Recently in Local Category

Body pulled from the Mississippi in Minneapolis

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Firefighters pulled a body from the Mississippi in Northeast Minneapolis Saturday afternoon, according to KARE 11.

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office received information around 12:30 p.m. reporting that a homeless man camping near 18th Avenue and Marshall Street NE walked into the water and slipped.

Another man that he was with ran to find help, coming across firefighters who pulled the body 15 feet from the shore. According to the Star Tribune, the man reported to an emergency dispatch supervisor that his friend was intoxicated when he drowned,

The Hennepin's County Sheriff's Office and the Minneapolis Police Department responded to the scene. The case remains under investigation, according to KARE 11.

Man found severly injured on Hwy. 65

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Police are searching for answers after a man was found on the side of Hwy. 65 in Fridley with severe head injuries early Saturday, according to the Pioneer Press.

The Star Tribune reports that a driver's headlights found a 23-year-old man around 3 a.m. on the east side of the 7300 block of Hwy. 65. He had what appeared to be a blunt-force trauma to his head, and was found along an region of gas stations and trailer parks.

The man's identity has not been released, and he remains in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center. Minnesota State Patrol, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, and the Fridley Police Department are still investigating the case.

A rollover accident on Hwy 77 Sunday night took the life of a 26-year-old Farmington man, according to KARE 11.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol and reported by KARE 11, the accident happened near Apple Valley off of McAndrews Rd. around 6pm. The driver of a white van veered off of 77 South, hit the metal guardrail and landed in the northbound lanes, where it was then struck by a 2007 Chevy Tahoe.

The impact killed the passenger of the van, Inoncencio Munoz-Gutierrez, 26, and left the driver, Salmon Adorno, 31, in critical condition. Only the driver of the Tahoe sustained minor injuries, the passenger and a 7-year-old girl unharmed.

According to the Star Tribune, another rollover accident occurred on I-94 near Brooklyn Park, where no injuries were reported. Both accidents left debris scattered across lanes, blocking rush hour traffic for hours. While the conditions were foggy, it isn't yet known if weather was a factor.

Drought intensifies across Minnesota

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The drought that has plagued much of Minnesota since September has gone from rating moderate to severe after this week, according to the Star Tribune.

Last week, 18 percent of the state was considered to be in a severe drought. After the unrelenting conditions this week, the Star Tribune reports that the number has jumped to 58 percent.

Areas that became drier over the week include most of northern Minnesota, along with parts of south western and south-central Minnesota.

KARE 11 reports that this drought has caused record-lows in the Mississippi River. If the water level gets too low, shipping companies that use the river to transport grain and other goods fear that barges will not be able to pass through the channel. This falls in line with harvest season, which has forced companies to scramble for other means of transportation.

Police have given the all clear as no evidence was found of a shooting reported in a downtown Minneapolis building Friday morning, according to CBS Minnesota.

Reports if shots fired came from the Retek Building on 10th St. and Nicollet Ave. around 11 a.m., according to Sgt. McCarty of the Minneapolis Police Department as reported by CBS.

A worker within the building told CBS that people were locking themselves in their offices after the shots were heard, and sirens were sounding to signal a possible shooter inside the building.

According to MPR, police placed the building on lockdown over the lunch hour and searched for evidence of gunfire, bullets, or potential victims. After nothing was found, the lockdown was lifted.

Red Bull Crashed Ice returning to St. Paul

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Red Bull Crashed Ice was a hit last year in St. Paul, and it is scheduled to return once again in January, according to KARE 11.

As if the twisting, sloping ice track wasn't crazy enough, officials confirmed Wednesday that it is planned to be higher and 1,300 feet longer than last year's, according to the Star Tribune.

The track is to be placed next to the Cathedral once again, and wind across Summit and Dayton Avenues. The event is scheduled to be held January 24-26, and it's estimated to turn out hundreds of thousands of people.

Crashed Ice happens globally, but St. Paul is its only US host. Last year the event brought in $20 million for the city, and St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman tells the Star Tribune that he hopes that it will become a signature event for St. Paul. There are also hopes that it will take away the pain from the NHL lockout, which has taken an economic and emotional toll on St. Paul.

Two tornadoes confirmed in southern metro

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Two rare November tornadoes were confirmed to have touched ground in the southern metro area during last night's storm, according to KARE 11.

After yesterday's unseasonably high temperatures, reaching up into the 70s in some areas, a strong cold front moved in, causing strong storms and high winds. According to the Star Tribune, Minnesota has not had tornadoes this late in the season since the National Weather Service began keeping tornado statistics in the 1950s.

The tornadoes touched down in Burnsville near McAndrews Rd. and Highway 5 and in Eagan near Interstate 494 and Highway 13, according to news sources. The tornadoes were the ranked as the weakest on the scale, and the damage was minor.

A former St. Paul pastor surprised prosecutors and victims when he pleaded guilty to 20 charges relating to criminal sexual conduct and possession of child pornography, according to the Star Tribune.

Forty-eight-year-old Curtis C. Wehmeyer of Oakdale was charged in Ramsey County court Thursday to for three counts of criminal sexual conduct involving two boys, and 17 counts of possession of child pornography, according to news sources.

According to the Star Tribune, Wehmeyer told Ramsey County judge Salvador Rosas that he understood he would get no deal from prosecutors, and would be sent to prison after his sentencing in February.

As reported by KARE 11, Wehmeyer was removed from his position as pastor at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament in June after church authorities heard of the allegations.

Next Tuesday is a day that has been long awaited by both supporters and opponents of Minnesota's marriage amendment, which if passed, would legislate marriage as union between only a man and a woman.

Minnesotans United, a group opposing the amendment, has been pulling out all the stops with its Vote No campaign, and successfully brought over a thousand people together for a rally at Northrup auditorium on the University of Minnesota Monday night, according to the Minnesota Daily.

Supporters of the amendment, led by the group Minnesota for Marriage, have been equally as aggressive with their campaign. On Thursday, a spokesman for the group Pastors for Marriage issued a statement saying that over 500 pastors and religious leaders have endorsed the amendment, according to the Star Tribune.

But there are also religious figures who have spoken out against the amendment. According to local news sources, over 1,000 Minnesotans are expected to join 150 clergy for a Thursday night Minneapolis worship service "in support of all families in opposition to the amendment", as said in a statement by Minnesotans United for All Families.

Minn. Supreme Court won't block wolf hunt

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The Minnesota Supreme Court has denied an effort to stop the state's wolf hunt from beginning Nov. 3, according to the Star Tribune.

The motion was made by the Center for Biological Diversity and Howling for Wolves to block the hunt, claiming that the DNR failed to take public comments into consideration before making their decision. Local news sources report that this upcoming season will be the first since the region's wolves were taken off the endangered list last January.

The DNR disputed the comments, and plans to allow for 400 wolves to be removed from the population of roughly 3,000 wolves in the region, according to the Pioneer Press.

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