AURORA, Ill. – A spokesman for the coroner’s office says at least one person is dead following a shooting at a business in suburban Chicago. Kane County coroner’s office spokesman Chris Nelson says at least one person was killed in the attack Friday afternoon at the Henry Pratt Co. building in Aurora. City spokesman Clayton Muhammad earlier told ABC7 that…
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says he expects legal challenges to his decision to declare a national emergency to erect barriers between the U.S. and Mexico but says he’ll be vindicated. Trump announced Friday that he has signed the appropriate paperwork to declare an emergency on the border so he can build a wall. In a sing-songy tone of voice,…
NEVIS, Minn. – A Hubbard County Sheriff’s Deputy is injured and three people are dead following an officer involved shooting that happened in Hubbard-Cass County late Thursday night. The Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office, in a release Friday, said a 911 caller reported a shooting at a residence in the City of Nevis about 8 p.m. Thursday. Deputies responded and pursued…
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says he’ll be declaring a national emergency so he can build a southern border wall. Trump did not say on Friday when he would make such a declaration, but the move will allow him to bypass Congress to spend more money to erect barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border. Congress has given Trump about…
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump plans to spend about $8 billion on border barriers, far more than Congress has given him for that purpose. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney says Trump will tap various other sources of money beyond the nearly $1.4 billion in a government funding bill that Congress passed. Trump is expected to sign the…
(AP) MADISON, Wis. – Illinois Democrats are asking Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers to re-evaluate the environmental impact of a Foxconn Technology Group facility in Racine County. U.S. Reps. Brad Schneider and Lauren Underwood along with Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth sent Evers a letter Friday saying the facility’s stormwater run-off could exacerbate flooding in the Des Plaines River watershed…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minneapolis man is charged with fatally shooting his neighbor and her adult daughter following an argument last weekend. Forty-six-year-old Richie Vessel faces two counts of second-degree murder with intent in the deaths of Eileen Mark and Jennifer Angerhofer. A criminal complaint says a witness told police he heard loud music, an argument and then the gunshots…
WASHINGTON – The Senate has passed a bipartisan border security plan that would finance 55 additional miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, significantly less than President Donald Trump wanted. The vote came shortly after the White House announced he’ll sign the measure — and immediately announce he’ll use emergency powers to build additional miles without approval from Congress. The…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says anglers will be able to keep some walleye during the open-water season on Mille Lacs Lake this year. The DNR announced the decision Thursday. The decision follows several seasons of catch-and-release fishing on the premier walleye lake in central Minnesota. Regulators say state anglers stayed well under Mille Lacs’…
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON – The Senate has confirmed William Barr as attorney general, placing the veteran government official and lawyer atop the Justice Department as special counsel Robert Mueller investigates Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Barr, who previously served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993. Barr will succeed Jeff Sessions, who was…
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a woman he met in downtown Minneapolis and offered to drive home. Prosecutors say 37-year-old Dontay Reese instead drove the woman to Wisconsin in August 2017 and told her he planned to make money by trafficking her. The victim attempted to escape multiple times and each time was captured and…
BIG LAKE, Minn. – Police are investigating the discovery of two bodies at a home in Sherburne County. Big Lake police say they were dispatched to the home at the request of a family member who was concerned because he or she had been unable to reach the two for several days. KSTP-TV reports police found the bodies in the…
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s legislative auditor says two state agencies must share the blame for the troubled rollout in 2017 of a new driver’s license and vehicle registration system. A report released Thursday says the $100 million and nine years devoted to developing the MNLARS system should have been sufficient to successfully complete the project. It blames leaders at…
TORRANCE, Calif. — Honda says it is recalling 437,000 vehicles in the U.S. to fix a fuel-pump issue. The recall covers model-year 2016-2018 Acura MDXs, 2015-2019 Acura TLX V6s and 2015-2017 Honda Accord V6s. The automaker says the vehicles’ software needs to be updated, and in some cases, have their fuel pumps replaced. That’s because sodium particulates in some U.S….
BARRON, Wis. – A 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who spent 88 days in captivity after a violent abduction is thanking supporters from around the world. Jayme Closs was taken in October in an attack that included the shotgun slayings of her parents, James and Denise Closs, at the family’s home. A 21-year-old man is charged with kidnapping and murder. Jayme is…
OWATONNA, Minn. – Two students have been charged following an altercation with police at Owatonna Senior High School this week that stemmed from racist comments made on social media. Owatonna police says some students posted racist comments over the weekend that were directed at black students at the school. Students tell KMSP-TV the situation escalated when another racist social media…
DETROIT — Ford is recalling nearly 1.5 million pickup trucks in North America because the transmissions can suddenly downshift into first gear. The recall covers F-150 trucks from the 2011 through 2013 model years with six-speed automatic transmissions. The company says a glitch in sending a signal from the transmission speed sensor is the cause. Ford has five reports of…
WASHINGTON — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s campaign says the Democrat raised more than $1 million in the 48 hours after launching her presidential bid. Klobuchar kicked off her candidacy Sunday during a snowy rally in Minneapolis. Her campaign says the money was raised from “online and grassroots supporters.” She is one of the few Democrats running for the presidency who…
ANOKA, Minn. – Bail is set at $1 million for a 46-year-old man charged with killing his wife in a northern Minneapolis suburb. Matthew Lynn Jansen of Blaine was charged Monday in Anoka County with second-degree murder. According to the complaint, Jansen called 911 on Friday night and reported he had killed his wife with a gun. He said the…
MADISON, Wis. – Gov. Tony Evers says Wisconsin will be joining the U.S. Climate Alliance, a group that works to implement an international climate accord and combat climate change at the state level. Neighboring Michigan became the 20th state to join the alliance last week. The group was formed in 2017 after President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw the…
FOND DU LAC, Wis. – A former Ripon High School teacher has been sentenced to probation for having a sexual relationship with a student. Twenty-nine-year-old Samantha Fitzpatrick earlier pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault of a student by a school staff member. Three other counts, including child enticement, were dismissed. WLUK-TV reports Fond du Lac County Judge Gary…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone)ST. PAUL, Minn. – Gov. Tim Walz says his administration will continue to appeal regulatory approval of the Enbridge Energy Line 3 pipeline project in northern Minnesota. State utility regulators last summer approved Enbridge Energy’s plans to build a new $2.6 billion pipeline to replace the aging and corroding Line 3. But, former Gov. Mark Dayton’s Department of…
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The scene has been clear after a 40-vehicle pileup on I-94 in Eau Claire Sunday afternoon. The State Patrol says the crashed happened on both side of the interstate. The series of crashes involved seven semis and 33 cars. Seven people were hurt, one of them critically. The crashes are under investigation. Categories: News, News –…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota education officials and lobbyists are surveying districts to decide whether to ask lawmakers for a shorter school year after severe winter weather forced many to cancel classes. The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports that the Minnesota Department of Education and lobbying groups are seeking information about how the last two weeks of extreme cold and…
DETROIT – Experts are predicting higher-than-normal water levels on the Great Lakes this summer, some of which may set records. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Detroit recently issued its latest six-month forecast for the lakes. The Detroit News reports that Lake Superior is unusually high and by May could reach a record set in the mid-1980s. Lake…
MENOMONIE, Wis. – Five people have died in weekend snowmobile crashes in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the crashes happened Friday and Saturday in Calumet, Dunn, Langlade, Iron and Forest counties. In western Wisconsin, a 28-year-old rural Boyceville man died when he apparently lost control of his snowmobile and crashed on a Dunn County trail Saturday. A…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Faith leaders gathered at the Capitol to urge Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to oppose Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline replacement, while a mostly Republican group of lawmakers urged him to let the project move forward. Around 100 clergy and laypeople from Interfaith Power and Light held a prayer gathering in the governor’s office Friday, and…
MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin System regents have approved raising graduate tuition at eight schools and out-of-state undergraduate tuition at six schools. Resident graduate tuition will increase at Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse, Oshkosh, Parkside, Stevens Point, Stout and Whitewater. Green Bay will see the biggest increase, from $7,793 to $7,996. Nonresident graduate tuition will increase at all…
NEW YORK – Subaru, Tesla, BMW, Volkswagen, Daimler Vans, Mercedes and Ferrari are recalling about 1.7 million vehicles to replace potentially deadly air bag inflators made by Takata Corp. of Japan. The inflators can hurl shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least 23 people have died from the problem worldwide and hundreds more were injured. The moves, announced Friday by…
MINNEAPOLIS – Prosecutors allege a 31-year-old Minnesota man fired five shots at a school bus windshield, wounding the bus driver, after a minor accident on a snowy interstate near downtown Minneapolis. Kenneth Lilly, of St. Paul, was charged Thursday with attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault. He’s expected in court Friday. According to the complaint, the bus was trying to…
(Dane County Jail via AP)MILWAUKEE — A Wisconsin man told a 14-year-old Tennessee girl he met online that he’d help her run away when she told him her adoptive father had been raping her, but only if she sent him video proof of an assault, federal prosecutors allege. Prosecutors said in a complaint filed this week against 31-year-old Bryan Rogers…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minnesota House committee has approved a bill to strengthen the state’s laws against sexual harassment. The judiciary committee sent the bill to the floor on a 16-0 vote Thursday. Democratic Rep. Kelly Moller, of Shoreview, and other witnesses told the panel the legislation is necessary because Minnesota courts have set the legal standard too high…
(Consumer Product Safety Commission via AP)WASHINGTON — Fisher-Price is voluntarily recalling about 44,000 Children’s Power Wheels Barbie Dream Campers because they can keep running after the foot pedal is released. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says Fisher-Price has received 17 complaints. No injuries have been reported. The model FRC29 battery-operated vehicles are hot pink with blue accents and have the…
(Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP File)ST. PAUL, Minn. – A House Republican says he hopes a decision by the Minnesota Court of Appeals prompts Gov. Tim Walz to decide quickly that his administration should drop a challenge to the approval of Enbridge Energy’s proposal to replace its Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota. The Commerce Department filed the…
UPDATE: Authorities have discovered what is believed to be human remains of two people at an apparent crime scene in Eckles Township. According to a recent press release, authorities discovered the remains after a concerned family member contacted the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office to report a possible missing person on February 4. The caller told authorities they had not had…
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed the death of a Milwaukee police officer who was shot while serving a warrant on the city’s south side. The medical examiner says the officer was pronounced dead after being rushed to Froedtert Hospital following the shooting in a residential neighborhood late Wednesday morning. Details about the shooting haven’t been released….
BARRON, Wis. – A man accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl and killing her parents has been ordered to stand trial after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing. Twenty-one-year-old Jake Patterson gave brief answers to the judge Wednesday. He acknowledged he was giving up his right to a hearing at which prosecutors would have had to show they…
BARRON, Wis. – A man accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl and killing her parents is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing. Jake Patterson is accused of killing James and Denise Closs on Oct. 15 and kidnapping their daughter , Jayme Closs, from their Barron home. Jayme escaped on Jan. 10, after 88 days . Patterson…
MINNEAPOLIS-Minneapolis police say the driver of a school bus was shot following an apparent crash. Police spokesman John Elder says a suspect is in custody and the driver’s injuries are not life-threatening. The incident happened Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 35W south of the city. It’s unclear if children were on the bus at the time of the shooting, but Elder…
PHOENIX-A lawyer representing a man accused of raping an incapacitated woman who later gave birth at a long-term care facility in Phoenix says his client will present a full legal defense. Attorney David Gregan made a brief statement to reporters after 36-year-old Nathan Sutherland pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of sexual abuse and abuse of a vulnerable adult. Gregan…
HASTINGS, Minn.-Sheriff’s officials say a house explosion in Dakota County has killed a woman and severely burned a man. Firefighters and deputies were dispatched to a house south of Hampton about 6:15 a.m. Tuesday. Deputies found a man wandering the scene of the blast with severe burns over much of his body. The man said he was looking for his…
WASHINGTON-President Donald Trump is expected to call for optimism and unity in his State of the Union address, but skeptics are likely to question whether he can be successful in pursuing such a reset after two years of bitter partisanship and personal attacks. Ahead of Trump’s prime-time Tuesday speech, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hopes to hear a commitment…
DULUTH, Minn.-A Grand Rapids physician is among seven men arrested and suspected of soliciting a minor for sex. Authorities conducted an undercover sting operation and placed ads on various sites know for soliciting sex. Prosecutors say Dr. Ogechukwu Adekweh was among those who responded to an ad and was arrested when he arrived to meet a juvenile female at a…
ST. PAUL, Minn.-Voters in northern Minnesota take part in a special Senate election Tuesday with a little more at stake than usual. Republicans had just a one-seat majority in the Senate before newly elected Gov. Tim Walz appointed Democrat Tony Lourey to his cabinet. Now the GOP is hoping to flip the seat Lourey vacated to give themselves a bit…
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn.-Activists from the Catholic Worker movement say four protesters have been arrested in an attempt to shut down an Enbridge oil pipeline in north-central Minnesota. Spokeswoman Diane Leutgeb Monson says the four broke into an area containing shut-off valves for three Enbridge pipelines around noon Monday, then called to warn the company of their plans to turn off…
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A top administration official for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says the governor is meeting with staff to hear their assessment of whether it’s viable for him to stay in office. The official spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the official was not authorized to speak about the matter publicly. Northam has rebuffed widespread calls for…
MADISON, Wis.-Conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brian Hagedorn is defending blog posts he wrote more than a decade ago where he said a landmark gay rights court ruling could lead to legalized bestiality and labeled Planned Parenthood a “wicked organization.” Hagedorn spoke Monday about the blogs to conservative talk radio host John Muir on WTAQ-AM. He wrote the blogs while…
MINNEAPOLIS-Minnesota officials, local governments and nonprofits are coordinating efforts to count every resident in the state for the 2020 Census. State demographer Susan Brower tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press that ensuring an accurate tally is “a tremendous undertaking.” Brower is holding workshops to help prepare cities and counties, which are forming their own committees to alert residents about the…
MADISON, Wis.-Five unions and a Democratic lawmaker have filed another lawsuit challenging measures Wisconsin Republican approved in a lame-duck session. The laws block Democratic Gov. Tony Evers from withdrawing from lawsuits without legislative approval, give lawmakers the power to decide how to spend money obtained from legal settlements and allow them to intervene in cases and hire their own attorneys…
MADISON, Wis.-Foxconn Technology Group says after speaking with President Donald Trump the Taiwan company plans to proceed with plans to construct a plant in Wisconsin that will make screens that can be used for small electronic devices. The news Friday comes after a week of confusion about Foxconn’s plans in Wisconsin. The company had said last year that it was…
