MADISON, Wis. – A new study finds that Wisconsin’s tax burden has dropped to a nearly 50-year low. The Wisconsin Policy Forum report released Wednesday examines state and local taxes as a share of personal income. The report says that taxes accounted for 10.5 percent of income, down slightly from 10.6 percent last year. That marks the seventh straight year…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A golden ball swiped from the top of the conservatory at St. Paul’s Como Park has been returned – gift wrapped in giant Christmas stocking. Officials say someone scaled the 64-foot-tall Marjorie McNeely Conservatory over the weekend and stole the finial from atop the building’s dome. A conservatory official put out a request for information Tuesday….
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Gov.-elect Tim Walz has named a former speaker of the Minnesota House as his transportation commissioner and is keeping the budget commissioner of outgoing Gov. Mark Dayton. Walz on Tuesday appointed former House speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher to lead the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The governor-elect also announced that Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron…
NEW YORK – President Donald Trump’s charitable foundation has reached a deal to dissolve amid a legal battle with New York’s attorney general. Attorney General Barbara Underwood and the foundation filed a joint stipulation with the court Tuesday laying out a process for shutting down the charity and distributing its remaining assets to other nonprofit groups. New York filed a…
MADISON, Wis. – A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak linked to UW Hospital’s water system has infected 14 people with the pneumonia-like bacteria, and three have died. Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Brunette tells the Wisconsin State Journal that the patients who died had other serious, life-limiting health conditions. One patient remains hospitalized. A hospital official has said the cases appear to be linked…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is moving to officially ban bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like automatic firearms. A senior Justice Department official says bump stocks will be banned under the federal law that prohibits machine guns. It will take effect in late March. After that, it will be illegal to possess bump stocks. The…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Gov-elect Tim Walz will announce the first five state agency heads who will serve in his administration. Walz and Lt. Gov.-elect Peggy Flanagan have called a news conference for 1 p.m. Tuesday to name his first five out of what will eventually be 23 commissioners for his new administration. Walz’s transition team received over 500…
LA CROSSE, Wis. – A man who served as a choir director for the La Crosse School District has admitted to sexually assaulting students. Thirty-four-year-old Dustin Bagstad on Monday pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child in a plea deal under which prosecutors will dismiss 14 other charges. The criminal complaint says Bagstad committed sex…
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin man with 16 drunken driving convictions in three states is headed to prison. Sixty-three-year-old Bradley Armstrong, of Eau Claire, was sentenced Friday to four years in state prison to be followed by three years of extended supervision. Judge John Manydeeds told Armstrong that he was a dangerous person and that the number of…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone)ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Gov-elect Tim Walz is preparing to announce his first round of state agency heads who will serve in his administration. Walz and Lt. Gov.-elect Peggy Flanagan have called a news conference for Tuesday to announce the first out of 23 new commissioners. Walz’s transition team received over 500 applications for the leadership positions….
DULUTH, Minn. – National delivery services are gearing up for a busy holiday season handling millions of packages, but they warn to ship them early in order to get to their destinations on time. “The sooner you mail the better,” said Karen Mazurkiewicz, U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman. The U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver 12.5 million packages in the Central…
DULUTH, Minn. – An effort is underway to reintroduce elk to parts of northeast Minnesota, but it could be a long process. Minnesota Public Radio reported that the University of Minnesota has spent three years observing potential habit for elk in three forests in the region. Researchers also say nearly 80 percent of rural landowners and residents in the area…
MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor Beverly Kopper is resigning after her husband was banned from campus amid sexual harassment allegations. Kopper sent out a campus-wide email Monday announcing her resignation effective Dec. 31. UW System President Ray Cross banned Kopper’s husband, Pete Hill, from campus in June in response to allegations that Hill had sexually harassed several women…
ROSEVILLE, Minn. – The husband of a Roseville home day care provider has been found guilty of sexually assaulting three girls cared for at the site. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that a Ramsey County District Court jury convicted 44-year-old Edgar Lopez-Monter of both first-degree and second-degree criminal sexual conduct after deliberating for about four hours Friday. Minnesota Department…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Garth Brooks and Gov. Mark Dayton are making a concert announcement after the governor asked the country superstar to schedule another performance when tickets for his May 4th concert in Minneapolis sold out in less than an hour. The governor’s office says at least 50,000 people were in line, on the phone or online Friday when…
MADISON, Wis.-Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has signed a sweeping package of Republican-authored lame-duck legislation that restricts early voting and weakens the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general. The measures restrict early in-person voting to two weeks before an election. The legislation gives Republicans control of the state jobs creation agency, blocks Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers from withdrawing Wisconsin from a…
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker plans to take action on a sweeping package of Republican-authored lame-duck legislation that restricts early voting and weakens the powers of the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general. Walker’s office announced the event at noon Friday at a Green Bay state office building. Walker has repeatedly signaled support for the bills and downplayed…
DULUTH, Minn. – Del Monte is recalling more than 64,000 cans of “fiesta” corn seasoned with red and green peppers. Del Monte says the reason for the recall is the canned corn is under-processed and could be contaminated, possibly leading to botulism if eaten. Botulism is a life-threatening illness that can cause, among other symptoms, muscle weakness and paralysis. If…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone)ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Gov.-elect Tim Walz declined an invitation to join a bipartisan group of new governors in a meeting with President Donald Trump, drawing some criticism from Republicans. The six-term Democratic congressman stayed in Minnesota this week to meet with transition staff and advisers, even as his counterparts from South Dakota, Wisconsin and other Midwestern…
HAYWARD, Wis. – Businesses and schools across the U.S. were evacuated because of a bomb threat hoax, including the Hayward Area Memorial Hospital. Officials in states across the country say businesses received emailed bomb threats Thursday that were part of what they believe is a nationwide hoax. The Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office says they were informed of a bomb threat…
BLOOMINGTON, Minn.- Bloomington police say a student at Normandale Community College who allegedly assaulted two faculty members during a classroom dispute had a gun in his backpack. Authorities say the 21-year-old St. Paul man on Wednesday struck a 51-year-old female instructor several times and also assaulted a 47-year-old male faculty member who intervened. The student fled but was apprehended in…
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker plans to offer paper-products giant Kimberly-Clark Corp. a deal worth $25 million to keep a plant open and save nearly 400 jobs. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Thursday that the deal will be done using powers Walker currently has but that would be taken away under a bill Republicans passed in a lame-duck…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota regulators have rejected the latest attempt by environmental and tribal groups to stop Enbridge Energy’s plan to replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline. The Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously Thursday to reject petitions from groups opposed to the project. The groups wanted the commission to reconsider its decision to approve a certificate…
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association has launched a six-month public relations campaign dubbed “Wear the Badge” to try to increase the number of recruits into the profession. The Star Tribune reports that the recruitment campaign emphasizes the community service parts of police work through videos and online advertisements. The effort comes as top law enforcement officials say…
MADISON, Wis. – Gov. Scott Walker plans to make what he’s calling a “major economic development” announcement at the Kimberly-Clark factory in northeast Wisconsin. The announcement Thursday comes after the Legislature failed to pass a tax incentive bill that company officials said was needed to keep the factory open. It employs about 300 people. Walker has been working on an…
MINNEAPOLIS – Opponents of Enbridge Energy’s proposed Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement are turning their attention to fighting the project on other fronts as a Minnesota regulatory panel prepares to take one of its final steps to allow it to proceed. The Public Utilities Commission on Thursday will discuss whether to reconsider its decision to approve a route permit…
(Leila Navidi/Star Tribune via AP)ST. PAUL, Minn. – An 80-year-old man injured in an explosion at his St. Paul home last month has died. A spokeswoman for Regions Hospital in St. Paul tells the Star Tribune that John Lundahl died Tuesday at the hospital from his injuries. The Nov. 23 explosion left Lundahl with significant burns and a broken arm…
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation establishing a panel to oversee a hotly disputed tunnel that will house an oil pipeline beneath the waterway linking Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Snyder acted Wednesday, a day after the Republican-dominated Michigan Legislature gave the bill final approval. It creates the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority to monitor construction and…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Tax revenues from charitable gambling are generating so much revenue for paying off the debt for U.S. Bank Stadium that Minnesota officials say corporate taxes are no longer needed for that purpose. The state projects the stadium’s reserve account will hit $193 million by 2012. So, officials plan to drop an annual infusion of $20 million…
NEW YORK – President Donald Trump’s former lawyer has been sentenced to three years in prison. U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said Wednesday that Michael Cohen deserved a harsh punishment for crimes including tax evasion, lying to Congress and arranging illicit payments to silence women who posed a risk to Trump’s presidential campaign. The judge rejected arguments by…
CENTER CITY, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota jury has convicted a snowmobiler who struck and killed an 8-year-old boy on Chisago Lake. Jurors on Tuesday convicted Eric Coleman, of Chisago City, of third-degree murder, drunken driving, criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation. Coleman’s attorneys conceded he was guilty of the other charges, but not murder. The crash last January…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota lawmakers have heard from patients and families dealing with diabetes that they need help with the soaring cost of insulin. Sen. Matt Little convened an informal discussion at the Capitol Tuesday to gather information on what steps the state should take. The Lakeville Democrat says the cost of insulin is “immorally high” and there appears…
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Vikings have fired offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, whose first season on the job ended after just 13 games amid a sharp decline in production by the offense over the past six weeks. Quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski was made interim offensive coordinator on Tuesday morning, following a 21-7 loss at Seattle on Monday night. Stefanski will take…
RACINE, Wis. – A Wind Lake gymnastics studio owner and coach accused of possessing child pornography and placing a recording device in the bathroom of his facility has accepted a plea deal and avoided trial scheduled for this week. Authorities say they retrieved nearly 200 videos from 50-year-old James Kivisto’s computer recorded in the bathroom of the Wind Lake Gymnastics…
MINNEAPOLIS – A Northfield man accused of going on a drug-crazed rampage during an annual peace gathering in Superior National Forest has been committed to a treatment center. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that 21-year-old Spencer Fredrickson allegedly raped a woman, bit off part of a man’s finger and attacked a sheriff’s deputy at the late-August Rainbow Gathering. Authorities say…
CUSHING, Minn. – Crews have recovered the bodies of two neighbors who died while ice-fishing on a lake in central Minnesota. Morrison County Sheriff Shawn Larsen says the fishermen were reported overdue Sunday evening on Fish Trap Lake north of Cushing. The sheriff’s office also learned that a side-by-side ATV was missing. Responders first found the body of 69-year-old Wayne…
(Time Magazine via AP)NEW YORK (AP) – Time magazine’s 2018 person of the year are the “guardians and the war on truth.” The group is made up of four journalists and a newspaper that Time says “are representatives of a broader fight by countless others around the world. Time’s editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal made the announcement Tuesday on NBC’s “Today” show….
(DNR) MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin agriculture officials have confirmed 11 more cases of chronic wasting disease on a Washington County deer farm. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection quarantined the farm in March after a buck there tested positive. The agency announced Monday that 11 additional animals of the farm have tested positive for the disease. A team…
BARRON, Wis. (AP) — The city of Barron is holding a “tree of hope” lighting ceremony in honor of missing 13-year-old Jayme Closs. The local middle school student has been missing since her parents were slain Oct. 15. James and Denise Closs were fatally shot in their home, and investigators believe Jayme was abducted. Wednesday’s event at Riverview Middle School…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Warmer weather is affecting some winter sports at the University of Minnesota. Higher temperatures cause more snowmelt and shorter ski seasons. Two seasons ago, the university’s Nordic ski team could not participate in the American Birkebeiner, which was canceled because of warm weather. Gopher winter sports are off to a better start this season, but the team…
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – A Sheboygan woman is accused of running a drug house and hiding the corpse of an overdose victim in a crawlspace, along with stealing his ID and debit card. Police acting on tips found the body of 30-year-old Matthew Mercure in Mullens’ apartment on Nov. 20. Andrea Mullens has since been charged with four felonies and one…
Bald Eagle StareST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Raptor Center has euthanized a second eagle this hunting season because of lead poisoning. The Raptor Center says it sees lead poisoning cases annually beginning with deer hunting season and lead bullets are the main cause. The birds scavenge on an animal that’s been shot and wind up eating lead…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone)ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota will have a projected $1.5 billion surplus for the next two-year budget period, state officials announced Thursday, setting the stage for a spirited debate over taxes and spending in the legislative session that starts in January. The healthy surplus gives Democratic Gov.-elect Tim Walz and the Legislature more room for spending initiatives, tax…
LA CROSSE, Wis. – Regents have approved a plan to increase pay for employees of the University of Wisconsin System by 3 percent each of the next two fiscal years. The Board of Regents unanimously approved the pay plan at a meeting in La Crosse Thursday. Regents also backed an identical pay plan for UW-Madison. The proposal calls for full…
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota political party leaders and state and local officials are considering mail balloting for the 2020 presidential primary, a dramatic change from past practices in which citizens make their selections in party caucuses. The state will switch to a more straightforward primary system beginning in 2020 that allows voters to cast ballots for their preferred choice for president…
MINNEAPOLIS – A sole finalist is in line to become the first female president of the University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents on Wednesday advanced Joan Gabel, provost at the University of South Carolina, as the single finalist for the president’s job. Regents Chair David McMillan says Gabel “has shown strong leadership,” and the presidential search…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota officials are preparing to release a budget forecast that will set the stage for the debate over taxes and spending in the 2019 legislative session. Minnesota Management and Budget is due to issue the forecast late Thursday morning. The revenue and spending projections are expected to show a significant surplus, which would give Gov.-elect Tim…
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. – Wisconsin retailer Shopko is closing 39 stores in 19 states. Shopko spokeswoman Michelle Hansen says each store employs 10 to 25 employees, putting the scope of job cuts at about 400 to nearly 1,000 positions. Liquidation sales begin Friday with the stores closing by the end of February. The Green Bay area department store chain operates about…
(Jean Pieri/Pioneer Press via AP)ST. PAUL, Minn. – Cities across Minnesota are turning to spraying brine on roads to help keep them ice-free, with some saying it’s better than salt. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has added brine sprayers to its fleet of 840 snowplows. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports Ramsey County almost tripled its salt-spraying capacity last winter….
(AP) – USA Gymnastics is turning to bankruptcy in an effort to ensure its survival. The embattled organization filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on Wednesday as it attempts to reach settlements in the dozens of sex-abuse lawsuits it faces and to forestall its potential demise at the hands of the U.S. Olympic Committee. USA Gymnastics filed the petition in…
