Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026 | 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 at the end for a little humor to go with your news.

U.S. and World Headlines

Cocaine Kingpins At One Of America's Biggest Party Schools Made Frat Pledges Package Drugs As Part Of Their Initiation

Two fraternities at Penn State University have been accused of being involved in a cocaine trafficking ring, after investigators discovered that pledges were allegedly made to package drugs during their initiation.

More than a dozen Penn State students in two off-campus fraternities, Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi, face drug-related charges after members and pledges allegedly cut and packaged cocaine and distributed it to other students.

'This was a coordinated and highly-profitable drug-trafficking crew revolving around two senior members of the fraternities, other fraternity brothers and pledges,' Attorney General Dave Sunday said on Sunday.

School Vaccination Rates Inch Down Again To Record Low As Exemptions Reach New High

U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Monday.

The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.2%, up from 3.6% the year before. That's an estimated 155,000 children nationally during the 2025-26 school year.

Russia Says Its Economy Is Strong. It Just Fired A Top Economist Who Warned Otherwise

Russia insists its economy remains resilient, but a top economist was reportedly fired after warning that the Ukraine war could trigger a social crisis.

Andrei Klepach said Russia could not win a prolonged war of attrition and its economic lag would widen, according to reports.

Ukraine’s attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure are adding pressure to a wartime economy already reliant on military spending, higher taxes and subsidized lending.

California Is Awesome And Awesomely Mismanaged

There are too many reasons to list that explain why California has become a basket case of governance. But the most persuasive one of all may be that California is awesome, or, in the parlance of the state, totally awesome.

We know well the history of how so many resource-rich places end up with bad governments, whether it’s oil-rich nations like Saudi Arabia or Russia, or American states with predominant extractive industries like West Virginia and Louisiana.

When revenue comes right out of the ground, leaders don’t have to win arguments to obtain funding. You can try to build a ski resort in the Arabian Desert, turn your college football team into a gilded glory or even launch an ill-advised invasion of a neighboring country if you don’t need to tax the ordinary people. Ordinary taxes mean tradeoffs and limits to power; abundant natural resources mean either just squeezing producers or, even easier, nationalizing them.

Elle Duncan: ‘Right Now, The WNBA Is The Most Toxic Space To Cover’

Despite moving on to a flashy new role at Netflix this year, Elle Duncan has continued the role that put her on the map: WNBA studio anchor. Duncan is the host of USA Network’s pre- and postgame coverage, and will be part of the network’s WNBA Finals broadcasts this fall.

Yet while Duncan has clearly found a home covering the league as it blossoms into a major sports media property, she is not immune to the negative energy that has enveloped it this season. In fact, Duncan, who covered just about every sport coming up through local news in Atlanta and Boston before her high-profile stint at ESPN, believes WNBA commentary is already back at a low point.

Wisconsin Democrats Sue To Boot Republican From Key State Senate Race

Wisconsin Democrats are suing to kick a Republican off the ballot in a state Senate race that could be key in determining which party controls the chamber.

It claims GOP candidate Michele Magadance Skinner, who is running for the 31st state Senate district, is a Georgia resident and ineligible to hold public office in Wisconsin.

Skinner, who sits on the Eau Claire County Board of Supervisors, has faced questions about her residency from Democrats since she launched her challenge against State Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Brunswick, in June.

Universities Of Wisconsin Announce Proposed 2027-2029 Tuition Freeze

The Universities of Wisconsin Regent President Kyle Weatherly and UWs President Renee Wachter announced Monday that the Universities of Wisconsin will propose to freeze tuition rates for 2027-2029.

The pledge, called the 4-Year Tuition Pledge, is a main focus of the UW’s 2027-2029 budget proposal.

The Pledge proposes freezing tuition for the 2027-2029 biennium, provided the state invests $190 million to support the cost of the freeze and other operating needs that preserve educational quality, officials said.

Nearly $1M Conservation Easement Approved On 1.2K Acres In Northern Wisconsin

Michael A. Uihlein is a man of his word.

For more than 70 years, his family has owned around 1,250 acres of forest land in northern Wisconsin. The 90-year-old Cedarburg resident said his parents were staunch conservationists, and they wanted to keep their property in Vilas County from being broken up and developed.

“I told them, when they were still alive, that I would save that land because I did not want to see it subdivided and commercialized as many of the up north forests have had happen to them,” Uihlein said.

Crowley Tells ‘UpFront’ He Won’t Campaign With Piker, Tiffany Noncommittal On Trump Visit

David Crowley said he will not campaign with Hasan Piker ahead of the November election, unlike Francesca Hong, who campaigned and fundraised with the controversial streamer before losing in last week’s Democratic primary.

“Look, I think we have to reach voters where they are,” the Dem gubernatorial nominee said on WISN 12’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics-State Affairs. “But, you know, I have my ways of doing that. I don’t want to lend credibility to platforms, if you will, that I believe further divides us as a community, further divides Democrats, or further divides this country. But I do know that we have to focus on bringing everybody into this tent, and so I’m always willing to have those tough conversations.”

7 Arrested At Wisconsin State Fair After Fights On Final Night

Fights and disturbances brought a heavy police response to Wisconsin State Fair Park on the final night of the fair, ending with an injured officer and multiple arrests.

According to a statement from Wisconsin State Fair Park, the disturbances began when people attempted to gain unauthorized access to the fair, while other groups of people began fighting inside the fairgrounds near SpinCity on Aug. 16.

Videos posted on social media show police officers chasing after dozens of people as they tried to clear the area. Police said one officer was struck but was not seriously hurt.