Author: The Associated Press

Ellison Wins Minnesota’s Attorney General Nomination

Ellison Defeated Four Other Candidates

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison has won Minnesota’s Democratic primary for attorney general. Ellison defeated four other candidates to win Tuesday’s primary days after a former girlfriend accused him of domestic abuse. Ellison denied the allegation. Ellison decided to give up his safe Minneapolis-area seat to try for attorney general when incumbent Lori Swanson ran for…

Stauber Wins GOP Nomination for Eighth District

Pete Stauber has won the GOP primary for the northeastern Minnesota congressional seat being vacated by Democrat Rick Nolan.

HERMANTOWN, Minn.-Pete Stauber has won the GOP primary for the northeastern Minnesota congressional seat being vacated by Democrat Rick Nolan. Stauber, a St. Louis County Commissioner and retired Duluth police officer, defeated former Duluth School Board member Harry Robb Welty on Tuesday to advance to a general election contest that’s seen as one of the Republicans’ best chances anywhere in…

Vukmir Wins GOP Senate Primary in Wisconsin

A Wisconsin state senator and close ally to Gov. Scott Walker has defeated a former Marine who cast himself as a political outsider in the state's Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

MADISON, Wis.-A Wisconsin state senator and close ally to Gov. Scott Walker has defeated a former Marine who cast himself as a political outsider in the state’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Leah Vukmir beat Kevin Nicholson in Tuesday’s primary and now advances to face Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Vukmir won the endorsement of the Wisconsin Republican Party and the…

Johnson Wins GOP Primary for Minnesota Governor

ST. PAUL, Minn.-County Commissioner Jeff Johnson has beaten former Gov. Tim Pawlenty in Minnesota’s Republican primary for governor, derailing Pawlenty’s bid to reclaim his old job. Johnson won Tuesday despite Pawlenty’s enormous fundraising and name recognition advantages. He also won despite his own history as the party’s losing candidate for governor four years ago. Johnson positioned himself as a more…

The Latest: Walz Wins 3-way Primary for Minnesota Governor

Democratic Rep. Tim Walz has won a three-way primary for Minnesota governor.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic Rep. Tim Walz has won a three-way primary for Minnesota governor. Walz leveraged his rural Minnesota connections and a geographically balanced ticket to defeat state Rep. Erin Murphy and Attorney General Lori Swanson in Tuesday’s primary. Walz is leaving Congress after six terms representing southwestern Minnesota. Walz’s outstate appeal and pedigree as a former teacher and…

Jury Awards $289M to man who Blames Roundup for Cancer

Monsanto has Denied a Link Between Glyphosate and Cancer

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A jury’s $289 million award to a former school groundskeeper who said Monsanto’s Roundup left him dying of cancer will bolster thousands of pending cases and open the door for countless people who blame their suffering on the weed killer, the man’s lawyers said. “I’m glad to be here to be able…

Former Sen. Norm Coleman Says Cancer has Returned

Coleman is now a Lobbyist in Washington

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman says he is being treated for lung cancer. The 68-year-old Republican announced his condition Tuesday in a posting on Facebook. It comes about two and a half years after he was diagnosed with throat and neck cancer. Coleman underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation after his initial diagnosis. He had eventually been pronounced…

Two Found Guilty in Wisconsin Pipeline Protest Case

The Enbridge Pipeline is now in Service

SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) – A jury has found two people guilty of disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer following a protest at Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 construction site in Wisconsin last summer. Wisconsin Public Radio reports that 24-year-old Alexander Emery Good-Cane-Milk of South Dakota and 26-year-old Kyla L. Hassig of Minnesota were also found guilty of trespassing on the site…

Devastating Toxic Algae Bloom Plagues Florida’s Gulf Coast

(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)LONGBOAT KEY, Fla. (AP) — Tons of dead fish. A smell so awful you gag with one inhale. Empty beaches, empty roads, empty restaurants. A toxic algae bloom has overrun Florida’s southern Gulf Coast this summer, devastating sea life and driving people from the water. “I’ve never seen it this bad,” said 31-year-old Heather Lamb of Venice. She’s…

Child Dies in Swing set Collapse in Zumbrota

This is the Second Swing set Death This Month

ZUMBROTA, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say a young child died in a swing set accident in southern Minnesota. Police say the 4-year-old child was swinging Monday morning in Zumbrota when the structure collapsed. First responders and a medical helicopter were dispatched to the home. Lifesaving efforts at the house were unsuccessful. It’s the second time this month that a child…

Cars Plunge as Highway Bridge Collapses in Italy; 22 Dead

A 260 Foot Stretch of the Bridge Collapsed

(Vigili Del Fuoco via AP)MILAN (AP) — A bridge on a main highway linking Italy with France collapsed Tuesday in the Italian port city of Genoa during a sudden, violent storm, sending vehicles plunging  nearly 150 feet into a heap of rubble below. A transport official said at least 22 people were killed and eight injured in the tragedy. A…

Lawmakers vow Action on Google Location Tracking

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to. An Associated Press investigation shows that using Google services on Android devices and iPhones allows the company to record your whereabouts as you go about your day, even if you’ve used privacy settings that are supposed to prevent it from doing so….

Immigrations Audits Affect Dozens of Minnesota Businesses

ICE Audited 34 Minnesota Companies

(Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A St. Paul baking company that shuttered after an immigration audit is among nearly three dozen Minnesota businesses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has targeted since President Donald Trump took office. ICE audited as least 34 Minnesota companies from January 2017 through April 2018 as part of the…

Florida Parking lot Shooter Charged in “Stand Your Ground” Case

Drejka has Been Charged with Manslaughter

(Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Florida prosecutors have charged a white man in the death of an unarmed black man whose videotaped shooting in a store parking lot has revived debate over Florida’s “stand your ground” law. The Pinellas County State Attorney Bernie McCabe said Monday that 47-year-old Michael Drejka has been charged…

St. Cloud Woman Fatally Struck While Walking on Street

The Driver who hit the Woman has Been Cooperative

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) – St. Cloud police say a woman has died after she was struck by a car as she walked on a city street. Officers were called to the crash on Saturday afternoon. Police say the 59-year-old St. Cloud woman was walking with traffic in the outside lane of West St. Germain when she was struck from…

Trump Tweets About Harley-Davidson Boycott

New Tariffs Could Cost the Company $100 Million Annually

NEW YORK (AP) – President Donald Trump is backing calls for a Harley-Davidson boycott amid an ongoing steel tariff dispute. Harley-Davidson drew Trump’s wrath in June after the manufacturer announced it is moving production of motorcycles sold in Europe to facilities outside the U.S. The company blames the decision on tariffs imposed by the European Union to retaliate for tariffs…

Minnesota Deputies Rescue Women ‘Stranded’ on Unicorn Raft

The Woman and the Sheriff Were Able to Have a Good Laugh About the Mishap

Driving by a local lake we observed a bunch of women in a ???????? stuck in the weeds…Yes a rainbow unicorn… With a handful of laughs and some mad rescue roping skills they were pulled back to the dock! #wherestheglitter pic.twitter.com/qCyhfJqAa9 — Chisago Co Sheriff (@ChisagoCountySO) August 11, 2018 STARK, Minn. (AP) – It was not a fairy tale, but…

Crocs to outsource manufacturing of clogs, other footwear

They are Also Focusing on More Online Sales

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) NIWOT, Colo. (AP) — Colorado-based footwear company Crocs Inc. is closing company-owned manufacturing plants in Italy and Mexico by year’s end and replacing its chief financial officer. The company announced the outsourcing of additional manufacturing and the closure of a distribution facility in Mexico Tuesday while reporting a second-quarter profit of $30.4 million, or 35 cents…

Two new Exotic Species Identified in the Great Lakes

The Discovery is Alarming to Experts

BRIDGEPORT, N.Y. (AP) – Researchers say two new exotic zooplankton species have crept into the Great Lakes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Cornell University researchers confirmed the species are in Lake Erie. The species are Diaphanosoma fluviatile, which is from Central and South America and the Caribbean, and Mesocyclops pehpeiensis, which is native to tropical and temperate areas of…

Teasing led to Fatal Wisconsin Circular saw Attack

The 24 Year old is Charged With First-Degree Intentional Homicide

ELLSWORTH, Wis. (AP) – Investigators allege teasing led to a roofer killing a co-worker with a circular saw in western Wisconsin. Twenty-four-year-old Miguel Navarro of St. Louis was charged Thursday with first-degree intentional homicide and mayhem in the death of 37-year-old Israel Valles-Flores, also of St. Louis. According to the complaint, Navarro was seen attacking Valles-Flores with a circular saw…

NFL Players Protest During Anthem, Drawing Rebuke From Trump

There has Been no Change in the NFL’s Policy Regarding the National Anthem

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)(AP) – NFL players demonstrated during the national anthem at several preseason games Thursday night, protests that again drew a rebuke from President Donald Trump. Writing on Twitter from his New Jersey golf resort, Trump said Friday players “make a fortune doing what they love,” and those who refuse to stand “proudly” for the anthem should be suspended…

Officer Assaulted at St. Cloud Prison

The Officer was Treated and Released

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) – An assault at the St. Cloud prison sent a corrections officer to the hospital. Authorities say the sergeant was processing an offender through intake and was taking him to his residential unit when the inmate struck him in the face with an elbow. The officer was treated at the hospital and released. The facility was…

Minnesota’s Swanson Accused of Pushing Staff to aid Ambition

Swanson is Vying in Tuesday's Primary

photo: loriswanson.comST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Democrat Lori Swanson’s campaign for Minnesota governor is being hit by late accusations that she pressured staffers in her office to perform political work. D’Andre Norman, a former staffer in Swanson’s attorney general office, told The Intercept he spent years rounding up office staffers to volunteer for Swanson. Norman was a dispute resolution mediator…

Woman who Texted man 696 Times in April is Charged

She is Charged with Stalking and Other Crimes

FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a Minnesota woman who sent 696 text messages to a northern Iowa man in April violated a no-contact order. Winnebago County District Court records say 34-year-old Katie Christian, of Emmons, Minnesota, is charged with stalking and other crimes. Her arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 24 in Forest City. Attempts to reach her attorney…

Dayton Requests Federal Help for Storm Damage

Federal, state, and local officials conducting damage assessments verified more than $21 million of eligible damages for 29 counties and three tribal nations.

ST. PAUL, Minn.- Gov. Mark Dayton is requesting federal help for Minnesota communities hit hard by severe storms and flooding between June 15 and July 12. Dayton has sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting a disaster declaration. That would mean the Federal Emergency Management Agency would fund 75 percent of approved costs. The state would pay the other…

Opponents of Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline Project File Appeal

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved the project in June, giving Enbridge a green light to replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across Minnesota.

ST. PAUL, Minn.-Opponents of Enbridge Energy’s planned Line 3 replacement are asking the Minnesota Court of Appeals to declare that the environmental review for the controversial project fails to meet the legal requirements and needs to be redone. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved the project in June, giving Enbridge a green light to replace its aging Line 3 crude…

Minneosta’s Arvonne Fraser, Women’s Rights Trailblazer, Dies at 92

Arvonne Fraser Known as Advocate for International Human Rights

MINNEAPOLIS-A trailblazer for women’s rights in Minneapolis and beyond has died at age 92. Arvonne Fraser’s lengthy resume includes a post at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, co-founder of the school’s Center on Women, Gender and Public Policy and director of the International Women’s Rights Action Watch. Fraser’s son, Tom Fraser, told the Star Tribune his…

Trump Going Ahead With Taxes on $16B in Chinese Imports

The new Tariffs are in Addition to Existing Tariffs

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it will go ahead with imposing 25 percent tariffs on an additional $16 billion in Chinese imports. Customs officials will begin collecting the border tax Aug. 23, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said. The list is heavy on industrial products such as steam turbines…

Health Officials Confirm Measles in Child in Hennepin County

The Child was not Vaccinated Against Measles

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota health officials say measles has been diagnosed in a 5-year-old child who lives in Hennepin County. The state Health Department said Tuesday the child became ill in early August shortly after returning from traveling to a region where measles is common. The child likely was infectious from July 30 through Aug. 7. Health officials say the…

Lost Camper Found Safe in BWCA

Teeter was Found Safe and Uninjured

ELY, Minn. (AP) – A missing camper has been found safe in the vast wilderness of northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area. St. Louis County sheriff’s authorities received a report Tuesday morning of a lost camper in Friday Bay of Crooked Lake. The sheriff’s office says 46-year-old Daniel Teeter of Maple Valley, Washington, was last seen at his campsite around…

General Electric Laying off 200 Workers at Turbine Plant

GE Laid off 130 Workers in January

(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (AP) – General Electric says it’s laying off 200 hourly workers at its upstate New York plant that produces steam turbines for the company’s power unit. Boston-based GE announced Tuesday that the layoffs include unionized manufacturing and assembly employees at its facilities in Schenectady, where Thomas Edison co-founded the company in 1892. Another 25 unfilled…

California Appeals Ruling to let Border Wall Proceed

Trump Needs $25 Billion Over 10 Years for the Border Wall

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — A federal appeals court will hear arguments Tuesday by the state of California and advocacy groups who contend the Trump administration overreached by waiving environmental reviews to speed construction of the president’s prized border wall with Mexico. California is appealing a decision by U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel of San Diego, who sided with…

Ford F-150 Fires Possibly Caused by Seat Belts

Investigators will Determine Whether a Recall is Necessary

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)DETROIT (AP) – U.S. safety investigators are looking into complaints of fires that may have been caused by the seat belts in Ford F-150 pickup trucks. The investigation covers trucks from the 2015 through 2018. Ford sold about 2 million F-150s during those years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating five complaints that fires began…

Duluth Diocese Adds two Priests to List of Credibly Accused

Graham Denies the Allegation

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – The Diocese of Duluth has added two priests to its list of clergy credibly accused of sexually abusing a child. The Roman Catholic diocese serving northeastern Minnesota added the names of the Revs. William C. Graham and Roland Antus to the list . In Graham’s case, the alleged abuse reportedly occurred in the 1970s. When the…

Shooting Inside Radio Station not Random

The DJ was Treated and Discharged

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Police say a shooting inside a community radio station in Madison, Wisconsin, doesn’t appear to be random. Officers were called to the shooting at WORT-FM shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday. A police spokesman says a 33-year-old man was injured by gunfire and taken to a hospital. The station says a man wearing a mask and hood…

Maplewood Police Asking for Help in Catching Mosque Vandals

The Graffiti Included Obscenities

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (AP) – Maplewood police are asking for the public’s help in finding two men who defaced a mosque last month. Police released images from a surveillance video showing what authorities say are two men spray-painting graffiti on the outside wall of the Islamic Institute of Minnesota’s Al-Salam mosque. The messages included the number 666 and the words “Jesus…

Motorcyclist Dies in Collision With Moose in North Minnesota

The Driver was Wearing a Helmet

INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. (AP) – The State Patrol says a motorcyclist has died in a collision with a moose in northern Minnesota. The patrol says 66-year-old Gary Allan Vansickle of Milaca was riding a Harley-Davidson on Highway 6 in Koochiching County when he struck a moose that was crossing the road on Saturday. Authorities say Vansickle was wearing a helmet….

Minnesota law Aims to Protect Accounts of Vulnerable Seniors

The Safe Seniors Financial Protection Act Took Effect on Wednesday

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A new Minnesota law gives bankers and financial advisers some new tools to report suspicious activity tied to the accounts of potentially vulnerable seniors. Minnesota Public Radio News reports that the Safe Seniors Financial Protection Act took effect on Wednesday. It gives advisers the authority to delay certain financial transactions while they investigate, making the…

Apple surges to $1 trillion in market value

Apple is the First Publicly Traded Company to hit $1 Trillion

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is worth $1,001,679,220,000. The maker of the iPhone and other gadgets became the world’s first publicly traded company with a market value of $1 trillion on Thursday. The company reached the milestone a couple of hours into the trading session when its shares reached $207.04. They closed with a gain of 2.9 percent to…

Minnesota Joins Lawsuit Challenging 3D-Printed Plastic Guns

Trump Tweeted he is Looking Into the Controversy

(Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota is joining a lawsuit against the federal government to block the release of blueprints that show how to make 3D-printed plastic guns. Attorney General Lori Swanson said Friday she is joining other attorneys generals challenging the recent settlement between the Trump administration and a Texas-based company that wants…

Air Force Authorities Probe Mysterious 911 Call

The Call Came From Another Base

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) – Air Force authorities are trying to find out what prompted a 911 call that caused a chaotic “active shooter” reaction on a sprawling Ohio base. Spokeswoman Marie Vanover at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton said Friday the investigation “is ongoing,” and that there’s no timetable yet for its completion. She said no injuries have been…

Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Grandparents

Scheel Will be Sentenced October 4

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) – A man has been convicted of killing his grandparents at a home he shared with them in central Minnesota. Thirty-three-year-old Gregory Allen Scheel pleaded guilty in Stearns County District Court to two counts of first-degree murder Thursday. KNSI reports Scheel cried when he admitted to assaulting and murdering 93-year-old Willie Scheel and 80-year-old Gloria Scheel…

Vendor Blamed for 911 Outage in Three States

Outages Were Reported in MN, ND, and NC

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Officials in Minnesota say a third-party vendor performing work on a 911 system caused a widespread service failure in Minnesota, and that the outage affected North Dakota and North Carolina too. Several cities and counties scrambled to broadcast backup emergency phone numbers during the hour-long outage Wednesday afternoon. Telecommunications company CenturyLink, which operates 911 networks…

Boy’s Death on Playground Investigated

COMFREY, Minn. (AP) – The death of a 9-year-old boy on a playground in southwestern Minnesota is under investigation. Police say Gavin Ludewig was found tangled in a swing on the playground in Comfrey, a small community in Brown County, about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was pronounced dead at Springfield Medical Center. The Star Tribune reports police have not said…

Officials Responding to Active Shooter Reports at Base

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Federal authorities say they’re responding to reports of an active shooter at an Air Force base in Ohio, and the base is on lockdown. Security forces and other emergency responders are outside the hospital at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said via Twitter it’s among several agencies…

TSA Considering Ending Screening at Small Airports

TSA Says no Decision has Been Made

WASHINGTON (AP) – The TSA is considering ending screening of passengers at smaller airports across the country to focus security efforts at the largest airports. It is unclear how advanced the proposal is and whether it will ever be adopted. Still, aviation-security experts reacted with alarm, saying it could make flights at smaller airports inviting targets for terrorists. CNN reported…

Wisconsin man Contracts Rare Blood Infection From dog

Doctors say the Infection is Rare

(Dawn Manteufel via AP) WEST BEND, Wis. (AP) — Surgeons have amputated the legs and hands of a Wisconsin man who contracted a rare blood infection from a dog lick. Greg Manteufel remains hospitalized at a Milwaukee area hospital. Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin infectious disease specialist Dr. Silvia Munoz-Price says the bacteria that invaded Manteufel’s body comes…

Crackdown on Speeding Nets 14K Citations in Minnesota

Between July 6 and July 22 14,661 Speeding Tickets Were Issued

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A driver “trying to make it to Taco Bell before it closed” at 99 mph is among the thousands of motorists cited for speeding in Minnesota last month. It was part of a statewide crackdown on speeding and unsafe driving between July 6 and July 22. Minnesota Department of Public Safety data shows law enforcement…

Man, 18, Accused of Pushing boy off Minnesota Water Slide

Criminal Charges are Expected

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (AP) – Police have arrested an 18-year-old man accused of pushing an 8-year-old boy off a slide at a suburban Minneapolis water park. Authorities say the boy fell nearly 32 feet to the concrete below and suffered multiple fractures at the Apple Valley Aquatic Center on Tuesday. The incident happened at the Apple Valley Aquatic Center. Eighteen-year-old…

Minnesota Couple Charged in Overfishing Case

The Couple Could Have Fines up to $3,000

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A tip to a poacher’s hotline has resulted in charges against a southern Minnesota couple who investigators say were found with nearly 300 crappies after fishing on Fairmont’s Lake Sisseton. The State Department of Natural Resources says the possession limit for crappies in the state is 10. The Star Tribune reports that 70-year-old Isouvahn Xayachack,…