ST. PAUL, Minn. – Future lottery jackpot winners in Minnesota could be shielded from unwanted attention under proposed legislation. Minnesota Public Radio News reports that a bill calling for a one-word change to state law would put Minnesota among a handful of states that allow lottery winners to keep their identities secret. The bill is set for review by the…
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) — Dollar Tree is closing up to 390 Family Dollar stores this year and rebranding about 200 others under the Dollar Tree name. The company closed 84 Family Dollar stores in the fourth quarter, 37 more than originally planned. The company has said that it will renovate at least 1,000 stores this year. Dollar Tree Inc., based…
BILLINGS, Mont. – U.S. wildlife officials plan to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states, a move certain to re-ignite the legal battle over a predator that’s rebounding in some regions but absent in others. Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt was expected to announce the proposal during a Wednesday speech before a wildlife conference in Denver. U.S….
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota has joined with 20 other states in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s restrictions on federal family planning funds. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Oregon. It claims the restrictions are illegal and unconstitutional. Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement Tuesday that the affected programs, including Planned Parenthood and the St….
SEATTLE (AP) – Researchers say a London man appears to be free of the AIDS virus after a stem cell transplant. It’s the second such success including “Berlin patient” Timothy Ray Brown. Such transplants are dangerous and have failed in other patients. The new findings were published online Monday by the journal Nature. The London patient has not been identified….
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A leading group in the opposition to a copper-nickel mine on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has hired a former state agency chief who approved another controversial mining project in northeastern Minnesota. The Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters announced Tuesday that former Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Landwehr is its…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Gov. Tim Walz has signed his first two bills since taking office, one paying for fixes to the balky MNLARS vehicle registration system and one reversing what critics called an illegal attempt to tap an environmental trust fund to pay for projects statewide. Walz told reporters Tuesday the bipartisan negotiations that brought the bills to his…
MADISON, Wis. – A Republican legislator is re-introducing his bill to make bestiality a felony. Sen. Andre Jacque sent a memo to his colleagues on Tuesday seeking co-sponsors. He introduced the same bill during the last legislative session when he was a state representative in reaction to a case involving a Town of Eaton man convicted of molesting a horse….
WASHINGTON – Hillary Clinton says she won’t run for president in 2020, but vows she’s “not going anywhere.” The former secretary of state, senator and first lady ruled out another campaign during an interview posted Monday by New York TV station News12 . Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, says, “I’m going to keep on working…
(courtesy: Fox 9)ST. PAUL, Minn. – Legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz have agreed on plans to provide about $13 million in immediate funding so repairs can continue on Minnesota’s troubled vehicle registration system known as MNLARS, and they’re working to find $10 million to compensate registrars for losses they incurred trying to make it work. Republican Senate Majority Leader…
LOS ANGELES – A publicist for Luke Perry says the “Riverdale” and “Beverly Hills, 90210” star has died. He was 52. Publicist Arnold Robinson said that Perry died Monday after suffering a massive stroke. Robinson says Perry’s family and friends were with him when he died. Among them were his children, siblings, fiancé and former wife. The actor had been…
(AP Photo)UPDATE: — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Monday released a hand-written note given to him by former Gov. Scott Walker just before he left office in January, after initially refusing an Associated Press open records request for the document. Evers released it hours after the AP published a story about his denial and asked that he reconsider. Evers rejected…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Court of Appeals has upheld a $15 an hour Minneapolis minimum wage ordinance. The court affirmed the ordinance in a divided opinion Monday. Graco Inc. contended the ordinance was pre-empted by Minnesota’s minimum wage law. The company asked a judge to stop the ordinance from going into effect in 2017. The Minnesota Chamber of…
(video courtesy: Facebook/Governor Tim Walz) ST. PAUL, Minn. – Gov. Tim Walz has set an ambitious goal for Minnesota to get 100 percent of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2050. Walz said at a news conference Monday that his clean energy proposals would put Minnesota at the forefront of addressing climate change. The Democratic governor says his proposals build…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Enbridge Energy is delaying the startup of its Line 3 replacement crude oil pipeline through northern Minnesota by a year. The Canadian-based company said Friday it now expects the new pipeline to go into service in the second half of 2020. Enbridge officials had hoped to put the pipeline into service in the second half of…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin researcher says a drop in teen pregnancies has contributed to the lowest number of babies being born in the state in more than 40 years. Wisconsin Public Radio reports that data from the state Department of Health Services show there were less than 65,000 babies born in 2017; the lowest number in the state…
MINNEAPOLIS – Firefighters have contained a large chemical spill at an industrial company in Minneapolis. Hawkins Chemical was evacuated Friday where an estimated 5,400 gallons of nitric acid spilled. No injuries have been reported. Nitric acid is a highly corrosive, toxic liquid that can cause burns. Fire officials say some of the acid got into storm drains so the Minnesota…
DETROIT – Hyundai and Kia are recalling more than a half million vehicles in the U.S. because of new problems that can lead to engine fires. Documents posted Thursday by the government show the Korean automakers are adding three recalls after reports of fires across the country. The largest recall covers nearly 379,000 Kia Soul SUVs from 2012 through 2016…
MADISON, Wis. – The Democratic leader of the Wisconsin state Senate won’t say whether she supports a key provision of Gov. Tony Evers’ transportation plan that Republicans have backed in the past. Evers wants to repeal the state’s minimum markup law on gasoline, a move he says would cut the price of gas by as much as 14 cents a…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Health officials say 11 people died and 118 were injured in Minnesota hospitals and surgery centers last year from medical mistakes that were preventable. The Minnesota Department of Health’s annual report released Friday says the deaths included three infants who died during what were supposed to be uncomplicated deliveries. It’s the 15th year the health department has…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minnesota House committee has passed a proposed “red flag” law that would allow families and police to get court orders to temporarily remove guns from people judged to be an imminent danger to themselves or others. The House public safety committee approved the bill 10-7 along party lines Thursday. The same panel on Wednesday night…
OCONTO, Wis. – A Wisconsin man is facing his 11th drunken driving charge. Sixty-six-year-old Douglas Kluth of Green Bay was arrested early Wednesday in Oconto County. Authorities allege he had an open beer on the center console of his car. Officials say the State Patrol was helping with traffic when Kluth parked his vehicle and approached a trooper. The trooper…
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)MADISON, Wis. – Gov. Tony Evers is releasing his first state budget to a skeptical Republican Legislature, with many of his proposals likely dead on arrival and others unlikely to pass without significant changes. Evers, a Democrat, unveils his plan Thursday night during a joint meeting of the Legislature. That will kick off a monthslong process…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota’s projected budget surplus has shrunk to just over $1 billion, leaving lawmakers nearly $500 million less to work with compared with the last forecast announced in December. Minnesota Management and Budget said in a statement Thursday that the state’s budget and economic outlook have weakened since the previous forecast. The agency says slower projected economic…
(AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minnesota House committee has wrapped up a five-hour hearing on a pair of contentious gun control bills. The public safety committee voted 9-7 Wednesday night to approve a bill to require universal criminal background checks for gun purchasers. The panel then began considering a bill for a “red flag” law to allow…
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — President Donald Trump has departed Vietnam after failing to reach an agreement during his second nuclear summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. The U.S. leader said he “walked away” from talks with Kim after it was clear the two sides remained at odds in talks over ending the North’s nuclear program. Trump says the North…
NEENAH, Wis. (AP) — Authorities in Wisconsin have released 911 calls and police video that show the chaos of a deadly, 131-car pileup during whiteout conditions. Sunday’s chain-reaction crash on southbound Interstate 41 near Neenah, about 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee, killed a 30-year-old school teacher and injured 71 others. One woman called 911 to report she was just in…
FARIBAULT, Minn. – A Northfield firefighter has died in a snowmobile crash in Rice County. Sheriff’s officials say rescuers found Chad Van Zuilen underneath his snowmobile that was partially buried by snow during last weekend’s blizzard. They spotted the ski of his snowmobile in Webster Township. The 37-year-old firefighter was pronounced dead at Northfield Hospital early Sunday. Sheriff Troy Dunn…
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man who tried to join and fight for the Islamic State has been sentenced to seven years in a federal prison. Federal prosecutors say Jason Ludke was a “true danger” and asked for a 20-year sentence followed by a lifetime of supervised released. But, Ludke’s attorney asked for five years, saying his client was a “lost…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen (all times local): 4:55 p.m. President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, says he’s seen the president’s tax returns but hasn’t gone through them. Cohen is testifying Wednesday before the House oversight committee. Trump broke with decades of tradition for presidential candidates by refusing to release…
MADISON, Wis. – Gov. Tony Evers has quietly appointed a former legislator to the state Department of Natural Resources board. The board’s chairman, Fred Prehn, introduced Fred Clark as a board member at the board’s meeting Tuesday morning. He replaces Preston Cole, whom Evers appointed as DNR secretary in December. The DNR’s board liaison, Laurie Ross, said Evers appointed Clark…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Legislature is bracing for its first hearing this session on the contentious issue of gun control. The House public safety committee hearing is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Capitol. It will hear testimony on bills to require universal criminal background checks for gun purchasers, and to let families and police petition courts…
MILWAUKEE-A Wisconsin woman accused of killing three infants, including her son, in the 1980s has pleaded guilty to criminal charges. Sixty-one-year-old Nancy Moronez entered her pleas to three counts of homicide by reckless conduct Monday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Moronez is accused of killing her son, 18-day-old Justin Brunka, in 1980 in Franklin. Two other babies Moronez was babysitting,…
COON RAPIDS, Minn.-The parent of a transgender teenager has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Anoka-Hennepin School District. The lawsuit filed in Anoka County District Court Monday alleges administrators at Coon Rapids High School violated the student’s constitutional rights by not allowing him to use the boys’ locker room as a member of the swim team. Minnesota’s American Civil Liberties…
MINNEAPOLIS-A Minnesota judge says there will be no audio or video recording allowed during the trial of a former Minneapolis officer who shot and killed an Australian woman. Mohamed Noor is charged with murder in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, who was shot after she called police to report a possible sexual assault behind her home. Several…
ST. PAUL, Minn.-Gov. Tim Walz is preparing to roll out his first capital spending proposal, a $1.27 billion public construction borrowing bill. Walz makes the announcement Tuesday at the Fort Snelling Upper Post veterans housing community. His budget, higher education, transportation, housing and corrections commissioners will be there, plus his Metropolitan Council chair. Walz revealed some broad outlines last week…
MINNEAPOLIS-The Minnesota National Guard and sheriff’s deputies are rescuing people stranded by a blizzard in southern Minnesota. Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management says the Guard rescued 30 people in southeastern Freeborn County on Saturday night. Sheriff’s deputies rescued an additional 20 people. Gov. Tim Walz declared a state of emergency and ordered the Guard to help stranded motorists in…
COOK COUNTY, Minn.-Rescuers on snowmobiles and snowshoes battled 50-mph winds to rescue four anglers stranded on a snow-swept northern Minnesota lake. Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the anglers got their snowmobiles stuck more than 2 miles out on Greenwood Lake on Sunday afternoon. They were able to get phone contact with police in Ontario,…
NEENAH, Wis.-Authorities say it could take several days to clean up after a 131-vehicle pileup on Interstate 41 in Wisconsin that killed one motorist and injured 71 others. The chain-reaction crash happened Sunday in the Neenah area amid whiteout conditions. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office says the “vast majority” of the vehicles are destroyed. Authorities are still trying to piece…
BECKER, Minn-Google’s plan to build a $600 million wind-powered data center in central Minnesota may hinge on the tech giant’s request for officials to waive 20 years’ worth of future taxes. Minnesota Public Radio News reports that Google has asked Sherburne County and the city of Becker for property tax breaks that could save the company up to $15 million….
MADISON, Wis. – Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ plan to freeze enrollment in Wisconsin’s program that allows students to attend private schools using a taxpayer-funded voucher is drawing opposition. School Choice Wisconsin president Jim Bender said Monday that the proposal “will not result in better academic outcomes for anyone.” Instead, the choice program advocate says the governor’s plan will “pour gas…
MINNEAPOLIS – Rescuers on snowmobiles and snowshoes battled 50-mph winds to rescue four anglers stranded on a snow-swept northern Minnesota lake. Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the anglers got their snowmobiles stuck more than 2 miles out on Greenwood Lake on Sunday afternoon. They were able to get phone contact with police in Ontario,…
MINNEAPOLIS – Authorities say one person is dead and several others injured after a 100 car pileup on an interstate in east-central Wisconsin. The crash happened Sunday amid whiteout conditions on southbound Interstate 41 near Neenah. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office confirms one fatality and says several other injured people have been taken to hospitals. WBAY-TV reports Neenah police said…
GREEN BAY, Wis. – A Brown County woman is facing numerous charges after authorities seized more than 30 dogs and a parrot from a home in Eaton. Authorities say charges against 36-year-old Lisa Kraszewski include mistreatment of animals and neglect of a child. Officials with the Wisconsin Humane Society Green Bay and Door County and law officers rescued the animals…
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is pledging a veto if Congress passes a resolution blocking his use of a national emergency declaration to fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that he would veto the resolution introduced by House Democrats earlier in the day. Trump said, “Will I veto it? 100…
MILWAUKEE – Federal authorities say five people have been indicted for allegedly cutting down trees on the Menominee Indian Reservation in order to sell timber to saw mills outside the reservation without consent from the Wisconsin tribe. Conspiracy charges have been filed against 43-year-old Melvin Caldwell Jr., of Neopit; 49-year-old Arthur Fish, of Keshena; 49-year-old Chauncey Webster Jr., of Neopit;…
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Police in Florida have charged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft with misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution, saying they have videotape of him paying for a sex act inside an illicit massage parlor. Jupiter police told reporters Friday that the 77-year-old Kraft hasn’t been arrested. A warrant will be issued and his attorneys will be notified. The…
DULUTH, Minn. – The U.S. Forest Service plans to relaunch a balky new Boundary Waters Canoe Area reservation system on March 4. The system crashed when it first went live Jan. 30 on the first day to apply for permits. Only a few people were able to reserve permits before the system failed. The Forest Service says the technical issues…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Paul police are investigating after a man was shot in the head while sitting in a van. The fatal shooting is the fifth homicide of the year in St. Paul. The latest happened shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday in the Summit-University neighborhood. Police say a 911 caller reported hearing 10 gunshots across from Carty Park….
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota House has voted to eliminate a defense that prevents people who rape a spouse or domestic partner from being prosecuted for criminal sexual conduct. Rep. Zack Stephenson, the bill’s lead author, told lawmakers before the 130-0 vote Thursday that repealing the “marital rape exception” will result in seven additional convictions per year. The Coon…
