Morning Headlines - Friday, May 3, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

More Than 2,000 People Arrested Nationwide In Pro-Palestinian Campus Protests

The clashes between police officers and pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses have seized national attention, putting a spotlight on modern-day campus activism, law enforcement tactics and the contentious debate over Israel’s war in Gaza. In the last three weeks, more than 2,000 people have been arrested across the U.S., according to a tally compiled by NBC News.

Some 100,000 "Dreamers" Expected To Sign Up For Obamacare Under New Rule, White House Says

Roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children are expected to enroll in the Affordable Care Act's health insurance next year under a new directive the Biden administration released Friday.

The move took longer than promised to finalize and fell short of President Biden's initial proposal to allow those migrants to sign up for Medicaid, the health insurance program that provides nearly free coverage for the nation's poorest people.

5 Takeaways From Competing Democratic, GOP Farm Bill Plans

House Republicans and Democrats have released two dueling visions for the farm bill, the massive $1.5 trillion omnibus that underpins the U.S. food system.

The contrasting proposals show the fault lines between the two parties’ visions for American agriculture as it is beset by rising supply costs and climate change.

Why Johnson Is Stuck With Threats To End His Speakership

Speaker Mike Johnson will likely escape Marjorie Taylor Greene’s first attempt to fire him. The threat of an ouster vote will still haunt him all year long.

Despite near-universal consensus in the House that allowing any one member to force a snap vote on booting a speaker is a recipe for chaos, lawmakers in both parties are increasingly acknowledging that they have almost no chance of changing that rule before January.

US Jobs Report For April Will Likely Point To A Slower But Still-Strong Pace Of Hiring

The American economy likely delivered another solid hiring gain in April, showing continuing durability in the face of the highest interest rates in two decades.

The Labor Department is expected to report Friday that employers added a healthy 233,000 jobs last month, down from a sizzling 303,000 in March but still a decidedly healthy total, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.

Wisconsin Headlines

Mount Horeb Area School District Offers Resources To Families After Shooting Of Armed Student

A day after police shot and killed an armed student outside Mount Horeb Middle School, school district officials opened the doors of the high school for a “demonstration of community cohesion.”

On Wednesday, a student classmates described as a 14-year-old boy arrived at the middle school in the late morning with a gun. The armed student never made it inside the school. He was shot and killed by Mount Horeb Police officers who had rushed to the school after receiving a call about an armed person.

Milwaukee Election Official Sentenced In Ballot Fraud Case

A former top Milwaukee election official, convicted of election fraud, learned her punishment Thursday.

The actions that led to the charges against Kimberly Zapata came during a volatile election cycle.

According to our Milwaukee station, Zapata told the court she did what she did because she had a breakdown, and now she's a convicted felon.

Bucks Eliminated From Playoffs In Game 6 Loss Vs. Pacers

Obi Toppin scored 21 points, T.J. McConnell had 20 points and nine assists and the Indiana Pacers won a playoff series for the first time in a decade, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 120-98 in Game 6 on Thursday night.

The Pacers will face the winner of the Philadelphia-New York series in the Eastern Conference semifinals. New York took a 3-2 lead into Game 6 later Thursday.

Apple Lake Aea Helps Lead Conservation Efforts In Northwestern Wisconsin

Situated in Wisconsin's Northwoods just east of the Mississippi River, the Apple Lake Agricultural Enterprise Area (AEA) is surrounded by small lakes in the Lower Apple River Watershed. This AEA covers almost 10,000 acres in the towns of Farmington and Alden in Polk County, and the town of Star Prairie in St. Croix County. Originally established in 2011, the Apple Lake AEA is rooted in its commitment to improving and protecting the local surface waters of the Horse Creek Watershed.

Volunteer Rediscovers Rare Plant Not Seen In Wisconsin For Over 100 Years

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that a population of Maryland senna (Senna marilandica), a rare plant not seen in Wisconsin since 1911, was rediscovered in southwest Wisconsin.

George Riggin, a trained volunteer for the DNR's Rare Plant Monitoring Program, and Bridget Rathman, DNR Habitat Biologist, spotted the plant