Your Morning Headlines - Friday, Sept. 13, 2024

At DrydenWire, we kick off every morning by bringing you the 5 important U.S. & World headlines, along with 5 stories from Wisconsin. Our team scours the internet to find the latest news that matters to you.

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

Boeing Workers Overwhelmingly Reject Contract, Prepare To Strike

More than 30,000 Boeing workers, members of the company’s biggest unionized group, were set to strike Friday after staff rejected a new labor contract and approved a strike with a 96% vote.

The work stoppage will halt production of most of the company’s aircraft, including its best-selling 737 Max.

The strike is another costly blow to the company trying to increase output and improve its reputation.

Trump Changes Course Again, Says He Won't Hold Another Debate With Harris

Former President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Thursday that he will not debate Vice President Kamala Harris a second time before Election Day.

"THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!" Trump wrote on Truth Social in reference to his first debate against President Biden in late June and a second debate against Harris this week.

Putin Draws New Red Line On Long-Range Missiles

The headline in this morning’s Kommersant newspaper captured the drama.

“Vladimir Putin draws his red line.”

Will the West cross it? And, if it does, how will Russia respond?

Speaking in St Petersburg, President Putin sent a clear warning to the West: don’t allow Ukraine to use your long-range missiles to strike Russian territory.

What Fed Rate Cuts Mean For Credit Card Holders

The Federal Reserve is poised to cut interest rates next week, bringing a measure of relief for consumers struggling to pay down their credit card balances.

The average credit card interest rate currently stands at 20.78% — close to the highest on record and up from roughly 16% in 2022. The current average interest rate for store-branded retail credit cards is even higher, at a record peak of 30.45%.

Women Will Soon Be Notified About Their Breast Density After A Mammogram. Here’s What That Means

Having dense breasts can put women at higher risk of breast cancer and make it more difficult to spot cancer on a mammogram, but many don’t realize it’s a significant risk.

Starting this week, all mammography reports and result letters sent to patients in the United States will be required to include an assessment of breast density. The US Food and Drug Administration’s final rule requiring that mammography facilities notify patients about the density of their breasts goes into effect Tuesday.

Wisconsin Headlines

Over Half Of Wisconsin Counties Have Fewer Jobs Than Before The Pandemic, Report Says

Despite Wisconsin’s strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, over half the state’s counties had fewer jobs last year than in 2019. Some sectors, like manufacturing, also lost jobs over the same period.

That’s according to a Wisconsin Policy Forum report released Friday, which analyzed newly-released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to examine changes in jobs by county and industry from 2019 to 2023.

While Wisconsin set a new record-high for total jobs last year and the unemployment rate remained near record lows, 42 of the state’s 72 counties averaged fewer jobs in 2023 than they did in 2019, the report said.

Former Wisconsin Prison Employee Pleads Guilty To Bribery

On September 12, 2024, William Lee Homan, 47, of Fox Lake, pleaded guilty to smuggling contraband into a state maximum-security prison in exchange for bribes.

According to court documents, Homan, a former facilities repair worker at Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI), received approximately 125 bribe payments totaling approximately $53,579 from July 17, 2022, to September 30, 2023, from inmates, former inmates, and their associates in exchange for smuggling contraband into WCI.

WEC Proposes New Office Of Election Transparency, Compliance

Wisconsin’s election managers want to open a new multi-million-dollar office to focus solely on election transparency.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission approved a $2 million budget request to open an Office of Election Transparency and Compliance.

The Elections Commission continues to deal with questions about how the state’s elections are managed, following the 2020 election that saw two investigations into the commission.

Details Of Some Fatal Wisconsin Police Shootings Remain Secret

In two police shootings in the past year reviewed by Wisconsin Watch, state and local agencies used potential threats to involved officers as justification to indefinitely withhold the names of officers involved.

The identities of officers who shoot suspects are routinely released elsewhere, though they are not tracked by the state Department of Justice, which collects use-of-force reports.

Brewers Announce Hank The Ballpark Pup Has Died

Hank the Ballpark Pup, the unofficial mascot of the Milwaukee Brewers, has passed away.

The team announced Hank's death Thursday night.

Hank was a stray when he wandered into the team's spring training camp in Maryvale, Arizona in February of 2014. He quickly became a favorite of the players and staff, and he was eventually adopted by the family of Brewers Chief Operating Officer Marti Wronski. He's lived with Wronski's family for the past 10 years.