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DFL weighs new tax bracket for top-earning Minnesotans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

As Minnesota lawmakers piece together a tax bill, a new higher tax bracket is on the table for the state’s highest earners.It’s a move supporters say will bring needed ongoing funding for state programs, but opponents argue it could hurt business growth and push high earners out of the state.The House Taxes Committee is considering a fifth new tax bracket that would create a 10.85% tax for individual filers making more than $600,000 a year. The earning level for joint filers would be $1 million. It would go into effect for the 2023 tax year.Bill sponsor Rep. Kaohly Vang Her, DFL-St. Paul, who has carried a similar proposal in the past, told the tax committee this week that while Minnesota has a historic $17.5 billion budget surplus, much of that is one-time cash and the new bracket would be necessary for creating ongoing revenue for the state.“From our farmers to our families in the city … in order for us to provide the resources they need to have good quality of life we do need to ...

South Carolina-based Zeus bringing 100 jobs to new Arden Hills catheter design, manufacturing plant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

Zeus, a South Carolina-based polymer company intent on growing its medical technology division, is expanding to Arden Hills with a boost from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Job Creation Fund.The goal is to both invent and produce state-of-the-art vascular catheters in a redeveloped manufacturing facility slated to open its doors this summer. The Red Fox Road facility, custom-retrofit and spanning nearly 76,000 square feet, will include a research and design space and cleanroom aimed at designing, developing and testing new catheter prototypes.Over the course of several years, the site is expected to employ more than 100 engineers, project managers, technicians and product builders, according to Zeus officials.Founded 57 years ago, the company until now has been better known for its work with fiber optic cables, engineered plastics for the automotive industry and insulated wires used for the oil and energy industries. Zeus acquired CathX Medic...

Heidi Firkus murder: Evidence from husband’s trial made public

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

When Nicholas Firkus went on trial this year for the 2010 killing of his wife in St. Paul, jurors and people in the courtroom saw and heard evidence that had never before been made public.That included audio of the couple’s 911 calls, video of the only time Nicholas Firkus talked to an investigator and testing that police did at the Firkus home.A jury convicted Firkus in February of premediated murder in the shooting of Heidi Firkus, 25. He told police an intruder broke into their home, he armed himself with a shotgun, and he and the stranger struggled. He said the shotgun went off twice, fatally shooting Heidi in the back and grazing him in the thigh.RELATED: Nicholas Firkus gets life sentence for wife Heidi’s murder he blamed on intruder. ALSO: How Nicholas Firkus jurors decided in hours that he killed Heidi.Prosecutors told jurors that Firkus staged the break-in because he hadn’t told Heidi their home had been foreclosed on and there were going to be evicted the next ...

Black bear cubs rescued near train tracks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

PAWLING, N.Y. (NEWS10) - On March 31, Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Franz received reports of two bear cubs stranded and motherless next to the Metro-North Railroad in Pawling. Officer Franz followed a rail employee about a half mile down the tracks before finding the cubs. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! He found the cubs in a bushy area and was able to get control of the animals using a hooded sweatshirt. Wildlife rehabilitators from Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center met with the rail worker and ECO Franz and took in the cubs. After an assessment, the cubs were determined to be in good condition and expected to recover.

Structure fire closes down parts of Columbia Turnpike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

RENSSELAER, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A structure fire has broken out in an area of Columbia Turnpike. The East Greenbush Police say Columbia Turnpike from Discovery Drive to Sherwood Avenue is closed in all directions. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Drivers should avoid the area and expect heavy traffic delays. An East Greenbush officer tells NEWS10 the structure was fully involved and no injuries have been reported at this time. The officer also says the fire seems to be under control at this point.We will provide updates as more information is released.

Pizzeria owner sets sights on cannabis for Whitehall, Glens Falls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

WHITEHALL, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Joe Kelley has run businesses around Whitehall since the 1990s, when he first opened Joe's Pizza on Broadway. He still remembers the date: September 24, 1998. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! In the decades since, Kelley has expanded to different corners of the northern Washington County town. First came the introduction of Bigfoot Wine & Liquor on the same property, followed by a move across the bridge over the Champlain Canal, where he operates an ice cream parlor and BBQ business. After a flood in 2020 ruined the foundation of the original pizzeria, and an electrical fire tore the building down in 2022, Kelley has been rebuilding his starting point - while selling pizza out of the BBQ business. He's doing it while keeping one eye on the future - thanks to a retail cannabis license he was approved for just a few weeks ago."The way it ended up rolling around, if you had a marijuana conviction ...

Experts discuss bail and possible changes to discovery law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- Public safety has been one of the major hold ups in the state's now 12-day late budget. The Governor is pushing for some reform surrounding the least restrictive means standard and possibly discovery laws. But what exactly are discovery laws in the criminal context? Steve Coffey, partner at O’Connell and Aronowitz said in 2019, the changes to discovery forced the DA to disclose to the Defense Attorney their file, that includes all statements from witnesses, grand jury testimonies, photos, internal documents, anything pertaining to the case within 15 days.  Drag storytime postponed following backlash in Lake Luzerne "It's a big advantage to the defense because now they have a right to see exactly what the DA is seeing. In effect, they’re looking at the same records as both sides," said Coffey. While it’s unclear what changes are being proposed for discovery, some are saying there could be rollbacks. In a statement the Legal Aid Society said in part, “Now, Gov...

Pittsfield PD arrest suspect with drugs and a handgun

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) -- On Wednesday night, Pittsfield Police patroling Burbank Park noticed an occupied vehicle parked near the boat ramp. Police say while they were speaking with the driver and passenger, they observed a bullet and drug paraphernalia in the front seat. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Both individuals were detained. Police searched the vehicle and located a handgun and drugs. Neither individual possessed a license to carry. The driver was arrested on drug and firearm charges and arraigned in District Court on Thursday morning.

Emergency rule seeks to limit access to certain procedures for transgender Missourians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey released details of an emergency rule Thursday seeking to make it harder for transgender children and adults to access certain medical procedures, calling them “experimental” and arguing they need “substantial guardrails.” The rule, once filed with the Secretary of State, would be in effect from April 27 to Feb. 6, 2024.Citing the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act — a law intended to prosecute fraudulent business practices — Bailey’s office prescribed a multi-faceted disclosure and screening process for physicians offering gender-affirming care.The attorney general’s rule mandates that anyone receiving puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or gender-transition surgery must first receive 15 hourly sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist over at least 18 months.The rules also include a provision that bars physicians from prescribing puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones unless a patient has three “most recent, consecutive years” of ...

Missouri gets F, Illinois gets A- in annual gun law scorecard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Gun control laws might look a little different on a state-to-state basis, though one new analysis suggests there's a stark contrast between both states of the St. Louis Metropolitan area. GIFFORDS Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence recently released its annual gun law scorecard, evaluating states based on their gun control laws. Missouri received a failing grade in the scorecard, while Illinois received an "A-" grade. A research team with GIFFORDS, an American advocacy organization promoting gun control, has released an annual gun law scorecard for several years. The scorecard offers grades and ranks for each state on their crimes rates, in addition to their enforcement and strength of gun laws. Top Story: Missouri students physically restrained, secluded thousands of times “There is no debate. Lawmakers can save lives, reduce violence, and make their states safer by following a simple blueprint: pass gun violence prevention laws," said Peter Ambler, Executive Directo...