Author: The Associated Press

In Kenosha And Beyond, Guns Become More Common On US Streets

As Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted in two killings that he said were self-defense, armed civilians patrolled the streets near the Wisconsin courthouse with guns in plain view. In Georgia, testimony in the trial of Ahmaud Arbery’s killers showed that armed patrols were commonplace in the neighborhood where Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was chased down by three white men and shot. The…

Judge: Wisconsin DNR Broke Law by Not Scheduling Wolf Hunt

MADISON, Wis. – A Wisconsin judge says the Department of Natural Resources violated the law by not immediately scheduling a wolf hunting season after federal protections were removed in February. In an order Thursday, Jefferson County Judge Bennett Brantmeier said the agency must hold a hunt immediately any time federal protections are lifted during the statutory hunting season, which runs…

Rittenhouse Found Not Guilty on All Counts

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – The Kenosha County jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty of all charges against him. Rittenhouse killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz in August 2020 during chaotic protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. The jury came back with its verdict after close to 3 1/2 days of deliberation. Rittenhouse, 18, could…

Rittenhouse Prosecutors Argue Against Mistrial as Jury Meets

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – The jury at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial deliberated for a fourth day Friday, as prosecutors argued against defense requests for a mistrial. The prosecutors argued there’s “no factual or legal basis” for the judge to grant the requests. The 18-year-old Rittenhouse is on trial for killing two men and wounding a third with a rifle during…

Dems’ Sweeping Social, Climate Bill Passes Divided House

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) – A sharply divided House has approved the Democrats’ sweeping social and environment bill, a big victory for President Joe Biden. Republicans solidly opposed the measure, but Democrats prevailed after the party’s progressives and moderates ended months of disputes over its size and scope. The legislation now moves to the Senate, where moderates like…

US Expands COVID Boosters to All Adults, Final Hurdle Ahead

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) WASHINGTON (AP) – The Food and Drug Administration has opened up COVID-19 booster shots to all adults, letting them choose another dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The move expands the U.S. government’s booster campaign to shore up protection and get ahead of rising coronavirus cases that may worsen with the holidays. But there’s…

Rittenhouse Jury Deliberates for Third Day Without a Verdict

(Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP, Pool) KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – The jury at Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial has completed the third day of deliberations without reaching a verdict. Meanwhile, the judge has banned MSNBC from the courthouse after a network freelancer was accused of following the jurors’ bus. Two mistrial requests from the defense are hanging over the politically and…

State Attorneys General Probing Instagram’s Effects on Kids

(AP) – A group of state attorneys general are investigating Instagram and its effects on children and young adults, saying its parent company Facebook – recently renamed Meta Platforms – ignored research about the harms it causes to young people. The investigation is led by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee,…

Nearly a Quarter of St. Cloud Prisoners Have COVID-19

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud has the largest outbreak of coronavirus cases in the state’s prison system in months. According to corrections officials, 242 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. That’s nearly a quarter of the inmate population at the St. Cloud prison. The state Department of Corrections is working with the Department…

Rittenhouse Jury To Resume After Fresh Mistrial Request

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – The jury in Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial was to move into the third day of deliberations Thursday, even as its request to re-watch video in the case sparked another bid from his attorneys for a mistrial. Kyle Rittenhouse’s attorneys say the defense received an inferior copy of a key video from prosecutors. Defense attorney Corey Chirafisi told…

U.S. Jobless Claims Drop Seventh Straight Week to 268,000

WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the seventh straight week to a pandemic low of 268,000. U.S. jobless claims dipped by 1,000 last week from the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The applications for unemployment aid are a proxy for layoffs, and their steady decline this year – after topping 900,000…

Defense Department Helping to Relieve Two Minnesota Hospitals

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz says the Department of Defense will send medical teams to two major Minnesota hospitals to relieve doctors and nurses who are swamped by a growing wave of COVID-19 patients. The teams, each comprising 22 people, will arrive at Hennepin County Medical Center and St. Cloud Hospital next week and begin treating patients immediately. Walz…

Minnesota Ready To Allow COVID-19 Boosters for All Adults

MINNEAPOLIS – Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says Minnesota officials are so alarmed about the continued surge in COVID-19 cases that they’re ready to start allowing vaccine booster shots for all adults by the end of the week if the federal government doesn’t approve them first. Other states are taking similar steps. Malcolm announced the plan on a day when Minnesota’s…

Air Travel in Wisconsin Returning to Pre-Pandemic Levels

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin airports are returning to pre-pandemic traffic levels as the busy holiday season gets underway. Dane County Regional Airport has seen traffic increase every month this year since the COVID-19 vaccine became widely available. At Milwaukee County’s Mitchell International Airport the number of flights during Thanksgiving week is expected to be up 50% compared to last…

Hundreds of Minnesota Officers, Agents Getting Body Cameras

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Hundreds of state law enforcement officers in Minnesota will soon be outfitted with new body cameras to record everything from traffic stops to civil disturbances. More than 600 Minnesota State Patrol troopers, nearly 200 Department of Natural Resources conservation officers, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents, and other state-level law enforcement officers will soon wear the 1,100…

Americans Ramped up Retail Spending a Strong 1.7% Last Month

WASHINGTON (AP) – Americans sharply boosted their spending last month, pushing up retail sales and giving the economy a lift. Much of the gain reflected the fact that shoppers are also paying higher prices. Retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 1.7% in October from September, the U.S. Commerce Department said Friday. That’s up from 0.8% in the previous month. Solid…

Health Officials: Minnesota Amid Coronavirus ‘Blizzard’

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota health officials say the state is currently in the middle of a coronavirus “blizzard” with its rate of new infections worst in the nation over the pasts seven days. More than 95% of available inpatient hospital beds are filled across the state which has caused backups in some emergency departments, according to health care…

Jury To Begin Deliberations at Kyle Rittenhouse Murder Trial

(Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP, Pool) KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – Jurors are set to begin deliberating Tuesday at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial after two weeks of testimony in which they were given starkly different portrayals of his actions the night he shot three men on the streets of Kenosha. Prosecutors say Rittenhouse was a “wannabe soldier” who provoked a…

Keith Ellison To Seek 2nd Term as Minnesota Attorney General

ST, PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who led the prosecution team that won the conviction of ex-officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, announced Monday he will seek a second term. Ellison assembled a team of attorneys in private practice and from his office that persuaded jurors earlier this year to convict Chauvin…

Trump Ally Bannon Taken Into Custody on Contempt Charges

WASHINGTON (AP) – Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon has surrendered to federal authorities to face contempt charges after defying a subpoena from a House committee investigating January’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Bannon was taken into custody Monday morning. He’s expected to appear in court later in the afternoon. The 67-year-old was indicted on Friday on two counts of criminal…

As Rittenhouse Trial Winds Down, Jury Set To Deliberate

(Mark Hertzberg /Pool Photo via AP) KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Attorneys were set to make closing arguments Monday at Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial in the shootings of three men during street unrest in Wisconsin, the last word before a jury begins deliberating in a case that underscored Americans’ bitter divisions on issues of guns, protests and policing. Rittenhouse, 18, of Antioch,…

Flight Makes Emergency Landing at Twin Cities Airport

MINNEAPOLIS – A Spirit Airlines flight that took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport made an emergency landing after a pilot reported a possible engine fire. The flight took off about 7:30 p.m. Sunday and was headed for Orlando, but within minutes returned to the Twin Cities airport. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement that said the Airbus A320…

Battle Over U.S. Wolf Protections Heading to Federal Courtroom

Wildlife Advocates Ask the Judge to Restore Protections for Wolves

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – U.S. government attorneys are set to appear before a federal judge to defend a decision from the waning days of the Trump administration that lifted protections for gray wolves across most of the country. The hearing on Friday before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in California comes as officials in Republican-led states including Wisconsin, Montana, and…

Court Temporarily Delays Release of Trump’s Jan. 6 Records

WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the release of White House records sought by a U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, granting – for now – a request from former President Donald Trump. The administrative injunction issued Thursday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit effectively bars until the…

Texas A&M Student Hurt at Astroworld Dies; Death Toll at 9

HOUSTON (AP) – A 22-year-old college senior who was critically injured at the Astroworld festival in Houston has died. Attorney James Lassiter says Bharti Shahani died Wednesday. Her family says Shahani was studying electronics systems engineering at Texas A&M University and had been set to graduate next spring. She is the 9th person to die after festivalgoers rushed the stage…

Malcolm Decries ‘Alarming Spike’ in Minnesota COVID-19 Cases

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says COVID-19 hospitalizations have reached their highest level of the year. And she says hospital capacity continues to tighten across the state amid a “truly alarming spike in cases.” The Minnesota Department of Health on Wednesday reported 5,277 new cases and 43 new deaths. As of Wednesday, Minnesota hospitals were caring for…

Judge OKs $626 Million Settlement in Flint Water Litigation

DETROIT (AP) — A judge on Wednesday approved a sweeping $626 million deal to settle lawsuits filed by Flint residents and others who were exposed to water contaminated by lead and bacteria in 2014-15. Most of the money — $600 million — is coming from the state of Michigan, which was accused of repeatedly overlooking the risks of switching Flint’s…

NFL Fines Packers, Aaron Rodgers, Allen Lazard for Violating League COVID-19 Rules

(FOX 9/Fox TV Digital Team) – The NFL has fined the Green Bay Packers $300,000 and franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers as well as wide receiver Allen Lazard $14,500 each for violating the league’s COVID-19 rules. The move follows controversial comments Rodgers made last week about why he didn’t get vaccinated for COVID-19, despite previously saying publicly that he was “immunized.”…

$100 Million Will Be Directed To Expand Broadband Internet in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state will direct $100 million in additional funding to expand broadband internet in Wisconsin. The latest round of grants is part of the recently passed $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill. The legislation provides $65 billion to expand broadband coverage nationwide. “Whether it’s going to school, working from home, or running a small business, broadband is…

US Consumer Prices Soared 6.2% In Past Year, Most Since 1990

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) WASHINGTON (AP) – Prices for U.S. consumers jumped 6.2% in October compared with a year earlier as surging costs for food, gas and housing left Americans grappling with the highest inflation rate since 1990. The year-over-year increase in the consumer price index exceeded the 5.4% rise in September. From September to October, prices jumped 0.9%, the highest…

Pfizer Asks FDA to OK COVID-19 Booster Shots for All Adults

(AP) – Pfizer is asking U.S. regulators to allow boosters of its COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 18 or older. Older Americans and other groups particularly vulnerable to the virus have had access to a third dose of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine since September. But the Food and Drug Administration has said it would move quickly to expand boosters to…

Minnesota Lets Public Weigh In on Adequacy of Mining Rules

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota regulators are accepting public comments on whether the state’s regulation of nonferrous mining would provide sufficient protection against environmental damage to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The comment period runs through Dec. 8. The Department of Natural Resources has established a dedicated webpage for its court-ordered review, which stems from a lawsuit that seeks to…

Hospital Sued by Employees Fired for Refusing Vaccine

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (AP) — Some medical professionals are suing a city-owned hospital in southeastern Minnesota after they were terminated for refusing to receive the coronavirus vaccine. The 20 plaintiffs, which include a doctor, registered nurses, and other medical staff, filed their lawsuit in U.S. District Court Monday alleging they were fired without just cause. They claim Northfield Hospital and Clinics…

Minnesota Pollution Officials Update Impaired Waters List

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota pollution officials have released the state’s proposed impaired waters list for 2022. Fifteen water bodies in the northeast and central Minnesota were added where fish have been contaminated with a family of chemicals known as “forever chemicals” due to their inability to break down. It’s the first time water bodies outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul area has…

Houston Concert Deaths Spur Calls for Independent Review

HOUSTON (AP) – The Houston police and fire departments were deeply involved in safety measures for the music festival where a surging crowd killed eight people. Now the city’s police department is leading the criminal investigation into how the deadly chaos erupted during a performance by rapper Travis Scott. A prominent local official is calling for a separate, independent review…

Minnesota Highway Signs Mark Boundaries of 1854 Treaty

(courtesy: Twitter/MAKMinnesota) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Transportation crews are installing 12 highway signs in northeastern Minnesota that have significant, historic meaning. The signs, more than a decade in the making, mark the boundaries of a treaty signed in 1854 by the federal government and three Ojibwe tribes — the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Bois Forte Band…

Pfizer Says COVID-19 Pill Cut Hospital, Death Risk by 90%

WASHINGTON (AP) – Pfizer says its experimental pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% among patients with mild-to-moderate infections. The company announced Friday it will soon ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and international regulators to authorize its pill, which is taken twice a day for five days. A similar pill from competitor Merck…

US Hiring Rebounded in October, With 531,000 Jobs Added

WASHINGTON (AP) – America’s employers stepped up their hiring in October, adding a solid 531,000 jobs, the most since July and a sign that the recovery from the pandemic recession may be overcoming a virus-induced slowdown. Friday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the unemployment rate fell to 4.6% last month, from 4.8% in September. The economy’s emergence…