What you need to know: Thursday
It’s Thursday, May 7 and here is your day ahead:
In local news…
WEATHER: Today will be partly sunny, windy, warm, and humid with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing, mainly in the afternoon as a cold front approaches from the west. High temperatures will be near 80. Full forecast
1. POLICE BODY CAMERAS
Public forum: The UW Madison Police Department will hear from the public again today about the idea of officers wearing body cameras. The department held the first of two forums last night focusing on when officers should turn the body cameras on and off, and when recorded materials should be shared. The department has committed to bringing the cameras online by this summer. More on this story
2. FISKARS TO BRING JOBS TO MIDDLETON
Company consolidating operations: The UW Madison Police Department will hear from the public again today about the idea of officers wearing body cameras. The department held the first of two forums last night focusing on when officers should turn the body cameras on and off, and when recorded materials should be shared. The department has committed to bringing the cameras online by this summer. More on this story
3. UW FRATERNITY
Terminated: A fraternity chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been terminated after months of suspension, according to the university. In a news release Wednesday afternoon, UW-Madison said Alpha Epsilon Pi violated Student Organization Code of Conduct policies and was terminated. AEP, a Jewish-oriented fraternity, was under suspension for underage drinking violations, officials said. Under the suspension, the fraternity was not allowed to host any recruitment, philanthropy or social activities. AEP’s chapter president, Ethan Asher, said the organization was caught in a “problematic situation.” The chapter can appeal the Committee on Student Organizations’ decision. More on this story
4. PARK CAMPING FEES
Going up?: The Legislature’s finance committee is set to consider whether to go along with Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to raise state park admission and camping fees. The governor’s budget proposal calls for an end to funding park operations with tax dollars and make the parks self-sustaining through fees and sponsorships. His budget calls for raising annual entrance fees for state residents and non-residents by $3 and nightly state park and forest camping fees by $2. The state Department of Natural Resources has indicated it would consider selling naming rights to state parks as well. More on this story
5. WISCONSIN SPORTS AWARDS
Front row seat: The 4th annual Wisconsin Sports Awards are being handed out tonight. The biggest names in professional and amateur sports will be in Kohler, Wisconsin for the event. News 3’s Mark Koehn and Susan Siman will be on location for Live at Five tonight with your front row seat to all the action.
In national news…
1. FREDDIE GRAY
The knife: Was Freddie Gray’s knife legal? That’s the latest flashpoint in the case that has gripped the nation’s attention the past few weeks. When she announced charges last week, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said the knife was legal under Maryland law, meaning his subsequent arrest was illegal. But police argue otherwise, and attorneys for two of the officers charged in the case have filed motions to inspect the knife he was carrying when he was arrested. Court documents say it was a “spring-assisted, one-hand-operated knife.” Mosby has said the knife was not a switchblade, which are illegal in Maryland. The law is even stricter in Baltimore, where it’s “also illegal to have a spring-action knife,” said a defense attorney. More on this story
2. SEVERE WEATHER
Spring storms: A rough evening and night in the Midwest, as severe storms ripped through the region yesterday bringing tornadoes, flooding and heavy winds. The storm hit parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Tornado damage was reported southwest of Oklahoma City, and the city’s main airport was shut down. At least 13 people were hurt when a tornado hit a mobile home park. Oklahoma City’s main threat last night was flash floods as residents reported washed-out roads. A semitrailer was blown over and parts of an exterior wall of a hotel in Norman was ripped off. More on this story
3. POLICE UNDER FIRE
New lawsuit: Four black parole officers sue an upstate New York city and police department, accusing its white officers of racial profiling and violating their civil rights during a traffic stop last year. The black officers — all with New York State Parole — said white officers from the Ramapo Police Department drew their weapons, physically assaulted them and continued to detain them even after they were identified as parole officers. A Ramapo city official said the police officers’ actions were justified and the parole officers hadn’t notified the city they would be in town. Most of the arrest was captured on dashcam video. More on this story
Rebel training: It’s controversial, but it’s about to begin. The Pentagon, as soon as this week, will begin to train moderate Syrian rebels at locations in Turkey and Jordan to fight ISIS. The first of 400 U.S. military trainers have arrived in both countries, and some 400 out of 3,000 rebels interested in the training have passed an initial security screening. The rebels will be trained on small arms, radios, medical gear and battlefield tactics. The controversy comes in the risk that some of the fighters may decide to take their weapons and training and go fight the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — not the goal of the training. Some rebels leaders say the number of fighters trained is too low and the fighters need more sophisticated weaponry. But U.S. officials are hesitant to give rebels heavier weapons, fearing they could end up in the hands of terror groups. More on this story
5. UK ELECTIONS
Voting time: Britons head to the polls to cast votes in a number of contests in an election that could change the country’s political landscape. Some political observers predict the vote will likely leave no clear, big winner and instead produce a fractious coalition or weak government that would struggle to survive, let alone get anything done. The prime minister candidates are incumbent David Cameron, head of the center-right Conservatives, and Ed Miliband, leader of the center-left Labour Party. Opinion polls say there’s no clear favorite. More on this story
