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Wednesday night around 7pm a man struck and killed a Burnsville woman, while driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of more than five times the legal limit reported the Pioneer Press

Anthony Phillip LaSalle, 36 of Bloomington, hit LuAnn Marie Johnson, 66, while she was walking into a Sam’s Club in Bloomington. Johnson was knocked to the ground, then run over, and dragged for about ten feet reported the Star
Tribune.
Johnson’s husband was with her and tried to stop LaSalle. LaSalle however continued to drive away and was later caught by police who had to use a taser to force him out of his car. (Pioneer Press)

LaSalle later told police that he had drank half a liter of vodka before he got behind the wheel. He also admitted that he felt his car run over something and that he assumed it was a pedestrian. (Star Tribune)

LaSalle has been charged with third-degree murder and three counts of criminal vehicular homicide. He is currently being held in Hennepin County Jail and his bail is set at $500,000. He will make his first court appearance Monday. (Pioneer Press)

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A teacher at St.Mary’s preparatory school in Faribault Minnesota shot himself to death Friday night reported WCCO.

Len Jones was a dorm director, a history teacher, and a La Crosse coach for the college prep school. Authorities said that he committed suicide around 9pm and that he had been dealing with a troubled marriage and emotional issues reported the Star Tribune.

Police also said that Jones used a hand gun and was alone in his faculty apartment on campus when he pulled the trigger. According to WCCO several boys in grades seven-nine heard the shot. (Star Tribune)

The Star Tribune wrote that Jones was well liked and that he had originally come from South Carolina. He had been with the school for six years. Jones was 34.

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Tuesday University of Minnesota police shutdown Anderson Hall and the Hubert H. Humphrey Center due to a bomb threat that was later determined a hoax reported the Star Tribune.

The two buildings were closed from 7-8:30am after a female student told police that she had overheard three Somali males plotting to plant a bomb in the West Bank buildings wrote the Pioneer Press.

Police promptly evacuted the buildings but later learned that the student who had reported the incident had made the story up. Police said her story was inconsistent and that she eventually admitted to lying about the incident. (Pioneer Press)

The university student's motive for making up the story was according to police officers, "to avoid class." The university student faces charges of filing a false police report and could face punishment from the University itself. (Star Tribune)

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Four victims are suing a construction firm and a consulting group whose actions they believe contributed to the collapse of the bridge on August 1st, 2007 that killed 13 and injured 145, reported the Pioneer Press.

The lawsuits were announced in the name of surviving victims Wilfred Wagner, Linda Paul and Justin Micher and a trustee for the next-of-kin Paul Alan Eickstadt, who died in the collapse. The suits are identical and were filed Thursday in Hennepin County District Court against URS Corporation, an engineering consulting firm and PCI a construction contractor. (Pioneer Press)

The victims are asking for $50,000 per victim and spouse. Preliminary findings by the National Transportation Safety Board investigators suggested that the bridge was doomed from the start by a design error in thickness of gusset plates that failed reported the Star Tribune.

According to the lawsuit URS had been contracted by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in 2003 to “perform fatigue and fracture analysis� and to make recommendations. The suits allege that URS saw buckled gusset plates on the bridge and did nothing about it, but rather labeled them to be in good condition. (Pioneer Press)

The lawsuits also allege that PCI improperly loaded the bridge with construction equipment and material. PCI was on the bridge the day it collapsed. (Star Tribune)

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Republican Senetor Norm Coleman's request to discount 32 absentee ballots was denied by the Ramsey County judge Saturday reported the Star Tribune.

The 32 ballotts arrived late on election day and the ballots were unable to be sent to their proper polling places because they had already closed. The ballots were then kept safe and unopened. (Star Tribune)

The debate over the ballots comes after a tight race between Coleman and Al Franken-D, both running for the Minnesota senente. Coleman currently leads by only 221 votes, this calls for an automatic recount because Coleman's lead is less than one half of one percent over Franken reported Pioneer Press.

"The actual recount of ballots won't start until Nov. 19, after a state canvassing board meets to certify the results of the Nov. 4 election," Pionner Press reported.

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A St. Olaf college professor confessed to stealing Republican Presidential signs on a national blog posted Thursday, reported Pioneer Press.

Philip Busse wrote about these thefts in the Huffington Post, a liberal news website, in which he said it was satisfying and thrilling reported the Star Tribune.

Busse said he posted the blog entitled “Confessions of a Lawn Sign Stealer�, to point out the foolish things people will do in a highly charged political season. In the blog Busse said he stole seven McCain/Palin lawn signs along Highway 19.

Busse is a visiting professor in St. Olaf college’s theater department . St. Olaf has condemned the prank and the Rice County sheriff is investigating. Busse spoke with the sheriff Friday and offered restitution for the signs. (Star Tribune)

Busse also emailed Northfield News and said that his acts were immature and impetuous. He also said that he was disappointed that readers focused on the thefts and not on the larger issue of his posts. (Pioneer Press)

The Pioneer Press reported that the Northfield Police Department said stealing a political yard sign is a misdemeanor, but that people rarely decide to pursue charges.

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An 18-year-old female was shot to death Saturday night in the St. Paul neighborhood of Dayton’s Bluff reported the Pioneer Press.

Police received a call around 9:35 pm that an 18-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man had been shot near Sixth Street E and Forest Street. Police spokesman Peter Panos told Pioneer Press that the man and woman were both found in a car at a nearby gas station on Arcade Street and Minnehaha Avenue E.Panos also said that it was unclear if the two people were in the vehicle when they were shot, but that one of the car windows was shot out. (Pioneer Press)

The St. Paul Fire Department medics determined that the woman was dead at the scene and the man had been shot in the thigh and was transported to Regions Hospital stated the Star Tribune.

The man’s condition is still unknown and no one is in custody. The names of the victims will be released once the families have been notified. Investigators are asking that anyone with information pertaining to the shooting call the homicide unit. (Pioneer Press)

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Thursday Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minnesota, Al Franken, D-MN and Dean Barkley, Independence Party-MN held their third debate at Minnesota at the University of Minnesota-Duluth reported Pioneer Press.

During the debate Sen. Coleman said that he will not say he was wrong to support the decision to invade Iraq. Franken was astounded that Coleman wouldn’t say that war was a mistake reported Kare 11 News.

Coleman said that he has criticisms of how the war and reconstruction were handled, but as a Senator he could not face the parents of soilders killed in Iraq and tell them the war was a mistake. (Kare 11)

All three candidates did say that they want the U.S. soldiers out of Iraq. Franken and Barkley supported setting a timetable for the soldiers release, while Coleman said that the decision should be made by military leaders. (Kare 11)

The candidates will have two more debates, and both will be held in the Twin Cities before election day. (Pioneer Press)

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Thursday Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minnesota, Al Franken, D-MN and Dean Barkley, Independence Party-MN held their third debate at Minnesota at the University of Minnesota-Duluth reported Pioneer Press.

During the debate Sen. Coleman said that he will not say he was wrong to support the decision to invade Iraq. Franken was astounded that Coleman wouldn’t say that war was a mistake reported Kare 11 News.

Coleman said that he has criticisms of how the war and reconstruction were handled, but as a Senator he could not face the parents of soilders killed in Iraq and tell them the war was a mistake. (Kare 11)

All three candidates did say that they want the U.S. soldiers out of Iraq. Franken and Barkley supported setting a timetable for the soldiers release, while Coleman said that the decision should be made by military leaders. (Kare 11)

The candidates will have two more debates, and both will be held in the Twin Cities before election day. (Pioneer Press)

Posted by flitc006 at 4:47 PM | Permalink

Husband of Alaska Governer and Republican Vice-Presidential nominee, Sarah Palin plans to visit Minnesota this Thursday reported WCCO.

Todd Palin, the governor’s husbandplans to visit Iron Range and Northwestern Minnesota this week.

John McCain’s Minnesota office said that Palin is expected to speak with not only voters, but outdoor enthusiasts in Duluth, Grand Rapids, and Bemidji on Thursday stated the StarTribune.

Palin’s plans are then to visit Thief Riverfalls, and Moorhead on Friday. Palin will be touring Minnesota with his Snowmobile racing partner Scott Davis. Davis is originally from Grand Rapids. (StarTribune)

According to McCain’s campaign they have been trying to gain voter ship in the Northeast part of Minnesota, which traditionally supports Democrats. (WCCO)

Posted by flitc006 at 3:00 AM | Permalink

The Pioneer Press reported that a 19-year-old St. Paul man survived being run over by a train Wednesday night in Newport.

Officials said that Deejarriell Travon Burgin, had an argument with his girlfriend at a gas station Wednesday night and left on foot. Around 11:40 pm Burgin walked along U.S 61 railroad tracks. (Pioneer Press)

Burgin is being treated at Regions Hospital for extensive bruises. He has no broken bones. Newport Police Chief, Veid Muizneiks said that Burgin was way, way lucky. (Pioneer Press)

Burgin heard a train coming and at the last second lay down between the tracks near the Glen Road overpass. Muizneiks said that a person could lie down between the rails and survive if they could avoid being crushed by the wheels.

Star Tribune reported that Burgin was in serious condition and recovering from possible injury, while Pioneer Press reported that Burgin was in good condition and being treated for bruises.

Train operators called authorities after they spotted a man lying between the tracks. The train operators were unable to top the train which consisted of 76 rail cars and four locomotives. (Star Tribune)

Officials do not know if drugs or alcohol were a factor in this incident. (Pioneer Press)

Posted by flitc006 at 4:35 AM | Permalink

A 28-year-old Anoka woman was found early Friday morning lying in the street next to a motorcycle, the Pioneer Press reported.

The death of Natasha L. Waalen originally looked like a motorcycle accident, but now it is being called a murder and her boyfriend is a prime suspect.

Friday night investigators arrested 33-year-old Ryan Boland under suspicions that he killed her. Boland is Waalen’s boyfriend and they live together with their 4-year-old daughter.

Investigators still will not describe Waalen’s wounds and injures, but these are what led authorities to believe that this was more than a traffic crash. In a statement to the Pioneer Press, the Anoka County sheriff’s office said that there were multiple factors that were not consistent with a motor vehicle accident.

“It’s hard to accept is about the only thing I can say.� Waalen’s father, Jeff told the Star Tribune.
The Star Tribune reported that Friday Jeff Waalen said he suspected that a man who had recently threatened to kill his daughter over a potential lawsuit might be the culprit. He also stated that if authorities were investigating her boyfriend that they were “barking up the wrong tree.�

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/28697209.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiacyKUnciaec8O7EyU
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_10519708

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