Driver Kills Dog Near Cloquet; Sues Dog's Family
05/07/2008
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- The driver of a car that struck and killed a dog near Cloquet is suing the dog's owners for damage done to his vehicle.

Jeffery Ely was driving on the night of January 4 when Fester, a miniature pinscher, squeezed past its owner and ran into the road. Ely's 1997 Honda Civic struck Fester, killing the 13-pound dog instantly.

Now Ely is suing Fester's owners for about $1,100 for damage to his car, time he had to take off from his two jobs to get the car repaired, and court fees.

Ely says he feels sorry for the family's loss but -- as a dog owner himself -- feels they must be responsible for their pets' actions.

Fester's owner, Nikki Munthe, says she's always been worried about the busy road and would have never let Fester off-leash. The family has countersued Ely for $2,400.

The case will be heard in St. Louis County Court on Friday.

Giant Hockey Stick Could Be On the Move
05/07/2008
EVELETH, Minn. (AP) -- There's talk in Eveleth of moving a giant hockey stick that's currently a part of downtown to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum nearby.

Some members of the City Council are questioning how much business and tourism the 110-foot, 5-ton stick has brought the town.

Council member Tom Kallevig says more people would stop to see the stick if it were visible from the highway. The Hockey Hall of Fame is also next to the highway, so Kallevig says the stick might encourage them to visit the museum.

The attraction billed as the "world's largest free-standing hockey stick" was placed in downtown Eveleth in 2002.

Rep. Convention in St. Paul - Why Not Minneapolis?
05/07/2008
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congresswoman Betty McCollum has some news for a congressional committee: this year's Republican National Convention will be based in St. Paul, not Minneapolis.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee looked at hospital capacity to respond to a terrorist attack in seven cities -- including Denver and Minneapolis because of this year's conventions.

However, the St. Paul Democrat notes in a Wednesday hearing that the committee didn't study Regions Hospital in St. Paul, which would be the first responder for an incident at the convention center.

Minneapolis will accommodate many of the convention visitors. The committee report found that the Hennepin County Medical Center there does not have the capacity to handle a surge from a terrorist attack.

The other hospitals studied had the same problem.

Pawlenty Has Concerns Over Raising Minimum Raise
05/07/2008
ST. PAUL (AP) -- Governor Pawlenty's administration is raising concerns over a legislative agreement that would boost the minimum wage in two steps, the first coming this summer.

Labor and Industry Commissioner Steve Sviggum says the deal would put Minnesota too far above the federal minimum wage. He also says it doesn't distinguish between workers who also collect tips as the governor wanted.

Under the plan, the bottom hourly wage for workers at large employers would go up 60 cents to $6.75 in July and climb another dollar a year later. Businesses with annual sales above $625,000 are considered large employers.

Smaller employers would have to pay workers at least $5.75 an hour beginning this July and $6.75 by July 2009. The current minimum wage for them is $5.25 per hour.

Olson Land Goes on National Reserve
05/07/2008
ELY, Minn. (AP) -- Thirty acres of preserved wilderness near Ely that once belonged to author Sigurd F. Olson has been put on the National Register of Historic Places.

The late author bought the rugged property on the shore of Burntside Lake in 1956 as a retreat where he could reflect upon nature.

In his 1958 book "Listening Point," Olson wrote, "I named this place Listening Point because only when one comes to listen, only when one is aware and still, can things be seen and heard."

Olson died in 1982 at age 82.

The property now belongs to the Listening Point Foundation, a nonprofit that works to further the legacy of wilderness education left behind by Olson.

Olson worked for decades to protect the Quetico-Superior region, which includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Canada's Quetico Provincial Park and Voyageurs National Park.

Mother Pleads Guilty in Child's Drowning
05/06/2008
HASTINGS, Minn. (AP) -- The Lakeville mother charged in the drowning of her 11-month-old daughter has pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter.

The Dakota County Attorney's Office says 38-year-old Katherine Bodem made the plea Tuesday in the August 25 death of her daughter Cecilia.

Authorities have said Cecilia drowned in a bathtub while Bodem left the infant and her 2 1/2-year-old brother alone for nearly 20 minutes while she shopped for shoes online. Neighbors who performed CPR were unable to revive the baby.

Bodem will be sentenced May 19 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.

Senator Doesn't Like Road Safety Choices
05/06/2008
ST. PAUL (AP) -- A top senator says he's being forced to choose between three safety features as he constructs a transportation policy bill to send to Governor Tim Pawlenty.

Senator Steve Murphy says the choices are between a buckle-up law, restrictions for teen drivers and mandatory booster seats for children.

Murphy says Pawlenty is asking him to choose between the lives of adults, teens and children.

He says he will probably drop the booster seat requirement because the other provisions would save more lives.

Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung had no immediate comment.

The booster seat measure would require parents to get the seats for children who outgrow child seats but are too small to use a regular seat belt safely.

Lake Superior Water Levels Rising
05/06/2008
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- The water level of Lake Superior is inching its way back up.

The International Lake Superior Board of Control says the lake level rose 6 inches in April and is now 10 inches higher than it was at this time last year.

Over the past two years, the water level in Lake Superior has been as much as 22 inches below long-term monthly averages.

The lake level is still 8 inches below normal, but the extra inches should make it easier to launch and dock boats at marinas across the lake. Water is also covering more waterfront beaches and wetlands that were left high and dry last spring and summer.

Locker Room Camera Case Continues
05/06/2008
MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) -- The lawyer for a man accused of setting up a camera in a Concordia College women's shower says the number of charges against his client should be reduced from seven to one.

Thirty-one-year-old Steven Sopko is charged with seven counts of gross misdemeanor interference with privacy.

His attorney, Gregory Joseph, told Clay County District Court Judge Galen Vaa that Sopko should instead be charged for a single criminal act.

Clay County Attorney Brian Melton told Vaa that images of seven women were recorded and that each was a separate crime. Vaa will rule later.

Sopko was a custodian at Concordia in Moorhead, Minnesota, before his arrest in late December.

3 Sentenced in BWCAW Camper Terrorizing
05/06/2008
TWO HARBORS, Minn. (AP) -- Three suspects have been sentenced for their roles in terrorizing campers in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness last August.

Twenty-year-old Travis John Erzar, 19-year-old Casey Fenske and 19-year-old Zachary Ross Barton were all sentenced for terroristic threats. All three must testify against others accused in the incident and are not allowed in the BWCAW for three years.

Erzar received probation. Barton fired a gun that night and was given 20 days in the Lake County Jail. Fenske discharged his pistol several times and was sentenced to nine months at the Northeast Regional Corrections Center.

Three others are accused in the case.

All six are from Ely. They're accused of terrorizing campers on Basswood Lake, and into Canada, while boating late on the night of August 7.

City Hall Evacuated After Explosive Device Found
05/06/2008
EDEN VALLEY, Minn. (AP) -- The Eden Valley City Hall had to be evacuated after someone turned in an explosive device.

Meeker County Sheriff Mike Hirman says his office got a call Tuesday morning from the Eden Valley Police Department. Someone had found the device while cleaning out a storage shed and walked it in to the City Hall/Police Department.

The Minneapolis Bomb Squad was called and was able to remove the device and detonate it in a remote location.

The sheriff's office is investigating.

Eden Valley is about 27 miles southwest of St. Cloud.

Baby Delivered After NW MN Crash
05/06/2008
MAHNOMEN, Minn. (AP) -- A baby boy is in critical condition after being delivered by emergency C-section following a two-vehicle crash in northwestern Minnesota.

The accident happened Saturday night on state Highway 200 in Mahnomen County.

Authorities say 20-year-old Amy Aguilar of Mahnomen was driving west when she collided with an eastbound vehicle driven by a 16-year-old girl.

Aguilar was nine months pregnant. She underwent an emergency C-section and gave birth to a boy, Jordan James.

The newborn was airlifted to Fargo's MeritCare Hospital, where he's in critical condition. His mother was later transported to MeritCare, where she's in satisfactory condition.

The other driver was not hurt.

Medtronic to Cut Jobs
05/06/2008
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Medical device maker Medtronic Inc. is planning to cut its work force by about 1,100 jobs during the current fiscal year.

Spokeswoman Marybeth Thorsgaard said in an e-mail Tuesday that the cuts will come from Medtronic businesses that are no longer growing at previous rates. She said some manufacturing and research and development operations will be consolidated.

The Fridley-based company has almost 40,000 employees worldwide.

Shares of Medtronic fell 11 cents to $48.93 in afternoon trading.

Part of Duluth Bridge Closed for Gusset Repairs
05/06/2008
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota transportation officials say they're closing several lanes of the Blatnik Bridge between Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin, so they can repair four gusset plates.

John Bray, special assistant to the district engineer, says the bridge isn't in peril. But he says the gusset plates have thinned over time. An emergency contract will be issued to repair the plates with what are called "angle irons."

Only one lane of traffic is open in each direction on the bridge, which carries some 25,000 vehicles a day. Bray says the aim is to get it fully open by Memorial Day.

Faulty gusset plates have been blamed as part of the reason for the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

Ballot Qs Ask Voters to Change How Congress is Run
05/06/2008
ST. PAUL (AP) -- Minnesota voters could have two chances this fall to set new rules for their state lawmakers.

A pair of proposed constitutional amendments are making their way to the November ballot.

One would empower the Legislature to call themselves into special sessions -- a decision now reserved for the governor.

The second measure would establish an appointed state council that would set pay for legislators and the elected members of the executive branch. That would take salary and per diem decisions away from lawmakers.

Constitutional questions appear on the ballot if the House and Senate approve identical language. The governor doesn't act on them.

One ballot initiative is already before voters. It would raise the sales tax and dedicate proceeds to environment and arts programs.

Out-of-state News

Wal-Mart Rolls Back...Energy Use
05/06/2008
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has announced partnerships with 19 states, including Iowa, and Puerto Rico to help them save on energy and electricity costs at their capitols.

Wal-Mart will identify engineering experts to perform energy audits at the capitols.

Wal-Mart over the past three years has worked to cut down on energy usage at its stores and suppliers. Through its Greening State Capitols partnership with the National Governors Association, Wal-Mart will offer its services in an outreach effort and to market its audit services.

The states included in Tuesday's announcement are Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

18-Year-Old Graduates....From College!
05/06/2008
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Like many parents of college-aged kids, Philip and Brigitte Gassman of Ames are bracing for their son to leave home.

But don't expect to see them at any freshman orientation gatherings.

Their 18-year-old son, Mattias Gassman, will head to graduate school after receiving two bachelor's degrees on Saturday from Iowa State University.

He wracked up nearly twice the college credits needed to graduate and boasts majors in biophysics, German and classical studies, plus a minor in history.

If that wasn't enough, he graduates summa cum laude.

When Gassman was just a fifth grader he earned a high enough score on a college entrance exam to get a scholarship to take a college-level course. He aced that class -- Latin 101.

Gassman plans to attend the University of Minnesota this fall.

English-Only Ballots Still a Heated Debate
05/06/2008
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro says he won't appeal a judge's decision that voter registration forms must only be in English.

Mauro's office removed non-English voter forms from the secretary of state's Web site after the judge issued his ruling in March.

He says appealing the decision could take years and cost thousands of taxpayer dollars.

Instead, Mauro says he would work with the Iowa attorney general's office to find alternatives for non-English speaking voters.

Former Governor Tom Vilsack signed the English-language law in 2002, specifying that all government communications must be in English. But current Governor Chet Culver has said the law allows for voter registration forms to be in multiple languages.

Police ID Man Found in Atlantic
05/06/2008
ATLANTIC, Iowa (AP) -- Authorities have identified a body found in a culvert off Highway 6 near Atlantic.

Authorities say they've identified the remains of Justin Eugene Hoeck a 26-year-old from Atlantic. He was reported missing on May 3.

The full results of the autopsy will not be available until toxicology tests have been completed. Authorities say there are no obvious signs of foul play. Hoeck did not appear to have sustained any severe injuries that lead to his death.

The case remains under investigation by members of the Atlantic Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Family Sues Hotel Over Boy's Drowning
05/06/2008
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The Iowa parents of a 5-year-old boy who drowned in an Omaha hotel pool nearly two years ago are suing the hotel.

Brian Guevara of Marshalltown, Iowa, died June 19, 2006, after being pulled from the pool at Howard Johnson Hotel in west Omaha.

His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit this week. The family says in the lawsuit that the pool's water was too murky to be considered safe.

An attorney for the family, James Martin Davis, says the family wasn't able to see Brian Guevara at the bottom of the pool because the water was so cloudy, delaying help for the boy.

Officials Say Auger May Have Started Waterloo Fire
05/06/2008
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) -- Fire officials say a bad bearing in a piece of equipment may have started a fire that destroyed a building at a cabinet maker in Waterloo.

The fire at Bertch Cabinet Manufacturing broke out last evening. Workers were evacuated from two other buildings. No one was injured.

The fire was in a building that housed an area where sawdust was loaded into trucks for removal.

Fire officials believe the bad bearing in an auger ignited the sawdust.

The company is one of Waterloo's largest manufacturers, employing over 1,000 people over the years.

Farley Road Closed After Anhydrous Ammonia Leak
05/06/2008
FARLEY, Iowa (AP) -- A road near Farley in northeast Iowa remains closed after an anhydrous ammonia leak led to the evacuation of nearby homes.

Officials with the Dubuque County sheriff's office say a farmer was applying anhydrous ammonia to a field Monday evening when a hose pulled free from tank, spilling anhydrous onto the ground.

Homes in the area were evacuated as a precaution. The evacuation remained in effect Tuesday morning.

A hazardous materials crew stopped the leak, but a few firefighters inhaled the vapors and were taken to an area hospital where they were treated and released.

The road near the site was expected to remain closed until later Tuesday morning.

Culver to Sign New School Funding Plan
05/06/2008
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Governor Culver has signed into law a bill that replaces a local-option sales tax with a statewide 1-cent tax.

It creates a new formula for funding school repairs and easing property taxes.

Culver signed the measure today at an elementary school in Sioux City, emphasizing that it won't increase taxes. But, he says, in the coming years Iowans will notice improved schools and greater educational opportunities.

The law, which goes into effect July 1, sets up a formula that gives schools an average of $200 extra per student. Some districts in sales tax-rich counties could see a drop in payments.

Officials estimate that 372 million dollars will be distributed to schools in the first year. Another 28 million dollars will go for property tax relief.

The statewide sales tax is not permanent, but it doesn't expire until 2029 and could be renewed at that time.

Wind Energy Moves into Drake University Classroom
05/06/2008
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Wind energy is moving from the farm fields of Iowa into the classroom at Drake University.

Law professor Neil Hamilton has just finished the school's first class in wind law, and Drake plans to make it permanent.

The class looks at the legal workings of wind energy -- land-use regulations, easements and leases, utility regulation and policies.

Hamilton's class is one of three across the country. The others are at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Hamilton says wind energy law may really take off if and when Congress passes a carbon emissions control system.

Nest Falls into River; Baby Eagles Feared Lost
05/06/2008
VENTURA, Iowa (AP) -- State environmental officials fear two baby eagles may have ended up in the Winnebago River when their nest tumbled out of a tree near Ventura in northern Iowa.

The eaglets were hatched this spring.

The nest was in a dead cottonwood tree. But tree couldn't support the weight of the nest, and the nest fell into the river on May 2.

Lowell Washburn of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the tree was leaning and it probably won't last.

According to the American Eagle Foundation Web site, a new nest is about 5 feet wide and 2 feet deep. Eagles reuse the same nest, adding to it each year. Some nests can be up to 10 feet wide and weigh several tons.