WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday blasted what he called a “radical” leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, warning that a “whole range of rights” are in jeopardy if it holds. Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Biden said he hoped the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Employers posted a record 11.5 million job openings in March, meaning the United States now has an unprecedented two job openings for every person who is unemployed. The latest data released Tuesday by the the Bureau of Labor Statistics further reveals an extraordinarily tight labor market that has emboldened millions of Americans to seek better paying jobs,…
WASHINGTON (AP) — A draft opinion circulated among Supreme Court justices suggests that earlier this year a majority of them had thrown support behind overturning the 1973 case Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a report published Monday night in Politico. It’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter. The Associated Press…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Among the scathing findings of an investigation launched after the police killing of George Floyd is that Minneapolis police used covert or bogus social media accounts to monitor Black individuals and groups despite having no clear public safety rationale for doing so. The report released Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights echoes numerous past revelations that the FBI and…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Department of Health said it’s investigating several severe cases of hepatitis among children and has reported the cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC continues to investigate cases of the sudden liver disease in nearly 200 children that has health authorities in several countries racing to find answers. The illness is…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature pushed through a bill to give bonuses to workers who were on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic and to replenish the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund following months of negotiations, and Governor Walz signed it into effect on Friday evening. Legislative leaders struck a deal late Wednesday…
Moderna is asking U.S. regulators to open its COVID-19 vaccine to the nation’s youngest children. Kids under 5 are the only group in the U.S. not yet eligible for vaccination. Frustrated parents are waiting impatiently for a chance to protect them. Moderna submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration Thursday. The company hopes the FDA will rule in time…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A majority of respondents to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress’ spring survey say they support limiting the state’s wolf population to 350 animals. The congress is an influential group of sportspeople who advise the state Department of Natural Resources on policy. The congress holds a survey each spring asking respondents for their thoughts on a host of…
(AP Photo/Steve Karnowski) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota legislative leaders have reached a deal to refill the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and to pay bonuses to frontline workers. The tentative agreement includes $2.7 billion to replenish the trust fund and pay back a debt to the federal government for jobless aid, and $500 million for frontline worker bonus…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The former Minneapolis police officer found guilty of murder in the killing of George Floyd has appealed his conviction, saying among other things that the jury was intimidated by ongoing sometimes violent protests and prejudiced by excessive pre-trial publicity. Derek Chauvin asked the Minnesota Court of Appeals in a court filing Monday to reverse his conviction, reverse…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – President Joe Biden plans to speak at a memorial service on Sunday for former Vice President Walter Mondale, who died last April at age 93. The service was delayed by the pandemic. Biden will travel to Minneapolis for the event at the University of Minnesota. Biden has described Mondale as a “dear friend and mentor” and “one…
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court and set in motion $10,000 daily fines Monday for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued by the state’s attorney general as part of a civil investigation into his business dealings. Judge Arthur Engoron said a contempt finding was appropriate because Trump…
ASSOCIATED PRESS — Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the platform where he promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on social and economic issues to more than 83 million followers. The outspoken Tesla CEO, who is also the world’s wealthiest person, has…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republican business owner Tim Michels is entering the Republican primary for Wisconsin governor. Michels comes late to an increasingly crowded field but has the personal wealth to back his campaign. Michels filed paperwork Friday to run. He joins former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, former U.S. Marine Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Tim Ramthun in the race…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Sarah Shulze, a runner on the University of Wisconsin’s track and cross country teams, has died. She was 21. Shulze’s family announced on April 15 that she had died two days earlier, and gave the cause of death. “Sarah took her own life,” the family said. “Balancing athletics, academics and the demands of everyday life overwhelmed her…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Friday to dissolve the private government Walt Disney World controls on its property in the state, punishing the entertainment giant for opposing a new law that critics call “Don’t Say Gay.” The move is expected to have huge tax implications for Disney and further sour the relationship between the…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Police and federal agents swarmed into a northwest Washington neighborhood on Friday after at least three people were shot in a flurry of gunfire. City officials warned people to stay inside because of an “active threat” as dozens of officers in tactical gear were searching for the suspect. The law enforcement officers responded to the scene in…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — More Wisconsin communities are encouraging residents to keep their lawnmowers in the garage next month to boost the population of bees and other pollinators. Appleton became the first city to adopt the “No Mow May” initiative a couple years ago and others have followed, including Wausau, Oshkosh, Fort Atkinson and Stevens Point. The idea is to…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Researchers plan to study a group of Minnesotans who dunk themselves in icy Lake Harriet every winter day. The Star Tribune reports that researchers from Rockefeller University’s Cohen Laboratory of Molecular Metabolism are studying so-called brown fat that generates heat in cold conditions in humans. They’re currently investigating blood biomarkers of brown fat in young New Yorkers…
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge in Florida on Monday voided the national mask mandate covering airlines and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of U.S. health officials in their response to the coronavirus pandemic. The mandate, recently extended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, covered a vast array of transportation, from airplanes and trains…
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) – The La Crosse Common Council has voted to remove a Russian flag from the city’s airport. The La Crosse Tribune reported the council voted Thursday to remove the flag in a show of support for Ukraine, which is fighting to blunt a Russian invasion. The council debated whether the move would amount to an insult…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A deeply divided Minnesota Legislature returns from its Easter-Passover break Tuesday. Lawmakers have just five weeks left to decide what to do with the state’s $9.25 billion budget surplus plus $1 billion in unspent federal pandemic relief. There’s been little meeting of the minds between the House Democratic and Senate Republican majorities. They have yet…
BOSTON (AP) — For many U.S. Christians, this weekend marked the first time since 2019 that they gathered in person on Easter Sunday, a welcome chance to celebrate one of the year’s holiest days side by side with fellow congregants. Notable events included a 6 a.m. sunrise Mass outdoors near the waterfront in South Boston, and a joyous, hug-filled service…
Firefighters work to extinguish multiple fires after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) ADAM SCHRECK and MSTYSLAV CHERNOV (AP) — Russian forces accelerated scattered attacks on Kyiv, western Ukraine and beyond Saturday in an explosive reminder to Ukrainians and their Western supporters that the whole country remains under threat despite Moscow’s pivot toward mounting a…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Police say a 10-year-old boy was fatally shot while he and another juvenile family member were alone in a downtown Minneapolis apartment. The shooting happened late Friday. Police say they were called to the apartment to find the 10-year-old boy with a life-threatening gunshot wound. The child died at a hospital. Police have not released the age…
Associated Press TAOPI, Minn. – Residents of a small farming community in southeastern Minnesota are working to recover from a devastating tornado that destroyed half of the town’s homes, toppled tall trees and left piles of debris in its wake. A tornado with winds of more than 110 mph struck Taopi near the Iowa border late Tuesday night, tearing the…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The state Department of Natural Resources has restarted efforts to set standards for bacteria in groundwater after conservatives on the agency’s policy board killed the attempt in February. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the board on Wednesday authorized a public hearing and comment period on a new rule-making process to set groundwater standards for E….
NEW YORK (AP) — The man wanted in the shooting of 10 people on a subway in Brooklyn was arrested Wednesday afternoon, a day after the attack on a crowded rush-hour train. Frank R. James, 62, was taken into custody in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood, law enforcement officials who weren’t authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is extending the nationwide mask requirement for airplanes and public transit for 15 days as it monitors an uptick in COVID-19 cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was extending the order, which was set to expire on April 18, until May 3 to allow more time…
Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A possible tornado tore up a small Minnesota town and a blizzard forced the closure of the North Dakota Capitol, schools and roads, as spring storms wreaked havoc across the Upper Midwest. The National Weather Service said the unconfirmed tornado took the roofs off houses, destroyed grain bins, snapped power lines and lifted a…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – New data shows a sharp increase in Type 2among children in Wisconsin and doctors think COVID-19 could be a factor. Figures from UW Health Kids shows a nearly 200% increase in the number of cases over the last several years. In 2018, 5.8% percent of pediatric patients with new onset diabetes at Madison’s American Family Children’s…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Two Illinois men who helped bomb a Minnesota mosque in 2017 have received prison sentences far below the 35-year mandatory minimum they faced, after victims and prosecutors asked for leniency. Thirty-three-year-old Michael McWhorter was sentenced Tuesday to just under 16 years in prison and 26-year-old Joe Morris got about 14 years. Both testified in…
New York City Police Department personnel gather at the entrance to a subway stop in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Five people were shot Tuesday morning at a subway station in Brooklyn, New York, law enforcement sources said. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) NEW YORK (AP) – New York City police have found an unoccupied U-Haul van…
NEW YORK (AP) — 2021 was the deadliest year in U.S. history, and new data and research are offering more insights into how it got that bad. The main reason for the increase in deaths? COVID-19, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work on death statistics. The agency this month quietly updated its provisional…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A Republican-authored bill to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin will be getting its first public hearing next week, achieving one goal of backers even though the measure will not pass this year. The Legislature has adjourned and won’t be back until 2023. But the April 20 Senate committee hearing on the medical marijuana bill will give…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Prosecutors have revealed that they offered plea deals to three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting the murder of George Floyd, but say the defendants rejected them. Judge Peter Cahill held a Monday evening hearing mostly to consider whether he has the authority to allow live video coverage of the upcoming trial set for…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday took fresh aim at ghost guns, the privately made firearms without serial numbers that are increasingly cropping up in violent crimes, as he struggles to break past gun-control opposition to address firearm deaths. Speaking at the White House, Biden highlighted the Justice Department’s work to finalize new regulations to crack down on ghost guns,…
(Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed more than 40 Republican authored bills, while he signed a bipartisan measure that provides funding for the construction of a new juvenile prison in Milwaukee. The vetoes spanned a wide expanse of bills passed in this election year, measures that Republicans knew were…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The University of Minnesota plans to start paying its athletes for doing well in the classroom. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle announced the move Friday. The NCAA currently allows schools to give academic bonuses of up to $5,980 annually to athletes as per a federal judge’s mandate two years ago. The…
(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A downtown Minneapolis mural honoring pop superstar Prince will be unveiled in June. Officials with the Crown Our Prince project say the painting is scheduled to begin on May 16 on a parking ramp near near First Avenue and 8th Street. The artwork will be carried out by 33-year-old Hiero Veiga, a Black…
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been killed in an auto accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Authorities say Haskins was hit by a dump truck while walking on a highway. The Steelers and Washington Commanders, his former team, released statements extending their condolences. The 24-year-old Haskins was a first-round draft…
(University of Minnesota) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The University of Minnesota plans to start paying its athletes for doing well in the classroom. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle announced the move Friday. The NCAA currently allows schools to give academic bonuses of up to $5,980 annually to athletes as per a federal judge’s mandate two…
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello LOS ANGELES (AP) – The motion picture academy has banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for 10 years following his slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards. The move comes after a meeting Friday of the academy’s board of governors to discuss a response to Smith’s actions. The academy in…
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Legislature has rushed through $1 million in emergency funding to bolster the fight against bird flu. The highly contagious disease has cost the state’s turkey farmers more than 1 million birds so far. Senate Agriculture Chairman Torrey Westrom pointed out before the unanimous votes in both chambers Thursday that the numbers of affected Minnesota…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento police announced an arrest Monday connected with the shooting that killed six people and wounded a dozen others in the heart of California’s capital city as at least two shooters fired more than 100 rounds and people ran for their lives. Police said they booked Dandre Martin, 26, as a “related suspect” on charges of…
SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — Six people were killed and 12 injured early Sunday in Sacramento when shots were fired into crowds as bars and nightclubs emptied for the night in the second mass shooting in five weeks in California’s capital city. Police were searching for at least one suspect and had recovered at least one firearm. Investigators said they were…
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – Jurors are hearing closing arguments in the trial of four men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. A prosecutor says the men were “filled with rage” against government and Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. But a defense lawyer says there was no plot, and that the men were under the influence of…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota animal health officials are imposing a ban on all poultry sales and exhibitions through the month of April after the presence of bird flu was found in the state. The ban, which includes poultry community sales, swaps, fairs, exhibitions, and other events where birds are brought together, is effective Friday and lasts through May…
GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. (AP)–Wildlife experts are searching for the virus that causes COVID-19 in deer, bears, moose and wolves in Minnesota’s north woods. They are among researchers around the world trying to figure out how and where wildlife is spreading the coronavirus at a time when international health agencies are calling for greater tracking of infected animals. Scientists are deeply…
AP — Minnesota is launching a new online program to provide free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests. Beginning Tuesday, Minnesotans can order two test kits per home for a total of four tests via mn.gov/covid19. The state has secured 500,000 of the test kits and will make them available until the supply runs out. Minnesota will use the program as a…
