(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has reversed an appeals court’s rejection of a critical air emissions permit for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine and sent the case back for further proceedings. The court ruled Wednesday that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency was not required under federal law to investigate allegations of “sham permitting.” The…
(USPS) WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service says it has chosen Oshkosh Defense to build its next-generation mail-delivery vehicle. It’s part of an effort to make the USPS more environmentally friendly by switching a portion of its massive fleet to electric vehicles. Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense will assemble 50,000 to 165,000 of the new Next Generation Delivery Vehicles at its…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals has agreed to consider a prosecutors’ request to reinstate a third-degree murder charge against the fired Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death. Jury selection begins March 8 for Derek Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. The appeals court set oral arguments for March 1 on the question…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota’s largest gas utilities are warning about sky-high heating bills because of the historic cold wave in the South and the state’s stretch of subzero weather. At a special meeting by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Tuesday, members were told February heating bills could be $400 more. The additional charge isn’t expected to show up on customers’…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Golf star Tiger Woods was injured Tuesday in a vehicle rollover in Los Angeles County, authorities said. Woods had to be extricated from the vehicle with the “jaws of life” tools, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. Woods was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries. The vehicle sustained major damage, the sheriff’s department…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top developers of U.S. COVID-19 vaccines are set to face questions from Congress about limited supplies of the shots needed to end the pandemic. The pace of vaccinations is picking up nationwide, but demand for the shots continues to outpace limited supplies distributed by the U.S. government. A House panel will question executives from five companies…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin will open four more community vaccination clinics across the state amid a push to inoculate people for the coronavirus in underserved areas. One clinic is already running in Janesville. Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday that new community clinics will be in La Crosse, Racine, and Marathon counties, with the fourth split between Douglas and Barron…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wolf hunters and trappers filled nearly half of their statewide quota during the first 24 hours of the season, wildlife officials said Tuesday. The Department of Natural Resources launched a week-long wolf hunt on Monday. As of Tuesday morning, hunters and trappers had taken 52 wolves, filling nearly 44% of the 119-animal state quota. The central…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is set to hear from former security officials about what went wrong at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. That’s when a violent mob laid siege to the Capitol and interrupted the counting of electoral votes. Three of the four testifying Tuesday resigned under pressure immediately after the attack, including the former head of the Capitol…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — No COVID-19 deaths were reported Monday in Wisconsin, marking the first time since early September that the state has had two such days in a row. The last time Wisconsin went two or more days without a single reported death from the coronavirus was the three-day stretch of Sept. 6 through Sept. 8. The state’s seven-day…
BAYFIELD, Wis. (AP) — The striking ice caves on Lake Superior will not open this season. Officials at northern Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands National Lakeshore say the caves won’t be accessible because of poor ice conditions as well as the coronavirus pandemic. Although it’s been plenty cold the past two weeks, ice coverage on Lake Superior was only about 50 percent…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin wildlife officials have opened an abbreviated wolf season. The hunt got underway Monday across six management zones and is slated to run through Sunday. The kill limit is 200 animals, which means some zones could close early as hunters near the limit. The Trump administration removed wolves from the federal endangered species list in January,…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — While the Minnesota Twins are working out in Florida, the club back in Minneapolis is laying plans to bring twins back to Target Field this season. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the team is hoping to persuade state officials that they can safely host about 10,000 fans, or about 25% of the park’s capacity, for each game….
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a significant defeat for former President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court has declined to step in to halt the turnover of his tax records to a New York state prosecutor. The court’s action Monday is the apparent culmination of a lengthy legal battle that had already reached the high court once before. Trump’s tax records are…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Public school enrollment in Minnesota has dropped by about 17,000 students as families turned to homeschool, private schools, and delaying entry into kindergarten amid the pandemic. The figures from the Minnesota Department of Education represented a 2% drop. Because of the per-pupil formula the state uses to allocate school funding, that aid will drop by about $10,000…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Extreme winter weather is dealing the first major setback to the Biden administration’s planned swift rollout of coronavirus vaccines just as the national vaccination campaign was hitting its stride. The disruptions caused by frigid temperatures, snow, and ice left the White House scrambling to work with states to make up “lost ground.” White House coronavirus adviser Andy…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden is making his first big appearance on the global stage as president Friday. He’ll offer Group of Seven world leaders and others a glimpse into his plans to dramatically reshape U.S. foreign policy even as he deals with a number of international crises coming to a head at the start of his presidency. Biden is…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesotans have now received more than 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine. Updated figures from the administration of Gov. Tim Walz show that more than 728,000 Minnesotans have received at least one dose, including close to 287,000 who’ve completed the two-dose series. The seven-day rolling average of doses administered is now close to 30,000. Minnesota…
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA rover has landed on Mars in an epic quest to bring back rocks that could answer whether life ever existed on the red planet. The space agency says the six-wheeled Perseverance hurtled through the thin, orange atmosphere and settled onto the surface Thursday in the mission’s riskiest maneuver yet. Mars has long been…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin health officials said Thursday they plan to launch a new online COVID-19 vaccine registry next month. People will be able to log into the registry, determine if they’re eligible, and schedule appointments for shots through their local health departments. The registry also will remind people about scheduling for a second dose and help people monitor…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The deadly winter storms that knocked out power for millions in Texas and other states have exceeded the worst-case scenarios of many U.S. utilities. They also fit a pattern of worsening extremes under climate change and demonstrate anew that local, state, and federal officials have failed to do enough to prepare for greater and more dangerous extremes….
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — University of Wisconsin System President Tommy Thompson announced Thursday that he wants 75% of classes to be taught in-person this fall. Thompson said in a column that he’s directed system campuses to ensure students will have what he called “as classic a UW campus experience as possible.” He said the system’s social distancing, masks, and aggressive…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — More than 1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered to more than 740,000 people in Wisconsin, the state Department of Health Services reported Wednesday. Gov. Tony Evers praised the milestone, calling it “exciting news” while also urging people to remain vigilant. “While we’re not there yet, 1 million doses means real progress toward…
(Dave Schwartz/The St. Cloud Times va AP File) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Republican Doug Wardlow is running again for Minnesota attorney general. Wardlow lost the 2018 race to Democrat Keith Ellison by just under 4 percentage points. Wardlow is general counsel for MyPillow. Founder Mike Lindell has spent months spreading misinformation backing former President Donald Trump’s false claims of victory in…
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Rush Limbaugh, the talk radio host who became the voice of American conservatism, has died. His death Wednesday at the age of 70 was announced on his website. With his three-hour weekday radio show broadcast on nearly 600 stations across the U.S., and a massive audience of millions hanging on his every word, Limbaugh’s rants…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Citing progress on the coronavirus vaccination front, Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday announced plans to let more middle and high school students return to the classroom for in-person learning as early as Monday. Elementary schools are already allowed to open with proper safety precautions in place. Under the governor’s updated plan, all middle and high school students…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota is expected to pass a milestone this week by administering its 1 millionth dose of coronavirus vaccine, even though state health officials say severe winter weather in other parts of the country is likely to disrupt supplies. Meanwhile, Gov. Tim Walz plans to lay out a strategy Wednesday afternoon to bring more middle and high school…
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Ice coverage on Lake Superior has increased by nearly 25% over the past week thanks to the long stretch of subfreezing temperatures. The lake was experiencing historically low percentages of ice in January. But that changed Monday when nearly 32% of the lake had ice, a rapid increase from 7% just a week ago, according to…
(AP Photo) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers plans to call on the Republican-controlled Legislature to join him in passing a two-year budget he is presenting as a “bounce back” plan to help the state recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Evers released excerpts from his speech before he was to deliver it in a pre-recorded message to the Legislature…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota is closing in on the milestone of administering 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccines. According to an update from the Minnesota Department of Health on Tuesday, the state’s health care providers had administered a total of 927,384 vaccine doses as of Sunday. That figure covers 686,210 people who’d had at least their first doses as of…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is extending a ban on housing foreclosures to June 30 to help homeowners struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. The moratorium on foreclosures of federally guaranteed mortgages had been set to expire on March 31. On his first day in office, Biden had extended the moratorium from Jan. 31. Census Bureau figures show that almost…
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Canadian officials are enforcing tighter restrictions on nonessential travel across its border, which many northern Minnesota business owners view as a move in the wrong direction. Canada has kept its border closed to nonessential visitors for nearly 11 months because of the coronavirus. New measures to require COVID-19 tests when entering the country are meant to…
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Congress will establish an independent, Sept. 11-style commission to look into the deadly insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol. Pelosi says the commission will “investigate and report on the facts and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex and relating to…
BUFFALO, Minn. (AP) — A moment of silence will be held on Tuesday to mark one week since a Minnesota man walked into a health clinic northwest of Minneapolis and opened fire, killing one staff member and injuring four others. Gregory Ulrich is charged with murder and other counts in connection with the Feb. 9 attack. Allina Health says it…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Board has voted unanimously to conduct a wolf hunt beginning next week with up to 200 animals to be harvested. The vote came even as the state was asking an appeals court to stop the hunt by putting last week’s court order on hold. The state Department of Natural Resources…
MINNEAPOLIS — The National Weather Service says several cities are experiencing record lows amid a winter storm that’s dropping snow and ice in a huge swath of the U.S. The weather station in Hibbing/Chisholm, Minnesota, saw a record low of minus 38 degrees, while Sioux Falls, South Dakota, hit minus 26 degrees. La Crosse, Wisconsin, reached a record low of…
BUFFALO, Minn. (AP) — A moment of silence will be held on Tuesday to mark one week since a Minnesota man walked into a health clinic northwest of Minneapolis and opened fire, killing one staff member and injuring four others. Gregory Ulrich is charged with murder and other counts in connection with the Feb. 9 attack. Allina Health says it…
(Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers will propose more than $329 million in new economic development initiatives as part of his state budget proposal on Tuesday, including a new $100 million venture capital fund to help startups and $200 million to assist small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. Evers released details…
(AP) – The nation’s top public health agency says in-person schooling can be done safely with mask use, social distancing, and other strategies, but vaccination of teachers, while important, is not a prerequisite for reopening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released its long-awaited roadmap for getting students back to classrooms in the middle of a pandemic….
MADISON, Wis. — A staffing shortage at Wisconsin prisons is pushing corrections officers to work long hours, costing taxpayers at least $60 million in overtime pay. Data from the state Department of Corrections shows roughly 15% of corrections officers positions are unfilled at Wisconsin’s prisons. The problem is currently most severe at Waupun Correctional Institution where 40% of jobs are…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday to crack down on rising catalytic converter thefts, which can cost car owners thousands of dollars to fix. The bill by Democratic Sen. John Marty, of Roseville, seeks to disrupt the black market by preventing anyone but licensed scrap metal dealers from buying used catalytic converters. Scrap dealers would be…
(courtesy: Kenosha County Court via AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A judge is refusing prosecutors’ request to issue a new arrest warrant for an 18-year-old from Illinois who’s accused of killing two people and wounding a third during a Wisconsin police brutality protest last summer. Prosecutors in Kenosha County asked Judge Bruce Schroeder to issue a new warrant for Kyle…
JEFFERSON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin judge has ordered the state Department of Natural Resources to start a wolf hunt this month rather than wait until November. The Trump administration removed wolves from the federal endangered species list in January, returning management to the states. Wisconsin law mandates the DNR run a wolf season from November through February. The department…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Nearly 200 Walgreens pharmacies across Wisconsin are expecting to receive coronavirus vaccines directly from the federal government starting this week. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services on Thursday announced the beginning of the program that targets underserved areas. The state health department says the vaccinations will be provided for free under the state and federal partnership….
CABLE, Wis. (AP) – The American Birkebeiner Ski Race in northern Wisconsin will look different this year because of coronavirus safety protocols. Organizers of the event, promoted as North America’s largest and longest cross-country ski race, have stretched it from a single day to five days from Feb. 24-28. Last year about 11,000 skiers participated in the race, which can…
(Antioch Police Department via AP) KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – An Illinois 18-year-old charged with killing two people during street protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last summer faces a judge Thursday with prosecutors asking that he be re-arrested. Prosecutors say Kyle Rittenhouse violated conditions of his $2 million bond by failing to inform the court of his current address. They’ve asked a…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was prepared to plead guilty to third-degree murder in George Floyd’s death before then-Attorney General William Barr personally blocked the plea deal last year. Two law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the talks say the deal would have averted any potential federal charges, including a civil rights offense, as part of…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A man who shot five staff members at a Minnesota health clinic this week shot two of them in the reception area before heading back to where patients are treated and shooting three others, including a medical assistant and mother of two who died of her wounds, authorities say in the criminal charges filed Thursday. Gregory Paul…
WINONA, Minn. (AP) — The Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota says it has reached a $21.5 million settlement with 145 individuals who were sexually abused by its clergy members. It’s the last Catholic diocese in the state to settle its abuse claims, filed in response to a 2013 law that temporarily extended the statute of limitations on abuse cases. The…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court says regulators can apply strict drinking water standards to limit groundwater pollution from North America’s top-producing iron mine. The high court says the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency properly concluded that pollution seeping into groundwater from the Minntac mine has harmed waters covered by federal standards meant to protect drinking water. Reports…
