ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Senate Republicans want to require drug makers to provide free insulin to qualifying residents who can’t afford the high cost of the life-saving medication. Senate GOP leaders unveiled the plan Thursday, a week ahead of when House Democrats plan to announce their own proposal. The clock ran out on the 2019 session before the…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin’s schools chief says a nearly $600 million boost in education funding is a “down payment” on equity and closing the state’s persistent achievement gap. State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor calls that gap a “crisis.” She delivered the message Thursday during her first state of education address at the Capitol. Taylor took over as state superintendent…
(AP Photo) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers says he would consider mandatory buybacks for assault weapons. Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke has been pushing for mandatory buybacks on the campaign trail. Republicans have balked at the idea. Asked if he supports mandatory buybacks during a news conference Thursday to introduce a red flag…
UPDATE: FOND DU LAC, Wis. (AP) – Officials say three people have died in a fire at a group home for people with disabilities in eastern Wisconsin. One victim was found not long after firefighters responded to the Fond du Lac home about 6 a.m. Thursday. Two others were found later and all victims were on the second floor of…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota police say a man who was leaving a Bible study with his young daughter and father was fatally shot outside his church in St. Paul. The homicide Wednesday night is the sixth fatal shooting in St. Paul this month. Police don’t believe the latest shooting outside St. Albans Church of God in Christ was…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minneapolis man is charged with attempted murder and assault after he allegedly strangled his girlfriend and set her on fire. The criminal complaint says the woman escaped and drove herself to the hospital while her hair and body were still smoldering. She’s now in a medically induced coma after Monday’s attack. Prosecutors charged 46-year-old Richard Bullock…
(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Michigan has joined New York in banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes as federal health officials investigate the cause of hundreds of serious breathing illnesses in people who have used vaping devices. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released details of the ban Wednesday and gave retailers, including online sellers,…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota’s new task force on the opioid crisis will hold its first meeting next week on how best to spend $20 million from new licensing fees on the pharmaceutical industry. The Department of Human Services on Wednesday announced the 19 members of the Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council. They include legislative and tribal leaders; health…
SPOONER, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin National Guard unit based in Spooner will deploy to the Middle East this fall. About 150 soldiers from the 829th Engineer Company, which has a detachment in Ashland, will mobilize as a construction unit in support of an engineer battalion from Indiana. The Journal Sentinel says the 829th deployed to Afghanistan in 2013-2014 and…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Health officials are urging Minnesotans to get flu shots as soon as possible. Jennifer Heath of the Minnesota Department of Health tells Minnesota Public Radio the flu season could begin anytime. Only about half of the people eligible get the flu vaccine. If more people got immunized, she says, fewer people would get sick –…
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) – Police in southern Michigan are on the lookout for suspicious activity after a Nazi flag was raised on an elementary school flag pole. The Battle Creek Enquirer reports construction crews at Riverside Elementary School in Battle Creek discovered the flag Saturday. They alerted Lakeview School District employees, who called police. Superintendent Blake Prewitt says in…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Supreme Court has declined to take up challenges by tribal and conservation groups to the environmental review of Enbridge Energy’s proposal for replacing its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota. The court rejected the requests in a one-page order Tuesday. The project could have faced a long delay if the…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Health officials say at least 11 people got sick with E. coli infections after visiting the Minnesota State Fair this summer. The Minnesota Department of Health says six of the ill people were hospitalized, and one developed a potentially fatal complication. One person is still hospitalized. Cases range in age from 2 to 43 years…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – With Minnesota’s archery deer season underway, hunters in the state’s hot zones for chronic wasting disease are figuring out where to drop off the heads of their deer for testing. The science for detecting the fatal brain disease is making progress. But tissue samples must be sent out of state, and results take a few…
UPDATE: ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The University of St. Thomas has given the all clear after several buildings were evacuated on its St. Paul campus following a bomb threat. The university tweeted the four buildings evacuated have been search and cleared, including the John Roach Center, the Anderson Student Center, the O’Shaughnessy Science Center and the Facilities Design Center….
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A defense attorney says a former Wisconsin nurse is prepared to plead guilty to hurting infants in a Madison hospital’s intensive care unit. Forty-three-year-old Christopher Kaphaem faces 19 felony child abuse counts involving nine infants. WKOW-TV reports Kaphaem’s attorney, Jonas Bednarek, notified the court of the plea in a letter Monday. Bednarek wrote that his client…
(courtesy: twitter) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republican Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald is running for Congress to succeed retiring longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner. Fitzgerald announced his bid Tuesday on WISN-AM. He is the first Republican to enter the race. His newly launched campaign website prominently features a picture of Fitzgerald next to President Donald Trump, who is giving…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin dairy industry is raising a stink about potential new regulations governing where factory farms can store manure. State agriculture officials are crafting new farm standards to serve as a template for local ordinances. The standards would expand setbacks for manure storage. New farms with 1,000 or more animals as well as farms looking to…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A Minnesota man has been sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for producing and distributing child pornography. Thirty-seven-year-old Nicholas Campbell, of Otsego, was also given 25 years of supervised released during sentencing last week in federal court in St. Paul. Prosecutors say FBI agents seized a large volume of electronic evidence from Campbell’s home…
(AP Photo) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers has created a task force to study issues facing the growing number of retired people in Wisconsin, particularly the amount of money they have saved. Evers signed an executive order Monday creating the group that is led by state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and include members of Evers’ administration, Republican and Democratic…
DETROIT (AP) – More than 49,000 members of the United Auto Workers union went on strike early Monday as contract talks with General Motors broke down. Union members walked out of factories and set up picket lines at 33 plants across the nation as well as 22 parts warehouses. UAW Vice President Terry Dittes says a strike is the union’s…
BOSTON, Mass.-“Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman says she takes full responsibility for her role in the college admissions scandal and deserves her punishment. A federal judge in Boston sentenced the actress on Friday to 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and a year’s probation. Huffman was stoic in court, telling U.S. District Judge Indira…
MADISON, Wis.-The chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party says there are no plans to cancel the presidential primary in the state next year. Wisconsin GOP Chairman Andrew Hitt said Thursday that he has not received any pressure from the Republican National Committee or President Donald Trump to cancel the April 7 primary. At least four other states have done that….
MINNEAPOLIS-Singer R. Kelly was a no-show for an initial court appearance in a Minnesota case in which he is accused of offering a 17-year-old girl $200 to take off her clothes and dance in 2001. Kelly, who is jailed in Chicago on sexual abuse and other counts, was charged in Minnesota in August with soliciting the girl after meeting her…
NASHVILLE, Tenn.-The family of rock star Eddie Money says he died Friday at age 70. The husky-voiced, blue collar performer was known for such hits as “Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Take Me Home Tonight.” In 1987, he received a best rock vocal Grammy nomination for “Take Me Home Tonight,” which featured a cameo from Ronnie Spector. He even played…
MINNEAPOLIS-Several environmental groups and a Native American tribe have gone to court to challenge a permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine in Minnesota. The lawsuits filed in federal court Tuesday say the corps violated federal law when it issued a permit authorizing the destruction of wetlands for the project. It was the…
ST. PAUL, Minn.-Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says the state is not among those that have reached a tentative settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma over the opioids epidemic. The tentative deal between Purdue, thousands of local governments and more than 20 states could be worth up to $12 billion over time. Purdue has been criticized for overselling the benefits…
WASHINGTON-President Donald Trump says his administration will propose banning thousands of flavors used in e-cigarettes amid an outbreak of breathing problems tied to vaping. State and federal health authorities are investigating hundreds of breathing illnesses reported in people who have used e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. No single device, ingredient or additive has been identified. Health and Human Services Secretary…
BEMIDJI, Minn. (AP) – A summer of heavy rains has caused a rise in cases of a rare fungal infection in northern Minnesota. So far this year, more than 45 people and 150 animals have been diagnosed with blastomycosis. Last year, only 31 human cases and fewer than 100 animal infections were reported by this time. An epidemiologist with the…
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has fired national security adviser John Bolton. Trump tweeted Tuesday that he told Bolton Monday night that his services were no longer needed at the White House. I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republican state Sen. Tom Tiffany is running for Congress in northern Wisconsin to replace U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, who is resigning in two weeks. Tiffany announced his candidacy on Tuesday, casting himself as a “proven conservative.” He has been in the state Legislature since 2011 and is a member of the Legislature’s powerful budget-writing committee. Other…
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say a preliminary investigation has found no signs of accelerants at a fire that destroyed a historic synagogue in northern Minnesota. But Duluth Fire Chief Shawn Krizaj said Monday that further investigation will have to be done once the building is stabilized. Firefighters responded to the fire at the Adas Israel Congregation in downtown Duluth…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – A Milwaukee mother is facing neglect charges after the medical examiner determined her 42-pound teenage son died of severe malnutrition. A criminal complaint says Iraida Pizarro-Osorio brought her 16-year-old son to a medical clinic in Milwaukee last week after he became unresponsive. The teen died at the clinic. The complaint says he weighed just 42 pounds. Pizarro-Osorio…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A divisive fight over a crude-oil pipeline across Minnesota is pinning Democratic presidential hopefuls between environmentalists and trade unions in the 2020 battleground state. And that’s testing those candidates’ campaign promises to ease away from fossil fuels. Progressive candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have condemned a Canadian company’s plan to replace and…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A Republican state senator is poised to enter the race for Congress in northern Wisconsin to replace Rep. Sean Duffy, who is resigning in two weeks. Sen. Tom Tiffany said Monday he will make a “special announcement” Tuesday about the 7th Congressional District race. Tiffany plans seven stops across the district over two days. Meanwhile, fellow…
DULUTH, Minn. – Fire officials say a blaze has gutted a historic synagogue in downtown Duluth. The fire department says crews responded to a report of a structure fire at 302 East 3rd Street around 2:23 a.m. When fire crews arrived on scene they discovered a storage room on the east side of the synagogue on fire. The synagogue…
COON RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say an adult and a child escaped from their car just before it was hit by a freight train and caught fire in Coon Rapids. Fire officials say the car got stuck on railroad tracks late Saturday. The driver saw the approaching train and made it out of the vehicle with the child. Firefighters…
ISLE ROYALE, Mich. (AP) – The second year of the National Park Service’s wolf relocation project has kicked off with a capture of a wolf on Michigan’s mainland and a flight to Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Mlive reports the 70-pound male that’s believed to be about three years old was captured this week. The wolf that was flown by…
SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) — The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has joined environmental groups urging state regulators to reject a plan to build a $700 million natural gas-fired power plant in Superior. The State Journal reports that the Native American tribe is worried that the Nemadji Trail Energy Center would damage local wetlands, contribute to climate change and…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota health officials are reporting the state’s first vaping death amid a national outbreak of serious lung illnesses linked to the practice. The state health department says the victim was more than 65-years-old and had a history of lung disease. State epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield says the state began looking at the case after the patient…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Enbridge Energy is looking for permission to conduct land surveys in northern Wisconsin as it considers re-routing a pipeline out of an American Indian reservation. Wisconsin Public Radio reports the company wants to conduct environmental surveys along a 40-mile stretch in Ashland and Iron counties to replace an existing 20-mile segment of…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Foxconn Technology Group says Louis Woo has stepped down as the executive who has represented the Taiwanese company in Wisconsin. Foxconn tells the Journal Times that Woo has “relinquished his project responsibilities to focus on addressing some personal matters.” Foxconn wasn’t specific on the personal matters or say if the change was permanent or temporary. Woo was…
Wisconsin Point Lighthouse DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – A historic lighthouse on Lake Superior has been sold to a tech industry executive from San Francisco. Thirty-four-year-old Steven Broudy won the lighthouse at auction last week with a high bid of $159,000. The lighthouse, built in 1913, sits on the tip of Wisconsin Point in Superior, Wisconsin. Broudy bought the 56-foot structure…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Three dozen first responders and 15 ambulances from Minnesota are headed to North Carolina to help with Hurricane Dorian. Gov. Tim Walz authorized the emergency response when North Carolina asked for assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid agreement between all 50 states. The first responders are divided into three teams which…
APPLETON, Wis. (AP) – A driver’s education teacher in Appleton has been convicted of child enticement. Seventy-four-year-old Charles Rodgers pleaded no contest to the charge in Outagamie County Circuit Court Thursday. Charges of attempted sexual assault by a school staff member and exposing child to harmful descriptions were dismissed as part of a plea deal. An investigation began when a…
EDINA, Minn. (AP) – The mother of a former student at an Edina elementary school is suing the school district, saying staff members violated district policy when they searched her child. The alleged incident happened at Countryside Elementary School in the 2017-18 school year, when the student was in second grade. According to the Star Tribune , the lawsuit says…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Wildlife managers say late-season snowstorms and heavy spring rains have taken a toll on Minnesota’s pheasant population. The Department of Natural Resources’ annual roadside survey indicates that Minnesota’s pheasant numbers are down 17% from 2018. The index is 11% below the 10-year average and 60% below the long-term average. DNR upland game research scientist Tim…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Supreme Court says parents who defame their children’s public high school coaches don’t have legal protection against their claims. The high court ruled Wednesday the coaches are not public officials so they have a lower bar to prove any defamation case. The Star Tribune says the court’s decision involves former Woodbury High School…
NEW YORK (AP) – Walmart says it will discontinue the sale of handgun ammunition and also publicly request that customers refrain from openly carrying firearms in stores even where state laws allow it. The announcement comes after a mass shooting claimed seven lives in Odessa, Texas and follows two other back-to-back shootings last month, one of them at a Walmart…
WASHINGTON (AP) – A total of 127 military construction projects are being sidelined by a Pentagon decision to shift $3.6 billion to build part of President Donald Trump’s border wall. Defense Secretary Mark Esper approved the transfer of funds on Tuesday. The Pentagon will cut funding from military projects like schools, target ranges, daycare centers for military families, and maintenance…
