Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Apr. 17, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

The Olympics Are Nearly Here. For A Weary World, They Can’t Come Soon Enough

In exactly 100 days, more than 10,000 athletes and tens of thousands of spectators will converge on Paris for the start of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games, a 16-day extravaganza that marks the first time the City of Lights has hosted the world’s pre-eminent sports festival in a century.

In keeping with the slogan for this year’s Olympics, “Games Wide Open,” the opening ceremony will take place outside a stadium setting for the first time. The plans are ambitious: a 3.5-mile boat parade along the Seine before as many as 325,000 onlookers on the river’s banks. The hundreds of athletic events — hosted by dozens of venues across Paris and other cities in metropolitan France — will likewise be open to large crowds.

Is 2024 The Cicadapocalypse Or A Cicadapalooza?

In 2024, a double brood of periodical cicadas will appear across the United States. Some have called the emergence a "cicadapocalypse," but is it really?

Axios Visuals fact-checked the insect hype and found that no matter how you crunch the numbers, 2024 will likely offer just a taste of the cicada spectacles to come.

Don’t confuse cicadas with locusts. Although both insects come in great numbers, cicadas do not swarm, they are not a plague and you should not kill them.

Man Known As "Sal The Shoemaker" Admits He Ran Illegal Gambling Operation For The Mafia In His Shop

A former shoemaker pleaded guilty Tuesday to allegations that he ran an illegal gambling operation for the Mafia out of his shop in Brooklyn. Prosecutors said Salvatore Rubino was among five defendants who pleaded guilty, including one who allegedly threatened to kill a delinquent debtor.

Rubino, also known as "Sal the Shoemaker," admitted in court to running card games and operating illegal gambling machines inside his former shoe repair business and to kicking profits to the Genovese crime family. He pleaded guilty to federal gambling charges.

Iran’s Attack Seems Like It Was Designed To Fail. So What Comes Next?

Iran’s attack on Israel was dangerous, provocative — and seemingly all but designed to fail. None of the hundreds of projectiles launched at Israel hit a major target.

So, what was the point?

The latest crisis to erupt in the region left many longtime analysts wondering what Iran’s real intention was — whether the direct attack was mainly a face-saving exercise or a genuine effort to escalate — and whether the United States can still manage to prevent what it’s been trying to avoid for more than six months, a full-scale regional war.

Elon Musk Reveals Plans To Start Charging New X Users To Like Or Reply To Tweets

From paywalled features to a huge rebrand, its safe to say that X (formerly Twitter) has completely transformed in the 18 months since Elon Musk took over.

Now, the self-proclaimed 'chief twit' has teased his next big change - and it could prove costly.

X is planning to start charging all new users a 'small fee' in order to interact with posts, Musk has said.

Wisconsin Headlines

Republican lawmakers ignore Evers' call to spend $125M to combat 'forever chemicals'

Wisconsin Republicans on April 16 ignored the latest call from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to spend $125 million to combat so-called forever chemicals, leading Evers to say he may sue over the issue.

The moves are the latest twist in the ongoing stalemate between Evers and the Legislature over the best way to combat PFAS chemicals that have polluted groundwater in communities across the state. Evers and Republicans have both said that fighting the chemicals is a priority, but they haven’t been able to come together on what to do about it.

Hovde Gave Campaign $8 Million; Baldwin Finished Q1 With $10.3 Million In The Bank

GOP U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde loaned his campaign $8 million during the first quarter while pulling in just shy of $1.1 million from other donors.

It’s already one of the largest personal investments by a U.S. Senate candidate in Wisconsin history.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, Monday reported raising $5.4 million during the first three months of 2024, spending $3.2 million and finishing the quarter with $10.3 million in the bank.

Wisconsin ICAC Task Force Conference On Missing And Exploited Children Highlights Increase In Sextortion Cases

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force today kicked off the 5th annual ICAC Conference on Missing and Exploited Children in Appleton, Wis. The conference provides nationwide training to ICAC Task Force members and affiliate agencies, as well as multi-disciplinary team members and other child-serving professionals from around the country. The goal of the conference is to expand the efforts, knowledge base and further enhance skills by providing highly specialized training focused on investigating and prosecuting technology-facilitated crimes against children.

“There’s no greater responsibility we have than keeping our kids safe,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Thank you to those participating in this conference and to all of the more than 300 Wisconsin ICAC Task Force affiliate agencies for your commitment to combating internet crimes against children.”

Green Bay City Council Candidate Refuses To Concede After Recount

A former Green Bay alderman won’t concede after a recount shows he lost the election. Steve Campbell paid thousands of dollars out of pocket for a recount last week, where officials confirmed he lost the election to challenger Joey Prestley.

Campbell is still fighting the results in circuit court, asking the court to review the results. According to court documents, the court granted Campbell’s motion asking for a new judge to oversee the case.

Wisconsin As The Happiest State? Look To Norway!

People find happiness in all sorts of ways: listening to music, hiking or spending quality time with loved ones. But what if our state of bliss was actually dependent on our geography? Writer Eric Dregni explored this idea after traveling overseas.