DULUTH, Minn. – Imagine Canal Park is a new initiative with the goal to make that area a spot for residents and not just tourists. In June, Duluth received a grant from the Knight Foundation to look at ways to further engage and create a common public space for residents to increase social interaction and connect with their city. The…
SUPERIOR, Wisc. – Superior’s city budget is in the final stages and getting ready to go to city council. The roughly $29 million budget features in increase in the Neighborhood Improvement Fund, and added funding for public safety, including more training for police. City leaders were able to close the deficit, leave a surplus, all without adding any new tax…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Supreme Court says Gov. Mark Dayton’s veto of the Legislature’s budget was constitutional. The ruling Friday is counter to a lower-court ruling this summer that Dayton had acted unconstitutionally, but is not the last word in the case. The high court ordered the two sides to hire a mediator, by Tuesday, to resolve…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – A Democrat hoping to be Wisconsin’s next governor visited the city Thursday. 25 year-old Bob Harlow was actually the first Democrat in the 2018 Wisconsin Gubernatorial race. His platform includes a state–run healthcare system, a high speed rail network, restoring union rights in the state, plus investment in infrastructure and education. Harlow says he’s also opposed to…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The $76 billion Wisconsin budget is headed to the state Assembly and Senate for approval. The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee passed the two-year spending plan Wednesday night on a party line vote, more than two months after the budget was due. Current spending levels have continued during the impasse. The spending plan sends more aid to…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has passed a $7.9 billion Harvey aid package. Republicans and Democrats united behind help for victims of that storm even as while an ever, more powerful new hurricane bore down on Florida. The 419 to 3 vote Wednesday sent the aid package – likely the first of several – to the Senate in hopes of…
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration has announced that it will wind down a program protecting young immigrants from deportation. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday called the program known as DACA as an “unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch.” He says the trump administration is urging Congress to find an alternate way to protect…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Legislature’s budget committee is pushing to complete its work this week on the two-year-spending plan that’s two months overdue. Votes that could be taken as early as Tuesday include whether to impose a new fee on electric vehicle owners and changes to a $3 billion incentive plan for electronics giant Foxconn Technology Group. The…
The United Nations Security Council meets on North Korea, Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, at U.N. headquarters. (AP) NEW YORK (AP) — North Korea’s leader is “begging for war,” the U.S. ambassador said Monday at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, as members called for punishing the country with even stronger sanctions for its powerful nuclear test. Ambassador Nikki…
(AP Photo) WASHINGTON (AP) – Confronting Harvey’s fury, President Donald Trump made an all-out push Tuesday to show the federal government’s responsiveness to the massive storm that has lashed the Texas coast and caused catastrophic flooding. Trump is visiting Texas to observe the federal government’s work to help the state recover after Harvey’s devastation. The storm, bringing torrents of rain…
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – Attorney General Jeff Sessions is calling the epidemic of drug overdose deaths “the top lethal issue” in the U.S. and urged everyone “create and foster a culture that’s hostile to drug use.” Sessions delivered the remarks Tuesday to the National Alliance For Drug Endangered Children, which is hosting its annual conference in…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The fate of the legal battle between Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican lawmakers now rests with the Minnesota Supreme Court. The two sides took their disagreement surrounding the Democratic governor’s veto of the Legislature’s $130 million operating budget to the state’s highest court Monday. Dayton line-item vetoed their funding to force top Republicans to rework…
DULUTH, Minn. – The City Council wants to make starting a small business in Duluth easier. Recently, the council approved a resolution creating a new Red Tape Reduction Task Force. The seven person task force will be charged with giving the council information and recommendations designed to streamline the permit process. The group will consist of an architect, developer and…
CARLTON, Minn. – To wrap up his two-day visit to the Northland, Senator Al Franken (D-MN) stopped on the Fond du Lac Reservation Tuesday. Senator Franken serves on both the Senate Energy and Indian Affairs committees, so his visit to the reservation served multiple interests. Minnesota’s junior senator met with Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe officials to talk about…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota state Sen. David Osmek is the latest Republican to announce a run for governor in 2018. Minnesota state Sen. David Osmek is the latest Republican to announce a run for governor in 2018. Osmek launched his campaign Tuesday after months of publicly weighing a bid. He adds to a crowded field on the Republican side…
VIRGINIA, Minn. – Minnesota Senator Al Franken was on the Iron Range today and took a tour of the aging Virginia Fire Hall, a place city leaders hope can be replaced with a new building. The Virginia Fire Hall is 109 years old. “It was originally designed to house horses and horse drawn steam pumpers and in that time, not…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will use a nationally televised address to outline for a war-weary nation the strategy he believes will best position the U.S. to eventually declare victory in Afghanistan after 16 years of combat and lives lost. The speech Monday night will also give Trump a chance for a reset after one of…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – After a two-month break, the Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee plans to resume its work on the state’s spending plan next week. Committee co-chairs announced Friday the panel will meet on Thursday to vote on some of the remaining issues in the budget. The agenda does not call for the committee to vote on transportation funding,…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Two Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced legislation to repeal a law that requires mining companies to prove they’ve operated without polluting before they can mine in the state. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that Republican Sen. Tom Tiffany of Hazelhurst and Republican Rep. Rob Hutton of Brookfield introduced the bill Thursday. The 1998 law they want to…
WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Donald Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon is out at the White House, two administration officials told CNN on Friday. The President has privately stewed over Bannon in recent days, including Thursday night from his golf course in New Jersey. He was furious with his chief strategist after he was quoted in an interview with the American…
The Assembly Committee on Jobs and Economy meets about the incentive deal for Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group, Thursday, Aug. 3, at the state Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. (AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Assembly planned to approve a $3 billion tax break Thursday for Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group to build a massive display panel factory in the state, a…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson continued her community listening sessions this evening in West Duluth. Residents and city leaders came together at the Harrison Community Center to learn more about the Larson’s plan for improving Duluth’s streets. Earlier this week, the mayor also announced her proposed city budget for 2018. The plan includes $700,000 in combined cuts to…
(AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The latest from The Associated Press on Wisconsin reaction to President Donald Trump’s comments on white supremacists (all times local): 12:50 p.m. Wisconsin Democrats are seizing on President Donald Trump’s comments about white supremacists to score political points, and call for action, from state Republicans. Democrat Randy Bryce is running against Republican House Speaker Paul…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Hard-line conservatives began an uphill fight Friday to force a fresh House vote this fall on erasing much of President Barack Obama’s health care law without an immediate replacement, the latest instance of Republican rifts in what’s been a fractious week for the GOP. The effort by the House Freedom Caucus seemed to have no chance of…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – It’s time to party: The Minnesota Capitol is back open. The Capitol has technically been open since January after a massive renovation to the century-old building kept it closed to the public for several years. But construction crews were putting the finishing touches on the building and its grounds until late last month. The formal…
DULUTH, Minn. – Community members rallied at the Federal Building in Duluth to show their support of the proposed worldwide nuclear weapons ban. Ralliers spoke about the horrors of nuclear war on the anniversary of the 1945 bombing in Nagasaki, Japan. They stood in remembrance of that attack and voiced their support of the recent United Nations treaty calling to outlaw…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The National Governor’s Association (NGA) has appointed Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton as chairman of the NGA’s Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee. Dayton will replace Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas. “I am very honored to have been asked to serve as Chairman of the National Governors Association’s Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee,” said Gov. Dayton….
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump warned North Korea it could face “fire and fury” if it threatens the United States, after a new report Tuesday said U.S. intelligence officials believe Pyongyang has successfully produced a nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles. Washington’s alarm over North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s pursuit of a nuclear capability has intensified…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) – As President Donald Trump spends much of August at his New Jersey golf club, Democratic lawmakers are making a new push for information about how much money the federal government is spending at his for-profit properties. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday asked departments to hand over information about their Trump-related spending…
Jim NewbergerMINNEAPOLIS-State Rep. Jim Newberger is the first Republican to formally announce plans to take on Minnesota’s popular U.S. senator, Amy Klobuchar. Should Newberger win his party’s endorsement at next year’s state convention, the task of beating Klobuchar is a tall one. The Democratic senator beat her last two Republican opponents by double digits. And, she’s already raised nearly $6…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) Former Democratic state Rep. Brett Hulsey, of Madison, has filed paperwork to run for governor. Hulsey registered a campaign committee for a potential second run for governor on Thursday. He did not immediately return messages seeking comments on his intentions Saturday. Hulsey served in the state Assembly from 2011 through 2014. He also ran for governor that…
(FOX NEWS) – President Trump announced Friday that he is naming Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly as his new White House chief of staff, ousting Reince Preibus. The president made the announcement on Twitter. I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American…….
AP (FOX NEWS) – The next presidential election is still 1,194 days away, but President Trump already has his first challenger in the 2020 race. “I’m running for President,” Maryland Democratic Rep. John Delaney tweeted Friday. Delaney, a wealthy former bank executive who represents Maryland’s sixth district in the Washington suburbs but is not known nationally, was elected to Congress…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Jim Paine knew the job wouldn’t be easy. But 100 days into his first term as Superior’s Mayor, Paine feels as if he and his city are moving in the right direction. “The first 100 days are not the whole term, but they certainly set the pace,” said Paine, who defeated Brent Fennessey in April to succeed…
Duluth, Minn. The Duluth City Council is working to adopt a sensible paid sick time policy. Tonight it seems as if some progress has been made. Duluth’s earn sick and safe time task force plans to present a final draft of the referendum to the Duluth City Council to approve or not approve. If approved employees that currently don’t receive…
DULUTH, Minn. – The end of a life can be one of the hardest experiences for a family to get through. The presentation of military honors at a veteran’s funeral can give that last bit of pride to the deceased. Unfortunately, across America, there is a struggle to keep honor guards staffed, and it’s even harder in rural areas. “They…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Local advocates aren’t happy with President Trump’s suggestion he’d ban transgender people from serving in the military. “It’s another step of making people that are very important in our community not exist anymore,” said Bob Jansen, LGBTQ advocate and owner of the Main Club in Superior. “If they aren’t around, if we don’t see them we don’t…
(FOX NEWS) – A conservative-backed plan to repeal the bulk of ObamaCare and give lawmakers a two-year window to replace the struggling health law failed on a Senate vote Wednesday, in the latest setback for the repeal push. The vote was 55-45 against the amendment, with seven Republicans opposing. The chamber’s 46 Democrats and two independent senators all voted against…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The legal battle between Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature is on a fast track to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The dispute revolves around Dayton’s move to zero out funding for the House and Senate while signing a $46 billion budget. The Democratic governor wants top Republicans to rework costly tax breaks and other measures…
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – The Republican-led House has decisively approved legislation that hits Russia with additional financial sanctions. The new penalties are aimed at rebuking Moscow for interfering in the 2016 presidential election and its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria. Lawmakers voted 419-3 to pass the bill, which prevents President Donald Trump from waiving the sanctions against Russia without…
VIRGINIA, Minn. – The auditorium at Virginia High School was packed this evening with hundreds showing up to voice their opinions of the U.S. Forest Service’s proposal to withdraw 234,000 acres of federal land around the boundary waters that would be used for future copper–nickel mining. It’s an issue that’s been debated back and forth, ever since the forest service…
(AP) (FOX NEWS) – The Senate voted Tuesday to open debate on overhauling the United States’ health care system. “Now we move forward towards truly great health care for the American people… this is truly great step,” President Trump said at the White House Tuesday. As the GOP seeks to gather support as it begins debating its options, here is…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has voted to move ahead on health care legislation aimed at dismantling the Obama health law. The vote was 51-50 on Tuesday, a victory for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Donald Trump. Last week, McConnell was forced to postpone the vote, lacking the support of conservatives and moderates. Vice President Mike Pence cast the…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) – A peeved President Donald Trump tweaked Republican opponents of his party’s reeling health care bill Monday, saying this week’s planned faceoff vote is their “last chance to do the right thing” and erase his predecessor’s signature overhaul. Trump’s prodding of balking GOP senators came a day before leaders planned a pivotal vote that seemed…
ST. PAUL, Minn.-Minnesota’s former Republican party chairman is running for governor. Keith Downey announced his 2018 campaign for the open seat on Monday. Downey is a former state representative who recently left the state party after serving two terms as its chairman. But he’s positioning himself as a political outsider. Downey says too many residents no longer see opportunities to…
DULUTH, Minn. – New bathrooms at Park Point’s Lafayette Community Center will be gender neutral. During a special session Friday afternoon, Duluth city councilors voted unanimously to designate the two new bathrooms as gender neutral. The councilors tabled a vote during Monday’s meeting after councilor Gary Anderson spoke out about the original plan not including a gender neutral facility. “I’m…
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has named a veteran lawyer to oversee the government’s ethics agency until a new permanent chief is selected. The Office of Government Ethics confirmed Friday that Trump designated the agency’s general counsel, David J. Apol, to become its acting director. Apol worked on ethics programs for several federal agencies before he joined the OGE….
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Democratic state superintendent Tony Evers has filed paperwork to set up a run for governor. Evers said Friday that creating a campaign committee is the next logical step to take, but he expects to make a final decision on whether to get into the race “in the near future.” Evers becomes the sixth Democrat to create…
(Evan Vucci, AP Photo) WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Sean Spicer, President Donald Trump’s embattled spokesman during the first six months of his presidency, is resigning his position, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. Spicer’s decision appears to be linked to the appointment of a new White House communications director, New York financier Anthony…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Tuesday it’s time to “let Obamacare fail” after the latest GOP health care plan crashed and burned in the Senate, a stunning failure for the president, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and a party that has vowed for years to abolish the law. In a head-spinning series of developments, rank-and-file Republican…
