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SISTERS KILLED
MADISON, Wis. — A North Dakota man was charged Thursday with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of his three young daughters in northwestern Wisconsin. Police discovered the bodies of 11-year-old Amara Schaffhausen, 8-year-old Sophie Schaffhausen and 5-year-old Cecilia Schaffhausen in the home they shared with their mother in River Falls on Tuesday. Authorities have not said how the girls were killed, but when police entered the home they noted the first-floor gas fireplace was on and the basement smelled of a flammable liquid they have yet to identify. By Todd Richmond. AP Photos.
With:
— SISTERS KILLED-WISCONSIN-VIGIL — About 300 people gathered in a park for a memorial vigil to remember three young sisters found dead in their home in River Falls.
UTILITY SCAM
MADISON, Wis. — As much as President Barack Obama wants your vote, he’s not actually offering to pay your utility bills. But thousands of unsuspecting Americans have fallen victim to a fast-moving scam that claims to be part of a White House program to provide up to $1,000 to offset the cost of electricity. The catch is that customers must turn over personal information such as their Social Security, credit card and checking account numbers. By Scott Bauer.
HEAT WAVE-FISH
MINNEAPOLIS — This summer’s heat wave is taking its toll on fish in the Upper Midwest, where high water temperatures and low oxygen levels have combined to kill thousands of fish in Minnesota, the Dakotas and Wisconsin. By Steve Karnowski. AP Photos.
ASIAN CARP-GREAT LAKES
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A new report says Asian carp could find hospitable conditions in all five of the Great Lakes if they gain a foothold. Canada’s Fisheries and Oceans ministry released the report Thursday. It’s based on a 16-month assessment of risk to the lakes from the invasive carp, which have infested the Mississippi Rivers and many of its tributaries. The carp are threatening to enter Lake Michigan through a Chicago-area waterway network. The analysis by U.S. and Canadian scientists says it could take as few as 10 male and female pairs to establish a population in the lakes if they find good spawning areas. It says more than 70 rivers across the Great Lakes could serve that purpose. By John Flesher.
With:
ASIAN CARP-SCIENCE
HAVANA, Ill. — As scientists aboard a research boat activate an electric current, the calm Illinois River transforms into a roiling, silvery mass. Asian carp by the dozen hurtle from the water as if shot from a gun, soaring in graceful arcs before plunging beneath the surface with splashes resembling tiny geysers. Water quality specialist Thad Cook grunts as a whopper belts him in the gut. His colleagues duck and dodge to avoid the missile-like fish that plop onto the deck, writhing madly until someone can grasp the slimy, slithering critters and heave them over the side. By John Flesher. AP Photos. AP Video.
LCD-PRICE FIXING
ALBANY, N.Y. — Three Asia-based companies have agreed to pay $571 million to settle claims by officials in eight states, including Wisconsin, that they conspired to inflate prices for liquid crystal display screens used in televisions and computer monitors, according to New York’s attorney general. The agreements announced Thursday with AU Optronics Corp., LG Display Co. Ltd., Toshiba Corp. and U.S. affiliates follow a $553 million settlement in December with seven other manufacturers from Japan, Korea and Taiwan accused of fixing prices for thin film transistor LCD panels from 1999 to 2006. By Michael Virtanen.
ALSO:
— MINK PRODUCTION— Wisconsin continues to lead the nation in the production of mink pelts, accounting for one in three U.S. pelts last year.
— MOTORCYCLE-SEMI CRASH — Columbia County sheriff’s officials have identified two people who were killed when their motorcycle was struck by a semi.
— INFANT DEATH INVESTIGATED — Authorities say an autopsy hasn’t provided a definitive cause of death for a 4-month-old Campbellsport baby.
— TODDLER RUN DOWN — A search warrant says a man accused of running down his young son and the boy’s mother confronted her about a new relationship just before striking them with his SUV in Fitchburg.
— HODAG-SCOOBY EPISODE — A mystical beast from Rhinelander is making its debut on television next month.
SPORTS:
JOHN DEERE CLASSIC
SILVIS, Ill — Steve Stricker is the three-time defending champion as the John Deere Classic begins play Thursday at Deere Run.
COACH-SCUFFLE
FISHERS, Ind. — An Indiana prosecutor said Thursday that criminal charges won’t be pursued against a Wisconsin girls basketball coach who was arrested after one of his teenage players told police he attacked her after a loss. Fred Freeman, 47, of Hartford, Wis., had been jailed on a preliminary misdemeanor battery charge after the Monday scuffle, which involved a 17-year-old player from a traveling youth basketball team, at a sports complex in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers.
Also:
— WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP KAYAKING — More than 350 competitors from 26 countries are in Wausau to compete in world championship kayaking and canoeing. The competition offers a glimpse of the Summer Olympic Games in London with several Olympians competing at Whitewater Park. Next to the Olympics, the competition in Wisconsin is the biggest event in the sport. The competition, held every two years, was last staged in France.
