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Riding for 'a good cause'

AMIRET — Curt Mercie has his crew with him every year on the Toys for Tots Motorcycle run that starts in Amiret. “We’ve been doing this run for how many years? Twenty? We’ve been doing for pretty much forever,” he said while waiting Saturday morning for more motorcyclists to ...

Trump administration sustains defeat on vote-by-mail order

A federal appeals court over the weekend denied the Trump administration’s request to resume a controversial plan forcing significant restrictions on vote-by-mail. A three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court ruling last month that blocked President Donald Trump’s March 31 executive order restricting mail-in voting because the U.S. Constitution grants states — not the president — authority to administer elections. The executive order “directs unprecedented levels of involvement by federal officials in how states administer ...

Wisconsin tornado causes extensive damage and cuts power to thousands of homes

MADISON, Wis. — A tornado struck northeastern Wisconsin on Monday, blackening the midday sky and sending workers sheltering in office basements as fierce winds splintered homes, scattered twisted metal across a highway and knocked out power to more than 30,000 people. There were no reports of fatalities or injuries as of Monday evening, but emergency officials were still searching, said Gordon Hintz, Winnebago County's top elected official. The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado in Winnebago County, about 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Damage was reported in cities ...

Trump administration urges Supreme Court to allow order targeting mail-in voting before midterms

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to clear the way for an executive order from President Donald Trump that could dramatically change mail-in voting ahead of November's midterm elections. The Justice Department asked the justices to halt for now lower court decisions blocking the sweeping changes in nearly half the country. The request comes shortly after Trump delivered a primetime address elevating his yearslong push to raise doubts about the legitimacy of elections, and could be one of several voting-related challenges before the court ahead ...

Two juveniles injured in ATV accident Friday

BALATON — Charges are being considered in connection with a one-vehicle ATV accident that injured two juvenile girls Friday afternoon, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office said. Two girls, ages 14 and 13, were injured in a rollover ATV accident at 3:42 p.m., at the intersection of 170th Street and 180th Avenue in rural Balaton, the Sheriff’s Department said. The 14-year-old was driving the ATV, the Sheriff’s Office said. The Sheriff’s Office did not release the names of the two injured girls. Both girls were transported by ambulance to Avera Marshall Medical Center. The ...