Friday, March 21, 2025

Qxir: Insane Irish Priest (Worse Than You Think) | Tales From the Bottle

Atomic Snack Bar: The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) - Retrospective

Cool Ideas: 🏍️ The 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller: The First Mass-Produced Motorcycle 🔥

Milwaukee mourns the fearless Black Panther leader who fought for justice

U.S. measles outbreak spreads to 15 states

Chameleon Gives Birth To Live Babies In The Branches | BBC Earth

President Trump says he will chip in to cover overtime pay for stranded NASA astronauts

Major Lee Enterprises shareholder wants to buy company that owns The Journal Times

From The Journal Times.com:

David Robinson News Business Reporter

The second-biggest shareholder of Lee Enterprises, the Iowa-based media company that owns The Journal Times, said Thursday that he wants to try to buy the company.

The Hoffmann Family of Companies, which owns just under 10% of Lee’s stock, said in a letter to Lee executives that it wants to have “open discussions” about buying Lee in its entirety.

The letter of intent from David Hoffmann, the company’s billionaire chairman, comes after Hoffmann has been steadily adding to its stake in Lee, which also owns publications in 73 U.S. markets, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Omaha World Herald.

In an interview Thursday, Hoffmann said combining Lee’s 78 newspapers with the 21 publications his company owns would create the second-largest newspaper company in the United States, behind Gannett.

“Local news and journalism is important to me,” Hoffmann said. “To me, it’s part of the fabric of America. I’ve had some success in my life, so it’s something that I’d like to invest in and try to preserve, and at the same time, I think we’ll be successful from an investment point of view.”

In a statement, Lee said it would evaluate any offer Hoffmann were to make.

“Lee’s board of directors and management team are committed to acting in the best interests of all shareholders,” the statement said. “Consistent with its fiduciary duties, Lee’s board of directors will carefully review any credible proposal to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interests of the company and Lee shareholders.”

Hoffmann, in his letter, expressed concern about Lee’s intention to divest $25 million in non-core assets and its recent earnings, which included a net loss of $16 million during the final three months of last year.

He also said he hoped that, by purchasing Lee and combining it with the other media properties that he owns, it would allow it to support and grow the local news outlets.

“We believe this commitment represents a sharp contrast to other potential acquirors, such as non-local hedge funds and investment firms primarily concerned with increasing profits over jobs, local concerns and the power of quality journalism,” Hoffmann wrote.

“Today, more than ever, we embrace the concept that local news is a fundamental component of journalism and the communities it serves, and its preservation is in the best interest of a well-informed public,” Hoffmann wrote.

“I thought, now’s probably a good time to put my money where my mouth is,” Hoffmann said in the interview.

While Hoffmann said the declining sales of newspapers is likely to accelerate, he said Lee’s digital business, which now generates more revenue than its print products, is an asset.

“We believe deft management and navigation of this transition to be essential to Lee’s future viability,” Hoffmann wrote.

Lee’s stock, which has lost 26% of its value over the past year, rallied by almost 14% on Thursday after news of Hoffmann’s letter became public.

Hoffmann’s letter did not include any details on the price he might be willing to pay for Lee, although he indicated that he would like the process to move quickly.

While Hoffmann noted the decline in newspapers, he said he has no plans to move away from them.

“We’re pretty good at getting advertisers to advertise in the hard copy, as well as the transformation into digital media. We think there’s a place for both. And I’d like to preserve that,” Hoffmann said. “I, personally, still like reading the newspaper. A lot of my friends like reading the newspaper ... and I think we can create a new revival of that medium.”

Hoffmann said he spoke with Lee executives Thursday morning and told them the letter was coming. As he built his stake in Lee, Hoffmann had previously expressed interest in potentially acquiring more Lee newspapers.

“It’s been a very positive ongoing dialog. I don’t think they’re surprised about our letter. I don’t think very many people are surprised about our letter,” Hoffmann said. “We’re not an activist, we’re not antagonistic. We’ve been regularly talking.”

Hoffmann, whose net worth was estimated at $2 billion by Forbes magazine, operates dozens of businesses, from real estate developments and wineries to luxury transportation and manufacturers. In all, the Hoffmann Family of Companies employs more than 16,000 people.

“We have a strong record of success in the media industry, as evidenced by our ownership of 14 media companies, including our most recent successful acquisitions of the Napa Valley Register, St. Helena Star and Inside Napa magazine,” which it acquired from Lee.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/business/article_f23c012e-d0e0-466c-b2cf-cc1c221173ce.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Cool Ideas: 🌟 Wingamm Oasi 610 GL: The Luxury Camper That Feels Like a 5-Star Hotel on Wheels 🌟

Pentagon restores webpages honoring Navajo Code Talkers amid DEI purge

Feds de-emphasize gun violence as a public health issue

Wisconsin Republicans pass bills on trans athletes, gender-affirming care

MN jury finds leader in nation’s largest COVID-19 fraud scheme guilty

Fish Get Help From People Who Press a Doorbell to Open Canal Gate

Why a cannabis kiosk inside a mall is raising concerns

Mother concerned after video shows her child forced to vape at school

Pentagon considers major cuts to top of US military

Egg prices should come down 'soon': Agriculture secretary | Morning in America

Mark Felton Productions: Eva Braun's Secret Pistol

Author, serial bank robber drives Rolls Royce as getaway car

Tesla Recalls All Cybertrucks Sold in US Over Last 15 Months

Two men have been found guilty of stealing gold toilet valued at $6 million

Behind California's underground baby farm industry | On Balance

How the Department of Education spent $268 billion last year

Teachers Gone Wild: East Troy music teacher sexual assault case; what is 'frotteurism?" | FOX6 Milwaukee

Cops Gone Wild: Police shooting lawsuit: Hung jury

Early voting begins: $190 million RUSD referendum on ballot in Racine

Trump Dismantles Dept of Education, JD Vance is Mad at Jimmy & MAGA Gang Upset Over Tesla Protests

Cool Ideas: The Phantom Corsair: 1938’s Epic Supercar That Could Have Been the Future

Retro Car: 1961 Chrysler TurboFlite: The Sci-Fi Dream Car That Shocked The World

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Daily Dose of Internet: This Blew Her Mind

Racine Common Council fails to reach quorum Tuesday

From The Journal Times.com:

Holly Gilvary


RACINE — The Common Council could not proceed with its meeting Tuesday because it did not have a quorum.

Only six alders, along with Mayor Cory Mason, were present Tuesday: Marlo Harmon, Maurice Horton, Melissa Kaprelian, Mary Land, David Maack and Samuel Peete. State law requires that two-thirds of the council (10 alders) must be present for a quorum.

Alders Jeff Coe, Olivia Turquoise Davis, Sandy Weidner, Cinthia Esqueda, Terry McCarthy, Henry Perez, Renee Kelly and Cory Sebastian were absent.

It was not immediately clear Tuesday whose absences were excused or what alders’ reasons were for missing the meeting.

The council was scheduled to take action Tuesday on Mason’s veto of an ordinance that would change the structure of council proceedings, including removing the mayor’s ability to appoint committee members. Alders on March 4 approved the final ordinance with a 10-0 vote.

Tuesday’s agenda items will be rescheduled for the next Common Council meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 2.

Fr0m: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/government-politics/article_1da383e0-043a-11f0-a2b4-3f0dc62bad82.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Former Cult Leader Reveals How He Escaped Needy Followers

Cool Ideas: 🔥 1963 Ford Thunderbird Custom ‘Tango’: A Lowrider Masterpiece 🔥

Mark Felton Productions: Rented Missiles & Worn Out Submarines: The Shocking State of Britain's Nuclear Deterrent

Elon Musk ‘salute’ carved into sand in world’s largest Tesla protest

Hiccups may signal allergies to foods | Morning in America

Cops Gone Wild: A Minnesota state trooper crashed into a car, but months later, the state is refusing to pay up

MAGA Nuts Want Trump on Mount Rushmore, JFK Files Get Disorganized Release & Musk Wants Sympathy

Trump set to sign order aimed at dismantling Department of Education | Morning in America

Cops Gone Wild: $350K Settlement Reached in Civil Suit Involving Former Police Officer in KY

$250M COVID-era fraud mastermind convicted

Questions over rows of brand new Teslas filling random parking lots

Vandalism on Tesla cars, dealerships increases as DOGE cuts continue | Morning in America

Cool Ideas: 🚗 1972 Fiat X1/23: The Electric Car That Predicted the Future of Urban Mobility ⚡

Microsoft halts construction on portions of the $3.3B Mount Pleasant campus

Cops Gone Wild: Black Panthers Protest Cop Who Shot Man in Back

Cops Gone Wild: Police Punch Protest

Retro Car: 1956 Plymouth Plainsman: The Wild West Concept Car That Time Forgot

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Tesla removed from Vancouver Auto Show

Cool Ideas: 1962 The Excalibur RS: A Rare Roadster with V8 Power and Scissor Doors 🏎️

Blind Faith ~ Can't Find My Way Home ~ (Original Acoustic Version) HQ Audio

Bullfighting without blood: Mexico City lawmakers end centuries-old tradition

Sen. Justin Eichorn arrested for prostitution; GOP colleagues call for resignation

Cool Ideas: Mantra Micro Cabin: Tiny House, Big Ambitions 🏠

Cops Gone Wild: SRO who admitted to having sex in a school while on duty taken off Brady list


Egg seizures outpacing fentanyl interceptions at U.S. borders

Trump administration resumes border wall construction | NewsNation Live

Inside FEMA’s sickening history of misspending billions of taxpayers’ dollars

Senator’s wife’s nonprofit received millions in federal funds: Watchdog

Teachers Gone Wild: $3.5M settlement reached in sex assault suit involving suburban HS

Millions of users’ personal data shared with US law enforcement: Report

Luigi Mangione’s attorney says arrest unlawfully obtained DNA

Electric Cars Catch Fire and 5 Things Chinese Manufacturers Won't Tell You Beforehand

GM, NVIDIA team up to revolutionize vehicles through artificial intelligence

Elon Musk Installs ‘Quick And Dirty’ Turbines To Power XAI’s Memphis Data Centers

JFK FILES RELEASED: What's inside? | LiveNOW from FOX

Trump Getting Played by Putin, Wants to Host Kennedy Center Honors & His Ass Kisser of the Week

Cool Ideas: 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt: The Futuristic Car That Shocked The World ⚡

Retro Car: Wingho W3 Triposto: The Forgotten McLaren F1 Rival With Porsche DNA

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Dolphins greet NASA astronauts after splash down

‘Dead people database’: DOGE starts ‘major cleanup’ of Social Security records

Cool Ideas: Reboot Buggy: The 400-HP Off-Road Monster That Laughs at Roads

Wombat-Grabber Admits 'Incredible Mistake'

Report: You Could Just Lose An Arm One Day

Tren de Aragua members similar to Hamas: Former DHS adviser | NewsNation Live

Retro Transport: Lauster MF-60: This 80-Ton Monster Could Tow a Tank Like a Toy

Trump Brags About Golf Win During Deadly Storms, Gets Hit with Microphone & Says Biden Pardons Void

Wisconsin sheriffs forced to aid federal immigration authorities under GOP bill

From The Journal Times.com:

ADAM KELNHOFER


Wisconsin sheriffs would be forced to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under a bill up for an Assembly vote Tuesday.

The bill  that Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos authored would require sheriffs to ask those in jail on serious offenses for proof of U.S. citizenship and report to ICE those whose legal status they cannot verify. Sheriffs would also have to hold anyone in jail longer should ICE make such a request.

Only those charged with or arrested on suspicion of felony criminal offenses such as sexual assault, homicide and illegal possession of a firearm would be reported. Sheriffs would still have discretion to tell ICE about the immigration status of those in custody on lesser crimes.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has said he would veto the proposal.

Under the bill (AB24), sheriffs who don’t comply would put their county at risk of losing up to 15% of their state aid through the state's shared revenue formula. They’d also have to request the federal government reimburse them for any extra costs the extended jail holds incur.

Sheriffs would have to certify with the Department of Revenue each year that they have complied with the order. If not, the department would be ordered to cut the county’s portion of state aid for the next year.

The bill comes amid a federal crackdown on illegal immigration, aimed in part at reducing the flow of illegal fentanyl into the country.

President Donald Trump has called illegal immigration a “massive invasion” at the southern border that has “spread misery, crime, poverty, disease and destruction to communities all across our land."

There is no evidence to support Trump’s claim that immigrants commit more crimes than native-born residents.

A study by UW-Madison sociology professor Michael Light and two others of crimes committed between 2012 and 2018 found US-born citizens were more than two times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes than immigrants, 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and more than four times more likely to be arrested for property crimes.

While a handful of Wisconsin counties have written agreements with ICE to cooperate on investigations and hold undocumented immigrants longer, generally how much sheriffs cooperate with ICE is up to each sheriff. Sheriffs who haven’t entered official agreements with ICE still aren’t allowed to impede the federal law enforcement agency, but they’re not required to have their deputies take time away from local law enforcement to assist federal law enforcement.

Police in Dane County generally don’t work with ICE right now. The Wisconsin State Journal found most municipal police department policies do not require officers to inquire about a suspect’s citizenship during interactions.

The Madison Police Department’s policy states it will only comply with lawful ICE requests if the person targeted “is engaged in or is suspected of terrorism or espionage,” “is reasonably suspected of participating in a criminal street gang,” “is arrested for any violent felony” or “is a previously deported felon, under circumstances for which there is an independent basis for officers to detain or arrest the individual.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, Voces de La Frontera Action, Wisconsin Counties Association and six other groups registered in opposition to the bill. The Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association, Badger State Sheriffs’ Association and one other group registered in favor.

The ACLU in its written statement opposing the legislation says the measure “undermines community safety by diminishing trust in law enforcement by immigrants and others who may be presumed to be ‘foreign.’”

The Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association in its statement in support of the bill expressed support for the intent of the policy to ensure ICE is notified when those unlawfully in the country commit felonies. However, the group also raised concern over the potential to lose state aid and the mandatory reporting requirements, noting many sheriffs are already operating with limited resources.

Some measles vaccines may need booster: CDC | Morning in America

Tax the Churches

Can Pepsi’s poppi purchase help it go younger as Americans drink less soda?

Teachers Gone Wild: Downers Grove South teacher charged, accused of sexually abusing 15-year-old - WGN News at 9

Ford shows off treasure trove of rarely seen vehicles in Michigan

Here's How Much U.S. Billionaires Have Lost Since Trump's Inauguration

Cops Gone Wild: American Legion Post veterans in Stickney claim harassment by village officials

Wing of Delta plane strikes runway during landing attempt at NYC Airport


As they report these airplane "mishaps," the talking heads keep saying how safe flying is.

Cool Ideas: Backdraft Racing Roadster: A Modern Cobra with 460 HP and Insane Power 🏎️🔥

Trump to shut down Voice of America, cites ‘radical propaganda’

How to protect push-to-start cars against evolving carjacking tactics

Maple syrup season kicks off in southeast Wisconsin

People start St. Patrick's Day before the sun comes up in Milwaukee


When I was still drinking, I once totaled a friend's car while driving drunk on St. Patrick's Day.

Cool Ideas: 1948 Tasco: The Sci-Fi Car That Was Too Ahead of Its Time

Retro Car: Jehle Super Saphier: The 1000 HP Liechtenstein Supercar That Time Forgot

Monday, March 17, 2025

Daily Dose of Internet: The Future is Here

Some experts have beef with the latest TikTok beauty trend: tallow

A surprise $6,000 deposit might show up in your bank account (Here's why!)

Democratic Party’s favorability ratings drop to record low

How does dyeing the Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day impact fish?

Cats Diagnosed With Bird Flu in New York