Author: The Associated Press

Minnesota Demographer Thinks Citizenship Question Will Hurt Census Accuracy

Brower says even legal immigrants are concerned about giving the government more information.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota’s state demographer says adding a question about citizenship status to the 2020 U.S. Census will make the count less accurate. Susan Brower said Tuesday research shows fear about the population count taken every 10 years keeps people from responding, and those fears are often highest among immigrants. Minnesota has seen waves of Somali and Hmong immigrants…

Trump to end Deportation Protection for Liberians

Liberians have been eligible for Deferred Enforcement Departure since 1999.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is ending a program that allows citizens of Liberia living in the U.S. to avoid deportation. But it’s allowing a one-year “wind-down” period to ease their return. Liberians have been eligible for Deferred Enforcement Departure since 1999. The program allows them to live and work in the U.S. A memorandum issued by…

Minnesota Farmers Endured Fifth Straight Year of Thin Profits

Extension economist Dale Nordquist says dairy farmers faced some of the toughest challenges.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A new report says bumper crops and occasional upticks in prices weren’t enough to save most Minnesota farmers from a fifth straight year of thin profits in 2017. The annual analysis from University of Minnesota Extension and the Minnesota State colleges and universities system finds that nearly one-third of Minnesota farmers saw their net worth decrease in…

Three Boys in Mississippi Find Part of Mastodon Jawbone

Curator George Phillips confirmed it was a lower left jawbone from a mastodon.

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) – Three boys have found a part of a mastodon jawbone while exploring family property in Mississippi. The Vicksburg Post reports that two brothers and a cousin made the discovery on plowed land near Bovina, a small community east of the Mississippi River. The newspaper says the three were on spring break from school when they found…

Yucky Ducky? Study Reveals Bath-Time Toy’s Dirty Secret

It’s billed as one of the first in-depth scientific examinations of its kind.

( AP Photo/Ferdinand Ostrop)BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Scientists now have the dirt on the rubber ducky: Those cute yellow bath-time toys are — as some parents have long suspected — a haven for nasty bugs. Swiss and American researchers counted the microbes swimming inside the toys and say the murky liquid released when ducks were squeezed contained “potentially pathogenic bacteria”…

Two Officers in Black Man’s Fatal Shooting Won’t be Charged

Landry says Sterling had drugs in his system.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana’s attorney general has ruled out criminal charges against two white Baton Rouge police officers in the fatal shooting of a black man whose death fueled widespread protests. Attorney General Jeff Landry’s announcement Tuesday comes nearly 11 months after the Justice Department ruled out federal criminal charges in Alton Sterling’s July 2016…

How Facebook was Able to Siphon off Phone Call and Text Logs

Until recently Google let app developers gain access to a phone’s call and text logs.

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) The news that Facebook’s Android app has been collecting call and text histories is yet another black eye for the social media giant. But just why was Facebook able to siphon off records of who its users were contacting — and when — in the first place? The short answer: Because Google let it. The longer…

Prince Toxicology Report Shows Very High Drug Level

Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate.

(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)CHANHASSEN, Minn. (AP) – A toxicology report shows Prince had exceedingly high concentrations of fentanyl in his body when he died. Prince was 57 when he died of an accidental overdose on April 21, 2016. A fentanyl overdose was listed as the cause. A confidential toxicology report obtained Monday by The Associated Press shows the concentration of…

Michigan State Dean Accused of Storing Nude Photos

He is due to be arraigned in the afternoon.

(Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP, File) EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan State University official who oversaw a clinic where former sports doctor Larry Nassar worked is facing criminal charges for allegedly inappropriately touching a student and storing nude photos of female students on his work computer. William Strampel, who was dean of the College of Osteopathic…

Court Documents say Boyfriend Admitted Firing Fatal Shot

The boyfriend has only been charged with drug possession at this time.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Court documents say the boyfriend of a pregnant teenager admitted to fatally shooting her in St. Paul, but said it was an accident. Luis Chacon-Villeda has not been charged in the death of 18-year-old Eileen Viveros-Varga on March 9. The St. Paul Pioneer Press says one of the search warrants filed in Ramsey County District…

Update: Stormy Daniels now Suing Trump’s Attorney

Stormy Daniels is now suing Michael Cohen for defamation.

(CBS News/60 Minutes via AP)WASHINGTON (AP) – Adult film star Stormy Daniels is now suing President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen for defamation. The new allegation is part of a revised complaint filed Monday by Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti. It comes a day after a ratings-grabbing “60 Minutes” interview in which Daniels said she’d had sex with Trump years…

Pilot in NYC Helicopter Crash Blames Passenger Restraint Harness

The pilot, who was not wearing a harness, escaped with only minor injuries.

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)NEW YORK (AP) — The pilot of a helicopter that crashed into New York City’s East River told federal investigators that he believed the aircraft’s fuel was cut off when a passenger’s restraint tether tangled with an emergency fuel cutoff switch, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report on the crash released Monday. The…

Dow Surges 669, Clawing Back Lost Ground

Investors were encouraged by signs Washington and Beijing are open to negotiating on trade.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)NEW YORK (AP) – The Dow Jones industrial average surged nearly 670 points, erasing nearly half the ground it lost last week and marking the biggest gain since August 2015. The broad gains Monday were led by technology stocks and banks, which took some of the biggest losses last week as trade tensions flared between the U.S. and…

Minnesota Bill Would Slow Efforts to Grow Muskie Population

There will be a public hearing on the bill Monday.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A group of Minnesota lawmakers are proposing a bill that would slow a year’s long state effort to expand muskie stocking. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the bill would put a moratorium on the Department of Natural Resources’ fish stocking plans to slowly increase the number of lakes where muskies are stocked. It…

Senate OKs Pension Boost, Ratifies Public Worker Contracts

But it's unclear if and when the House will follow suit.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Senate has signed off on raises for the state’s 30,000 public employees and voted to plug a budget shortfall in state pension plans. Underfunded pensions and state employee contracts have been controversial at the Capitol for years. Republicans on a legislative panel last fall rejected new contracts with a 2 percent raise for…

FTC, States Increase Pressure on Facebook on Privacy

Facebook’s stock, which already took a big hit last week, plunged further on Monday.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators and state attorneys general are increasing pressure on Facebook as they probe whether the company’s data-collection practices have hurt the people who use its services. Facebook’s stock, which already took a big hit last week, plunged further Monday after the Federal Trade Commission confirmed news reports that it was investigating. Separately,…

Grandson Charged With Killing Paynesville Couple

Scheel was arrested after the bodies were discovered when he was spotted walking in the area.

(Courtesy of KMSP)PAYNESVILLE, Minn. (AP) – A Paynesville man has been charged with killing his grandparents who had taken him into their home. A criminal complaint filed Monday charges 33-year-old Gregory Scheel with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of 93-year-old Wilbert Scheel and 80-year-old Gloria Scheel. Their bodies were found in their car along a rural road…

Walker Signs School Safety Legislation

The governor signed the $100 million measure at a Kaukauna elementary school Monday morning.

KAUKAUNA, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker has signed a school safety bill that would provide money to help district make building improvements, but places no limits on guns. The governor signed the $100 million measure at a Kaukauna elementary school Monday morning. The legislation comes at a time when young people have stood up, marched and urged politicians to…

Lawyer for Trump Attorney Says Daniels Lied

Trump has denied an affair

(CBS News/60 Minutes via AP)WASHINGTON (AP) – A lawyer for Michael Cohen, a Trump attorney who has said he paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels as part of a nondisclosure agreement, says Daniels lied in her “60 Minutes” interview about having an affair with Donald Trump in 2006. “The lying is all over that piece,” says David Schwarz, Cohen’s lawyer, on…

Rural Minnesota Struggling With Day Care Shortage

Small in-home day cares are closing at a rapid rate.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Research shows that rural Minnesota is seeing a shortage of day care options. Minnesota Public Radio reports that the Center for Rural Policy and Development found the northern and central parts of the state are particularly affected. The research estimates that roughly 2,500 children in the northwestern part of the state can’t get the day…

GOP Calls Lawmakers Back to Revise Election law

A Madison judge ruled Thursday that Walker must order the elections by March 29.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republicans who control the state Legislature are officially calling themselves back into session to revise Wisconsin’s special election statutes. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald issued a joint statement Friday saying they were calling both houses back. Former Republican Sen. Frank Lasee and former Republican Rep. Keith Ripp both joined Walker’s administration…

Protesters Gather in Washington, Demanding gun Control

Demonstrators across the country will be assembling tomorrow to support March for our Lives.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON (AP) – Thousands of protesters are gathering in Washington for what organizers hope will be a massive rally in support of stronger gun-control legislation. The demonstrators will assemble Saturday for a several-hour rally near the U.S. Capitol building that they predict will draw a half million people – many of them high school students. In the…

No Signs of Violence in Deaths of Iowa Family

Autopsy reports are still pending.

CRESTON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in Mexico say they found no signs of violence when they discovered the bodies of an Iowa couple and their two children in a rented condo in the Yucatan Peninsula. The Quintana Roo state prosecutor’s office wrote in a tweet Friday that four bodies had been found in a tourist compound in Tulum. The office…

Missing Elderly Couple Found Dead in Vehicle

They were last seen Wednesday morning.

(Courtesy of KMSP)PAYNESVILLE, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say an elderly couple from central Minnesota reported missing along with a man who lived with them has been found dead in their vehicle. Stearns County sheriff’s officials say 93-year-old Wilbert Scheel and his 80-year-old wife, Gloria Scheel, were found dead in their Prius about 5 p.m. Thursday in Kandiyohi County. Officials say…

Stocks Swoon Again; Dow Sinks 400

Wall Street has its worst week in two years.

(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) NEW YORK (AP) – Stocks sank again, giving Wall Street its worst week in two years, as fear gripped investors that China and the U.S. were headed for a trade war. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged more than 400 points, bringing its weekly decline to 1,400. Technology companies and banks sustained some of the biggest…

Minneapolis Releases Draft of 20-Year Plan for City

A new proposed plan aims to make Minneapolis taller, greener and more equitable.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A new proposed plan aims to make Minneapolis taller, greener and more equitable. Minnesota Public Radio reports that officials released the first draft of the Minneapolis 2040 plan Thursday. It has policy recommendations about housing, transportation, economic development, public health, the arts and the environment. Created by the city’s Community Planning and Economic Development department, the plan…

Two Bodies Recovered in Lower Red Lake

The two men went missing in November.

RED LAKE, Minn. (AP) – The bodies of two fishermen missing in northern Minnesota since November have been recovered. Red Lake Police say the body of a 17-year-old boy was found in Lower Red Lake Wednesday. Searchers found the body of 29-year-old Deland Beaulieu on Thursday morning about 150 feet from where the boy’s body was recovered. Beaulieu and the…

AP-NORC Poll: Support Soars for Stricter gun Control Laws

Nearly 6 in 10 favor a nationwide ban on AR-15-style rifles.

NEW YORK (AP) — Support for tougher gun control laws is soaring in the United States, according to a new poll that found a majority of gun owners and half of Republicans favor new laws to address gun violence in the weeks after a Florida school shooting left 17 dead and sparked nationwide protests. The poll, conducted by The Associated…

UN Report: Loss of Plants, Animals Making a Lonelier Planet

They report Friday that nowhere is doing well.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Earth is losing plants, animals and clean water at a dramatic rate, according to four new United Nations scientific reports on biodiversity. Scientists meeting in Colombia issued four regional reports Friday on how well animal and plants are doing in the Americas; Europe and Central Asia; Africa; and the Asia-Pacific area. Their conclusion after three years of…

Justice Dept. Charges Nine Iranians in Massive Hacking Scheme

The Justice Department on Friday announced charges against 9 Iranians in a government-sponsored hacking scheme.

(Courtesy of CNN)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Friday announced charges against 9 Iranians in a government-sponsored hacking scheme that pilfered sensitive information from hundreds of universities, private companies and government agencies. The Iranian defendants are accused of working at the behest of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to steal large quantities of academic data from hundreds of universities…

Trump’s Plan to Remove McMaster Wasn’t True – Until it was

Bolton replacing McMaster as Trump national security adviser

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says he will replace national security adviser H.R. McMaster with the former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, a foreign policy hawk entering a White House facing key decisions on Iran and North Korea. “Just spoke to @POTUS and Gen. H.R. McMaster — contrary to reports they have a good working relationship and there…

House Freedom Caucus Cheers Veto Idea

It says the bill does not have enough money for the border wall, leaves intact President Barack Obama’s health care law and funds Planned Parenthood.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)WASHINGTON (AP) – President Trump says he is “considering” a veto of a giant $1.3 trillion spending bill, citing concerns over “Dreamers” and border wall funding. Trump says on Twitter Friday morning: “I am considering a VETO of the Omnibus Spending Bill based on the fact that the 800,000 plus DACA recipients have been totally abandoned by…

The Latest: Police Storm French Market, Suspect Killed

Police official also said the suspect was killed.

(Newsflare/Tarbouriech Roseline via AP)PARIS (AP) – A police union official says officers have stormed the French supermarket where a suspect allegedly took hostages and shot people before being killed by police himself. Yves Lefebvre, secretary general of SGP Police-FO police union, said he didn’t have immediate details on the number of victims from Friday’s incident in the town of Trebes….

Life Support to end for ‘Brain Dead’ School Shooting Victim

The teen was shot Tuesday by 17-year-old Austin Rollins at Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County.

(Courtesy of the Willey family via AP)(AP) – A teenage girl was brain dead days after being shot when a classmate opened fire inside their Maryland high school and was to be removed from life support, her mother said Thursday. Melissa Willey told news reporters Thursday night that her daughter, 16-year-old Jaelynn Willey had “no life left in her.” She…

Toys R Us Founder Dies Days After Chain’s Announced Shutdown

Toys R Us confirmed Lazarus’ death in a statement.

(AP Photo, File)NEW YORK (AP) — Charles P. Lazarus, the World War II veteran who founded Toys R Us six decades ago and transformed it into an iconic piece of Americana, died Thursday at age 94, a week after the chain announced it was going out of business. Toys R Us confirmed Lazarus’ death in a statement. “There have been…

US to Sell $1 Billion in Arms to Saudi Arabia

Lawmakers will have 30 days to act if they want to try to stop it.

(AP Photo/Cliff Owen)WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is signing off on selling more than $1 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits the United States. The State Department says the administration told Congress on Thursday that it plans to approve the sale. Lawmakers will have 30 days to act if they want to…

Minnesota Teen Driver Taking Test Crashes Into Exam Station

Teenager taking her driving test crashed into the examination station

BUFFALO, Minn. (AP) – Police say a teenage driver in Minnesota trying to get her license crashed into the examination station. Authorities say the 17-year-old girl inadvertently put the 2014 Chevrolet Equinox in drive instead of reverse at the start of the test Wednesday in Buffalo, Minnesota. When the girl stepped on the accelerator, the car lurched forward, jumped the…

Trade Worries Send Stock Market Plunging

The latest on developments in financial markets.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)NEW YORK (AP) – Stocks plunged, sending the Dow Jones industrials down more than 700 points, as investors feared that trade tensions will spike between the U.S. and China. The Trump administration announced trade sanctions against China Thursday, and Beijing has said it will defend itself. Industrial and technology companies, which depend heavily on foreign trade, took some…

Trump: Take my Advice, Don’t run for President

He added that he used to get great publicity before he ran for president.

(AP) WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has a little advice for entrepreneurs of the future: Don’t run for president. Trump addressed young people Thursday at a White House event called “Generation Next.” During a question and answer session with conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump was asked to offer guidance to a young version of himself. “Don’t run for president,”…

Trump to `Pause’ Looming Metal Tariffs for Some Countries

The European Union, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and South Korea are among the nations that will get an initial exemption.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) – The European Union, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and South Korea are among the nations that will get an initial exemption from looming steel and aluminum tariffs from the Trump administration. That’s the word from the U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer. President Donald Trump is planning to impose tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10…

Rocori Superintendent Charged With Indecent Exposure

The Minnesota Association of School Administrators named Staska top superintendent in 2010.

(courtesy of Fox9)WAITE PARK, Minn. (AP) – A man who has been named as a top superintendent by his colleagues in Minnesota has been arrested on a charge of indecent exposure. Rocori Superintendent Scott Staska was arrested Wednesday, booked into the Stearns County Jail and released. Waite Park police say Staska was captured on store video Sunday exposing himself to…

John Dowd, Lead Trump Lawyer in Russia Probe, Leaves Team

President Donald Trump's lead lawyer in the Russia investigation has left the legal team.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Donald Trump’s lead lawyer in the Russia investigation has left the legal team. Attorney John Dowd is confirming his decision in an email to The Associated Press. Dowd says he “loves the president” and wishes him well. Another Trump’s lawyer, Jay Sekulow, also is confirming Dowd’s departure. The move comes several days after…

AP Exclusive: Toy co. CEO leads effort to salvage Toys R Us

If as many as 400 stores can be saved, it is Larian’s hope that a third of the 130,000 jobs he sees as lost could be rescued.

(AP Photo/Christine Cotter, File)NEW YORK (AP) — Toy company executive Isaac Larian and other investors have pledged a total of $200 million and hope to raise four times that amount in crowdfunding in a bid to save potentially more than half of the 735 Toys R Us stores that will go dark in bankruptcy proceedings. The unsolicited bid faces a…

Trump Swings Behind Massive Budget; big Military Increase

Negotiators planned to unveil the massive government-wide spending bill later in the day in hopes of passing it before a Friday midnight deadline to avoid a government shutdown.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci/newsfileWASHINGTON (AP) — Despite second thoughts, President Donald Trump swung behind a $1.3 trillion government spending bill Wednesday that would give him a partial victory on funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., rushed to the White House amid worries that Trump was talking about withdrawing his support for the measure, said a person…

Ashland County Rejects Wrongful Death Claim

Ashland County Board rejects $9.5 million wringful death claim from Jason Pero's family.

ASHLAND, Wis. (AP) – The Ashland County Board has rejected a $9.5 million wrongful death claim from the family of a 14-year-old boy who was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy. Sheriff’s deputy Brock Mrdjenovich killed Jason Pero after he was called to the Bad River Indian Reservation to deal with an individual walking down the street with a knife…

Austin Suspect ID’d as Mark Anthony Conditt

Authorities earlier described the suspect only as a 24-year-old white man.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)ROUND ROCK, Tex. – A law enforcement official has told The Associated Press that the dead Austin bombing suspect was Mark Anthony Conditt. The official, who has been briefed on the investigation, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to discuss the case publicly. Pflugerville Mayor Victor Gonzales told the AP that the bombing…

Snowmobile Accident Inspires new Minnesota DWI law

Republican Rep. Anne Neu of North Branch says there's currently a loophole.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The death of an 8-year-old boy who was struck by a snowmobile has spurred Minnesota legislators to advance a bill that would make drunk driving an offense no matter the vehicle being operated. Minnesota Public Radio reports that the House transportation committee approved a bill to allow for DWI convictions whether they’re on the road,…

Armed man Holed up in Restaurant Near Princeton University

Authorities in New Jersey say an armed man is holed up in a restaurant across the street from Princeton University's campus.

(Google Maps)PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) – Authorities in New Jersey say an armed man is holed up in a restaurant across the street from Princeton University’s campus. Police say there are no known hostages in the Panera Bread, but it’s not clear what sparked the standoff that began around 10 a.m. Tuesday. Authorities had shut down Princeton’s downtown area, and two…

Minneapolis Officer who Shot Australian Woman Turns Self in

The Minneapolis officer had a warrant out for his arrest.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in July has turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest, and a news conference was scheduled later Tuesday to announce charges in the case. Tom Plunkett, an attorney for Officer Mohamed Noor, says he turned himself in Tuesday in the death of…

UK Parliament Asks Zuckerberg to Testify in Data Misuse Case

The request comes amid reports that a U.K.-based company allegedly used Facebook data to help Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election.

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) LONDON (AP) — A British parliamentary committee on Tuesday summoned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to answer questions on fake news as authorities step up efforts to determine whether data has been improperly used to influence elections. The request comes amid reports that a U.K.-based company allegedly used Facebook data to help Donald Trump win the 2016…