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Gov. Tony Evers is requiring all Wisconsin residents to wear face masks while indoors until the end of September. . . . Along with the new face mask requirement, Evers declared a new public health emergency in Wisconsin over rising cases of the virus — a move considered legally dubious by conservatives. . . . The governor is issuing the statewide mandate after first maintaining he lacked the authority do so and then changing course, saying for weeks he was considering the idea but worried Republican lawmakers would take him to the Wisconsin Supreme Court again. . . . The...

MADISON - The Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down Gov. Tony Evers' order shutting down daily life to limit the spread of coronavirus — marking the first time a statewide order of its kind has been knocked down by a court of last resort. The state's highest court, which is controlled by conservatives, sided with Republican lawmakers Wednesday in a decision that curbed the Evers administration's power to act unilaterally during public health emergencies.

Police fired 26 shots at Waukesha Man on Tuesday WAUKESHA -- Law enforcement authorities fired 26 rounds at a man allegedly involved in a domestic dispute in Waukesha on Tuesday, according to Waukesha Police Chief Russell Jack. None of the shots hit the man, Dick Petarius, 76. Chief Jack says police were responding to a domestic dispute in the 1800 block of Racine Avenue Tuesday evening. Petarius' ex-wife, Phyllis reportedly had a broken arm after her ex-husband, Dick, pushed her, according to police. Court documents show Phyllis filed a restraining order against Dick in 2010, the same year she filed...

When I look back at history, I think it is just great how President Nixon is responsible for landing men on the moon. What's that? You say that President Kennedy is really responsible for initiating the plan years before, and that President Nixon just happened to be the guy in charge when it finally happened? Oh, ok. That's fine. I think it is just great how President Obama is responsible for killing bin Laden.

Chicago tops L.A., will bid for Olympics By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writer 15 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Now Chicago takes on the rest of the world. The Windy City's bid to hold a Summer Games for the first time moved to the international stage Saturday when the U.S. Olympic Committee capped a yearlong search for an American candidate for 2016 by picking Chicago over two-time host Los Angeles. "It's just beginning," said Patrick Ryan, Chicago's bid committee chairman. "It's a long road."Having won over the USOC despite lacking venues ready for an Olympics, Chicago's task is to persuade...

Texas view on environment is 18 lanes wide-critics By Anna Driver Fri Jan 19, 8:45 AM ET HOUSTON (Reuters) - As President Bush readies a new plan on global warming, environmentalists say an 18-lane highway going up in Houston speaks volumes about how people in his home state of Texas view the planet. Between 2003 and 2009, $2.7 billion of state and federal money will have been plowed into expanding 23 miles of Interstate-10 in west Houston to as wide as 18 lanes in some stretches of the city's main east-west road."It is a concrete monstrosity," said Jim Blackburn,...

U.S. forces detain 60 at Iraq funeral By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writer 57 minutes ago BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces raided a funeral gathering and detained 60 men suspected of links with an al-Qaida cell blamed for a spate of car bomb attacks in Baghdad, the U.S. command said Saturday. Despite the rise in Iraq's sectarian violence, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he would not rule out U.S. troop reductions this year. Pace, who arrived in Baghdad on Saturday, said he would consult with top commanders on the outlook for a...

WASHINGTON - The nation's top climate scientists are giving "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's documentary on global warming, five stars for accuracy. The former vice president's movie — replete with the prospect of a flooded New York City, an inundated Florida, more and nastier hurricanes, worsening droughts, retreating glaciers and disappearing ice sheets — mostly got the science right, said all 19 climate scientists who had seen the movie or read the book and answered questions from The Associated Press. The AP contacted more than 100 top climate researchers by e-mail and phone for their opinion. Among those contacted were...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. economy appears to be shifting into a lower gear with residential construction falling sharply and manufacturing activity slowing. The big question: Will the slowdown come in time to keep inflation from heating up?

U.N. Says U.S. Should Close Gitmo Prison By SAM CAGE, Associated Press Writer GENEVA - The United States should close its prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and avoid using secret detention facilities in the war on terror, the U.N. panel that monitors compliance with the world's anti-torture treaty said Friday. The Committee Against Torture also said detainees should not be returned to any country where they could face a "real risk" of being tortured.The criticism, contained in an 11-page report, followed a hearing in Geneva this month on U.S. adherence to the 1984 U.N. Convention Against Torture. The criticism carries...

WASHINGTON - The government had advance warning of the danger and potential damage from Hurricane Katrina before the storm hit, newly released documents show. Despite early warnings, plans to evacuate people from New Orleans in the approach of a catastrophic storm were only 10 percent complete a month before the devestating hurricane that accounted for more than 1,100 deaths. "If you think soup lines in the Depression were long, wait till you see lines" at collection points in New Orleans, Transportation Department regional emergency officer Don Day said at a July 29 briefing with federal and state authorities. "We're at...

NEW YORK - The National Security Agency's Internet site has been placing files on visitors' computers that can track their Web surfing activity despite strict federal rules banning most of them. These files, known as "cookies," disappeared after a privacy activist complained and The Associated Press made inquiries this week, and agency officials acknowledged Wednesday they had made a mistake. Nonetheless, the issue raises questions about privacy at a spy agency already on the defensive amid reports of a secretive eavesdropping program in the United States. "Considering the surveillance power the NSA has, cookies are not exactly a major concern,"...

Library Internet Access Better Than Ever By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer NEW YORK - Virtually every U.S. public library now offers free Internet access but most ration it, inhibiting the ability of lower-income families to benefit from the Information Age. Libraries in Fresno County, Calif., impose a half-hour limit during peak periods, but one branch reported that patrons needed two hours or more of computer time just to fill out online job applications for a new Home Depot store.Typically, two to seven people are waiting for a computer to become free at the main library.Time limits mean "people...

TOKYO - After first scoffing at requests to pay for damage to Japan's Embassy and consulates from recent anti-Japanese riots, China has quietly reversed course and promised to restore the buildings to their previous condition, a Japanese official said Wednesday. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing assured Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa in Beijing that the damaged buildings would be restored, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda."China is saying that it will repair (the damage), and I think it's a big step forward," Hosoda told reporters.Hosoda said that Li offered to fix damage to the Japanese Embassy and the ambassador's...

Santa Workshop Said Under Threat from N.Pole ThawBy Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent OSLO (Reuters) - Santa may have to move his workshop from the North Pole because global warming is thawing the ice beneath his elves' and reindeers' feet. "Santa's workshop is in dire straits. The platform for the workshop is melting," Stefan Norris, of the WWF environmental group's Arctic Program, said Wednesday. An eight-nation report by 250 scientists last month predicted the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by 2100 because of a build-up of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, mainly from burning fossil fuels in cars or...

173rd Annual General ConferenceInternet BroadcastSaturday and Sunday, 5 and 6 April 2003 In order to serve a larger audience, video streams will only be available in the archives. The general priesthood meeting will be held on 5 April at 6:00 p.m. This meeting will not be broadcast over the Internet. Priesthood bearers are encouraged to attend the meeting at their local stake centers or other meetinghouses where the session will be broadcast. To listen to general conference, follow these steps: 1. Download and install a multimedia player. 2. Click on a link under Available Streams for the language in which...

New trial ordered for Ted Oswald Adelman finds jury biased against son in epic crime spree By LISA SINKlsink@journalsentinel.com Last Updated: March 27, 2003 Waukesha - Citing juror bias, Federal Judge Lynn Adelman has ordered a new trial for Ted Oswald, convicted with his father in a notorious Waukesha County crime spree that left a police captain dead. New Trial Ordered Ted Oswald Photo/File Reaction At best, it's disturbing - Diane Lutz,widow of slain Waukesha Police Capt. James Lutz A federal trial judge has effectively overturned the state Supreme Court. - Lee S. Dreyfus Jr., ,circuit judge who presided over...

Nasdaq reached improbable peak 3 years ago today Happy anniversary 03/10/2003 By BILL DEENER / The Dallas Morning News On that Friday afternoon three years ago, millions of investors probably left work feeling pretty darn smart, smug and secure in their newfound riches. The Nasdaq composite index, with its focus on technology stocks, hit its all-time high of 5,048.62 on March 10, 2000, after a remarkable 2,000-point run up over the previous four months. It seemed the high-octane speculative energy that had propelled the Nasdaq into the stratosphere would last forever. No one knew it then, but that Friday was...

  Science - Reuters Bananas' Days May Be Numbered, Scientist Says Wed Jan 15, 3:34 PM ET Add Science - Reuters to My Yahoo! LONDON (Reuters) - It is one of the world's favorite fruits, but the banana hasn't had sex in years and its days may be are numbered. Without scientific help the sterile, seedless fruit could disappear with 10 years, according to a Belgian plant pathologist. Emile Frison, the head of the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain in Monpellier, France, said the fruit lacks the genetic diversity to fight off diseases and pests...

The 172nd Semiannual General Conference of the Church will convene in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday and Sunday, 5–6 October 2002. The Saturday general sessions will be held at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Sunday sessions will be held at 9:30 a.m. (which includes Music and the Spoken Word) and 2:00 p.m. The general priesthood meeting will be held in the Conference Center on Saturday, 5 October, at 6:00 p.m. The First Presidency has invited all members and friends to participate in general conference by attending, viewing, or listening via television, radio, satellite, or Internet transmission...