OCALA , Fla. (AP) – Authorities say one student shot another in the ankle at a Florida high school and a suspect is in custody. The Ocala Star-Banner reports the shooting happened Friday morning at Forest High School which was on lockdown. The injured student was taken to a local hospital. Police say the suspected shooter is also a student…
NEW YORK (AP) — Wells Fargo is being fined a combined $1 billion by two federal regulators for abuses tied to its mortgage and auto lending businesses. The bank will pay $500 million to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, its main bank regulator, as well as $500 million to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This is the…
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is joining the legal team defending President Donald Trump in the special counsel’s Russia investigation, a Trump attorney said Thursday. With the addition of Giuliani, Trump gains an experienced litigator and former U.S. attorney in Manhattan. Trump is looking to bring his involvement with special counsel Robert…
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON (AP) — Tiny Maile Pearl made Senate history Thursday without making a sound. The tightly wrapped 10-day-old baby, brought to the well of the chamber by her mother, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, became the first newborn to appear there, just one day after the Senate approved a new rule permitting it. “It’s about time,” the Illinois Democrat and…
Bill Cosby (Reuters) NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) – Bill Cosby’s lawyers have lost another bid to cut his sex assault retrial short. Judge Steven O’Neill rejected a defense motion that he acquit Cosby and send jurors home. The defense asked the judge to clear the 80-year-old comedian after prosecutors rested their case Thursday afternoon. Cosby’s lawyers say prosecutors haven’t proved charges…
BRECKENRIDGE, Minn. (AP) – The father of a toddler who dies last week in Wilkin County has been charged with causing his son’s death. WDAY-TV reports 35-year-old Tracy Brant is charged with felony murder, third-degree assault and malicious punishment of a child in the death of 3-year-old Winter Barker. The child was found not breathing at the Breckenridge apartment April…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The prosecutor in the Minnesota County where Prince died says he’s filing no criminal charges in the musician’s death. The announcement Thursday from Carver County Attorney Mark Metz means the state’s investigation into how Prince got the fentanyl that killed him is closed. It came hours after documents revealed a doctor accused of illegally prescribing an opioid…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is moving toward oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A notice being published Friday in the Federal Register starts a 60-day review to sell oil and gas leases in the remote region. Opening the refuge to oil and gas drilling is a longtime Republican priority that most Democrats fiercely oppose….
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minnesota doctor accused of illegally prescribing an opioid for Prince a week before the musician died has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a federal civil claim. The settlement comes as state prosecutors are planning to announce whether anyone will be charged in the two-year investigation into Prince’s death. Prince died on April 21, 2016, from an…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin’s unemployment rate remains at a record-low 2.9 percent for a second month. The state Department of Workforce Development reported Thursday that the rate for March remains unchanged from the 2.9 percent in February. That was its lowest level since July 1999. The report shows the state added 8,900 private sector jobs between February and March….
(Irene Perez/Cubadebate via AP)HAVANA (AP) – President Mario Diaz-Canel has made his first speech as Cuba’s new head of state with a pledge to continue the socialist revolution led by his predecessors Fidel and Raul Castro. Diaz-Canel says in the nationally televised speech before the National Assembly that his first thoughts upon taking office are for the “historic generation” that…
(WYNY-TV/Pool Photo via AP, File) NEW YORK (AP) – A nanny convicted of stabbing two children to death at their New York home while their parents were away cried while being led out of a courtroom. Yoselyn Ortega bludgeoned 6-year-old Lucia Krim and 2-year-old Leo Krim in October 2012 while their mother was taking a sibling to a swimming lesson…
(AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File)LOS ANGELES (AP) — The largest manufacturer of bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like automatic firearms, announced Wednesday that it will stop taking orders and shut down its website next month. The announcement comes about a month after President Donald Trump said his administration would “ban” bump stocks, which he said “turn…
YoutubeHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – The families of two children slain in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre have filed lawsuits against right-wing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for claiming the shooting did not happen. The defamation lawsuits were filed in Texas. That’s the home state of Jones’ media company, Infowars. Neil Heslin, the father of Jesse Lewis, and…
(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota prosecutors are planning an announcement in their two-year investigation into Prince’s death from an accidental fentanyl overdose. Carver County Attorney Mark Metz was scheduled to announce a charging decision at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, including whether anyone would be charged. Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at…
MENOMONIE, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin jury has convicted a Minneapolis man of battery in the death of a student from Saudi Arabia but acquitted him on a more serious murder charge. Cullen M. Osburn awaits sentencing July 13 for a potential maximum of eight years in the death of Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, a junior majoring in business administration at…
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Dick’s Sporting Goods is destroying all the guns and accessories that it stopped selling earlier this year after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The retailer said Tuesday that it is in the process of destroying all the firearms it pulled from its shelves, rather than trying to return them to their manufacturers. Dicks made headlines in…
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A preliminary examination of the blown jet engine of the Southwest Airlines plane that set off a terrifying chain of events and left a businesswoman hanging half outside a shattered window showed evidence of “metal fatigue,” according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Passengers scrambled to save the woman from getting sucked out the window that had…
NEW YORK (AP) – Starbucks plans to close more than 8,000 stores for several hours next month to conduct racial-bias training for nearly 175,000 workers. The announcement Tuesday comes after the arrests sparked protects and calls for a boycott on social media. Philadelphia police released a recording of the call from the Starbucks employee that led to the arrests. In…
(AP Photo/Christine Cotter, File)NEW YORK (AP) — Nostalgia hasn’t translated into dollars in a long-shot effort to crowdfund a future for Toys R Us. Neither did efforts to recruit other toy makers. A campaign led by a billionaire toy executive who pledged $200 million with other investors in hopes of saving part of the bankrupt chain has foundered, with only…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Mark Dayton has appointed Democratic state Rep. Paul Thissen to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Tuesday’s announcement means Dayton has appointed five of the high court’s seven members. Thissen replaces Justice David Stras, a Republican judge who was confirmed to the federal bench earlier this year. Thissen will hop from one branch of government to…
FacebookPHILADELPHIA (AP) -A federal investigator says one person has been killed after a plane with engine failure made an emergency landing in Philadelphia. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Tuesday that the engine will be shipped for a detailed examination. The Federal Aviation Administration says the flight from New York to Dallas made an emergency landing after the…
DULUTH, Minn. – The IRS online payment option is not working for many taxpayers needing to make a payment on Tax Day. As of this morning the IRS direct pay website is showing a “this service is currently unavailable” error message when customers try to look up or make a payment. The outage is causing frustration across the board as…
CLOQUET, Minn. – The Cloquet Police Department have taken an 18-year-old male into custody after he allegedly made threats of a “mass homicide” on social media. Authorities received multiple reports last night that an individual made violent threats on social media but did not list any specific locations other than Cloquet. The suspect was identified and located in a home…
HASTINGS, Minn. (AP) – A foster mother and her boyfriend have been charged in Dakota County with manslaughter and murder in the death of a 3-year-old boy who was in the woman’s care. Authorities say Zayden Lawson was fatally beaten last June. Thirty-one-year-old Zeporia Fortenberry is charged with second-degree manslaughter. A criminal complaint says Fortenberry knew her boyfriend, 27-year-old Charles…
PERHAM, Minn. (AP) – The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office has a suspect in custody in what authorities say is a double homicide. Officers responded to a reported assault at a rural Perham residence shortly before 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, and found two people dead at the scene. No other details were immediately released. Authorities did not immediately identify the people…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Republican lawmakers are pushing to allow employers to pay their tipped workers lower wages by counting tips in their wages. The so-called tip credit is a familiar proposal in Minnesota. But the gradual increase of the minimum wage in Minneapolis to $15 hourly by 2022 has increased the pressure at the Legislature. St. Paul is…
SAUK RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) – The police chief in a Minnesota city where an 8-year-old slashed three other students with a knife says he wishes he knew why the boy did it. Sauk Rapids Police Chief Perry Beise says the boy randomly cut three children at Pleasantview Elementary School on Monday morning, then went into the office and set the…
MINNEAPOLIS-Hundreds of travelers from Minnesota are stranded in Mexico because they are unable to rebook Sun Country Airlines flights that were canceled due to a storm at home, because the carrier has ended its seasonal service south of the border. Travelers are stuck in Los Cabos and Mazatlan. Sun Country, based in Eagan, Minnesota, says the flights that were canceled…
MINNEAPOLIS-As the second anniversary of Prince’s death approaches, the rock star’s heirs have yet to collect a dollar of his estimated $200 million estate. But bankers, lawyers and consultants have earned millions from it. The long saga to settle the estate provides a cautionary tale about what can happen when someone dies without leaving a will – as Prince did…
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.-The Minnesota State Patrol says one person was killed when a Metro Transit bus broadsided a car that had spun out on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis. The fatal crash Sunday evening brought to at least five the number of people killed across the country since Friday as a mid-April storm churned up from the South and dumped 2…
HOUSTON- A family spokesman says former first lady Barbara Bush “has been a rock in the face of her failing health.” Jim McGrath did not elaborate as to the nature of the 92-year-old Bush’s health problems. She is at home in Houston. McGrath says Bush “has decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care.”…
COLUMBIA, S.C.-South Carolina’s governor is expressing support for his state prisons chief following riots at a maximum-security prison that killed seven inmates. Gov. Henry McMaster’s spokesman Brian Symmes tells The Associated Press on Monday that the governor has “complete confidence” in director Bryan Stirling’s ability to lead the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Stirling was appointed by then-Gov. Nikki Haley…
WASHINGTON D.C. (AP) – President Donald Trump says he is “prepared to sustain” strikes against Syria until the use of chemical agents stops. The United States, along with assurance from France and the United Kingdom, launched a response Friday against the regime of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad days after his government allegedly used chemical weapons on its citizens. But Trump…
(Photo: Oakland County Sheriff’s Office)ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) – A retired, white Detroit firefighter is charged with assault with intent to murder after a shot was fired at a black teen who police say knocked on the door of the man’s suburban Detroit home to ask directions to school. Jeffery Zeigler was arraigned Friday. The 53-year-old was arrested Thursday after…
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) NEW YORK (AP) – A federal judge is ordering President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer to appear next week for arguments over the government’s raid on the lawyer’s New York City home and office. At a hearing on Friday, U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood told an attorney for Michael Cohen that his client needed to be there…
Garrison KeillorST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Public Radio says it has an agreement with Garrison Keillor to restore online access to old recordings of his “A Prairie Home Companion” radio show. MPR said Friday it will pay Keillor $275,000 for limited, non-exclusive rights to those shows for three years as well as Keillor’s “The Writer’s Almanac,” a short daily…
(Dodge County Sheriff’s Office via AP)MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota woman who is wanted in connection with her husband’s death is now a suspect in the killing of a Florida woman, authorities said Friday. Lois Riess of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, has been charged in the shooting death of Pamela Hutchinson of Bradenton, Florida. Authorities aren’t aware of any connection between…
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A Delta Air Lines flight has made an emergency landing at the Fargo airport. KFGO reports the jet with 189 passengers on board was heading from Minneapolis to Anchorage, Alaska when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit Thursday night. Fire officials say the plane landed safely at Hector International Airport in Fargo about 7:30 p.m….
(AP Photo/Ben Margot, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Interior Department is increasing fees at the most popular national parks to $35 per vehicle, backing down from an earlier plan that would have forced visitors to pay $70 per vehicle to visit the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and other iconic parks. A change announced Thursday will boost fees at 17 popular parks…
HUTCHINSON, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say an explosion at a 3M Co. plant in Minnesota injured three people, one of them seriously. Hutchinson Police Chief Daniel Hatten says a piece of equipment malfunctioned about 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Hatten says one person was seriously hurt while the other two suffered minor injuries. All three victims were taken to hospitals. A 3M…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former FBI Director James Comey blasts President Donald Trump as “unethical” and “untethered to truth” in a new book. He calls Trump’s leadership of the country “ego driven and about personal loyalty.” Comey’s comments come in the new book in which he casts Trump as a mafia boss-like figure who sought to blur the line between law…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Mark Dayton has criticized a self-described millionaire who says he legally qualified for food stamps and took them to prove the system is vulnerable to abuse. Rob Undersander of Waite Park told a legislative committee Wednesday that he and his wife collected about $6,000 in benefits they didn’t need over 19 months, and then…
(AP Photo | Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) – The Kremlin spokesman is warning the U.S. and its allies against any steps that could destabilize the situation in Syria. Asked about possible U.S. strikes on Syria, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that “it’s necessary to avoid any steps that may fuel tensions in Syria.” He added that it…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is criticizing his predecessor, Republican Tim Pawlenty, who has announced plans to seek his old office. Dayton told the Star Tribune on Wednesday he doesn’t know what Pawlenty is going to run on because, as Dayton put it, “his record as governor was so abysmal.” Dayton charges that Pawlenty left Minnesota…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota will spend $1.3 million to temporarily add staff to handle the fallout from the launch of the state Licensing and Registration System. The Star Tribune reports that the state Driver and Vehicle Services office will draw funds from the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund. Cassandra O’Hern is the deputy commissioner of the Department of…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is calling on lawmakers to set aside $969,000 to keep the state’s only suicide prevention hotline from closing. The Minnesota Suicide Prevention Lifeline recently announced it would be forced to shut down next month without new funding. The 24-hour phone line links callers with local mental health professionals as well as…
(AP Photo/Jonathan J. Cooper, File)(AP) – Organizers are encouraging gun rights supporters to bring unloaded rifles to rallies at state capitols across the U.S. this weekend to counter a recent wave of student-led protests against gun violence. A group called the National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans is spreading word of the gatherings on social media. Coalition co-founder David Clayton…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) – Another top National Security Council staffer is leaving the White House as new National Security Adviser John Bolton makes his mark. Deputy national security adviser Ricky Waddell will be exiting the administration, said two administration officials with knowledge of the decision who were not authorized to speak publicly. Waddell’s departure date has not yet…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans have cleared a procedural hurdle to confirm a former coal industry lobbyist as the No. 2 official at the Environmental Protection Agency. If confirmed as deputy administrator, Andrew Wheeler would be next in line to lead if embattled administrator Scott Pruitt is forced out or resigns. The Senate voted 53-45 Thursday to limit debate on Wheeler’s…
