MINNEAPOLIS – Sign-ups on Minnesota’s state-run health insurance exchange are lagging behind last year’s pace, and state officials think the unusually busy open enrollment period for Medicare health plans is to blame. MNsure reports just under 2,400 new enrollees through the first two weeks of November. The Star Tribune reports that’s roughly half the 4,700 new sign-ups during the comparable…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota’s governor says he suffered lung damage while recovering from back surgery, keeping him at Mayo Clinic for more than a month. Gov. Mark Dayton underwent two spinal fusion surgeries last month to improve his leg strength and had been expected to be released within days. He hasn’t been seen publicly since his first surgery Oct….
WASHINGTON – The Republican-controlled House has passed a bill to drop legal protections for gray wolves across the lower 48 states, reopening a lengthy battle over the predator species. Long despised by farmers and ranchers, wolves were shot, trapped and poisoned out of existence in most of the U.S. by the mid-20th century. Since securing protection in the 1970s, wolves…
(Hormel Foods Corporation via AP)NEW YORK – Jennie-O Turkey recalled packages of ground turkey in a salmonella outbreak, and regulators say additional products from other companies could be named as their investigation continues. The recall was the first — not counting pet food — tied to a widespread and ongoing outbreak that has resulted in one death and 164 reported…
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to immediately return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly, an appointee of President Donald Trump, announced his decision following a hearing in Washington. The judge said Acosta’s credentials would be returned immediately and reactivated to allow him access to…
BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office says one person has been arrested after a 10-year-old boy shot himself. Authorities say the boy found an unsecured handgun in his family’s home shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday and suffered a gunshot wound. He was taken to Sanford Hospital in Bemidji. His condition was not released. Sheriff’s officials say an arrest…
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. – A feel-good tale of a homeless man using his last $20 to help a stranded New Jersey woman buy gas was actually a complete lie, manufactured to get strangers to donate more than $400,000 to help the down-and-out good Samaritan, a prosecutor said Thursday. Burlington County prosecutor Scott Coffina announced criminal charges against the couple who…
MADISON, Wis. – A new report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum says the number of deer hunting licenses sold in Wisconsin has dropped, raising concerns about funding for the state’s conservation efforts. Wisconsin Public Radio reports that data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources show that the state sold about 824,500 deer licenses in 2017, about 50,400 fewer than…
NEW YORK – A top U.S. health official is pledging to try to ban menthol from regular cigarettes, outlaw flavors in all cigars and tighten rules regarding the sale of most flavored versions of e-cigarettes. Scott Gottlieb of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration disclosed the plans on Thursday. The move represents a major step to further push down U.S….
BARRON, Wis. – The Wisconsin sheriff leading the investigation into the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl and the fatal shootings of her parents is asking hunters for help. The state’s nine-day gun deer hunt begins early Saturday and runs through Nov. 25. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald asked deer hunters Wednesday to report anything suspicious, such as clothing or weapons…
MADSISON, Wis. – The day Wisconsin hunters have been waiting for all year is finally here. The state’s nine-day gun deer hunt begins a half-hour before sunrise Saturday. The season runs through Nov. 25. State Department of Natural Resources officials say Wisconsin experienced a colder and snowier winter in 2017-2018 as well as a late April snowstorm but an excellent…
FOREST CITY, Iowa – A Minnesota woman who authorities say sent 696 text messages to a northern Iowa man in April has taken a plea deal. Winnebago County District Court records say 34-year-old Katie Christian, of Emmons, Minnesota, filed a written guilty plea Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of stalking. Prosecutors agreed to recommend suspended jail time and two years…
ROCHESTER, Minn. – Gov. Mark Dayton remains hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester after having back surgery more than a month ago. Dayton had an initial surgery on Oct. 12 and underwent a second procedure several days later. A spokesman for the governor said he was expected to stay in the hospital for several days. Minnesota Public Radio News…
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – A food distributor with deep roots in Minnesota has been sold to South Korea’s largest food company. The Schwan’s Co. is well known for home deliveries made by its gold trucks. The companies released a statement Thursday saying CJ CheilJedang will pay $1.8 billion for an 80 percent stake in Schwan’s and gain control of its businesses…
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – The U.S. Senate has approved a new policy on ships that dump ballast water in coastal ports and the Great Lakes, a practice blamed for spreading invasive species that damage the environment and the economy. The ballast plan is contained in a $10.6 billion Coast Guard budget authorization bill passed Wednesday. It now goes to the…
(photo courtesy: Fox 9)NORTH MANKATO, Minn. – A natural gas explosion has injured two workers at a truck service shop in North Mankato. The explosion happened just before noon Wednesday at Allstate Peterbilt. North Mankato Police Chief Ross Gullickson says employees were working on a garbage truck when the vehicle began leaking compressed natural gas into the shop. Employees were…
photo courtesy: CNNMINNEAPOLIS – Food safety officials are stressing the importance of proper handling and cooking practices amid a nationwide outbreak of drug-resistant Salmonella found in raw turkey, with Thanksgiving approaching. The Centers for Disease Control last week said the number of reported illnesses has nearly doubled since July to 164. Minnesota has the most cases at 16. There’s been…
MINNEAPOLIS – An environmental group has sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to preserve federal protections for gray wolves and force the agency to develop a national recovery plan for the species. The Center for Biological Diversity filed the lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, a day after the service denied the group’s petition for a nationwide…
HORTONVILLE, Wis. – A Wisconsin company is giving employees revolvers for Christmas in what it says is an effort to promote personal safety and team building. Ben Wolfgram is co-owner of Hortonville-based BenShot. The company makes novelty glassware embedded with a bullet to make it look like it’s been shot. Wolfgram has 16 full-time employees, some of whom have never…
MILWAUKEE – The FBI is examining additional surveillance video taken from an expanded area around the Wisconsin home where a couple was shot and killed and their daughter was apparently abducted. Thirteen-year-old Jayme Closs disappeared early on Oct. 15, when sheriff’s deputies responding to a 911 call found the door to her family’s home near Barron kicked in and her…
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – A gray wolf relocated this fall from the Minnesota mainland to Isle Royale National Park has died. The male wolf was among four taken to the Lake Superior island park from the Grand Portage Chippewa reservation. It’s part of a multi-year effort to rebuild the Isle Royale wolf population, which has fallen sharply in recent years….
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota’s Gov.-elect Tim Walz is calling on one of his predecessors for some advice. Walz met with former Gov. Jesse Ventura at the Capitol on Tuesday. Ventura says the newly elected Democrat called him shortly after last week’s election to request a meeting. The former professional wrestler-turned politician served a single term as governor and has…
NEW YORK – The nation’s leading e-cigarette maker says it has halted store sales of some flavors to deter use by kids. The announcement Tuesday by Juul Labs Inc. comes ahead of an expected government crackdown on underage sales of e-cigs. Juul said it has stopped filling store orders for its mango, fruit, creme and cucumber pods but not menthol…
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A corporate strategist from Michigan has given Mayo Clinic its largest gift ever – $200 million. The Rochester-based medical center announced Tuesday that its School of Medicine will be named for the philanthropist, Jay Alix, of Birmingham, Michigan. He has also been named to the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees. Alix says his interest in Mayo began…
NEW YORK – CNN is suing the Trump administration, demanding that correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credentials to cover the White House be returned. The administration revoked them last week following President Trump’s contentious news conference, where Acosta refused to give up a microphone when the president said he didn’t want to hear anything more from him. The lawsuit was filed…
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. – Authorities in northwestern Minnesota are asking for the public’s help as they investigate an apparent hunting accident that killed a former police chief. Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander says a preliminary autopsy indicates 53-year-old Jay Clayton Nelson died of a gunshot wound. Glander confirms to KFGO Radio that Nelson was former police chief of Lake Park,…
STEVENS POINT, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point officials have reduced the number of majors slated for elimination by more than half. The school in March proposed eliminating 13 programs to help cope with a projected $4.5 million budget deficit over two years. University officials announced Monday that they’ve modified the proposal to cut six majors, including French, German, geoscience,…
BARABOO, Wis. — A Wisconsin school district is investigating a photo of a group of high school boys giving what appears to be a Nazi salute. Baraboo Superintendent Lori Mueller says she became aware of the photo Monday after it was posted on social media. Mueller says the photo appears to have been taken last spring and wasn’t on school…
MADISON, Wis. – The state Department of Natural Resources is refusing to release records detailing allegations an agency employee harassed female co-workers, saying human beings make mistakes. The Associated Press obtained a March 2018 disciplinary letter informing a DNR employee that he or she would be suspended for a day in April. According to the letter, the employee became drunk…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Chronic wasting disease has been detected in four deer at a quarantined farm in Crow Wing County. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health has been monitoring the farm since December 2016 when two white-tailed deer tested positive for the disease. The Department of Natural Resources is currently in the second year of sampling wild deer for…
(Twitter)ST. PAUL, Minn. – Legislative leadership is changing at the Minnesota Capitol after Democrats wrested control of the state House. Democrats won the House majority in Tuesday’s election by flipping 18 mostly suburban districts held by Republicans. It ends the GOP’s four-year hold on the House and ushers in a new House Speaker. Democrats chose Rep. Melissa Hortman to be…
NEW YORK – Environmentalists are lauding a federal court order that blocks a Trump administration permit for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, pending an environmental review. The pipeline would begin in Alberta and shuttle as much as 830,000 barrels a day of crude through a half dozen states to terminals on the Gulf Coast. U.S. District Judge Brian…
MADISON, Wis. – A Wisconsin political activist who unsuccessfully ran for House Speaker Paul Ryan’s seat in the last two Republican primaries has been indicted on charges alleging that he tried to buy a lethal dose of radioactive material in order to kill someone. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday that 30-year-old Jeremy Ryan has been formally charged with attempting…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two political parties advocating legalization of marijuana in Minnesota are poised to get a boost. Preliminary results show the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party and the Legal Marijuana Now Party both received at least 5 percent of the vote in a statewide contest in Tuesday’s midterm elections, enough to earn major party status in Minnesota. The Secretary of…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone)ST. PAUL, Minn. – Bob Naegele Jr., the founding owner of the Minnesota Wild, has died of complications from cancer. He was 78. The Wild said Naegele died on Wednesday night with his family by his side. Players will wear a jersey patch with his initials for the remainder of the season, and a moment of silence will…
DETROIT – Subaru is recalling nearly 400,000 vehicles in the U.S. to fix two problems that can cause them to stall. The first recall covers about 229,000 Outback and Legacy vehicles from the 2018 model year. Government documents say a software problem can stop the low-fuel warning light from illuminating and make the miles-to-empty display inaccurate. The problem can cause…
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractured three ribs in a fall in her office at the court and is in the hospital. The court says the justice went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. The court says the fall occurred Wednesday evening. Ginsburg was admitted to the…
(RMG News via AP)THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Using a smoke bomb and a handgun, a hooded gunman dressed all in black opened fire during “college night” at a country music bar in Southern California, killing 12 people and sending hundreds fleeing in terror, authorities said Thursday. The gunman was later found dead. Authorities said the motive for the attack Wednesday…
(Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)LAKE HALLIE, Wis. – Funeral arrangements are set for three Girl Scouts and a mother who were killed in a hit-and-run in rural northwestern Wisconsin. A funeral service for 32-year-old Sara Schneider and her 10-year-old daughter, Haylee Hickle, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Chippewa Valley Bible Church in Chippewa Falls. Nine-year-old Jayna…
MADISON, Wis. – Gov. Scott Walker has conceded defeat to Democrat Tony Evers. Walker says he called Evers on Wednesday to concede defeat. The two-term Republican incumbent had held off conceding because the race was so close, but his campaign decided Wednesday there were not enough votes in play to change the outcome. Based on unofficial results, Evers won by…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned Wednesday as the country’s chief law enforcement officer after enduring more than a year of blistering and personal attacks over his recusal from the Russia investigation. Sessions announced his resignation in a letter to President Donald Trump. He said the resignation came at “your request.” Trump announced in a separate tweet that he was…
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota voter turnout was the highest it’s been for a midterm election since 2002. According to preliminary estimates from the Secretary of State’s Office, nearly 2.6 million Minnesotans voted in-person on Tuesday or by absentee ballot. That’s about 63.8 percent of eligible voters in the state. Midterm election turnout hasn’t been that high since 2002, when turnout was…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Democrat Tony Evers ousted Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in the state’s closest governor’s race in more than half a century. A Republican and one-time presidential candidate, Walker was denied a third term in a long-sought Democratic victory in Wisconsin. Democrat Tony Evers’ running mate Mandela Barnes will become the first African American lieutenant governor in Wisconsin history. The…
MILWAUKEE, Wis.-About 47,000 uncounted ballots in Milwaukee County could determine the winner of the race for Wisconsin governor. The city of Milwaukee’s elections commissioner, Neil Albrecht, says 47,000 ballots were to be counted by 1 a.m. Wednesday. The race between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democrat Tony Evers was too close to call as of midnight with 94 percent of…
ST. PAUL, Minn.-Democrat Keith Ellison has been elected Minnesota attorney general, surviving ex-girlfriend’s abuse claim . Ellison gave up a safe seat in Congress to seek the post, and he should have been a heavy favorite in a state that has not elected a Republican attorney general in half a century. But an ex-girlfriend’s domestic abuse accusation – which he…
HAYWARD, Wis.-Almost all of Wisconsin’s congressional incumbents have retained their jobs. Democrat Mark Pocan won re-election Tuesday in southern Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District; Democrat Ron Kind won another two years representing western Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District; and Democrat Gwen Moore won re-election in Milwaukee’s 4th Congressional District. Republicans Jim Sensenbrenner and Sean Duffy retained their seats in southeastern Wisconsin’s 5th…
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar has easily won a third term in Minnesota. Klobuchar defeated Republican state Rep. Jim Newberger on Tuesday. It comes as Klobuchar’s name swirls amid the crop of potential Democratic presidential candidates for 2020. The race was never close. Newberger is a little-known state lawmaker who struggled to raise money against…
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Tim Walz says his election as Minnesota’s governor and high voter turnout is proof that the state’s “can-do spirit” is alive and well. Walz defeated second-time Republican candidate Jeff Johnson on Tuesday. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton chose not to run for a third term. Walz was the favorite throughout the race, but his victory was still unusual….
(Star Tribune via AP File)MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Democratic Sen. Tina Smith says she’s humbled by the Minnesota voters who elected her to fill out former Sen. Al Franken’s term. Smith defeated Republican state Sen. Karin Housley in Tuesday’s special election. The race was triggered by Franken’s resignation in January amid a growing sexual misconduct scandal. Smith told supporters at a…
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. – A western Wisconsin sheriff says a 10-year-old girl charged with first-degree intentional homicide dropped a 6-month-old baby and, when the infant cried, she panicked and stomped on the child’s head. The girl appeared in restraints in Chippewa County Circuit Court for a bond hearing Monday. She is charged as an adult under Wisconsin law. Prosecutors say…
