ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota lawmakers will get a hefty raise after a newly created citizen council voted to increase the Legislature’s pay by 45 percent. The Legislative Salary Council voted 13-1 Friday to increase lawmaker’s pay to $45,000, their first raise since 1999. That’s up from $31,000, a sum that doesn’t include daily expenses and travel reimbursements that…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The rush is on at the Minnesota Legislature to get policy changes big and small in place. Friday brings the first of several deadlines for the thousands of bills introduced at the Capitol this year to have a path to becoming law. And while some of the Republican-controlled Legislature’s bills could take effect, others may…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) – Two gun bills making their way through the Minnesota legislature are raising concerns among some in the law and law enforcement community. One of the bills would do away with permit to carry. The other would redefine self-defense laws. Nearly every person who testified for over two hours on Wednesday about the two gun bills…
DULUTH, Minn. – Representatives from Duluth’s cab companies spoke out Thursday against ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft operating in the city. Demand in Duluth for ride sharing services is growing. But Duluth cab companies are worried about their future if a proposed resolution passes the city council. Duluth City Councilor Noah Hobbs is in favor of bringing businesses…
EDINA, Minn. (AP) – Edina soon could become the first city in Minnesota to require buyers of tobacco to be 21 rather than 18. The Star Tribune reports the City Council this week voted to draft an ordinance and schedule a public hearing on the proposal, which is intended to curb youth tobacco use. Dr. Caleb Schultz of the city’s…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Two Republican legislators have introduced a bill that would criminalize using credit card skimmers to steal people’s identities. A credit card skimmer is an electronic device that can be attached to a card reader on a gas pump or ATM to secretly collect credit card information. Senator Robert Cowles and Representative Rob Summerfield introduced a bill…
DULUTH, Minn. – Collective voices added up to a roar on International Women’s Day. A sea of red gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol to rally for an equal rights amendment to the state and federal constitution. Some in Duluth chose to spend the day on strike. Men and women of all ages gathered today in Duluth to speak out….
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Sen. Al Franken hosted his seventh annual hotdish competition in Washington D.C. today, with many noted Minnesota politicians participating. Democrat Rep. Collin Peterson from western Minnesota won the top prize this year with his “Right to Bear Arms” hotdish. It had actual bear in it. Despite Peterson’s win, Franken said he’s not bitter. “If I don’t win it’s fine,” he said….
DULUTH, Minn. – March 8th is International Women’s Day. Duluth Mayor Emily Larson says Women’s Day means more to her since she was elected. Larson is the first woman Mayor in the city’s history. That’s just one of the reasons she makes a point of meeting with as many young girls as possible. Girls, Who may one day, follow in…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota gun owners may no longer need a permit to carry in public as Republican lawmakers seek to loosen state gun laws. A House bill eliminating the state’s permit-to-carry law was one of a pair of bills that drew hundreds of proponents and opponents to the Capitol, Wednesday. A second bill would create a so-called…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A state appeals court says workers can collect unemployment benefits even if they’re fired for missing their shifts, depending on the situation. The case stems form the Mequon Jewish Campus decision to fire nurse Valarie Beres for missing a shift due to illness and not calling in. The Department of Workforce Development denied Beres unemployment benefits,…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – U.S. Senator Al Franken has turned over nearly $41,000 of campaign contributions from a Boston law firm being investigated for improper donations. The Federal Election Commission and federal prosecutors are investigating Thornton Law Firm for after a report by the Boston Globe and Center for Responsive Politics showed the firm was reimbursing partners for campaign…
SEATTLE (AP) – The U.S. Justice Department wants to dismiss its appeal of a federal judge’s ruling that temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s initial travel ban. The motion filed Tuesday with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes one day after Trump signed a revised ban, which goes into effect on March 16. The new version is narrower and…
DULUTH, Minn.-Zack Filipovich and Barb Russ will both be running for re-election for at-large seats on the Duluth City Council. Filipovich will have a kick-off party at 5 p.m. March 19 at Black List Brewery in Duluth. Russ will kick off her campaign at the Holiday Inn at 5 p.m. March 17. Among the platforms both are running on, include public…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Legislature has passed a bill long sought by parents of children who suffer from seizures. The state Assembly voted 98-0 Tuesday to legalize possession of CBD oil, a marijuana extract used to treat seizures. The oil does not produce a high. The Legislature passed a similar bill in 2014, but it restricted access to…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The state treasurer position would no longer exist under a constitutional amendment approved by the Wisconsin state Senate. The Senate passed the amendment on an 18-15 vote Tuesday. The Assembly is scheduled to vote on the measure Thursday. Once approved by both houses it would be put for a vote of the people in the April…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – It’s official, come July, Minnesotans can begin buying liquor on Sundays. Governor Mark Dayton signed a bill on Tuesday repealing the decades-old ban. Minnesota liquor store can open their doors on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. beginning in July. His signature is the final chapter in years of efforts to repeal the Prohibition-era…
PROCTOR, Minn. – Last month, the Proctor City Council voted 3-2 to not extend the contract of police chief Walter Wobig. Tonight, dozens of Proctor residents came to the city council meeting to voice their concerns about that decision. Many in Proctor are not happy about their police chief of more than 14 years being let go. “What three fifths…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota officials’ efforts to upgrade driver’s licenses so they pass muster for domestic flights have hit a snag. The state Senate defeated a bill Monday to put Minnesota in compliance with federal Real ID law. Democrats concerned about blocking driver’s license access for immigrants living in Minnesota illegally united with several Republicans who call the…
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed a revised travel ban that temporarily halts entry to the United States for people from six Muslim-majority nations, who are seeking new visas and suspends the country’s refugee program. That’s according to White House spokesman Michael Short, who says the signing was done privately. The new directive aims to address legal issues…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) A rally in support of President Donald Trump has drawn hundreds of supporters and counterprotesters to the Minnesota State Capitol. The rally was one of several “March 4 Trump” demonstrations planned nationwide Saturday to support Trump. The Star Tribune reports the protest in St. Paul drew several hundred supporters and scores of counterprotesters. Chanting reverberated through…
ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton will spend one more day at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer. Dayton is expected to return to the governor’s residence Sunday. Spokesman Linden Zakula says Saturday that the governor’s surgery was a success and the surgeon found no sign the cancer had spread beyond the prostate. Dayton…
DULUTH, Minn. – Representative Rick Nolan was back in Duluth today. This time, talking health care. The congressman and medical professionals were part of a panel discussion sponsored by the United Way. Nolan said, while republicans want to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, there’s no answer to how they plan to do it. “ In a way, they’re…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republican lawmakers want to prohibit University of Wisconsin employees from performing abortions or providing services at facilities where abortions are performed other than hospitals. Representative André Jacque and Senator Chris Kapenga are circulating a bill targeting an arrangement between Planned Parenthood and the University of Wisconsin in which faculty members work part-time at the organization’s Madison…
BROWNSVILLE, Wis. (AP) – A Dodge County construction company is the lone Wisconsin firm bidding on the federal government’s call for designing and building a wall along the U.S. Mexico border. The Fond du Lac Reporter reports that Brownsville-based Michels Corp. is answering the government’s early call for bids to build a wall spanning the roughly 2,000 mile border with…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota House has taken a step toward giving the state sole authority over whether to hike the minimum wage or require sick leave, a move opponents say strips local control from cities in favor of the state businesses. The Republican-controlled House passed the bill following hours of debate Thursday, mainly along party lines. The…
ST. PAUL, Minn.- Minnesota officials are bracing for billions of dollars in additional health care expenses if President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans move ahead with a plan they’re considering to replace the Affordable Care Act. A draft state planning document obtained by The Associated Press shows Minnesota would lose $1.3 billion starting next year under a Republican proposal that…
MADISON, Wis.- Republicans in the Wisconsin state Legislature are trying again to outlaw sanctuary cities for immigrants who are in the country illegally. The bill being circulated for co-sponsors would prohibit local governments from enacting any ordinances, resolutions or policies that would prevent federal immigration laws from being enforced. Violators would lose state aid up to $5,000 a day. A…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ Gov. Mark Dayton is recovering from surgery to treat a recent prostate cancer diagnosis. Deputy Chief of Staff Linden Zakula said Dayton’s surgery went as planned Thursday, with the procedure ending about 11:30 a.m., and the governor is resting comfortably at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Dayton revealed his diagnosis just a day after he collapsed…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A bill allowing Minnesota liquor sales to open on Sundays is on its way to Governor Mark Dayton’s desk. The push to legalize Sunday liquor sales goes back years, but it has regularly failed at the Legislature by wide margins. An influx of new, more supportive lawmakers and pressure from Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A state Senate committee has overwhelmingly approved bills that would grant people who overdose on opioids legal immunity and lay out money for more state drug agents. The first measure would ensure heroin users who overdose would be immune from prosecution for drug possession and ensure their probation, parole, or extended supervision could be revoked for…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota officials are bracing for billions of dollars in additional health care expenses if congressional Republicans enact a plan they’re discussing to replace the Affordable Care Act, according to a draft document obtained by The Associated Press. The planning document shows that the GOP proposal, a draft of which was circulated last week, would cut…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A Republican proposal targeting sanctuary cities that offer protections for immigrants living in Wisconsin illegally is back in the state Legislature. A similar proposal failed to get enough support to pass last year following an outpouring of opposition. The new bill being circulated this week for co-sponsors is more limited than the previous version but still…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Democratic state lawmakers want to cut taxes for Wisconsin’s middle class. Rep. Chris Taylor of Madison and others introduced a bill at a news conference Thursday that would cut taxes for a family of four earning $70,000 a year would by about $350. The plan would also raise taxes on those earning more than $1 million….
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – New campgrounds, a new water trail and a new chance to see bison are coming to the Minnesota State Parks and Trails system this year. The Department of Natural Resources says two new campgrounds will open this summer at the Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park in northeastern Minnesota and Whitewater State Park in the…
Courtesy of Attorney General’s Office WebsiteWASHINGTON, D.C.-The top House Democrat says Attorney General Jeff Sessions lied under oath when he told the Senate Judiciary that he had no contacts with the Russian government and says he should resign. “Perjury is a crime,” said Nancy Pelosi, Democratic minority leader in the House of Representatives. In the meantime, Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota lawmakers are considering legislation that could spell the end for snow days. A House committee Thursday will discuss a bill that could replace up to five snow days each year with “e-learning days.” Students would get on a laptop or tablet at home and follow along with online lessons on school days that would…
ST. PAUL, Minn.-Gov. Mark Dayton is pressing lawmakers to grant driver’s licenses to immigrants living in Minnesota illegally as part of the effort to comply with stronger federal ID requirements. The Legislature has struggled for years to comply with Real ID, which will require upgraded IDs for domestic flights in January 2018. Dayton’s position adds another possible hurdle. It’s a…
ST. PAUL, Minn.-Minnesota’s projected budget surplus has grown to more than $1.65 billion. State budget officials released the updated figures Tuesday. Lawmakers had previously been expecting a $1.4 billion budget surplus. The revised estimate kicks off the Legislature’s budget-setting process at the Capitol this year. They’ll need to approve a new budget before adjourning in late May. But there have…
NEW YORK (AP) – Former President George W. Bush says he didn’t intend to criticize President Donald Trump when he recently said that a free press is essential to democracy. Speaking by telephone Tuesday with The Associated Press, Bush said he was simply responding to a reporter’s question about the role of journalism. Trump has referred to the press…
CLOQUET, Minn. – After 18 years as Cloquet’s city administrator, Brian Fritsinger is packing up but not going too far. Fritsinger has been hired as the new deputy county administrator for St. Louis County. He raised his three children in Cloquet and calls the city home, but he tells FOX 21 it’s time for the next chapter in his career….
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence is asking the Indiana Supreme Court to let him keep secret some documents emailed to him while he was the state’s governor. The request comes after an Indianapolis lawyer earlier this month sought the overturning of state appeals court decision access to emails sent to Pence in 2014 in which a staffer for…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A key Republican legislature says Governor Scott Walker’s plan to cut University of Wisconsin System tuition could hurt taxpayers and lawmakers should consider letting the system raising tuition according to inflation or income increases. Representative Dale Kooyenga, a member of the Legislature’s powerful budget committee, wrote on the Right Wisconsin website last week that cutting tuition…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says President Donald Trump’s upcoming budget will propose a whopping $54 billion increase in defense spending and impose corresponding cuts to domestic programs and foreign aid. The result is that Trump’s initial budget wouldn’t dent budget deficits projected to run about $500 billion. White House budget officials outlined the information during a…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Candidates to be Wisconsin’s to education official will meet for their first head-to-head forum since advancing form last week’s primary election. The race to lead Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction is proving to be feisty, with bribery allegations and accusations of improperly using work email to campaign. Incumbent Superintendent Tony Evers and challenger Lowell Holtz will meet…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ The Minnesota Legislature has voted to repeal the state’s long-standing ban on Sunday liquor sales. The state Senate passed a bill undoing the Prohibition-era ban on a 38-28 vote Monday. It follows the House’s overwhelming approval of similar legislation last week. Lawmakers have struggled for years to lift the ban but those efforts have regularly…
WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump says he won’t be attending the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this spring. In a tweet on Saturday, the president doesn’t give a reason but says he wishes “everyone well and have a great evening!” The annual fundraiser for college scholarships mixes politicians, journalists and celebrities. Trump has long had an adversarial relationship with…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) State superintendent candidate Lowell Holtz sent a campaign-focused email detailing his support among Republicans using his Whitnall Public School email address during a school day. The email sent in May appears to be in violation of the state law prohibiting the use of government resources for campaign work. The email was provided to The Associated Press by…
DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon was in Duluth brag bragging about Minnesota’s claim to the highest voter turnout. In the 2016 election, 74% of eligible Minnesotans voted last year. Secretary of State Simon said the state should be proud of its voting record. “We’ve got a good thing going in minnesota. We got back to number…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel has filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court challenging a ruling striking down GOP-drawn legislative boundaries as unconstitutional. Schimel filed the appeal with the nation’s highest court on Friday. Schimel had said he would appeal since a panel of judges last month struck down the maps and ordered the Republican-controlled…
