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…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The state Department of Natural Resources has canceled Wisconsin’s sharp-tailed grouse season for the third year in a row to protect the population. The DNR announced the decision Monday, saying a population survey this spring coupled with historical data trends and scientific modeling indicate hunting could cause a “marked decrease” in the population. Sharp-tailed grouse populations…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota’s independent legislative auditor says he doesn’t have the resources to satisfy a request by lawmakers for a comprehensive study of the state’s COVID-19 response. Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles tells Minnesota Public Radio he’s ready to hear lawmakers out. But he says the scope of the request, combined with other projects his office is already…
(AP Photo) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ reelection campaign reports that the Democratic incumbent raised $5 million through the first six months of the year and has more than $7 million cash on hand ahead of his bid for a second term. Evers officially announced his reelection plans a month ago, but he’s been raising money for…
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – Scientists say wolf pups have been spotted again at Isle Royale National Park. And that’s a hopeful sign for efforts to rebuild a gray wolf population that had nearly died out. Crews brought wolves from Minnesota, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and the Canadian province of Ontario to the Lake Superior park several years ago. It’s unknown…
(AP Photo) MIAMI (AP) – A vaccinated Miami-Dade county commissioner who helped other local officials in Surfside following the collapse of a condominium building has tested positive for COVID-19. Commission Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz says he and his chief of staff came down with flu-like symptoms Sunday and tested positive for the virus the same day. Diaz has been participating…
(AP) – Firefighters are working in extreme temperatures across the U.S. West and struggling to contain wildfires, the largest burning in California and Oregon, as another heatwave baked the region, straining power grids and forcing calls to conserve water. The largest wildfire of the year in California is raging along the Nevada state line and has burned about 134 square…
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – The death toll in the Florida condominium collapse has risen to 78 after 14 additional victims were pulled out of the rubble. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the new number at a Friday news conference, calling it both “staggering” and “heartbreaking.” An additional 62 people are still unaccounted for. On Thursday, Paraguay’s foreign minister said…
(Richard Chung via AP) NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. health officials say vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the new guidelines Friday. The changes come after a growing national vaccination campaign in which children as young as 12 are eligible to get shots, as well as…
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – Cities and towns along Great Lakes shorelines will pay a heavy price for recent flooding. That’s according to an organization representing the region’s local governments. It says a survey of cities, villages, and other jurisdictions found that fixing infrastructure damaged by high water and erosion will cost nearly $2 billion over the next five years….
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Actor Kevin Costner will appear at the Minnesota State Fair in September. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Wednesday that Costner’s country-rock band, Modern West, will perform at the fair’s grandstand on Sept. 3. A live question-and-answer session with Costner will follow. The evening will conclude with a screening of Costner’s film “Field of Dreams.” Tickets…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday said the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on Aug. 31, saying “speed is safety” as the United States seeks to end the nearly 20-year war. “We did not go to Afghanistan to nation build,” Biden said in a speech to update his administration’s ongoing efforts to wind down the U.S….
WHITEFISH BAY, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers has signed the Republican-written state budget, enacting a spending plan that includes a $2 billion income tax cut. Evers, a Democrat who is running for reelection next year, signed the budget Thursday. However, he kept the income tax cut intact. Evers opted to go along with the GOP-written budget with some changes…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota utilities mismanaged their natural gas purchases after a historic winter storm in the South, which led them to overbill customers by $380 million, the state attorney general’s office said Wednesday. The office of Attorney General Keith Ellison recommended that the state Public Utilities Commission allow utilities to recover only 53% of the $800 million in costs…
TOKYO (AP) — Fans are banned from the Tokyo Olympics following a state of emergency aimed at containing rising COVID-19 infections in the capital. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the ban, and the International Olympic Committee and Japanese organizers followed by banning fans from the Olympics. Fans from aboard were banned months ago. These new measures will clear venues…
(AP Photo/Dawn Villella, File) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday it won’t consider holding a wolf hunting or trapping season until 2022 at the earliest. The agency said in a statement that it’s taking longer than expected to update its 20-year-old wolf management plan, and it’s now expected to be done by March….
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate adjourned its special session Wednesday without taking a planned vote on confirming two of Gov. Tim Walz’s commissioners after Democrats objected to how GOP lawmakers essentially forced out another cabinet member a day earlier. Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, of East Gull Lake, said GOP senators were ready to approve…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is filing suits against three of the country’s biggest tech companies: Facebook, Twitter, and Google, as well as their CEOs. Trump said he was serving as lead plaintiff in the class-action suits, claiming he has been wrongfully censored by the companies. “We’re demanding an end to the shadow-banning, a stop…
(AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, File) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – Gunmen have assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and wounded his wife in their home. The killing Wednesday is sure to inflict more chaos on the unstable Caribbean country that was already enduring an escalation of gang violence, anti-government protests, and a recent surge in coronavirus infections. The interim prime minister confirmed…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Some animals at the zoos in Madison and Milwaukee will receive an experimental COVID-19 vaccine. Animals susceptible to respiratory disease are expected to be inoculated with the vaccine authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture by late July. No COVID-19 infections have been found in animals at the Milwaukee County Zoo or the Henry Vilas Zoo…
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – The search for victims of the collapse of a Miami-area high-rise condominium has reached its 14th day, with the death toll at 46 and authorities sounding increasingly grim. Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told family members in a private briefing Wednesday that workers had pulled 10 more bodies and additional human remains from the rubble,…
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – Once hunted to the brink of extinction, elk could be reintroduced to the forest in northeastern Minnesota. The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has submitted a plan to the state Department of Natural Resources that would move 100 to 150 elk from existing herds in the northwest to an area that includes the…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Pentagon said it has canceled a cloud-computing contract with Microsoft that could eventually have been worth $10 billion. It will instead pursue a deal with both Microsoft and Amazon and possibly other cloud service providers. The Pentagon said in a statement that the JEDI Cloud contract, which has long been delayed, “no longer meets the requirements…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – University of Wisconsin System leaders are set to approve a budget that includes no tuition increases for resident undergraduates. Provisions in the state budget lift a freeze on resident undergraduate tuition that has been in place since 2013. That would leave the Board of Regents free to raise tuition. Gov. Tony Evers must act on the…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has resigned after it became apparent that the Republican-controlled state Senate was prepared to oust her. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz says Laura Bishop resigned Tuesday “in order to ensure a smooth and orderly transition” at the agency she had led since 2019. The governor accused Senate Republicans of using…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota’s coronavirus vaccination rates show there’s a sharp contrast between urban and rural counties in the state. The vaccination rate is high in large, urban counties. More than 75% of people age 16 and older in Hennepin and Ramsey counties have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine. It’s a different story in many…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Foresters and landowners are concerned that a disease that kills oak trees is creeping farther north in Minnesota. The mighty oak is one of the most abundant trees in Minnesota. Oak wilt was been around for decades and has been confirmed in 40 Minnesota counties. But, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is now finding…
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – The discovery of four more victims in the rubble of a collapsed Florida condominium building has raised the death toll to 32. Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah announced the new death count to family members during a closed-door morning briefing Tuesday. A ramped-up rescue effort at the collapsed Florida condo building is facing new weather…
TOKYO (AP) – The pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics are shaping up as a TV-only event with few fans being allowed when they open in just over two weeks. Japan’s Asahi newspaper cited multiple unidentified government sources when it said the opening ceremony may be limited to only VIP guests. The newspaper says other large venues are likely to have no spectators….
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minneapolis criminal defense lawyer who described pandemic restrictions and lawsuits against businesses that violated state public health guidelines as “intrusive state government” announced her bid on Sunday to unseat Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Attorney Lynne Torgerson announced on Sunday that she will run for attorney general in 2022, citing “destructive government lockdowns, lawsuits by (Ellison)…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Six University of Wisconsin System schools are moving ahead with start dates on the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah despite calls for change. UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, UW-Stout, and UW-Superior all have scheduled classes to begin Sept. 7 or Sept. 8, the Tuesday and Wednesday after Labor Day. Rosh Hashanah, which marks the start of the…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With COVID-19 limits fading away, tourists are returning to Minnesota resorts, many of them from neighboring states. A lot of the workers are not coming back. The worker shortage has been building for more than a year, said Ben Wogsland, a spokesman for Hospitality Minnesota, the trade association for the state’s hotels, restaurants, resorts, and campgrounds. The…
NEW YORK (AP) — Chowdown champ Joey “Jaws” Chestnut broke his own record to gulp to a 14th win in the men’s Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Sunday, while Michelle Lesco took the women’s title. Chestnut downed 76 franks and buns in 10 minutes. That’s one more than he did in setting the men’s record last year, when…
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, Pool) KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – Prosecutors in Wisconsin want a judge to allow evidence at Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial that shows he had a previous violent encounter in Kenosha before he fatally shot two men and injured another during a police brutality protest last year. The state’s motion filed in Kenosha County Circuit Court also seeks to…
(AP) – The Biden administration is planning to require that airlines refund fees on checked baggage if the bags get seriously delayed. The proposal would also require refunds for fees on extras like internet access if the airline fails to provide the service during the flight. An administration official says the Transportation Department will issue the proposal in the next…
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – The tally of the missing in the Florida condominium collapse has been substantially reduced, from 145 to 128. Officials said Friday that the number declined after duplicate names were eliminated and some people reported missing turned up safe. Authorities also announced the recovery of two more bodies, including the 7-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter. That…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota is reporting its 200th traffic death for the year, the earliest date to reach the mark since 2009. State traffic safety officials say a total of 202 people have died on the roads since Jan. 1, compared to 148 at this time a year ago. The fatalities include 142 motor vehicle occupants, 25 motorcyclists, 23 pedestrians,…
(AP) – American champion Sha’Carri Richardson cannot run in the Olympic 100-meter race after testing positive for a chemical found in marijuana. Richardson won the 100 at the Olympic trials on June 19. She told of her ban Friday on the “Today Show.” Richardson says she smoked marijuana as a way of coping with her mother’s recent death. She tested…
WASHINGTON (AP) – America’s employers added 850,000 jobs in June, well above the average of the previous three months and a sign that companies may be having an easier time finding enough workers to fill open jobs. Friday’s report from the Labor Department was the latest sign that the reopening of the economy is propelling a powerful rebound from the…
(left: Anissa Weier, right: Morgan Geyser) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin judge says a woman convicted of stabbing her classmate to please the Slender Man character in 2014 can be released from a mental health facility. Nineteen-year-old Anissa Weier asked Waukesha County Judge Michael Bohren to release her from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, arguing she was no longer…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers and the Oneida Nation have signed a deal allowing people to bet on sporting events at the tribe’s casino and other tribal facilities. The signing authorizes betting on sports for the first time in Wisconsin. Evers announced Thursday that his administration and the tribe have amended the tribe’s gambling compact with the state…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Court of Appeals says prosecutors may file aiding and abetting third-degree murder charges against three former Minneapolis police officers in the death of George Floyd. The appeals court on Wednesday sent the case back to Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill. He denied prosecutors’ motion to add the charges against former officers J Kueng, Thomas…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell again last week to the lowest level since the pandemic struck last year, further evidence that the job market and the broader economy are rebounding rapidly from the coronavirus recession. Jobless claims dropped by 51,000 to 364,000. Applications for unemployment benefits have fallen more or less steadily since…
(AP) – The Trump Organization’s longtime chief financial officer has surrendered to authorities ahead of an expected court appearance on the first criminal indictment in a two-year investigation into business practices at Donald Trump’s company. Allen Weisselberg was photographed walking into the complex that houses criminal courts and the Manhattan district attorney’s office at around 6:20 a.m. Thursday. New York…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Legislature has reconvened to finish its remaining work on a $52 billion, two-year budget. Education and tax bills need passage before the current budget expires Wednesday night. Lawmakers returned to the Capitol after working into the early hours Wednesday to pass a bill that ends Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency powers effective Thursday. The Democratic governor…
