Sites In Place

The Wisconsin Supreme Court kept a lower court’s ruling banning the use of mobile voting sites in the upcoming presidential election in place for now, a win for Republicans.

However, in a victory for Democrats, the court also ensured on June 11 that municipalities across the battleground state can use the same method in place since 2016 to determine where to locate early voting sites for the August primary and November presidential election in 2024.

Waupun Prison Inmates Launch Hunger Strike Over Living Conditions

A current Waupun inmate says he’s taking part in a hunger strike. It comes after recent charges against the warden and eight other employees at the Waupun Correctional Institution.

There are currently 720 inmates housed at Waupun Correctional, Action 2 News spoke with one of them about the strike. The inmate said he’s not eating, and many others are not either.

Wisconsin Prisons Lag In Treating Substance Use Disorders

“Some people don’t have anybody —and on your release day, you get your boxes and you are put out on the doorstep, like if you have a place to go or not,” said Amanda Church.

Church is a care provider at an assisted living facility in Monroe County, and a mother of two. She was released from the Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac in 2022 for drug-related offenses.

New York City Resident Sentenced To Prison For Defrauding Wisconsin Residents In Professional Sports Ticket Scam

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 12, 2024, Nikhil S. Mahtani (age: 28) of New York, New York, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for wire fraud.

According to court documents, between approximately January 4, 2019, and December 11, 2022, Mahtani placed over one thousand ads on Craigslist offering high end tickets and luxury box suites to National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), and other professional sporting events around the country. Numerous individuals throughout the Eastern District of Wisconsin were victimized by Mahtani, who accepted thousands of dollars in payments for tickets and suites he knew were not legitimate. In one instance, a large group of friends and family members showed up at Fiserv Forum the night the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Championship in 2021, only to be turned away and told they had been scammed. Mahtani is estimated to have received approximately $120,000 from over 100 victims in Wisconsin and across the United States.

Solon Springs Pianist Channels Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly In Jazz Ensemble’s Recreation Of ‘Kind Of Blue’

If you’re wandering in the northwoods of Solon Springs and you hear piano music wafting through the air, it might be Ryan Frane practicing in his home.

And when he’s not playing, he’s talking about music — jazz in particular — as a professor of music at the University of Minnesota Duluth. One of the most iconic jazz recordings he can’t stop talking about is Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue,” widely regarded as the greatest jazz album ever.