Author: Staff

Judge Hannah Dugan maintains her innocence in plea to a Federal magistrate over ICE’s obstruction claim

Judge Hannah Dugan maintains her innocence in plea to a Federal magistrate over ICE’s obstruction claim

Posted by | May 16, 2025

Judge Hannah Dugan, a respected Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, is at the center of a federal prosecution that legal experts and civil rights advocates are calling an alarming escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign against judicial independence. Judge Dugan pleaded not guilty at her May 15 arraignment at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Milwaukee, during which a federal magistrate set her trial date for July 21. The Federal charges against her, alleging that she helped a defendant avoid arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, are unprecedented and strike at the core of constitutional protections and the balance...

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Milwaukee Independent reaches 80 Gridiron Awards after earning 9 more with 2 for Korean diaspora series

Milwaukee Independent reaches 80 Gridiron Awards after earning 9 more with 2 for Korean diaspora series

Posted by | May 11, 2025

The Milwaukee Press Club, the oldest active press club in America and known for honoring excellence in the field of journalism, announced the winners of the 95th Annual Gridiron Awards on May 9. Milwaukee Independent earned nine awards for its 2024 submissions, including multiple first-place honors for its journalism, photography, and design, further solidifying the publication’s legacy of editorial distinction. With this year’s results, Milwaukee Independent has received 80 awards from the Milwaukee Press Club over a nine-year span. As the news outlet considers stepping back from future journalism competitions, the milestone stands as a capstone to nearly a...

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Milwaukee among U.S. cities left in limbo after South Korea’s truth commission halts adoption fraud probe

Milwaukee among U.S. cities left in limbo after South Korea’s truth commission halts adoption fraud probe

Posted by | May 11, 2025

The South Korean government’s fact-finding commission suspended its groundbreaking investigation into the extensive fraud and abuse that tainted the nation’s historic foreign adoption program, a decision stemming from internal disputes among commissioners regarding which cases warranted recognition as problematic. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission confirmed human rights violations in just 56 of the 367 complaints filed by adoptees before suspending its investigation on April 30, just one month before its May 26 deadline. The fate of the remaining 311 cases, either deferred or incompletely reviewed, now hinges on whether lawmakers will establish a new truth commission through legislation during...

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Parade of Denial: Russia exploits 80th anniversary of VE Day to honor a war it worked with Hitler to start

Parade of Denial: Russia exploits 80th anniversary of VE Day to honor a war it worked with Hitler to start

Posted by | May 8, 2025

While most of the democratic world solemnly marks VE Day, as the Victory in Europe Day and end of World War II on May 8, the Kremlin will again stage its annual May 9 military parade across Red Square. It is a performance designed not to commemorate, but to control a false narrative. Russia does not honor the truth on that day. It has weaponized history. The world remembers May 8, 1945, as Victory in Europe Day. It was the formal surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of the deadliest conflict in human history. But in Russia, recognition...

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Beloved Japanese retail chain Daiso expected to open its first Wisconsin ¥100-style store in Kenosha

Beloved Japanese retail chain Daiso expected to open its first Wisconsin ¥100-style store in Kenosha

Posted by | May 4, 2025

Daiso, a popular Japanese discount retailer, is preparing to open its first Wisconsin location at Southport Plaza in Kenosha, offering local residents and visitors a wide range of low-cost household items, stationery, beauty products, and more. The store is scheduled to launch in spring 2025 according to information posted on its website. Daiso traces its roots back to 1972, when founder Hirotake Yano opened a street vending shop under the name “Yano Shoten” in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan. He later established the current company in 1977, maintaining its original concept of selling everyday items at low prices, initially pegged at...

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Viral images generated by ChatGPT in the style of Studio Ghibli’s art highlight AI copyright concerns

Viral images generated by ChatGPT in the style of Studio Ghibli’s art highlight AI copyright concerns

Posted by | May 4, 2025

Fans of Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio behind “Spirited Away” and other beloved movies, were delighted in March when a new version of ChatGPT let them transform popular internet memes or personal photos into the distinct style of Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki. But the trend also highlighted ethical concerns about artificial intelligence tools trained on copyrighted creative works and what that means for the future livelihoods of human artists. Miyazaki, 84, known for his hand-drawn approach and whimsical storytelling, has expressed skepticism about AI’s role in animation. Janu Lingeswaran was not thinking much about that when he...

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