WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will consider reinstating the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, presenting President Joe Biden with an early test of his opposition to capital punishment. The justices agreed Monday to hear an appeal filed by the Trump administration, which carried out executions of 13 federal inmates in its final six months in office….
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health officials suspect that a coronavirus variant is driving a recent increase in the state’s case rate. Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann said during a media briefing Friday that more than 300 cases of the B117 variant first detected in the United Kingdom have been found in Minnesota. Cases have been detected in various parts of…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a Minnesota man in connection with the U.S. Capitol siege. The U.S. attorney’s office tweeted Friday that 31-year-old Jordan K. Stotts with trespassing in connection with the Jan. 6 incident. FBI agents took him into custody Friday. He was set to make his initial court appearance in Bemidji later Friday afternoon. The tweet…
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials are relaxing social distancing recommendations for schools, now saying students can sit as close as 3 feet to each other in classrooms. The new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, announced Friday, signal the agency’s turn away from the 6-foot distancing recommendation that had forced some schools to remove desks, stagger scheduling…
MADISON, Wis. – Tens of thousands of households in Wisconsin could lose utility service after state regulators voted against extending a moratorium on disconnections. It would be the first time in nearly 18 months that utilities could disconnect service to customers who are behind on their bills. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission voted unanimously Thursday to let the moratorium expire…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge on Friday denied a defense request to delay or move the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death after a $27 million settlement for Floyd’s family raised concern about a tainted jury. Jury selection was halfway complete last week in former officer Derek Chauvin’s trial when the city of Minneapolis…
WASHINGTON (AP) — With the U.S. closing in on President Joe Biden’s goal of injecting 100 million coronavirus vaccinations weeks ahead of his target date, officials say the nation is now in a position to help supply neighbors Canada and Mexico with shots. The Biden administration announced the outlines of a plan to “loan” vaccines to Canada and Mexico as…
(AP) – The IRS will delay the traditional April 15 tax filing due date until May 17 to cope with added duties and provide Americans more flexibility. The IRS announced the decision Wednesday and said it would provide further guidance in coming days. The move provides more breathing room for taxpayers and the IRS alike to cope with changes brought…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A top Wisconsin health official says there will be enough coronavirus vaccine in Wisconsin by the end of June to immunize 80% of those age 16 and over in the state, hitting a key target to achieve herd immunity for COVID-19. Deputy state health secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk made the forecast Thursday. Currently, more than…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors at the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in George Floyd’s death want a judge to allow expert testimony about how people react to traumatic events. A prosecutor said Thursday that a forensic psychiatrist should be able to testify that Floyd’s actions when he struggled with officers trying to put him in a squad…
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AP) — Advocates in Minnesota are pushing the legislators to remove most juveniles from the state’s predatory registry, arguing that it makes it difficult for young people to overcome societal barriers. The state’s Predatory Offender Registry has more than 18,000 names. Patty Wetterling helped create the registry in 1991 after her 11-year-old son was kidnapped and killed. She…
(Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP) OCONOMOWOC, Wis. (AP) — A law enforcement official says the man suspected of killing two co-workers at a Wisconsin grocery distribution warehouse before fatally shooting himself was a 41-year-old from suburban Milwaukee. Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Nicholas Ollinger identified the suspect Thursday as Fraron Cornelius, of Wauwatosa. Police say the suspect died from…
(Court TV, via AP, Pool) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The jury being seated for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial in George Floyd’s death is growing despite concerns about publicity from a $27 million payout to Floyd’s family to settle their civil lawsuit. The city of Minneapolis agreed to the settlement last week in the midst of jury selection. That…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to 770,000, a sign that layoffs remain high even as much of the U.S. economy is steadily recovering from the coronavirus recession. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims climbed from 725,000 the week before. The numbers have dropped sharply since the depths of…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled a Wisconsin judge from the bench after he was charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography. State Department of Justice attorneys filed seven felony counts against Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Brett Blomme. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The charges were filed…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Violent extremists motivated by political grievances and racial biases pose an “elevated threat” to the U.S. homeland. That’s according to an unclassified intelligence report released more than two months after a violent mob of insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol. The assessment was made in a report released Wednesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence….
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Bars and restaurants could sell cocktails and glasses of wine to go under a bill the state Assembly approved Wednesday. The bipartisan measure has been pushed by bar and restaurant owners since the pandemic began as another way for struggling businesses to attract customers. Bars and restaurants also have a higher profit margin on alcohol sales…
(courtesy: CNN) ATLANTA (AP) — The man accused of killing eight people at massage parlors in the Atlanta area told police his act was not racially motivated, and that he had a potential “sex addiction.” Still, officials said they were investigating whether the deaths were hate crimes amid concerns over a wave of attacks on Asian Americans. Six of the…
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A worker shot and killed two colleagues at a supermarket distribution center near Milwaukee before crashing his vehicle during a police pursuit and then killing himself, a union official and police said Wednesday. The attacks happened Tuesday night at the Roundy’s distribution center in Oconomowoc, about 30 miles west of Milwaukee, said Thomas Bennett, secretary-treasurer of General…
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Wisconsin judge was arrested Tuesday on tentative charges of possession of child pornography, authorities said. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Brett Blomme, 38, was apprehended following an investigation into “multiple uploads of child pornography,” the Wisconsin Department of Justice said in a release. A criminal complaint was expected to be filed Wednesday, the DOJ said. The…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge on Wednesday dismissed a juror who had been seated for the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer in George Floyd’s death over fears that the juror had been tainted by the city’s announcement last week of a $27 million settlement to Floyd’s family. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill recalled seven jurors and was questioning…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Health officials say teenagers are behind a slight increase in coronavirus activity in Minnesota. The state Department of Health reported 6,818 additional COVID-19 cases in the week ending Tuesday. About 10% involved teenagers 15 to 19 years old. The risk for that age group increased when in-person instruction and sports activities resumed earlier this year. State Health…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Lawyers for a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death are asking the judge to admit evidence of a previous arrest in which the Black man was found with drugs, a request the prosecutor derided as an attempt to “smear” Floyd’s character. Derek Chauvin’s attorney Eric Nelson says Floyd’s arrest in May 2019 and last…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Senate overwhelmingly approved a pair of bipartisan bills Tuesday that would establish protocols for collecting and tracking sexual assault evidence kits. The first bill would require health professionals to notify police within 72 hours whenever a sexual assault kit has been collected and police to send kits to the state crime lab within 14 days. The…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — People age 16 and up with certain preexisting conditions in Wisconsin will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine starting Monday, a week earlier than previously announced. Last week, the state said people in that eligibility group would be able to get vaccinated starting March 29. But Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday said vaccinations are proceeding quickly…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The jurors seated so far for the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death are a diverse group. It’s an element being closely watched in a case where race plays such a central role. Nine jurors have been seated through Monday, including five who are white, one who is multiracial, two who…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota has fired men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino. The Gophers went 14-15 this season after losing lost 11 of their last 14 games. The university will owe Pitino a $1.7 million buyout of his contract that had three years remaining. He was hired to replace Tubby Smith at age 30, with one prior year of experience as…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction estimates the state will receive about $1.4 billion to distribute to schools from the latest federal coronavirus relief package. Precise allocations to each state are still being finalized, but DPI expects this round of funding to be double the amount in relief funds allocated in December. The federal bill allows…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Dentists in Wisconsin could administer the COVID-19 vaccine under a bill the state Legislature is scheduled to pass on Tuesday, a step being taken as the push to increase people for the coronavirus accelerates. It was one of several coronavirus-related proposals up for votes. While it has broad bipartisan support, other Republican-backed measures are opposed by…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Fewer than 2,400 doses of the precious and highly sought-after coronavirus vaccine were wasted or spoiled in Wisconsin through February, with the single largest case happening when an employee did it on purpose. That is according to data that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services provided to The Associated Press. The data shows that through February,…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The defense attorney for a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death says he’s “gravely concerned” that last week’s announcement of a $27 million settlement for Floyd’s family makes it impossible for his client to get a fair trial. Attorney Eric Nelson asked for a continuance Monday and also raised the possibility of renewing his previously unsuccessful…
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials have arrested and charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 riot, but they do not know yet whether it caused the officer’s death. Thirty-nine-year-old George Tanios, of Morgantown, W.Va., and 32-year-old Julian Khater, of Pennsylvania, were arrested Sunday. They were expected to appear in…
ROME (AP) — The Vatican has decreed that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions, saying that God “cannot bless sin.” The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions. The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages…
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday he wishes former President Donald Trump would use his popularity among Republicans to persuade more of his followers to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In a round of interviews on the morning news shows, the government’s top infectious disease expert lamented polling showing that Trump supporters are more likely to refuse to get vaccinated, saying politics…
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wisconsin residents will have to dial 10 digits to make local calls starting this fall. Right now people in Wisconsin can place a call to a number in the same area code without dialing the area code. Beginning Oct. 23 people will need to include the area code in all calls, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Friday. The…
(courtesy: WI Dept of Health Services via AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers says everyone in Wisconsin will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine on May 1. State health officials said Thursday that everyone in the state would be eligible sometime in May. Hours later, President Joe Biden said he wanted states to make everyone eligible by May…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Twins are the latest Major League Baseball team to receive government approval for fans to return to their games this season. They can play at Target Field for now in front of a capacity of up to 10,000 people. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and the state’s health department announced Friday a series of rolled-back COVID-19…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is outlining his plan to make all adult Americans eligible for vaccination by May 1 and get the nation back “closer to normal” by the Fourth of July. Biden is addressing the nation Thursday evening, one year into the coronavirus pandemic. Previewing his speech, officials say he will announce that he is deploying an…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health officials have confirmed the state’s first known case of a coronavirus variant that was originally identified in South Africa. The Minnesota Department of Health said Thursday the person is a Twin Cities-area resident in their 40s who became ill on Jan. 24 and was tested on Jan. 29. The person had no recent travel history…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed into law the $1.9 trillion relief package that he says will help the U.S. defeat the coronavirus and nurse the economy back to health. He had been set to sign the American Rescue Plan on Friday. But the White House moved the signing up to Thursday afternoon, hours before the president plans…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin is expanding coronavirus vaccine eligibility starting March 29 to anyone 16 or older with common pre-existing health conditions, including being overweight or pregnant, or having high blood pressure, asthma or cancer, officials announced Thursday. The state Department of Health Services released a long list of qualifying conditions to get vaccinated later this month, including cerebrovascular…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin plans to greatly expand the number of people eligible for the coronavirus vaccine by about 2 million people, including those with certain pre-existing conditions, as positive cases decline and vaccine availability increases. Gov. Tony Evers and state health officials planned to announce the next eligibility tier on Thursday afternoon. Exactly which pre-existing conditions will qualify,…
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A veteran Iditarod musher was removed from the race Wednesday after he tested positive for the coronavirus, organizers said. Gunnar Johnson, 52, of Duluth, Minnesota, was withdrawn from the event at the McGrath, Alaska, checkpoint, the organizers said in a news release. Iditarod Race Marshal Mark Nordman, working with epidemiologist Dr. Jodie Guest, made the decision…
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Heavy snow and high winds in northeastern Minnesota left hundreds without power and caused hazardous travel conditions while the southeastern region of the state experienced rain, large hail and tornado warnings. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said slippery conditions likely contributed to the death of a 57-year-old driver who was killed about 6 p.m. Wednesday…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of a former Minneapolis police officer who is trying to block a third-degree murder charge from being reinstated in George Floyd’s death. At issue is whether the conviction of another former police officer in an unrelated case established a precedent for prosecutors to restore a third-degree murder…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — City leaders in Ramsey have voted to stop enforcing Gov. Tim Walz’s coronavirus mask mandate with proponents arguing it infringes on an individual’s constitutional rights. It was not immediately clear what liability the city might face as a result of the 4-3 City Council vote Tuesday night which was discouraged by city attorney Joe Langel. He warned…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress has sent President Joe Biden the landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The House approved the bill Wednesday over solid Republican opposition in a vote that gives the new president and Democrats a victory just seven weeks after he took office. The 628-page measure represents Democrats’ effort to bridle the catastrophic pandemic and revive the enfeebled…
(Court TV, via AP, Pool) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jury selection opens its second day Wednesday in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death last May. Derek Chauvin faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Several potential jurors were dismissed Tuesday, including some who said they wouldn’t be able to set aside their strong views about…
(Antioch Police Department via AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The trial for an 18-year-old from Illinois accused of killing two people and wounding a third during a protest against police brutality in Wisconsin has been pushed back by seven months and could be delayed even longer. Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial was scheduled to begin March 29, but both sides told a…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is poised to approve a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. That puts President Joe Biden on the cusp of a triumph that advances Democratic priorities yet also showcases the unity his party will need for future victories. House passage seems certain, probably coming Wednesday. The bill aims to fulfill Democrats’ campaign promises to beat the…
