Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024

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

Israel Intercepts Hezbollah Ballistic Missile Near Tel Aviv In First Such Attack

Israel intercepted a missile fired by Hezbollah near Tel Aviv on Wednesday, an unprecedented attack by the militant group that reached deep into the country’s commercial heartlands and marked a new escalatory step in the conflict between the two sides.

People in Tel Aviv and the central city of Netanya woke up to sirens on Wednesday as Israel said its air defenses intercepted a surface-to-surface missile – the first time ever a missile fired by Hezbollah has reached close to the city, the Israeli military said.

Tropical Storm Helene, A Potential Hurricane, Forecast To Rapidly Intensify On Path To Florida's Gulf Coast

The Gulf Coast is bracing for a major hurricane landfall late this week as Tropical Storm Helene is forecast to rapidly intensify into a Category 3 storm on a path for the Florida coast. Residents were already evacuating and filling sandbags Tuesday, two days before Helene's expected landfall late on Thursday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a state of emergency declaration to a total of 61 counties on Tuesday. The state has issued voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders for 13 counties.

NFL Hall Of Famer Brett Favre Reveals Parkinson's Diagnosis At House Hearing

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre told lawmakers he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease as he testified Tuesday before the House Ways and Means Committee investigating Mississippi's misuse of welfare funds -- a scandal that has tainted the Green Bay Packers legend after his retirement.

At a hearing titled, "Reforming Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): States' Misuse of Welfare Funds Leaves Poor Families Behind," the former quarterback said state officials "failed to protect federal TANF funds from fraud and abuse" and then attempted to blame him.

Senate Issues Scathing Report On Secret Service Failures To Protect Trump

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee issued a scathing report Wednesday on the multiple failures by the Secret Service to protect former President Trump at his July rally in Butler, Pa.

The report found agents had multiple opportunities to prevent the shooting that killed one person and injured several others, including Trump.

Mortgage Refinance Boom Takes Hold, As Weekly Demand Surges 20%

A steady decline in mortgage rates to two-year lows has current homeowners rushing to take advantage of potential savings.

Applications to refinance a home loan surged 20% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. Demand was a stunning 175% higher than the same week one year ago.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Capital City Sends Up To 2,000 Duplicate Absentee Ballots, Leading To GOP Concerns

Up to 2,000 voters in Wisconsin’s heavily Democratic capital of Madison were sent duplicate absentee ballots, but a city spokesperson said Tuesday that none had been returned, all affected voters were being contacted and there were multiple safeguards in place to ensure only one ballot is counted.

“This was a mistake,” city spokesperson Dylan Brogan said. “The clerk’s office moved to rectify it as quickly as possible.”

WEC Members Bicker Over Returning Absentee Ballots To Polls On Election Day — Even Though Advice Says Voters Can

The Wisconsin Elections Commission postponed until after the November election a vote on whether to reprimand two clerks for not accepting absentee ballots at polling places until 8 p.m. on Election Day during previous elections. 

The postponement came after Republican commissioners argued against allowing voters to return their absentee ballots at polling places despite WEC Chief Legal Counsel Jim Witecha saying the practice aligns with “how the commission has long been interpreting” the law.

Wisconsin Schools See Spike In Violent Threats, 134 Reported In Last Two Weeks

Schools across the country are dealing with an increase in violent threats, including right here in Wisconsin.

Trish Kilpin is the Executive Director for the Office of School Safety (OSS) at the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ). She says they tend to see a spike in threats after traumatic incidents like the school shooting in Georgia.

A Wisconsin Board Says The Real Victim Of Police Misconduct Is … The Government

Michael Bell Sr. has believed for years that Kenosha police officers victimized his family — first by killing his son in 2004 and then, he alleges, by covering up what really happened.

Bell Sr. initially accepted the police accounts of the shooting, then became skeptical and finally angry. He channeled that anger into action. He sued the city of Kenosha, its police department and four officers, resulting in a $1.75 million settlement, and took a leading role in passage of a state law that bars police departments from investigating themselves.

DNR Announces Grant To Build Hunting Community

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is now accepting applications for this year’s round of funding for the Hunter Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) grant program. Funding from the grant program is used to help grow the number of hunters in Wisconsin and support novices who want to learn to hunt.

The Hunter R3 grant funds projects that teach people the skills, knowledge and attitudes to be responsible and safe hunters; provide instruction in safe firearm operations, ethics, game laws, outdoor survival and first aid; and focus on hunter and recreational shooter recruitment and retention.