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Three Beldenville, Wis. men were injured early Sunday morning when they were riding on a couch being towed by a friend through a cow pasture, KARE 11 said.

According to The Star Tribune, Joseph M. Schoeder, 23, was the driver of the truck. His three riders were Bradley J. Johnson, 24, of Ellsworth; Timothy J. Flynn, 21, from Welch, Minn., and Cole T. Eckhoff, 21, from Red Wing, Minn.

The Pioneer Press is reporting that details of how the men were hurt have not been disclosed.

Bradley Johnson was airlifted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he's in critical condition. The other two men were treated and released from a hospital in Red Wing, reports WCCO.

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Mark Dayton has announced that he may run for governor of Minnesota in 2010, according to MPR

Dayton, a democrat, announced his candidacy at an event in Olmstead County on Saturday, the Minnesota Monitor said.

But Dayton said that "three years is a long time away" and therefore, may change his mind, The Star Tribune said.

WCCO is reporting that Dayton wanted to let DFL activists know that Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner is not the only likely democratic candidate.

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A mandatory evacuation of the west end of the Gunflint trail was ordered by authorities on Sunday after wildfires had grown to 12.5 miles, reports WCCO.

The fire has approached the Boundry Waters Canoe Area and covers over 8000 acres, KARE 11 said.

High winds have fueled the fire, which according to officials is no more than 5 percent contained, The Star Tribune said.

According to The Pioneer Press, 100 people have been evacuated so far. It is estimated that properties worth over $33 million dollars are in danger.

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At least eight people are dead after a tornado hit Greensburg, KS on Friday, reports The Washington Post.

The tornado, which was 1.7 miles wide and was on the ground for 22 miles, had wind speeds that were estimated at over 205 miles per hour, reported USA Today.

Greensburd, a farming town of about 1,800, lost over 90 percent of its buildings, Reuters said.

Survivors said that the sirens sounded for 20 minutes, giving them plenty of warning, The New York Times said.

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After an exceptionally high voter turn out, Nicolas Sarkozy was elected as France's president on Sunday, according to CNN.

The Washington Post is reporting that Sarkozy is promising to reform relations with the United States and restore its self-respect.

With 53.1 percent of the vote after over 98 percent of the ballots were counted, Sarkozy defeated Segolene Royal. Royal would have been the first female president of France had she been elected, The New York Times said.

After the election, police battled with several hundred protesters near the Place de la Bastille where windows were smashed and a vehicle was set on fire, reports MSNBC.

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An assailant killed at least two people and injured two others in a shooting at a Kansas City mall today, according to Reuters.

According to The New York Times, the gunman shot two people after he pulled into a parking spot outside a Target store at Ward Parkway Center in south Kansas City. He injured at least two others and was shot to death by officers.

The gunman, who was driving the car of an elderly woman, is also a suspect in her death, according to The Washington Post.

The victim's and gunman's names have not been released, said USA Today.

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Ethiopian rebels from the Ogaden National Liberation Front released nine Chinese and Ethiopian hostages today according to CNN.

The rebels captured seven Chinese oil workers and two ethipian civilians earlier in the week after an attack on a Chinese oil field, said MSNBC

The Washington Post is reporting that the attack left 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese workers dead. According to the rebel group, the Chinese workers "were removed from the battlefield for their own safety." The rebels are ethnic Somalis who claim to be fighting for independence for the Ogaden region.

The OLNF said that the men were in good health and had been treated well. The Chinese government has condemed the rebel group's actions, said The New York Times.

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The Wild wrapped up the 2006-07 season on Thursday with a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in game five of their Stanley Cup playoff series, reports WCCO.

Chris Pronger scored just 1:02 into the game to give the Ducks the lead. Marian Gaborik scored a short-handed goal in the second period, but the Duck's Ryan Getzlaf scored less than a minute later to reclaim the lead for Anaheim. A goal by Corey Perry put the Ducks ahead half way throught the third period and an empty net goal by Travis Moen, with 57 seconds left, sealed the fate of the Wild, said the Pioneer Press.

KARE 11 said the Wild performed poorly on the power play during the series, generating just two goals in 27 chances. They failed to capitalize on an important 5-on-3 advantage during game 5.

According to the Star Tribune, the three stars of the game were: Chris Pronger, Anaheim, Corey Perry, Anaheim and Marian Gaborik, Minnesota.

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http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_112230943.htmlA 47-year-old Lakeland man drove into the St. Croix river on Sunday after he was distracted by trying to change a CD in his car stereo, reports the Star Tribune.

Brett Olson was driving on I-94 when his car crashed through a chain link fence and plunged into the river, said KARE 11.

Olson swam less than ten feet to the shore after escaping from his submerged car. Rain may have contributed to the accident, said WCCO.

According to the Pioneer Press, Olson was ticketed with inattentive driving and released at the scene.

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After a week of mourning the deaths of 32 people, students will return to classes at Virginia Tech, said The New York Times.

According the The Washington Post, students have been given the option to return to classes or get credit for their classes with the grades they have so far, due to the trauma.

Home baked cookies made by grandmothers, will be handed out to the students that decide to return to campus in order to provide comfort, reports Reuters.

Grief counselors will be sent to the first meeting of each class in which a student or faculty member was killed or injured. Norris Hall, the scene of the worst carnage, will remain closed for the semester, said USA Today.

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A five-month-old cease fire has come to an end in the Gaza strip after nine Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunmen Sunday, reports CNN.

One of those killed was a 17-year-old Palestinian girl who was looking out of her window when she was shot by Israeli gunfire, said MSNBC.

According to The New York Times, the American International School in Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza City, was bombed and set on fire by over a dozen masked Palestinians early Saturday morning. No one was injured.

The Washington Post is reporting that Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said, "The blood of our people is not cheap." He called on the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, and "the Palestinian resistance groups to be united in the trench of resistance and to use all possible means of resistance to respond to the massacres."

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Despite a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night, the Wild lost their bid for the division title when the Vancouver Canucks defeated the San Jose Sharks in overtime, said the Pioneer Press.

The Wild finished the season, with their win over the Blues, as the seventh seed in the Western Conference and will face the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The first game of the series will be Wednesday night in Anaheim, reports the Star Tribune.

Wyatt Smith scored twice in the 5-1 victory, with Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Wes Walz and Branko Radivojevic each scoring one goal, said Kare 11.

According to WCCO, goaltender Niklas Backstrom went 169 minutes and 20 seconds without allowing a goal until Peter Sejna beat him in the second period, breaking a team record.

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Two Twin Cities women were killed on Thursday while vacationing in Florida when their rental car was hit by a Chevrolet Corvette, accoriding to the Pioneer Press.

Renae Gustafson, 43, from Minneapolis and Jennifer Keesey, 33, also from Minnesota, died in the accident. Kristine Boike, 44, of Brooklyn Park was severely injured, reports WCCO.

Kare 11 said the three women had gone to Florida to play golf. They were turning into the driveway of their rented condominium when they were hit, and the impact caused their rental car's engine to fly out of the chassis.

The driver of the other car, Eric Parr, 33, of Pompano Beach, and his passenger, Elena McGrane, 38, of Coconut Creek, were released from the hospital Thursday. Charges are pending, said the Star Tribune.

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Congress is set to vote on two stem cell bills when they return on Tuesday, reports The New York Times.

The first bill is to expand and encourage federal funding for human stem cell research and the second is a
compromise measure worked out by Republicans Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Norm Coleman of Minnesota which will "encourage stem cell research on embryos that have naturally lost the ability to develop into fetuses, such as those that have died "naturally" during fertility treatments," said the Washington Post.

According to Reuters, the compromise bill would also include support for "the creation of a bank of stem cells taken from amniotic fluid and placentas -- two recently discovered potential sources."

Many people believe the research should be banned, not expanded because it destroys human life, said Cox News.

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The British Ministry of Defense decided on Sunday that British armed forces held in Iran can sell their stories to the media, reports MSNBC.

A spokeswoman for the ministry said that the situation with the former captives is unique and deserved special attention, CNN said.

According to The New York Times, publicist Max Clifford said that the stories could earn about $500,000 with the largest amount going to Leading Seaman Faye Turney, the only woman in the group of 15.

But according to the Washington Post, the decision has created controversy. Liam Fox, the opposition Conservative Party's spokesman on defense said, "what distinguishes our armed forces is their professionalism and dignity."

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