BDeutsch News Analysis

12 people were arrested Saturday night after a Dinkytown block party was broken up by police.
According to a report by WCCO-TV, around 400 people gathered in the neighborhood to celebrate the University of Minnesota’s Spring Jam festivities.
However, police responded to the scene when a fire was lit in the street and partygoers tried tipping over a car.
“Obviously [this was] just to cause damage and to cause mayhem and that's not going to be tolerated," Sgt. Jesse Garcia said. "This was mayhem created by drunk college students."
But now some witnesses are saying the police presence actually escalated the problem.
Peter Robins, 21, was one of the 12 arrested, but the junior said he was not part of the riot – he was going there to document the even with his camera.
"I'll never look at a police officer the same," he said. "There's no trust there anymore. And now they're pressing charges for assembly when I wasn't assembling."

Posted by deuts060 at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Woodbury man drowned Sunday after rain water the tunnel he and another man were exploring near the Mississippi River filled with rain water.

Ian William Talty, 30, died despite efforts to save his life by St. Paul police and three members of the St. Thomas rowing team that happened to be in the area, according to the Star Tribune.

Talty’s friend and companion, 29-year old Nick Breid, was injured at the scene but survived.

Television station WCCO spoke to the victim’s wife, who said her husband was an avid photographer. He and Breid often went off on adventure hikes.

"Even this morning he left me a note that said 'I love you' and where he would be going. I was very nervous about his hikes. I knew that they would be dangerous. I knew some places he would go wouldn't be the best," Nicole Talty, the victim’s wife said.

Posted by deuts060 at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Police have yet to release the name of a man killed early Sunday morning in Hopkins.

According to the Star Tribune, two groups of people began arguing and fighting around 2 a.m. in the parking lot of a White Castle in the 500 block of Blake Road when shots were fired hitting the victim.

Television station KSTP reports that the victim was a 24-year-old black man, and WCCO TV reports that two black males were seen fleeing the area after the shooting. WCCO also published that the victim was involved in an altercation between two groups in the parking lot before shots were fired.

The Star Tribune is reporting that authorities have two suspects in custody but are continuing to investigate.

Police are withholding the names of those involved pending further investigation and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Crime Lab is processing the scene, according to KSTP TV.

Posted by deuts060 at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An unidentified woman is dead after the car she was riding in was struck by a man evading police, according to a Star Tribune article published Sunday.
An article published in Sunday’s Pioneer Press said Tito Fonzio Campbell, 33, of Roseville, crashed a stolen car into the woman’s car on Highway 36 around 7 p.m. Saturday night. A man riding with the woman was taken to the hospital in “serious condition” while an 8-year-old boy riding with Campbell was also taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The more thorough Pioneer Press article said police were called to the 600 block of West Highway 36, where police say Campbell assaulted a female victim in order to steal her car.
Police discontinued the pursuit when Campbell displayed aggressive driving behavior but continued to follow the car at a distance. When Campbell was involved in the accident, police were directed to the scene by a witness, according to the Pioneer Press.
The Star Tribune said police are withholding the all names of the involved at this time while the Pioneer Press published Campbell’s name as well as his lengthy criminal history.
He is currently being held on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide.

Posted by deuts060 at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Easter Sunday, both the Pioneer Press and television station WCCO ran stories about Dan Zamlen – the St. Thomas student who went missing a week ago.
The Pioneer Press ran an article on a body found along the Mississippi River, where Zamlen is believed to have gone missing after leaving a party Saturday night. Police say the body is not that of Zamlen but of a woman who police believe jumped off a nearby bridge “a few weeks ago.”
Meanwhile, WCCO ran a short story on its Web site on Zamlen’s past tradition serving during Easter mass at his hometown church in Eveleth. This year, however, only friends and family gathered to pray for Zamlen’s safe return.
It is important to note that the Pioneer Press published that police have stopped searching for Zamlen. Only volunteers, many of whom are friends and family members from the Iron Range according to WCCO, continue to search for the missing 19-year old.

Posted by deuts060 at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jacques Lemaire, the only coach in Minnesota Wild history, resigned on Saturday following the team’s 6-3 win over Columbus in the season finale.
Lemaire, 63, helped build Minnesota’s expansion team and coached the team through eight years and three playoff appearances including one trip to the Western Conference finals in 2002-03, according the the Pioneer Press.
"I think it's time for the players to get a new coach and myself to look for other stuff," Lemaire said to the Star Tribune. "I always said there'll be a time. There comes a time that you know it's the right time to go, and I know this. I had a great time, man. I had eight great years."
As a player with Montreal, Lemaire won eight Stanley Cup championships and added another two when he served as the Canadians general manager. His only Cup win as a coach came in 1995 with the New Jersey Devils.
Wild general manager Doug Risebrough did not comment on who would replace Lemaire although both local news outlets singled out Kevin Constantine, who currently coaches the Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate team in Houston and has previous NHL coaching experience, as well as Lemaire’s assistants Mario Tremblay and Mike Ramsey.

Posted by deuts060 at 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Chaska bakery announced it will close its doors forever next weekend after 138 years.
The Chaska Bakery, in business since 1871, will turn off its ovens on April 11 – another victim of the recession and increasing popularity of large one-stop shopping centers such as Wal-Mart.
KSTP TV printed a short story on the bakery focuses very little on the history other than the length it had been in business.
The Chaska Herald, another local news outlet, had a more expansive report, which delved into more depth of the business’ history. The Herald also published a subhead on how independent bakeries are a dying breed because of large-scale distributors.
“People changed where they picked up their bakery products,” Mary Elliot, whose family took over the bakery in the 1970s, said to the Herald. “If they were prone to pick up hamburger some place, they would pick up their buns there as well.
It was also interesting to see the Chaska Herald misreport that the business had been open for 125 years instead of 138, especially when it published the bakery was opened in 1871. Was this just some sort of generalization because it didn’t make much sense?

Posted by deuts060 at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A St. Paul woman announced she will run for mayor this year although two local media outlets tell a slightly different story.
Eva Ng, who is describes herself as a “mainstream center-right conservative” in the Pioneer Press will run against DFL incumbent Chris Coleman this fall, according to the news outlet.
The Pioneer Press printed that Ng, who has never sought an elected position, will run as an Independent although a more thorough report by the Star Tribune claims she was endorsed by local Republicans as the GOP candidate.
The Star Tribune also reported Ng was born in Hong Kong, immigrated to the United States when she was 10 and currently works as the CEO of Blanda Inc. in Eagan.
"This isn't something I imagined for myself, but this is the time," she said to media outlet. "It's a stressful time, and the city is strained, and I have resources and skills to bust the budget apart, find savings and make things happen."
The Star Tribune also reported former GOP candidate John Krenik has stepped out of the race to run for a seat on the St. Paul school board. The Pioneer Press continued to label Krenik as a candidate for the mayoral race.

Posted by deuts060 at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Police have charged a Minneapolis man with aggravated stalking on Friday after he allegedly attempted to lure young girls into his van in St. Paul.
The Pioneer Press is reporting that Ramon Topete Pavon, 21, followed at least two girls around the Summit-University area of St. Paul Wednesday morning around 7:30 a.m.
Incidentally, the two girls Pavon was supposedly following helped lead to his arrest. One girl, who the Pioneer Press said Pavon actually got out of his van to attract before another motorist came upon his parked van, told a staff member at Webster Magnet school about the incident. The same girl said Pavon drove past her 20 times before stopping.
Another girl was able to copy Pavon’s license plate number in her school planner, according to KSTP TV.
Pavon, who was apprehended driving without a license, initially denied being in the area. However, the Pioneer Press reported Pavon’s wife said he dropped her off at work that day in the area. Pavon had earlier told police his wife’s brother dropped her off that day.

Posted by deuts060 at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Big Lake man, who police say killed his girlfriend’s 27-year-old son, killed himself after leading police on a car chase down Interstate 94 on Saturday morning.
According to the Star Tribune, Peter Tek, 42, and his girlfriend, who was unnamed in both the Tribune’s story and the Pioneer Press, returned to their home 2 a.m. when Tek and his girlfriend’s son, Savang Sath, began to argue. In the end, Sath was shot in the head while Tek forced his girlfriend into his Lincoln Navigator and fled.
The Star Tribune also reported that two females were held at the residence by Tek before he fled.
Meanwhile the Star Tribune uncovered that Tek called his son and ex-wife during the car chase, while the Pioneer Press reported that authorities negotiated with Tek for an hour before he released his girlfriend and turned his gun on himself.
The Star Tribune also reported on Tek’s past. His family fled Cambodia in the 1980s after Tek had fought in the wars of the 1960s 70s. He worked at a Shakopee printing press for 20 years up until the time of his death and had returned to Cambodia last month on a mission trip.

Posted by deuts060 at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The president of the St. Paul Police Federation says some of his fellow police officers will be placed in an awkward situation if they are asked to protect Sara Jane Olson when the radical returns to Minnesota.

According to the Star Tribune, Olson was sent to prison seven years ago in California after plotting to plant bombs in police cars and participating in a deadly bank robbery.

“There was never a decade when it was appropriate to commit the crimes she did," Dave Titus, president of the St. Paul Police Federation, said.

Titus went so far as to send California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a letter asking that Olson serve her parole in California instead of Minnesota according to KSTP TV.

"Returning [Olson] to the same neighborhood that harbored her during her 24-year flight from justice is hardly conducive to strict parole monitoring," Titus said in the letter. "If having a convicted domestic terrorist living in their midst didn't bother her neighbors, why would the State Department of Corrections think they would report her if she violated parole?"

Posted by deuts060 at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Litchfield Police are remaining quiet after an unnamed officer shot a man for unknown circumstances pending further investigation.

Police say the shooting occurred around 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning but did not divulge any further information to KSTP TV. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the incident, said the man was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center. In an interview with the Star Tribune, Janell Rasmussen, a spokesman for the BCA, said he is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

KSTP TV reported the man’s condition was not available.

The officer, who was uninjured in the shooting, was placed on paid administrative leave as is standard department procedure according to the Star Tribune.

Posted by deuts060 at 9:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After the previous post chastised the Star Tribune for poor reporting efforts, the following story does so with the Pioneer Press.
Both news outlets covered the Eagan strip mall fire around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, but the Pioneer Press’ short article was somewhat lacking.
Primarily, the Pioneer Press reported that “several stories received significant water and smoke damage.”The Star Tribune precisely reported that nine businesses were damaged and then listed the three that were damaged the most.
The Star Tribune also quoted Mike Scott, the Eagan Fire Chief, as saying the fire “doesn’t appear suspicious at this time.” The article went on to explain most dumpster fires, like the one that started the strip mall fire, are caused by either cigarette butts or hot material thrown away in the dumpster.
The Pioneer Press did not report either of the last two facts.
No one was injured in the fire.

Posted by deuts060 at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reporting the details:
The Star Tribune and Pioneer Press both continued to cover the condition of an Apple Valley woman injured in a hit and run on Friday
Joan LaVasseur, 26, remains in critical condition after she was struck by a vehicle – leaving her with multiple fractures to both legs, a fractured pelvis, a broken right hand and lacerations to her face.
The Star Tribune spoke with family members and Apple Valley Sgt. Joe Shaw. An unnamed family member told the Star Tribune LaVasseur is engaged to be married, while Shaw said police have been receiving tips on the vehicle’s driver.
Meanwhile, the Pioneer Press quoted the victim’s sister-in-law, Lori LeVasseur, who repeated the victim’s injuries. The Pioneer Press also reported the victim is deaf.
Interesting discovery by the Pioneer Press, the victim’s disability definitely is newsworthy. It would be interesting to hear how exactly they caught wind of that while the Star Tribune did not.

Posted by deuts060 at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

St. Scholastica baseball coach John Baggs died Tuesday after a four-month battle with cancer.

The Pioneer Press published a brief announcing the 42-year old’s death on Wednesday. Baggs was the most winningest coach at St. Scholastica in any sport with a 531-197 record. His Saints won 12 consecutive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference titles.

On Sunday, Patrick Reusse wrote an expansive column on Baggs in the Star Tribune citing Baggs as savior of the St. Scholastica baseball program, which was formed in 1987 – five years before Baggs took over as head coach in 1992.

“The program had 34 victories in history when Coach Baggs arrived," assistant coach Jim Wicklund said to Reusse. "Now, it would be a bad year if we didn't win 34 games."

“He knew what he was talking about. You believed in him,” Saints captain Kyle Wojtysiak said. “You knew how he had taken a baseball program that was nothing and turned it into something special.”

Baggs is survived by wife Colleen, son Maddux, 8, and daughter Josie, 3.

Posted by deuts060 at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to two local news outlets, police believe a pair of men might be responsible or a string of five robberies throughout the Twin Cities early Sunday.

The Star Tribune provided substantially more coverage on the robberies than the Pioneer Press – publishing that the two suspects approached their victims with a vehicle in all five cases before brandishing a gun.

Police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer said no one was injured in the robberies but said “anytime a gun is involved, we’re concerned.”

There was more disparity between the two outlets. The Star Tribune listed the source as William Palmer while the Pioneer Press listed him as Bill Palmer.

The Pioneer Press also quoted Palmer as saying the crimes were similar but not necessarily related.

“We had five robberies within a two-hour period with some similarities," Sgt. Bill Palmer said this afternoon. "At this point, we're not prepared to call them related."

Posted by deuts060 at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Northwest Airlines flight traveling from Minneapolis to Cleveland was diverted to Grand Rapids, Mich., after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit.

The Associated Press is reporting the airplane, Flight 2125, landed at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport around 6 p.m. Sunday, and 39 passengers were safely transferred to another flight. Barton Dieters of the Grand Rapids Press is reporting the landing time at 6:30 p.m. Both reports said the passengers deplaned in normal fashion.

Airport spokesman told the Grand Rapids Press that “we have a number of diversions throughout the year.�?

Officials say the airplane is being inspected to find the cause of the smoke.

Posted by deuts060 at 4:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Wisconsin man and his 9-year-old daughter died Saturday when their truck broke through the ice on Lake Winnebago according to the Star Tribune and television station KSTP.

According to the Star Tribune, Dan Kleinhans, 44, and his daughter, Savannah Kleinhans died when their vehicle hit a crack in the ice and sank after high winds opened the ice in that area on Tuesday.

KSTP is reporting the father was declared dead at the scene, and the Star Tribune added his daughter died from drowning.

Both reported a second girl, who the Star Tribune is calling a friend of the daughter’s, survived the accident and is in unknown condition at a Milwaukee hospital. KSTP is reporting her condition as serious.

The television station is also reporting an unrelated accident in Superior, where a 37-year-old man died Sunday when his vehicle broke through the ice of the St. Louis River.

Posted by deuts060 at 4:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Sunday, the Winona Daily news reported a holocaust-denying bishop, whose excommunication was lifted by the Vatican last month, taught at a local seminary for 15 years.
Bishop Richard Williamson served as the rector of the ultraconservative Society of St. Pius X from 1998 to 2003 when the order was located in Winona.
Williamson caused controversy recently when he told a Swedish news program he did not believe any Jews were killed during the Holocaust.
“ There was not one Jew killed in the gas chambers. It was all lies, lies, lies," Williamson said in an 1989 speech.

Posted by deuts060 at 5:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minneapolis mayor R.T. Ryback began his reelection campaign Saturday amid rumors he might not stick around for the entire four-year term.

Ryback, who took office in 2002, previously told the Star Tribune he is considering a bid for Minnesota’s governor in 2010.

Meanwhile, Ryback’s biggest opponent in the race, DFLer Bob Miller, said he is prepared to serve the entirety of the four-year term.

On Sunday, the Minnesota Daily reported Ryback will focus on achieving four goals in what could be his third term as Minneapolis’ mayor: reducing crime, improving infrastructure, education and creating economic opportunity in the city.

“At this period of time, especially, we need to continue a focus on creating opportunity in the city while navigating through tough waters,�? he said. “I’ve shown I can do it, and I want to do it again.�?

Posted by deuts060 at 5:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

St. Paul Police arrested three men early Saturday morning in connection with the murder of a St. Paul man, the Star Tribune reported.

Jeffrey Lamont Logan, 44, was shot and killed outside the Attucks-Brooks American Legion Hall after stepping in to defend his cousin – the initial victim of a botched robbery.

Charles Walker Jr., the victim’s brother, told the Pioneer Press his brother was doing what he always did – looking out for his friends and family.

“He watched out for everybody,�? Walker said.

Walker told the Pioneer Press his brother “didn’t deserve to die the way he did,�? and reiterated his comments to the Star Tribune.

"I know his death is going to impact this community pretty big," Walker said. "When a nice person goes out with his friends and this happens to him, it's not right.�?

Police responded to the scene around 1 a.m. Saturday morning when they found Logan lying shot in an alley near the club at 976 Concordia Ave. After a brief chase, authorities apprehended three males, who await possible murder charges in Ramsey County jail.

The Pioneer Press listed the three suspects as Ronald Hill, 20, of West St. Paul; Elston Marc Williamson, 28, or St. Paul; and Henry Marcello Reed, 27, of St.Paul.

Posted by deuts060 at 5:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Authorities have identified the three victims who died in plane crash Friday night near Menomonie.

On Sunday morning, the Star Tribune reported Laurence Berg, 51, died after crashing his Cirus SR20 aircraft while flying towards his home in Houlton.

Also killed in the crash were Berg’s 53-year-old wife, Vicki, and 44-year old Brett Weller.

WCCO.com is reporting the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash but has not issued a cause for the crash.

“We are doing wreckage documentation and a diagram of the wreckage site," Jim Silliman, the Air Safety Investigator for the NTSB said to the Star Tribune. "The impact and going through the ravine and woods did create significant structural damage to the aircraft."

The Pioneer Press interviewed two who paint separate pictures.

Menomonie native Jackson McMahon was driving home when he witnessed the crash.

“I saw something that looked like a big shooting star. Then, on the horizon, I saw a big, pink glow,�? McMahon said.

Meanwhile, Gay Evenson said neither she nor her husband heard anything from their nearby home.

“I don’t think the motor was going, or we would have heard it,�? Evenson said.

Posted by deuts060 at 5:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)