MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Justice has procured a federal tracking system to trace the status of sexual assault evidence kits in case the Legislature gives the green light to implement it. Attorney General Josh Kaul said Wednesday that the system will be funded with a $327,000 federal grant. It will monitor how long kits spend at…
(Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that Gov. Tony Evers’ administration does not have the authority to issue capacity limits on bars, restaurants, and other businesses without approval of the Legislature, a ruling that comes two weeks after the Conservative-controlled court struck down the state’s mask mandate. BREAKING: Wisconsin…
NEW YORK (AP) — Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, has died in prison. A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Madoff died early Wednesday at the federal medical center in Butner, North Carolina, apparently of natural causes. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin health officials told vaccinators on Tuesday to suspend the use of the Johnson & Johnson shot amid fears the shots may cause blood clots. The Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday recommended vaccinators pause the shots while they investigate whether the Johnson & Johnson shots are causing unusual clots….
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — A white Minnesota police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb, and the city’s chief of police resigned Tuesday. Officer Kim Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned two days after the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center. Potter was a 26-year veteran. She…
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — The pressure built Tuesday to fire the suburban Minneapolis police officer who killed a 20-year-old Black man during an altercation after a traffic stop, a shooting authorities said was a tragic mistake but that family members of Daunte Wright and others pointed to as yet the latest example of a broken criminal justice system. Brooklyn…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The defense began its case Tuesday at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin, seizing on a 2019 confrontation between police and George Floyd in which Floyd suffered dangerously high blood pressure and confessed to heavy use of opioid painkillers. Chauvin lawyer Eric Nelson has argued that the now-fired white officer did what he was trained to…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Assembly is set to vote on Republican plans for spending $3.2 billion in federal pandemic response aid. The GOP has put together a package of bills that call for a $1 billion property tax cut; $200 million for small businesses; and $75 million in tourism grants. The package also calls for $150 million for…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is recommending a “pause” in the administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots. In a joint statement Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said it was investigating clots in six women in the days after vaccination, in…
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Michigan should “close things down” to help address surging coronavirus infections. Dr. Rochelle Walensky’s statement Monday comes as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer instead urges people to voluntarily restrict certain activities. Whitmer wants the federal government to send additional doses to the state, but the administration of…
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Multiple people including a police officer were shot Monday at a high school in the east Tennessee city of Knoxville, authorities said, adding that the scene had been secured. The Knoxville Police Department tweeted that authorities were at the site of the shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School. The online posting said a Knoxville Police Department…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Wild, and Minnesota Timberwolves postponed games scheduled for Monday because of safety concerns following the fatal police shooting of a Black man and the potential for unrest in the area. Major League Baseball’s Twins and Boston Red Sox were scheduled to begin a four-game series Monday afternoon at Target Field. The Twins said…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins postponed their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday because of safety concerns following the fatal police shooting of a Black man and the potential for unrest in the area. The Red Sox and Twins were scheduled to begin a four-game series Monday afternoon at Target Field. The Twins said their decision was…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court is weighing two far-reaching environmental lawsuits that could define the state Department of Natural Resources’ ability to regulate factory farms and high-capacity wells and determine how far state agencies can go when interpreting state law. The court on Monday heard arguments in Clean Wisconsin’s lawsuits arguing that the state Department of Natural…
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn.-Police in a Minneapolis suburb where a Black man was fatally shot during a traffic stop say the officer who fired intended to use a Taser, not a handgun. Police Chief Tim Gannon described the shooting as “an accidental discharge.” The man identified by relatives as 20-year-old Daunte Wright died Sunday in Brooklyn Center, a city of about…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The judge in the George Floyd murder case has refused a defense request to sequester the jury, the morning after the death of a Black man during a traffic stop triggered unrest in a suburb just outside Minneapolis. The request came from the attorney for former Officer Derek Chauvin. He argued Monday that the jurors could be…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death enters its third week Monday. Derek Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death. Prosecutors say Chauvin pinned Floyd to the pavement outside a corner market for 9 minutes, 29 seconds. The state is near the end of a case…
(AP Photo/Christian Monterrosa) BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — A Black man died after being shot by police in a Minneapolis suburb during a traffic stop and crashing his car several blocks away, sparking violent protests as officers in riot gear clashed with demonstrators and the man’s mother called for calm. The death of the man, identified by family as 20-year-old…
DETROIT — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vowed to keep pushing the White House for more COVID-19 vaccines as the state experiences a spike in cases. The Democrat on Sunday told CBS’ “Face The Nation” that she plans to work with the White House but wants to do everything she can to get additional vaccine doses. President Joe Biden has said…
BRYAN, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a man opened fire at a Texas cabinet-making company where he worked, killing one person and wounding five others before shooting and wounding a state trooper before his arrest. A police statement says 27-year-old Larry Winston Bollin of Iola, Texas, has been charged with murder and is being held on a $1 million bond….
NEW YORK (AP) — The family of rapper DMX says he has died at age 50 after a career in which he delivered iconic hip-hop songs such as “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” A statement from the family says the Grammy-nominated rapper died at a hospital in White Plains, New York, “with his family by his side after being placed on life…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A forensic pathologist says George Floyd died from a lack of oxygen that damaged his brain and caused his heart to stop, bolstering prior testimony by other experts. Lindsey Thomas is a former Hennepin County medical examiner. Her testimony Friday also rejected the defense theory that Floyd’s drug use and underlying health problems killed him. Her testimony…
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is urging a two-week suspension of in-person high school classes, all youth sports, and indoor restaurant dining to address a surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. She stopped short of ordering restrictions Friday, instead, asking for voluntary compliance. She says high schools should shift to virtual learning, both school and non-school youth sports…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court sided with Democrats on Friday and ruled that the state elections commission should not remove from the rolls voters flagged as possibly having moved, something conservatives have wanted to be done for nearly two years. The court’s 5-2 ruling means about 69,000 people on the list of likely movers will not have…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin has recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in two months, leading to new warnings from state health officials about the growing spread of more contagious variants and a renewed call for everyone to be vaccinated as soon as possible. The seven-day average of new cases was twice as high Thursday as a month…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health officials reported 2,500 new infections on Thursday as more infectious variants of the coronavirus drive case growth across the state. The new cases mark the highest single-day total since January as the state was coming down from the surge in infection cases late last year. The Minnesota Department of Health reported 14 more people have…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A medical expert says George Floyd died from a lack of oxygen, which damaged his brain and caused his heart to stop. Dr. Martin Tobin is a lung and critical care specialist from Chicago. He testified Thursday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial that Floyd’s breathing was too shallow to take in enough oxygen while he…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — FBI agents arrested a Rochester woman Thursday on charges connected to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Victoria White is expected to make her first appearance in federal court later Thursday. The details of the charges against the 39-year-old White have been sealed. It was not immediately clear if White has an attorney who could…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to 744,000, signaling that many employers are still cutting jobs even as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, consumers gain confidence and the government distributes aid throughout the economy. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications increased by 16,000 from 728,000 a week earlier. Jobless claims…
(AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File) COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The gunman who killed five people including a prominent doctor in South Carolina was former NFL player Phillip Adams, who killed himself early Thursday, according to a source who was briefed on the investigation. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, said Adams’ parents…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will unveil a series of executive actions aimed at addressing gun violence on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the plans, delivering his first major action on gun control since taking office. He’s also expected to nominate David Chipman, a former federal agent and adviser at the gun control group Giffords, to be…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – University of Wisconsin students who get vaccinated for COVID-19 will no longer have to be tested weekly for the virus under a policy that interim President Tommy Thompson calls an incentive to bolster vaccination rates on campus. Thompson says the change he announced Wednesday is designed to maximize the number who get inoculated before they leave…
UPDATE: LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tiger Woods was going nearly 90 mph — twice the posted speed limit — on a downhill stretch of road when he lost control of an SUV outside Los Angeles and crashed in a wreck that left the golf superstar seriously injured, authorities said Wednesday. Sheriff Alex Villanueva blamed the Feb. 23 crash solely on…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The majority of Wisconsin Republicans’ plans for spending $3.2 billion in federal stimulus money either may not be allowed under the law or might have to be repaid. That’s according to reviews of the bills that are moving quickly through the Legislature by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Republicans are moving to pass bills that would…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Turnout for Wisconsin’s spring election, which had only one statewide race on the ballot with a handful of locally hot contests, barely topped 20%, based on unofficial results. That’s on par with other elections where the state superintendent of schools is on the ballot. In 2017, turnout was just under 16% and in 2013, when there…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health officials say nearly 500 Minnesotans are currently hospitalized due to the coronavirus as case numbers continue to rise despite the state’s vaccination campaign. About 497 Minnesotans are hospitalized Tuesday, including 114 in intensive care. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says the state’s efforts to prioritize vaccinations in populations most vulnerable to the virus could prevent a…
STILLWATER, Minn. (AP) – A 10-year-old Stillwater boy who led police on a chase in his parents’ minivan says he was headed to the store to buy Cheerios. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Tuesday that a police officer spotted the boy driving the van around 9:30 p.m. Sunday and knew immediately he was either 10 or 11 years old. The…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday launched an outreach campaign aimed at vaccinating Minnesota workers in frontline industries in the coming weeks. The outreach effort, which is part of a broader statewide “Roll Up Your Sleeves, MN” campaign, aims to connect workers in industries like food service with opportunities to get vaccinated at state-run community vaccination sites. The…
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — A Navy medic shot and critically wounded two people at a Maryland business park Tuesday, then fled to a nearby Army base where he was shot and killed, police and U.S. Navy officials said. The man entered a business at the Riverside Tech Park, causing people inside to flee, but it was unclear if the shooting…
BEMIDJI, Minn. (AP) — The city of Bemidji has reached a settlement with 3M to help pay for treating contamination in the community’s water supply. 3M will pay $12.5 million toward building and operating a new treatment facility to remove chemicals known as PFAS, which the company manufactured for use as firefighting foam. The city found elevated levels of PFAS…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis police chief who called George Floyd’s death “murder” soon after it happened testified that Officer Derek Chauvin had clearly violated department policy when he pinned Floyd’s neck beneath his knee for more than 9 minutes. Chief Medaria Arradondo took the stand on Day Six of Chauvin’s trial in the death of the 46-year-old Black man…
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is set to announce that he’s shaving about two weeks off his May 1 deadline for states to make all adults eligible for coronavirus vaccines. A White House official says Biden will make the announcement later Tuesday. With states gradually expanding eligibility beyond such priority groups as seniors and essential, front-line workers, the president…
MADISON, S.D. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Monday declared a state of emergency in response to dangerous wildfire conditions throughout the state. The executive order will ensure support from the Wisconsin National Guard and use of the Guard’s Blackhawk helicopters. It directs all state agencies to assist when needed in wildfire prevention, response, and recovery efforts. There have…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Everyone age 16 and up are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Wisconsin. Monday’s expansion came the same day that an outbreak of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus was reported at a Dane County child care center. Positive cases statewide are on the rise. Also on Monday, the state announced it was once…
ANOKA, Minn. (AP) — Last month’s death of “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey standout Mark Pavelich was ruled a suicide, a Minnesota medical examiner said Monday. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Anoka County said in a news release that the 63-year-old Pavelich died of asphyxia. His body was found on March 3 at the Eagle’s Healing Nest in Sauk…
WASHINGTON — A top U.S. public health official says young people are driving the latest uptick in COVID-19 cases, as the increasing rate of vaccination in older Americans is preventing the most serious cases among seniors. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a briefing Monday that “cases are increasing nationally, and…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has dismissed a case over former President Donald Trump’s efforts to block critics from his personal Twitter account. Lower courts had ruled against Trump. But the justices said Monday there was nothing left to the case after Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter and ended his presidential term in January. Twitter banned Trump two…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The trial of a former Minneapolis police officer in George Floyd’s death is expected Monday to turn toward the fired officer’s training after a first week dominated by emotional testimony from eyewitnesses and a devastating video of his arrest. Derek Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter in the May 25 death of Floyd. Chauvin, who is…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s COVID-19 daily case count has jumped to its highest mark since mid-February. State health officials reported 875 confirmed cases on Friday, the highest number of daily cases since Feb. 12, when the figure was 938 cases. The seven-day daily case average increased to 531. The statistic stood at less than 400 cases in mid-March. The…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The head of the Minneapolis Police Department’s homicide division has testified that kneeling on the neck of someone who is handcuffed and lying on his stomach is top-tier, deadly force, and “totally unnecessary.” Lt. Richard Zimmerman testified Friday at the trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with killing George Floyd last year. His testimony…
