Wisconsin
The number of guns caught by TSA at Milwaukee’s airport drops for third year
Most common and strangest items left at RSW, Fort Myers airport
Thousands of items are left behind at RSW every year. Here’s some of the most unusual!
Sixteen firearms were intercepted by Transportation Security Administration officers at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport security checkpoints in 2024, the agency said in statement Wednesday.
That’s the third straight year the number of guns caught at MKE, Wisconsin’s largest airport, has dropped.
“Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, dangerous mistake that can be easily avoided,” Wisconsin TSA Federal Security Director Mark Lendvay said in the statement. “When individuals bring firearms to our checkpoints, they are introducing a risk to everyone in the area.
“These incidents also slow down the checkpoint screening process for other travelers because when a firearm is detected, all activity in the lane comes to a complete halt until police arrive. Unloaded firearms can be packed with checked baggage and declared to the airline.”
In 2023, 19 handguns were found at MKE security checkpoints, and 21 were seized in 2022. Twenty three firearms were caught at MKE security checkpoints in 2021.
How many people did TSA screen at Wisconsin airports in 2024?
At MKE, TSA screened nearly 3.6 million departing passengers and flight crews in 2024. Officers there discovered firearms in carry-on luggage at a rate of 4.5 firearms per million passengers screened.
This calculates to a rate of one firearm discovery for every 222,413 travelers screened.
TSA officers stopped a total of 29 firearms at Wisconsin’s commercial airports in 2024, which is down from the year before when 36 were intercepted, TSA data shows.
The other Wisconsin airport numbers were six firearms at Dane County Regional, three at Appleton International and Central Wisconsin Airport, and one at Green Bay Austin Strabel International.
Nationally, the TSA screened more than 904 million passengers in 2024, and prevented more than 6,600 firearms from getting onto flights, down from 6,737 in 2023, the agency said in its statement.
The vast majority of the weapons caught last year – 94% of them – were loaded.
What happens when someone is caught with a gun at an airport?
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. But, in short: violators are subject to law enforcement action.
TSA fines passengers who bring a firearm to a TSA checkpoint also can face a civil penalty up to about $15,000, and can lose their TSA PreCheck eligibility for at least five years.
Here’s how you can fly with your gun
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case. Guns need to be declared at the airline check-in counter.
Travelers should check for firearm laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.
To learn more
TSA posts details on how to properly travel with a firearm on its website. Travelers should also contact their air carrier for any additional requirements for flying with firearms and ammunition.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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