Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025

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

Suspect In Charlie Kirk Killing To Make First Court Appearance

Prosecutors in Utah are preparing to file a capital murder charge against the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah native, is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, where he is expected to be formally charged with multiple felonies, including aggravated murder, discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice. The aggravated murder count carries the possibility of the death penalty or, at a minimum, 25 years in prison.

Robinson will appear via video link from the county jail, where he has been held without bail since his arrest.

Trump Files $15 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against The New York Times

President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and four of its journalists on Monday, according to court documents.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Florida names several articles and one book written by two of the publication's journalists and published in the lead up to the 2024 election, saying they are “part of a decades-long pattern by the New York Times of intentional and malicious defamation against President Trump.”

Pentagon Unveils New ‘Clean Shaven’ Grooming Standards

The Pentagon on Monday unveiled new grooming standards, which now require service members “to be clean shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance.”

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement Monday that following “a rapid force-wide review of military standards” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “recently directed the Services to implement the following grooming standards for facial hair.”

“The grooming standard set by the U.S. military is to be clean shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance,” Hegseth said in a quote in Parnell’s statement.

Scientists Say They've Found The World's Oldest Mummies, And They're Far From Egypt

Mummies are most often associated with Egypt, where the oldest ones are about 4,500 years old. But researchers say they have found mummies that are much older, on the other side of the world.

“We found that in southern China and Southeast Asia, there were many archeological sites that contain human burials that are between four and 14,000 years old,” Professor Peter Bellwood, a co-author of the study, told NBC News in a phone interview on Tuesday.

The study examined 54 pre-Neolithic burials from 11 archaeological sites in southern China and Southeast Asia, with large numbers of samples coming from Vietnam and China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and smaller numbers coming from the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Robert Redford, Charismatic Star And Oscar-Winning Director, Dies At Age 89

Academy Award-winning actor and director Robert Redford, one of the biggest movie stars to ever grace the screen and whose startlingly magnetic charisma in such films as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Way We Were" and "The Sting" made him an icon, has died. He was 89.

Cindi Berger, CEO of the publicity firm Rogers & Cowan PMK, confirmed Redford's death to CBS News in a statement. Berger said he died Tuesday at his home in Utah surrounded by those he loved.

Wisconsin Headlines

Democratic Race For Governor Grows, Likely To Grow Some More

There’s another Democrat running for governor in Wisconsin, and there could be another coming soon.

State Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, jumped into the race Monday.

Roys is the third major Democrat to jump into the race. She joins Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez. Roys ran for governor back in 2018 as well, but she lost in the primary to Tony Evers who went on to serve two terms as Wisconsin’s governor.

Developer Proposes 1.2GW Natural Gas Plant In Kenosha County

A Chicago-based energy developer is looking to build a natural gas power plant in Kenosha County capable of producing more than 1 gigawatt of electricity.

Invenergy submitted a preliminary engineering plan to state regulators for the Red Oak Ridge Energy Center, a proposed natural gas plant in the town of Paris. It’s the first step in seeking state approval for the project.

It’s the second new power plant planned in Paris. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved a We Energies plan for construction of a gas-fired power plant in the community in May.

Rep. Van Orden Introduces Bill That Would Bar Federal Funding From Entities With Employees Who Condone Political Violence

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) called for entities that employ people who have condoned political violence and domestic terrorism to be prohibited from receiving federal funding.

Van Orden said the legislation was written in light of social media posts following conservative political activist Charlie Kirk's shooting death.

Kirk died last week while speaking at a tour stop for his organization Turning Point USA on Utah Valley University's campus.

School Lunch Debts Skyrocket In Wisconsin

From pizza slices to chocolate milk, back-to-school season marks the return to the cafeteria, but the cost of those meals is becoming an increasingly heavy burden for many Wisconsin families.

Public records requests filed across the state reveal a significant rise in unpaid lunch debt between 2023 and 2025.

• Madison Metropolitan School District saw a 70% spike
• Green Bay Area School District reported a 41% increase*
• Wausau School District jumped 68%
• Eau Claire Area School District saw a 15% rise

Charges Dropped Against Correctional Sergeant Arrested In Connection To Waupun Prison Deaths

Online court records show a Dodge County judge dismissed a charge against one of the nine people charged in connection to two inmate deaths at Waupun Correctional Institution.

Alexander Hollfelder was facing one count of abuse to residents of penal facilities, a felony. Hollfelder was a correctional sergeant when the two inmates died.

The dismissal came after a motion by the Dodge County District Attorney's Office.