Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Nov. 26, 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

Texas Adds To Redistricting War Deluge At Supreme Court

Redistricting wars are inundating the Supreme Court.

A decision could come as soon as this week on Texas’s bid to revive its GOP-friendly congressional map that set off a mid-decade redistricting blitz.

Texas’s emergency appeal landed as the court mulls its next steps on major cases that involve existing maps in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and North Dakota.

Those cases are proceeding on a slower timeline, but they all raise weighty questions about the future of the Voting Rights Act.

US Cases Of Norovirus On The Rise With Double The Rate Of Positive Tests Since August

Cases of norovirus are rising across the United States, doubling over the last few months, according to updated data from the CDC.

Nearly 14% of tests came back positive for norovirus during the most recent week ending Nov. 15, compared to roughly 7% about three months ago.

Test positivity is a metric used to identify how many people are confirmed to have norovirus after an illness is suspected.

X's New Feature Reveals Foreign Origins Of Some Popular U.S. Political Accounts

They go by names like @TRUMP_ARMY— or @MAGANationX, and their verified accounts proudly display portraits of President Donald Trump, voter rallies and American flags. And they're constantly posting about U.S. politics to their followers, sounding like diehard fans of the president.

But after a weekend update to the social media platform X, it's now clear that the owners of these accounts, and many others, are located in regions such as South Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.

Sellers Are Taking Their Homes Off The Market At The Fastest Pace In Nearly A Decade

Weak buyer demand, weakening home prices and overall uncertainty in the economy are combining to make home sellers change their minds and step out of the market.

Close to 85,000 U.S. sellers took their homes off the market in September, up 28% from September 2024 and the highest level for that month in eight years, according to Redfin.

Sellers are delisting because so many listings are going stale, sitting on the market longer and longer. Redfin reported that 70% of listings in September were on the market for 60 days or longer.

Human Brains Have 5 Distinct 'Epochs' In A Lifetime, Study Finds

As we age, the human brain rewires itself.

The process happens in distinct phases, or “epochs,” according to new research, as the structure of our neural networks changes and our brains reconfigure how we think and process information.

For the first time, scientists say they’ve identified four distinct turning points between those phases in an average brain: at ages 9, 32, 66 and 83. During each epoch between those years, our brains show markedly different characteristics in brain architecture, they say.

Wisconsin Headlines

Slender Man Perpetrator Morgan Geyser Waives Extradition In Illinois, Will Return To Wisconsin

Morgan Geyser appeared before a judge during an extradition hearing on Tuesday in Cook County, Illinois.

Geyser, 23, cut off her ankle monitor in Madison late Saturday evening before being found by the Posen Police Department in Illinois on Sunday night, nearly 200 miles south of Madison.

At the hearing, Geyser was appointed a public defender who briefly conferred with her before the judge explained extradition rules, CNN reports. No cameras were allowed in the courtroom.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Appoints Panels To Hear Challenges To State’s Congressional Map

The Wisconsin Supreme Court today appointed separate three-judge panels to hear two lawsuits seeking new congressional lines, opening the door to new maps being in place ahead of the 2026 elections.

Conservative Justice Annette Ziegler slammed the move, accusing her colleagues of acting “in furtherance of delivering partisan, political advantage to the Democratic Party.”

State Regulators Approve Rate Hikes For 3 Wisconsin Utilities

State regulators approved rate hikes for three of Wisconsin’s largest electric utilities in 2026 and 2027, with two of the companies reaching settlements with advocacy groups to moderate the increases.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin this month signed off on electric and natural gas rate increases for Alliant Energy, Xcel Energy and Madison Gas and Electric. The approved rates came in below the requests the utilities filed earlier this year.

Menomonie Man Sentenced To 2 ½ Years For Illegally Possessing Firearm

Demetrius Howard, 34, Menomonie, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 2 ½ years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Howard pleaded guilty to this charge on June 24, 2025.

On December 20, 2024, a deputy with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office stopped Howard’s vehicle for speeding. After further investigation, the deputy searched the vehicle and found a bag in the backseat that contained a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun. Howard told the deputy that he would have fled if his child was not in the car and further commented that there could have been a “shootout.” Howard claimed that he found the gun by a dumpster the day before and was going to throw it into the water.

Wausau Man Sentenced To Eight Years For Cocaine Trafficking And Illegal Firearms Possession

Johntay L. Johnson, 40, Wausau, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for maintaining a drug-involved premises, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and distributing cocaine. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Johnson pleaded guilty to these charges on July 1, 2025.

In December 2023, investigators with the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force identified Johnson as a cocaine trafficker operating out of Wausau, Wisconsin. Between January and July 2024, a confidential informant purchased two ounces of cocaine from Johnson on seven occasions, with six of the controlled buys occurring at Johnson’s home in Wausau.