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…
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – One person is dead and another is missing after a semi plunged off a bridge and down a cliff into a lake below near Wisconsin Dells. Authorities found a damaged guardrail on Interstate 90-94 just north of the Mirror Lake bridge in Sauk County about 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Below they discovered a semi completely submerged in…
UPDATE: Authorities have identified two officers involved in a northern Minnesota incident in which three people died of gunshots. The Department of Public Safety says Hubbard County Deputy Seth Kuhn fired his gun during the incident in Nevis, and Deputy Erick Rypkema was struck by a bullet fired by 34-year-old Bryce Bellomo. Authorities say Bellomo killed himself in the Thursday…
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…
(courtesy: Fox 9)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…
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…
