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Missouri judge who wore Elvis wigs in courtroom agrees to resign after ‘integrity’ concerns

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Missouri judge who wore Elvis wigs in courtroom agrees to resign after ‘integrity’ concerns

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A Missouri judge who often wore Elvis Presley wigs in his courtroom and played the late rock star’s music has agreed to step down from the bench.

Judge Matthew Thornhill said he wanted to “add levity at times when I thought it would help relax litigants” but also recognized “that this could affect the integrity and solemnity of the proceedings.”

Thornhill, who serves in St. Louis, agreed to take a six-month unpaid leave before returning to the bench for 18 months, then resigning early after reaching a deal with a state board that will help him avoid a disciplinary hearing.

The state’s Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline mentioned Thornhill’s predilection to dress like the king of rock ‘n’ roll, including photos of him dressed in a wig and sunglasses with staff in its report. 

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A Missouri judge who often wore Elvis Presley wigs in his courtroom and played the late rock star’s music, has agreed to step down from the bench. (St. Charles County Circuit Court via AP; Missouri Supreme Court)

The report also mentions Thornhill bringing up politics while on the bench, including mentioning his party affiliation and which candidates he prefers.

It says Thornhill regularly wore the wig around Halloween, sometimes walked into the courtroom while playing Elvis’ music and sometimes offered litigants the option to be sworn in while he played his music on his phone.

He would also allegedly make random references to Elvis during court proceedings at times.

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The commission found his Elvis antics violated rules of “order and decorum” while in the courtroom.

Document showing Judge Matthew Thornhill dressed as Elvis in front of a cardboard cutout of Elvis and a poster of him.  (Missouri Supreme Court)

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The agreement is pending before the Missouri Supreme Court, which has accepted 35 character references for Thornhill.

Thornhill was elected associate circuit judge in 2006, and he served for 18 years. In 2024, he was elected circuit judge in Division 4 and is the longest serving judge in the county, according to the St. Charles County Circuit Court website.

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He’s presided over 25 jury trials and thousands of bench trials during his career.

Thornhill says in his biography on the court’s website that he loves Elvis.  (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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His biography adds that he “loves Elvis, surfing, gardening, watching soccer, golfing with his children, and running with his dog on the Katy Trail.”

Thornhill was also reprimanded and fined $750 in 2008 after he reduced charges for a woman after she offered him a baseball signed by Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw that turned out to be fake, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

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He denies taking the ball.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Wisconsin

Minnesota man convicted of ‘tree stand killings’ of 6 Wisconsin hunters dies

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Minnesota man convicted of ‘tree stand killings’ of 6 Wisconsin hunters dies


Chai Vang died at a hospital, Wisconsin officials confirmed Friday.

A St. Paul man convicted in Wisconsin’s 2004 tree stand killings has died in custody.

Wisconsin corrections officials said Friday that 57-year-old Chai Vang died at a hospital.

Vang was serving six life sentences in the case.

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The shootings happened Nov. 21, 2004, on private hunting land south of Hayward near Exeland. Six hunters were killed and two others were wounded.

Prosecutors said the group confronted Vang for trespassing before he opened fire. Vang claimed he acted in self-defense.

A jury convicted him in 2005 of six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of attempted homicide.



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Detroit, MI

I-94 ramp closures, I-96 shutdown expected to snarl travelers flying out of DTW this weekend

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I-94 ramp closures, I-96 shutdown expected to snarl travelers flying out of DTW this weekend


ROMULUS, Mich. – Travelers heading to Detroit Metropolitan Airport this weekend are urged to plan ahead, as multiple freeway closures could affect travel times.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has closed the westbound I-94 ramps to and from Middlebelt and Merriman roads while crews repair the road surface.

The closures are expected to remain in place through Monday morning (June 15), though officials said the ramps could reopen sooner if work is completed ahead of schedule.

Despite the construction, access to DTW remains available via southbound I-275 to Eureka Road.

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With increased traffic and potential delays, travel experts recommend arriving at the airport 90 minutes to two hours before a domestic flight.

Drivers may want to allow an additional 30 minutes due to ongoing road work near the airport.

Passengers are also encouraged to check in for their flights before leaving home, verify flight information, and have identification and boarding passes readily available when arriving at security checkpoints.

Wearing shoes and clothing that are easy to remove can also help speed up the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening process.

In addition to the work near the airport, eastbound I-96 is closed from the Southfield Freeway to Schaefer Highway as MDOT crews demolish the Hubbell Bridge deck.

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That closure is also expected to remain in place until Monday morning.

Transportation officials advise motorists to check for updated traffic conditions before traveling and to allow extra time to reach their destinations throughout the weekend.

Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.



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Milwaukee, WI

After 15 Ks, safe to say the Phillies won’t be questioning Jacob Misiorowski anymore

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After 15 Ks, safe to say the Phillies won’t be questioning Jacob Misiorowski anymore


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As Jacob Misiorowski faced off with the Philadelphia Phillies – who publicly decried Jacob after his stunning All-Star Game selection last season – the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander and his teammates swore there wasn’t any added venom behind his fastballs on June 12 at American Family Field. 

Try telling that to the radar gun. 

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Misiorowski looked like a man on a mission – even the aw-shucks smiles from his locker postgame tried saying otherwis.e 

The 24-year-old flamethrower incinerated the Phillies over a one-hit shutout in a Brewers’ 6-0 win, coming within one base runner of a perfect game and recording the most strikeouts ever (15) in a shutout of fewer than 100 pitches – colloquially referred to as a “Maddux”. 

Misiorowski reached back for 104.5 mph, the fastest tracked pitch by a starting pitcher ever, and surpassed 103 mph three times against the final batter of his masterpiece.

Aside from a Kyle Schwarber single to lead off the fourth, it was, in a reversal of last July’s proceedings through the press, a bully stomping on innocent prey.

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“What a joke,” is what Phillies shortstop Trea Turner told The Athletic nearly a calendar year ago when news came out that Misiorowski was going to play in the All-Star Game despite just five career outings. “That’s f—ing terrible. I mean that’s terrible, dude.” 

“It’s turning into the Savannah Bananas,” said Nick Castellanos. 

The motive for the Phillies’ comments was to defend their teammate, Cristopher Sánchez. The left-hander Sánchez was having a stellar year at the time and went on to finish second in Cy Young voting, but was passed over on the initial all-star selections. When MLB offered him a spot in the game under the condition he would be available to pitch two days after his final scheduled start of the first half, he declined. 

Misiorowski, though, was caught by the stray blows emanating from Philadelphia’s clubhouse simply for accepting the commissioner’s invitation. The veterans on the Phillies felt his nod cheapened the honor that comes with making the midsummer classic. 

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But the only joke at American Family Field this time were the feeble attempts to make contact with Misiorowski’s heat that registered well north of triple digits all night. 

Banana Ball? Nope. This was just plain bananas.

Misiorowski against the Phillies continued his conquest to do things never seen before on a diamond.

He averaged 101.7 mph with his fastball, which got 23 whiffs, the second most on any pitch in a game in the pitch tracking era (since 2008). He reached 100 mph 58 times, besting the previous record – set by himself, of course – of 57. 

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It was, to put it deftly, one of the greatest pitching performances in baseball history. 

Misiorowski has shown a knack early in his career – this start came on the one-year anniversary of his debut – for rising to the moment, but he denied having any extra ammo for the Phillies. 

“To be honest it’s about the same as the Yankees, Dodgers,” Misiorowski said. “Any of those big market teams, you always want to throw well against them. 

Catcher William Contreras echoed the sentiment. 

“That’s just another Miz performance,” he said. “I don’t think anyone’s paying any mind to that. I didn’t even have any idea of any of that going into the game. Wasn’t paying attention to that. He’s going out there doing what he can to show he deserves to be in the All-Star Game again.” 

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Whether you believe that or not, a second All-Star nod is surely coming to Misiorowski, who leads all pitchers in earned run average, strikeouts, batting average against and WHIP. 

The Phillies will probably remain hush about this one.



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