MILWAUKEE (AP) — The coronavirus has delivered a severe blow to Wisconsin dairy farmers who rely on selling milk to restaurants, schools and the hospitality industry. About one-third of Wisconsin dairy products, mainly cheese, are sold in the foodservice trade, the Journal Sentinel reported. Farmers say the coronavirus outbreak has caused milk prices to drop to unprofitable levels this spring, at…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota reported four new deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the state’s death toll from the new coronavirus to nine. State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said three of the new deaths were among people who lived in long-term care facilities in Hennepin County. The fourth death was in Martin County, in southern Minnesota, but was…
Strong storms that brought tornadoes, high winds, hail and rain to parts of the Midwest and South caused extensive damage in some areas but no deaths, officials said Sunday. Tornadoes were spotted in Arkansas, Illinois and Iowa as thunderstorms swept through the area Saturday. High winds and a possible tornado were also reported in Indiana. The National Weather Service said…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Department of Health on Saturday confirmed the state’s fifth death from the coronavirus. The recent health department report shows that COVID-19 cases have increased to 441, up 43 from Friday, with 30 patients hospitalized. The state has conducted 16,129 tests. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is under a 14-day quarantine and is working from the…
WASHINGTON-President Donald Trump has signed an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic rescue package into law, after swift and near-unanimous action by Congress this week. The package will support businesses, rush resources to overburdened health care providers and help struggling families during the deepening coronavirus epidemic. As he signed the bill Friday, Trump declared it “will deliver urgently needed relief.” He thanked…
(House Television via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has approved a $2.2 trillion rescue package, rushing it to President Donald Trump for his signature. The measure tosses a life preserver to a U.S. economy and health care system left flailing by the coronavirus pandemic. The House approved the sweeping measure by a voice vote, as strong majorities of both…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Two inmates in the Dane County Jail in Madison have tested positive for COVID-19 and results are pending on another six inmates who are in isolation. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday night that all of the inmates were tested after they had fevers. The sheriff’s office said nine more inmates who had contact with some…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s husband has been released from a hospital where he was being treated for low oxygen and pneumonia as a result of the coronavirus, the senator said Thursday. Klobuchar, a former Democratic presidential candidate, said in a statement that her husband, John Bessler, “took a good turn, was just released and is now recovering at…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin health officials report another jump in the number of positive COVID-19 tests. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services on Thursday reported 707 positive cases of the coronavirus. That’s more than 120 cases since Wednesday, when 585 positive tests were reported. The number of deaths in Wisconsin caused by COVID-19 stands at eight. Milwaukee County has the…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Legislature was poised Thursday to pass a $330 million financial aid package to help soften the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic that has sickened more than 300 people and claimed two lives in the state. The Minnesota Department of Health said Thursday that the state’s second COVID-19 death was a patient from Ramsey County…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers has decided to close the state Capitol building in Madison as the coronavirus crisis deepens in Wisconsin. The Department of Administration closed the building at 8 a.m. Thursday morning. The building will remain closed indefinitely, although DOA officials said they would reopen it if the state Legislature or the state Supreme Court decides to…
WASHINGTON (Fox Business) – The number of Americans filing for unemployment surged to 3.28 million last week, shattering a decades-old record in jobless claims as the coronavirus pandemic forced businesses around the country to shutter their doors. The number eclipsed the previous record of 695,000 set in 1982 and is well above the levels seen in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, the Labor…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner says another person has died of coronavirus complications. That brings the number of COVID-19-related deaths in Wisconsin to eight. The latest victim is a 57-year-old woman from West Allis who died shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday at Froedtert Hospital, according to the medical examiner’s office. She had been hospitalized since March 19….
(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to hear PolyMet Mining Inc.’s appeal of a ruling that canceled three permits needed for its proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. In January, the Minnesota Court of Appeals gave environmentalists a major victory by rejecting some of the most important permits for the planned…
(Senate Television via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed an unparalleled $2.2 trillion economic rescue package steering aid to businesses, workers and health care systems engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic. The unanimous vote Wednesday came despite misgivings on both sides about whether it goes too far or not far enough and capped days of difficult negotiations as Washington confronted…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns says his mother is hospitalized and in a medically-induced coma after contracting the new coronavirus. Towns talked about his mother’s condition Wednesday on his Instagram page and urged his followers to take COVID-19 seriously and practice social distancing. Towns says both his parents went to the hospital recently and were tested for…
(AP Photo/Steve Karnowski) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota lawmakers are preparing to return to the Capitol to beef up the state’s fight against COVID-19 and help residents cope with the economic disruptions. House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka notified legislators late Tuesday they will reconvene Thursday. The House meets at noon while the Senate gathers at 2…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and Senate leaders of both parties announced an agreement early Wednesday on an unprecedented $2 trillion emergency bill to rush sweeping aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. Top White House aide Eric Ueland announced the agreement in a Capitol hallway shortly after midnight early Wednesday, capping…
TOKYO (AP) — The Tokyo Olympics were postponed until 2021 on Tuesday, ending weeks of speculation that the games could not go ahead as scheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The International Olympic Committee made the decision after speaking with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and local organizers. The IOC said the games will be held “no later than summer…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he wants to reopen the country for business in weeks, not months, and he claimed, without evidence, that continued closures could result in more deaths than the coronavirus pandemic. “We can’t have the cure be worse than the problem,” Trump told reporters at a press briefing, echoing a midnight Sunday tweet….
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) WASHINGTON (AP) — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was tested a week ago for the novel coronavirus, but continued working at the Capitol because he “felt that it was highly unlikely” he was sick since he had no symptoms of the illness, he said Monday. Paul also said he did not have direct contact with anyone…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals sent an air-emissions permit for the PolyMet copper-nickel mine back to state regulators for further review on Monday, giving another victory to environmental groups who oppose the project. The appeals court found that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency did not adequately evaluate whether the air permit requested by PolyMet was…
WASHINGTON — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar says husband John Bessler has tested positive for the coronavirus. The former presidential candidate said Bessler began feeling sick when she was in Minnesota and he was in Washington. She said he immediately quarantined himself. She said he sought a test and chest X-ray after he began coughing up blood, and was checked into…
(AP Photo/Andy Manis, File) MADISON, Wis.-Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is ordering the closure of all non-essential businesses starting Tuesday, and urging people to stay at home to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus that has killed four people in the state and infected at least nearly 400. Evers tweeted Monday that he would be signing the order on Tuesday….
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota’s number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus rose to 169 on Sunday, up 32 from a day earlier. The state has had one death, a Ramsey County resident in their 80s who died Thursday. That person came in contact with an infected family member who had a history of international travel, said Kris Ehresmann,…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first death due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Officials say a Ramsey County resident in their 80s died on Thursday. Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm said the death underscores the importance of protecting the most vulnerable residents in the state, especially those over 65…
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file) MADISON, Wis. – In a continued effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 Gov. Tony Evers has ordered the closure of more businesses. On Friday, Evers ordered all nail and hair salons, barbers, spas, tanning and tattoo parlors to be closed as of 5:00 p.m. Friday. Evers and state health officials said all of the…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz said Friday that he might have to follow California’s lead at some point and order residents to shelter in place to try to slow the spread of COVID-19. “I certainly think it is a possibility,” Walz said in an interview on WCCO Radio on Friday morning, adding that outside experts and…
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner says it was investigating the death of a 66-year-old man who died from complications of a COVID-19 infection. The medical examiner said the Milwaukee man had been hospitalized for several days prior to his death. MCMEO investigating the death of a 66 year old male from complications of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. Decedent…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the Trump administration has decided to push the income tax filing date to July 15 from April 15. Mnuchin announced the decision in a tweet Friday saying that at President Donald Trump’s direction “we are moving Tax Day from April 15 to July 15. All taxpayers and businesses will have this additional…
MADISON, Wis. – Two Wisconsin residents have died from the coronavirus pandemic, the first to be reported in the state. Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday that a man in his 50s from Fond du Lac County and a man in his 90s from Ozaukee County had died. No other details about their circumstances were reported. “Our hearts go out to…
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wisconsin-based retailer Kohl’s Corp. is closing all of its more than 1,100 stores nationwide in response to declining sales tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Kohl’s said the stores will be closed at least until April 1. The company planned to “support store associates with two calendar weeks of pay,” said Michelle Gass, Kohl’s chief executive officer in a…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health care providers must postpone elective surgeries and other medical procedures so they can focus their resources on responding to the anticipated surge of COVID-19 cases, Gov. Tim Walz ordered Thursday. The order, which also applies to non-emergency dental procedures, followed guidance issued by the federal government this week to delay elective procedures to conserve resources…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota rose to 89 on Thursday, up 12 from the day before. The new cases include one in Wadena County in north-central Minnesota. It’s the state’s first confirmed case so far north. The count of confirmed cases from the Minnesota Department of Health is lower than the total number of…
(AP/Fox 9) – Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday the White House is working to send $1,000 checks to most adult Americans within three weeks to offset the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced life in the U.S. to come to a grinding halt. “We’re going to get out of this quickly,” Mnuchin told FOX Business’, Maria Bartiromo. The cash…
NEW YORK-Stocks fell 7% on Wall Street and triggered another temporary halt to trading as fears spread that the coronavirus is causing a global recession. The Dow has lost all its gains since President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The price of crude oil dropped more than 15% as traders anticipate a sharp pullback in demand for energy. Even prices for longer-term…
(Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota saw a sharp jump in applications for unemployment insurance after Gov. Tim Walz ordered restaurants, bars, theaters, fitness clubs and other places of public amusement closed to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Department of Employment and Economic Development took more than 2,000 applications per hour Tuesday, compared with about 40…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers was expected to issue an executive order Wednesday to speed up unemployment benefits for workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as he meets with legislative leaders to discuss a more far-reaching emergency plan to help all of those struggling due to the outbreak. The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered schools, colleges, universities, bars, restaurants…
TORONTO (AP) — The U.S. and Canada have agreed to temporarily close their shared border to nonessential travel, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday as the two nations work to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump made the announcement on Twitter, saying the decision would not affect the flow of trade between the countries. “We will be, by mutual…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a challenge by environmental groups against the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, saying the Interior Department had the authority to reverse itself and renew the project’s federal mineral rights leases. The Obama administration rejected the company’s application to renew its leases, citing the risk of acid mine drainage…
(AP Photo/Andy Manis, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has ordered a statewide ban on all gatherings of more than 10 people as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, and closed all bars and restaurants, except for delivery and pickup orders. He announced the new limits in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Evers also…
(AP) – Tom Brady is poised to leave the New England Patriots. Brady posted on social media “my football journey will take place elsewhere.” LOVE YOU PATS NATION pic.twitter.com/lxSQZmnjPL — Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 17, 2020 The comments by the 42-year-old quarterback were the first to indicate he would leave the franchise he’s led to six Super Bowl titles and…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A growing number of governors across the U.S. are ordering the temporary closure of certain businesses such as dine-in restaurants, fitness centers, and movie theaters because of concerns over the coronavirus. Other governors on Monday were still leaving those decisions to local officials or the businesses themselves. That’s created a patchwork of precautions nationwide in…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minneapolis ordered bars and restaurants to close as the number of coronavirus cases in Minnesota spiked to 54 on Monday and the Legislature sharply scaled back its operations. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey declared a local public health emergency, ordering the closure of or limiting access to bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and coffee shops effective at noon…
(courtesy: WI DHS) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is ordering an indefinite ban on all gatherings of more than 50 people to slow the spread of COVID-19. State health officials said Monday for the first time there was likely community spread of the virus among people who had not traveled to high-risk areas. The number of cases…
NEW YORK (AP) – The Dow industrials took a 2,999-point nosedive on Monday as fears deepen that the coronavirus outbreak will throw the global economy into recession. Even for a market beset by volatility in recent weeks, the losses were staggering. The 12.9% drop in the Dow was its worst since 1987. The losses accelerated in the last hour of…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House on Monday urged all older Americans to stay home and everyone to avoid crowds and eating out at restaurants as part of sweeping guidelines meant to combat an expected surge of coronavirus cases. President Donald Trump and the coronavirus task force released the guidelines as the U.S. government moved to try to blunt the…
NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball has pushed back an opening day until mid-May at the earliest because of the coronavirus. The move came Monday after the federal government recommended restricting events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement following a conference call with executives of the 30 teams….
TORONTO-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is closing his country’s borders to anyone not a citizen or a permanent resident amid the coronavirus pandemic. Trudeau announced the move Monday outside his residence, where is self isolating after his wife tested positive for the new coronavirus. He also asked Canadians to say home as much as possible amid the pandemic….
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The State Public Defender’s Office is pushing for the release of jail inmates across Minnesota to protect them from the spread of the coronavirus. Chief Public Defender Bill Ward sent an email to staffers Sunday asking them to get on board and demand that their clients be released. Ward calls the jails a “petri dish” of…
