Author: The Associated Press

Leaders of US, Mexico, Canada Sign Trade Pact

Democrats are Demanding Changes

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – President Donald Trump has joined the leaders of Mexico and Canada to sign a revised North American trade deal. Trump gathered with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on the sidelines of Friday’s meeting of the Group of 20 nations in Buenos Aires. The revamped deal, which Trump calls the…

State Farmers Averaging $2,145 From Farm Bailout Program

237 Farms got Less $100

MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin farmers will receive about $10 million in federal money from the farm bailout program. U.S. Department of Agriculture data obtained by the Washington non-profit Environmental Working Group shows the average payment for Wisconsin farmers from the Market Facilitation program is $2,145. The Journal Sentinel reports 11 farms received more than $50,000 each, while 237 farms got less…

Authorities: No Evidence Someone is Poisoning Dogs

Authorities do not Believe Someone Deliberately Poisoning Animals

RICE LAKE, Minn. – Authorities in northeastern Minnesota say there is no evidence that someone is poisoning dogs in Rice Lake. St. Louis County sheriff’s Sgt. Wade Rasch spoke to about a dozen people at the Rice Lake City Council meeting Monday night. Rasch says deputies are not looking for “a mean, suspicious dude who is poisoning our pets.” Rasch…

Minnesota Voter Participation in Midterms Best in US

Total Number of Voters More Than 2.6 Million

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Election officials say Minnesota’s voter turnout in the midterm elections was the best in the nation. The State Canvassing Board met Tuesday to certify results of the Nov. 6 general election. Secretary of State Steve Simon says for the second election in a row, Minnesota’s voter participation was the best in the U.S. Simon says the…

Farm Bankruptcies on the Rise in Upper Midwest

The Number More Than Doubled

MINNEAPOLIS – The number of farms filing for bankruptcy is increasing across the Upper Midwest. A new analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis shows 84 farms filed for bankruptcy in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana in the 12 months that ended in June. That’s more than double the number over the same period in 2013…

Minnesota Colleges to Seek More Funding for Trade Training

The System has About 38,000 Graduates a Year

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system officials are seeking more state funding to make the schools more accessible and affordable, as the state is seeing a surge in skilled trades training. Chancellor Devinder Malhotram tells Minnesota Public Radio that while the system has about 38,000 graduates a year, officials feel the need to scale up operations….

US Officials: It’s OK to eat Some Romaine Lettuce Again

Tainted Romaine is From the Central Coast Region of California

NEW YORK – U.S. health officials say it’s OK to eat some romaine lettuce again. Just check the label. The Food and Drug Administration is narrowing its blanket warning from last week, when it said people shouldn’t eat any type of romaine because of an E. coli outbreak. The agency on Monday said romaine recently harvested in Arizona, Florida, Mexico…

DNR: 2018 gun Deer Hunt Safest on Record

Three Hunters Suffered non-Fatal Shooting Injuries

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says this year’s gun deer season set a record for hunter safety. Three hunters suffered non-fatal shooting injuries during the hunt that began Nov. 17 and ended Sunday. DNR conservation warden Jon King says that make it the state’s safest gun deer season ever. Prior to this year, the DNR considered…

Private Event in Public Space Needs Alcohol License

The Statuses Don't Define Public Spaces

MADISON, Wis. – Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel says private events in public spaces need liquor licenses. Schimel quietly issued an informal opinion Nov. 16 at the request of state Rep. Rob Swearingen, a member of the Assembly tourism committee. Swearingen asked Schimel to interpret statutes that prohibit owners of public places from allowing alcohol without a license. The statutes…

Army Corps to Spend $32M on Soo Locks Channel Deepening

The $1 Billion Project Could be Finished in Seven years

DETROIT – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will spend $32.4 million in the coming year for a channel deepening project that will be an important step toward construction of a new Great Lakes shipping lock. The funds will be used to finish design and begin construction work on the upstream approach channel of the Soo Locks complex…

Wildlife Officials, Klobuchar Press for Deer Disease Funding

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota wildlife officials and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar are pressing Congress for more funding to monitor chronic wasting disease in the deer herd. Minnesota Public Radio News reports they’re also urging the federal Department of Agriculture to develop a national tracking system for the deer disease as well as standards for transporting deer across state lines….

Dayton Back Home After Monthlong Hospital Stay

Post Surgery Complications Damaged his Lungs

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Gov. Mark Dayton is back home in St. Paul after an unexpectedly long hospitalization following back surgeries. Dayton returned to the governor’s residence Wednesday. In a statement, the 71-year-old said he was looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with family. Dayton said he would continue therapy at the residence. He said earlier that he suffered some lung…

Duluth Police Investigate Child Death

The Investigation is Ongoing

DULUTH, Minn. – According to the Duluth Police Department officers were dispatched to the 100 Block of 56th Avenue West for a medical emergency on Saturday. When officers arrived on scene they located a 2-year-old male not breathing. Officers immediately began life saving efforts on the child, but their efforts failed to revive the boy. He was pronounced dead at…

For Some ice Anglers, Even Thin ice is an Irresistible Lure

DNR Likes to say ice is Never 100 Percent Safe

MINNEAPOLIS – Few activities are as Minnesotan as ice fishing, and some anglers are already venturing out onto the ice. If that sounds dangerous, it is, especially with a Thanksgiving warmup in the forecast. Authorities already have had to rescue some anglers. And conversation officers are still urging “extreme caution” on many lakes. The Department of Natural Resources likes to…

Car Driver Dies in Crash With Wisconsin Prep Team bus

The Crash Remains Under Investigation

RICE LAKE, Wis. – Authorities in western Wisconsin say the driver of a car has died after crashing into a school bus carrying the Amery girls’ basketball team. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald says the crash happened around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 48 just west of Rice Lake. An initial investigation finds a car driven by 55-year-old Joy Tew…

Legislator Blasts DNR for Allegedly Forcing Deer Rescue

The Deer was Stranded on a Frozen Lake

MADISON, Wis.- A legislator is ripping the state Department of Natural Resources for allegedly forcing firefighters to rescue a deer stranded on a frozen lake. Republican Rep. Adam Jarchow tweeted Tuesday that a DNR warden “harassed” firefighters into rescuing a deer that had wandered out onto Balsam Lake. He said he would fire the warden for “being complicit in putting…

Man Dead After Confrontation With Police in Stillwater

The Officers Involved are on Standard Administrative Leave

STILLWATER, Minn. – A man is dead after a confrontation with police in Stillwater. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says officers from Stillwater, Bayport and Oak Park Heights responded to a call about 1 a.m. Wednesday involving a suicidal man armed with a knife. Authorities say one officer fired a gun and another officer discharged a stun gun. They did…

Minnesota Gov. Dayton set to end Long Hospital Stay

Post Surgery Complications Damages his Lungs

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton says he expects to be home before Thanksgiving after complications from back surgery required more than a month of hospitalization. The 71-year-old Democrat tells Minnesota Public Radio News that his two back surgeries at Mayo Clinic were successful and he feels much better thanks to physical therapy. Dayton said last week that post-surgery complications…

Winona-Rochester Diocese Plans to File Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

This Will be the Fourth Diocese in MN to File

WINONA, Minn. – The Diocese of Winona-Rochester plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following allegations of child sexual abuse against former priests. The southern Minnesota diocese distributed a letter from Bishop John Quinn to parishioners over the weekend. A public announcement is planned Tuesday. A spokesman for the diocese told the Winona Daily News that Quinn believes “this…

Protesters Disrupt Regulatory Hearing on Enbridge Pipeline

The Commission Approved the Project This Summer

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Opponents of Enbridge Energy’s proposed Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement shouted their objections as Minnesota regulators opened a hearing on the project. Several protesters chanted that the pipeline would be a climate change disaster . That prompted Public Utilities Commission Chairwoman Nancy Lange to call for order shortly after the hearing began Monday. Dozens of…

Autopsy: Asthma Caused St. Thomas Student’s Death

A Roommate Found the Student on October 19

Photo: courtesy University of St. ThomasST. PAUL, Minn. – The Ramsey County medical examiner’s office says a University of St. Thomas student found dead in her dorm room last month died of respiratory distress. An autopsy found that 19-year-old sophomore Katie Mullen of Andover, Minnesota, had asthma. A roommate found Mullen unresponsive in her bed in Morrison Hall the morning…

Couple Pleads Guilty to Hauling 900 Pounds of pot in RV

The Couple Faces a Minimum Sentence of Five Years

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – A Minnesota couple has pleaded guilty to drug distribution charges after Montana authorities said they found 960 pounds of marijuana in the couple’s recreational vehicle. Steven and Vicki Robinson of Milaca, Minnesota, face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison after pleading guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan Watters on Thursday. Prosecutors say the couple…

Governor’s Residence Christmas Tree Harvested From Forest

The Tree Will be lit on November 26

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota foresters have cut down the official state Christmas tree in the Nemadji State Forest. Department of Natural Resources forester Jean Mouelle selected this year’s tree for the governor’s residence in St. Paul. Mouelle says the tree is more than 60 years old and is “an impressive example of a balsam fir.” Each year, DNR staff…

St. Paul Teacher Suspended After 5-Year-old Wanders Away

The Child was Found Nearly a Mile Away From the School

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul kindergarten teacher has been suspended after one of her 5-year-old students was found wandering nearly a mile from the elementary school. The Pioneer Press reports that Como Elementary teacher Angela Birchland told investigators that the boy may have walked out of school on May 7 while students were preparing to go home. Birchland…