TAYLORS FALLS, Minn. (AP) – Sheriff’s officials say a teenager was found unresponsive after falling off a 30-foot cliff at a state park north of the Twin Cities. The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office says deputies navigated the “extreme terrain” to reach 19-year-old Luke Zajac from Marine on St. Croix at Interstate State Park in Taylors Falls Sunday afternoon. Deputies used…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A woman who had worked as a probation officer is accused of luring a real estate agent to a Minnesota house before the agent was kidnapped and killed on New Year’s Eve, prosecutors alleged Friday. Elsa Segura, 28, of Fridley, was charged Friday in Hennepin County court with one count of kidnapping. Segura is accused of luring…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Legal challenges to the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine enter a new phase this week. A Minnesota judge will open a fact-finding hearing Tuesday into allegations that state regulators improperly tried to suppress serious concerns by federal regulators about the project’s risks. The judge will then prepare findings that the Minnesota Court of Appeals…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – State regulators have approved plans for a $700 million power plant in far northwestern Wisconsin. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the state Public Service Commission voted 2-1 on Thursday to approve a permit for Dairyland Power Cooperative to build the plant in Superior. The Nemadji Trail Energy Center will produce 625 megawatts of power using…
OSHKOSH, Wis. – A Wisconsin teenager shot and wounded during an attack on a school resource officer has been ordered to stand trial. Seventeen-year-old Grant Fuhrman is charged as an adult with attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the Dec. 3 attack at Oshkosh West High School. Resource Officer Mike Wissink was stabbed multiple times with a barbecue fork and fired…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota voters became some of the first in the country to cast ballots in the presidential primaries as polls opened for the state’s Super Tuesday contest. Eligible voters can now vote at county courthouses across the state, and early voting stations in some cities and they can also request absentee ballots for the March 3 primary. But…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Chief justice of the United States has arrived at the U.S. Senate to preside over President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. He will be swearing in the senators with an oath to ensure “impartial justice” as jurors for only the third such proceeding in U.S. history. Earlier, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, stood…
BEMIDJI, Minn. – The parents of two students are suing the Bemidji school district, alleging it was negligent in allowing a former assistant principal to sexually exploit their children. Brandon Bjerknes, who was arrested in 2017, is serving a federal prison sentence for producing child pornography and coercing minors into sexual contact. A lawsuit by the parents of two of…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – PolyMet Mining Inc. will ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that canceled three permits needed for its proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. PolyMet President and CEO Jon Cherry says Monday’s decision from the Court of Appeals has far-reaching impacts for Minnesota and any future project that depends on state permits. The…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Copper-nickel mining would be permanently banned upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness under a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum. The Minnesota Democrat said at a news conference in Washington that the bill would protect over 234,000 acres within the Superior National Forest outside the Boundary Waters from copper-nickel mining. The land includes the…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has voted to send two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate. Delivery is set for a dramatic late-afternoon procession across the U.S. Capitol for only the third such trial in American history. Trump complained anew of a “hoax,” even as new details emerged about his political efforts in Ukraine. The move…
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The U-S Army Corps of Engineers says the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan are now closed to navigation until March 25th. The Corps uses this downtime for critical maintenance of the lock structures. The last vessel through the locks early Wednesday morning was the Burns Harbor, a thousand footer that is on its…
DULUTH, Minn. – A new childcare facility plans to open this spring in downtown Duluth. According to a recent press release, Mesabi Preschool Academy plans to open a second facility in the Wieland Building located at 26 East Superior Street in May. Mesabi Preschool Academy is currently located in Proctor and provides childcare to 70 children ages two through fifth…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A judge has ruled that Wisconsin’s education department is illegally treating private choice schools differently to public schools by not allowing them to count online classes toward instructional time. The ruling on Tuesday from Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren is a win for School Choice Wisconsin Action. The group includes private schools in the state’s…
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced the House prosecutors for the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. They include Democrats Adam Schiff of California and Jerrold Nadler of New York, who led the House impeachment probe. Pelosi made the announcement Wednesday morning, hours before the House was expected to vote to send the articles of impeachment…
MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) – Authorities are warning motorists about a phony law enforcement officer who is stopping drivers in northwestern Minnesota. At least two incidents have been reported, in Clay and Becker counties. One driver reported being stopped in Hitterdal by a man who asked to see a driver’s license and then told the driver to slow down. A similar…
(Michael Sears/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin appeals court on Tuesday put on hold an order to immediately remove up to 209,000 names from the state’s voter registration rolls. The appeals court sided with the bipartisan state elections commission in putting the brakes on removing any voters while the court fight continues. It also put on…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Some supporters of President Donald Trump lined up starting Monday night to make sure they would have a spot inside the Milwaukee arena where he hosts a rally Tuesday evening. Trump is making his first 2020 appearance in a state that’s a critical battleground in the race. He’s also counter-programming the Democratic presidential hopefuls’ debate in neighboring…
SANDRINGHAM, England (AP) – Queen Elizabeth II has agreed to grant Prince Harry and his wife Meghan their wish for a more independent life, allowing them to move part-time to Canada while remaining firmly in the House of Windsor. The British monarch said in a statement Monday that the summit of senior royals on Monday was “constructive,” and that it…
(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File) HOUSTON (AP) – Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow have been fired after the pair were suspended by Major League Baseball for the team’s sign-stealing during the Astros’ run to the 2017 World Series title and during the 2018 season. Commissioner Rob Manfred strongly hinted that current Boston manager Alex Cora – the…
PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin judge on Monday ordered the state’s elections commission to immediately begin removing up to 209,000 names from the state’s voter rolls or face hundreds of dollars in fines for each day they don’t do so. Judge Paul Malloy said in his ruling that “time is of the essence in this case” and cannot…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Court of Appeals has rejected some of the most important permits for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota in a major victory for environmentalists. The court ruled Monday the state Department of Natural Resources erred when it declined to order a trial-like proceeding known as a “contested…
(courtesy: Fox 9) MENOMONIE, Wis. (AP) – Officials say a train derailment in western Wisconsin has closed roads in the area. The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office says the Union Pacific train was traveling east of the village of Knapp when some cars jumped the track Sunday. No one was hurt and no hazardous materials spilled. The Menomonie Fire Department says…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Community activists believe there are thousands of former prisoners across Wisconsin who have the right to vote but don’t know it. They say those people could be a factor next year in a state known for deciding elections by the narrowest of margins. So a statewide group of former prisoners is fanning out across Wisconsin in an…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Board of Animal Health says investigators have traced a deer on a Douglas County farm that was infected with the chronic wasting disease to a farm in Pine County that supplied the animal. The board says a doe on the Pine County farm that tested positive has been put down and the eight…
(Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota should borrow $300 million to replace aging infrastructure and upgrade treatment facilities to protect its water supplies, Gov. Tim Walz proposed Friday as he announced the second of four installments of his public works borrowing package for the 2020 session. Walz told reporters the water quality package in his…
TWO HARBORS, Minn. (AP) – A large resort on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior has been sold for $15 million. The sale of Superior Shores Resort near Two Harbors to North Shore Resort Company continues a trend of major hospitality transactions along with the popular vacation destination. North Shore Resorts is a family-owned company led by Bryce Campbell and…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The number of flu deaths in Minnesota this season has double, health officials said Thursday. According to the Minnesota Department of Health’s weekly influenza report, as of last week, 16 people have died of flu so far this season. That’s double the total of eight deaths that had been reported by the previous week. But…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration on Friday announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran following this week’s missile strikes by the Islamic Republic on U.S. bases in Iraq. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new sanctions will target eight senior Iranian officials involved in “destabilizing” activities in the Middle…
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. (AP) – Police say a homeowner has died in a house fire in Maple Grove. Authorities say flames were shooting out of the house when firefighters arrived about 7 p.m. Thursday. Officials say the fire was too intense for firefighters to enter the house. They later found the victim dead inside. She was a woman in her…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Reigniting a constitutional debate over war powers, the Democratic-controlled House has approved a resolution asserting that President Donald Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. The war powers resolution is not binding on Trump and would not require his signature. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nonetheless insists it “has real…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Supreme Court has rejected a Republican candidate’s attempt to join President Donald Trump on the state’s primary election ballot. The Republican Party of Minnesota is listing only Trump on its ballot. That drew a lawsuit from Lake Elmo voter James Martin and Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente, a businessman and frequent candidate who’s challenging Trump…
BEMIDJI, Minn. (AP) — A northern Minnesota county on Tuesday night banned the resettlement of refugees within its boundaries, becoming the first in the state and the second in the nation to do so. By a 3-2 vote, the Beltrami County board of commissioners voted to deny consent to refugee resettlement. The move is allowed by local governments under an…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz has proposed that the state borrow $276 million to invest in safe and affordable housing projects across Minnesota. He made the announcement Thursday at a new apartment building in south Minneapolis that was financed with state bonds. It was the first of four presentations that the Democratic governor has planned over…
WASHINGTON (AP)-Two U.S. officials say it was “highly likely” that an Iranian anti-aircraft missile downed a Ukrainian jetliner late Tuesday, killing all 176 people on board. President Donald Trump is suggesting he believes Iran was responsible. He is dismissing Iranian claims that it was a mechanical issue that brought down the plane. The officials, citing U.S. intelligence, spoke on the…
MILWAUKEE – A legal battle has developed over the division of the multimillion-dollar estate of a man who died after guards at the Milwaukee County Jail deprived him of water. Seven people have come forward as children of Terrill Thomas. Milwaukee County and the company that provided health care services to the jail, Armor Correctional Health Services, paid $6.7 million…
LONDON (AP) – Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, say they plan “to step back” as senior members of the royal family and will “work to become financially independent.” A message from the couple issued Wednesday by Buckingham Palace said they intend to “balance” their time between the U.K. and North America while carving out “a progressive new role…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says CenturyLink has agreed to pay nearly $9 million to settle allegations the company overbilled Minnesota customers. Ellison says the settlement requires CenturyLink to pay more than $844,000 in refunds to more than 12,000 Minnesota customers who were promised a discount they did not receive. The settlement also requires the…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A bipartisan water pollution task force has released its recommendations to reduce contamination after a year’s worth of work. The task force released 13 bills Wednesday that calls for creating a new water policy office, increasing state funding for county conservation workers and increasing grants for well reconstruction or replacements. The bills also would create grants…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota health officials say the death of an infant has been linked to whooping cough. The Department of Health said Wednesday the baby died in November after being hospitalized for three months. The last pediatric death related to pertussis, or whooping cough, was in 2013. The department’s preliminary data shows that in 2019 there were…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Two prominent leaders have proposed an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution aimed at closing the state’s dismal academic achievement gap. The proposal comes from Alan Page, a former Minnesota Supreme Court justice, and Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. They told the Star Tribune they want to change the state’s Constitution to guarantee…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says President Donald Trump plans to address the nation at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Trump faces one of the greatest tests of his presidency now that Iran has launched ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. It was Iran’s most brazen assault on America since the 1979 seizing of the U.S. Embassy in…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A new report shows that state and local taxes ate up a smaller percentage of Wisconsin residents’ income for the eighth straight year. The Wisconsin Policy Forum released data Wednesday that shows residents paid 10.3% of their income in state and local taxes in 2019, down from 10.4% in 2018. The share of income consumed by…
UPDATE: Pentagon: ‘More than a dozen’ ballistic missiles fired from Iran at two U.S. bases in Iraq. ______________ TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran says it has launched “tens” of surface-to-surface missiles at Iraq’s Ain Assad air base housing U.S. troops over America’s killing of a top Iranian general. State TV described it early Wednesday as Tehran’s revenge operation over the…
(courtesy: Fox 9) WASECA, Minn. (AP) — A police officer in southern Minnesota was gravely injured when he was shot in the head while responding to a report of a suspicious person, officials said (AP Photo/Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) Tuesday. Officer Arik Matson, 32, was shot at about 8 p.m. Monday in Waseca, and was taken by air to…
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Pier 1 Imports is closing nearly half its 942 stores as it struggles to draw consumers and compete online. The home decor company said Monday it is closing up to 450 stores and will also shutter distribution centers. It didn’t say where the store closures would occur, but it operates stores in the U.S. and…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature is asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to prevent the purging of up to 209,000 registered voters in the battleground state. The Legislature’s attorneys on Monday asked the court to at least put the lawsuit on hold while a separate case seeking to remove the voters works its…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Milwaukee police say a driver shot and wounded two children who threw snowballs at a car. Police say the shooting happened Saturday night. Officers who responded to a shooting report found the injured children and gave them first aid until they were taken to a hospital. The children are a 13-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. Police…
ROSEAU, Minn. (AP) — Prosecutors in northern Minnesota accused a man of fatally shooting a woman who yelled at him to hurry up and honked her horn while waiting for him outside his home. Angelo Borreson, 56, was charged Friday with second-degree murder and second-degree assault in the death of 51-year-old Angela Wynne. Borreson told authorities Wynne drove to his…
WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) – The Waukesha County Courthouse and Administration Building are closed because of a bomb threat. County Executive Paul Farrow posted on Facebook Monday that all morning court proceedings are canceled and will be rescheduled. The status of afternoon court appearances has yet to be determined. Sheriff’s officials or Farrow did not immediately provide details of the threat,…
