Morning Headlines - Thursday, July 11, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

Biden Faces Calls To Take Cognitive Test: Here’s How That Works

President Biden is facing calls to undergo cognitive testing and release the results after his disastrous debate last month, and amid a series of reports about his apparent decline in recent months.

Concerns were only fanned further when public records brought to attention that a neurologist who specializes in Parkinson’s disease had visited the White House. The administration has since said that the physician in question has been the neurology consultant for the White House Medical Unit for more than a decade.

Trump Claims Not To Know Who Is Behind Project 2025. A CNN Review Found At Least 140 People Who Worked For Him Are Involved

Donald Trump has lately made clear he wants little to do with Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for the next Republican president that has attracted considerable blowback in his race for the White House.

“I have no idea who is behind it,” the former president recently claimed on social media.

Many people Trump knows quite well are behind it.

NATO Leaders Say Ukraine Is On "Irreversible Path" To Membership

North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders declared Wednesday that "Ukraine's future is in NATO" as they pledged more aid for the country as it fights Russia's invading forces.

While NATO leaders did not announce at the summit in D.C. any timeframe for Ukraine to join the military alliance, the organization's 32 members in a statement pledged their "unwavering commitment" to long-term support for the country in the face of Russia's military aggression.

Costco Is Raising Its Annual Membership Fees For The First Time In 7 Years

Costco is hiking its basic membership fee for the first time since 2017, increasing the annual charge to $65 from $60, the retailer announced on Wednesday.

The 8.3% cost increase takes effect on September 1, the warehouse club announced in a statement. The cost of a premium membership is rising to $130 from $120, the Issaquah, Washington-based company said. Costco also said the maximum annual 2% reward for its executive membership will rise to $1,250 from $1,000.

Chinese Military Ships Spotted Near Alaska's Aleutian Islands

Chinese Navy ships were spotted inside the U.S. exclusive economic zone of the Bering Sea by a cutter on a routine patrol late last week, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball saw three ships about 124 miles north of the Amchitka Pass, a strait in the the Aleutian Islands, a remote archipelago that stretches 1,200 miles from the Alaska Peninsular.

The crew of a Coast Guard plane stationed on Kodiak Island saw a fourth Chinese ship 84 miles north of the Amukta Pass, which lies between the islands of Amutka and Seguam.

Wisconsin Headlines

One Killed In Roll-Over Crash In Superior

One man is dead after a single vehicle roll-over crash in the town of Superior.

The crash was reported to Douglas County 911 at 2:52pm on Monday July 8, 2024 after a passing motorist came upon debris on the roadway and a vehicle off the road in the 4600S block of Darrow Rd.

Ryan D.S.S. VanPuymbrouck, 34, of Esko, MN, was pronounced dead at the scene.  He was driving southbound on Darrow Rd. and lost control of his vehicle, rolled several times and was ejected from the vehicle.

The crash is under investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Also assisting on scene was the town of Superior Volunteer Fire Dept., WI DNR and Mayo Ambulance.

Wisconsin Secretary Of State Settles Lawsuit Over Open Records Request From A Conservative Policy Group

Wisconsin’s Democratic secretary of state settled an open records lawsuit brought by a conservative policy group, agreeing to respond to all future requests even when her office has no responsive records.

The Institute for Reforming Government sought records in 2023 related to Democrat Sarah Godlewski’s appointment as secretary of state. The Wisconsin-based group filed its request the day Gov. Tony Evers appointed Godlewski — an appointment that even she said was a complete surprise.

Godlewski did not respond to the request for 189 days. Godlewski initially said she didn’t have to respond because she had no responsive records, but after the lawsuit was filed she turned over communication sent from her private email to another email account used by her predecessor, Doug La Follette.

Over 100 Wisconsin School Districts Fielded Inquiries, Challenges To Books Since 2020

More than 100 Wisconsin school districts — 1 in 4 — fielded inquiries about books or formal requests to remove them since 2020, according to a Wisconsin Watch review of records obtained from all but two of the state’s 421 public school districts.

Many requests came from organized conservative groups and politicians rather than organic requests from parents concerned about required reading. In several cases, the school district didn’t even own the books someone wanted to remove.

La Crosse Man Sentenced To 6 Years For Trafficking Fentanyl

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Timothy M. Cannon, 36, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 6 years in federal prison for distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Cannon pled guilty to this charge on March 21, 2024.

Between April and June 2023, the La Crosse Police Department used a confidential informant to conduct four controlled buys of fentanyl from Cannon. Cannon sold the informant approximately 40-50 grams of fentanyl during each buy. Law enforcement also searched the apartment where Cannon was staying and found 43.2 grams of fentanyl in his backpack.

Officer Involved Death In Racine County, Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer involved death in the Village of Caledonia, Wis. that occurred on the morning of Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

At approximately 9:47 a.m., officers with the Caledonia Police Department responded to a call for a man down at Cliffside Park in the Village of Caledonia. Once officers arrived on scene the subject discharged a firearm. A tactical team responded made up of law enforcement and first responders from the Racine County Sheriff’s Office, Caledonia Police Department, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol and the Caledonia Fire Department. The tactical team attempted negotiations with the subject but circumstances arose that caused law enforcement to use deadly force. Life saving measures were performed but the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene. No other individuals were injured during the incident.