Kiya Edwards' Weblog

The University of St. Thomas freshman missing for nearly four weeks was found dead Friday near the Ford Motor Co. plant, the Star Tribune reported.

The body was identified as Dan Zamlen who disappeared April 5 and would have turned 19 on April 9. St. Thomas spokesman Doug Hennes said people kept hope since he disappeared, but feared the worst as time went on.

"So today does bring some closure," he said.

Zamlen's parents, Dale and Sally Zamlen, of Eveleth, Minn., have been living in the St. Thomas faculty residence since their only son vanished.

St. Paul Police spokesman Pete Panos said he believes Zamlen fell down the bluff and into the river, although an official cause of death is not expected from the medical examiner's office for four or five days.

Panos said Ford workers found the body while cleaning grates that catch debris in the river near the power plant.

Television station KSTP TV said St. Paul police have not said whether there were signs of foul play.

An estimated 1,200 students repeatedly scoured several square miles of Mississippi River bluffs looking for him.

"You hate this to be the end," Panos said. "But if this was always going to be the end, then this actually probably is a good thing. At least the family can go ahead and get through their grieving process and it gives them some closure so they can deal with something more solid than always wondering what happened or where he was." (Star Tribune)

Britta Bloomquist, a high school friend who helped organize Iron Rangers' search efforts, was coming to St. Paul Friday for another weekend of searching. Instead, she attended the prayer service for Zamlen wearing a blue T-shirt that said: Bring Dan Home.

"I'm glad they found him, but I want to know what happened," she said. "Keep praying so we can find an answer." (Star Tribune)

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A woman laid slain with a dropped sack of groceries and a shoe in the parking lot, the Star Tribune reported that neighbors near a Richfield complex said Sunday.

The 22-year-old, unidentified woman was killed around 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Buena Vista Apartment Homes at 734 E. 78th St. She was stabbed to death, said the Hennepin County mediacal examiner's office.

Richfield police did not release information about a possible motive. An unidentified 24-year-old man was arrested and is being held at the Hennepin County jail.

Police dogs searched the area. It is not clear where the suspect was arrested, the Star Tribune reported. Television station KSTP TV reported that the man was arrested in Bloomington, and that police said the man and woman knew each other.

The woman's name is being withheld until fingerprint identity examinations are confirmed, the Star Tribune reported.

Neighbors described the scene as blood flowing the length of the parking lot. The woman's throat may have been cut, they said. Diane Soderberg was watching television with her window open when she heard a "blood-curdling" scream.

"I kept the blinds shut. It was a horrific, horrific noise," she told the Star Tribune. "I knew she was in trouble, but by that time the rescue squad was coming. It was just horrific, the scream."

Television station KSTP TV reported that the woman's child was bleeding, who was not hurt and is with his father.

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The Star Tribune reported that the 21-year-old man arrested last week after allegedly approaching two 8-year-old girls in Edina for directions had a roll of duct tape, condoms and a paintball gun in his car, according to newly released court documents.

Police found the items after arresting the Fairbault, Minn. man on suspicion of attempted kidnapping. He has not yet been charged and was released from jail last Friday.

Authorities said the two girls separately reported a man drove up to them Tuesday around 3:30 p.m., asking them to get in his vehicle and guide him to Concord Elementary School. Both girls refused to give the man directions, and ran home and told their parents, television news station Kare 11 additionally reported.

The man told police he was in the area for an appointment and was lost, the Star Tribune reported.

Kare 11 reported that deputy police chief Jeff Long said the girls were walking home from school when they were approached.

An Edina teenager and another woman saw one of the incidents and called police, whom Kare11 credits with having helped prevent possible child abductions. A teenage boy stopped his car when he spotted one of the girls talking to the man. Edina resident Erica Oberlein called the police after she drove up, learned what happened and followed the vehicle to get a license plate number.

"I'm glad this teen had the foresight to stop and ask the guy what he was doing," Oberlein said. "Had he not, I would not have stopped." (Kare 11)

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Nearly two-thirds of Minnesotans think Norm Coleman should admit loss to Al Franken in the U.S. Senate race, but just as many believe the voting system that gave the state its longest running election contest needs improvement, according to those surveyed in a new Star Tribune Minnesota Poll.

The poll has found that 64 percent of those surveyed believe Coleman should accept the recount trial court's April 13 verdict, which showed Franken's win by 312 votes.

Only 28 percent consider last week's appeal by Coleman to the Minnesota Supreme Court "appropriate."

Fifty-seven percent of respondents said Franken should concede if Coleman were to win at the state Supreme Court, while 73 percent said Coleman should concede if Franken were to win.

The random telephone survey of 1,042 Minnesota adult produced a sample consisting of 20 percent Republicans, 36 percent Democrats and 37 percent independents, with 6 percent offering no self-identification. The poll has a margin of sampling error of 4 percentage points, plus or minus.

"I voted for Coleman, but this thing has gone on way too long," said Mike McCombs, 50, a Lakeville furnace and air conditioning salesman. "Obviously, the Republican Party is trying to keep Franken's vote out of the United States Senate. We should get another [senator] in there." (Star Tribune)

The 4,400 rejected absentee ballots should be counted because they are identical to the other, already-counted ballots, Coleman said.

"While we understand the frustration that Minnesotans have, it's important to get this right, not only for the 4,400 disenfranchised Minnesotans, but for everyone so that we can all have faith in the accuracy of the final outcome," said Coleman spokesman Tom Erickson.

But the poll numbers speak for themselves, Franken spokesman Andy Barr said.

"Minnesotans understand that this process has been meticulous and fair," he said, "... that our election system in Minnesota is sound and that Al Franken received more votes than Norm Coleman on Election Day."

The same day Coleman confirmed widespread expectations that he would challenge Franken's recount trial victory in the state Supreme Court, the poll was conducted, lasting four days.

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Police said a woman in her 20s was shot and killed outside a McDonald's in Maple Grove on Sunday afternoon in what appears to be a murder-suicide, television station FOX 9 news reported.

The woman was shot just outside the door by the drive-up lane. Witnesses said it appears she was shot several times.Police were called to the restaurant at 6255 Sycamore Lane North at about 2 p.m.

McDonald's employees tried unsuccessfully to give the woman CPR, police said.

Brooklyn Park Police spotted a car matching the description of the suspect's vehicle on Interstate 94. The Pioneer Press reported that witnesses described the suspect's vehicle. Police said that as they pulled the car over, the man shot and killed himself, FOX 9 reported.

The woman and the man, who was described to be in his 20s, knew each other, and planned to meet at the restaurant where she was going to break off a year-long relationship, police said. Police said they believe he followed her into the lot, got out of his car and shot her. Police have not identified the woman yet, but said she has a 9-year-old daughter.

There were several people, including children, inside the restaurant at the time. They will be offered counseling.

It is the second shooting in a Twin Cities fast food restaurant's parking lot in about 12 hours time. Early Sunday, a 24-year-old man was shot and killed after an argument in the parking lot of a White Castle in Hopkins, the Pioneer Press additionally reported. Police are looking for two suspects.

Posted by edwar292 at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that Bloomington police said a 23-year-old man is in stable condition after pretending to fall of a Minnesota River bridge, and then actually fell.

Just before 5 a.m. Sunday, a 21-year-old man called police, about his friend who fell off the Highway 77 bridge and into a marshy area about 30 feet below. He was driving north when his friend, who had been drinking, told him to pull into the bridge's emergency lane so he could urinate, he said.

The 23-year-old climbed to the ledge of the bridge, then looked at his friend and pretended to fall, and fell.

"He then in fact fell," according to a press release from the Bloomington Police Department.

Bloomington and Eagan police responded, and the Eagan Fire Department used a chair lift to retrieve the man. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center where he is being treated for serious injuries.

Television station FOX 9 news reported that the injuries did not seem to be life threatening. They additionally reported that resue crews were called in around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, which is before the 5 a.m. call as reported by the Star Tribune.

Posted by edwar292 at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Brooklyn Park man talked for nearly 40-minutes Thursday about his life and new faith in God after being sentenced to 32 years in jail for murdering his wife, the Star Tribune reported.

Nigerian immigrant Michael Collins Iheme, 51, said he knows God has forgiven him, quoting several Bible verses that warn against responding to evil with evil and a song he wrote calling his dead wife "the heart of her husband."

"I saw everything she did to me as rubbish," he said. "This marriage was done with good intention. It ended unfortunately. I wish I had the Holy Spirit like I have now. I would have overcome." (Star Tribune)

"Your conduct was horrific by any measure," said Hennepin County District Judge Mel Dickstein, as she politely cut off his speech to sentence him.

A jury convicted Iheme in February of second-degree murder for the death of Anthonia Iheme, 28, as she sat in her car July 24 in the parking lot of Sholom Home West in St. Louis Park. He then called police and said, "I have killed the woman that mess my life up."

Television station FOX 9 News additionally reported that Iheme shot his wife.

The Star Tribune reported that Iheme killed his wife after she admitted he was not the father of their youngest child, the defense said. Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Deborah Russell argued for premeditated first-degree murder because Iheme knew about the betrayal before the day he killed her. His wife "confirmed" Iheme's suspicions about the child that day, according to his comments, and the fit of rage was not new to Iheme.

Iheme did not care about the lives of his wife or children, judge Dickstein said. He was nonetheless convicted of second-degree murder.

No family members spoke for Anthonia Iheme. Russell said the family lives out of state.

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The Star Tribune reported that a body recovered from the Mississippi River Saturday morning in St. Paul matches the description of the woman seen jumping from a bridge a few weeks ago, and is not that of the missing University of St. Thomas student, police said.

The woman's body, tangled in debris, was found by employees of a barge company at 8:30 a.m. near the intersection of Childs and Shepard Roads. Police are waiting for a positive identification of the woman from the Ramsey County medical examiner.

Volunteers continued searching Saturday for Dan Zamlen, the St. Thomas freshman who disappeared one week ago after leaving a party early Sunday morning. Police have stopped searching.

Police said they have reached a point where they have searched everywhere they can, television station FOX 9 News additionally reported.

The Star Tribune reported that Zamlen, 19, was last believed to be at the intersection of Mississippi River Boulevard S. and St. Clair Avenue when his phone abruptly cut out, said Anna Chapuis, his friend. He has not been seen since.

By boat and helicopter, police had searched the Mississippi River, while others searched the river bluffs with no sign of Zamlen.

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The Star Tribune reported that a Metro Transit bus driver has been fired in connection to his arrest on suspicion of driving drunk in his bus last month, an agency spokesperson said Thursday.

Alonzo V. Martin's Route 5 bus swerved all over the road on March 21, and he now faces two misdemeanor counts. The bus swerved from Minneapolis to Brooklyn Center, which prompted witnesses to call the police. Martin, 46, had a blood-alcohol content of 0.24, which is six times the legal limit for commercial drivers, police said, and he tried to hide a can of beer.

Martin did not work after his arrest and was discharged March 23 for "gross misconduct," involving a violations of the Metropolitan Council's drug and alcohol policy, in three areas, said Bob Gibbons, spokesman for Metro Transit.

The misconduct also involved falsification of an employment application and falsification of statements to a manager's inquiry, Gibbons said.

Although the incident is a first in its history, the Metro Transit has made a task force to study its hiring and employment rules related to substance abuse and driving records. Martin had a history of traffic violations, and the agency is researching whether its three-year background check on all applicants should have disqualified him.

Gibbons would not specify what was falsified on Martin's application. He had six business days to appeal, but did not.

A woman who answered the phone at Martin's home in St. Paul on Thursday said she had no information and hung up, the Star Tribune reported.

The Pioneer Press additionally reported that the 46-year-old was hired in January 2008 and elevated to full-time status this February.

Posted by edwar292 at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that a University of St. Thomas freshman remains missing from Sunday's 2 a.m. phone call to his friends, who reported it. The student told his friends he was walking on St. Clair Avenue toward Mississippi River Boulevard S. He had left a house party after getting into a verbal dispute, said St. Paul police spokesman Pete Panos.

On Sunday, dozens of family members and friends searched for Dan Zamlen, 18, of Eveleth, Minn.

Television station Kare 11 News reported that Panos said Zamlen is not officially missing until Monday morning, once 24-hours pass, because he is an adult and does have the right to be out of touch.

Zamlen spoke with friends Anna Chappuis and Sarah Nelson on his cell phone after leaving the party without telling any of his friends. Zamlen drank alcohol, but should not have because he has Type I diabetes, friends and family members said.

Nelson said Zamlen's tone concerned her, so she asked Chappuis to pick him up, who then asked where he was going and offered to have him come to her house.

Chappuis drove toward the Mississippi River, pleading with Zamlen to look for her car headlights.

"The last thing I heard was, 'Oh my gosh, Anna, where are you? Help!'" Chappuis said. (Star Tribune)

Zamlen's voice grew distant as he said those last few words, she said, and it was as if he were moving away from his cell phone before the phone cut out. It then rang unanswered for several hours afterward before going straight to voicemail, indicating that its battery was dead, friends and family members said.

Todd Gleason, his roommate, said it is unusual for Zamlen not to call if he is not going to return to their dorm room in Brady Residence Hall. He would not ignore their phone calls, even if he were mad, his friends said.

Friends refused to reveal what upset Zamlen, but said it was not an extraordinary disagreement.

By noon Sunday, St. Thomas students and faculty received text-messages and e-mails about it through the university's emergency notification system.

Against police recommendations, friends and family members searched from 3 a.m. into late afternoon. Police did not send anyone into the bluff area to conduct a search until about 4:30 p.m.

Television station Kare 11 News reported that by 8:30 Sunday morning, they called police to report that Dan was gone.

Zamlen participated in several sports in high school in Virginia, where he was editor of Generation W newspaper. He also volunteered at his Catholic church, was an Eagle Scout, and wants to study business law, the Star Tribune reported.

"He was a good role model," Dale Zamlen, his father, said. "I should say, 'He is a good role model." (Star Tribune)

Zamlen is 6 feet 1 and 175 pounds; he has blue eyes and dark blond hair. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans, a striped polo shirt and Doc Martin shoes. He was carrying a black Iphone and his green OmniPod.

"I just want to get to him," Sally Zamlen, his mother, said. "He needs to be warm and dry and safe." (Star Tribune)

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The Pioneer Press reported that a Twin Cities-based poetry meets monthly at members' homes to polish and critique one another's work, contributing to more of their work being printed and even winning competitions and awards.

"Bedford Poets," Eric Austin, Roger Parish and Thomas R. Smith self-published an anthology of 46 poems, in 2007. The Bedford group takes its name from Bedford Street in Minneapolis, where the circle formed in Smith's apartment in 1989. Meeting outside of institutions sets this group from other poetry forums.

10 years ago, the group strayed from the envisioned all-male poets forum when female writers joined.

The group has recently included three Dakota County library workers, two psychologists, two singer-songwriters, a literary publisher and a teacher at the J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School.

Parish, a circulation supervisor, has worked at Burnhaven Library in Burnsville for more than 30 years. He joined the group in 1999.

"I've always enjoyed playing with words," Parish said. "Ever since high school, I've considered myself a poet, somewhat grandiosely."

Honest critisicm is an important part that keeps membership and sets high enough standards that group member Thomas Smith, who went through two dozen drafts of a poem on former president Bush, is able to make his living as a poet, Austin said.

"We're pretty honest if we don't like something or if something doesn't work," Parish said. "Sometimes, people bring things they thought had potential, and we tell them it has no potential. ... But it's good to hear that."

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The man who broke a Macy's store window during Sept.'s RNC conference in St. Paul pleaded guilty Friday, the Star Tribune reported.

According to the felony complaint filed against him in Ramsey County District Court, 26-year-old Glenn D. Dyer from Brooklyn, N.Y. broke the large display window on Sept. 1, went to receive treatment for his wrist cut from the window and was arrester afterward.

Dyer pleaded guilty as charged to first-degree criminal damage to property, and he is to be sentenced May 28 by District Judge Paulette Flynn.

There was no plea agreement, said Paul Gustafson, spokesman for the county attorney's office.

The first day protests also streamed images including broken police car windows.

Supporters of the "RNC 8," eight people who were charged with conspiracy to riot in the furtherance of terrorism, delivered petitions Friday to County Attorney Susan Gaertner. The petitions, signed by more than 3,000 people, asked her to drop charges against the "RNC 8."

"We thank them for their petitions. The cases remain pending before the court," Gustafson said.

Posted by edwar292 at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jury selection begins Monday in the Scott County trial, which could last a month, of the suspect accused of killing a woman who answered a Craigslist ad for a babysitter two years ago, television station FOX 9 News reported.

Michael John Anderson, 20, from Savage is charged with first degree premeditated murder for the death of Katherine Olson, 24, on Oct. 25, 2007. Anderson allegedly shot her in the back after he posted a false ad to lure Olson to his apartment to kill her, police said. Her body was found in the trunk of her car about five blocks from Anderson's home.

Television station WCCO additionally reported that Anderson lived with his parents and was accused of killing Olson in his bedroom.

Anderson has pleaded not guilty to the crime, to which his defense attorneys have argued his possible mild autism played a role in the shooting, FOX 9 reported.

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Television station FOX 9 News reported that police did extra patrol to catch drunk drivers this weekend in connection with celebrations for Tuesday's upcoming St. Patrick's Day, the busiest night of the year for impaired driving, police said.

Patrol was increased in Minnesota's 13 deadliest counties, which include: Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, St. Louis, Dakota, Wright, Stearns, Rice, Sherburne, Crow Wing, Washington, Blue Earth and Itaska . Counties are chosen by the number of alcohol-related deaths and serious injuries, according to Operation NightCAP, which uses federal money to stop drunken drivers.

"It's important because we need to stop serious injuries and deaths on the roadways save lives and save money," said State Trooper Patrick Miles.

For the past two years, nearly 1,600 hundred people were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on St. Patrick's Day weekend. Seven of 12 traffic deaths were alcohol related and there were 13 serious injuries.

The Star Tribune reported that the Minnesota Department of Public Health and Safety said Friday that 1,575 drivers were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

"There is a history of partying on St. Patrick's Day, but not a history of planning for a sober driver," said Lt. Matt Langer of the State Patrol. "Added DWI patrols are necessary to arrest impaired drivers and as a result, prevent deaths on Minnesota roads." (Star Tribune)

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Television station Kare 11 News reported that an air quality alert issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued for several Minnesota regions, which was supposed to end Friday, extended through Saturday evening because of fine particle levels.

As of 10:00 p.m. Thursday, MPCA deemed air quality unsafe for "sensitive groups," or, people with heart or lung disease, the elderly, children and individuals that work or exercise vigorously for extended periods of time, the Minnesota Daily reported.

Particle pollution comes from motor vehicles, power plants, residential wood burning, agricultural burning and some industrial processes, Kare 11 reported.

Avoiding activity that induces heavy breathing was to be avoided, the statement said and the Minnesota Daily reported. Kare 11 additionally reported that people were asked to minimize pollution producing activities such as driving, vehicle idling and wood burning.

Although total air quality warnings have increased over the past few years, including Minnesota air quality, a similar warning was issued for the University of Minnesota area in January. Experts said the increase in warnings is due to tighter standards.

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The Star Tribune reported that Norm Coleman raised the question of holding a new election despite the ongoing outcome of the last one and the time it would take to start over.

The only scenario that would lead to the seat remaining open and then eventually a new election is if the decision were split between the three-judge panel and the Minnesota Supreme Court. If the three-judge panel rules in favor of Franken in the hearing, but the Minnesota Supreme Court agrees to hear Coleman's claims on appeal and does not rule quickly. Then, even if Coleman's file appeals, if Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, were to rule in Democratic favor of seating Franken provisionally by the beginning of April.

The Minnesota Supreme Court acknowledged Friday that the Senate has the power to hold new elections if they have a certificate of election that the high court says cannot be issued until state appeals are exhausted.

If Coleman prevailed, it is expected that Republicans would unite and block Democrats from getting the 60 votes they would need to seat Franken, said Norm Ornstein, a leading expert on Congress and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington and friend of Franken.

Orstein said the new election might have the same issues as the previous one.

"If it's close, then it's no more valid than the first election," Ornstein said. "You just keep doing do-overs until you can finally get somebody winning by a wide margin." (Star Tribune)

But a new election will not reflect what people were thinking Nov. 4, 2008, said David Schulz, Hamline University professor of election law.

The Minnesota Daily reported that university marketing professor Akshay Rao said whoever wins needs to keep in mind they were preferred by less than 50 percent of the electorate.

71 percent of GOP voters said they favored a new election, while 69 percent of Democrats said they did not, according to the most recent Rasmussen Poll, the Star Tribune reported.

"I think the court would like to find a way to identify a winner given all the evidence in the courtroom, as opposed to in essence throwing up its hands," said Edward Foley, an Ohio State University professor specializing in national election law who has followed the trial closely. (Star Tribune)

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The superintendent of Winona's public schools has voluntarily frozen his pay for two years, citing the poor economy and impending cuts to the school district's budget, the Star Tribune reported.

In a "spirit of shared sacrifice," Superintendent Paul Durand announced in a letter to the school board on Feb. 17 that he will not be accepting any contractual raises or potential performance bonuses beginning July 1. The district must also cut expenses while keeping as many employees as possible, he said.

The school board's budget this academic year was $50 million, and $320,000 was approved to be cut. It may have to cut up to $3 million from next year's budget, Durand said.

“I am extremely concerned about our students and staff during the months ahead,” Durand told the Winnona Daily News.

The Winonna Daily News additionally reported that Durand's freeze could cost him up to $14,000 out of a base salary about $133,000 this year. He will not get about $4,000 raises each year or any potential performance bonuses of about $2,700.

Stacey Mounce-Arnold, school board chairwoman, comended Durand Tuesday for the freeze. She said she hopes the district’s unions accept lower pay increases or potentially flat salaries in their next round of contract negotiations.

“I can’t speak for (the unions), but it certainly would help things financially,” she said. (Winnona Daily News)

Bruce Ramsdell, co-president of the district’s teachers union, said he had not seen the letter and could not comment on Durand’s announcement. He said he questions whether the union would find pay freezes inappropriate at this time since it was the beginning of the negotionation period.

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A snowplow struck and killed a man Thursday as he crossed the street, the Star Tribune reported.

The victim crossed against a green light near the intersection of Glenwood and Lyndale Avenues N. when a large snowplow headed east on Glenwood hit him. Television news station KSTP TV additionally reported that the incident happened at about 8:00 p.m.

Television news station KSTP TV reported that the snowplow had the right of way, according to police.

"The plow had the green light and witnesses on northbound Lyndale were stopped at the red light, they corroborate that," said Minneapolis Police Sgt. Jesse Garcia. "The victim was walking across the street against the 'Don't Walk' and obviously the snowplow didn't see him and hit him." (KSTP TV)

The Star Tribune reported that the victim's name has not been released. Television news station KSTP TV additionally reported that the man was handicapped and used a walker.

The man was wearing light-colored clothes, which may have meant the snowplow driver did not see him, police said.

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Television station Kare 11 News reported that Minnesota will receive about $4 billion from the economic stimulus along with some additional money from grants, according to budget officials.

Finance officials with Governor Pawlenty said obtaining some of the stimulus money may mean getting the Legislature to change a few laws in order to have the state qualified. Governor Pawlenty said Minnesota will gladly take and put the money to good use, although he would not have designed the plan this way.

"For example, we want to use all the infrastructure money to build some roads and bridges and hopefully some ports and rails and some other things," Pawlenty said. "And that it will not only be good modernizing our infrastructure, it will be good putting people to work building it," he concludes. (Kare 11 News)

The Minnesota Daily reported that the nation will receive $27.5 billion to improve highways and bridges and more than $8 billion for transit agencies, and from these funds, Minnesota will receive about $502 million to pour into road and other infrastructure projects, and another $92 million into mass transit.

The Minnesota Daily also reported that small, local businesses may soon get the rewards of the stimulus plan.
Although it might not be for months, the major benefit businesses will see from the stimulus plan is that consumers will have more to spend, Alan Fine, lecturer at the Carlson School of Management said, but not all consumers will be immediately excited to use the money.

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A gunman fled after robbing jewelery from a customer and money from a Minneapolis salon Friday within 75 seconds, the Star Tribune reported.

About twelve employees and customers at Sudz Salon in Uptown faced a masked robber armed with a .22-caliber handgun who pushed one female customer to the ground and demanded everyone to the ground while he walked toward the cash register at about 4:30 p.m. He later forced the woman to hand over her diamond wedding ring worth tens of thousands of dollars on his way out.

Krysta Schrader, store manager, heard the 57-year-old client fall from the store's basement and was able to immediately call the police. Schrader said he had thrown her by the back of her head, and his gun was drawn as he screamed for the assistant manager to open the safe.

"There is no safe!" Schrader said Steven Spafford, assistant manager, replied before he opened the cash drawer, triggering a silent alarm. The man then pulled $285 in cash and threw the register drawer to the floor.

One client and three employees were able to run out the back door and Nick Burlow, the landlord, heard the commotion from upstairs and was also able to call the police.

Police arrived minutes after the woman pulled the ring off her finger to give to the robber who then fled.

Witnesses said the man, who remains at large, wore a hooded jacket with the distinct letters "H K" on the back. Minneapolis police Sgt. William Palmer said he did not know whether the salon robbery was connected to the two robberies of Maple Grove Subway restaurants on Feb. 5 where an armed man caught on surveillance wore a matching jacket.

Security cameras are planned to be installed in the salon.

"I'm just afraid that this is the beginning of this," Schrader said. "I just think that people are really desperate. That somebody would take the chance for $285. A crime like armed robbery for $285? That's really scary to me. The desperation, I feel, is in the air." (Star Tribune)

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An unidentified man was found dead on St. Paul train tacks Saturday night, apparently struck and killed by a train, the Star Tribune reported.

A Union Pacific train operator found the man, assumed to be in his 30s, on the train tracks that were adjacent from his own on Payne Avenue and Phalen Boulevard, Peter Panos of St. Paul police said. The Star Tribune reported that he called police at about 10:30 p.m., and television station Fox 9 News reported that the call was placed at about 11:00 p.m.

Panos said the death of the now unidentified is not considered to be suspicious, the reason he was lying there is unclear and investigations will continue, the Star Tribune reported. Fox 9 News reported that police said they do not know whether the man was asleep or already dead on the tracks before the train hit.

"It doesn't look like he was hit by the train and knocked on the [adjacent] tracks," Panos said. "He was already on the tracks." (Star Tribune)

Mark Davis with Union Pacific told Fox 9 News that managers are inspecting trains that were in the area before the incident in hopes of finding out the time and which train.

Posted by edwar292 at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A 20-year old youth theater company in Minneapolis opened a musical Thursday about the integration of nine Little Rock students at the all-white Central high school in 1957.

Little Rock, 1957, presented for the second time since 1994 by Youth Performance Company, historically depicts the hatred, the Twin Cities Daily Planet reported. The original production had four songs by Steven Joseph Hutton, and the new version has rock, gospel and original songs written and arranged by musical director and choreographer Kahlil Queen.

“The show is sometimes intense, an emotional drama,�? Queen told the Daily Planet. “I wanted the music to support that. Music helps the audience connect with that reality.�?

The Little Rock nine faced an unsupported school administration, daily harassment and violence by white students where few within the school were friendly, radio station KFAI reported. In an interview with KFAIR, Jacie Knight, director, said presenting racism, an on-going issue, in a contemporary matter, makes it less authentic, and giving the play some distance, 1957, makes its greater theme far from being a bad after-school special.

The Daily Planet reported that playwright Erin McGuire said the play has teenagers playing roles about the same ages of the actual people involved in the integration process.

Segregationist Arkansas Governor Faubus, played by Koby Feldman, white parents and students, including a terrorizing white girl named Darlene, played by Devon Solorow, make up the ensemble along with the rest of the nine.

Actor Ana Esposito says the play leaves her with courage: “The courage it took for these students just to go to school every day. I wish people today had that courage to stand up for what is right.�? (KFAI)

Little Rock, 1957 runs February 12 to March 1.

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Superintendent John P. Franzoia of Royalton Public schools died Saturday at St. Cloud hospital from injuries he received in a vehicle crash the night before, according to Minnesota State Patrol, Kare 11 News reported.

The State Patrol said Franzoia, 62, of St. Cloud was on Minnesota Highway 15 at Stearns County Road 1 when he was rear-ended by Dale A. Matthies, 49, St. Cloud with alcohol in his system at about 6:11 p.m. Matthies was in Stearns County Jail Saturday and had minor injuries.

Kare 11 News reported that Franzoia was superintendent for about 18 years and high school principal for six for Royalton Public schools. According to Fox 9 News, the district has about 675 students.

"This is a major shock," Phil Gurbada, principal of the Royalton Elementary School said. "I'm feeling a lot of grief. John is a good friend. I've worked with him for a long time." (Kare 11 News)

Posted by edwar292 at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 41-year-old man suspected of groping women on the University of Minnesota campus admitted the crime to police Wednesday and has been charged with two fifth-degree criminal sexual conducts, the Minnesota Daily reported Thursday.

Philip Acosta's charges are gross misdemeanors, according to the Star Tribune.

Police Officers Erin Schaeffer and Sevent Kragt arrested Acosta Tuesday evening on the university's West Bank after he groped two women who were both later able to individually identify him at the scene, the Minnesota Daily reported.

Minneapolis Police sex crimes Lt. Nancy Dunlap said Acosta confessed to 10 offenses, and Police believe there were more unreported incidents, the Minnesota Daily reported. The Star Tribune reported that Acosta sexually assaulted them because he is attracted to the female buttocks.

Acosta is in the Hennepin County jail, and the possible filing of additional or more serious charges are pending, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said.

“I just feel a lot better about walking to class,�? one of the victims told the Minnesota Daily.

According to the Minnesota Daily, Dunlap said that despite Acosta's minor criminal history, the type of crimes would not have linked him to these assaults.

Posted by edwar292 at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Minnesota Zoo is installing a $1 million playground, shifting away from public funding and toward corporate and private donations, reported the Star Tribune Sunday.
The playground, Woodland Adventure, is meant for children to get back in touch with nature.
"It's really nature-based," he said, " ... in a way that's more than just a simple playground at the zoo," Lee Ehmke told the Minneapolis Club.
The zoo is typically funded by the public, but this new project is supported by a $500 thousand grant from General Mills, who gets the naming rights, and the other half from private donations, the Star Tribune reported.
However, the zoo continues to get money from the public in other ways outside of the playground project. Winonna Daily News reported that this Valentine's Day, couples who are over 21 years old can pay $170 to participate in the zoo's fifth "special Love Tour," which involves a dinner in Discovery Bay and watching how some of the animals mate at night led by a zookeeper in fifteen minute intervals.

Posted by edwar292 at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minneapolis crime rates have decreased in 2008 for the second year in a row, Fox 9 News reported last July.
Even half way through the year, city officials Mayor R.T. Rybak and Police Chief Tim Dolan were able to announce Monday, July 21, 2008 of the significant decline.
Wednesday, the Minnesota Daily reported that crime reports submitted to the FBI showed that rates decreased by 22 percent in Minneapolis and 14 percent on campus, according to the University of Minnesota Police Department.
The Minnesota Daily reported that sexual offenses and rape increased, however, which included public urination and exposure. Roberta Gibbons, Aurora Center Associate Director, said it is important to realize that these are only reported numbers and just because more reports have been filed does not mean there is an increase in the community (Minnesota Daily).
Community participation is said to have contributed to the decline in crime rates. National Night Out and increase in traffic stops also helped keep numbers low, Inspector Robert Skomra, commandor of Minneapolis' 2nd Precinct, told the Minnesota Daily.
Dolan recognizes, however, that police and security regulators should be credited.
"Ultimately, it’s the tireless work of the officers on the street that makes such a difference and why arrests are up 4 percent,�? he told Fox 9 News.
The Minnesota Daily also reported that there were four reported rapes between late April and May, and Molly Dhir, a resident of Pioneer Hall on campus said she began to realize that even the place you live is "potentially unsecure." Victims who go to the Aurora Center are more likely to report the crime to police, Gibbons told the Minnesota Daily.

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