HannahMikels

200 Concorida students caught in the buff--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-30T15:14:04Z

About 200 Concordia students were caught celebrating Sunday graduation by skinny dipping in a murky campus pond early Monday, according to wcco.com.
A security officer attempted to shoo the students out, but the students responded by pushing the officer's golf cart into the pond, according to kare11.com.
Moorehead police were then called, but no one was arrested according to kare11.com.
Up to ten people could face charges after being identified by clothes and wallets they left behind, according to wcco.com.

Football T-shirt slogan stopped--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-25T18:45:10Z

The Univeristy of Minnesota has stopped the production of football T-shirts with the slogan "Brew's Crew," according to kare11.com.
The slogan is a play on the name of the new coach Tim Brewster, according to kare11.com.
But the university feels the slogan is too closely related to alcohol, according to the Star Tribune.
Tom Wistrcill, associate athletics director, feels it would not be in the school's best interest to associate the school with any inference to alcohol, according to wcco.com.
The school's booster club for the football program, the Goal Line Club, was selling the T-shirts to raise money for the athletic program, according to wcco.com.
The T-shirts were originally created because of a misscommunication, according to kare11.com.
Goal Line Club President Teresa Grim said the booster club normally has to get logos on merchandise OK'd with the school, but they didn't realize it was a problem before it was too late, according to the Star Tribune.
The Goal Line Club is selling the remaining T-shirts at goallineclub.com, but further production has been stopped, according to kare11.com.

Earthquake hits Japan--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-20T04:51:48Z

A strong earthquake preceded by a tremblor hit near islands in southwestern Japan Friday causing authorities to warn that the area could be hit by a small tsunami, according to wcco.com.
The tremblor, magnitude 6.2, and the larger quake, preliminary magnitude 6.7, both struck near the island of Miyakojima, part of the Ryukyu islands chain that stretches southwest toward Taiwan, according to wcco.com.
The Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory after the second and larger quake, saying that islands in the area could be hit by waves as high 18 inches, according to kare11.com.
Authorities are unsure if the second quake triggered the wave, according to kare11.com.
There were no immediate reports of injury or damage, and people living on the island were being warned to stay away from the coast, according to wcco.com.

Six injured in St. James construction accident--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-20T03:57:15Z

Two people were taken to Immanuel-St. Joseph Mayo Health Center in Mankato and four were treated for non-life-threatening injuries in St. James Wednesday after a wooden building frame collapsed at a construction site, according to the Mankato Free Press.
The collapsed wooden frame was supposedly caused by failed roofing supports, according to the Mankato Free Press.
Wall studs on the south end of the building bent inward near the southeast corner and forced other parts of the frame along the same side to lean, according to kare11.com.
The accident took place on the 10,000-square-foot facility being built for DODA USA, according to the Mankato Free Press.
Investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration are investigating, said Assistant Police Chief Kim Eisfeld, according to kare11.com.

Cho purchased one gun from Wisconsin website--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-20T03:35:00Z

One of the weapons used in the Virginia Tech shootings was purchased from a Green Bay-based Internet gun store, according to kare11.com.
Eric Thompson, the store's owner, said Cho Seung-Hui purchased a Walther .22-caliber handgun from the Web site www.gunsource.com, according to kare11.com.
Thompson says Cho Seung-Hui ordered the gun from the website on February 2 for $267.63, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette.
This was Cho's first purchace from the site, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette.
Thompson had no idea his business was involved with the shooting until he was contacted on Tuesday by telephone by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, according to kare11.com.
ATF agents interviewed Thompson in person on Wednesday, according to kare11.com.

Car-chasing wolf isn't a pack of lies--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-20T03:20:35Z

Conservation officer Steve Peterson saw firsthand the timber wolf chasing vehicles on a county road near Brimson, Minn., according to wcco.com.
Peterson had been recieving what he thought to be prank calls concerning the situation, according to wcco.com.
He went out to the area and saw the animal hide in the ditch as a pickup approached before running out to chase it, according to the Star Tribune.
The wolf did the same when Peterson drove out to the same spot and stopped his vehicle, according to the Star Tribune.
Peterson said the wolf lingered for about a minute before wandering off, according to wcco.com.
Peterson hasn't heard any more reports of car-chasing wolfs since then, according to the Star Tribune.

Mother pointed gun at kindergarten class--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-20T03:02:38Z

A 26-year-old mother of a kindergartner was charged with assault Thursday after walking into the child's classroom, pointing a toy cap gun at students and pulling the trigger multiple times, according to the Star Tribune.
The incident took place Tuesday, a day after the deadly shooting at Virginia Tech, according to the Star Tribune.
Church Hill police and Hawkins County school officials met with Heather Nicole Berg, 26, before charging her with misdemeanor assault, according to CNN.com.
Berg was in the classroom to pay for an upcoming field trip and walked to the middle of the classroom and shot the gun while the teacher's back was turned, according to the Star Tribune.
Police called her actions a "monumental lapse in judgment," according to CNN.com.

13 charges added in Mankato killing--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-20T02:51:14Z

A 32-year-old Mankato man who allegedly posed as a fire inspector has been indicted on 13 new charges in the rape and killing of a Mankato woman, according to the Mankato Free Press.
This includes four counts of first-degree murder bringing Jody Lee Miller's charges to 19 felonies in the attack on Judith Kay Ellgen, 53, according to the Star Tribune.
Ellgen's nude body was found by police on Feb. 23, according to the Star Tribune.
Preliminary tests showed she died from asphyxia due to manual strangulation, according to the Star Tribune.
Miller allegedly used his disguse to gain entrance into Ellgen's apartment, according to the Mankato Free Press.
Blue Earth County District Court Judge Bradley Walker on Monday set bail at $750,000 on the new charges, according to the Mankato Free Press.

N.H. Court Officer convicted in sex case--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-20T02:26:28Z

A former Franklin, N.H. District Court security officer convicted Wednesday in a prostitution case will perform community service but will not serve jail time, according to wcco.com.
Robert Theriault, 49, offered to pay a couple $20 an hour to have sex while he watched, according to wcco.com.
The couple testified they trusted Theriault when he told them they would be testing bed sheets and condoms for an insurance company because he was a court officer and they were desperate for moeny, according to wcco.com.
Theriault was sentenced to 150 hours of community service and probation and must complete a psycho-sexual evaluation, according to kstp.com.
Theriault faces another trial next month on similar charges with a different couple, according to kstp.com.

Teenager pleads guilty in uptown murder--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-20T02:12:46Z

An 18-year-old Minneapolis man pleaded guilty Thursday for his role in the murder of a South Carolina graduate student in Uptown Minneapolis, according to wcco.com.
Donte Jacobs confessed to second-degree intentional murder, aiding and abetting, in the shooting death of 25-year-old Michael Zebuhr, according to wcco.com.
Jacobs admitted in court that he took the purse of Zebuhr's mother as Zebuhr and others were leaving an Uptown restaurant on March 18, 2006, according to kstp.com.
He also said that Billy Rae Deshawn Johnson shot Zebuhr, according to kstp.com.
Jacobs faces 24 years and two motnhs in prison when he is sentenced on May 15, according to wcco.com
He will also be required to make restitution to the family, according to wcco.com.
Zebuhr was a doctoral student in bioengineering at Clemson University in South Carolina and was visiting family in the Twin Cities, according to kstp.com.

Viking arrested declared a mistake--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-20T01:48:30Z

Minnesota Viking cornerback Ronyell Whitaker's attorney said the player's arrest was a "total mistake," according to wcco.com.
Whitaker was arrested early Thursday downtown Minneapolis for an outstanding warrant for drunk driving and careless drving, according to wcco.com.
The warrant was a result of an incident last September in Eden Prairie when Whitaker was pulled over. He passed the field sobriety test but was issued a citation for reckless driving, according to kstp.com.
But his attorney, Joe Tamburino, said it was already taken care of, according to wcco.com.
Tamburino said he appeared in court on the player's behalf and has a receipt proving the ticket was paid, according to kstp.com.
The court apologized for the error of having Whitaker marked as a non-appearance, according to kstp.com.

UW-LaCrosse Dorm All-Clear--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-19T01:25:52Z

University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse officials declared a dormitory safe after a bomb threat was found and forced an evacutation Wednesday, according to the LaCrosse Tribune.
Paula Knudson, dean of student development and academic services, says the investigation into who planted the note in Sanford Hall continues, according to the LaCrosse Tribune.
The scare ocurred two days after a 23-year-old student killed 32 people and committed suicide at Virginia Tech, according to wcco.com.
Campus threats forced lockdowns and evacuations at universities, high schools and middle schools in at least ten states Wednesday, including Minnesota, according to wcco.com.

Free beer in Wisconsin--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-18T15:55:11Z

The Wisconsin State Senate approved a bill on an unanimous voice vote Tuesday that allows grocery and liquor stores to hand out samples of up to 6 ounces of free beer per day to people of legal drinking age, according to wcco.com.
Current law in Wisconsin allows winemakers, but not brewers, to offer up to 6 ounces of free samples, according to the Star Tribune.
Sen. Pat Kreitlow, D-Chippewa Falls, home of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., is the bill's main sponsor, according to wcco.com.
Kreitlow said the measure is designed to help beer manufacturers compete with wine makers, according to the Star Tribune.

Flags at half-staff for killed Woodbury soldier--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-18T15:46:40Z

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has ordered U.S. and state flags at the Capitol be at half-mass to honor a killed soldier, according to wcco.com.
Army Specialist Conor Masterson, 21, died April 7 in Afghanistan from wounds he suffered when a bomb exploded near his vehicle, according to the Star Tribune.
Masterson was from Woodbury and was assigned to the First Battalion, Fourth Infantry Regiment, according to the Star Tribune.
An 11 a.m. funeral is being held Wednesday for Masterson at Historic Fort Snelling Chapel. He will be buried with full military honors at Fort Snelling Cemeter, according to wcco.com.

St. Could mayor wants police precinct on campus--By: Hannah Mikels

2007-04-18T15:38:45Z

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis says he'd like a police precinct located on the campus of St. Cloud State University, according to wcco.com.
This idea came as a result of Monday's shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, which left 33 people dead, according to wcco.com.
Kleis said he will carry this out by working with incoming St. Cloud State president Earl Potter, according to the Star Tribune.
The university has a campus security department consisting of mostley students, but the St. Cloud Police Department has jurisdiction over the campus, according to the Star Tribune.