CHRISTMAS PARADE-SUV
Wisconsin Republicans urge removal of DA over parade deaths
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican state lawmakers are calling on Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, to remove Milwaukee County’s top prosecutor because his office recommended $1,000 bail for a man before he allegedly drove his vehicle through a Christmas parade, killing six people. Darrell Brooks Jr. posted the bail five days before prosecutors say he drove his SUV through the packed parade route in Waukesha on Nov. 21, killing five adults and a child and injuring about 60 other people. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, a Democrat, last week called the bail recommendation from his office “inappropriately low” given the circumstances of the crimes Brooks was facing and his prior history. But 16 GOP lawmakers from the Waukesha area Chisholm’s immediate removal.
SEXUAL ASSAULT-UNTESTED KITS
Evers signs bills to improve sexual assault kit process
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers has signed bipartisan bills establishing a first-ever process for collecting and tracking sexual assault evidence kits, proposals that stalled for years over partisan bickering despite widespread support among law enforcement agencies, victims’ advocates and others across Wisconsin. Evers’ signature of the measures Monday drew praise from Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and Republican lawmakers. It completes a yearslong struggle to create protocols in the law for processing and retaining the kits, which can provide integral evidence in sexual assault cases. Evers says the new laws will increase transparency and accountability in the state’s testing process.
WINTRY WEATHER
Wintry weather causes dangerous travel in some states
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — A strong storm that created blizzard-like conditions in several Upper Midwest states left behind more than a foot of snow in some places, closed an interstate and dozens of schools and contributed to numerous accidents, including one that was fatal. A slick highway in Beltrami County, Minnesota was cited in crash that killed a 20-year-old passenger in a two-vehicle collision Sunday night. In North Dakota, the Department of Transportation and Highway Patrol closed Interstate 29 from the Canadian border to Grand Forks Sunday night due to blizzard-like conditions and reopened it Monday morning. In Wisconsin, Rhinelander, Phelps and Northland Pines were among school districts that called off classes Monday.
AP-US-ELECTION-LAWS-WISCONSIN
Trump-tied group pushing for voting changes in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wisc. (AP) — A group supporting former President Donald Trump’s agenda is working to bypass Wisconsin’s Democratic governor to change the swing state’s election laws. The disclosure was made by former Trump spokesman Hogan Gidley during a meeting a conservative group held for state lawmakers. Wisconsin Republicans are trying to change the state’s election system but anticipate being blocked by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Gidley said his Center for Election Integrity is working with state Republicans to put a measure on the ballot to implement changes. Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud have fueled Republican attempts to change voting in several states.
FATAL FIRE-BELOIT
Fire at pool hall in Beloit kills one man
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A fire at a pool hall early Sunday in Beloit killed one man. The Beloit Fire Department said in a statement it has not found the cause of the fire, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s state fire marshal has been asked to assist with the investigation. The office specializes in determining the cause of fires and whether they are intentional.
SEVERE WEATHER-MINNESOTA
Winter storm brings heavy snowfall in northern Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Snowfall reached nearly 1 foot on Sunday in some parts of northern Minnesota. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning in Minnesota’s Cook County and a winter storm warning across the northern regions of Wisconsin and Minnesota until early Monday. Forecasters warned that strong winds and heavy snow would make travel dangerous. The National Weather Service reported snowfall of 11 inches in Erskine and warned that the hardest-hit areas could see up to 16 inches from the storm. The Minnesota State Patrol reported hundreds of car crashes during the storm. Authorities said 26 of the crashes resulted in injuries. No fatalities were reported.
WHITEWATER POLICE CHIEF-LEAVE
Whitewater police chief put on leave during investigation
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Whitewater Police Department has placed its chief on paid leave as an outside agency investigates an unspecified incident. The police department says in a statement that an internal investigation will be conducted into an incident that happened outside Whitewater’s city limits, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. The department would not release any more information on the incident because it is an ongoing investigation. The department said Chief Aaron Raap’s leave is part of the agency’s policy and not punitive. Deputy Chief Dan Meyer has stepped into Raap’s role.
AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK
Fauci says early reports encouraging about omicron variant
U.S. health officials say that while the omicron variant of the coronavirus is rapidly spreading in the country, early indications suggest it may be less dangerous than delta, which continues to drive a surge of hospitalizations. President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told CNN’s “State of the Union” scientists need more information before drawing conclusions about omicron’s severity. But reports from South Africa, where it emerged and is becoming the dominant strain, suggest hospitalization rates have not increased alarmingly. Omicron had been detected in about a third of U.S. states by Sunday. Fauci said the Biden administration is considering lifting travel restrictions against noncitizens entering the United States from several African countries.
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