Top News
US Congress moves ahead on bill to push TikTok's Chinese owner to sell
By Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An effort to force TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the social media app or face a ban in the U.S. was gaining steam in Congress on Thursday, with the House of Representatives setting a vote for S...
2h ago
Former Badgers Guard A.J. Storr Set To Transfer To Kansas; Chucky Hepburn Enters Transfer Portal
MADISON, WI (WSAU) - Former Wisconsin Badgers star A.J. Storr has decided on where he will play basketball this upcoming season, moving from the Big Ten to the Big 12. According to On3, Storr has committed to the Kansas Jayhawks after considering numerous teams, including Arkansas, Illinois, and Texas, based on potenti...
2h ago
Mortgage rates top 7% for the first time this year, Freddie Mac says
By Amina Niasse NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. mortgage rates increased by the most since June and also crossed the 7% threshold for the first time since December, muddling home sales growth, a Thursday report said. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-r...
3h ago
Explosion Levels Rural Wood County Home
TOWN OF SARATOGA, WI (WSAU) -- Crews in Wood County were called to a home explosion and fire in the Town of Saratoga on Wednesday. It happened at 7840 Pinehaven Court at 9:45 PM where a home was fully engulfed in flames. The homeowner confirmed that no one was in the building at the time, and crews managed to extinguis...
3h ago
liz west / CC
Bangstad Issues Statement Regarding Arrest Warrant Authorization
MINOCQUA, WI (WSAU) -- Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad says he had dates mixed up, causing him to miss a court appearance on Wednesday. In a lengthy post to Facebook, Bangstad says he has been required to turn over documents related to his personal finances and the brewery, even though his insurance compan...
4h ago
Local News
Explosion Levels Rural Wood County Home
TOWN OF SARATOGA, WI (WSAU) -- Crews in Wood County were called to a home explosion and fire in the Town of Saratoga on Wednesday. It happened at 7840 Pinehaven Court at 9:45 PM where a home was fully engulfed in flames. The homeowner confirmed that no one was in the building at the time, and crews managed to extinguis...
3h ago
liz west / CC
Bangstad Issues Statement Regarding Arrest Warrant Authorization
MINOCQUA, WI (WSAU) -- Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad says he had dates mixed up, causing him to miss a court appearance on Wednesday. In a lengthy post to Facebook, Bangstad says he has been required to turn over documents related to his personal finances and the brewery, even though his insurance compan...
4h ago
State Of Affairs Ep. 12 Wisconsin Republican Rep. Calvin Callahan
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) - State of Affairs episode twelve is now available, featuring Republican Wisconsin 35th Assembly Rep. Calvin Callahan joining the program to discuss his campaign and issues facing the state. While discussing Gov. Evers's recent decisions to veto several bills that would've provided tax cuts to Wiscons...
10h ago
Arrest Warrant Authorized for Minocqua Brewing Company Owner
RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU) -- An arrest warrant has been authorized for Minocqua Brewing Company founder Kirk Bangstad in connection with a civil case that dates back to 2021. The Democratic activist was found to be in contempt after he failed to appear in Rhinelander for a hearing on Wednesday. The hearing was tied to a d...
20h ago
Carbon Monoxide leak at Stevens Point Fire Department
STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU-WAOW) - On Tuesday the Stevens Point Fire Department was forced to act quickly and evacuate due to a carbon monoxide leak. Chief JB Moody says firefighters were in the middle of training when a firefighter smelled something strange. "We evacuated the building and went ahead an checked for a...
Apr 17, 2024
Sports
Packers To Host UTEP Quarterback Gavin Hardison For Top 30 Visit
GREEN BAY, WI (WSAU) - The Green Bay Packers are looking to add a quarterback competition this offseason to see who will back up Jordan Love come September. According to the Packers Wire, the team is hosting UTEP quarterback Gavin Hardison for an official visit this week after previously meeting with Kentucky quarterba...
4h ago
Brewers Knock Off Padres in Pitcher's Dual
MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) -- The Milwaukee Brewers broke up a no-hit bid in the 7th to score a 1-0 win over San Diego on getaway day for both clubs. Willy Adames reached base on a single into shallow right field for the Crew's first hit of the game. Milwaukee would then string together hits from Brice Turang and Blake Perki...
21h ago
Former Badgers Guard A.J. Storr Set To Transfer To Kansas; Chucky Hepburn Enters Transfer Portal
MADISON, WI (WSAU) - Former Wisconsin Badgers star A.J. Storr has decided on where he will play basketball this upcoming season, moving from the Big Ten to the Big 12. According to On3, Storr has committed to the Kansas Jayhawks after considering numerous teams, including Arkansas, Illinois, and Texas, based on potenti...
2h ago
Bucks, Pacers First-Round Playoff Schedule Finalized
NEW YORK, NY (WSAU) -- The NBA has finalized the playoff schedule for all first-round series, including Milwaukee's matchup with the Indiana Pacers. The best-of-seven series begins Sunday at 6:00 PM CT at Fiserv Forum. Game two will also be in Milwaukee on Tuesday, April 23rd with tip-off at 7:30 PM. Games three and fo...
Apr 17, 2024
Packers To Host Kentucky Linebacker Trevin Wallace & Western Michigan's Marshawn Kneeland For Official Visits
GREEN BAY, WI (WSAU) - The 2024 NFL draft is only a little more than a week away, and the Green Bay Packers still have a few Top 30 visits to fill this week. They will be taking a look at two possible day-two linebackers. According to Packers Insider, the Packers are hosting Kentucky linebacker and team captain Trevin ...
Apr 17, 2024
State News
Barca Enters Race in 1st Congressional District
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- A long-time Wisconsin Democratic politician is running for Congress. Peter Barca is challenging Republican Congressman Bryan Steil in his bid for a fourth term representing the 1st Congressional District. Barca is a veteran of Wisconsin politics and his announcement was not unexpected, after h...
51m ago
Body Parts Found Along Lake Michigan Beach 'Believed to Be' Those of Sade Robinson
MILWAUKEE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) -- Body parts that washed ashore along a remote stretch of a Lake Michigan beach in south Milwaukee are "believed to be" those of Sade Robinson. The remains, which included a torso and an arm, were found Thursday morning near 5th and Marina, police say. Robinson, 19, was killed and d...
59m ago
Wisconsin General Fund to Drop Billions of Dollars
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum shows the state's general fund will be dropping significantly from record highs following the pandemic. Researcher Jason Stein says the fund will be dropping from over $6 billion to under $4 billion. "The state going forward does need to be cir...
21h ago
Wisconsin Senators React to Dismissal of Mayorkas Impeachment
(WTAQ-WLUK) -- Wisconsin's U.S. senators are weighing in on the dismissal of articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Sen. Ron Johnson (R) Today Senate Democrats abdicated their constitutional duty and did great harm to the U.S. Senate by cavalierly dismissing the serious charges ...
22h ago
Rain Drops Fire Danger to Low, Winds Rip Roof off Historic Beloit Building
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- All 72 Wisconsin counties have low wildfire danger. That follows rainfall Tuesday night into Wednesday. It's a significant improvement from earlier in the week, when all but 2 counties had high or very high fire danger. It's not all good news though. High winds from Tuesday night's severe weat...
23h ago
National News
Argentina bug invasion knocks $1.3 billion off corn crop
By Maximilian Heath BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - A rare leafhopper insect plague in Argentina has knocked an estimated $1.3 billion off the expected 2023/24 corn crop, the director of economic studies at the Rosario grains exchange said on Thursday, af...
45m ago
Holtec files lawsuit against New York's radioactive materials discharge law
(Reuters) - Holtec International, which is in charge of decommissioning the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York, on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the state over its rules regarding the discharge of radioactive materials from nuclear pow...
46m ago
US will lease public lands for conservation under new policy
(Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday finalized new measures to protect the health of U.S. public lands, including by leasing acreage for conservation in much the same way as it offers land for development like drilling, mining and grazi...
2h ago
US Congress moves ahead on bill to push TikTok's Chinese owner to sell
By Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An effort to force TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the social media app or face a ban in the U.S. was gaining steam in Congress on Thursday, with the House of Representatives setting a vote for S...
2h ago
Louis Vuitton holds 'Voyager' fashion show in Shanghai
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Louis Vuitton debuted its newly-labelled "Voyager" travelling show in Shanghai on Thursday night, showing off asymmetric hemlines and boxy leather vests in the country that is one of the brand's key markets. More than 1,000 inv...
2h ago
World News
UN chief: limited, 'sometimes nil' improvement from Israel action on Gaza aid
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Israel's commitments to improve aid access in the Gaza Strip have had "limited and sometimes nil" impact, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday as he pushed for urgent, mea...
41m ago
EU sees signs China supplying dual-use components to Russia, Dombrovskis says
By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The European Union sees signs that China is supplying components to Russia that could be used to make weapons, and fears China could be emboldened to increase shipments if the West's resolve to oppose Russia'...
1h ago
At UN, Iran warns Israel against further military action
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that Israel "must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests" as the U.N. secretary-general warned that the Mi...
1h ago
Video shows moment of Israeli hostage's capture by Hamas
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - A new video has emerged from Hamas' Oct. 7 attack showing Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas being taken into captivity in Gaza almost 200 days ago. Bibas, his wife and their two sons, who at the time were aged 10 months and four yea...
2h ago
US to spend $1 billion on food aid abroad amid global hunger crisis
By Leah Douglas (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development will distribute $1 billion in U.S. commodities to countries with high hunger rates, the agencies said on Thursday. The countries that w...
3h ago
Business News
US creditors push back against some creative funding trades, Moody's says
By Shankar Ramakrishnan (Reuters) - Lenders are starting to ask for extra protection in junk-rated corporate loans to damp down on a growing practice among some stressed companies to engage in a creative financing technique that allowed them to rai...
44m ago
BOJ's Ueda signals chance of rate hike if weak yen boosts inflation
By Leika Kihara WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Thursday the central bank may raise interest rates again if the yen's declines significantly push up domestic inflation. "There's a possibility the weak yen could push up t...
44m ago
Wall Street steered billions to blacklisted Chinese companies: probe, WSJ reports
(Reuters) - A congressional investigation found that Wall Street used billions of dollars of American retirement savings and other investments to buy shares in index funds that included several blacklisted Chinese companies, the Wall Street Journal...
1h ago
Brazil's finance chief says G20 economies adjusting to delays in Fed rate cut
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - G20 finance ministers and central bank governors are adjusting to expectations that interest rates and the dollar are likely to stay higher for longer after the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled it is likely to delay rate cuts, B...
1h ago
Canada's capital gains tax rise will further knock productivity, say economists
By Fergal Smith TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's plan to raise taxes on the savings of wealthy people and corporations is likely to hold back investment, potentially adding to the productivity malaise that has held back economic growth in recent years,...
1h ago
Health News
World Bank sets goal of expanding healthcare to 1.5 billion people by 2030
By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank Group on Thursday unveiled a new goal to help countries deliver affordable healthcare to 1.5 billion people by 2030 by expanding services to remote areas, cutting fees and other financial barrie...
42m ago
India's Biocon developing its own version of Wegovy, clinical trial likely next year
By Rishika Sadam HYDERABAD (Reuters) - Indian drugmaker Biocon, looking to grab a piece of the exploding weight-loss drug market as early as possible, is developing its own version of Novo Nordisk's wildly popular Wegovy and is prepared to conduct...
3h ago
Dengue cases surge near 50% in the Americas amid 'emergency situation'
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Dengue cases have created an "emergency situation" in the Americas, although cases in hotspots Argentina and Brazil appear to have stabilized, the head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Thursday. PAHO, a Unit...
3h ago
UnitedHealth unit Change Healthcare faces issue processing some medical claims
(Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group said on Thursday a service provided by its Change Healthcare unit was facing an issue receiving batches of medical claims from customers. A fix has been implemented and is being monitored to ensure operability, Optum,...
5h ago
Britain decided not to list genomics as critical infrastructure, deputy PM says
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has decided not to designate genomics as critical national infrastructure, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said on Thursday, adding a review of the issue had concluded that the current system provided sufficient contr...
7h ago
Science News
Fossils of colossal snake Vasuki unearthed in India mine
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fossil vertebrae unearthed in a lignite mine are the remains of one of the largest snakes that ever lived, a monster estimated at up to 49 feet (15 meters) in length - longer than a T. rex - that prowled the sw...
4h ago
Gigantic marine reptile's fossils found by British girl and father
By Will Dunham (Reuters) - A fossil jawbone found by a British girl and her father on a beach in Somerset, England belongs to a gigantic marine reptile dating to 202 million years ago that appears to have been among the largest animals ever on Eart...
Apr 17, 2024
Head of Russian space agency says work under way on modernised Angara rocket
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is working on a modernised Angara-A5M rocket capable of launching manned spacecraft, and plans to launch it in 2027, the head of its Roscosmos state space agency said on Wednesday. "Already now, by order of Roscosmos, a mo...
Apr 17, 2024
Astronomers detect Milky Way's second-largest known black hole
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Astronomers have discovered a black hole with a mass about 33 times greater than that of our sun, the biggest one known in the Milky Way aside from the supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our galax...
Apr 16, 2024
Genome study reveals prehistoric Ethiopian origins of coffee
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - You might call it a cup of Joe, java, mud, brew, mocha, or your morning jolt. Coffee undoubtedly is a big part of global culture, and the kind made from the Arabica bean is the most appreciated by coffee drinke...
Apr 16, 2024
Technology News
Google consolidates its DeepMind and Research teams amid AI push
(Reuters) - Alphabet-owned Google said on Thursday it would consolidate teams that focus on building artificial intelligence models across its Research and DeepMind divisions in its latest push to develop its AI portfolio. Google will relocate i...
1h ago
Exclusive-Bentley Systems explores options amid takeover interest, sources say
By Milana Vinn and Anirban Sen (Reuters) - Bentley Systems, an engineering software company with a market value of about $15 billion, is exploring options that include a sale after attracting acquisition interest, according to people familiar with ...
3h ago
US power, tech companies lament snags in meeting AI energy needs
By Laila Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. electrical systems are not expanding fast enough to meet rapidly growing power needs of technology like Generative AI, prompting data center businesses to sometimes bypass utilities, executives said at an ...
3h ago
US imposes new curbs on Iran's access to 'low-level' tech after attack on Israel
By Karen Freifeld WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. is further restricting Iran's access to "low-level technology," in response to Iran's April 13 attack on Israel and its military support for Russia, according to a posting Thursday by the U.S. Depar...
3h ago
Meta releases early versions of its Llama 3 AI model
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Meta Platforms on Thursday released early versions of its latest large language model, Llama 3, and an image generator that updates pictures in real time while users type prompts, as it races to catch up to generative AI market...
3h ago
Entertainment News
NBA's exclusive TV rights talks with Disney, Warner likely to end without deal, CNBC reports
(Reuters) -The National Basketball Association's exclusive media rights negotiating period with current partners Walt Disney and Warner Bros Discovery is likely to expire without a new deal on Monday, CNBC reported on Thursday. NBA will be able to eng...
47m ago
Alec Baldwin's criminal case hinges on a Wild West revolver
By Andrew Hay TAOS, New Mexico (Reuters) - A Colt .45 "Peacemaker" revolver, a symbol of the American Wild West, is at the center of actor Alec Baldwin's fight to avoid criminal prosecution for the 2021 fatal shooting of "Rust" cinematographer Haly...
9h ago
Concord Chorus to buy music investor Hipgnosis Songs Fund for $1.4 billion
(Reuters) - Concord Chorus, a music and theatrical rights firm, has agreed to acquire British music investor Hipgnosis Songs Fund for $1.40 billion, the companies said on Thursday. Shareholders of Hipgnosis Songs will get $1.16 apiece in cash, repr...
12h ago
Bon Jovi docuseries allows peek at band's private history
By Hanna Rantala LONDON (Reuters) - Rockers Bon Jovi open up about their 40-year career in the new docuseries "Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story". In the four-part show, archival footage and personal videos and photos are intertwined with pr...
22h ago
British actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against publisher of the Sun - court documents
LONDON (Reuters) - British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of The Sun tabloid newspaper over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, his lawyer said in court documents on Wed...
Apr 17, 2024