M.Mason

Gay marriage ban protests spanned across the country on Saturday, including in cities around Minnesota.

CNN reports that in lower Manhattan, protesters stood behind barricades and held signs.

In Los Angeles, demonstrators were met with counter-demonstrators.

The Star Tribune reports that demonstrations were held in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth.

Proposition 8, which overturned the May ruling of legalizing same-sex marriage, seems to have triggered the cross-country demonstrations.

Posted by maso0193 at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The St. Paul newspaper The Pioneer Press received a small package on Saturday labeled “anthrax�.

The package contained a CD with a picture of Gen. Colin Powell was labeled "Anthrax Shock and Awe Terror". A white, sugar-like package taped to the top labeled "Anthrax" and "Biohazard."

Initial tests determined that the white powder enclosed was sugar.

On Wednesday, a California man was arrested on suspicion of sending hoax letters with “anthrax�.

The Star Tribune reports that he had sent over 100 letters to media outlets, while the Pioneer Press didn’t specify that it was only to media outlets but that letters were sent to over 120 envelopes.

Posted by maso0193 at 7:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Husband of Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is visiting Minn. this week.

His stops include Duluth, Grand Rapids, and Bemidji on Thursday and Thief River Falls and Moorhead on Friday.

McCain’s Minnesota campaign says that the visit is targeting outdoor enthusiasts.

According to the Star Tribune and In-Forum news, Palin is traveling with his snowmobile racing partner, a native of Grand Rapids, Scott Davis.

In-Forum reports that Todd Palin self describes himself as Alaska’s “First Dude�.

Palin will be at the Scheels sporting goods store in Moorhead on Friday afternoon, according to In-Forum, and the event is open to the public.

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A car containing a body was pulled by construction workers from the Mississippi River in St. Paul on Friday morning.

Construction workers were dredging the river’s shore near Harriet Island on Thursday when they came across a sunken car with a body inside when the called the police.

The Pioneer Press reports that it took about a day to pull the car from the river, according to a police investigator.

The Star Tribune reports that spokesman Peter Panos said it’s too early to tell if a crime had occurred but given the decomposition of the body, it could have been in the water quite a while.

The Pioneer Press reports that the police department’s scan of 77 missing persons didn’t match this case.

Posted by maso0193 at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A 16-year-old boy was arrested Monday as a suspect in the Sept. 22 killing of the 20-year-old Augsburg student.

Ahmednur Ali was shot and killed in front of the Brian Coyle Community Center in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis after his first day working there. There was a large crowd of witnesses who, the Star Tribune reports, police say were apprehensive at first to provide information.

According to the Minnesota Daily, “They want the witnesses to remain very anonymous for fear of retaliation,� Minneapolis police spokesman Sgt. Jesse Garcia said. “We’re leaving that whole witness thing very vague on purpose.�

The Star Tribune reports that a motive for the killing hasn’t been released but reports that Ali was involved in a dispute with the suspect.

The Minnesota Daily reports that the name of the juvenile cannot be released unless he is charged as an adult – a possibility in this case.

Posted by maso0193 at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Augsburg student was fatally shot on Monday afternoon as he left a local community center in Minneapolis.

The man was identified as Ahmed Nur Ahmed Ali and, the Pioneer Press reports that officers arrived around 5 p.m., just after the shooting. Ali was found lying in the street and pronounced dead at the scene.

The Star Tribune reports that it was 20-year-old Ali’s first day of his work study program at the Brian Coyle Center in the Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. Though it was during the day, police have no suspects or witnesses.

The Star Tribune reports that Ali was a Political Science and International Relations student at Augsburg College. On Tuesday, over 700 community members gathered at Foss Chapel in memory of Ali.

Since April, Ali is the third Somali man killed in Minneapolis. Police said they don’t believe Ali was involved in any criminal activity and that it’s too early to determine if these three killings are related.

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A young woman died in a motorcycle crash early Friday morning in Andover. The body was identified as 28-year-old Natasha Waalen of Anoka and according to the Pioneer Press, the motorcycle was registered in her name.

Friday night Waalen’s boyfriend and father of her 4-year-old daughter, Ryan Boland, 33, was arrested on suspicion of killing her.

The Star Tribune reported that Waalen’s body seemed to have injuries not congruent with a motorcycle crash that led them to believe it was more than a motorcycle accident. Investigators didn’t yet describe these injuries.

“It's hard to accept is about the only thing I can say," said Natasha Waalen's father, Jeff, according to the Star Tribune. "It would be easier for me to believe something else than thinking it was the guy she had known for 10 years."

Star Tribune also reported that Jeff Waalen thought a man who had recently threatened to kill his daughter over a potential lawsuit was a much more likely suspect.

The Pioneer Press reported that the neighborhood that Boland and Waalen called home was a bit shaken up.
“They were both very quiet," their neighbor Valorie Burke said. "I think the thing most neighbors had observed in the last year, if one was home, the other one wasn't. You just didn't see them together."
Despite that, "I knew they loved that little girl of theirs," she said.
A charging decision is expected early next week.

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The College of St. Catherine’s is having a face lift to represent the changes the college has made since its beginnings, according to the Pioneer Press, in 1905.
The name beat out 3 other options: University of St. Catherine, Saint Catherine of Alexandria University and the University of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
The name was chosen by a board of trustees who voted unanimously.
Students who entered the College of St. Catherine but will leave with it named as St. Catherine University have the option of which they would like on their diploma.
According to the Star Tribune, the school’s budget has doubled over the past 10 years. Not only that, but their enrollment has had 10 years of consecutive growth meaning it is now larger than Smith or Wellesley College.
The school’s president, Sister Andrea Lee said, "We haven't been solely a baccalaureate institution for women since 1979. It became clear it was time to look at [the name]. We didn't enter it lightly. This is a process that took over a year, engaged a lot of people and featured a lot of conversation."
The Pioneer Press reported that student Molly Hall said, “St. Kate's is still St. Kate's.�

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