Briefs are posted weekday morning, M-F

For the first time, the family of fallen officer Peter Jerving spoke out.

A family spokesperson told CBS 58 the family is taking things one day at a time, as they prepare to honor Jerving’s life and legacy Monday, Feb. 13.

“Not everyone has the opportunity to really serve in a way that you believe in, in their life and he was able to find that, and these last years of his life were lived with purpose and meaning, and so we are grateful and so proud of him,” said Pastor Alexis Twito.

Twitio’s brother is married to Jerving’s sister.

Twito said Peter was the fifth of seven siblings, and a “classic middle child.”

The Pastor went on to say, Jerving was an uncle, always making silly faces and entertaining his nieces and nephews.

The family said when they received the news of Peter’s death, they were angry, shocked and frustrated.

The mother of Peter said, “I don’t know if Peter ever wanted to be a hero, but he wanted to be the best damn police officer he could.”

Jerving’s death is still surreal to those that knew him best.

“Different people saying I just feel like I’m going to wake up from a dream, or wanting to like, I keep getting notifications from Snapchat, and I keep expecting that it’s going to be him,” said Twito.

Jerving was a Wisconsin sports fan, and played many sports himself, even kickball with his MPD friends and colleagues.

—CBS 58 Milwaukee

In the closing weeks of a heated primary election for Wisconsin Supreme Court, conservative candidate Dan Kelly is ratcheting up attacks against rival conservative Jennifer Dorow, challenging her legal intellect and conservative credentials.

Speaking at a Republican Party event in Dane County earlier this week, Kelly again said he would not commit to endorsing Dorow if she wins the Feb. 21 primary election — then went further than remarks he made a week earlier, questioning the Waukesha County circuit judge’s qualifications and whether she’s a true conservative.

“There’s no treatise, there’s no law review article. There’s not even an opinion piece in the newspaper,” Kelly said. “There’s no lecture or presentation of summary judgment decision, no motion to dismiss opinion, that describes what she means (by saying she’s conservative).”

Kelly, who served four years on the Supreme Court before losing in 2020 to Justice Jill Karofsky, went on to say Dorow’s campaign literature shows she doesn’t understand the U.S. Constitution. Kelly said Dorow incorrectly states people’s rights come from the Constitution. Kelly instead said he believes rights were created by God and it’s the courts’ job to protect those rights from the government.

“If you don’t get that one, what are you gonna do with the hard ones,” Kelly said, reflecting conservative legal philosophy that the Constitution doesn’t bestow rights but rather protects individuals’ God-given rights from the government.

When reached by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dorow’s campaign said they heard a recording of Kelly’s comments and wished he would “simply join her in promising to endorse whichever one of them comes out of the primary.”

“What she’s really excited about is the overwhelming number of endorsements she’s received from law enforcement with over 150 sheriffs, police chiefs and prosecutors backing her campaign. Judge Dorow’s commitment to public safety and the rule of law sets her apart from all of the candidates in the race as law enforcement’s choice,” campaign manager Amber Schroeder said in a statement Thursday to the Journal Sentinel.

At a forum for the conservative Supreme Court candidates in Greendale on Feb. 1, Dorow said she would support Kelly if he wins the primary but Kelly would not commit to backing Dorow.

At that event, Kelly didn’t directly criticize Dorow but referred to the 2019 court election in which Brian Hagedorn prevailed with the endorsement of conservatives and went on to break ranks with the conservative justices on some high-profile rulings. Kelly said he felt burned by his support for Hagedorn.

“I had to apologize to countless, hundreds of people and I won’t be put in that position again,” Kelly said.

—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

State prosecutors won’t be filing charges over an Ashland County crash that involved a former Democratic Senate leader and killed a woman and her 5-year-old daughter.

Ashland County District Attorney David Meany said Thursday there was not sufficient evidence to prove allegations beyond a reasonable doubt and he would not pursue charges against anyone involved in the July crash.

Meany also said investigators with the Ashland Police Department and the Wisconsin State Patrol have not referred charges to his office.

Twenty-seven-year-old Alyssa Ortman of Pennsylvania and her 5-year-old daughter Khaleesi Fink were killed in a car crash involving former Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley on July 22. Ortman was driving 100 mph at the time, according to Wisconsin State Patrol investigation records.

Police also found a vape pen that contained Delta-8-THC, a compound known as “weed lite” that was found in Ortman’s blood, according to Meany.

Bewley, a Democrat who represented until January a state Senate district that covers the northwestern part of the state, pulled out of a Lake Superior beach entrance that day and into the path of a car driven by Ortman. When Ortman’s car collided with Bewley’s, it spun across Highway 2 and was hit by another vehicle driven by Jodi Munson of Washburn.

Ortman’s daughter was pronounced dead at the crash scene. Ortman was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died, according to police.

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter was on the phone with Bewley using a hands-free phone connection at the time of the crash for an interview he had arranged with her staff about last fall’s elections for the Legislature. Meany reported Thursday there was no evidence to believe Bewley had stopped using the hands-free feature at the time of the crash.

Bewley also had undergone cataract eye surgery a day before the crash. Meany reported Thursday there was no evidence showing Bewley’s vision was impaired at the time of the crash nor had a doctor recommended driving restrictions.

—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

During an interview with Noticias Telemundo on Thursday, President Joe Biden stated that he doesn’t regret failing to insist on bringing down the Chinese spy balloon even in light of news that the balloon was equipped with antennas and stated that the military “made a wise decision. They shot it down over water.”

Host Julio Vaqueiro asked, “Let me ask you about the Chinese balloon. … Now that we know what we know, that the balloon had antennas and a communication system, do you regret not having insisted on bringing it down sooner?”

Biden answered, “No. I think that the expert[s], the intelligence community, the defense community, they’ve forgotten more about it than you or I know. I said I wanted it shot down as soon as possible and they were worried about the damage that could be done even in a big state like Montana. This thing was gigantic. What happened if it came down and hit a school in a rural area? … So, I told them as soon as they could shoot it down, shoot it down. They made a wise decision. They shot it down over water. They’re recovering most of the parts.”

—Breitbart News

President Biden has accused House Republicans investigating his disgraced son Hunter of trying to “make up things about my family” — and claimed that voters just won’t be interested in the probes.

In a Wednesday interview with “PBS NewsHour” correspondent Judy Woodruff, Biden was asked how he planned to deal with the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into his son’s shady business interests in China and Ukraine.

“The public is not going to pay attention to that,” Biden, 80, insisted.

“They want these guys to do something. If the only thing they can do is make up things about my family, it’s not going to go very far.”

House Republicans have long promised to wield the power of their new majority to probe the president’s family — including whether Hunter and first brother James Biden used the family name to gain influence and wealth, and whether the president himself was compromised by their dealings.

—NY Post

What if I told you that Anthony Fauci knew all along that the COVID vaccine could not possibly prevent either infection with or transmission of COVID?

Not surprised? Neither am I.

Now, what if I told you he just published a paper in a peer-reviewed journal admitting that fact, and calling for new types of vaccines to deal with the problem?

Now that is a bit of a surprise and exactly the opposite of what he told everybody during the push to get everybody vaccinated.

Fauci lied, and now he is admitting it. In writing. In a peer-reviewed journal.

To be clear, Fauci is not claiming that the vaccines were utterly worthless. He still maintains that in certain specific cases–atypical, but the ones that generally kill you–the vaccines serve as a sort of pre-treatment. Not a great one, but a somewhat effective one. But he flat out admits that the claims about the vaccine possibly preventing infection and transmission are simply bogus and always were.

Vaccine mandates were predicated on a lie–and a lie that Fauci and others KNEW was a lie. It’s not like they didn’t know the science. They simply lied about it. They censored people who told the truth. They forced millions to take an experimental drug with no studies on long-term medical complications. They got people fired, canceled, and destroyed based upon a claim that was false.

It is a scandal. And for the first time since this all began I am on board with tossing the man in jail. He committed massive fraud and medical malpractice and should pay a price.

—David Strom, Hot Air

We’ve heard that laughter is the best medicine, and research offers some tangible examples. According to recent studies, laughing significantly benefits our physical and mental health, helping us feel better all around.

Laughing every day makes us healthier.

Psychologically, laughing can improve mood almost immediately and lower stress and anxiety. Physically, it can lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and raise the “feel good” neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which can help with depression.

Laughing has also been shown to raise endorphins, which have pain-relieving effects. One study from 2011 looked at the potential effect of endorphins in easing pain by showing participants funny videos while they wore a freezing sleeve over an arm to see how long they could last. Those who laughed lasted longer.

In a separate study from 2020, a group of Brazilian and Canadian researchers analyzed 21 studies on the impact of hospital clowns on children suffering from various symptoms, including pain, anxiety, stress, cancer-related fatigue, and crying. It was found that children exposed to clowns were significantly less anxious during medical procedures, regardless of whether a parent was present. They also experienced improved overall psychological well-being.

These are just a couple of references to research about laughter, but in fact, there are numerous studies showing the benefits of laughing, including lower blood pressure, improved heart health, boosted immunity, help with sleep issues, and more.

—Bel Marra Health

Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton said she does not intend to participate in upcoming World Surf League events after the organization announced a change in policies that will allow transgender women to compete in women’s events.

In two different videos shared to Instagram this week, Hamilton said she believes she is speaking up for other pro surfer women who fear being “ostracized” for having the same opinions.

The World Surf League this month announced plans to adopt the International Surfing Association’s policy, which requires trans athletes seeking to compete in the women’s division to maintain a testosterone level less than 5 nonomoles per liter (nmol/L) for the previous 12 months.

Hamilton argued that moving forward with these policies in surfing would allow for “male-bodied dominance” seen in other “women’s sports like running, swimming and others.”

A 2021 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine conducted fitness tests with 29 trans men and 46 trans women and found that trans women retained an athletic edge over their cisgender peers, even after 12 months on hormone therapy.

Hamilton — who is well-known for her memoir “Soul Surfer” and losing her left arm in a 2003 shark attack only to return to the sport — concluded one of her Instagram videos with the suggestion that a separate division be created for trans women, “so that all can have a fair opportunity.”

—NBC News

Super Bowl LVII is here and the only question remaining is who wins the big game. If you can’t wait for the answer, or just want to place a wager on the outcome, one of the most popular sports video games of all time has you covered. A computer simulation of the matchup between the Chiefs and Eagles is projecting that Philadelphia not only wins but runs away with the Lombardi trophy!

According to the latest Super Bowl simulation on EA’s Madden NFL 23, the Eagles will defeat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday 31-17. According to the video game, Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts will be the Super Bowl MVP, passing for 282 yards, rushing for another 88 yards, and scoring three touchdowns.

If you think a video game can’t predict a real-life sporting event, don’t be so sure. The Madden franchise has been simulating every Super Bowl matchup for the last 19 years. The game’s record? A pretty impressive 11-8 since Super Bowl 38. That record also includes perfectly predicting the Patriot’s 28-24 win over the Seahawks in Super Bowl 49.

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Although the game developers actually lean on artificial intelligence to perfect its game predictions, Madden’s recent Super Bowl record has been less impressive. The annual computer simulation has failed to pick the winner in four of the last five Super Bowls.

—Study Finds

One of the most accomplished pop music composers of the 20th century, Burt Bacharach, has died at age 94. The musical maestro behind 52 top 40 hits including “Alfie,” “Walk on By,” “Promises, Promises,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “What the World Needs Now is Love” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?,” Bacharach had an untouchable run in the 1960s and 1970s with a wide range of pop, R&B and soul artists. According to the Associated Press, Bacharach died on Wednesday (Feb. at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes.

Working with lyricist partner Hal David, Bacharach and David were dubbed the “Rodgers & Hart” of the ’60s, with a unique style featuring instantly hummable melodies and atypical arrangements that folded in everything from jazz and pop to Brazilian grooves and rock.

Many of their songs were popularized by Dionne Warwick, whose singing style inspired Bacharach to experiment with new rhythms and harmonies, composing such innovative melodies as “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “I Say a Little Prayer.”

Bacharach ventured into motion picture songwriting, creating indelible soundtrack songs such as “The Look of Love” and the Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” during this fertile period (he also scored a pre-acclaim Hot 100 entry with the titular theme song to the Steve McQueen horror flick The Blob in 1958, with The Five Blobs’ “The Blob” hitting No. 33). The Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid theme song “Raindrops” earned Bacharach two Oscars (best score and best theme song) as well as a Grammy for best score.

He also won an Oscar for Best Song for “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” which he shared with Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen and singer Christopher Cross. Bacharach’s compositions received three other Oscar nominations: for “What’s New Pussycat?,” (from the movie of the same name in 1965) “Alfie,” (movie of the same name 1966) and “The Look of Love” (from Casino Royale, 1967).

—Billboard

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY – In 1942, the first gold record (simply sprayed with gold lacquer) was presented to Glenn Miller by RCA to celebrate the sale of 1.2 million copies of Chattanooga Choo Choo. The publicity stunt was later adopted by the Recording Industry Association of America, which began presenting actual gold records and also trademarked the name.