Morning Headlines - Monday, Feb. 13, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Chiefs, Eagles Slip, Slide On Super Bowl's 'Terrible' Surface

The field at State Farm Stadium turned into a Super Bowl slip and slide on Sunday night, and after the Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, the surface was among many hot topics.

"The field was kind of terrible," Kansas City defensive lineman Frank Clark said. "We've had this problem in Arizona before. A lot of these stadiums try to do new tactics with the grass, they try to do new things. I've been playing football since I was 7. The best grass is grass that is naturally there.

"At the end of the day, it was the field that we were given."

The Biggest Star Of Super Bowl LVII Commercials? Nostalgia

Although a range of companies are advertising their wares during Super Bowl LVII, a common theme runs through many of the spots: nostalgia.

Many of this year's crop of Super Bowl ads are playing it safe, tapping cultural references from the 1970s, '80s and '90s. For example, tennis champion Serena Williams stars in a Michelob Ultra ad that draws on the classic comedy "Caddyshack," while John Travolta, who starred in "Grease" more than 40 years ago, croons the musical's hit "Summer Nights" on behalf of T-Mobile's 5G home internet service.

"Super Bowl ads are always a reflection of the country, to some degree," said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University. "Companies are sticking with lighthearted advertising as a safe approach given all the challenges facing the country."

What You Need To Know About The Four High-altitude Objects Shot Down Over North America

The unidentified object the U.S. shot down Sunday over Lake Huron was the fourth taken down over North America in less than two weeks and the third in as many days.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told ABC News that U.S. officials believe an object shot down Friday over Alaska, as well as the one downed Saturday over Canada, were balloons. So was the object shot down this month off South Carolina, which officials said China was using for surveillance.

A national security spokesperson said the objects over Canada and Alaska “did not closely resemble and were much smaller than” the suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down Feb. 4.

US Tells Citizens To Leave Russia Immediately

The U.S. on Monday issued a top-level advisory telling American citizens to leave Russia immediately and cease travel to the country as Russia’s war against neighboring Ukraine continues, citing risks of harassment and wrongful detention for Americans specifically.

“Do not travel to Russia due to the unpredictable consequences of the unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces, the potential for harassment and the singling out of U.S. citizens for detention by Russian government security officials, the arbitrary enforcement of local law, limited flights into and out of Russia, the Embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia, and the possibility of terrorism.”

‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl Ads Part of Billion-Dollar Campaign

The first time she saw an ad for “He Gets Us,” a national campaign devoted to redeeming the brand of Christianity’s savior, Jennifer Quattlebaum had one thought on her mind.

Show me the money.

A self-described “love more” Christian and ordinary mom who works in marketing, Quattlebaum loved the message of the ad, which promoted the idea that Jesus understands contemporary issues from a grassroots perspective. But she wondered who was paying for the ads and what their agenda was.

“I mean, Jesus gets us,” she said. “But what group is behind them?”

Wisconsin Headlines

Evers' Budget Pushes Automatic Registration, Voting Changes

Wisconsin drivers would be automatically registered to vote under Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' executive budget, the governor's office announced Monday.

The governor’s plan would earmark more than $500,000 for the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Department of Transportation to register eligible citizens whose information is on file with the DOT. At least 20 states already automatically register voters.

Lawsuit From Former Foxconn Employee Alleges Company Underpaid Employees

A new lawsuit claims employees working for Foxconn at its Mount Pleasant facility were underpaid because the company routinely shaved time off timesheets.

The federal class action lawsuit was filed this week by Scotty Allen, a former employee of FII USA, Inc., or Foxconn Industrial Internet U.S.A. The lawsuit alleges Allen was fired because he complained to his bosses that the company was changing the "clock in" and "clock out" times for him and other employees.

For example, Allen said if he clocked in to work at 3:25 p.m., the time clock would automatically round up that time to 3:30 p.m. because the clock operates in 15-minute increments. The lawsuit claims by doing so, the company violated federal and state workers rights laws. 

DHS Implementing Next Phase Of 988 Lifeline Plan

Implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in Wisconsin is moving to its next phase. A year-long, multimedia campaign aims to make sure all state residents know this free and confidential service is here.

Department of Health Services Crisis Services Coordinator Caroline Crehan Neumann said the message is simple. “If you are in a mental health or substance use crisis you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org/chat/.”

Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigation In Dodge County

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer involved critical incident in Beaver Dam, Wis. that occurred on the afternoon of Sunday, February 12, 2023.

At approximately 3:31 p.m., law enforcement from Beaver Dam Police Department was notified of a domestic disturbance in an outside jurisdiction and the subject from that disturbance was driving a vehicle. A Beaver Dam Police officer located the vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, which led to a brief vehicle pursuit. The subject then pulled over on the 500 block of Louise Lane in Beaver Dam, WI and remained in their vehicle. Law enforcement were aware of a firearm in the subject’s possession and stayed at a distance while attempting verbal commands, which the subject ignored. Ultimately, upon approach, law enforcement found the subject deceased. A firearm was recovered in the subject’s vehicle.

No law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident.

DMV Explains Steps To Obtain An ID To Vote

​The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) explains the steps needed to obtain an ID to vote if the voter does not already have some form of ID to show at the polls, such as a Wisconsin driver license or ID. There is no separate “voter ID” and a REAL ID is not required in the state.