D. Guida

Minneapolis police are investigating six North Minneapolis shootings, the most recent of which was Saturday at 1 p.m., to find out if they are related, according to KARE 11 News.
One man was killed and another injured, in the Saturday shooting near the intersection of Queen Avenue North and Highway 55, though the police have not confirmed that the two men who drove themselves to the hospital were involved in the shooting at that location, according the KARE 11 report.
According to the Star Tribune, police reported that the men were shot when a car pulled up alongside their car and fired shots into the car.
Police have not identified the two shooting victims at this time.

Posted by Desiree Guida at 1:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks advocated relief for middle-income families hardest hit by rising tuition in his State of the University address Thursday, reported the Star Tribune.
“Middle income families bear the brunt of any increase in tuition and fees,� Bruininks said. According to the Minnesota Daily, he said that the university must try to create a “consistent and substantial level of scholarship and grant support for all middle-income Minnesota students.�
While Bruininks encouraged donors to give more money for need-based financial aid, a significant amount is required to make a difference because most university students are middle-income, reported the Star Tribune.
The president’s address also focused on the university’s goal to become a top public research university.
“If we expect investment and support, we must continue to demonstrate that we are an asset to the state of Minnesota and its citizens,� he said according to the Minnesota Daily.
Bruininks learned shortly before his speech that the Minnesota House had passed a bill including $136 million for university projects, a total about $6 million more than Gov. Pawlenty had recommended, reported the Star Tribune.
“I’m very hopeful it will pass [the Senate] and be signed by the governor,� Bruininks said.

Posted by Desiree Guida at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A New Brighton City Council Member’s seat is in question after he was arrested by St. Paul police Monday, reported the Pioneer Press.
David Alan Phillips, 58, was one of nine men ticketed in an ongoing, undercover prostitution sting, according the Pioneer Press.
Mayor Steve Larson said the case was a “disaster� and he didn’t know how the city council would respond to the arrest of Phillips, who was elected to the council last year, reported KARE 11 News.
The citation for engaging in prostitution is a misdemeanor that carries on conviction a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, reported the Star Tribune.
According to a brief statement the city made, Phillips had not made a decision regarding his council seat, reported the Tribune.
According to the Tribune Mayor Steve Larson said removing Phillips from the council is not an option, but they could take other action like public censure.

Posted by Desiree Guida at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The investigation continued today following a school bus crash Tuesday outside the southwestern Minnesota city Cottonwood.
Police released the names of the four victims today, grades 5 through 9, which includes two brothers, Jesse Javens, 13, and Hunter Javens, 9, both of Cottonwood, reported KARE 11. The other two victims were identified as Reed Stevens, 12, of Marshall and Emilee Olson, 9, of Cottonwood, according to KARE 11.
It was released Wednesday that the driver of the van that broadsided the school bus, Alianiss Morales, 23, did not have a driver’s license, reported KARE 11. According to the news station, she is listed in stable condition after injuries sustained from the crash.
Eight students injured in the crash remain hospitalized in Sioux Falls, S.D. and Marshall, reported the Star Tribune.
The school superintendent said it was hard to find words to describe a tragedy like this one and although school will resume Thursday, a memorial service will be held at the school Thursday night, according to the Star Tribune.
All four victims were students of Lakeville School, where Olson’s mother is a physical education teacher and Reed’s mother is a former teacher, according to the Pioneer Press.

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Carla Poole, 37, was charged Tuesday with the second-degree murder of her 4-year-old Chicago relative Demond Reed, reported the Chicago Tribune.
Poole was taking care of Reed while he was on a visit from Chicago. She reported him missing last week when she claimed a family friend had taken him.
Police found Reed’s body late Saturday night at the North Minneapolis duplex where he was staying. Police searched the house a second time, which resulted in the finding of Reed’s body, after Poole’s 11-year-old daughter told police that Poole had beaten him, reported the Star Tribune.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said that Poole’s children, all younger than 12, told investigators they saw Poole hit Reed. According to their report, Poole’s 6-year-old son said his mother made him and his 4-year-old sibling hold Reed down while she beat him.
After the initial beating, Reed had a seizure and began to vomit, but Poole was too afraid to call 9-1-1, reported the Star Tribune. He died soon after, at which point, the complain states, “the defendant placed a gray blanket over Demond and left him lying on a bed for approximately two days,� reported the Chicago Tribune. Poole’s daughter told police that her mother later moved Reed’s body into a closet, the report continues.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the complaint filed states that after the autopsy it was determined that Reed had “bruising on his head, puncture wounds on his stomach, back and buttocks, a bite mark on his stomach, a large hematoma on his left eye, injury indicating a blunt object had been forced into his mouth, and there was bleeding inside his brain.�
As of Tuesday no cause of death had been released, reported the Chicago Tribune.

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A 4-year-old Chicago boy missing since Wednesday was found dead in a Minneapolis home Sunday, according to WCCO news.
Demond Reed was found in the home where he was staying on the city’s north side. Although no cause of death has been determined by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office, police are investigating it as a homicide, reported WCCO.
Reed was staying with relatives in Minneapolis, according to ABC 7 news out of Chicago.
Police took a woman, an adult cousin who had been caring for Reed, into custody for questioning but has not yet been charged, reported KSTP Eyewitness 5 news.
A police spokesman, Sgt. William Palmer, said details on the case have been “fairly unclear.�
It was reported that that Reed had been taken from the home, but now it is unclear whether he ever actually left the home, reported WCCO news.
Reed came to Minneapolis for a visit but the stay was extended when his father was arrested Jan. 21 on unrelated charges, reported KSTP news.

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Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both made campaign stops in Minnesota Saturday, reported the Star Tribune.
Obama filled the Target Center with a crowd reaching 20,000, while Romeny opted for a smaller venue at private office complex.
Both candidates spoke in brief of the main issues their campaigns have targeted. Obama brought the crowd gathered in the basketball arena to their feet many times. The explosive cheers evoked by his promise to bring troops home from Iraq, to reform the education and health care systems, nearly drown out the candidate himself, reported the Pioneer Press.
Obama’s speech, which lasted about 54-minutes, emphasized the need for hope and change in America, according to the Star Tribune.
Romney spoke for about fifteen minutes, focusing on the “need to fix Washington the Republican and conservative way.�
Both candidates are traveling across the country campaigning in these last few days before the February 5 caucuses that will take place in twenty-two states.

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