1/27/2026

DOUGLAS COUNTY - The Superior teen facing several felonies, including attempted first-degree intentional homicide charges, pleaded not guilty yesterday morning in Douglas County Court.  14-year-old Carsen Petersen is facing multiple felony charges for an incident that happened in May of last year in the town of Superior where police say they were called to the then 13-year-olds home for a report of the teen being uncontrollable and starting a fire.  Police say Peterson had shot at them with a rifle when they arrived.  No officers were struck and managed to take Peterson into custody without returning fire.  Peterson’s next court hearing is scheduled for May 18th for a status check by the judge.  The teen has been charged as an adult. 

1/27/2026

LANSING - With broad bipartisan support, the Michigan House has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban cell phone use during classroom instruction.

The proposal includes some exceptions, but lawmakers say they would be very infrequent. The bill would also allow school districts to adopt stricter policies if they choose. State Senator Dayna Polehanki of Livonia sponsored the Senate version of the legislation and helped craft the emergency provisions.

                    0:15  "There is a very important carve-out for emergency situations, that I made sure was in there. There are also exceptions for things like medical devices, district-issued laptops, some lessons."

The measure, introduced in the House by Republican Representative Mark Tisdel of Rochester Hills, passed by a wide margin after the Senate approved the package on a 34-to-1 vote. If signed into law, it would prohibit smartphone use during instructional time for all K-12 public school students, starting in the 2026 and 27 school year.

1/27/2026

N. WISCONSIN - Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services, led by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard, has rejected the federal government’s revised childhood vaccine schedule, retaining the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, stating the federal changes lacked “systematic, transparent reviews of scientific evidence” and were unwarranted. He advised Wisconsin clinicians to follow AAP guidance, emphasizing schedules are clinical tools, not mandates, and insurance coverage is unchanged. At least 16 other states have rejected the federal changes, and Westergaard disagreed with applying “shared clinical decision making” without rigorous review.