ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A closed hearing in the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers in George Floyd’s killing was canceled Friday after prosecutors and the media objected. It’s the second time in just days that access to the proceedings became an issue. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson scheduled the conference on the admissibility of some evidence…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Food banks are experiencing a critical shortage of volunteers as the omicron variant frightens people away from group activities. Individual volunteers are shying away from their usual shifts, and companies and schools that regularly supply large groups of volunteers are canceling their participation over virus fears. The end result in many cases has been a serious increase…
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — The boyfriend of slain cross-country traveler Gabby Petito admitted killing her in a notebook discovered near his body in a Florida swamp, the FBI announced Friday. It was the first time authorities squarely pinned the blame for Petito’s death on Brian Laundrie, though he was the prime suspect all along. Investigators meanwhile announced that Laundrie,…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Republican-hired investigator looking into Wisconsin’s 2020 election is no longer seeking to jail the mayors of Green Bay and Madison for allegedly not complying with a subpoena he issued last year. A judge on Friday said he needed more facts before deciding whether to compel the mayors to testify. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez…
KENOSHA, Wis. – Kyle Rittenhouse, the Illinois man acquitted of fatally shooting two men and wounding a third during street protests in Kenosha in 2020, has filed papers in court to recover property seized by police after his arrest, including the gun he used in the shootings. A motion filed in Kenosha County Circuit Court on Wednesday states that Rittenhouse…
(John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) – A Florida man has been charged with human smuggling after the bodies of four people, including a baby and a teen, were found in Canada near the U.S. border. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota says 47-year-old Steve Shand has been charged with human smuggling after seven…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Louie Anderson, whose more than four-decade career as a comedian and actor included his unlikely, Emmy-winning performance as mom to twin adult sons in the TV series “Baskets,” died Friday. He was 68. Anderson died at a hospital in Las Vegas of complications from cancer, said Glenn Schwartz, his longtime publicist. Anderson had a a type…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Enbridge Energy said it has stopped the flow of spilled artesian groundwater that began a year ago when workers installing the Line 3 oil pipeline in northwestern Minnesota punctured an aquifer. The spill near Enbridge’s terminal in Clearbrook was one of the worst environmental accidents during the construction of the 340-mile pipeline in…
NEW YORK (AP) – Meat Loaf, the rock superstar loved by millions for his “Bat Out of Hell” album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” and “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” has died at age 74. A family statement provided by his longtime agent says the singer born Marvin Lee Aday died Thursday…
(AP) – The Biden administration’s new infrastructure package will pump more funding into two high-profile Great Lakes projects. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will devote $479 million to the construction of a new shipping lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The money will be enough to finish the long-sought lock, which will boost the passage of cargo…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to the highest level in three months as the fast-spreading omicron variant disrupted the job market. Jobless claims rose for the third straight week – by 55,000 to 286,000, highest since mid-October, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out weekly volatility, rose…
MINNEAPOLIS – Hundreds of Minnesotans are taking advantage of the state’s offer to cover the cost of training to become a certified nursing assistant. The state has used $3.5 million in federal relief funding to pay for students’ tuition, textbooks, and certification exams in hopes of alleviating staffing shortages in long-term care facilities and veterans’ homes during the coronavirus pandemic….
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Intentionally damaging vaccines would be a felony in Wisconsin under a bill with bipartisan support that the state Assembly is scheduled to approve Thursday. The measure comes in response to a pharmacist in a Milwaukee suburb spoiling more than 500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021. He pleaded guilty to the federal charges and…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the federal case against three former Minneapolis police officers who were with Derek Chauvin when he pinned George Floyd to the street. J. Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao are charged with depriving Floyd of his constitutional rights while acting under government authority. Starting Thursday, jurors will be questioned by…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A state court trial for three former Minneapolis police officers charged with the death of George Floyd has been rescheduled for June 13, after both the defense and prosecutors requested a postponement. Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao face charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter. Their trial was supposed to start on March…
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris plans to visit Milwaukee on Monday, which would be her second trip to Wisconsin since taking office a year ago. The White House said Wednesday that Harris will be joined by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and second gentleman Doug Emhoff for the visit. Additional details were to be…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week. The step comes after federal officials emphasized the masks’ better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The White House said Wednesday the masks will come from the government’s Strategic National Stockpile, which has more…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — An advocacy group working to end clergy abuse in Wisconsin has delivered thousands of documents from Wisconsin’s five Catholic dioceses to the state attorney general, documents it says show a systemic coverup of abuse. The documents were provided to Nate’s Mission by whistleblowers within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Diocese of Madison, La Crosse, Green…
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — A man accused of killing three people and wounding three others in an April shooting at a bar in Wisconsin was found guilty on all charges Tuesday. The verdict came less than two hours after the prosecution and defense delivered closing arguments in the trial of Rakayo Vinson, 25, who was charged in the deaths of…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Republican lawmakers have introduced a package of legislation that would tighten eligibility for unemployment benefits and Medicaid coverage. Republicans said Tuesday that the bills are designed to get more people into the workforce and address what they maintain is a crippling labor shortage in the state. The sweeping package would require audits of recipients’ work…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz asked the Legislature on Tuesday to back a $2.7 billion “local jobs and projects” plan that’s considerably larger than the record package that lawmakers passed two years ago. The Democratic governor unveiled his wish list at a news conference outside the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development, which is getting a major rebuild…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Under criticism after weeks of shortages, President Joe Biden’s administration is working to make COVID-19 rapid test kits more available and accessible to Americans by boosting supply and lowering costs. A new federal website to request free test kits officially launches Wednesday — but was available to use Tuesday — with the first shipments going out to…
WARROAD, Minn. (AP) — A 37-mile ice highway in Minnesota that takes motorists across the mammoth Lake of the Woods to the northernmost point in the contiguous United States is open for the second straight year, with a toll of $250 per vehicle. The road, which costs an estimated $1,500 per mile for plowing and other upkeep, begins in Warroad…
(courtesy: Fox 9) COON RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) – A man who has been suffering from a severe case of COVID-19 and was being kept alive by a ventilator has been moved from a Minnesota hospital to a Texas facility after a judge issued a restraining order stopping the hospital from turning off his machine. Fifty-five-year-old Scott Quiner, of Buffalo, was…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republican state lawmakers are pushing a plan that would lower the minimum age to legally carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin. Currently, a Wisconsin resident needs to be 21 before they can apply for a concealed carry permit. The GOP-backed bill would lower it to 18. The measure’s sponsor, state Rep. Shae Sortwell says 18-year-olds have…
AP Photo/Brandon Wade COLLEYVILLE, Texas (AP) — Four hostages were spared and their captor was killed, ending a 10-hour standoff at a Texas synagogue where the hostage-taker — a British national — could be heard ranting on a Livestream and demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan. One…
Japan Meteorology Agency via AP WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – An undersea volcano has erupted in spectacular fashion near the Pacific nation of Tonga. The eruption on Saturday sent tsunami waves swirling around buildings and people rushing to higher ground. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage because all internet connectivity with Tonga was lost. Following the eruption,…
(Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department via AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin court commissioner has ordered a Milwaukee man accused of plowing his SUV through a suburban Christmas parade, killing six people and injuring dozens more, to stand trial. Waukesha County Court Commissioner Kevin Costello ordered Darrell Brooks Jr. bound over for trial on more than 70 charges, including…
ONAMIA, Minn. (AP) – The State Patrol says an individual struck and killed on an east-central Minnesota highway was a 6-year-old girl. The patrol says the child was in the lanes of traffic when she was struck on Highway 169 at about 11 p.m. Thursday near Onamia in Mille Lacs County. Troopers identified the child as Unique Sincere Beaulieu. She…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Heavy snow spread across a large swath of the Midwest, where travel conditions deteriorated and scores of schools closed or moved to online instruction. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for parts of Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa, and Illinois, where forecasters were expecting up to 10 inches of fresh snow. The weather service tweeted…
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – The ongoing tug-of-war over whether mining should be allowed near the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been resurrected with strong opinions on both sides of the issue. Federal officials once again gathered feedback from the public in a virtual meeting Wednesday that comes more than five years after a 20-year mining ban was first…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin National Guard troops will help fill staffing shortages at the state’s hospitals and nursing homes over the coming weeks due to a surge in COVID-19 patients, Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday. The governor said troops are being trained as certified nursing assistants. About 50 soldiers were deployed to six nursing homes during the past week….
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has stopped the Biden administration from enforcing a requirement that employees at large businesses be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing and wear a mask on the job. At the same time, the court is allowing the administration to proceed with a vaccine mandate for most health care workers in the U.S. The…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minneapolis Public Schools will pivot to online instruction for two weeks because the coronavirus has significantly reduced the number of school staff available for in-person learning. Virtual education will begin Friday with students returning to the classroom on Jan. 31. Minneapolis joins a growing list of school districts planning to move to distance learning, including Osseo, Prior…
(AP) – Two U.S. science agencies say 2021 was the sixth hottest year on record globally, part of a long-term warming trend. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Thursday released measurements showing how hot last year was. It wasn’t record hot, but the year’s 58.5-degree average is not much behind the record. The last eight years have been…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minnesota judge has agreed to delay a state court trial for three former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s death, though he didn’t immediately set a date. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill told attorneys to agree on a new date that’s within one year. They must inform the court by Sunday. Cahill said if they…
(AP Photo/Steve Karnowski) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The number of Minnesota state lawmakers who don’t plan to seek reelection continues to grow. Longtime Rep. Paul Marquart joined the list Wednesday. The Democrat was first elected to the House 22 years ago after serving as Dilworth’s mayor for 11 years. Marquardt says that at age 65 it’s time to try…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Prices paid by U.S. consumers jumped 7% in December from a year earlier, the highest inflation rate since 1982, and the latest evidence that rising costs for food, gas, rent and other necessities are heightening the financial pressures on America’s households. Inflation has spiked during the recovery from the pandemic recession as Americans have ramped up spending…
TAMARACK, Minn. – The company that plans to develop a nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota has made a major supply deal with Tesla, the electric vehicle maker. Tesla has committed to purchasing 75,000 metric tons of nickel concentrate over six years from Talon Metals’ planned mine in Tamarack, which is about 50 miles west of Duluth. Talon hopes to open…
(AP Photo/David Dermer, File) WASHINGTON (AP) – Starting Saturday, private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for those on their plans. The Biden administration announced the change Monday as it looks to lower costs and makes testing for the virus more convenient amid rising frustrations. Under the new policy, first detailed…
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota health officials looking for a silver lining in the spread of the coronavirus omicron variant say they hope it can be found in declining intensive care hospitalizations for COVID-19. That number fell from 374 in mid-December to 255 on Friday. The decline temporarily eases pressure on hospitals as they brace for the wave of omicron infections. Despite…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The man who bought an AR-15-style rifle for Kyle Rittenhouse has pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in a deal with prosecutors to avoid prison. A Wisconsin judge accepted Dominick Black’s plea on Monday. Prosecutors dropped two felony counts of intent to deliver a dangerous weapon to…
WASHINGTON (AP) — This year’s tax filing season will begin on Jan. 24, 17 days earlier than last year, the Internal Revenue Service announced Monday. The IRS is warning that a resurgence of COVID-19 infections on top of less funding authorization from Congress than the Biden administration had requested could make this filing season particularly challenging. “The pandemic continues to…
(courtesy: Fox News) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A U.S. Army veteran and former healthcare executive says he’s running for governor in Minnesota, joining a handful of other Republicans who have been announced for the job. Kendall Qualls lives in Medina with his wife and five children. He says he is the first and only member of his family to…
UPDATE (2:33 p.m.): Officials with the Duluth Fire Department say the main fire at the Esmond building is now out. Just shy of 7 hours from when the Esmond Fire was reported, the main fire is out. Crews are evaluating the scene and will continue to put out hot spots. Work is starting to clear the alley to have MN…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota’s COVID-19 positivity rate over the past seven days reached 15.6% on Friday, emphasizing the rapid spread of the omicron variant across the state. State health officials have said they expect a new surge of case growth for at least the next month. The Star Tribune reported that Minnesota’s previous positivity rate record came early in the…
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) – Three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery have been sentenced to life in prison, with a judge denying any chance of parole for the father and son who armed themselves and initiated the deadly pursuit of the 25-year-old Black man. Greg and Travis McMichael grabbed guns and chased Arbery in a pickup truck after…
(Oakland County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File) DETROIT (AP) — A judge has denied a request to lower a $500,000 bail set for two parents who are charged with their son in a fatal Michigan school shooting. Judge Julie Nicholson said James and Jennifer Crumbley failed to turn themselves in when they were charged with involuntary manslaughter on Dec. 3…
NEW YORK (AP) – Sidney Poitier, the groundbreaking actor and enduring inspiration who transformed how Black people were portrayed on screen and became the first Black actor to win an Academy Award for best lead performance and the first to be a top box-office draw, has died. He was 94. Few movie stars had such an influence both on and…
(AP Photo/Steven Senne) (AP) – Hospitalizations in U.S. children under age 5 with COVID have soared dramatically to unprecedented levels, a worrisome trend in youngsters too young to be vaccinated. That’s according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Friday. Since early December, as the highly contagious omicron variant has spread furiously around the country, the hospitalization rate…
