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…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota elections officials are anticipating a high voter turnout for Tuesday’s midterm elections. Minnesota Secretary of State spokesman Ben Petok says as of Tuesday morning, elections officials had received nearly 615,000 absentee and mail-in ballots. That’s close to the more than 650,000 absentee and mail-in ballots received for the presidential election two years ago. Petok says he…
(Chippewa County (Wis.) Sheriff’s Office via AP)LAKE HALLIE, Wis. – Wisconsin prosecutors have filed vehicular homicide charges against a 21-year-old man who police say was inhaling chemical vapors before he crashed his truck into a group of Girl Scouts, killing three children and one adult. The 11 charges filed against Colten Treu on Tuesday include four counts of vehicular homicide…
CROCKERY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A western Michigan man will spend the rest of his life in prison in the fatal shooting of a neighbor as she cleared snow near her home. WOOD-TV reports that 64-year-old Wendell Popejoy was sentenced Monday. He was found guilty last month of first-degree murder. Sheila Bonge was slain in December 2017 outside her Crockery Township…
(AP) – The U.S. Olympic Committee is moving to revoke USA Gymnastics’ status as the governing body for the sport at the Olympic level, meting out the nuclear option to an organization that has botched its own reorganization in the wake of a sex-abuse scandal involving former team doctor Larry Nassar. In an open letter to the gymnastics community Monday,…
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. – Authorities say a 10-year-old girl has been detained in the death of an infant in northwestern Wisconsin. Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk says the girl is in juvenile custody. WQOW-TV reports that Kowalczyk said the sheriff’s department got a call on Tuesday from a caretaker at a day care in the town of Wheaton. The caller…
(Chippewa County (Wis.) Sheriff’s Office via AP)LAKE HALLIE, Wis. – Police say the 21-year-old driver accused of striking and killing three Girl Scouts and a mother and injuring a fourth girl had been inhaling chemical vapors before the crash in northwestern Wisconsin. Authorities are recommending 13 charges against Colten Treu, including four counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a…
(Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP File)BEMIDJI, Minn. – Twenty opponents of Enbridge Energy’s planned Line 3 replacement have pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with an August protest. More than two dozen people were detained and ticketed Aug. 29 after they blocked a Bemidji intersection for nearly four hours and called on Gov. Mark Dayton to stop the project….
MADISON, Wis. – Republican Gov. Scott Walker has taken the unusual step of activating the Wisconsin National Guard troops on Election Day. Walker issued an executive order Friday authorizing troops to “provide essential services to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.” The order doesn’t offer any further details on the troops’ mission. Walker’s office issued a news release saying the order allows…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Board of Animal Health has identified another case of a mild form of bird flu in a Minnesota turkey flock. Routine testing confirmed the presence of low-pathogenic H5N2 virus in a turkey flock in Stearns County. The flock of 13-week-old hens has been quarantined. The farm will be allowed to market the turkeys…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Five men are hospitalized after being shot in north Minneapolis. Police say an argument turned violent Thursday afternoon. Several callers reported that several people had been shot. Authorities found four men suffering from gunshot wounds at the scene and took them to North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale. One man was listed in critical condition. A police…
DULUTH, Minn. – A special winter gear pop-up shop opened yesterday at UMD. The one-day event offered students hats, gloves, scarves, jackets, and more all for free and all without judgement. Organizers say the winter gear is especially appreciated by international students who aren’t used to Minnesota’s winters. All of the gear was donated by the UMD community. Categories: News,…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Enrollment is open for Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace. Beginning Thursday, Minnesotans can log onto the MNsure website and enroll for coverage. The enrollment deadline for coverage that begins Jan. 1 is Dec. 15. Overall open enrollment ends Jan. 13. At MNsure.org, Minnesotans can compare plans from a number of companies and estimate out-of-pocket costs. And, current…
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is “under very serious consideration” to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Trump says he will “probably” make a decision on the nomination next week. Nauert was a reporter for Fox News Channel before she became State Department spokeswoman under former secretary Rex Tillerson. She would…
ST. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources granted permits for Poly Met Mining, Inc.’s proposed NorthMet mining project. The DNR has issued the permit to mine, six water appropriation permits, two dam safety permits, a public waters work permit, and an endangered species takings permit for the NorthMet project. But the project still requires permits from other…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota officials are set to announce whether they are granting permits for a planned copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will announce its decision Thursday on permits sought for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. Environmentalists have opposed the mine for fear it could pollute pristine waters. PolyMet says…
BARRON, Wis. – The Barron County Sheriff’s Department announced on their Facebook page Thursday morning that they are transitioning the Emergency Operations Center from a 24/7 reactive operation to “a more deliberate and methodical effort to progress the investigation.” The Sheriff’s Office says this transition is due to a declining number of tips. To date, authorities have received over 2,100…
PITTSBURGH (AP) — With two more funerals set for Thursday, the anti-Semitic truck driver accused of gunning down 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue pleaded not guilty to federal charges that could put him on death row. Robert Bowers, 46, was arraigned one day after a grand jury issued a 44-count indictment that charges him with murder, hate crimes, obstructing…
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. – Court documents say a contractor failed to properly mark a natural gas line that was struck and caused a deadly explosion in downtown Sun Prairie last summer. A search warrant recently unsealed in Dane County Circuit Court says an employee of USIC failed to correctly mark the gas line in the street and instead targeted a…
MADISON, Wis. – President Donald Trump’s administration has rejected Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to require drug screening and testing for adults on Medicaid with no dependent children. Instead, the plan approved Wednesday calls for applicants to complete a health risk assessment and if there’s a concern about substance abuse they will be referred for treatment. They won’t be kicked off…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Democratic candidate for governor Tony Evers started receiving security protection from the Wisconsin State Patrol following an unspecified “issue” from the weekend. Evers’ campaign manager Maggie Gau said Wednesday that Evers started receiving protection from the patrol’s Dignitary Protection Unit this week. She referred questions about what motivated the move to the State Patrol. A spokesman…
MADISON, Wis. – Early voting totals for Tuesday’s election have topped 2014 levels, as hotly contested races for governor, U.S. Senate and a host of other offices are motivating people to cast ballots. The Wisconsin Elections Commission reported Wednesday that nearly 378,000 absentee ballots have been cast to date. That exceeds the 2014 total when just over 374,000 absentee ballots…
WINONA, Minn. – Police in Winona have arrested a teenager who they say threatened to shoot up his school. Officers responded to Winona Senior High School Wednesday morning after a student showed a Snapchat video to a school official of a 15-year-old boy making the threat. KTTC-TV says the boy was also a student at the school. He was arrested…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Anglers on Mille Lacs Lake will be allowed to keep one walleye a day in the upcoming ice fishing season. The Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday said the popular destination lake’s walleye population has increased enough to sustain a one-walleye harvest for a third straight winter. Anglers may keep one walleye between 21 and 23…
MADISON, Wis. – Vice President Mike Pence is planning to visit Wisconsin this weekend to attend a campaign rally with Gov. Scott Walker. Walker’s campaign says Pence will join the governor for a late-morning rally Saturday at Valley Cartage, a trucking company in Hudson. Pence’s visit comes three days before Election Day, when Walker will face Democratic challenger Tony Evers….
UPDATE: The pilot of the helicopter has been identified as 46-year-old Dean M. Bass of Sarina, Ontario Canada. ODANAH, Wis. – The National Transportation Safety Board and local officials say a helicopter crash in northern Wisconsin has killed the pilot, the only person on board. The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office says the crashed Enbridge helicopter was discovered about 1:30 a.m….
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin agriculture officials are investigating a rare outbreak of bovine tuberculosis on a Waunakee farm. Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection officials announced Tuesday that tests show three cows from Maier Farms LLC have tested positive for the disease. Agriculture officials say the strain of bovine TB in the cows matches a strain found in…
UPDATE: According to a St. Louis County spokesperson, the county has until noon tomorrow to release the emails. They also said a bond of a $1,000 must also be paid by the plaintiff before they are released – the county said if that bond is paid today they will release the emails today. They say the possible change in the release…
WASHINGTON – U.S. home price gains slowed for the fifth straight month in August as higher mortgage rates have lowered home sales. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index increased 5.5 percent in August compared with a year earlier, down from a 5.9 percent gain in the previous month. The deceleration reflects a broader weakening in the nation’s housing…
BARRON, Wis. – Prosecutors have charged a man with burglarizing a Wisconsin home where a couple was killed and their 13-year-old daughter went missing, but authorities say he’s not a suspect in the case. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald says 32-year-old Kyle Jaenke-Annis was arrested over the weekend at the home of James and Denise Closs. The couple was found…
MIAMI (AP) – The FBI has confirmed that a suspicious package recovered at a post office in Atlanta was addressed to CNN and was “similar in appearance to others.” The statement sent via the agency’s Twitter account confirms the announcement earlier in the day by CNN President Jeff Zucker, who said a suspicious parcel being sent to the network had…
MATTHEWS, N.C. – North Carolina police say a male student shot by another student at a high school has died. Capt. Stason Tyrrell of the Matthews Police Department announced the news late Monday morning. Officials said earlier in the day that the Butler High School student had been brought to a hospital in critical condition. Tyrrell didn’t release the victim’s…
PITTSBURGH – A rabbi who helped alert authorities to the synagogue shooting that killed 11 people says it was because of recent security training that he had a cellphone on him and was able to make the call. Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life in Pittsburgh said Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he hadn’t always carried…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota regulators have issued a formal order approving Enbridge Energy’s plan to replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota, clearing the way for opponents to appeal. The Public Utilities Commission voted in June to approve the project and filed its final written order Friday. Environmental and tribal groups plan to ask…
WASHINGTON -Attorney General Jeff Sessions says he doesn’t know why pipe bombs were sent to prominent Democrats and CNN but says a Florida man charged in the case “appears to be a partisan.” Sessions and other law enforcement officials are declining to speculate on whether the current divided political climate in America and President Donald Trump’s rhetoric emboldened the man….
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The reward for information leading to the whereabouts of 13-year-old Wisconsin girl whose parents were killed has been doubled, to $50,000. The Barron County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Friday that the Jennie-O Turkey Store, James and Denise Closs worked, has helped raise the reward from the $25,000 offered earlier by the FBI. Sheriff’s officials say…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department says a person has been taken into custody in connection with a series of package bombs sent to prominent Democrats. Spokeswoman Sarah Flores says a news conference is scheduled for later Friday. The person’s name was not immediately released. Officials have located 12 devices addressed in recent days to Democratic figures including former President…
DULUTH, Minn. – Crews in Duluth are working to temporarily restore and reopen areas damaged by a storm surge earlier this month. The city said Thursday crews cleared away debris and have reopened a temporary unpaved path next to the existing Lakewalk Trail in Canal Park between the canal and Endion Station. Crews are set to remove equipment and safety…
(ABC News via AP)WASHINGTON — Suspicious packages addressed to New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper — and similar in appearance to pipe bomb devices sent to other prominent Democrats — have been intercepted, the FBI said Friday, as investigators scrambled from coast to coast to locate the culprit and motives behind a bizarre plot…
HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) – Officials plan to relocate several gray wolves from the Canadian province of Ontario to Isle Royale National Park this winter. It’s the next step in rebuilding the depleted wolf population at the Lake Superior park. Only two remained until crews took four more wolves to the island from Minnesota this fall. Plans call for transporting 20-30…
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – No one has won the big Powerball prize, so the estimated jackpot now grows to $750 million – potentially the fourth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. The next drawing will be Saturday. On Wednesday night, when it was at $620 million, the Powerball jackpot looked sort of puny given all the attention lavished on the…
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.-The Minnesota Twins have hired Tampa Bay Rays assistant coach Rocco Baldelli as their new manager, seeking a young voice to help revive a struggling team. The 37-year-old Baldelli replaces Paul Molitor, who was fired after four seasons with a 305-343 record. Baldelli will be the youngest manager in the major leagues, the first skipper ever born in the…
