Author: The Associated Press

Minnesota Deputy Charged in Wisconsin Child sex Crimes

Masek has Been placed on Administrative Leave

BARRON, Wis. (AP) – A sheriff’s deputy from Minnesota has been jailed in northwestern Wisconsin on felony child sex crimes. Sixty-year-old Jeffrey Masek is charged in Barron County with child enticement-sexual contact, attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child and using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime. Masek, of Cottage Grove, Minnesota, is a Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy….

Welcome to the Partisan Fury, Michelle Wolf

Wolf is Facing Criticism and Praise After White House Correspondents Dinner

(Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK (AP) – White House Correspondents Association roaster Michelle Wolf joins a club with the likes of Kathy Griffin, Stormy Daniels and David Hogg – little-known or unknown figures who suddenly became surrogates for the hyper-partisan rhetorical warfare of the Trump era. President Donald Trump tweeted his disgust at Wolf’s routine Monday, she was a…

Critical Bill Matching State, Federal tax Codes Passes House

The Senate Plans to Release its own Proposal

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota House has passed a bill matching the state’s tax code with new federal tax cuts. The GOP-backed proposal that cleared the House Monday includes modest income tax rate cuts for more than two million Minnesotans and a slight increase to the standard deduction. But it would also cause slight tax increases for some…

Fire Danger Remains High in Much of Wisconsin

The Department of Natural Resources Responded to 43 Wildfires Sunday

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin natural resources officials say the danger of a wildfire igniting is high to extreme in much of the state due to warm temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds. The Department of Natural Resources responded to 43 wildfires Sunday, including two larger fires in steep terrain in central Wisconsin’s Clark County. The agency contracted tanker planes…

Businessman Offers Local Students Free College

Twenty-five Students are Taking up his Offer

RUSH CITY, Minn. (AP) – A Rush City businessman is giving the gift of education to seniors at the local high school. More than 40 percent of this year’s graduates at Rush City High School will be attending college for free thanks to Dennis Frandsen. He’s offering free tuition at Pine Technical and Community College, a 2-year school in nearby…

Senate Votes to Nullify Minnesota Wild Rice Water Standard

The Governor has not Said Whether he Will Sign or Veto

(AP) – The Minnesota Senate has voted 38-28 to nullify a water quality standard that’s meant to protect wild rice, a food central to the culture and diet of the region’s Ojibwe Indians. Senators voted Monday to add $500,000 for restoration work to the bill, which passed the House last week, so the legislation will have to go back to…

Prominent Trump Critic Painter Enters Minnesota Senate Race

Richard Painter Filed Paperwork Last Week

TwitterST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A former Republican White House lawyer and prominent critic of President Donald Trump is running for former Sen. Al Franken’s seat. And he’s running as a Democrat. Richard Painter filed paperwork with the FEC late last week. Painter served as chief White House ethics lawyer to President George W. Bush but has emerged as a…

Get Ready for the Most Expensive Driving Season in Years

Crude oil Prices are at the Highest Level in Three Years

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Get ready for a little bit more pain at the pump this summer. Crude oil prices are at the highest level in more than three years and expected to climb higher, pushing up gasoline prices along the way. The U.S. daily national average for regular gasoline is now $2.81 per gallon. That’s up from about $2.39…

UMinn Settles Harassment Complaints for Nearly $300,000

Terms of the Settlement Were Previously Undisclosed

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Newly released documents show the University of Minnesota paid nearly $300,000 to settle sexual harassment complaints related to former athletic director Norwood Teague. He resigned in 2015 after two high-ranking administrators said he sexually harassed them at a senior leadership retreat. Teague apologized for what he said was his “offensive behavior.” The women signed separate agreements in…

Minnesota to see Hungry Ticks Emerge in Warm Weather

Tick Season Peaks in July

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – An expert says the delayed spring and a week of temperatures reaching 65 degrees Fahrenheit means ticks will likely come out soon in large numbers in Minnesota. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that ticks can transmit diseases, such as Lyme disease, during the feeding process. Janet Jarnefeld is manager of tick vector services with…

Will Sprint-T-Mobile Combo Hurt Consumers?

The Deal was Announced Sunday

(AP) NEW YORK (AP) – Consumer advocacy groups are worried that T-Mobile’s bid for Sprint will likely lead to higher cellphone plans because there’s less competition. The watchdog group Common Cause says low-income consumers seeking more affordable services will be particularly hurt. But Mark Lowenstein, a mobile-industry consultant, says the move shouldn’t be seen as a consolidation in the wireless…

Fridley Fire Victim Identified

Three Other Occupants got out Safely

FRIDLEY, Minn. (AP) – Officials say the victim who died in a house fire in Fridley is a 24-year-old man. Authorities say DJ Wasserman was found in an upstairs bedroom after the fire was extinguished Tuesday night. Fridley fire officials say two firefighters tried to reach Wasserman through a second-story window but were forced back by the intense heat. Three…

Three Killed in Crash of Medical Helicopter

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office Confirmed

(Dean Hall/The Lakeland Times)HAZELHURST, Wis. (AP) – Authorities say three people are dead after a medical helicopter crashed in northern Wisconsin. The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the three fatalities on Friday. Chief Deputy Dan Hess said the crash involved an Ascension Wisconsin Spirit helicopter, but he said he doesn’t know if the three victims were all Ascension employees. Hess…

Romaine Lettuce Outbreak Update: 98 People Sick in 22 States

46 People Have Been Hospitalized

(AP Photo/Matthew Mead, File) NEW YORK (AP) – The food poisoning outbreak linked to romaine lettuce has spread to three more states. Health officials on Friday said they now have reports of 98 cases in 22 states, with the addition of Mississippi, Tennessee and Wisconsin. The outbreak is blamed on E. coli bacteria in romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona….

Britain’s new Prince is Named Louis Arthur Charles

Louis is Fifth in Line to the Throne

(John Stillwell/Pool photo via AP, File)LONDON (AP) – The new prince has a name. Britain’s royal palace says the infant son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has been named Louis – pronounced LOO-ee – Arthur Charles. The palace said Friday that the baby’s full title is His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge. William and Kate’s third child…

Kim Jong Un Steps Across Korean Border, Makes History

Historic Summit for North and South Korea

(Korea Summit Press Pool via AP)GOYANG, South Korea (AP) — In a historic summit more striking for its extraordinary images than its substance, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in set aside a year that saw them seemingly on the verge of war, grasped hands and strode together Friday across the cracked concrete marking the…

Cosby Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Woman

Cosby Could Face 10 Years in Prison on Each Count

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)NORRISTOWN, Pa. – Bill Cosby has been convicted of drugging and molesting a woman in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. A jury outside Philadelphia convicted the “Cosby Show” star of three counts of aggravated indecent assault on Thursday. The guilty verdict came less than a year after another jury deadlocked on the charges. Cosby…

Embattled VA Nominee Withdraws

Trump Says There Will be Consequences

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is praising Ronny Jackson, who has just announced he will withdraw from consideration as Veterans Affairs secretary. Trump says there will be consequences for the Democratic senator who led the charge against Jackson. In a phone interview with “Fox & Friends” Thursday, Trump says Jackson “would have done a…

Ronny Jackson Said to Have Crashed car While Drunk

Jackson Says he Never Wrecked a car

Photo: US NavyWASHINGTON (AP) – A summary of allegations against President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Department of Veterans Affairs says he recklessly prescribed drugs, had his own private stock of controlled substances and got drunk and crashed a government car. The summary was released by Democrats as the White House rallied behind Dr. Ronny Jackson. Based on conversations…

Health Officials Warn of Measles Exposure in SE Minnesota

Residents are Warned About Possible Exposure

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – State health officials are warning residents of southeastern Minnesota about possible exposure to measles. The Minnesota Department of Health learned this week that a non-Minnesota resident with confirmed measles traveled through Minnesota from another state. According to the department, people may have been exposed to measles on April 13 at a McDonald’s on Main Street…

Former Police Officer Named as Serial Killer

Joseph James DeAngelo has Been Identified as the "Golden State Killer"

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A suspected California serial killer who committed at least 12 homicides and 45 rapes throughout the state in the 1970s and ’80s was identified Wednesday as a former police officer, an official said. A law enforcement official identified Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, who was fired from the Auburn Police Department, as the Golden State Killer. The…

‘Major Announcement’ Planned on Elusive Serial Killer

Announcement on the "East Area Rapist"

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in California plan to make a “major announcement” in the case of an elusive serial killer they say committed at least 12 homicides, 45 rapes and dozens of burglaries across the state in the 1970s and 1980s. Jane Carson-Sandler, who was sexually assaulted in California in 1976 by a man believed to…

Pence in Wisconsin for Fundraiser, tax Forum

The Fundraiser is $500 per Person

(AP) MILWAUKEE (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence returns to Wisconsin to host a fundraiser for Gov. Scott Walker while also touting the Republican tax overhaul at a forum with an official from Foxconn. The Pence events in Milwaukee on Wednesday mark his first return to the state since September. A group formed to promote President Donald Trump’s policies organized…

Parents sue Over Child Protection Laws in Minnesota

The Civil Rights Lawsuit was Filed Tuesday

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A group of parents is suing state and county child protection agencies in Minnesota, alleging children are illegally being removed from homes. The civil rights lawsuit filed Tuesday claims the state’s child protection laws are overly broad and that children are taken from their homes and placed in foster care for parental discipline, such as spanking. The…

Ohio School District Allows Teachers, Staff to Carry Weapons

School Officials Have not Said When the Policy Will Start

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) – A school board at a southwest Ohio district where a student shot and wounded two classmates has voted to allow teachers and staff to carry weapons. WLWT-TV reports the Madison Local School District board voted unanimously Tuesday to allow employees to “defend and protect students.” James Austin Hancock was 14 when he opened fire at Madison…

Online Post Suggests Rampage Suspect may Have Resented Women

Suspect Posted a Cryptic Message on Facebook

TORONTO (AP) — The suspect in the deadly van attack in Toronto posted a chilling Facebook message just minutes before plowing into a crowded city sidewalk, authorities said Tuesday, raising the possibility that he may have nursed grudges against women — a possible echo of a 1989 massacre of 14 women that remains one of Canada’s most traumatic acts of…

DFLer Stages House Floor sit-in, Wants Stronger gun Laws

Rep. Erin Maye Quade Began the Protest

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A Democratic lawmaker is holding a 24-hour sit-in on the Minnesota House floor to protest the lack of action on gun legislation this year. Rep. Erin Maye Quade began the protest Tuesday morning. Several Democratic colleagues and one suburban Republican joined at the start to share stories of Minnesotans who were fatally shot. Maye Quade…

Father Drops Infant From Balcony to Firefighter

The Three Month old Baby Landed Safely

NORTH ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A North St. Paul father dropped his infant daughter from a second-story balcony to a firefighter below as a fire burned in his apartment building. Assistant Fire Chief Dustin Kalis says both father and daughter are fine, but it was a precarious situation Sunday when the fire broke out. Kalis says there was no…

Elderly man Calls Police for Ride to Visit Wife in Hospital

Deputy Chief Jason Bentley was Happy to Help

MONTOURSVILLE, Pa. (AP) – An elderly Pennsylvania man had no way of visiting his ill wife in the hospital, so he called police to help. Montoursville Police Chief Jeff Gyurina says the 84-year-old man’s same-aged wife had a medical emergency last Thursday and was taken from their home in an ambulance. The frail man told Gyurina, who was at the…

Senators Delay VA Confirmation Hearing Amid new Allegations

The Hearing has Been Postponed Indefinitely

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)WASHINGTON (AP) – The leaders of a Senate panel say the confirmation hearing for Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump’s pick to be Veterans Affairs secretary, is being postponed indefinitely. Sen. Johnny Isakson, the Republican chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and Sen. Jon Tester, the top Democrat, cite “serious allegations” recently made against Jackson. They…

US Agency Cracks Down on Juul E-cigarette Popular in Schools

The FDA has Issued Warnings Against Illegal Sales of Juul to Kids

WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal health officials are cracking down on underage use of a popular e-cigarette brand following months of complaints from parents, politicians and school administrators. The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it has issued warnings to 40 retail and online stores as part of a nationwide operation against illegal sales of Juul to children. Like other e-cigarettes,…

Judge Says Enbridge Line 3 Project Should Follow Existing Route

Environmental Groups Oppose Enbridge Ruling

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Environmental and tribal groups are criticizing an administrative law judge’s recommendation that Minnesota regulators should approve Enbridge Energy’s proposal for replacing its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline if it follows the existing route rather than the company’s preferred route. They oppose Enbridge building the project, regardless of what route it takes. The director of the Sierra…

Canada Police say Driver That hit Pedestrians in Custody

Police did not Immediately Identify the Driver

(Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Canadian Press via AP) TORONTO (AP) — A van apparently jumped onto a sidewalk Monday from a busy intersection in Toronto and struck a crowd of pedestrians and before it was found and the driver was taken into custody, Canadian police said. Authorities said at least seven people were hospitalized with injuries while a photo from the…

Father Charged in Teen Son’s Shooting Death in Wisconsin

A Bail Hearing is set for Friday

HUDSON, Wis. (AP) – Prosecutors in western Wisconsin have charged a father accused of fatally shooting his teenage son from Minnesota. Forty-two-year-old Kayle Fleischauer was charged Tuesday with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of his 19-year-old son, Chase Fleischauer. Kayle Fleischauer is being held on $500,000 cash bond in the St. Croix County Jail. A bail hearing is set…

Harley-Davidson Paid Interns get a Free Motorcycle too

Harley-Davidson is Looking for Eight College Students for Their Summer Internship Program

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Harley-Davidson is offering free motorcycles for those who join its summer internship program. Eight college students or recent graduates will have the enviable task of being paid to ride a Harley and share their adventures on social media. And the best part? They’ll keep their bikes at the end of the 12-week internship. The Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker…

Van Strikes at Least Eight People in Toronto

Extent of the Injuries is not yet Known

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian police say a van in Toronto has struck at least 8 people, but that the cause of the incident and the extent of the injuries are not yet known. Authorities say the white van hit the crowd of pedestrians in north Toronto. Police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray says the van apparently jumped the curb, but the reason…

Tennessee Waffle House Suspect Arrested

Other Details Were not Immediately Available

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Authorities say they have arrested a man suspected of storming a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville and fatally shooting four people with an assault rifle. Authorities announced that 29-year-old Travis Reinking was taken into custody on Monday. Other details were not immediately available. Categories: Crime, News, News – Latest News, US & World News

Dream job: Harley-Davidson interns get a free motorcycle

Harley's Given to Interns After Completing 12-Week Internship

MILWAUKEE-Harley-Davidson is offering free motorcycles for those who join its summer internship program. Eight college students or recent graduates will have the enviable task of being paid to ride a Harley and share their adventures on social media. And the best part? They’ll keep their bikes at the end of the 12-week internship. The Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker says it will…

Minnesota Judge to Rule on Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 Project

Administrative Law Judge Ann O'Reilly's Recommendations are Expected Today

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – An administrative law judge is due to recommend whether Minnesota regulators should approve Enbridge Energy’s proposal for replacing its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota. The proposal has drawn strong opposition because the line would carry Canadian tar sands crude across environmentally sensitive areas in the Mississippi River headwaters region where American Indians harvest…

GOP tax Bill Includes Small Income tax Rate cut

House Republicans are Proposing a Modest Income tax Rate cut

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – House Republicans are proposing a modest income tax rate cut as part of their effort to sync Minnesota’s tax code with federal breaks. The proposal released over the weekend is drastically different from Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton’s plan. The GOP’s plan would also increase the standard deduction $13,000 to $14,000 from and protect property tax…

It’s a boy for Kate and William on England’s National day

The Baby's Name has not yet Been Announced

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)LONDON (AP) — For Kate, the wait is over. The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth Monday to a healthy baby boy — a third child for Kate and Prince William and fifth in line to the British throne. The couple’s Kensington Palace office announced news of the birth about five hours after the 36-year-old duchess and her husband…

North Korea Says it Will Suspend Nuclear and Missile Testing

The country Says it’s Making the Move to Shift its National Focus

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it has suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and plans to close its nuclear test site. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the suspension of nuclear and ICBM tests went into effect Saturday. The country says it’s making the move to shift its national focus and improve…

Producer and DJ Known as Avicii has Been Found Dead

Avicii was 28-years-old

(Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision/AP, File) NEW YORK (AP) – The Swedish-born producer and DJ known as Avicii has been found dead in Oman. Publicist Diana Baron said in a statement that the 28-year-old DJ, born Tim Bergling, was in Muscat, Oman. Avicii was a pioneer of the contemporary Electronic Dance Movement and a rare DJ capable of worldwide arena tour….

Twin Cities School bus Driver Removed After Leading Prayer

Nathaniel Says he Never Forced Students to Pray

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minneapolis-area church pastor who also drives a school bus says his rights to free speech and to practice his religion were violated when he was taken off his route for leading students in prayer. It is not the first time George Nathaniel has faced consequences for leading prayers. Nathaniel was fired from driving children in the…

Deputies Shot Through Restaurant Window; Sheriff Blames Hate

58-year-old John Hubert Highnote Shot Them Before Killing Himself

(Lauren Bacho/The Gainesville Sun via AP) TRENTON, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say two Florida sheriff’s deputies were shot dead through the window of a Chinese restaurant by a man who then killed himself. The shooter was identified as a man from a small town just up the road from the restaurant, and his motive wasn’t immediately known, but the sheriff…

Democratic Party Sues Russia, Trump Campaign and Wikileaks

The DNC Claims Conspiracy to win 2016 Presidential Election

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)NEW YORK (AP) – The Democratic National Committee has sued President Donald Trump’s campaign, his son, his son-in-law, the Russian Federation and WikiLeaks, saying they conspired to help Trump win the 2016 presidential election. The DNC filed the lawsuit Friday in federal court in Manhattan. It seeks unspecified damages and an order to prevent further interference with DNC…

BWCA School Trust Lands Dispute Moves Closer to Resolution

Minnesota and the U.S. Forest Service are Closer to Colving a Decades-old Dispute

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota and the U.S. Forest Service are closer to solving a decades-old dispute over 83,000 acres of state-owned land locked up inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The state has been unable to use the “school trust lands” to generate money for public schools since 1978. But $4 million from the $1.3 trillion government funding…

21-Year-old Charged With Killing Woman, son Near Perham

Hillman Told Investigators the Victims "Were Just Weird"

PERHAM, Minn. (AP) _ Prosecutors say a 21-year-old man with a history of mental illness and violence killed a woman and her adult son who had taken him into their home in Otter Tail County. William Hillman has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of 42-year-old Denise McFadzen and 21-year-old Dalton McFadzen. Their bodies were…

Hundreds of School Walkouts Planned on Columbine Anniversary

Minnesota Students Will Also be Participating in Today's Walkouts

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)(AP) – Another wave of student walkouts is expected to disrupt classes Friday at hundreds of schools across the U.S. as young activists press for tougher gun laws. The protests were chosen to line up with the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, which left 13 people dead in Littleton, Colorado. At 10 a.m., students…

Additional Exposure Charges Filed Against Ex-Superintendent

Staska was Arrested and Released on March 21

(courtesy of Fox9)COLD SPRING, Minn. (AP) – The former superintendent of the Rocori School District is facing additional charges of indecent exposure. Eight more counts have been added to 10 previous charges of indecent exposure filed in Stearns County against Scott Staska. The St. Cloud Times says the additional charges are connected to incidents that happened in St. Cloud between…