Morning Headlines - Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

So-Called Doomsday Glacier Is ‘In Trouble,’ Scientists Say After Finding Surprising Formations Under Ice Shelf

Antarctica’s “Doomsday Glacier” – nicknamed because its collapse could drive catastrophic sea level rise – is melting rapidly in unexpected ways, according to new research.

The Thwaites Glacier is roughly the size of Florida and is located in West Antarctica. Part of what holds it in place is an ice shelf that juts out onto the surface of the ocean. The shelf acts like a cork, holding the glacier back on the land and providing an important defense against sea level rise.

But the crucial ice shelf is highly vulnerable as the ocean warms.

Biden Set To Pounce On Much-Wanted Surprise At World Bank

President Biden plans to move quickly to replace David Malpass as president of the World Bank Group, seizing on his departure to transform the bank into an institution dedicated to fighting climate change, White House advisers say.

Malpass’ surprise decision to leave his term early gives the Biden's administration something it wanted even before the president was inaugurated: A chance for Biden to pick a new World Bank leader.

Oakland Police Chief Fired After Alleged Cover-Up Of Officer Misconduct: 'Significant Cultural Problems'

The city of Oakland, California, fired its police chief on Wednesday over the alleged cover-up of an officer's misconduct, marking the loss of the city's seventh head of police since 2016 as the department hits 20 years under federal oversight.

Democratic Mayor Sheng Thao announced she was firing Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong after an independent investigation concluded the chief and the department failed to properly investigate and discipline Sgt. Michael Chung, who was involved in a hit-and-run with his patrol car in 2021.

A separate incident also showed Chung fired his firearm inside an elevator at police headquarters, according to The Associated Press.

Senior Democrats’ Private Take On Biden: He’s Too Old

High-level Democrats are rallying to President Biden’s reelection, not because they think it’s in the best interest of the country to have an 82-year-old start a second term but because they fear the potential alternative: the nomination of Kamala Harris and election of Donald Trump.

Not that many of them will say it publicly, at least not that directly.

Raquel Welch: Actress And Model Dies At 82

US actress Raquel Welch, often credited with paving the way for modern day action heroines in Hollywood films, has died at the age of 82.

The star passed away peacefully on Wednesday morning after a brief illness, her manager said.

Welch became an international sex symbol in the 1960s, widely remembered for playing a bikini-clad cavewoman in the 1966 film One Million Years B.C.

She also won a Golden Globe for her role in 1974's The Three Musketeers.

Everett Mitchell Says Wisconsin Supreme Court Does More Than Public Realizes

Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell said recently that the state Supreme Court he’s running to join has more authority to affect policy and decide how courts across Wisconsin are run than the public realizes.

He is one of four candidates running in the Feb. 21 primary as conservative Justice Patience Roggensack is retiring. The top two candidates will advance to an April general election that could tip the ideological balance of the court, where conservatives currently hold a 4-3 majority.

Evers Proposes Tax Cuts, School Funding And A Family Leave Program In 2023 Budget Plan

Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers made a plea for bipartisanship with the unveiling of a nearly $104 billion 2023-25 state budget that includes a new paid family leave program for most public and private-sector workers, tax cuts for the middle class, a plan to keep the Milwaukee Brewers in their stadium until at least 2043 and higher spending for public schools.

"Let's not allow our work together to be hindered by partisanship," Evers said in his Feb. 15 speech to the GOP-controlled Legislature. "Let's dispose of the notion that the priorities in this budget are somehow extreme or far-fetched. I promise you this: In this budget, there's more that unites us than divides us."

Holmen Man Sentenced To 12 Years For Methamphetamine Trafficking

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Todd Valentine, 53, Holmen, Wisconsin was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 12 years in federal prison for distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Valentine pleaded guilty to this charge on October 24, 2022.

In early 2021, law enforcement officers were made aware that Valentine was distributing significant quantities of methamphetamine. On April 19, 2021, Marquette County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Valentine was a passenger. After a positive K9 alert, officers searched the vehicle and found 71 grams of methamphetamine.

WisDOT’s Waiver Extension Aims To Open New Route For School Bus Driver Licenses

Amid a hiring challenge that puts qualified drivers in school buses, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has extended a testing waiver so more drivers are comfortable applying for a school bus license. The portion of the test that identifies ‘under the hood’ engine components is now waived until November 27, 2024. All other components of the written and road tests will remain.

Wisconsin is one of six states taking advantage of this long-term extension enacted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). This waiver lets states modify the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) test so more commercial drivers can add a school bus license (S endorsement) to their credentials. Drivers seeking this credential will not have to identify engine parts during the pre-trip vehicle inspection portion of the skills test.

Aaron Rodgers Is Floating Conspiracy Theories About The U.S. Downing UFOs

Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, is no stranger to right-wing talking points. He’s a proud anti-vaxxer and has railed against the “woke mob” coming to “cancel” him, all while insisting he’s not a conspiracy theorist — only a “free thinker.”

Rodgers has apparently been thinking freely about the spate of high-altitude objects the U.S. has downed over the past week, too. The four-time NFL MVP floated on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday that the hubbub surrounding the UFOs is a manufactured ploy to distract the public.