Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

What We Know About The Shooting At The Colorado Supreme Court Building As The Suspect Is Set For First Hearing

A man accused of firing gunshots inside the building that houses the Colorado Supreme Court is scheduled to appear before a judge Wednesday morning, according to online jail records.

The shooting happened Tuesday morning after 1 a.m. when a man who fled a two-car accident scene shot out a window of the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center and went in, according to a news release from Denver.

Police say the man forcibly took keys from an unarmed security guard, fired shots in the building and set a fire in a stairwell.

The break-in comes after a recent state supreme court ruling against former President Donald Trump’s eligibility for office, but an investigation “confirmed a high probability” the incident is not connected to recent threats against justices.

Here’s what we know about the shooting:

Claudine Gay, Harvard University's Embattled President, Has Resigned. How We Got Here And What's Next

On Tuesday, Claudine Gay announced her resignation as president of Harvard University amid “tensions and divisions” surrounding allegations of plagiarism and fallout from last month’s heated exchange during her congressional testimony related to the war in Israel and Gaza. Here’s what happened.

Israel Signals Shift In Gaza Amid Us Pressure — But War Presses On

Israel is carrying out a significant shift in its military operation in the Gaza Strip nearly three months into its war to defeat Hamas, as the Biden administration presses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to scale down its campaign.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced this week its decision to withdraw and rotate out military units, reportedly amounting to five brigades or several thousand troops, after steadily ramping up its operations in Gaza since Hamas’s brutal attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

Biden Campaign Casts Trump As Threat To Democracy Ahead Of Speech On Jan. 6 Anniversary

President Joe Biden will cast former President Donald Trump as a threat to democracy Saturday in a speech set to be delivered on the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Biden campaign said this week.

The speech is expected to be a key component of the campaign’s efforts to highlight the stakes of the presidential election, one that’s shaping up to be a rematch of the 2020 contest.

Mickey Mouse Copyright Expiration Inspires Horror Movies, Video Games And Memes

Mickey Mouse will appear in new, non-Disney creative works after 95 years of copyright protection of the character expired on Jan. 1. With this, early versions of Mickey Mouse are now part of the public domain and non-Disney creators can use them in their own for-profit works.

Just in the last two days, independent video game creators and film directors have announced two horror movies and a video game featuring the character, while memes are spreading online showing Mickey in absurd and inappropriate scenes, including nautical accidents and terrorist attacks.

Wisconsin Headlines

Great Lakes Ice Cover Reaches Record Low For New Year's Day

Ice cover on the Great Lakes reached a record low on New Year's Day, and open water made smooth sailing for the latest departure of an oceangoing vessel ever recorded in the Port of Duluth-Superior.

On New Year’s Day, ice cover across the Great Lakes was next to nothing, averaging less than .4 percent. That’s the lowest on record for the day spanning 50 years of data, according to James Kessler, physical scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. Kessler said around 9 percent of the lakes are typically frozen by Jan. 1.

Wisconsin Braces For Another Consequential Election Cycle In 2024

The 2024 election cycle could be one of the most consequential in history for both the state and nation. However, given what’s anticipated to be a lack of hotly contested races on the spring ballot, the higher-stakes votes are likely to wait until later in the year.

April 2 marks the 2024 presidential primary election in Wisconsin. However, Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump appear to be sailing through their respective party primaries. That outcome will likely mean lower turnout for the spring primary, a rarity in recent years.

Biden, Trump And Others Chosen For Wisconsin 2024 Presidential Primaries Ballot

President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and five other Republican candidates were chosen Jan. 2 to be on Wisconsin’s April 2 presidential primary ballot. The slate of candidates was selected by the state’s bipartisan Presidential Preference Selection Committee.

The names next go to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which will approve them for the ballot.

DMV Driver's Tests Resume For Wisconsin Teens

DMV driver's tests are resuming for Wisconsin teens after a pandemic-era waiver program allowing them to waive the test expired on December 31, 2023.

The waiver started in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It allowed a parent or guardian to waive the driving test for teens under the age of 18 if they finished the courses and 50 hours behind the wheel.

Former Packers Center Ken Bowman, Who Played On Three Straight Championship Teams, Dies At 81

Ken Bowman, who played center for the Green Bay Packers from 1964-73 and was part of three consecutive championship teams, has died. He was 81.

The Packers announced Tuesday that Bowman died last Wednesday in Oro Valley, Arizona. The team did not disclose a cause of death, but the Packers' statement cited Bowman's wife, Roseann, saying he died of natural causes.