Morning Headlines - Friday, Apr. 26, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

USC Cancels Graduation Ceremony And Dozens Are Arrested On Other Campuses As Anti-war Protests Grow

The University of Southern California canceled its main graduation ceremony and dozens more college students were arrested at other campuses nationwide Thursday as protests against the Israel-Hamas war continued to spread.

College officials across the U.S. are worried the ongoing protests could disrupt plans for commencement ceremonies next month. Some universities have called in police to break up the demonstrations, resulting in ugly scuffles and hundreds of arrests, while others appeared content to wait out student protests as the final days of the semester ticked down.

Meta's Big, Expensive AI Bet Hinges On Giving Its Models Away For Free

Meta is spending big on artificial intelligence — only to offer its latest advanced AI models to the public for free.

The tech giant recently announced the rollout of Llama 3, the open-code large language model that underpins the Meta AI assistant tool now widely accessible on its flagship social media platforms. Meta aimed to “build the best open models that are on par with the best proprietary models available today,” it wrote in a blog post.

The model quickly drew acclaim from technologists — but not from investors.

Walmart US CEO Talks Inflation, Self-Checkout, And Paying Six-Figures To Non-College Degree Workers

In an exclusive and far-reaching interview with ABC News, John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., talked about the retail giant’s push to hire more non-college degree workers for high-paying corporate jobs at the company.

Currently, 75% of Walmart’s salaried managers began as hourly associates. High-performing Walmart managers at the store’s Supercenters now have the ability to earn more than $400,000 a year, which includes a new stock grant rewards program. Some of those managers have college degrees, while others do not – it is not required for the job.

DeSantis: Florida ‘Will Not Comply’ With New Biden Title IX Rules

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Thursday his state “will not comply” with recently unveiled changes to Title IX by the Biden administration.

“Florida rejects [President Biden’s] attempt to rewrite Title IX,” DeSantis said in a video posted to the social platform X. “We will not comply, and we will fight back.”

“We are not gonna let Joe Biden try to inject men into women’s activities,” DeSantis continued. “We are not gonna let Joe Biden undermine the rights of parents, and we are not gonna let Joe Biden abuse his constitutional authority to try to impose these policies on us here in Florida.”

2024 NFL Draft Round 1 Winners And Losers: Four Quarterbacks Come Out On Top, One Has A Bad Day

The NFL is all about quarterbacks. Every single year we talk about how you can't win without one and if you're going to be great, you better have one. Cliches abound. But it was REAL apparent on Thursday night when the league tied a record for most quarterbacks taken in the first round (six) and did it in the first 12 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Just wild stuff to see live, but it was exacerbated by the Falcons freaking everyone out and then the Broncos' weird decision looking totally normal.

Time will tell how this plays out for the six teams who drafted first-round quarterbacks -- coaching matters, as does the personnel around them, but there will be busts. There will likely be home runs too.

Wisconsin Headlines

State Party Leaders Offer Views On New Legislative Maps

The leaders of Wisconsin’s Republican and Democratic Parties offered their thoughts Thursday on the potential impacts of new legislative maps.

The maps signed into law earlier this year create more competitive districts and are expected to increase Democrats’ power in the state Legislature. But it will be an uphill battle for Democrats who wish to seize control from Republicans who have held majorities for more than a decade.

Ben Wikler, chair of the state Democratic Party, believes the new districts will force Republicans to work harder to appeal to moderate and independent voters.

Brian Schimming, chair of the state Republican Party, says Democratic candidates are out of touch with voters and unlikely to gain much ground in the November election.

Manitowoc Authorities Looking For Other Victims After Arresting Man In Child Sex Crimes Investigation

The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office said it’s looking for other possible victims after arresting a man in a child sex crimes investigation.

The sheriff’s office said it was investigating was conducting proactive online enforcement, for any CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) or other illegal activities. The investigation identified Toby C. Graves, a 46-year-old Fond du Lac man, who authorities say was using computerized communication and arranging to meet a child for the purpose of having sexual contact.

La Crosse Man Sentenced To 7 Years For Drug Trafficking And Illegally Possessing A Firearm

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Benjamin W. Thoreson, 43, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 7 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon and possessing methamphetamine for distribution. Thoreson pleaded guilty to these charges on February 1, 2024. He was also ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release.

On August 2, 2023, Thoreson was arrested for violating the conditions of his state supervision and admitted to having a handgun in his waistband. The arresting officer recovered a loaded Ruger LCP .22 caliber handgun and 14 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in the backpack that Thoreson was carrying. Thoreson is prohibited from legally possessing a firearm because of prior felony convictions.

Update: Death Investigation In Park Falls, Wis.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating a death in Park Falls, Wis. that occurred on the afternoon of, April 13, 2024.

At approximately 4:09 p.m., officers with the Park Falls Police Department responded to reports of shots fired near the 600 block of 2nd Avenue North in Park Falls. When they arrived, officers found a deceased adult with multiple gunshot wounds. A handgun was found at the scene. Christopher J. Dyer, 50, was taken into custody on an anticipated First-Degree Homicide charge.

Whooping Crane Returns To Wisconsin After Detour To Chicago Suburb

An adolescent whooping crane is safely exploring Horicon Marsh after she veered off path on her first independent northern migration.

Identified as 16-23 or Animal, the young endangered crane was reported by local birders in a residential neighborhood of Wilmette, a suburb of Chicago, Tuesday morning.

The International Crane Foundation, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, United States Fish and Wildlife Services, a veterinarian and volunteers all assisted in bringing the lost crane back home to Wisconsin.