(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) (FOX Business) – United Airlines says that more than half its employees who weren’t vaccinated last month have gotten their shots since the company announced that vaccines would be required. The airline’s 67,000 U.S.-based employees face a Sept. 27 deadline for getting vaccinated. United said Wednesday, however, that employees whose bids for exemptions based on…
(FOX 9) – As we turn the page on another summer and head into fall, our green will soon begin the transition to brown. In a typical year, that can lead to some brilliant colors. But, I would curb your expectations this year as our drought is likely to have an impact on just how eye-popping those colors will be….
(FOX 9) – Hate crimes hit a 12-year high in the U.S. last year, according to a new report from the FBI. The report shows a total of 7,759 incidents last year, even with fewer law enforcement agencies reporting data than in 2019. Last year’s rise was driven by assaults targeting Black victims and victims of Asian descent. Hate crimes against Black…
ALBERT LEA, Minn. (FOX 9) – Nearly 300 Albert Lea students have been quarantined for exposure to COVID-19 after the first week of school, prompting changes to the school district’s face mask requirements. Albert Lea Area Schools Superintendent Mike Funk shared an update with families Thursday, stating the virus has “significantly disrupted” the start of school. After five days of…
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) – The U.S. Capitol police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 riots has been formally exonerated. The exoneration of the officer, whose identity has not been released, was the last step in wrapping up the investigation into the incident. “USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) determined the officer’s conduct was lawful…
HOUGHTON, Mich. (FOX 9) – In late April and May, researchers in Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior captured five wolves and attached GPS radio collars to them—the first time they have been able to do so during the pandemic. The wolves include a male originally caught in Ontario, Canada, and relocated to Isle Royale as well as three…
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) – Minnesota State Fair attendees will not be required to wear masks inside buildings on the fairgrounds during this year’s Great Minnesota Get-Together. Fair organizers were considering mandating masks indoors, however, the latest guidance released Wednesday says masks are recommended inside most buildings, but not required. They are also recommending people wear masks outdoors in…
DULUTH, Minn. – The city council made a historic vote Monday evening to approve a new $1.8 million tourism marketing contract to a firm in Minneapolis – Bellmont Partners and its partner Lawrence & Schiller — instead of Visit Duluth, which has held the job since 1935. Councilor Joel Sipress voted against the contract resolution. Councilor Zack Filipovich abstained because…
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers wide receiver Devin Funchess has apologized for using a racial slur against Asians during a news conference on Saturday night. “I want to apologize for the disparaging remark I used tonight,” Funchess said in a statement posted on Twitter late Saturday night. “It was not OK. I have grown to develop deep personal and…
DULUTH, Minn. — St. Luke’s announced late Wednesday that all of its employees, vendors, volunteers and board members will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine completed by Oct. 1. The only exception to the rule involves employees who can’t take the shot for medical or religious reasons. Those individuals need to file an exemption by Sept. 1 and also…
NEW YORK (CNN Business) – CVS will raise its minimum wage for hourly workers from $11 to $15 by next summer, becoming the latest large US chain to pledge a $15 starting rate as companies compete for workers in a tight labor market. The pharmacy giant, which has nearly 300,000 employees, said Wednesday that it will begin increasing wages for…
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Beginning Tuesday, Target says it will require employees who work in stores in certain areas to mask up again. The Minneapolis-based retailer will require masks for employees at stores in areas with a substantial or high risk of transmission of COVID-19, as defined by the CDC, according to a statement. Currently, over 40 Minnesota counties are…
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The University of Minnesota is reinstituting its indoor mask mandate for everyone on campus, regardless of vaccination status, starting Tuesday. University President Joan Gabel sent an email to students, faculty, and staff on Monday informing them of the change. Gabel said the decision comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidance on…
(FOX 9) – The unpleasant, record-poor air quality that Minnesota has faced in recent days as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts down to Minnesota isn’t going anywhere this weekend. On Friday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency extended its air quality alert, saying that smoky conditions will linger and worsen over the weekend. The pollution control agency says the worse will…
(FOX 9) – Governor Tim Walz announced on Thursday that Minnesota will offer $100 per new COVID-19 vaccination a new initiative from the White House. The effort is another attempt to increase low vaccination numbers in Minnesota and beyond, as the delta variant creates new cases. The $100 incentive will be available for any Minnesotan ages 12 and up who…
DULUTH, Minn. — A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday for the grand re-opening of the Sheraton Duluth Hotel on East Superior Street. The top-to-bottom renovation is the first since the hotel opened 14 years ago. Crews were able to make all the upgrades since late 2019 while the hotel stayed opened. In each room, every surface guests touch got a…
(FOX 9) – Gov. Tim Walz was noncommittal Tuesday when asked if he would go further than new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and impose a new mask mandate for Minnesota schools. Walz removed his statewide mask mandate this spring as vaccinations rates grew and COVID-19 cases receded. At the time, the CDC said vaccinated people…
RED LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) – The FBI is investigating after someone shot and killed a police officer on the Red Lake Indian Reservation Tuesday morning. The FBI said Red Lake Police Department officers were responding to a call at a residence when someone fired a weapon, killing an officer. The person who shot the officer is in custody. “It…
(CNN) – The Biden administration is extending non-essential travel restrictions for the US northern and southern borders until August 21. The US has been limiting non-essential travel along both borders since the start of the pandemic and extending those restrictions on a monthly basis. The restrictions don’t apply to cross-border trade, US citizens and lawful permanent residents, as well as…
GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. (FOX 9) – A St. Paul, Minnesota man’s dismembered body was found in a tote and a bucket in Lake Superior over the weekend, according to charges filed last week. Dive teams working with investigators located the remains of Richard Balsimo, 34, in the lake off the coast of Grand Portage last Thursday and Friday, the Minnesota…
(CNN) – The American Academy of Pediatrics released new Covid-19 guidance for schools on Monday that supports in-person learning and, among other things, recommends universal masking in schools for everyone over the age of 2. “The AAP believes that, at this point in the pandemic, given what we know about low rates of in-school transmission when proper prevention measures are…
(courtesy: CNN) (CNN) – Coastal communities in the United States, be forewarned. A “dramatic” surge in high-tide floods is just over a decade away in the US, according to NASA. The rapid increase will start in the mid-2030s, when a lunar cycle will amplify rising sea levels caused by the climate crisis, found a new study led by the members…
(FOX News) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will sign an executive order Thursday bypassing the state legislature and banning the controversial practice of “gay conversion therapy.” Walz is expected to sign the order alongside Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan on Thursday morning in defiance of the Republican-held state senate, which doesn’t support the move, according to local media. “Our kids deserve…
WASHINGTON (FOX 9) – Starting this week, millions of American families can expect to receive the first round of payments from the new expanded child tax credit that was signed into law in March after the passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. As part of Biden’s relief bill, eligible families can receive as much as $3,600…
Raeqwon Hawkins DULUTH, Minn. – The suspect in a drive-by shooting in Superior posted $75,000 bail one day after he was charged Monday in Doulgas County. Raeqwon Jay Hawkins, 24, of Superior is accused of shooting at a man from a vehicle he was driving at the intersection of Ogden Avenue and Belknap Street around 10:40 p.m. June 17 near…
Surveillance images of Raeqwon Hawkins released by Superior Police Department before the arrest. SUPERIOR, Wis. – We’re learning more about what all went down involving a June drive-by shooting in downtown Superior. Raeqwon Jay Hawkins Raeqwon Jay Hawkins, 24, of Superior is now charged as being the shooter in the drive-by. The crime happened around 10:40 p.m. June 17 in…
(FOX 9) – A Transportation Security Administration employee at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is facing charges after taking photos of female travelers. Court documents allege the 37-year-old had 42 photos of female travelers on his personal phone. The employee allegedly snapping the photos off the airport’s closed-circuit camera system over the course of a year. Charging documents say the photos…
DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (Fox 9) – California’s Death Valley has long been known as one of the hottest places on Earth. And true to form, the temperature climbed to an incredible 130 degrees in the northern Mojave desert all three days this past weekend. That’s just four degrees shy of the highest known temperature on the planet, which was also…
(courtesy: Fox 9) HIBBING, Minn. (FOX 9) – Chase, a police K9 from Hibbing, Minnesota is one of 16 Police K9s selected to compete in this season of A&E’s competition show “America’s Top Dog.” Chase was selected out of thousands of dogs after his handler, Hibbing Police Officer Joey Burns, put in an application after watching an episode of the show. “I…
Courtesy: Ed Monroe ASHLAND, Wis. — Three people were found dead inside a home in Ashland on Monday after a 911 call came in reporting a house fire just after 9:30 a.m. The names of the victims will not be released until their families are notified. Three other people had escaped the burning home. One of the three who got…
(FOX 9) – Minnesota health officials have outlined recommendations for COVID-19 testing this summer, both for vaccinated and unvaccinated people. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, while case numbers have dropped, the virus is still circulating in communities. Health officials reported 81 new COVID-19 cases and seven more deaths statewide on Wednesday. Health officials urge eligible Minnesotans to get…
WOODBURY, Minn. (FOX 9) – A Woodbury, Minnesota man is charged with murder for allegedly stabbing his wife to death in the basement of their home last Friday while their children were upstairs watching TV. He was arrested the following day on a Greyhound bus in Wisconsin wearing blood-splattered clothes. McKinley Phillips, 39, was charged Monday with one count of…
(FOX TV) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened multiple people is linked to frozen cooked shrimp. The shrimp, made by Avanti Frozen Foods, has since been recalled nationwide. As of June 25, the CDC said six adults from Nevada and Arizona have been infected with the particular strain of Salmonella…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Hills Youth and Family Services in Duluth is now closing down its community programs sooner than expected this Friday instead of July 2. This comes after the organization’s more than 100 years of mental health services to children and juveniles in the justice system. Last week, the president and CEO, Leslie Chaplin, explained that the pandemic,…
LOS ANGELES – A lab analysis commissioned by the New York Times found no identifiable tuna DNA in Subway’s tuna sandwich, according to the newspaper. In its own statement, the fast-food giant fired back at the report and said it was not a “reliable way” to test processed tuna. A Times reporter bought more than 60 inches of Subway tuna…
DULUTH, Minn. – The fifth and final suspect wanted in connection to Duluth’s first homicide of the year turned himself into police Monday evening. Homicide victim Juamada Anderson Jr., 22, of Duluth. A city spokesperson said Markus Seville Morris, 31, a well-known boxer from Duluth, made contact with the Duluth Police Department around 5:20 p.m. An arrest warrant was issued…
(photo credit: Family of Ed Ward) ST. CLOUD, Minn. (FOX 9) – The man shot and killed in what police say was a “random” incident Sunday morning in St. Cloud has been identified as a 68-year-old St. Cloud State University professor. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office said the victim was Dr. Edward Anthony Ward. The University confirmed the news Monday,…
WASHINGTON (Fox 9) – The Biden administration is working to make sure eligible families are aware of the upcoming monthly child payments, part of the expanded child tax credit under President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Automatic payments from the Child Tax Credit will begin hitting bank accounts and mailboxes on July 15. The Treasury Department said last…
(courtesy: United States Department of State) DULUTH, Minn. (Fox) – President Biden unveiled a slate of nominations for nine ambassadorial positions on Tuesday, including a Duluth native to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel. Thomas Nides, a Morgan Stanley executive and former senior State Department official, has been tapped to hold the key diplomatic post. On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Senator…
(FOX 9) – The University of Minnesota announced Monday that vaccinations won’t be required for students across its five campuses when school resumes this fall. The policy aligns with the vast majority of Minnesota colleges and universities, which won’t require vaccinations for students when they return this fall. Four institutions will require vaccines for on-campus students next school year and for some…
UPDATE: According to a crash report from the Minnesota State Patrol two people have now been pronounced dead after the dump truck-ambulance crash. Paramedic Troy Edward Boettcher, 51, of Warba, and Joseph Michael Latimer, 17, of Grand Rapids, were killed in the crash. They were in the ambulance at the time of the crash. Alcohol was not a factor…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – As COVID-19 vaccinations increase in Minnesota, the positivity rate continues to decline, according to the latest data released by the state health department. The Minnesota Department of Health reported 257 new cases of COVID-19 and eight more deaths Friday. The state has now seen daily case counts under 300 for five of the last seven days….
DULUTH, Minn. — Two more suspects, a 17-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man, were arrested Thursday in connection to Duluth’s first homicide of the year. Homicide victim Juamada Anderson Jr., 22, of Duluth. Four firearms were collected between the two suspects who are accused of firing back at Patrick Battees Jr., 17, of Proctor shortly after police say Battees shot…
(courtesy: Polymeric Biomaterials Lab, University of Minnesota via Fox9) (FOX 9) – Researchers believe a newly developed wafer could be the vaccine-delivery device of the future. A University of Minnesota professor and a Mayo Clinic professor were part of the team of researchers that created a polymer wafer that can deliver and preserve vaccines when placed under the tongue. In a release…
DULUTH — Two additional suspects have now been charged in connection to a weekend shooting in Duluth that left one man dead, and one of the suspects is a well-known professional boxer from Duluth. Patrick Battess Jr., 17, charged in the shooting death of Jaumada Anderson Jr., 22. Markus Morris, 31, of Duluth is charged in St. Louis County Court…
(FOX 9) – A conservation officer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources died in a crash near Grand Rapids, Minnesota Monday morning. The Minnesota DNR says the officer’s name will not be released until their family is notified. “The DNR has expressed its deepest condolences to the officer’s family for this tragic loss, and our staff are mourning the loss of…
(FOX 9) – The Minnesota Department of Health reported 469 new COVID-19 cases and zero more deaths Monday. According to officials, the state has seen 599,234 cases and 7,370 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have continued to fall, with 100 patients in the ICU and 278 in the hospital but not the ICU, as of Monday. Meanwhile,…
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (FOX 9) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is taking over the prosecution of former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter for the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, FOX 9 has confirmed. Ellison’s handling of the case will include a review of the criminal charges. There is no word yet if the charges will be enhanced to murder. Sources…
(courtesy: Fox 9) ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – The fence surrounding the Minnesota State Capitol is scheduled to come down June 1, according to a spokesperson for the state Department of Administration. Removing the fence will take several days, but it will likely be down by the time lawmakers return to the Capitol for the June special session. It is not clear yet…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says he’ll provide an update about the state’s mask mandate later Thursday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that fully vaccinated people can go without masks indoors. “This is exciting news! The vaccines are working. Gov. Walz and the Minnesota Department of Health are reviewing the CDC’s announcement and…
