ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) – Mayo Clinic says it will require employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by mid-September, becoming one of the latest health systems to do so as delta variant cases rise around the country. The Rochester-based medical system says the “vast majority” of its employees are already vaccinated. But it says all employees must be fully vaccinated…
(AP) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was expected to backpedal Tuesday on its masking guidelines and recommend that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging, a federal official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss details of the new…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – It’s shaping up to be a day full of partisan sniping but no real action in the Wisconsin Assembly. Republicans called the Assembly back into session Tuesday to vote on overriding Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ veto of a bill that would have ended a federal $300 weekly unemployment supplemental payment. To succeed, Republicans will need Democrats…
TOKYO (AP) – The Russian Olympic Committee has won the gold medal in women’s gymnastics after U.S. star Simone Biles exited with a medical issue. The ROC posted a team score of 169.528, ahead of the U.S. in second place at 166.096. The gold is the first for the Russians since the Unified Team triumphed in Barcelona in 1992 and…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)-Minnesota health officials are warning that the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus now accounts for more than 75% of the state’s new COVID-19 cases. And they say it’s a serious threat to unvaccinated people as the state’s case numbers head back up. Kris Ehresmann, the state’s infectious disease director, says the delta variant has gone from causing…
MADISON, Wis. (AP)-Gov. Tony Evers is calling the Republican-controlled Legislature into a special session to increase funding for public schools and higher education on the same day the Assembly plans to vote on a veto override. The override of a bill ending a $300 weekly unemployment payment was almost certain to fail because there aren’t enough Republicans to vote for…
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP)-Investigators say three men found slain in a western Wisconsin quarry likely knew the person or people who killed them. The bodies of Peng Lor and Nemo Yang, who were both 24, and 23-year-old Trevor Maloney were discovered shortly before 5 a.m. Friday by two Milestone Quarry workers. The quarry is located northeast of La Crosse along…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)-Thousands of state employees in Minnesota would get a raise and a new paid holiday if labor contract agreements are finalized. Minnesota’s two biggest state employee unions on Thursday reached agreements with negotiators from Gov. Tim Walz’s administration. The contracts cover most of the state’s workforce and are subject to ratification by union members and the Legislature….
MADISON, Wis. (AP)-Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is urging anyone age 12 or older who will be attending school in the fall to get vaccinated as soon as possible for COVID-19, as cases surge in the state due to the more contagious delta variant. The call from Evers and the state’s top health official on Thursday comes amid a growing concern…
CLEVELAND (AP)-Known as the Indians since 1915, Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team will be called Guardians. The ballclub announced the name change on Twitter, ending months of internal discussions triggered by a national reckoning by institutions and teams to permanently drop logos and names considered racist. The choice of Guardians will undoubtedly be criticized by many of the club’s die-hard…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is urging anyone age 12 or older who will be attending school in the fall to get vaccinated as soon as possible for COVID-19, as cases surge in the state due to the more contagious delta variant. The call from Evers and the state’s top health official on Thursday comes amid growing…
NEW YORK (AP) – Amazon is pushing landlords around the country to give its drivers the ability to unlock apartment building front doors whenever they need to leave packages in the lobby instead of the street. The service, called Amazon Key for Business, allows delivery workers to make their rounds faster since they don’t have to ring doorbells. And fewer…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week from the lowest point of the pandemic, even as the job market appears to be rebounding on the strength of a reopened economy. Jobless claims increased to 419,000 from 368,000 the previous week. The weekly number of first-time applications for benefits, which generally tracks layoffs, has fallen…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows 72% of Minnesota is currently experiencing severe drought. That’s up from last week when 52% of the state was considered to be in severe drought. Minnesota Public Radio News reports the news is startling since, at the start of June, less than 1% of the state had severe drought areas….
TOKYO (AP) – Tokyo has hit another six-month high in new COVID-19 cases one day before the Olympics begin, as worries grow of a worsening of infections during the Games. Thursday’s 1,979 new cases are the highest since 2,044 were recorded on Jan. 15. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is determined to hold the Olympics, placed Tokyo under a state…
MISSION, Kan. (AP) – COVID-19 cases have tripled in the U.S. over two weeks amid an onslaught of vaccine misinformation. The spike in infections is straining hospitals, frustrating doctors, and pushing clergy into the fray. Across the U.S., the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the U.S. rose over the past two weeks to more than 37,000 on…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Police say two shootings in downtown Milwaukee early Wednesday as crowds celebrated the Milwaukee Bucks’ first NBA championship in 50 years left three people wounded. The shootings both happened about 12:42 a.m. at two locations near Water Street. TV station WISN had a reporter broadcasting when multiple shots were heard, prompting people to flee. Police say a…
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) NEW YORK (AP) – The chair of former President Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee was arrested Tuesday in California on charges alleging that he and others conspired to influence Trump’s foreign policy positions to benefit the United Arab Emirates. Tom Barrack was among three men charged in New York federal court with trying to influence…
(courtesy: Fox 9) ELGIN, Minn. – Sheriff’s officials say the pilot of a helicopter has died in a crash in southeastern Minnesota. Authorities say 40-year-old Corey James Adcock from Victoria County, Texas was crop dusting Monday afternoon when the helicopter blades got caught in some power lines near Elgin and the chopper crashed and caught fire. Adcock, the only one…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has joined the crowded Democratic field for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson. The 34-year-old Barnes is vying to become the first Black U.S. senator in Wisconsin history. He is giving up a chance to run for a second term in 2022 as Gov. Tony Evers’…
(AP Photo/Tony Guiterrez) VAN HORN, Texas (AP) – Jeff Bezos has blasted into space on his rocket company’s first flight with passengers. He’s the second billionaire in just over a week to ride his own spacecraft. The Amazon founder soared to space with a hand-picked group in his Blue Origin capsule and landed 10 minutes later on the desert floor….
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – An invasive weed that can choke out native plants and fish habitat has been found in one of Minnesota’s largest and most popular walleye lakes. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on Monday confirmed the discovery of starry stonewort in Leech Lake, located in northwestern Minnesota. The DNR says the bright green microalgae plant has…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota has encountered a setback; the state Court of Appeals has ordered regulators to revisit a critical air emissions permit given to the project. The court ruled Monday that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency hadn’t sufficiently justified granting the permit after opponents raised allegations that PolyMet was planning a much…
(AP) – A Florida man who breached the U.S. Senate chamber carrying a Trump campaign flag has received an eight-month prison term, the first resolution for a felony case in the Capitol insurrection. Prosecutors wanted Paul Allard Hodgkins to serve 18 months behind bars, saying he and other Jan. 6 rioters “contributed to the collective threat to democracy.” A lawyer…
TORONTO (AP/Fox 9) – Canada will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada on Aug. 9, and those from the rest of the world on Sept. 7. Those that wish to cross the border will need to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of crossing the border, as well as showing proof of a full series…
(courtesy: Fox 9) ST. PAUL, Minn. – Longtime state Sen. David Tomassoni has informed his constituents that he has Lou Gehring’s disease, also known as ALS. The motor neuron disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement. The 68-year-old senator from Chisholm says he was diagnosed a while ago and felt the…
TOKYO (AP) – An alternate on the United States women’s gymnastics team has tested positive for COVID-19 in an Olympic training camp in Japan. USA Gymnastics says Olympic champion Simone Biles was not affected but another alternate was placed into isolation because of contact tracing. USA Gymnastics says “the Olympic athletes moved to separate lodging accommodations and a separate training…
ATLANTA (AP) — Congressional Democrats are exploring ways to include financial incentives for states to expand voting access as part of a multitrillion-dollar infrastructure bill, a key senator said Sunday. Democrats have been struggling to get their marquee election reform bill passed in an evenly split Senate, where Republicans remain unified in their opposition and rules require 60 votes to…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz has asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to come to the aid of Minnesota livestock producers amid the worsening drought by easing grazing restrictions. Walz asked Vilsack in a letter released Thursday to allow emergency haying and grazing on eligible Conservation Reserve Program acres in Minnesota counties experiencing severe to extreme drought…
(Rhein-Erft-Kreis via AP) (AP) – Despite ample warnings, politicians and weather forecasters in Europe have been shocked at the ferocity of the precipitation that caused flash flooding that killed at least 120 people. Many climate scientists say the link to global warming was unmistakable and the urgency to do something about it is undeniable. Scientists say climate change acerbates the…
(AP Photo/Toby Talbot,File) TORONTO (AP) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada could start allowing fully vaccinated Americans into Canada as of mid-August for non-essential travel and should be in a position to welcome fully vaccinated travelers from all countries by early September. Trudeau spoke with leaders of Canada’s provinces on Thursday and released a readout of the call. The…
ELY, Minn. (AP) — The Forest Service has announced new temporary travel restrictions in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness over concerns that large wildfires burning in Canada could spread across the border. The new closures include travel, campsites, and portages along and near Iron and Crooked lakes along the Canadian border north of Ely, as well as some smaller…
MADISON, Wis. – The son of a Wisconsin couple who went missing last week has been formally accused of killing his father and dismembering his body. Twenty-three-year-old Chandler Halderson, who was living with his parents in Windsor, is charged in Dane County Court with first-degree intentional homicide, hiding and mutilating a corpse, and providing false information on a kidnapping. Court…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, has been the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An attorney of Britney Spears’ choosing has been appointed to represent the pop star in her conservatorship after a hearing in which the singer tearfully spoke about the case’s impact on her life. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny on Wednesday approved Spears hiring former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart to represent her. His appointment was…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits has reached its lowest level since the pandemic struck last year, further evidence that the U.S. economy and job market are quickly rebounding from the pandemic recession. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims fell by 26,000 last week to 360,000. The weekly tally, a proxy…
(AP) – Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday that it is recalling five of its sunscreen products after some samples were found to contain low levels of benzene, a chemical that can cause cancer with repeated exposure. The affected products, packaged in aerosol cans, are Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen, and four Neutrogena sunscreen versions: Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen, CoolDry…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Tribal and environmental groups opposed to Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline have asked the Minnesota Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision affirming the approvals of the project. The state Commerce Department, which was part of the earlier appeal, is not joining in the appeal this time. The legal move comes as protests continue along…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Office of the Legislative Auditor says it found no evidence that the state of Minnesota overpaid two companies it hired to conduct COVID-19 saliva testing. Instead, the auditor’s report says, managed care organizations. acting on behalf of the state, scrutinized the claims submitted by the two companies, and paid just a fraction of the…
MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) — Burning wildfires in Canada are causing air quality issues in parts of the U.S., including Minnesota and North Dakota. The smoke is lingering closer to the ground, according to weather experts. “Sometimes it stays aloft, but in this particular case behind the front, the smoke is finding its way closer to the surface. That’s why we…
(Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers is directing $130 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to help address the state’s worker shortage problem and assist unemployed people searching for a job. The bulk of the money, $100 million, will go toward a workforce innovation program for the development of solutions to workforce challenges…
NEW YORK (AP) – Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government estimate released Wednesday eclipses the 72,000 drug overdose deaths in 2019 and amounts to a 29% increase. Experts say lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions isolated those with drug addictions and made treatment harder to get. Prescription painkillers once…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican William Penterman is the apparent winner of a special election Tuesday to fill Wisconsin’s vacant 37th District Assembly seat. Unofficial results show Penterman received 3,742 votes. Democratic candidate Pete Adams received 3,063 votes and Independent Stephen Ratzlaff Jr. garnered 112 votes. Penterman, of Columbus, narrowly won the Republican primary by 16 votes. There were eight…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Some local building inspectors in Minnesota are fielding questions from residents worried about the safety of their condo buildings following the collapse of a tower in Surfside, Florida last month. In Minnesota, there is no state requirement for regular inspections of condo buildings. But, state officials say Minnesota doesn’t face the same risks as Florida and has…
BRAINERD, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says it’s investigating a spill of drilling fluid into the Willow River in Aitkin County last week during construction on the Enbridge Energy Line 3 oil pipeline. About 80 to 100 gallons of drilling fluid, or mud, were inadvertently released on July 6 at a construction site near the town of…
(AP) – New COVID-19 cases per day in the U.S. have doubled over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates, and Fourth of July gatherings. Infections jumped to an average of about 23,600 a day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23. And all but two states – Maine and South Dakota –…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a Winnebago County judge for making crude remarks to defendants and attorneys, and for menacing a defendant with a gun during a hearing. The court said Tuesday that it has suspended Scott Woldt for seven days in August. The Wisconsin Judicial Commission filed a complaint alleging that Woldt committed multiple…
UPDATE: FRANKSVILLE, Wis. (AP) – Authorities in Wisconsin say a man shot and killed another man at a gas station before fleeing and eventually dying in a shootout with an undercover investigator. Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling says the events unfolded starting about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Pilot Travel Center in the village of Caledonia. Schmaling says a 32-year-old…
(courtesy: Twitter/City of Burnsville) BURNSVILLE, Minn. (AP) – Officials in Minnesota say they’re finding more giant goldfish in waterways, prompting a plea to citizens to stop illegally dumping their unwanted fish into ponds and lakes. The goldfish, which can grow to the size of a football, compete with native species for food and increase algae in lakes. Burnsville officials found…
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski) WASHINGTON (AP) – American consumers faced a third straight monthly surge in prices in June, the latest evidence that a rapid reopening of the economy is fueling pent-up spending for goods and services that in many cases remain in short supply. Tuesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that consumer prices in June rose 0.9% from May…
