What you need to know: Friday
It’s Friday, May 8 and here is your day ahead:
In local news…
WEATHER: Today will be mostly cloudy and very mild with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the afternoon as a cold front moves through southern Wisconsin. High temperatures will be in the middle to upper 70s. Full forecast
1. WISCONSIN LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL
Honoring our Heroes: Wisconsin law enforcement members who died in the line of duty are being honored at the State Capitol. Trooper Trevor Casper’s name is among those being added to the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial. Casper was killed in March during a shootout with a robbery suspect in Fond Du Lac. Gov. Scott Walker and police officers from around the state will attend today’s ceremony, which takes place at the Capitol Square at noon. More on this story
2. HUMAN REMAINS IDENTIFIED
Missing woman: Authorities confirm human remains found in Jefferson County are those of a Milwaukee woman missing for a year and a half. The body of Kelly Dwyer was found Friday night in a field in the town of Sullivan. The medical examiner used dental records to confirm Dwyer’s identity. She was last seen on surveillance video going into a friend’s apartment and that friend is considered a person of interest. It’s still unclear what caused her death. A forensic anthropologist in Texas is examining her body for injuries. More on this story
3. HEROIN
‘Game changer’: A drug called Vivitrol is being hailed a “game changer” for those struggling with heroin addiction. The fairly new drug is a monthly injection that blocks the brain’s neurological receptors responsible for an opiate high and addiction. By stopping the brain’s response to heroin, there’s no longer a biological urge to use the drug. Sauk Prairie Police Chief Jerry Strunz knew heroin was a growing problem in his community. It was Tom Kaiser’s story of losing his daughter to heroin that pushed Strunz to do something about the problem. Last year, Strunz brought community leaders to the table to start what’s now known as the CARE Program. Law enforcement, attorneys and medical professionals started collaborating and offering heroin users the resources they may need to successfully stay sober. More on this story
4. ANGELA GIRTON
Still missing: It’s been more than a month now since 5-year-old Angela Girton’s presumed drowning in the Wisconsin River, and the search for her continues. Back on April 6, a babysitter allowed the little girl, her sister and another child to go down to the river near Gotham unsupervised. A state geologist says the river’s unpredictable currents on top of fast moving, obstructing sand, are what is probably creating the difficulty. Girton’s family says they realize the challenges, but say finding her body will bring closure. More on this story
5. ABORTION BILL
Banned after 20 weeks: Wisconsin Republicans have introduced a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Rep. Jesse Kremer, a Kewaskum Republican, and Sen. Mary Lazich, a New Berlin Republican, co-authored the bill introduced Thursday. Kremer said the purpose of the bill is to prevent unborn children from feeling pain. Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling in a statement said the bill would jeopardize women’s health. Gov. Walker on Thursday said he supports the bill and hopes the Legislature could move forward with the abortion ban while it works on the budget. More on this story
In national news…
1. UK ELECTIONS
What a night: It was supposed to be a close election. It turned out to be shocking. The votes are still being counted this morning, but it appears UK Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservative Party have won a majority in Parliament. Polls before the election pointed to an especially close election and possibly a hung Parliament, but the voters had other ideas. Other surprises: The pro-independence Scottish National Party made historic gains, despite the failure of last year’s referendum to leave the United Kingdom. And a 20-year-old politics student scored a major win for the SNP, becoming the country’s youngest lawmaker in more than 300 years and knocking out one of the opposition Labour Party’s top leaders. And what of the Labour Party? Leader Ed Miliband displayed a gift for understatement when he declared it a “disappointing night” for his party. More on this story
2. DEFLATEGATE
Brady speaks (sort of): It wasn’t a “no comment,” but Patriots quarterback Tom Brady didn’t have much to say last night about Deflategate and the recently released report that implicates him in the scandal. The report, led by attorney Ted Wells, says “it is more probable than not” that Brady knew that a pair of Patriots employees were tampering with game-day balls. Brady, speaking last night at a university just north of Boston, said he didn’t have a reaction and hadn’t had time to “digest” the 243-page report. Brady indicated that he would, at some future time, like to say more about the issue. More on this story
3. BALTIMORE
DOJ probe: Later today, the Department of Justice will announce that it is investigating the Baltimore Police Department. The probe, requested by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, will be a so-called pattern or practice investigation, which is a broad, full-scale civil rights examination of the entire department. The investigation, of course, comes in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death and the social unrest that followed. More on this story
Saying goodbye: An estimated 30,000 people — including police officers from across the country — are expected to attend the funeral today of NYPD officer Brian Moore, who was shot in the head Saturday while on duty. Flags at city and state of New York government buildings have been flown at half-staff to honor his memory. The New York Mets had a moment of silence for Moore earlier this week, and Mets players wore NYPD caps during batting practice. More on this story
5. TROPICAL WEATHER
Well, hello Ana: The 2015 Atlantic tropical storm season official began yesterday when Ana was spawned off the coast of Georgia. Ana is actually a subtropical storm because she didn’t form in the tropics. She’s not packing anything close to hurricane force gales, but instead a stiff breeze of 45 mph maximum sustained winds. No, not a hurricane, but nothing to sneer about either. Ana is expected to arrive at the coastline near Charleston, South Carolina, late Sunday. Ana will produce high rip currents on Georgia and South Carolina shores and may push in coastal flooding in South Carolina. More on this story
