(Photo: Newsfile)ST. PAUL (AP) – Governor Mark Dayton says he’s confident his upcoming prostate cancer surgery won’t hinder his remaining two years in office. The Democratic governor is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove his prostate on March 2. Dayton revealed his diagnosis late last month, a day after collapsing during his State of the State address. Dayton said Wednesday…
DULUTH, Minn. – Area hospitals are taking a wait and see approach to the temporary immigration ban and they vow to help their patients and staff in whatever ways they can. St. Luke’s said that they’re looking at the ban three different ways: how it affects their patients; their staff; and students in the area who are their future workforce….
PROCTOR, Minn. – Proctor residents have voted to pass a referendum to pay for a new hockey arena and multi–functional turf field. The referendum was approved with 1159 votes in favor and 909 votes against. Property taxes over the next 20 years will help pay for the nearly $12 million facility. The amount taxes will go up is dependent on…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton announced today he plans to undergo surgery in early March to treat his prostate cancer. He revealed the diagnosis late last month after collapsing during his State of the State address. His doctors have said the cancer was caught early and is treatable through surgery or radiation. It has not spread…
Evan Vucci/APWASHINGTON (AP) – The 2016 election is never far from President Donald Trump’s mind. When Trump met Tuesday with a group of sheriffs from around the country, he saw not just lawmen but battleground states. Trump talked about his victories with officials from Pennsylvania and North Carolina. And when a sheriff from Minnesota introduced himself, Trump said if he…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The Army has notified Congress that it will allow the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline to cross under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota, completing the four-state project to move North Dakota oil to Illinois. The Justice Department filed court documents Tuesday including letters to members of Congress from Deputy Assistant Army Secretary Paul Cramer….
MADISON (AP) – Governor Scott Walker wants to cut the University of Wisconsin System tuition by 5 percent, letting students opt out of paying some fees and grant the system’s request for additional state aid. The governor made the announcement at UW- La Crosse on Tuesday. He says the budget he will release on Wednesday will cut resident undergraduate tuition…
ST. PAUL (AP) – Several state lawmakers are proposing legislation that bans cellphone use while driving, with the exception of hands-free devices. Democrat Representative Frank Hornstein says more and more accidents are the result of distracted driving. He says this law would save lives and prevent injuries. The St. Paul Pioneer Press says Hornstein is co-authoring the bill with Republican…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has confirmed school choice activist Betsy DeVos as Education secretary, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a 50-50 tie. The Senate historian says it was the first time a vice president had to break a tie on a Cabinet nomination. Two Republicans joined Democrats Tuesday to vote to derail DeVos’ nomination. Democrats cited her lack…
PROCTOR, Minn. – The Proctor Rails hockey teams currently play in an arena that is forty-five years old and in need of repair. However, they could play in a new arena next year if a referendum passes. If Proctor voters pass the referendum on February 7th, the funding would go towards building a new hockey arena and a multi-functional artificial…
ST. PAUL (AP) – Minnesota Republicans are moving to block cities from implementing their own sick leave policies and minimum wage hikes. The effort comes amid mandatory sick leave requirements that are set to take effect this summer in St. Paul and Minneapolis. Both cities are also home to long-brewing efforts to raise wages to as much as $15 hourly….
TWO HARBORS, Minn.-Two Harbors civic leader Dave Battaglia, 86, died on Wednesday at St. Luke’s Hospital. He served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 18 years, while serving multiple terms as Two Harbors mayor starting in 1957. His political career ended in 2004 when he retired from the Two Harbors City Council. Categories: Community, News, News – Latest News,…
DULUTH, Minn. – A group of protesters gathered in front of U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan’s downtown Duluth office Thursday. Earlier in the week, Rep. Nolan coming out in favor of reversing the Obama Administration decision which blocked mining in more than 234,000 acres of the Superior National Forest. These acres are close to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, which has…
ST. PAUL (AP) – Minnesota’s attorney general has joined a lawsuit over President Donald Trump’s recent immigration order. The lawsuit alleges the order is unconstitutional and should not be enforced. Lori Swanson’s office announced Wednesday night, that the state will join the complaint filed by tthe attorney general in teh state of Washington. The lawsuit seeks an expedited hearing within…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, Governor Mark Dayton visited the Mayo Clinic for his scheduled appointments regarding his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer. “Governor Mark Dayton’s prostate cancer was caught early and is localized, treatable, and curable,” Mayo Clinic spokesperson, Karl Oestreich stated. “His Mayo Clinic physicians have discussed several treatment options with the Governor…
WAUWATOSA, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker says he spoke with Vice President Mike Pence about how the White House can implement pieces of the Republican governor’s contentious policy that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. Union membership in Wisconsin has declined nearly 40-percent since the law’s passage in 2011. Just 8-percent of the state’s workforce is…
DULUTH, Minn. – University of Minnesota Duluth students stood united Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration policy. “America was founded on the dream of a better future,” said said Azrin Awal, a United States citizen who immigrated from Bengladesh when she was three years old. “The fact that a wall is going up, the fact that there’s a ban now,…
National security adviser General Michael Flynn delivers a statement daily briefing at the White House in Washington U.S., February 1, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaWASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s national security adviser says the administration is putting Iran “on notice” after it tested a ballistic missile. Michael Flynn told reporters Wednesday, that the Trump administration “condemns such actions by Iran that…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Partisan tensions flared in the decorous Senate Judiciary Committee. It’s a sign of simmering anger as Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to block President Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks. Democratic Senator Al Franken of Minnesota and Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas had words with each other just before the panel approved attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions on Wednesday….
MADISON (AP) – Governor Scott Walker is set to announce a  plan that he says will “dramatically” help rural Wisconsin schools. Walker has three planned stops on Wednesday, in Wauzeka, Hilbert, and Crandon, to unveil a proposal that will be part of his state budget. The budget is set to be released next week. Walker is expected to target sparsity…
Neil Gorsuch speaks at his nomination hearing to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on Wednesday, June 21, 2006 on Capitol Hill in Washignton. (Lauren Victoria Burke for The Denver Post)WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has nominated 10th Circuit Court Judge Neil Gorsuch for associate justice of the Supreme Court. Gorsuch, 49, has served on…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Donald Trump canceled an expected speech on the economy in Milwaukee on Thursday, without saying why or if he will reschedule. The visit would have been one of his first outside of Washington as president. Tech. Sgt. Meghan Skrepenski with the 128th Air Refueling Wing of the Air National Guard in Milwaukee confirmed Tuesday that…
(Photo by Pete Marovich/Getty Images)WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s abrupt, late-night firing of the acting attorney general sends a message to his future Cabinet about his tolerance for public dissent. Trump fired Sally Yates after she refused to let the Justice Department defend his immigration orders in court. The president will soon have in place appointees who will be…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Elaine Chao has been sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence as the next transportation secretary following her Senate confirmation. Chao served as labor secretary for eight years under President George W. Bush. She is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Chao is expected to take a leading role in President Donald Trump’s…
Graphic shows profile information for three potential Supreme Court nominees (AP)WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is ready to announce his choice to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court, one of the most consequential moves of his young administration and a decision with ramifications that could long outlast his time in office. The President is to unveil his pick…
WASHINGTON (AP) – A Senate committee has approved Republican donor and school choice advocate Betsy DeVos, for education secretary, even as two GOP senators expressed some reservations. After a heated debate Tuesday morning, senators on the Health, Education, Pensions, and Labor Committee have voted 12-11 along partisan lines to support DeVos’ nomination, sending it to the full senate for action….
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Republicans are weighing changes to severance for state workers after Governor Mark Dayton was criticized for sizeable payouts to three top appointees who resigned. A House committee had been set to discuss a bill, Tuesday, that would limit severance pay for state employees, but that hearing was postponed until Wednesday. Dayton has approved nearly…
MADISON (AP) – President Donald Trump is planning to deliver a speech on the economy in Milwaukee on Thursday. The White House confirmed the planned visit on Monday, which comes two weeks into Trump’s presidency. His last trip to Wisconsin was in December as part of his victory tour. Trump is making the stop amid continued backlash from the executive…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ Minnesota’s medical marijuana program needs more money to help cover costs associated with being one of the most restrictive laws in the country. The state’s Office of Medical Cannabis is seeking $500,000 over the next two years as lawmakers put together a $40 billion-plus budget. Top regulators say that money would help pay unexpected costs…
North Dakota State GovernmentBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota law enforcement and state prosecutors are supporting a Republican-sponsored bill that would increase penalties for people involved in riots. Representative Todd Porter of Mandan told the House Judiciary Committee on Monday that the proposal is in response to the Dakota Access pipeline protests. Among other things, the bill would increase the…
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington state’s attorney general says he is suing President Donald Trump over an executive order that suspended immigration from seven countries with majority-Muslim populations and sparked nationwide protests. Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced his lawsuit Monday, becoming the first state attorney general to announce a legal action against the Trump administration over one of its policies. Trump…
WASHINGTON (AP) – A procedural vote in the Senate on Donald Trump’s secretary of state nominee sets up an extended debate over the president’s executive order barring refugees for at least four months and the direction of U.S. policy toward Russia. Rex Tillerson needs the backing of 51 senators Monday evening, to put his nomination on track for confirmation later…
MADISON (AP) – A panel of federal judges has ordered the Wisconsin Legislature to redraw legislative boundaries by November, rejecting calls form those challenging the maps to have the judges do the work. The three-judge panel released its decision in the redistricting case Friday. The state is expected to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case. State attorneys…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Assembly Republican leaders are asking the state Department of Transportation for a review of costs for recently completed, ongoing, and planned projects. The letter sent Friday to DOT Secretary Dave Ross, comes after release of an audit that said the DOT underestimated costs of projects of ongoing projects by more than $3 billion. The letter was signed…
ST. PAUL – Governor Mark Dayton today signed Chapter 2, SF 1 to provide an automatic 25-percent reduction in health insurance premiums for the more than 125,000 Minnesotans facing significant premium increases in the individual market. The following is a statement from Governor Mark Dayton: “In order to provide urgently-needed health insurance premium relief to 125,000 Minnesotans, I am signing…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The former head of President Donald Trump’s transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency says he expects the new administration to seek budget and staff cuts. Myron Ebell left the transition team last week saying, in an interview with The Associated Press, that his specific proposals to the White House remain confidential. But asked what he personally…
MADISON (AP) – A highly critical audit of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, released Thursday morning, says the agency budgeted to complete more highway projects than could be done with the money available because it didn’t take into account inflation and unexpected cost increases. The audit comes as Governor Scott Walker and the Legislature are grappling with how to deal…
ST. PAUL , Minn – Legislators from across greater Minnesota have joined together to call for a $100 million investment in broadband. They’re stressing the economic development reach that investment in broadband creates, something they say Minnesota is in need of. “For every dollar invested in broadband in the state, $10 is generated in economic activity. That kind of return…
SUPERIOR, Wisc. – A group of Superior High School students got to be part of some historic events last weekend in Washington D.C. Six students from the UW-Superior Upward Bound program traveled from Wisconsin to the nation’s capital to witness the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The group was given special entrance to watch the ceremony from just below the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump moved aggressively to tighten the nation’s immigration controls Wednesday, signing executive actions to jumpstart construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and block federal grants from immigrant-protecting “sanctuary cities.” “Beginning today the United States of America gets back control of its borders,” Trump declared during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security. “We are…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has been sworn in to be President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations. Vice President Mike Pence swore in Haley on Wednesday. The Senate voted 96-4, Tuesday night, in favor of her nomination despite her lack of significant foreign policy experience. During her confirmation hearing, the South Carolina-born daughter of…
DULUTH, Minn.-After passing out during yesterday’s State of the State Address, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton was back on track today as he released his budget plans. One area mentioned locally is investing $2.3 million in Department of Human Rights’ offices throughout the state including one in Duluth. Some funds have also been allocated for operating the proposed Veteran’s Cemetery in…
Jake Leinenkugel Photo: Ross Evavold Chippewa HeraldCHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (AP) – The retired head of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company is joining President Trump’s administration as an adviser on Veterans issues. The Chippewa Herald reported, Tuesday, that Jake Leinenkugel had accepted a position as a senior White House adviser to the Office of Veterans Affairs. The White House would not…
MADISON (AP) – Governor Scott Walker will deliver his budget address to the state Legislature on Wednesday, February 8. Walker alerted lawmakers on Tuesday that he will unveil his two-year spending plan that day. The speech is set for 4 p.m., breaking tradition of nighttime addresses. The budget comes as Walker is expected to mount a re-election bid for a…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration has instituted a media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants. Emails sent to EPA staff since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press detailed the specific prohibitions banning press releases, blog updates, or posts to the agency’s social media…
ST. PAUL (AP) – Governor Mark Dayton says he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but will finish the final two years of his term. Dayton made the announcement, Tuesday, just a day after collapsing while delivering his State of the State address. “I always thought I was incredibly fortunate…cancer seems to me like Russian Roulette. Everytime I get a clean…
ST. PAUL (AP) – A Minnesota House committee has approved a bill that would charge protesters for law enforcement costs associated with disruptive demonstrations. The House Civil Law Committee passed the bill 6-3, amid outcry from critics who say it could be used to silence dissent. Citizens at Tuesday’s hearing shouted “Shame, shame!” after the vote, prompting lawmakers to walk…
MADISON (AP) – A manufacturing tax credit touted by Republicans is projected to cost the state more than $650 million over the next two years. Democratic critic Representative Gordon Hintz, of Oshkosh, on Tuesday released the latest estimates from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. It shows that the program will have reduced state tax collections by about $1.4 billion by…
ST. PAUL (AP) – Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton is planning to keep to his normal schedule Tuesday after collapsing during his State of the State address. The 69-year-old Democrat fainted as he neared the end of his annual speech Monday night. He appeared conscious as he was helped to a back room minutes later. A top staffer said he walked…
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed executive actions to advance the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines. Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office that the construction of the pipelines will subject to the terms and conditions being renegotiated by the United States. Former President Barack Obama killed the proposed Keystone XL pipeline in…
