CROOKSTON, Minn. (AP) – The Diocese of Crookston has reached a $5 million settlement with 15 people who were children when they were sexually abused by priests. As part of the settlement, the diocese agreed to make public the names and files of clergy who have been accused of abuse. That information will be released at a later date. Victims’…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Two top leaders at the Minnesota Department of Human Services have rescinded their resignations after Commissioner Tony Lourey’s abrupt departure. Deputy Commissioners Chuck Johnson and Claire Wilson announced their resignations last week. They didn’t say why they were resigning, but Gov. Tim Walz said it was over concerns about the agency’s direction. Lourey resigned on…
(photo courtesy: CNN) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Five new lawsuits have been filed more than two years after a natural gas explosion caused part of a Minneapolis school to collapse, killing two people and injuring nine others. The lawsuits say CenterPoint Energy and Master Mechanical knew their work at Minnehaha Academy was “hazardous and abnormally dangerous” but “failed to inspect and…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Attorneys for the former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman after she called 911 about a possible assault have filed an appeal. Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia. He was sentenced to more…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Republican U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy of Wisconsin calls the four minority congresswomen targeted by President Donald Trump’s controversial tweets “anti-American.” The 7th District congressman defended Trump on the House floor Tuesday where Democrats asked that Duffy’s words be stricken from the record, calling them “defamatory.” All three Democratic representatives from Wisconsin joined party members in voting for…
(T’xer Zhon Kha/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool) BARRON, Wis. (AP) – A man who admitted to kidnapping Jayme Closs and killing her parents has been moved to a facility outside of Wisconsin. Twenty-two-year-old Jake Patterson is serving life without parole for the October deaths of James and Denise Closs. State records say he was moved Monday, but they do not…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal Prosecutors announced Tuesday that it had decided not to bring civil rights charges against New York City police officer Pantaleo in connection with Eric Garner’s 2014 death. Officers were attempting to arrest Garner on charges he sold loose, untaxed cigarettes outside a Staten Island convenience store. Garner refused to be handcuffed, and officers took him down….
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Democratic lawmakers are planning to tout a new bill that would dramatically rework how Wisconsin draws its legislative district boundaries. Republicans redrew the lines in 2011 to consolidate supporters, helping them maintain control of both houses since then. Democratic voters filed a federal lawsuit in 2015 alleging the boundaries were unconstitutional but the U.S. Supreme Court…
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (AP) – A suburban Minneapolis city council has voted to reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance at its meetings after its decision to drop it generated a firestorm of criticism. The St. Louis Park City Council voted unanimously Monday night to bring back the pledge as more than 100 people packed the meeting room to protest the…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two Republican senators are taking issue with President Donald Trump’s tweet that freshman Democratic congresswomen of color “go back” to where they came from. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who is up for re-election next year, said Trump’s tweet was “way over the line and he should take that down.” Republican Sen. Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania said of…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz’s Human Services commissioner has resigned just six months after being appointed. The governor’s office announced Tony Lourey’s resignation on Monday without explanation. He leaves just days after two deputy commissioners announced their departures – also without explanation. Lourey says in a resignation letter that a new leader is necessary to carry out…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he won’t run for office in 2022 after he accepted a full-time job running a national conservative youth organization. Walker tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in a story published Monday that the job as president of the Young America’s Foundation will prevent him from running for his old job as…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Hot and humid weather that triggered severe thunderstorms in Minnesota is sticking around for now. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the Twin Cities metro Monday when the combination of dew points, humidity and temperature exceeds 90 degrees. Storms that rolled across Minnesota Sunday night caused flash flooding in Brainerd, where a sinkhole opened…
MADISON, Minn. (AP) – A farmer in western Minnesota is dead after authorities say he became pinned under an ATV. The Lac qui Parle County Sheriff’s Office says authorities were notified at 3 a.m. Friday that a farmer had been out spraying on an ATV and had not returned home. A search effort was being organized when the farmer was…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The University of Wisconsin System regents have scheduled a public hearing on regulations enacting a policy that calls for suspending and expelling students who disrupt campus speeches and presentations. The regents adopted a policy in October 2017 that mandates chancellors suspend students who disrupt others’ free speech twice and expel students who disrupt others’ free speech…
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump will visit Wisconsin on Friday, one of two Midwest stops as he warms up his re-election engine. Wisconsin has emerged as a vital testing ground for the president’s hopes to take credit for the strong economy and push for his trade policy. In 2016, Trump became the first Republican to win the state since…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is stepping down following criticism of his handling of a plea deal with a wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls. Trump announced the news with Acosta by his side at the White House as Trump left on a trip to the…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Two of the top officials at Minnesota’s largest state agency are leaving their jobs, and the department isn’t saying why. Human Services Commissioner Tony Lourey announced Thursday that Deputy Commissioners Chuck Johnson and Claire Wilson are resigning in the coming weeks. He thanked them for their service but gave no reason for the abrupt exits….
HAWLEY, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say a pilot has died in an ultra-light plane crash at a municipal airport in western Minnesota. The plane crashed after noon Thursday at Hawley Municipal Airport. Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting says the pilot was the only person aboard and died at the scene. His name, age and hometown were not released. Empting says…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The University of Wisconsin System regents have voted to increase student fees and room-and-board costs for the upcoming school year. The regents approved the increases unanimously as part of the system’s 2019-20 operational budget Thursday. Under the plan, student fees will increase an average of $36 across the system. UW-Madison students will face a $170 increase,…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota taxpayers helped foot the bill when Jimmy Fallon broadcast “The Tonight Show” from Minneapolis as part of last year’s Super Bowl festivities. Minnesota Public Radio News obtained information via public records request that shows the state paid the show $267,000 through a rebate program. The state’s Snowbate program is aimed at luring productions and…
RAMSEY, Minn. (AP) – Officials say a lottery ticket sold in Anoka County is worth more than $21 million. The Minnesota Lottery says the Lotto America ticket hit the jackpot in Wednesday night’s drawing. It was sold at a Holiday convenience store in Ramsey. If the winner chooses the $21.6 million annuity jackpot, it would be paid over 29 years….
HASTINGS, Minn. (AP) – A Minnesota state trooper is charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The Dakota County Attorney’s Office has charged 36-year-old Shawn Barta with first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving the girl who authorities say is “cognitively delayed.” The State Patrol has placed Barta on leave pending the outcome of the case and an internal…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A high school in Madison plans to offer students free condoms as part of a pilot program this year. The Wisconsin State Journal reports Madison West High School will provide condoms for free to students upon request. The Madison Metropolitan School District’s health services coordinator, Sally Zirbel-Donish, says students will be told about reproductive health, proper…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Officials say the number of people reportedly sickened while boating around Big Island on Lake Minnetonka over the Fourth of July has grown to nearly 120. As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, Hennepin County has returned 140 phone calls from people who reported being ill and were in that area over the holiday. Of those calls, 116 said…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that a suspected impaired driver does not have a limited right to an attorney before submitting to a blood test if police have a search warrant. Wednesday’s decision comes in the case of a woman arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in 2017 in Dakota County. A deputy got a warrant…
(AP Photo/Richard Drew) NEW YORK (AP) – Fans of the World Cup champion U.S. women’s soccer team are gathered at City Hall in New York for a ceremony where Mayor Bill de Blasio will give the players symbolic keys to the city. The ceremony follows a joyful ticker tape parade up Broadway’s Canyon of Heroes. Co-captain Megan Rapinoe danced and…
(AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers says he believes Foxconn Technology Group will hire 1,500 people by the time production begins next spring at its new display panel plant in southeastern Wisconsin. Evers told CNBC during a June 27 interview posted online Tuesday that he believes the plant will have about 1,500 employees in place when production begins…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota’s health insurers are seeking relatively small premium increases and in some cases cuts for patients who buy coverage on the individual market. The Commerce Department says the Blue Cross HMO is seeking a 4.8% increase for next year, while HealthPartners wants a 2.1% increase and UCare plans on a 0.3% increase. Meanwhile, Medica is…
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File) NEW YORK (AP) – AT&T is pulling “Friends” from Netflix to beef up its own upcoming streaming service. The wireless company, which owns the WarnerMedia entertainment business, said Tuesday that its service will be called HBO Max. It will launch widely in spring of 2020. As more companies unveil their own streaming services, they’re trying to…
DETROIT (AP) – Water levels in two of the Great Lakes are the highest ever recorded. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday that Lakes Erie and Ontario last month reached their highest points since record-keeping began in 1918. Also setting a new mark was Lake St. Clair, which is part of the waterway linking Lakes Huron and Erie….
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota saw a big drop in drug overdose deaths in 2018. Preliminary statewide data released Tuesday shows that overdose deaths dropped 17 percent, from 733 in 2017 to 607 in 2018. Officials say the numbers are promising, but that overdose deaths remain at historic highs and more work needs to be done to prevent and…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – At least six people were hurt, including three critically, when a van slammed into a crowded bus stop shelter in north Minneapolis. All six were transported to hospitals. Metro Transit spokesman Howie Padilla says police took the driver of the van into custody following the crash about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Authorities say the man driving the van…
DALLAS (AP) – H. Ross Perot, the colorful, self-made Texas billionaire who twice ran for president, has died. Family spokesman James Fuller says Perot died early Tuesday. He was 89. Perot rose from Depression-era poverty to become one of the nation’s richest men as the founder of computer services giant Electronic Data Systems Corp. In 1992, Perot jumped into the…
JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers is expected to sign a bill designed to make it easier for patients to get needed prescription drugs even when insurance companies force them to try cheaper alternatives first. The measure address the process known as step therapy, where insurance companies can force a patient to try cheaper treatment options before more expensive…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A new report finds that murders decreased in Minnesota last year but rapes increased. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension released the 2018 crime report Monday. The report says violent crimes – including murder, rape, robbery, human trafficking and aggravated assault – decreased by nearly 7% in 2018. Murders in Minnesota decreased from 114 in 2017…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The University of Wisconsin System regents are set to increase student fees as well as room-and-board costs for the upcoming academic year. The regents are scheduled to vote Thursday on a 2019-20 operation budget that calls for raising student fees an average of $36 across the system. UW-Madison students would see a $170 increase, the largest…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Officials with the state Republican Party say President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend a fundraiser in Wisconsin this week. Charles Nichols is a spokesman for the state GOP. He says the state party learned from the Republican National Committee on Monday morning that Trump is scheduled to attend a fundraiser in the Milwaukee area on…
TOWER, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say a man was injured when he became trapped under a small cabin in Minnesota while trying to move it. St. Louis County Sheriff’s officials say the 40-year-old man, identified as Michael A. Tam of Tower, was trying to move the 12 feet by 16 feet cabin Saturday at Daisy Bay Resort on Lake Vermillion,…
ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (AP) – Authorities and witnesses say a man fired gunshots hurting at least two people in a suburban Detroit neighborhood as fireworks were being set off, leading to a hours-long standoff with police. Police and residents in St. Clair Shores say the man fired into a crowd Thursday evening and hit a 12-year-old in the arm…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin insurance officials will soon consider a proposal to lower insurance rates for workers’ compensation. The Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau has proposed decreasing workers’ compensation insurance rates by more than 8.8%, continuing a three-year trend in falling premiums. Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the new rates could go into effect Oct. 1, upon approval from the…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Four Democratic presidential candidates are planning to attend a town hall event on July 11 in Milwaukee. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former U.S. Housing Secretary Julian Castro and former Texas Rep. Beto O’ Rourke are slated to appear at the two-hour event. It is organized by the League of United Latin American Citizens….
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A fire destroyed a massive Jim Beam warehouse filled with about 45,000 barrels of bourbon, sending flames shooting into the night sky and generating so much heat that firetruck lights melted, authorities said Wednesday. Firefighters from four counties responded to the blaze that erupted late Tuesday. Lightning might have been a factor, but fire investigators haven’t…
(AP Photo)MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has made 78 partial vetoes to the state budget passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Evers signed the budget Wednesday, ignoring pleas from some liberals who wanted the new Democratic governor to reject the entire two-year spending plan. Evers says he considered doing that, but decided it would be petty and divisive…
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) – A domestic assault suspect has been fatally shot following a standoff with police in a St. Paul suburb. The Star Tribune reports the man fled on foot after assaulting a woman in a car in Eagan about 6 p.m. Tuesday. Eagan police spokesman Aaron Machtemes says officers tracked the man down to a commercial area and…
MINNETONKA, Minn. (AP) – Nearly two dozen well-armed officers sealed off several blocks and surrounded a Minnetonka home on Saturday in response to a call about a man who killed his wife with an AR-15 rifle and was threatening to kill police. But inside the home, a couple in their 60s were sleeping safely – the unwitting targets of “swatting,”…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – An attorney who unsuccessfully tried to persuade Wisconsin’s Supreme Court into ruling that drunken drivers can block blood tests by withdrawing their consent says the court’s decision isn’t clear. Jessica Randall was arrested in 2016 for driving under the influence. She agreed to a blood draw but before the sample could be analyzed she revoked her…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – A man accused of driving drunk and killing a Milwaukee police officer has pleaded not guilty to felony charges. Dante James waived his preliminary hearing in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Tuesday and was bound over for trial. The 34-year-old defendant is charged in the crash that killed Officer Kou Her on June 18. The 27-year-old officer was…
SHAKOPEE, Minn. (AP) – A Minnesota women’s prison is discontinuing its policy that barred inmates from shaking hands or giving high-fives. The Shakopee woman’s prison has banned unsanctioned contact between inmates for the past eight years. Critics have called the prison’s “no-touch” policy cruel and unconstitutional. Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schell said Friday that, “It wasn’t a healthy…
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers is facing pressure to sign the state budget as passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Republicans are calling for him to sign it into law and on Monday, a group representing long-term care facilities also urged Evers to sign it. LeadingAge Wisconsin on Monday cited nearly $234 million more for…
