MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin residents who lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic can get help paying their rent under a new $25 million program Gov. Tony Evers announced Wednesday. Funding for the rental assistance program comes from the federal coronavirus relief bill. Money available under the program can be used to help pay for rent and security deposits….
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday unveiled his plan for spending $1 billion in federal funds to combat COVID-19 in Wisconsin. The money will be used to fund ongoing virus testing efforts, conduct contact tracing, purchase supplies, provide resources, and prepare for a surge. The spending plan comes a day after Evers dropped plans to work with…
(AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File) TORONTO (AP) — Canada and the US have agreed to extend their agreement to keep the border closed to non-essential travel to June 21 during the coronavirus pandemic. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday the border is a source of vulnerability, so the agreement will be extended by another 30 days. The restrictions were announced…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A program in Wisconsin designed to help small companies retain workers during slow business periods has taken off after changes were made in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic to allow more employees to qualify. Since mid-March, more than 14,000 workers have signed up to receive partial unemployment benefits funded by the federal government under the Work-Share program,…
(Brian Peterson/Star Tribune via AP) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge blocked a Minnesota tavern owner from reopening his chain of six establishments Monday in violation of a state order that bars and restaurants must remain closed to sit-down customers for now to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Stearns County Judge William Cashman issued the temporary restraining order at the…
(AP Photo/Steve Karnowski) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers were unable to break an impasse over a major public construction borrowing package as the legislative session ground to a halt ahead of Monday’s adjournment. The bonding bill and other issues that could not be resolved by Sunday night could be addressed in a special session in June when legislators…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota’s attorney general is suing the owner of a chain of bars and restaurants who plans to open this week in violation of a state order to remain closed to on-site customers to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The lawsuit from Attorney General Keith Ellison Sunday was met with criticism from House Republicans who…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A $2 billion bonding measure failed in the DFL-controlled Minnesota House after Republicans said the bill was too massive to pass while the state is dealing with money woes due to the coronavirus. The long-mired public construction borrowing bill needed to meet a three-fifths margin required to pass bonding legislation that authorizes long-term debt. Saturday’s…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota health officials say the death toll due to the coronavirus has reached 700, after 17 new cases were confirmed. The report released Saturday showed 740 new cases of COVID-19, putting the total at 14,969. The figure includes 63 new positive tests involving health care workers, increasing the total to 1,765. There were mixed results in the…
(Evan Frost/Minnesota Public Radio via AP) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tom Walz used his first appointment to the Minnesota Supreme Court on Friday to elevate Gordon Moore, a district judge from southwestern Minnesota, to replace the retiring Associate Justice David Lillehaug. Moore, 57, currently serves in Worthington, which is in Nobles County and where he has lived for about 25…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Former state Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling resigned from the Legislature on Friday, hinting that she has an employment opportunity that conflicts with state government work. Shilling, a Democrat, sent Senate President Roger Roth a letter Friday morning saying she would resign at the end of the day. Shilling announced in early April she wouldn’t seek…
BALTIMORE (AP) — U.S. retail sales tumbled by a record 16.4% from March to April as business shutdowns caused by the coronavirus kept shoppers away, threatened the viability of stores across the country and further weighed down a sinking economy. The Commerce Department’s report Friday on retail purchases showed a sector that has collapsed so quickly that sales over the…
(William Glasheen/The Post-Crescent via AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers warned Thursday of “massive confusion” after the state Supreme Court tossed out the Democrat’s stay-at-home order and Republicans said they may leave it up to local governments to enact their own rules for combating the coronavirus pandemic. The court’s order threw communities into chaos, with some bars…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A group of Minnesota seniors is joining their counterparts in at least four other states by legally challenging their state’s absentee voting rules amid the coronavirus outbreak. A lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund in Ramsey County District Court seeks to stop the state from requiring a witness signature on…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz plans to describe the next steps in Minnesota’s fight against COVID-19 Wednesday evening after health officials released updated modeling — couched in caveats — that shows the potential effects of various scenarios he could choose. The Democratic governor is expected to extend his emergency declaration, which expires Wednesday. He may also discuss the future…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Gov. Tony Evers’ coronavirus stay-at-home order Wednesday, ruling that his administration overstepped its authority when it extended the mandate for another month without consulting legislators. The 4-3 ruling essentially reopens the state, lifting caps on the size of gatherings, allowing people to travel as they please and allowing shuttered businesses…
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak) (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) WASHINGTON (AP) — America faces the “darkest winter in modern history” unless leaders act decisively to prevent a rebound of the coronavirus, says a government whistleblower who alleges he was ousted from his job for warning the Trump administration to prepare for the pandemic. Immunologist Dr. Rick Bright makes his sobering prediction in testimony…
(courtesy: Fox 9) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A divided Minnesota Supreme Court said Wednesday that the state Department of Natural Resources has the authority to change the name of a popular lake back to its original Dakota name. The state Court of Appeals ruled in April that the agency overstepped its authority in January 2018 when it changed the…
(courtesy: Fox 9) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz has signed six bills into law as the regular session of the Minnesota Legislature winds down toward its adjournment date Monday. One of the bills he signed Tuesday extended a state COVID-19 relief fund that expired this week. Another allows the state to tap $17 million in federal election…
(Scott Takushi/Pioneer Press via AP, Pool) ST. PAUL, Minn. – Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday morning that he will give an update to Minnesotan’s about the state’s response to COVID-19 during a live address at 6:00 p.m. Walz is expected to extend his peacetime state of emergency order until June 12. The governor has used his emergency powers to order…
(Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP, Pool) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Unless the divided Minnesota Legislature agrees on something different, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and his agency heads will have complete authority to decide how to spend Minnesota’s nearly $2 billion shares of coronavirus aid under the federal CARES Act, Democratic leaders said Tuesday. A bill by Sen. Julie Rosen, of Vernon…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, says states that ignore the national guidelines for reopening the economy run the risk of spikes in coronavirus cases that may turn into new outbreaks. “The consequences could be really serious,” Fauci tells the Senate Health, Labor and Pensions committee. Problems will escalate if states do not have the…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Tuesday’s special election will help measure the enthusiasm of Republicans in a deeply conservative part of Wisconsin just over a month after a liberal-backed Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate won a statewide race over a Trump-backed candidate. The winner in Wisconsin’s deeply conservative 7th District will replace Republican Sean Duffy who held the seat since 2011 and…
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers on Monday allowed nearly all nonessential retail stores to reopen as long as they serve no more than five customers at a time, partially lifting the restriction that has kept them closed for weeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The latest order, which took effect immediately,…
NEW YORK (AP) — Comedian Jerry Stiller has died at 92. His son Ben Stiller said the actor died of natural causes in a tweet posted early Monday. I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years….
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Nearly 60% of school districts in Wisconsin have asked the state Department of Public Instruction to waive its requirement on a set number of instructional hours due to the coronavirus. The department has received waiver requests from 248 of the state’s 421 school districts. COVID-19 canceled in-person classes beginning March 18 for the remainder of the…
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — When the Kalispel Tribe of Indians closed its casino as the coronavirus took hold in Washington state, it essentially shut down its economy. That difficult choice has played out nationwide as some 500 Native American casinos have voluntarily closed during the pandemic, often taking away tribes’ main source of income in an effort to protect people’s…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota House has approved legislation that raises the age for residents to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21. Lawmakers voted 89-41 Saturday in favor of the measure known as Tobacco 21. It became federal law last December, but promoters of the state bill say it is needed for compliance and enforcement. Democratic Rep. Heath…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — More than 70 people who tested positive for the coronavirus since an April 24 rally at the Wisconsin state Capitol indicated they had attended a large gathering, but the state Department of Health Services cant’ say if they were at the rally because it is not tracking specific events. Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Goodsitt said Friday that…
MADISON, WI (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Corrections says it’s released nearly 1,600 inmates since March to help reduce the possibility of spreading the coronavirus. Corrections spokeswoman Anna Neal says most of the inmates released since March 2 had been detained because they violated terms of their probation, parole or extended supervision. The State Journal reports the inmates were…
(Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP, Pool) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz outlined a “battle plan” Thursday to keep Minnesota long-term care residents and workers safe against COVID-19, which so far has claimed the lives of more than 400 residents of nursing homes or assisted-living facilities in the state. Walz told reporters that the state is “prepared to go very…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The company that operates the largest coal-fired power plant in North Dakota announced Thursday it will close the factory and replace most of its energy with new wind farms in Minnesota. Maple Grove, Minnesota-based Great River Energy said its Coal Creek Station near Underwood in west-central North Dakota will be shuttered in the second half of…
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Trump administration shelved a document created by the nation’s top disease investigators with step-by-step advice to local authorities on how and when to reopen restaurants and other public places during the still-raging coronavirus outbreak. The 17-page report by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team, titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans in more rural parts of Wisconsin joined with business owners to push for a regional reopening plan Thursday to give the economy a boost, as the Department of Workforce Development warned that the state fund that pays unemployment claims could run out of money in five months. Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said he worried…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross directed campuses Thursday to quickly identify signature programs to retain and brace for layoffs as the coronavirus pandemic deepens the system’s financial losses. Cross said he wants campuses to evaluate their programs by January with an eye toward the cost, whether they are duplicated at another campus and student…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesotans should fish close to home to help curb the coronavirus pandemic when the walleye season opens this weekend, avoiding overnight stays and driving no further than they can go on one tank of gas, Department of Natural Resources officials said Wednesday. A surge in fishing license sales indicates that many Minnesotans are getting antsy under the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 3.2 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the business shutdowns caused by the viral outbreak deepened the worst U.S. economic catastrophe in decades. Roughly 33.5 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the seven weeks since the coronavirus began forcing millions of companies to close their doors and slash their…
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Eagan’s mayor is finally talking about his decision to drink and drive. At the end of a virtual City Council meeting Tuesday, Mayor Mike Maguire said he had pleaded guilty to driving while impaired earlier in the day and was “accepting, without objection, the consequences” of his mistake. Maguire said he had been drinking while watching…
MADISON, Wis.-The University of Wisconsin System regents are set to vote this week on whether to scrap requirements that students submit ACT or SAT scores as part of their admission applications. The regents are set to meet Thursday to consider lifting the requirement at all institutions except UW-Madison for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years. System officials wrote in a…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Conservative justices who control the Wisconsin Supreme Court raised doubts Tuesday about whether Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ stay-at-home order is legal, asserting that the Legislature never intended to give the executive branch so much power. Justice Rebecca Bradley suggested during oral arguments over the order that state Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm’s decision to…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) —Sixteen and 17-year-olds in Wisconsin would not have to take a road test in order to receive their driver’s license under a new pilot program announced by the state Department of Transportation on Tuesday. Also, drivers age 64 and under will be given the option to renew their driver’s license online. The changes take effect Monday and…
MINNEAPOLIS-The financial cost of the coronavirus outbreak in Minnesota is front and center Tuesday as state budget officials update the impact the pandemic has had recently on state revenue projections. Gov. Tim Walz meanwhile, was expected to ease the financial burden on health care providers by allowing them to resume elective surgeries and procedures. A temporary ban on those procedures…
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A woman, her adult son and husband have been charged in the fatal shooting of a security guard who refused to let her daughter enter a Family Dollar in Michigan because she wasn’t wearing a face mask to protect against transmission of the coronavirus. Calvin Munerlyn was shot Friday at the store just north of downtown…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The number of Minnesotans hospitalized in intensive care with COVID-19 has jumped for three straight days to the highest levels yet, health officials said Monday. The Minnesota Department of Health reported 166 patients in intensive care units as of Monday, up 11 from a one-day high of 155 set Sunday and a high of 135 set Saturday….
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers was scheduled to meet late Monday afternoon with both Republican and Democratic legislative leaders to discuss the next steps in Wisconsin’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The meeting comes the day before the Wisconsin Supreme Court was scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case brought by the Republican legislative leaders seeking to block Evers’…
TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an immediate ban Friday on the sale and use of assault-style weapons in Canada, two weeks after a gunman killed 22 people in Nova Scotia. “Canadians need more than thoughts and prayers,” he said, rejecting the reaction of many politicians after mass shootings. Trudeau cited numerous mass shootings in the country, including…
(Gilead Sciences via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of an experimental drug that appears to help some coronavirus patients recover faster. It is the first drug shown to help fight COVID-19, which has killed more than 230,000 people worldwide. The FDA said in a statement that Gilead Science’s intravenous drug would be specifically indicated…
OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) — An event that draws hundreds of thousands of people from all around the globe is the latest event to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual fly-in and convention say the uncertainty of COVID-19 has forced them to cancel the July 20-26 event. Approximately 642,000 people attended the convention…
MOOSE LAKE, Minn. (AP) — A judge has ordered the Minnesota Department of Corrections to show that it is protecting inmates at the Moose Lake prison from COVID-19. The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a lawsuit in April alleging the Corrections Department and the Moose Lake prison have failed to implement sufficient measures to slow or stop the spread of the…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A suburban Minneapolis nursing home said 47 residents have died from complications of COVID-19, the most at any long-term care facility in Minnesota. St. Therese of New Hope also said Wednesday that 130 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus, while 65 staff members have shown symptoms or been exposed. A veterans home in Massachusetts where 70…
