ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A 4-year-old boy has died after authorities say his father left him in a hot sport utility vehicle for hours while he worked at an event in St. Paul. The father, 26-year-old Kristopher Taylor of Apple Valley, is charged with second-degree manslaughter. The boy died Saturday. Authorities say Taylor left the child in the vehicle…
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – Federal officials predict water levels will surge to record highs in some areas of the Great Lakes over the next six months. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report released Monday says the lakes have been rising steadily for several years and are getting an extra boost as winter’s melting snow mingles with recent heavy…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A new audit says tuition revenue at University of Wisconsin System schools grew $336.6 million over the last decade. The report from the Legislative Audit Bureau found tuition revenue grew from $933.4 million in fiscal year 2008-09 to $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2017-18. Resident tuition grew from $125.4 million to $276.3 million. Nonresident tuition increased…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin’s tourism industry generated $21.6 billion last year. That’s according to a new report from the state Department of Tourism. The report says visitor spending rose nearly 5 percent in 2018 to $13.3 billion. Tourism brought in $1.2 billion in federal taxes, $879 million in state taxes and $703 million in local taxes. Most of the…
(AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file) LONDON (AP) – A beaming Prince Harry says he and his wife Meghan have a healthy baby boy. Harry says he’s “incredibly proud” of his wife after she gave birth early Monday morning. The baby weighs 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and palace officials say he was born at 5:26 a.m. Monday. The infant, now the seventh…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The city of Minneapolis is paying $20 million to settle a lawsuit over a police officer’s fatal shooting of an unarmed woman who approached his squad car after calling 911 to report a possible crime. Mayor Jacob Frey announced the settlement Friday, three days after a jury convicted Mohamed Noor of murder and manslaughter in the 2017…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A TV station reveals that Minnesota and local governments have been shelling out millions of taxpayer dollars to public employees to stay away from their jobs while they’re being investigated for allegations of misconduct, wrongdoing or crimes. KARE-TV obtained public records that show the Twin Cities paid more than $3.7 million to workers over the past three…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Authorities say one child is dead and another is hospitalized in critical condition after falling from a window at a south Minneapolis apartment building. Minneapolis police received a call about 2:20 p.m. Thursday reporting the incident at a building along the Midtown Greenway. Police spokesman John Elder says workers in the area saw the children fall from…
CHICAGO (AP) – Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar has released a plan to spend $100 billion over a decade to improve mental health care and fight substance abuse. It’s an issue the Minnesota senator has faced firsthand as the daughter of an alcoholic who struggled with addiction for years before getting sober. The wide-ranging plan unveiled Friday includes funding for…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz has signed a bill repealing a Minnesota law that prevented prosecutors from filing rape charges against people accused of sexually assaulting their spouses. Looking on as Walz signed the bill Thursday was Jenny Teeson. The Andover woman went public after prosecutors dropped a felony charge against her now ex-husband, who drugged her…
MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say charges have been filed against a man involved in a nine-hour standoff with police at his Moorhead home. KFGO radio reports that 35-year-old Blake Fitzgerald is charged with six counts, including assault with a dangerous weapon, false imprisonment, domestic assault by strangulation and terroristic threats. Court documents say the incident began Tuesday when a…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin’s Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he hopes to find a way to reach a deal with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on a limited legalization of medical marijuana. Vos on Thursday said Republicans won’t go along with Evers’ more expansive proposal that also includes legalizing small amounts of recreational marijuana. Republicans plan to kill that…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says his pick for the Federal Reserve board, conservative commentator Stephen Moore, has withdrawn from contention. The decision comes amid controversy over Moore’s past writings about women. He lost Republican support in the Senate, which would have to vote on a potential nomination. Trump tweeted the news Wednesday, calling Moore “a great pro-growth economist…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The state Department of Natural Resources’ secretary has decided not to reinstate a permit for a $75 million sand processing plant in Monroe County. The Wisconsin State Journal reports DNR Secretary Preston Cole signed a decision Tuesday that closes the agency’s review of a judge’s decision to revoke a permit allowing Meteor Timber to fill 16…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Democratic Gov. Tony Evers says he will “fight like hell” to expand Medicaid in Wisconsin, even though Republican legislative leaders plan to kill his proposal next week. Evers and Democrats vowed at a news conference Thursday to save the proposal and called on voters to pressure Republicans to compromise. They cited public opinion polls that showed…
(AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Foxconn Technology Group CEO Terry Gou has met with President Donald Trump to discuss the company’s ever-changing Wisconsin project. Foxconn confirmed the meeting on Thursday but offered few details on what was discussed. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers says Foxconn approached him about changing the state’s contract with the worldwide electronics leader. The current deal makes…
RED LAKE, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say a body recovered on the Red Lake Indian Reservation has been identified as a man who was reported missing at the end of October. The Red Lake Department of Public Safety says in a release that the remains of 26-year-old Dillon Sayers were found last week. The cause of death remains under investigation….
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – State investigators say a resident at a Duluth senior care apartment complex inadvertently drank a cleaning chemical that severely burned his digestive tract and killed him three days later. The Star Tribune reports the man had dementia and lived in a secured memory care unit at Westwood of Duluth. The investigation found that the man had a…
(courtesy: Fox 9)ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz says the state should pull the plug on the troubled vehicle registration system known as MNLARS and replace it with commercial software used by other states. Walz told reporters Wednesday he accepts the conclusions of an expert panel that recommended freezing further development of MNLARS and quickly replacing it with…
(courtesy: Fox 9) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Department of Natural Resources says it will appeal a court ruling that it lacked the power to change the name of Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis to its original Dakota name, Bde Maka Ska. The DNR says it will file its appeal with the Minnesota Supreme Court by May 29. Commissioner Sarah…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota House has voted narrowly to ban a resumption of wolf hunting for sport in Minnesota. The vote was 66-65 Tuesday on an amendment to a broader environment and natural resources funding bill. The federal government announced plans in March to lift protections for wolves and return management to the states. Minnesota held three…
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – The Diocese of Duluth has reached a settlement with dozens of people who say they were abused as children by its priests. The attorney for 125 claimants in the diocese’s bankruptcy case, Jeff Anderson, says the agreement requires the diocese to pay them $40 million. The settlement also requires the diocese to release the files of…
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A student with a pistol and no immediately apparent motive killed two people and wounded four others at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte before campus police disarmed and arrested him, authorities said. The campus police chief said the suspect had not appeared on their radar as a potential threat. “I just went into a classroom and…
UPDATE: Jury finds Noor guilty on third-degree murder, guilty on second-degree manslaughter, but not guilty on second-degree murder charges. ___ MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.-Jurors have reached a verdict in the trial of a Minnesota police officer in the death of an unarmed woman who was shot minutes after calling 911. Mohamed Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter in the 2017 death of…
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.-Moose are thriving at Isle Royale National Park, but many trees are paying a heavy price. A report released Tuesday estimates there are 2,060 moose at the wilderness park in northwestern Lake Superior. That’s the highest number since 1995, when the population exceeded 2,400. The population fell to about 500 over the next two years because of harsh…
ST. PAUL, Minn.-The Minnesota House has passed a Democratic-backed transportation budget bill that includes Gov. Tim Walz’s proposal to increase the state’s gasoline tax by 20 cents per gallon. The 74-58 vote fell along party lines Monday night. Democrats stressed the need for a stable, dedicated revenue source to fund badly needed for road and bridge improvements. Their proposal would…
ST. PAUL, Minn.-The Minnesota House has approved a pair of gun control proposals over Republican objections. One provision would expand criminal background check requirements for all gun transfers, while the other would allow authorities to temporarily take guns away from people deemed an imminent threat to themselves or others. House Democrats wrapped the proposals into a public safety bill that…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is scheduled to sign a bill into law for the first time, enacting a proposal barring the term “mental retardation” from state agency rules and regulations. Even though the bill passed with unanimous bipartisan support, the Democratic Evers and Republicans who control the Legislature still bickered over the issue. That’s because Evers…
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – The tradition of releasing balloons at weddings, birthdays and memorials may soon get deflated by lawmakers in more than half a dozen states. Environmental groups want to put the kibosh on the tradition that has the unintended consequence of hurting the environment and threatening wildlife. Helium-filled balloons can travel for hundreds of miles before returning to…
(Cedric Hohnstadt via AP) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The jury that will deliberate the fate of a Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman who had called 911 has been instructed to consider the case without the benefit of hindsight. Mohamed Noor is on trial for murder and manslaughter in the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Republicans open to a compromise with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Medicaid expansion are looking at ways to accept the federal funding without appearing to cave on the issue. Talks are ongoing even as Republican legislative leaders remain opposed to full expansion. Evers is also publicly refusing to bend from his full expansion proposal, despite…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says the U.S. has decided to withdraw its support for a treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade. Trump said Friday that he has decided to revoke the United States’ status as a signatory of the Arms Trade Treaty regulating international trade in conventional weapons, including small arms, battle tanks, combat…
(courtesy: Office of Gov. Tim Walz)DULUTH, Minn. – The Star Tribune reports they obtained a letter of reprimand Thursday that Gov. Tim Walz sent to the commissioner of the IRRRB following controversy over the hiring of former state legislator Joe Radinovich. According to the tribune, the letter to Mark Phillips reads in part, “I expect you to model openness, transparency,…
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota National Guard says it’s received 90 reports of sexual assault in the past five years, including cases that ranged from inappropriate touching to rape. Guard leaders shared the information with more than 400 soldiers, airmen and civilians who gathered at the Arden Hills armory Thursday to discuss sexual assaults and providing a safe…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republican leaders of the Wisconsin Legislature’s budget committee say Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ proposal to legalize medical marijuana and small amounts of recreational pot will be snuffed out. Sen. Alberta Darling on Thursday called Evers’ marijuana legalization proposal “off the wall scary.” Evers proposed it as part of the two-year state budget. Under his plan, medical…
(courtesy: Fox News) FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A blood-sucking bug that can spread disease and is nicknamed for biting people around their mouths has been sighted in Colorado. The Coloradoan reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the “kissing bug,” or Triatoma sanguisuga, has been making its way into the U.S. from South and Central America. The…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minneapolis’ police union is partnering with a national group to offer “warrior-style” training to officers despite the mayor’s ban on the training that he says is rooted in fear. The Star Tribune reports that Law Officer announced this week it will provide free online training to members of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis. The law enforcement…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – An amendment brought by Minnesota House Republicans to reform the hiring practices at the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board failed to pass earlier this week with a vote of 60-70. The amendment “required the IRRRB commissioner to ensure that all hiring for management positions at the IRRRB is done through a fair and open process…
WASHINGTON-Joe Biden has formally entered the 2020 race for president. The vice president under President Barack Obama made the announcement in a video released Thursday morning. The move marks what will likely be the 76-year-old’s final opportunity to seek a job he has eyed for more than a generation. He struggled in two previous campaigns. One of the most recognizable…
DULUTH, Minn. – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board released a letter Tuesday asking the EPA to review its current study on Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) and the “viability of utilizing inherently safer alkylation technologies in petroleum refineries.” CSB Interim Executive Kristen Kulinowski said, “In the last 4 years, the CSB has investigated two refinery incidents where an explosion elevated the threat…
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. measles cases in 2019 have climbed to their highest level in 25 years in a resurgence largely attributed to misinformation that is turning parents against vaccines. New York City health officials on Wednesday reported 61 new cases since late last week, pushing this year’s nationwide tally past the 667 cases reported…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Republicans who control the Minnesota Senate have unveiled a tax bill they say will benefit all Minnesota taxpayers and provide tax cuts to half of them. The bill presented Wednesday contrasts with proposals from Gov. Tim Walz and the House Democratic majority that would raise gasoline and other taxes and preserve an expiring tax on…
(AP) – Walgreens has decided to raise its minimum age for tobacco sales several weeks after a top federal official chastised the drugstore chain for violating laws restricting access to cigarettes and other products. Walgreens said Tuesday that it will require customers to be at least 21 years old to purchase tobacco in any of its more than 9,500 stores…
(courtesy: odmp.org)PINE CITY, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of a conservation officer on a Pine County lake last weekend. Officer Eugene Wynn and a Pine County sheriff’s deputy were responding to a call on Cross Lake near Pine City last Friday. Both were thrown from their boat minutes after leaving shore….
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The family of a 5-year-old boy thrown off a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America earlier this month says he remains in intensive care but that the public’s “prayers are working.” A short statement Tuesday said the boy remains under sedation. The family, which has asked for privacy, says the child “has an important week ahead…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A new federal lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that Wisconsin’s voter ID requirements for college students are unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday by Common Cause in Wisconsin and a 20-year-old Milwaukee School of Engineering student. It argues that Wisconsin’s student ID requirements are a pointless barrier to voting in the state. The 2011 law created a…
MADISON, Wis. – A 24-year-old suburban Milwaukee man says he screamed for about 5 or 10 minutes after realizing he won a $768 million Powerball jackpot – the third largest in U.S. lottery history. Manuel Franco, of West Allis, came forward at a news conference Tuesday in Madison, where Wisconsin’s lottery is headquartered. Franco said his heart started racing when…
DETROIT (AP) – U.S. auto safety regulators have expanded an investigation into malfunctioning air bag controls to include 12.3 million vehicles because the bags may not inflate in a crash. As many as five deaths are blamed on the problem. The probe covers parts made by made by ZF-TRW that were installed in Toyota, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Fiat…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The winner of Powerball lottery ticket worth an estimated $768 million will soon be revealed. Lottery officials scheduled a news conference Tuesday in Wisconsin where the ticket was sold last month. Wisconsin lottery officials said a person coming forward to claim the third-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history will attend the news conference. They didn’t indicate…
(courtesy: Fox 6)MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A Catholic school employee in Milwaukee could face charges after a gun accidentally fired and injured a student. The gunshot at St. Josaphat Parish school grazed a 10-year-old student more than two weeks ago. Milwaukee police say they weren’t notified by the school until last week. Parents of students at the school received a…
