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One of the two men clearing snow off a glass roof at the IDS Center slipped and fell five or six stories to his death, startribune.com reports.
The victim's name was not released and according to police this was a tragic accident, and no foul play was involved.
The man was clearing snow off the roof of the Crystal Court, a part of the tower. The Crystal Court contains a food court and retail shops. The man fell shortly before 2 p.m., through the ceiling of the Crystal Court.
The 51-story IDS center overlooks the Crystal Court. Also included in the court is a 105-foot ceiling to floor water fountain and a canopy of glass skylights.
According to police, and reported on pioneerpress.com, they blocked off the lower part of the Crystal Court and were in the process of the clearing the skyways entering the IDS Center. The police did not want the accident to be a public viewing.
The IDS tower is a city landmark and was built in 1972. It overlooks Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis's downtown major shopping area.
For this local story, I looked at the websites for the major two local papers, pioneerpress.com and startribune.com. The two stories were quite similar. Both stories contained exactly what happened and did not include the victim's name. They also both included past suicides that occurred at the IDS tower which I thought was interesting since this was not a suicide. The Star Tribune article was a little longer and contained more quotes whereas the Pioneer Press did not. The Pioneer Press just had quotes from Police Sergeant Garcia, whereas the Star Tribune had quotes from witnesses.

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Minnesota Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards has been suspended four games for violating the NFL's policy on steroid use, ESPN.com reports.
Edwards has been a starter for most of the season and currently is tied for second on the team with four sacks. Edwards was coincidentally replaced by Erasmus James in the starting lineup last Sunday against the Lions, however according to coach Brad Childress the decision had nothing to do with Edward's violation, since Childress did not learn about the violation until Wednesday.
Childress was disappointed in Edwards but could not comment further due to the confidentiality surrounding the NFL's drug policy. Childress was quoted on startribune.com:
"It's disappointing, but there are policies in place and our players have to adhere to those policies," Childress said. "Every team goes through challenges as you go through the year. We've been through some of our own. It's an opportunity to have others step up."
The (6-6) Vikings will look to rookie Brian Robison and James to fill in for Edward's absence.
Edwards is in his second year, drafted out of Purdue in the fourth round. He has been one of the Vikings' most consistent performers at defensive end this season. Other than his four sacks, Edwards also has 41 tackles and a defense touchdown week 2 in Detroit.
Edwards is eligible to return after the last game of the season. He could play again only if the Vikings make the playoffs.
For this local sport's story I looked at ESPN.com, the nation's leader in sports news and our local news site, startribune.com. There was no difference in the stories at all. ESPN must have gotten this story from the Star Tribune, since the headline reads: EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN

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Minnesota may get their first dose of winter weather this Saturday, as the approaching storm will bring heavy snow, sleet, and wind to most of the state, startribune.com reports.
There have been little snow storms so far this season especially around southern and southeastern Minnesota, but these storms are only a sample of what is yet to come.
According to the National Weather Service, there is a powerful storm developing in the Rocky Mountains and it is supposed to hit southern and central Minnesota on Saturday. This storm is big, delivering up to 10 inches of snow in some places, according to the report.
A Winter Storm watch is in effect for most of Saturday around Minnesota, except for the northwestern part of the state. The watch also includes most of western Wisconsin.
According to WFRV.com, Wisconsin's channel 5 affiliate, the storm will indeed effect the Twin Cities mostly on Saturday, and letting up on Sunday. The heaviest part of the storm for the Twin Cities will be late afternoon and into the evening of Saturday.
Travel Conditions are expected to be quite slow and congested throughout the weekend. The blowing snow should reduce visibility greatly, the Weather Service said.
The sun should come out by Monday, with highs in the mid-20s and the lows around 10 degrees, however according to the National Weather Service, another chance of snow is in the forecast for next Tuesday.
This may not seen newsworthy, but as a lifelong Minnesotan I love snow, especially the first big snowstorm of the year. So when I came across this story I had to write on it. Even though this is a local story, it effects two states, so I looked at startribune.com for local coverage, but also a broadcast news website from Wisconsin, WFRV.com. There was not too much difference in the stories, since they both got their information from the National Weather Service. The Star Tribune article was longer and talked about driving conditions and weather into next week whereas the broadcast news website did not. However WFRV.com had photos of the state and of the storm, as a nice visual aid to the story. This was missing in the startribune.com report.

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The Minneapolis City Council agreed Monday to settle a $4.5 million lawsuit brought by an undercover police officer who was shot by a fellow officer in 2003, startribune.com reports
This settlement is the largest involving a Minneapolis police officer. It will be paid out of the city's self insurance fund.
On February 25, 2003 Duy Ngo, 34, was on gang surveillance, when he was shot by a black man in his side. His bullet proof vest saved him, and Ngo radioed for help, describing the perpetrator who just fled away on foot.
Officer Charles Storlie was one of the first officers who responded to the call. When he arrived Ngo was crouched under a streetlight waving his arms. Storlie got out of his car, and immediately opened fire on Ngo, shooting him six times with his MP5 semi-automatic machine gun.
When Ngo was shot, he had a radio microphone and his police insignia visible. Also, he did not match the description of the suspect at all. Ngo is off Vietnamese descent.
After months of rehabilitation, Ngo returned to work, however he had to remain at a desk, since the shooting permanently injured his left hand and he now cannot grip a gun. Ngo sued the city and Storlie in 2004 and it spanned through three police administrations.
According to pioneerpress.com, Officer Storlie has since left the Minneapolis police to do contract security work in the Middle East.
For this local story, I looked at the difference in reporting between our two biggest local papers, The Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press, by looking at their websites. The story in Pioneer Press was extremely short and just had the facts in about six paragraphs. On the other hand, the Star Tribune report included everything the other story did, but more importantly included quotes from the mayor and police chief as well as gave a detailed account on exactly what happened the night Ngo was shot.

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The Vikings continued to own Eli Manning Sunday intercepting him four times, and returning three of them for touchdowns, startribune.com reports. This set a team record for the most defensive touchdowns in a game.
Eli Manning in this career has thrown eight interceptions in two career starts versus the Minnesota Vikings. It is the only two times in his career that he has thrown at least four interceptions.
Darren Sharper scored on a 20-yard interception return in the first quarter. Safety Dwight Smith added another defensive score rumbling 93 yards on a return. Then on the ensuing drive, Manning got picked again and linebacker Chad Greenway ran it in from 37 yards out, pioneerpress.com reports.
"When you throw four interceptions, it's never a good day," Manning said in a post game interview.
The NFL record for interception returns in a game is four, set by the Seattle Seahawks against the Kansas City Chiefs on November 4, 1984.
Apart from the defensive scoring, Quarterback Tavaris Jackson connected with Sidney Rice on a 60 yard touchdown on the Vikings first drive. Chester Taylor also had a touchdown and kicker Ryan Longwell added to the scoring with two field goals.
The win helped get the Vikings right back into the playoff hunt; they are only a game out of the wild-card and will host the Detroit Lions, holder of that last playoff spot, next Sunday.
To compare this local news story, I compared the two local major papers and their respective websites, startribune.com and pioneerpress.com. They were both quite similiar, the only big difference was that the startribune.com article talked in great detail about the last time these two teams met and compared this game to the former game. In their last meeting the Vikings also had three return touchdowns, one interception, one kickoff return, and one punt return. That is the only time in NFL history that has happened.

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Two people were killed when a small plane crashed Sunday afternoon at the Fairbault, Minn municipal airport, startribune.com reports.
Two other people survived the crash, although authorities had not released the identities of the victims.
The Cirrus SR 22 plane, according to KSTP.com was a four-seat single engine plane and registered to Mayo Aviation in Aberdeen, S.D, according to a spokeman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane was 26 feet long and had a wingspan of about 36 feet, according to the story released on Star Tribune's website.
Each Cirrus SR22 is equipped with a large parachute which can be deployed to help lower the aircraft to the ground and according to photos taken on-scene the parachute was deployed from the plane as it was burning at the crash site.
I looked at the print and broadcast differences for this local story by comparing the KSTP.com website (broadcast) and the startribune.com website (print). Surprisingly, the KSTP.com website contained more detailed information such as the make of the plane and how big it is and the fact that it contained a deploying parachute. The startribune.com report did not include as much information. However, it was an initial report since this accident happened later today. I would imagine that the story in tomorrow's paper will be a lot more in depth.

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No Adrian Peterson? No problem. The Minnesota Vikings hosted the Oakland Raiders Sunday, and welcomed back Daunte Culpepper, without the NFL rushing leader. In his place was Chester Taylor who did just fine amassing 202 total yards, including 164 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and helping the Vikings to a 29-22 victory KSTP.com reports.
"Chester has been overshadowed the entire year with Adrian, but I would take Chester Taylor on my team any time," center Matt Birk said on startribune.com. "He runs hard. He fights for every last yard he can get."
On the other side, Culpepper did not have too good of a homecoming, getting sacked four times while fumbling twice and throwing a costly interception in the fourth quarter.
The game started rather unusal with wide receiver Sindney Rice completing a 79-yard pass to Visanthe Shiancoe on a wide receiver reverse. The Vikings followed up with a touchdown, but went into the half tied due to four first half turnovers. The Vikings outscored the Raiders 10-3 in the second half and knocked down Culpepper's hail mary pass in the endzone for the game tying score at cement their victory.
The (4-6) Vikings are away next week playing the New Giants.
I did three things in this article. I actually went to the game so I tried to do a little of my own reporting. Everytime I go to a game I try to report on it as well. I also looked at the difference between broadcast and print journalism once again between KSTP.com and startribune.com. Startribune.com had a lot more background information. They provided some statistics from Daunte's time as a Viking, as well as provided quotes from coach Childress and other players. On the other hand, KSTP.com had a shorter article, probably intended for the nightly news, just comenting on the highlights, such as the score and Chester Taylor's performance.

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A Minnesota State University, Mankato upperclassmen was killed early Sunday and another was seriously injured when a vehicle struck them, startribune.com reports.
One of the women was reportedly lying in the road while the other was helping her on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Kingswood Drive, according to Mankato police.
The women's identities were not released. According to the victim, the two girls were leaving a sorority gathering walking north when they were struck by a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old Mankato resident. The police will not release his name because it is an ongoing investigation.
Both women were taken to Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital in Mankato, where one was pronounced dead and the other underwent surgery, according to the news release.
However, according to university spokesmen Michael Cooper, there were not sorority residencies in the area. The police would not say why one woman was lying in the the street and what they were doing before the accident.
On KSTP.com, police commander Dan Schisel said the area of 3rd Avenue and Kingswood Drive "is industrial and not close to residential streets. There is no stop signs or traffic lights in the area, where the speed limit is 40 miles per hour."
According to Cooper, as early as today, a page will be added to the university's website to allow friends and family members to access information about the accident and post their thoughts. A memorial is also being planned for sometime before Thanksgiving break.
I looked at the difference between broadcast and written journalism for this local story, KSTP.com and startribune.com. The obvious difference is that the star tribune report contains a lot more information including the memorial service and included quotes from the police commander and the university spokesman whereas KSTP.com just had the hard facts. However, the KTSP.com report was a lot more specific giving the ages the people involved and time of the accident, as well as the intersection in which it occured.

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Amanda Jax, a former student at Minnesota State University in Mankato, died on her 21st birthday on October 29 from a night of heavy drinking with her friends.
According to Mankato Public Safety Director Matt Westermayer, Jax drank "copious amounts of alcohol in a short frame of time."
The report from the medical examiner's report from Blue Earth County showed that Jax had a blood alcohol level of 0.4594, nearly six times the legal limit for driving in Minnesota. Jax was listed at 5-foot-5 and 105 pounds on her driver's license.
According to Westermayer in his 21 years of law enforcement he has seen this "incredibly high" level of intoxication "maybe once."
He said that Jax drank various types of alcohol over roughly two to three hours.
“Binge drinking ... is a very serious problem with devastating effects as the death of Amanda Jax so clearly and cruelly illustrates," said Westermayer in the article in the Star Tribune.
Jax was a pre-nursing student at MSU and had been accepted into the nursing program beginning next spring.
According to the Pioneer Press, Jax was taken to her friend's apartment after a long night of drinking. . She died early next morning, police said. When her friends found that she was unresponsive, they called 911.
The reporting between the two major papers was quite different. The article in the Pioneer Press was an initial report last week that was issued on October 30, the day after Jax died. This article did not contain many details, for example the blood alcohol level, which is very important to the story. However the Star Tribune story was released yesterday and it contains a lot more information and detail since it was released due to the report from the medical examiner.

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Due to comments made by Tom Barnard and Terri Traen on Barnard's extremely popular morning show about the Red Lake Indian Reservation, a meeting was held Monday with tribal leaders and American Indian advocates, StarTribune.com reports.
The morning show linked the high suicide rates in Beltrami County, which includes Red Lake and Bemidji, with incest and genetics.
According to KSTP.com, Traen said "Maybe it's(suicide) genetic; isn't there a lot of incest up there? I think there is, don't quote me on that, but I'm pretty sure."
Barnard went on to criticize the Shakopee Sioux saying that Mystic Lake Casino, located in Bemidji, is "doing a hell of a job helping them out."
However, according to Clyde Bettencourt, American Indian Movement co-founder, said that Red Lake has received nearly $4 million in grants from the Shakopee Sioux. Also, there has not been a suicide on Red Lake reservation in more than two years.
The station will offer public apologies from Traen and Barnard that will air six or seven times throughout the day. The station also promises to offer equal time for positive representations of the Indian community and run announcements for a suicide hot line. Bettencourt did not think that was enough.
"It's a start, but we are not satisfied. We think they should have suspended the guy or let the guy go. We'll be monitoring them."
This was not the first time that this show has been in trouble with comments made on the show. In 1998, the show got in a lot of trouble making fun of the Somalis and the Hmong community. Barnard also got in a lot of trouble wishing that Paul Welstone "drops dead," 39 days before he died in a plane crash.
The main difference between these two sources is that KSTP.com included that exact text of what was said, as well as provided an audio link to the radio show. Startribune.com provided good history into the show, and what trouble they have gotten into in the past, whereas KSTP.com did not.

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A 19-year-old man was charged today with second-degree murder assault from the murder of Katherine Ann Olsen last Thursday. Michael John Anderson, 19, was the man behind the e-mail address that put the nanny advertisement on craigslist.org, according to StarTribune.com.
Police found a .357 Magnum in Anderson's house, along with blood stains and drag marks on the stairs and floor. His neighbor saw Olsen's car parked in front of Anderson's house for more than two hours Thursday afternoon as well. Anderson lives with his parents, but the county attorney's office said today that they do not believe anyone else was home at the time of the shooting.
There was no sign of sexual assault or any motive behind the shooting; there is no indication that Olsen and Anderson even knew each other, prior to Thursday. The case is still under investigation said County Attorney Patrick Ciliberto on KSTP.com.
According to Anderson he had nothing to do with the murder. He denied ever talking to her, even though phone records show otherwise. He also said that he has not used craigslist.org since January and his mother and three friends also have access to his account. Her later went on to say that he was present during the murder however it was not him who committed it, rather a friend shot her because he "thought it would be funny."
There will be a hearing Tuesday, as well as a further hearing on November 16th to discuss a lower bail.

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The criticisms behind the play of the 2007 Minnesota Vikings seem to play like a broken record. The Vikings lost another game at home to a team with a losing record. Once again, they were unsure who would start at quarterback, Adrian Peterson was limited in carries, and once again the Vikings gave up over 300 yards passing to a quarterback that had nothing but question marks going into the game.
Donovan McNabb under much scrutiny in Philadelphia coming off of a knee injury, played his best game of the season completing 23 of 36 passes for 333 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings continued to show why they are the league's worst pass defense.
Reggie Brown caught a career-high eight passes for 105 yards and Brian Westbrook had 92 total yards and two touchdowns, ESPN.com reports. Both of Westbrook's scores came in the red zone, where Philadelphia has had problems all year.
The Vikings continued their stretch of juggling quarterbacks as well. Going into the game there was a mystery between who would start, Tarvaris Jackson or Kelly Holcomb. Jackson was injured and ruled unable to play and Holcomb ended up injuring his neck early in the second half. The only quarterback left out of the mix, Brooks Bollinger, came in completing 7 of 10 passes for 94 yards in under one half. He gave Minnesota's offense a much needed spark, but it was too late.
The (2-5) Vikings will host the San Diego Chargers at home next Sunday.

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A 24-year-old St. Olaf graduate was found dead in the trunk of her car Friday in Burnsville, Minnesota. She was last seen by friends Thursday morning.
Katherine Ann Olsen was on her way to Savage, Minnesota to meet a man about a nannying job found on craigslist.org. The 19-year-old man who posted the ad is being held in the Scott County Jail, pending charges according to the Star Tribune.
Savage Police Capt. David Muelken said that a Public Works employee found Olsen's purse in a garbage can. The police contacted Olsen's home thinking that it can be a theft.
According to KSTP.com, her roommates alerted the police that they had not seen Katherine in over a day. When the police went back into the garbage can, they found a bloody towel. The search of the park that contained the trash can yielded no further clues.
A few blocks away from the park, police identified Olsen's car, and searched it. Her body was found in the trunk.
Her body was taken to the Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Hastings for an autopsy.
Olsen's family gathered in front of her home Saturday afternoon to share stories of the young woman "who was a joy and who trusted people," said her parents.
This was the first homicide case in Savage in over 7 years and only the third case in the last 50 years in that town.

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Wide receiver stand out Michael Floyd verbally committed to play for Notre Dame next season after visiting the campus Wednesday. Floyd, from my alma mater Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, was rated the 11th best wide receiver in the nation on rivals.com. His other choices were Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan, and Florida. He has no intent on verbally committing to the Irish when he went down there, however after spending two days with the team, he made his decision. "I just got that feeling that Notre Dame was the place I wanted to be," Floyd said. Assistant Head Coach Andy Bischoff said that Floyd thought that Notre Dame was the best place for him to excel academically and through football. Floyd said that the Irish's current record of (1-7) did not concern him, since he sees that it is a young team with a lot of work ahead of them. According to KSTP.com Floyd has 35 catches for 717 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. He has rushed for 274 yards and two touchdowns, thrown a 24-yard touchdown pass and returned three punts for touchdowns. The Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders are undefeated and currently ranked #2 overall in the state of Minnesota.

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Poor Quarterback play and a blocked field goal led to a 24-14 Vikings loss in Dallas on Sunday. The (2-3) Vikings needed a near perfect game to beat the NFC south's division leader and looked poised to do so during the first half. Even though the Vikings had 75 offensive yards in the first half, and two completions from their quarterback Tarvaris Jackson they took a 14-7 lead going into half time, courtesy of another Vikings defensive touchdown, this time from Cedric Griffin. However, the Vikings offense was no where to be found all day. According to KSTP.com, Tarvaris Jackson ended the game with 72 yards completing 6 of 19 throws. In his two game stretch since returning from the disabled list, Jackson has only completed 15 passes in 42 pass attempts. The Vikings looked to regain their lead at the end of the third quarter when a Ryan Longwell field goal would have brought the score to 17-14 in favor of the Vikings. However, the ensuing kick was blocked and returned for a touchdown. The Cowboys added another score late, following an Adrian Peterson fumble. "We gave them 10 points," Coach Brad Childress said in an article in the Star Tribune. "We gave them three off Adrian's fumble and seven off the blocked field goal. That ends up being the difference." The Vikings will host the Philadelphia Eagles at home next Sunday.

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A charter school in Eden Prairie was closed Thursday after spilled mercury was found.
More than 290 students and staff were forced to leave Eagle Ridge Academy in Eden Prairie. The mercury was founded spilled in a storage area. No one was hospitalized.
According to the report in the Star Tribune, mercury can accumulate in tiny spaces and emit vapors if out in the open. If inhaled, it can cause neurological and kidney damage.
It is still under investigation and according to Hopkins Fire Chief Dale Specken, no one is sure who spilled the mercury.
According to the story on WCCO.com, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency sent workers to examine students and staff. State officials also collected 10 pairs of shoes from students and clothing from one teacher for testing.
School officials canceled classes for the rest of the day, as well as Friday so the school can be cleaned up.
This year, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a legislation that prohibits the use of mercury in all K-12 schools, public or private. It does not apply to thermometers however. That law requires all schools to stop buying mercury by the end of this year and to discard all mercury and instruments containing the toxic material.

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Coach Brad Childress called a team meeting after Wednesday's practice due to an altercation between players in the Viking's locker room.
The fight, although brief, was between running back Chester Taylor and defensive end Erasmus James, according to the witnesses in the Star Tribune article.
The story did not specify what led to the scuffle, but according to witnesses it started when James punched Taylor in the right eye.
Taylor retaliated by throwing a chair at James, however it hit his locker neighbor and good friend offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. According to the report on KSTP.com that ended the fight.
During the media access period at the end of practice, Taylor made a brief appearance, whereas James did not. James was added to the Viking's injury report late Wednesday. It was not known whether the injury was from practice or the fight. The team had no comment.
James has not played a game this season, due to the fact that coaches do not believe he is ready to return from torn ligaments in his right knee sustained last season.
The 1-3 Vikings are coming off a bye week and play in Chicago on Sunday.

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Two people were stabbed with a sickle Saturday night, in a fight on St. Paul's east side that included over 50 people.
The fight began at about 10:15 p.m. outside a house in the 1200 block of Bush Avenue.
The two victims, a 21-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy, were taken to Regions Hospital. Both of the victims are in stable condition according to the report.
According to neighbors the fight started because some uninvited guests showed up thinking that it was a much larger party. Then they were not allowed in, they started fighting.
People were fighting with whatever they could find, including a sickle, a brick, and a push lawnmower. A 16-year-old boy was also hit with a brick, but did not need medical attention.
The party was a birthday party for a cousin of the homeowner; police think that the fight is gang related. The police do not have any suspects.
The sources that I used for this story was the Star Tribune and KARE 11 website. This was very interesting to look at how these two sources covered this story. For example, the Star Tribune story was rather short, and it attributed most of its information to KARE 11 and its reporting. The KARE 11 report is their main source. However, the KARE 11 story is much longer and includes much more information and sources. This story gets quotes from witnesses, both party guests and neighbors, as well as gets the medical information for the current status of the victims. The KARE 11 story is a lot more extensive of a report.

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Sam McCloud, thought to be one of Minnesota's best lawyers, was arrested Wednesday after he picked up a package containing 90 hydrocodone pills, painkillers, at his Shakopee office.
According to the article in the Star Tribune, he was arrested in his law office a block away and charged Thursday in Scott County District Court. He was also charged with two petty misdemeanors after police found 33 grams of marijuana, an electronic scale and a metallic pipe in his home.
McCloud said Friday that he was framed by his wife, who was trying to get even over some domestic disputes.
According to McCloud Kerri M. Peterson, his wife, was upset after he remarried and gained custody of their daughter. Peterson contacted the police with information that led to his arrest, however McCloud said that the information she provided for the sting was false.
McCloud specializes in DWI cases and is responsible for getting Minnesota to replace Breathalyzers with Intoxilyzers. He is presently listed in The Best Lawyers in America, an annual professional listing for attorneys.
If convicted, McCloud could face up to 20 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.
The two sources that I used for this story were the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press. The Star Tribune used mainly the Scott County Authorities as a source. They did not quote McCloud directly, but paraphrased mostly. They did take a direct quote from the county attorney. Also, they had police records on Peterson's past, including drug charges herself. The Pioneer Press on the other hand quoted McCloud directly, as well as gave a lot of background into how good of a lawyer he was, using sources such as The Best Lawyers in America. They had the authoritative source of the local police department as well, however the Pioneer Press did not release the criminal record of McCloud or Peterson, whereas the Star Tribune did.

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Two boys, ages 15 and 17, were arrested Thursday on charges of shooting a delivery truck driver in north Minneapolis.
This is another event to add to the recent rise in juvenile arrests connected to violent crimes, according to the article in the Star Tribune. Even though there has been an overall decline in Minnesota's violent-crime rate, the city officials have noticed a rise in juvenile violence, Police Chief Tim Dolan said Friday.
The 15-year-old boy was arrested late Thursday at this house. The 17-year-old was arrested Friday morning at his school, and he had been arrested previously 10 other times, including two arrests for possession of a firearm.
The driver was shot at 2 p.m Thursday, after he was set to leave his delivery near 29th and Oliver Aves in north Minneapolis. He was taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, where his injuries were reported as serious, but not life threatening, according to the article.
Mayor R.T Rybak made a plea for more help from the public, with regards to adolescent violence. "We need to ask parents, guardians and the community to help us and to help keep guns out of the hands of kids." Rybak said. "Youth violence is an epidemic in this city."
According to Police Chief Nolan, each kid is looking at anywhere from five to 30 years in prison, if convicted.

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The number of male teachers in Minnesota classes has been declining since the 1980s, according to an article in the Star Tribune. According to teacher statistics and interviews with educators, the percentage of male teachers has dropped nationally to a 40 year low. The problem occurs most in elementary schools, however lately it has reached to college level programs. For example, Edward Neill Elementary School in Burnsville has only four licensed male teachers compared to 27 female teachers. Also at Pinewood Elementary School in Mounds View, one out of the 22 classroom teachers is a man. Even in high schools, where male teachers are far more common, the numbers are dropping. There are many reasons to explain this. First according to Bjorn Anderson, one of the few male teachers at Edward Neill Elementary, men are more fearful of being sued by parents for mistaking nurturing a student as child abuse. Also, he said that men worry that teaching does not pay a big enough salary to support a family. For some men, like Anderson, the drive of teaching sometimes trumps these excuses. This diminishing of male teachers presents a problem for male students as well. According to Susan Huber, dean of St. Thomas College of Applied Professional Studies, fewer male teachers means fewer positive role models for boys. That could in fact, according to Huber, lead to a diminished interest in learning, and even continue the trend of fewer boys looking to teaching as a career.

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Late Thursday evening a Maplewood boy drowned after falling into a pond fed by storm water. The boy, along with his other three friends, were playing in the creeks and ponds near Battle Creek Regional Park 8:00 p.m. The boy has not yet been identified. The Maplewood Police Department received a call that the boys had been playing around a dam near the park. The victim slipped and fell over the lip of the edge and fell about eight feet into the pond below. According to Maplewood Police Chief David Thomalla, "The boy's friends turned around and heard him call out-and then they just lost sight off him." Immediately following the accident, family members rushed to the scene to witness dive team members searching the pond. The team eventually found the boy's body in 10 feet of water, he had drifted about 50 feet from where he had originally fallen. The officials brought the body onto a rescue boat. No other fatalities or injuries were reported during the storm.

Posted by John Fabel at 5:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Torii Hunter, beloved Twin for nine seasons and a member since he was 17, may have played his last game as one on Sunday. Hunter, 32, is at the end of his five year 44 million dollar deal. He will be one of the highest sought after free agents when the season ends, with Texas and New York being likely buyers. Hunter, earlier this season turned down a three year 45 million dollar deal, seeking a longer contract. He is looking for a four to a five year deal, and would like to stay with Minnesota, and get a chance to play in the New Staduim. However, it will be tough for the Twins to match the price of other teams once Hunter becomes a free agent. Torii Hunter was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the 1993 amateur draft, out of Pine Bluffs High School, in Arkansas. The two-time all-star and six-time gold glove winner stood as a fan favorite and a spirtual heir to Kirby Puckett as the Twins centerfielder. "The Twins have been my whole life" Hunter said in an interview in the Pioneer Press. "If you leave something that you have been around for a long time, you grow to love it and cherish it. And when it goes away, it hurts and that's how I feel. It's like the Twins are stamped on my heart."

Posted by John Fabel at 5:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A proposed budget from the Mayor's office would highly increase the cost of licenses if approved by the city council, with restaurants and grocery stores most affected. The proposed budget would cost certain businesses thousands of dollars over the next three years. The proposed plan would have the fees for liquor and entertainment licenses go up 44 percent by 2010. The annual cost of a restaurant license would jump 65 percent during the same period. Grocery stores would see a 64 percent raise in licensing fees. City officials say that the fees have remained flat for more than a decade. and they are trying to raise the fees so they are uniform with the rest of the country. The model of this plan is based off of a city-funded study by the Public Financial Management, a financial consultant for government entities, located in Philadelphia. However, bar owners say that they are being targeted, with this raise in fees being the most recent in events that hurt the bar and restaurant businesses. The others are the smoking ban in St. Paul and soon to be statewide as well as the recent boost in food and liquor taxes, which was issued in May.

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Minnesota committed seven turnovers and gave up 580 yards Saturday in a 42-39 loss. Coach Tim Brewster came into this season with high hopes and claiming a big ten championship. However, after a 1-2 start and both losses comng from teams in the Sun Belt and Mid-Atlantic conferences, the outlook does not look good for the Gophers. They begin conference play next week against Purdue, an offensive powerhouse. The Minnesota Gophers gave up 463 yards passing in Saturday's loss to Florida Atlantic, and have to face a much better offense with a much better quaterback, NFL prospect Curtis Painter, next Saturday. After a 14-14 tie in the first quarter, The Gophers were outscored by 21 in the second quarter. They came out strong in the second half, outscoring Florida Atlantic 25-7. They were driving for a game tying field goal near the end of the game, but freshman quarterback Adam Weber's fourth quarter interception with four seconds left all but sealed the victory for the Florida Atlantic Owls. These two teams just recently met in 2005, with the Gophers winning 45-7.

Posted by John Fabel at 2:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bridge Disaster Fund used to help families cope with the events of the 35W bridge collapse will be released next week and distributed to specific groups to help families such as counseling and medical cost reimbursement. The fund recently topped over $560,000 with the money coming from various interest groups ranging from the Red Cross to small businesses like the Fine Lake Music Cafe. Nearly 1,000 groups helped in some way. The fund also covers unexpected expenses to families affected by the bridge collapse such as hotel costs and food and beverages. Attorney Phillip Sieff is also offering free legal representation for the families of the victims. Also various funds have been set up by friends and family for specific victims. "I think the message is that Minnesotans ... had a tremendous emotional and generous outpouring in response to the disaster," said Chris Langer vice president of communications for the Minneapolis Foundation quoted in the Star Tribune.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1411927.html

Posted by John Fabel at 4:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

At 7:30 Saturday night an 18 year old female was struck by an SUV and killed. Currently the Pioneer Press is not releasing her name until her loved ones are contacted. The driver of the SUV that hit the woman was taken to Regents Hospital with minor injuries. The accident occurred at County Road 80 and County Road 47. Chief Deputy Sheriff David Bellows said that the woman went through the stop sign and does not believe that drugs or alcohol were involved. Normally in the case of any fatal crash drug testing is performed. No other people were involved and currently no charges have been filed.

http://www.twincities.com/dakota

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