(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…
MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul has asked Gov. Tony Evers to let him spend $4.4 million in the next state budget to hire more evidence analysts and set up pay raises for them. The Associated Press obtained Kaul’s budget request Thursday through an open records request. Kaul wants to spend $1.8 million to hire 15 additional lab workers,…
MINNEAPOLIS – Upper Midwest snowfall is setting records. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the nearly 9 inches of snow Wednesday in the Twin Cities shattered the snowfall record for February, at 31.5 inches. The previous record was 26.5 inches in 1962. Other parts of Minnesota got as much as a foot of snow, and St. Cloud also set a record…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s municipalities rely on property taxes far more than most states, according to a new report. The state’s municipalities received about 42 percent of their revenue from property taxes, Wisconsin Policy Forum said in a study released Thursday. The national average totals around 23 percent, according to the nonpartisan research group. The study ranks Wisconsin seventh…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A task force is recommending that the names of former administrators who promoted racist and anti-Semitic policies be removed from four University of Minnesota buildings. The group appointed by university President Eric Kaler released a report Wednesday that suggests scrubbing the school’s student union building of its namesake Lotus Coffman, a former president who was behind efforts…
MADISON, Wis. – Assembly Republicans are proposing $3.7 million to combat homelessness in Wisconsin. Republicans unveiled their plans Thursday. Some Democrats complained that they weren’t contacted to work with Republicans on the measures. Republicans hold majorities in the state Senate and Assembly. Bills fighting homelessness passed last session with bipartisan support. The new GOP bills include spending $500,000 on a…
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Minnesota lawmaker wants tougher penalties for falsely reporting hate crimes in his state after an actor in Chicago was accused of doing so. Rep. Nick Zerwas’ bill comes after actor Jussie Smollett was charged with falsely telling authorities he was attacked by men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his…
CHICAGO-Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett” took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career.” Johnson also said at a news conference Thursday that Smollett sent a racist and homophobic threatening letter to himself at the Fox studio lot before the attack. He says Smollett was dissatisfied with his salary. Smollett, who…
SOLON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Authorities say a Michigan woman fatally shot her three young daughters in a wooded area with a bolt-action hunting rifle before driving home with their bodies and shooting herself. Kent County sheriff’s Sgt. Joel Roon identified them Wednesday as 28-year-old Aubrianne Moore, 8-year-old Kyrie Rodery, 6-year-old Cassidy Rodery and 2-year-old Alaina Rau. The bodies were found…
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed an income tax cut bill in an early showdown with legislative Republicans who had moved to weaken the Democrat’s powers just weeks before he took office. Evers’ veto Wednesday came on a bill that his party had called a stunt by Republicans. The GOP doesn’t have enough votes to override the…
MADISON, Wis. – A prosecutor alleges that a man whose Madison apartment was found to contain homemade explosives appeared to be planning an attack on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that Brian Campbell pleaded no contest in January to second-degree reckless endangerment and possession of improvised explosives. Police seized what appeared to be bomb-making materials…
MINNEAPOLIS – Forecasters are warning residents in parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin the advancing winter storm could produce up to 9 inches of snow. Minneapolis and St. Paul schools are among scores of districts that canceled classes Wednesday. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for much of central and southern Minnesota, through eastern South Dakota and…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota’s new corrections commissioner plans to draw on his training in social work to address one of the biggest challenges facing prison systems across the country: inmates with mental illness. Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell says he questions whether many of the people with mental illness should be in prison. Schnell tells Minnesota Public…
AP- A Minnesota environmental group is suing the Environmental Protection Agency to force it to release concerns that EPA specialists have expressed about a copper-nickel mine in the northeast of the state. The lawsuit Tuesday from Minnesota-based WaterLegacy seeks documents the group claims the EPA never submitted but that show the agency had “substantial questions” about the project before water…
MADISON, Wis. – Gov. Tony Evers says Wisconsin could join a multistate lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration to pay for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. California and 15 other states are parties to a federal lawsuit filed Monday alleging the declaration is unconstitutional. Evers said in an interview Tuesday at the Marquette University Law School that he was “exploring”…
UPDATE: ST. PAUL, Minn. – Gov. Tim Walz is rolling out a $49 billion budget with significant increases in spending on education and health and human services. Walz’s first budget includes $733 million in new spending on pre-K through grade 12 education, plus another $158 million for higher education. And it would devote an additional $284 million for new health…
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin health officials say a child has died after developing the flu. The Department of Health Services says the death occurred in southeastern Wisconsin, but declined to identify the child. Since October, there have been 13 flu-related deaths, but this is the first pediatric case. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin physician, Lyn Ranta, says the child’s death shows…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota has joined with 15 other states in suing to block President Donald Trump’s declaration of an emergency to fund his proposed wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. Attorney General Keith Ellison says the plan to divert funds is illegal and unconstitutional. He says federal money designated for the Minnesota National Guard would be at…
WASHINGTON – Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says he’s running for president in 2020. The 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist challenged Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary in 2016 and said on Tuesday that he planned to again seek the nomination. Sanders has reshaped Democratic politics and earned a loyal following with his passionate defense of liberal proposals including free college…
(courtesy: Fox 6) WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – Authorities investigating an incident in which a semi plunged off a bridge and down a cliff into a lake near Wisconsin Dells have recovered a second body and also identified the driver. Authorities found a damaged guardrail on Interstate 90-94 just north of the Mirror Lake bridge in Sauk County about 7:30…
NEW YORK (AP) — Payless ShoeSource is shuttering all of its 2,100 remaining stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, joining a list of iconic names like Toys R Us and Bon-Ton that have closed down in the last year. The Topeka, Kansas-based chain said Friday it will hold liquidation sales starting Sunday and wind down its e-commerce operations. All…
NEW YORK (AP) — The compensation fund for victims of 9/11 is running out of money and will cut future payments by 50 to 70 percent, officials announced Friday. September 11th Victim Compensation Fund special master Rupa Bhattacharyya said she was “painfully aware of the inequity of the situation” but stressed that awarding some funds for every valid claim would…
ELK RIVER, Minn. – Authorities have identified two people who died in a two-vehicle crash near Elk River over the weekend. The State Patrol says 77-year-old Stanley Swen and 68-year-old Victoria Swen were killed Sunday afternoon when their car was struck by a pickup truck while they tried to cross Highway 169. The pickup driver was taken to a hospital…
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced Monday his budget will include proposals to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use and legalize medical marijuana. Evers said it’s time Wisconsin join more than 30 other states and the District of Columbia in legalizing medical marijuana. Possession, manufacturing or distribution of marijuana in amounts of 25 grams…
BUYCK, Minn. – Authorities in northeastern Minnesota say a Canadian man has died in a snowmobile crash. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the crash on the Cook Area Snowmobile Trail near Buyck just before 6 p.m. Saturday. Authorities say the crash happened on a straight part of the trail just after a curve. The victim, identified…
