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Shortly after 6:00 p.m. Wednesday evening, the section of the Interstate 35W bridge between Washington Avenue South and University Avenue Southeast collapsed. One drowning fatality has been confirmed thusfar, though Rueters reports a total of four now, with an unknown amount of additional bodies recovered thursday morning. At least 60 people were injured. Reuters reports more than 20 people missing, with the New York Times and the BBC staking that number as high as 30.

Rescue efforts have been slowed by safety concerns. Divers and rescue boats were forced to halt their activities at nightfall due to the mass of submerged metal debris. The bridge was 40 years old, and had been listed as being structurally deficient in a federal government report. Inspections of the bridge by the University of Minnesota Civil Engineering Department concluded that the bridge was not an imminent threat. Governor Pawlenty said that the bridge was slated for replacement in 2020.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning on lowering the water level by two feet to help with rescue efforts. President Bush also extended condolences to victims and families, and authorized a $5 million dollar federal grant to aid in the rescue, recovery, clean-up and repair efforts. Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar said that they would seek upwards of $100 million to rebuild the bridge and would a lift on the limit of federal funds available for aid.

The New York Times Coverage can be found at the following:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/us/02cnd-bridge.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp
http://http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Bush-Bridge-Collapse.html?hp
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/following-the-minneapolis-bridge-collapse/index.html?hp

Reuters' coverage can be found here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0123484920070802?=undefined&src=080207_1055_TOPSTORY_more_bodies_found&sp=true

The BBC Story can be found here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6927725.stm

The Star Tribune at the following:
http://www.startribune.com/10204/story/1339588.html
http://www.startribune.com/10204/story/1339966.html

The Pioneer Press here:
http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_6526391?nclick_check=1

Posted by Joshua Loewenhagen at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Herman Dequon Curry is being sought for violating his probabtion and failing to report to his probation officer on July 13th. Level 3 offenders are those considered in Minnesota as the most likely to reoffend, and Curry has previously been convicted of having sexual contact with girls aged 6-12, as well as drug possession, driving with a suspended license, lurking, window peeping and escaping police custody. The Star Tribune covered the nature of Curry's history and recent circumstances in greater depth than the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, though the Pioneer Press actually included information about Curry's physical appearance and recognizable traits.

The Star Tribune Story can be found at the following:
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1325871.html

The Saint Paul Pioneer Press story at the following:
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_6464792?nclick_check=1

Posted by Joshua Loewenhagen at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minnesota-based MIA Hunters ventured on three separate excursions into Papua New Guinea between May and June to search for the remains of World War II-era crash sites on the island. The group claimed to have found 11 crash sites, as well as the remains of both American and Japanese soldiers. The Star Tribune estimates the number of American soldiers at up to 38 and Japanese at up to 22. The Saint Paul Pioneer Press described the remains as being seven U.S. military aircraft with an estimated eight crew members and five Japanese bombers with at least a dozen crew members (whether those numbers refer to each aircraft or the overall total is unknown).

MIA Hunters does not disturb the remains when found. They photograph and prepare detailed reports on the sites and submit these along with GPS coordinates to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Hawaii. Investigators from the JPAC then search for the remains and recover them. The group's founder and organizer is retired vice president of marketing for Northwest Airlines Bryan Moon. The non-profit organization is based in Randolph, MN, in Dakota County.

The Pioneer Press version of the story is at this location:
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_6408483

The Star Tribune article is here:
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1311443.html

Posted by Joshua Loewenhagen at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Eagan 19-year-old was charged last month with recruiting minors for prostitution. Investigators believe that Justine Alex Reisdorf was recruiting high school girls to work for her as prostitutes at a townhouse she rented in Burnsville, and that she later used her job at the Burnsville Hampton Inn to obtain hotel rooms to use for the same purposes. Investigators also believe that she advertised throuh the classifieds website Craigslist.org, and eventually through Live Links as well. The girl's boss at the Hampton Inn reported having no prior knowledge of any such behaviors.

The Star Tribune reported on this story in fair detail. The St. Paul Pioneer Press posted no coverage as of the time of this writing. The Star Tribune's story can be found at the following:

http://www.startribune.com/crime/story/1297789.html

Posted by Joshua Loewenhagen at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Wednesday that San Francisco attorney John Keker, a Marine Corps. platoon commander in the Vietnam War, is taking the defense of Gen. Vang Pao. Keker is regarded as one of the nation's top trial lawyers, and is taking the case without compensation, vowing to fight the charges to the bitter end.

The article quotes Keker as saying, "I certainly don't take cases so people can plead guilty," and "I don't think Gen. Vang Pao is going to acquiesce to these charges. ... We wouldn't be here unless I thought Gen. Vang Pao didn't want to fight this." Pao, who led a CIA-backed Hmong rebellion during the Vietnam War era, is regarded as a spiritual leader in the large Hmong communities in both Minnesota and California. Keker cites his service in Vietnam as compelling him to assume this case. Keker has formerly represented Eldridge Cleaver as well as acting as prosecutor during the trial of Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North for 16 felony charges related to the Iran-Contra affair.

Rallies in three states, including two in St. Paul, have been held in support of the Gen. Vang Pao.

Outside of the Pioneer Press' coverage of these trial updates, The Star Tribune posted no coverage of the matter at this point.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press' article can be found here:
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_6300590?nclick_check=1

Posted by Joshua Loewenhagen at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Steven Van Keuren was convicted of the first degree murders of his ex-girlfriend, Teri Lee, and her boyfriend, Timothy Hawkinson. Van Keuren admitted to the killings, and claimed that he had gone to Lee's home with plans of only killing himself, despite messages that he left on friends answering machines saying that he was planning on killing Lee.

Van Keuren claimed that in the time between those messages and the time of the killings he had changed his mind about killing Lee and was only planning on killing himself in her presence. He also claimed that he killed Hawkinson by accident while the two were involved in a physical altercation immediately post the shooting of Lee.

The trial's jury of six men and six women found Van Keuren guilty of two counts of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The killings also aided in the passage of a new state law requiring a photograph to accompany a no contact order in hopes of bolstering law enforcement agents abilities to maintain appropriate tabs on suspects.

More can be found at the following:

http://www.startribune.com/crime/story/1271593.html

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_6241489?nclick_check=1

Both the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press covered the story in fairly similar detail.

Posted by Joshua Loewenhagen at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dung Anh Nguyen, a 34-year-old Bloomington man, was arrested June 17th, when the Dakota County Drug Task Force served a warrant to search his Apple Valley residence. The authorities were tipped off by Dakota Electric employees who had noticed that the house was drawing abnormally large amounts of power from a nearby transformer, causing power outages in the area. A wire had apparently been spliced directly to the electrical supply line from inside the house, bypassing the electric meter. The employees reportedly smelled an odor of marijuana eminating from the residence, as well, and subsequently called in the police. Charges were brought against Nguyen on Wednesday, including producing and attempting to produce a controlled substance, and criminal possession of a controlled substance. 1,200 plants were reportedly siezed by authorities, each one capable of yielding about a half-pound of marijuana, for a total sale value of over $1 million.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune reported similar information regarding this story, though they both list some details absent in the other: the Pioneer Press adds to the above information that Nguyen's bail was set at $75,000, and the Star Tribune notes that he his scheduled to appear in Dakota County First Judicial District Court in Hastings on July 16th. The Star Tribune also mentions the address as being on the 8700 block of Hunter's Way in Apple Valley.

Both sources published information on the subject can be found at the following:

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_6190875?nclick_check=1

http://www.startribune.com/crime/story/1258100.html

Upon personal interview, one of the former residents of the Apple Valley home, which was sold to Nguyen last September for $391,000, commented that he had told her family that he was buying the house due to imminent marital plans. The resident asked not to be named.

Posted by Joshua Loewenhagen at 1:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)