The Perlich Press

In a span of 12 hours Sunday, two separate fast-food parking-lot shootings have left three people dead.

The first shooting occurred at a White Castle in Hopkins at 1111 Cambridge Street at around 2 a.m. Sunday, in an apparent verbal altercation, according to the Pioneer Press.

The second shooting occurred just before 2 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the McDonald’s on Sycamore Lane N. in Maple Grove, according to a report from the Star Tribune.

Police responded to several 911 calls about a woman being shot in the parking lot.

Capt. Tracy Stille of the Maple Grove Police Department told the Star Tribune that police found the body of a woman in her 20’s in the parking lot with at least two gunshot wounds.

Witnesses said they saw the woman stumble to the curb after she was apparently shot once, and then they saw the man shoot her again.

Stille said the woman had met the suspect at the restaurant to break off a relationship between the two, when he shot her.

The man then drove off in a white car, but witnesses were able to give police a description of the car and a partial license plate.

An alert went out and a Brooklyn Park police officer found the car on the side of Interstate 694 on the border of Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center.

When the police officer investigated, he found a man in his 20’s dead inside, from an apparent self-inflicted wound.

Family members of the woman arrived at the McDonald’s to give police information. Police said the names of the woman and the suspect are not expected to be released today.

In the first shooting, police arrived at the White Castle around 2 a.m. and found a man lying on the ground and pronounced him dead on the scene.

Witnesses claim that the man was involved in a verbal altercation with a group of men in the parking lot when several gun shots were fired.

Two suspects were seen fleeing the scenes; however, no suspects have been identified at this point, according to police.

The name of the victims has not been released at this time.

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A 48 year-old woman died Saturday after her car was hit by a stolen vehicle fleeing police.

The woman was identified by police Sunday as Shoua Vang, 48, of St. Paul. A male companion that was in the car with Vang was listed in serious condition as of Saturday night, according to a report from the Star Tribune.

Vang’s car was hit by the fleeing suspect, driving a Chrysler 300M, at the Larpenteur Avenue exit off of Interstate 35E. Vang was taken to Regions Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Roseville police identified the suspect as Tito Fonzio Campbell, 33, of Roseville, according to a report from the Pioneer Press.

Campbell received only minor injuries, while an 8 year-old boy that was in the car with him was being treated with non-life threatening injuries Saturday at Regions Hospital. Police say it is unclear if the suspect has any relation to the boy.

The incident began Saturday night when Roseville police responded to a stolen vehicle report on the 600 block of West Highway 36. The suspect was assaulting the female car theft victim, according to a news release from the police.

The suspect fled eastbound on Highway 36 before police say they called of the chase.

The crash happened at Interstate 35E and Larpenteur Avenue around 7 p.m. Saturday.

According to the news release, police were flagged down by witnesses of the crash at the intersection of Interstate 35E and Maryland Avenue.

Campbell is being held on suspicion of vehicular homicide.

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After surviving a record crest in late March, residents in the Fargo-Moorhead area face another Red River crest as officials expect one of its tributaries to flood.

The Sheyenne River, a tributary of the Red River, is expected to flood, causing a second crest for the Red River that is forecasted to be 38 feet to 40 feet by next weekend.

“They’re watching the Sheyenne move a section at a time, knowing that it’s going to get to them,” Cass County Engineer Keith Berndt said to the Associated Press in a Star Tribune article.

The Red River first crested at a record, nearly 41 feet late last month. Residents worked to place sandbags atop the levees, and were largely successful in their efforts. The two cities were able to avoid major damage for the most part.

Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney told the Associated Press that county officials have called in the Coast Guard to assist in preparations for possible evacuations in the area, whether using air boats or helicopters.

Officials evacuated North Dakota Veterans Home in the town of Lisbon, located near the Sheyenne River.

Administrator Mark Johnson told the Associated Press that it might be the first time in the veterans home’s 117-year history that they have had to evacuate due to a flood.

The home is protected by a dike and sandbags, but a bridge close to the home is at a low point along the Sheyenne River, possibly causing it to be blocked by the water.

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A proposed diesel fuel plant in Empire Township is being met with resistance from its Dakota County neighbors, Rosemount and Coates.

The plant is being proposed by Rational Energies, based in Eden Prairie, a company that develops alternative forms of fuel. The 200,000 square foot plant in Empire Township would burn garbage into diesel fuel.

However, officials from the neighboring towns of Rosemount and Coates are opposed to the location of the plant, according to a report by the Pioneer Press.

Coates Mayor Jack Gores told the Pioneer Press that his city is concerned that the location of the plant will negatively affect the value of land located nearby.

Rosemount Mayor Bill Droste sent officials from Empire Township a letter outlining his city’s concerns with the proposed plant.

Droste is concerned with the proximity of the plant to the University of Minnesota Outreach, Research and Education Park, a nearby planned community that could have up to 30,000 residents.

The UMore Park site is located just northwest of the proposed diesel plant and Rosemount officials believe that the volume of garbage trucked to the plant would cause problems for residents of the community.

Rational Energies CEO Ed Driscoll said that he understands the concerns of Rosemount and Coates, but does not believe that the proposed facility should be an issue for the communities.

“You’ve got Flint Hill up the street that produces 1,000 times more air emissions than what we would, a food processor that actually incinerates food in Rosemount. And you have a number of very large landfills in Rosemount,” Driscoll said to the Pioneer Press.

The facility has received approval from Empire Township and now must go through a permit process and environmental study with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Driscoll told the Pioneer Press that the permit process could take 12 to 18 months, and that the company hopes the plant will open sometime during the middle of 2012.

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The governors of Minnesota and Wisconsin have begun an initiative to combine efforts in certain areas, cutting $10 million in expenses for each state.
The collaboration of the two states began Jan. 13 and could result in the combination of one hunting and one fishing license for the two states.
According to the Pioneer Press, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle outlined five broad areas in the cost-saving plan:
• Joint procurement, the states are attempting to cut costs on small package deliveries.
• Cross-border collaboration, the states are looking into combining research projects and other wildlife initiatives.
• Information technology, the states would share technology to collect income tax and reduce fraud.
• Reciprocity, the states would allow over-sized trucks to get one permit for both states.
• Shared resources, the states hope to share law enforcement communication towers.
According to a report from the Star Tribune, the governors released a 130-page report outlining the areas where they could combine their efforts and cut costs.

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A juror in the Craigslist murder trial was dismissed Friday, after a defense attorney inadvertently aimed a replica of the murder weapon at her.

Defense attorney Alan Margoles was questioning Minnesota Bureaue of Criminal Apprehension firearms expert Kurt Moline, when he pointed a gun similar to the one used in the murder in the general direction of the jury, according to the Star Tribune.

A female juror was upset by the action, that Judge Mary Theisen granted her request to be dismissed.

The defendant, Michael John Anderson, 20, is accused of luring Katherine Ann Olson to his Savage home and then shooting her after she responded to a fake baby-sitting job he posted on craigslist.org.

Anderson has admitted to holding the gun that killed Olson. Anderson’s attorneys maintain that he shot the gun shot accidentally and that he did not lure Olson to his house with the intention to kill her.

During a noon break for the jury, Theisen had a stern conversation with the attorneys about the actions earlier in the day, according to reports from the Pioneer Press.

“No one is ever going to have a replica firearm pointed at another person in this courtroom,” Theisen said, according to the Star Tribune. “If it does happen, I will chastise you infront of the jury.”

After her conversation with the jurors, Theisen spoke with the female juror, eventually leading to her granted dismissal.

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Nine stores have been damaged after a fire caused by a Dumpster early Sunday morning.

According to the Star Tribune, nearly 45 firefighters arrived on the scene at Cliff Lake Center around 2 a.m., after a fire alarm sounded at 1:15 a.m., Fire Chief Mike Scott said.

Scott said that the fire spread from a Dumpster garage and has caused damage to nine stores from smoke and water damage. The Star Tribune reported three small businesses: a nail salon, day care center, and GNC Nutrition shop, have been the most severely damaged.

According to a report from the Pioneer Press, the flame started in the Dumpster garage and into the ceiling area, spreading the fire.

The mall is attached to a Cub Foods and Target.

Scott said that the cause of the fire in the Dumpster garage is unknown, but that he did not think there was any foul play in the case. “It doesn’t appear suspicious at this point,” Scott told the Star Tribune.

Scott said that the most common causes of Dumpster fires are smoldering cigarette butts or hot material put in them.

According to the Star Tribune, the total financial loss was not known as of Sunday.

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A 26-year-old Apple Valley woman hit by a vehicle last week remains in critical condition Sunday.

Joan LaVasseur, a deaf woman who is engaged to be married, was walking near the intersection of Cedar Avenue and 153rd Street in Apple Valley around 9:15 p.m. Friday, when police said she was struck by a large vehicle traveling in the northbound lane.

The vehicle did not stop. Police are still searching for the driver of the vehicle.

She was sent to Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville and was then transferred to the Hennepin County Medical Center.

Lori LaVasseur, the victim’s sister-in-law, told the Pioneer Press that she suffered a severe brain injury along with multiple fractures to both legs, a fractured pelvis, a broken right hand and lacerations to her face from the accident.

Family members told the Star Tribune that LaVasseur was walking to Cub Foods when the accident occurred.

Apple Valley Sgt. Joe Shaw said that police have not arrested anyone for the hit-and-run, but that police are still receiving tips.

Anyone with information on the hit-and-run is asked to call the Apple Valley police at 952-953-2700, or the Dakota County Communication Center at 651-322-2323.

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Two National Football League players are among four people reported missing on a fishing boat Sunday off of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Corey Smith, an NFL free agent, and Marquis Cooper of the Oakland Raiders left the coast early Saturday morning on a 21-foot fishing boat. When the boat did not return to shore Sunday as expected, they were declared missing and United States Coast Guard crews began to search for them, according to a report from the USA Today.

The boat left Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. ET. The Coast Guard began its search early Sunday morning around 2 a.m. ET when the boat did not return when expected. The search area is around 750 square miles.

Smith, 30, is a seven-year NFL veteran that has spent his last three seasons in Detroit. Cooper is a five-year veteran. The two played together with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Smith’s agent, Ron Del Duca confirmed to the Associated Press that Smith and Cooper were among the missing boaters, according to the USA Today article.

The other two men have been identified as Nick Schuyler and Will Bleakley.

The truck that the men drove to the boat ramp is reported still at the ramp. The truck belongs to Cooper.

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U.S. Steel Corp. announced Thursday that it would layoff nearly 600 workers on the Minnesota Iron Range.

U.S. Steel will idle two taconite lines in Mountain Iron, Minn., resulting in the loss of 590 jobs. The layoffs include 500 union members and 90 members of management, according to a report by the Associated Press published in the Pioneer Press.

This move by U.S. Steel comes after one of Mountain Iron’s five lines was idled in December, leaving the town with only two lines.

The layoffs amount to half of the workforce at the Mountain Iron plant, according to a report by the Star Tribune.

Courtney Boone, a spokeswoman for Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, said the layoffs will occur gradually over the next month. She said that the layoffs were in response to a declining demand for steel products and the tough economic conditions.

Boone also told the Star Tribune that there is a chance that the two lines will reopen when economic conditions get better. At that point, workers may be able to get their jobs back.

United Steelworkers subdistrict director John Rebrovich told the Associated Press that the union was blindsided by this move from U.S. Steel.

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A Minnesota wrestling legend is under investigation by police for the death of a 97-year-old man.

Verne Gagne, 82, who rose to fame as the founder of the American Wrestling Association, is suspected of causing the death of Helmut R. Gutmann, 97. Gutmann was his roommate at Friendship Village, a Bloomington care facility.

According to a report from the Pioneer Press, Gutmann’s daughter Ruth Hennig said that the two men were in the public lobby of Friendship Village when Gagne lifted Gutmann off the ground and threw him to the floor.

The incident left Gutmann with a broken hip and head injuries. Gutmann was initially treated for his injuries and released from the hospital. He was then rehospitalized and died Saturday.

According to the Star Tribune, Hennig said that no one knows what started the incident. Gutmann had dementia and short-term memory loss and did not even remember the incident. Gagne has Alzheimer’s disease. His family did not have comment on the incident.

Gagne formed the AWA in the 1960’s and toured throughout the 60’s and 70’s to arenas across the country. The AWA went on to employ wrestlers including Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura.

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A flight leaving Minneapolis headed to Cleveland was diverted to Michigan after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit.

Northwest Airlink Flight 2125 took off from Minneapolis on its way to Cleveland when it made an emergency landing at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Michigan. The pilot had seen smoke in the cockpit, according to a report from the Associated Press published in the Star Tribune.

All 39 passengers aboard the flight were redirected to another flight to Cleveland upon arrival in Michigan.

The plane is currently being investigated to determine the cause of the smoke. Northwest Airlines has not issued a statement about the situation at this time.

The Associated Press reports that Phil Johnson, spokesman for the Ford International Airpot, told the Grand Rapids press that their airport has had the experience of handling many diversons each year.

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A local man was struck and killed by a train Saturday night in St. Paul.

A 33-year-old man was struck and killed by a Union Pacific train on tracks near Payne Avenue and Phalen Boulevard, the police said in a Pioneer Press report. The name of the man has not been released at this time.

At 10:30 p.m. Saturday night a train operator contacted the train dispatch center to let them now that the man had been killed on the tracks. The dispatch then contacted the police, said St. Paul police spokesman Peter Panos to the Star Tribune.

“It doesn’t look like he was hit by the train and knocked on the tracks. He was already on the tracks,�? Panos said.

It remains unclear why the man would have been on the train tracks at the time.

According to the Pioneer Press report, the railroad worker who first reported the man on the tracks was traveling on a different set of tracks then where he found the man.

“They weren’t sure if he was injured or dead. When we got there we found him dead, and he appeared to have been hit,�? said St. Paul police Cmdr. Kevin Casper to the Pioneer Press.

Police do not know when the man was hit by a train.

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A local superintendent died in a car crash late Friday night.

John Franzoia, 62, of Royalton died Saturday at a St. Cloud hospital after his car was rear-ended at the intersection of Highway 15 and Stearns County Road 1 on Friday night. The driver of the car is currently in custody under the suspicion of drunken driving, according to a report from WCCO.

Franzoia is the long-time superintendent of the Royalton school district. Students and educators reacted to the news of Franzoia’s death Sunday with sadness.

“We’re very sad, shocked. There’s a real sense of grief. It’s a very, very difficult time for us. We miss him. It’s like losing a significant person in your family,�? said Phil Gurbada, Royalton Elementary School principal, to WCCO.

According to the Pioneer Press, Franzoia was headed home Friday evening around 6:15 p.m. when a truck rear-ended him. WCCO reports that the driver of the truck, Dale Matthies, was arrested by the Minnesota State Patrol after they detected alcohol in his system.

A memorial service for Franzoia will be held at Royalton High School on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 3:00 p.m.

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The St. Paul Ford plant will have two more weeklong furloughs before the end of winter.

The first furlough will begin this Friday, according to the Star Tribune. The second furlough will take place in March. Workers at the St. Paul plant just got back to work from a six-week furlough over the holiday season.

The St. Paul plant produces the Ford Ranger small pickup truck. According to the Pioneer Press, sales of the truck have dropped 49 percent in the last month.

Sales for the Ford Ranger totaled 2,813 in January, while overall Ford vehicle sales totaled 79,322, a drop of 39 percent. This is in contrast to last year when sales of the Ford Ranger fared generally better than overall sales for Ford.

The next two furloughs come after Ford decided to put the plant on a six-week furlough over the holiday season, longer than usual for the Ford plant.

Meanwhile, 33 workers left the plant Monday after they accepted a buyout offered by the company. About 240 of the plant’s 771 workers were eligible to take the buyout.

The plant is scheduled to close in 2011 after Ford discontinues the Ford Ranger line of trucks. Ford said that the close of the plant has been delayed by an increased demand for the smaller Ranger trucks because of higher fuel prices.

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Timonthy Ryan Gutierrez, 20, of Denver, Colo. is in federal custody after surrendering Thursday to the FBI for making terroristic threats on President Barack Obama and the Mall of America in Bloomington.

Gutierrez was indicted on Tuesday in Denver federal court on one count each of transmission of threats and falsely threatening to use explosives, according to a report by the Associated Press published in the Star Tribune.

Eight days before Obama’s inauguration, the indictment alleges the Gutierrez sent the FBI an e-mail that said, “I’m going to assassinate the new president of the United States of America. PS you have 48 hours to stop it from happening.�?

Gutierrez is also alleged to have e-mailed the FBI threatening Bloomington’s Mall of America: “I have rigged 40 pounds of C4…and my favorite TNT to 7 cars outside the Mall of America.�?

The Mall of America was made aware of the threat immediately by the FBI, but they were cleared 16 to 18 hours later when it was determined that there was no validity to the threat.

The Rocky Mountain News reports that Gutierrez told the Cortez Journal that his e-mails were just a prank. Gutierrez is being held without bail until his next court date and has been assigned an attorney. Micheal Goldman, his attorney, said that he did not want to rush to any judgments.

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A local man was shot and killed while helping a cousin that was in the process of being robbed.

Jeffrey Lamont Logan, 44, was fatally shot as he was protecting his cousin during a robbery attempt outside the American Legion in St. Paul’s Summit-University neighborhood, his brother Charles Walker Jr. told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

According to the Star Tribune, Logan left the American Legion with his cousin at 1 a.m. Sunday morning and they were confronted by a group of three men. The police say that it remains unclear what happened next, but Walker says that the men attempted to rob Logan’s cousin. Logan stepped in and was shot after a breif fight.

Witnesses were reported to have seen a vehicle fleeing the scene shortly after the shooting ocurred. The police found the vehicle heading south on St. Albans Street and arrested three men from the vehicle after a short chase ended at Laurel Avenue at St. Albans Street.

The three men were Ronaldo Hill, 20, of West St. Paul; Eric Marc Williamson, 28, of St. Paul; and Henry Marcello Reed, 27, of St. Paul. They were arrested on the suspicion of homicide.

Walker told the Pioneer Press that his brother was a frequent visitor of the American Legion because he lived nearby. He said that Logan has no wife or kids, but has many siblings and cousins that he always protects. Logan worked at Deluxe Corp. for twelve years, but was laid off recently.

Police ask that anyone with information about the incident call at 651-291-1111.

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