Powers of Observation

The city of Bloomington may begin requiring demonstration permits in anticipation of the Republican National Convention in September. The suburb has never before had to enact such a requirement, but its many hotels will host delegates and media in the Twin Cities for the convention. The Mall of America may also be a target for protesters.

Bloomington’s city council will vote on the proposed ordinance Monday night. If it passes, the city will require a permit for assemblies on public land involving at least 25 people gathered for a common purpose; for any planned movement of people, animals or vehicles on public streets or walkways that could interfere with traffic or pedestrians; and for certain outdoor gatherings on private property. Public assembly permits would have an $80 base fee.

Sources:
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Bemidji Pioneer

Posted by power153 at 8:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A 9-year-old Belle Plaine boy was killed in a hunting accident Saturday when his father mistook him for a wild turkey and shot him in the chest.

Anthony Klaseus and his son, Hunter, were following turkeys in a field in Faxon Township in Sibley County. Hunter was about 20 to 30 yards away when his father shot him with his 12-gauge shotgun. Klaseus called 911 shortly after 6 p.m. and carried his son about a quarter mile to where emergency personnel could get to him.

Sheriff Bruce Ponath called the incident an accident, but it is still under investigation.

Sources:
Star-Tribune
Pioneer Press

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Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited the Twin Cities this weekend, making several area appearances. Tutu spoke twice Friday at the Minneapolis Convention Center and appeared at the annual PeaceJam conference at Minneapolis North High School for the rest of the weekend.

Tutu, an ordained Anglican minister, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work to end apartheid in South Africa. A former high school teacher, he was installed as the first black secretary of the South African Council of Churches in 1978, and used the position to advocate for civil rights.

During his Friday speech, Tutu largely avoided directly voicing political views. He said he supports less spending on defense and more on poverty reduction, but did not mention the war in Iraq. Though he has voiced support of a boycott of the Beijing Olympics, he also did not speak of China’s treatment of Tibet.

The University of St. Thomas, a four-time host of the PeaceJam conference, did not invite Tutu to campus last year after he made remarks critical of the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians. The university was widely criticized and this year invited Tutu to speak on campus, an offer he declined.

Sources:
Pioneer Press
Minnesota Public Radio

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A 16-year-old girl was killed and dozens more injured when a bus returning to Pelican Rapids High School from a band trip to Chicago crashed on I-94. Forty-seven students and chaperones were on the bus when it skidded off the interstate near Albertville early Saturday morning.

Jessica Weishair, 16, of Barnesville, Minn., was killed. A sophomore at Pelican Rapids, she played the flute in the school band. Her family had not made plans for a memorial service by Saturday evening, but a student assembly at the school was planned for Monday morning.

Most of the passengers were asleep at the time of the crash, and did not realize what was happening, students and relatives said. Several students were pinned under the bus during the crash, and rescuers spent hours helping people out of the wreckage. Many students were transported to nearby hospitals.

A second bus carrying students and chaperones was also traveling back to the school. Those passengers were unhurt and were taken to a Catholic church where they boarded another bus for home.

Sources:
Pioneer Press
Star Tribune

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The man responsible for the alcohol-related crash that killed Minnesota Timberwolves player Malik Sealy in 2000 was arrested again Sunday morning on drunk driving charges.

Souksangouane Phengsene, 51, of Shakopee was booked into Hennepin County Jail around 2 a.m. Sunday and is likely to face a felony DWI charge given his repeat offenses, police said.

Phengsene served four years in prison after being convicted of vehicular homicide in Sealy’s death. He was heading the wrong way on Minnesota 100 when he collided with Sealy’s vehicle. The basketball player died from his injuries.

Phengsene was convicted of drunk driving again in 2006 and sentenced to six years in prison, but District Judge Warren Sagstuen stayed the sentence. Instead, Phengsane was sentenced to a year in a workhouse and six years’ probation.

Sources:
Pioneer Press
Star-Tribune

Posted by power153 at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Governor Tim Pawlenty will announce a new chief justice for the Minnesota Supreme Court Monday morning.

The appointment comes a week after current Chief Justice Russell Anderson announced his retirement, effective June 1 of this year. Anderson, 65, cited his age and his wife’s health concerns as reasons for stepping down.

Anderson joined the Supreme Court in 1998 and was elevated to chief justice by Pawlenty in 2006. He previously served as a district court judge for 16 years.

Anderson’s replacement will be the Republican governor’s fourth appointment to the seven-member court, following G. Barry Anderson, Lorie Gildea and Christopher Dietzen.

Sources:
Pioneer Press
Minnesota Public Radio

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A boy was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon; early Sunday morning, a woman was killed in a second shooting that sent another victim to the hospital.

The first shooting occurred around 2 p.m. at the intersection of Portland Ave. S. and Lake St. E. The boy was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The second shooting happened around 1 a.m. Sunday in the 2800 block of 17th Ave. S. Police were called to the scene and found one of the victims dead. The other woman was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police do not believe the two shootings to have any connection.

Police have not released the names or ages of either of the victims, and no suspects are in custody regarding either shooting.

Source:
Pioneer Press

Posted by power153 at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Four students were killed Tuesday afternoon in a bus crash on a rural highway in southwestern Minnesota, authorities said.

Fourteen people were hospitalized following the crash. By late Tuesday, nine remained in the hospital, authorities said.

The bus, carrying 28 students from Lakeview School in Cottonwood, Minn., was driving south on Hwy. 23 at about 3:30 p.m. when it collided with a van heading east on Lyon County Road 24, Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Mark Peterson said. The bus tipped on its side, hitting the pickup truck. Both drivers were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, Peterson said.

Motorists coming upon the scene of the crash helped the bus driver usher children from the bus through its escape hatch until emergency vehicles arrived. Witnesses said the driver was clearly shaken but remained focused on getting the students out of the bus. Students who were not seriously injured were taken back to the school and examined by medical workers before parents took them home.

Cottonwood is a small town of about 1,000 people. Lakeview School serves Cottonwood and Wood Lake and hosts kindergarten through 12th grade. Classes at the school were canceled for Wednesday.

Sources:
Star-Tribune
Pioneer Press

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A ban on the use of beef from a California supplier has been extended through Feb. 19, the Pioneer Press reported Friday.

The Minnesota Department of Education placed a hold on beef from Westland Hallmark Meat Co. last week. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is conducting an investigation into potential violations of food safety and animal rights laws by the company. A concealed camera showed employees using electronic prods to arouse sick cattle and jabbing animals with the prongs of a forklift.

Most of the beef received in Minnesota had already been used when the ban went into effect, and no unfavorable health effects have been reported. About 60,000 pounds of unused Westland beef remain in about 120 school districts around the state.

Sources:
Pioneer Press
ABC Newspapers (Anoka County, Blaine/Spring Lake Park, Coon Rapids)

Posted by power153 at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama visited the Target Center in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Thousands gathered at the rally, in some cases waiting hours to hear the Illinois senator speak. The 20,000 free tickets for the event had sold out by Thursday, and thousands more were on the waiting list or standing outside the event hoping to get in, Obama’s Minnesota campaign said.

Obama’s speech to the crowd emphasized the urgent need for change in America, a theme he has pursued throughout his campaign. He also invoked figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is the head of Obama’s Minnesota campaign, and the candidate has received endorsements from Minnesota politicians including U.S. Representatives Jim Oberstar, Betty McCollum, and Keith Ellison.

Obama was the first of four candidates scheduled to speak in the Twin Cities area leading up to the Minnesota caucus on February 5. Republican Mitt Romney appeared in Edina on Saturday, Democrat Hillary Clinton speaks at Augsburg College on Sunday, and Republican Ron Paul will hold a rally at the University of Minnesota on Monday.

Sources:
Pioneer Press
Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Posted by power153 at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)