Wisconsin
Control of Wisconsin Supreme Court will be up for grabs after liberal justice's surprise retirement
One year after a closely-watched election tipped the Wisconsin Supreme Court towards a 4-3 liberal majority, the impending retirement of a liberal justice, Ann Walsh Bradley, is teeing off another battle for control of the state’s highest court.
Bradley announced Thursday that she will not be run in the April 2025 election for another 10-year term, NBC News reported.
“My decision has not come lightly,” Bradley wrote in a statement. “It is made after careful consideration and reflection. I know I can do the job and do it well. I know I can win re-election should I run, but it’s just time to pass the torch.”
The Wisconsin court’s ideological balance has enormous ramifications for a range of issues, including abortion access and redistricting. Conservatives long held the reins of legislative and judicial power in Wisconsin until the most expensive state Supreme Court campaign in U.S. history elevated liberal justice Janet Protasiewicz to the bench in April 2023. Her victory was followed by GOP threats to impeach her.
The new liberal majority (the court is technically nonpartisan) promptly ruled that the GOP gerrymander of Wisconsin’s state legislative maps was unconstitutional. New, compromise maps that were agreed to by the legislature and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers provide Democrats with an opening to make gains in the state legislature, where they have struggled to gain control despite recently winning a skew of statewide elections.
With the last Wisconsin Supreme Court election as precedent, gerrymandering and reproductive rights will almost certainly be at the forefront of a bitter and expensive 2025 election. Former Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel announced last year that he intends to run for a seat on the highest court. With Bradley’s retirement, many others are likely to join the competition.
Wisconsin
Fleeing Wisconsin driver gets airborne and jumps car over another car during high-speed chase
Footage from a high-speed chase in Wisconsin earlier this month shows the fleeing driver going airborne and jumping his car over another. We’re talking full ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ style.
It’s one of the most insane dashcam videos you’ll ever see. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office released the now-viral footage of the arrest, which took place on Saturday morning, May 9.
A fleeing driver goes airborne and flies his car over another one during a high-speed police chase in Wisconsin. (Getty)
FOX 6 reports that the Wisconsin State Patrol stopped a car, then called for backup because of an active felony warrant. As a Fond du Lac County sheriff’s deputy and another trooper arrived, the driver took off.
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A high-speed pursuit began and eventually came to an end when the driver lost control, went into a ditch, then up the embankment. This is where the car flies over another car.
The fleeing driver’s car not only flew over the other car, it went all the way over the road and ended up in a field on the other side.
Remarkably, Dewayne Stokes, 44, identified by police as the driver, wasn’t ready to give up. He got out of the vehicle and had to be Tased before being taken into custody.
The pursuit had come to an end after four and a half miles, a tiny bit of which was covered through the air. Stokes was then taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
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He was charged with seven counts, including first-degree reckless endangering safety and two counts of eluding an officer. His cash bond was set at $25,000, and he’s due back in court on June 24, according to court documents.
Stokes was out on bond at the time of his car flight for operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent, FOX 6 added. He had a warrant issued for his arrest after he failed to appear in court. He didn’t know it at the time, how could he have, but that decision was going to put him on a path to fly a car over another car.
Everything happens for a reason.
Wisconsin
Luke Combs’ bandmates host clinic for aspiring Northeast Wisconsin musicians
ASHWAUBENON (WLUK) — Luke Combs may be the leading man, but he can’t put on a show alone.
Mat Maxwell plays bass and Jake Sommers plays drums for Combs on tour.
Mat Maxwell plays bass and Jake Sommers plays drums for Combs on tour. They spent Saturday morning hosting a clinic at Heid Music in Ashwaubenon. (WLUK)
They spent Saturday morning hosting a clinic at Heid Music in Ashwaubenon.
The clinic focused on giving insight to aspiring musicians about how to have a successful music career and improve their playing.
Mat Maxwell plays bass and Jake Sommers plays drums for Combs on tour. They spent Saturday morning hosting a clinic at Heid Music in Ashwaubenon, May 16th, 2026. (WLUK/Austin Roth)
Sommers says at the end of the day musicians need to be their own best advocates.
“Hopefully with a little timing and a little luck, y’know you meet that right person,” he said. “And either y’know you want to do the band thing, cool. Or like what we do, we’re side men and obviously our careers depend on said artist and it’s just a belief thing.”
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Combs’ backing band is known as The Wild Cards. The band played an early concert at Green Bay Distillery Thursday.
Wisconsin
Texas routs Wisconsin softball in NCAA Tournament | When Badgers play next
What to know about NCAA-tourney bound Wisconsin Badgers softball
The Wisconsin Badgers are headed to the NCAA softball tournament. These are some names to know, as well as some pertinent history.
Wisconsin softball could not keep up with the reigning national champions.
Texas – the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament – run-ruled the Badgers, 9-0, in six innings on May 16 in the Austin regional of the NCAA Tournament, easily sending UW to the consolation side of the double-elimination bracket.
Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan took a no-hitter into the fifth inning until Alivia Bark’s single. The Badgers’ only other baserunner during Kavan’s five innings in the circle was on a walk in the first inning.
The Badgers did not have a runner in scoring position until the sixth inning, when Emily Bojan hit a double off Texas reliever Cambria Salmon.
The Longhorns, meanwhile, wasted no time in distancing themselves from the Badgers with their bats. They scored three runs in the first inning after back-to-back hits by Kayden Henry and Katie Stewart, a sacrifice fly by Viviana Martinez and a two-run home run by Reese Atwood.
Texas scored another two runs on a Henry double in the second inning, prompting the Badgers to pull UW ace Shelby Jacobson. One day after her complete-game win over Baylor, Jacobson gave up five earned runs against the Longhorns in 1 ⅓ innings pitched.
Texas piled on with two more runs in the third inning in small-ball fashion after loading the bases, and completed the run-rule win with Henry’s two-run homer in the sixth inning – her third hit of the afternoon – off UW reliever Jordan Felci. (The mercy rule in college softball is eight runs after five or more innings.)
All three UW pitchers to face the Longhorns – Jacobson, Berritt Herr and then Felci – each gave up at least two runs against the host and SEC tournament champion.
When, who will Wisconsin softball play next
The Badgers will look to keep their tournament run alive later today in a consolation game against the winner of the Baylor-Wagner game. (The winner of UW’s next game would then need to defeat Texas twice on May 17 to win the Austin regional.)
UW defeated Baylor in the first round following Hannah Conger’s walk-off double in the ninth inning. Wagner is coming off a 9-1 loss against Texas. The first pitch of UW’s second game is expected to be at approximately 5 p.m., depending on the duration of the Baylor-Wagner game.
This story will be updated after Wisconsin’s second game against Baylor or Wagner.
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