Main

December 3, 2008

86-year-old man killed crossing Chaska highway

The Star Tribune reported than an 86-year-old Chaska man died Wednesday when he was struck and killed by an SUV as he was walking in the crosswalk of a busy highway on his way to daily mass.
Jerome Meuwissen was crossing Hwy. 41 at 2nd Street shortly after 7:15 a.m. when he was hit by the vehicle moving south, said police Sgt. Mike Duzan.
"He ... had made it three-fourths of the way and was enterinshortly after 7:15 a.m., g the fourth lane" when the SUV hit him, said Duzan, noting that other vehicles on the highway had stopped for Meuwissen.
Though the road was slippery at the time of the accident, Duzan said the weather was not a factor.
There are no stop signs at that intersection of Hwy. 41, but the crosswalk is marked with large white blocks, Duzan said. The law requires motorists to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.
Whether or not the driver, who pulled over after the crash, was or might be cited was not immediately available.
Meuwissen was on his way to Guardian Angels Catholic Church, whis is less than two blocks from where he was killed and a few blocks from his home, said the Rev. Paul Jarvis.
"He was a very faithful member of our parish and a very generous member of the church," Jarvis said.
Jarvis said the parish has been advocating for the installation of a traffic signal or some other action by the state that would make that intersection safer. The speed limit there is 30 miles per hour, but "very rarely does anyone go 30," he said. The speed limit there is "Traffic is going far in excess of that" on the four-lane highway.
Jarvis said older church members living on the east side of Hwy. 41, where Meuwissen lived, are often unable to walk to church because of the speeding traffic.
"My hope is that the silver lining of this tragedy is that ... something is done for people to understand that that is a crossing," he said.

November 23, 2008

Man who killed St. Paul teen turns himself in

The Star Tribune reported that as the family of Jacob MacKenzie, 15, could bury their son in peace after the man suspected of killing the boy turned himself in to St. Paul police on Thursday.
The boy's mother, Michelle Olson, said she has heard people say the shooting was an accident, but she is still unwilling to forgive the shooter, 19-year-old Alfredo Gutierrez-Gonzales.
"I have no remorse for him," Olson said. "I hate him for what he did -- accident or not."
Police spokesman Peter Panos said that Gutierrez-Gonzales came to police headquarters about 8:45 a.m. on Thursday and said admitted to being the man responsible for the early Sunday shooting in St. Paul's West Side.
Investigators did not offer any other details, Panos said.
Gutierrez-Gonzales turned himself in three days after Jayna Emerson, his girlfriend and the victim's cousin, made a tearful public plea for the suspect to surrender.
A visitation service for MacKenzie occurred on the day of the surrender, just hours before his parents received an award on his behalf from the alternative school he attended.
The award commemorated MacKenzie for his first time earning full credit for quarterly coursework at Guadalupe Alternative Programs, said associate director Jody Nelson. The ceremony was moved from Friday to Thursday to allow classmates to attend his funeral, which was held at 11 a.m. Friday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 401 Concord St.
MacKenzie died on his family's porch after police responded to a call reporting shots fired. A semi-automatic rifle was found about six blocks away.
Olson said she hopes Gutierrez-Gonzales will be charged with murder, regardless of whether the shooting was accidental. She added that she was certain it was, for the simple reason that no one would have ever had cause to kill her son.

Speeding driver hits two Woodbury homes

The Star Tribune reported that a speeding driver missed his turn in Woodbury on Friday, knocking down a light pole and utility box and then plowing into two townhouses, police said.
Police were called around 1:25 a.m. when neighborhood residents heard a sound like an explosion in the 700 block of Markgrafs Lake Drive, said Sgt. Curt Zacharias.
Police said the driver was moving east on Tamarack Drive when the accident occurred. After hitting a utility box and light pole, the driver smashed through the garage door of one unit, clipped a car inside that garage and then continued through a wall, finally coming to rest in the kitchen of an adjoining unit.
People were inside both townhouses, but no one was hurt.
Zacharias said both units had damages that "will cost a whole lot of money" to fix.
An ambulance brought the driver, a 27-year-old man, to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
The man did not live in Woodbury, and police said they do not know why he was there.
They are investigating whether or not alcohol was a factor, Zacharias said.

November 16, 2008

St. Paul Youth Shot to Death

The Star Tribune reported that a young St. Paul male is dead after an early morning shooting in west St. Paul, police say.
Peter T. Panos, public information coordinator of the St. Paul police, said in a statement that police were called to the 500 block of Concord St. at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday after a report of shots fired.
Panos said police found the victim was on the floor with a gunshot wound when they arrived.
The St. Paul Fire Department paramedics could not revive him, and he died at the scene.
Panos also said the victim was a resident of the home where he was found. He is not being identified until family members are notified.
Police have not arrested anyone. The case is being investigated by the Homicide and Gang Units.

November 15, 2008

Metro Transit Bus Used in Getaway

The Star Tribune reported that a man suspected to have robbed a south Minneapolis bank on Wednesday used a Metro Transit bus as his getaway vehicle.
The FBI said that the robber gave a teller at the TCF Bank at 1444 W. Lake St. a note that demanded cash at about 10:30 a.m. Upon receiving the money, he fled on foot and got on a bus.
A man matching the robber's descriptionwas arrested by police when they caught up to the bus a few blocks later on Hennepin Avenue. Police identified the robber, who was carrying an undisclosed amount of money, as Herbert Ray Kelly, 42, of Minneapolis. He has been charged with bank robbery.

November 9, 2008

Two Lakeville Sisters Injured in Crash

According to the Minnesota Sun Newspapers, two Lakeville sisters were hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday after a car accident.
The Lakeville Police Department said Kayla Borgerson, 17, and her sister, Katie Borgerson, 15, were injured when their Toyota Camry struck a Dodge Dakota truck moving east on 205th Street near the intersection of Jupiter Path.
The impact caused the sisters' car to go into a ditch, heavily damaging the driver's door area.
The truck driver, Brandon Pekel, 25, of Lakeville, was treated for minor injuries and released from Fairview Ridge Hospital in Burnsville.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation. A press release issued by the Lakeville Police Department on Thursday said weather and alcohol are not thought to be factors. It also says that a stop sign controls access to 205th Street from Jupiter Path.
The Minnesota State Patrol and the Lakeville Police Department are in charge of the investigation.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, both sisters were in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

New War Waged Over Absentee Ballots

A Ramsey County judge denied on Saturday a request from lawyers representing U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign to postpone the opening of 32 absentee ballots from Minneapolis, the Star Tribune reported.
The bid sparked a new battle between Republican Coleman and Democrat Al Franken, who are locked in a heated Senate race where, according to unofficial tallies, they are separated by 221 votes.
Election Director Cindy Reichert said that the 32 Minneapolis ballots were part of a delivery of absentee ballots that occurred late in the polling day. They couldn't be delivered because some polling locations had already shut down, thus they were retained.
The ballots were kept sealed until other election duties were completed. They were being counted Saturday afternoon, and results will be delivered to the state on Monday, according to Reichert.
The Coleman campaign, however, argued that the integrity of the ballots "is in serious doubt." Kathleen Gearin, chief district court judge in Ramsey County, dismissed the request for a temporary restraining order on jurisdictional grounds.
The Franken campaign accused Coleman of a "Saturday morning sneak attack" aimed to stall the counting of ballots. Coleman's campaign responded that it only wanted to delay the opening until it could ensure by a future hearing that the ballots were in the constant possession of election officials.

November 2, 2008

St. Paul Pioneer Press Receives Fake Anthrax Package

St. Paul's Pioneer Press newspaper received an envelope marked "anthrax" on Saturday, but police said initial tests have revealed the white powder to be sugar, the Star Tribune reported.
Pete Crum, spokesman for the St. Paul police, said the matter will be sent to the FBI, U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for investigation.
The package contained a CD with a photo of Gen. Colin Powell labeled "Anthrax Shock and Awe Terror" and a white, sugar-like substance in an envelope labeled "Anthrax" and "Biohazard" taped on top.
Crum said the package was received late Saturday afternoon. Fire investigators had determined the substance to be sugar by 6 p.m.
The Star Tribune newspaper received a similar package on Thursday; several similar incidents have occurred at newspapers across the country.
A man was arrested by the FBI in California last week on suspicion of sending hoax letters labeled "anthrax" to more than 100 news media outlets.
Crum said no one was injured and no arrests have been made in conjunction with the St. Paul incident.

Minneapolis Man Did Not Realize Removing Political Sign was Breaking the Law

The Star Tribune reported that a Minneapolis resident who removed a 4-by-8 foot campaign sign on city property at Lake Calhoun on Saturday did not realize he was breaking the law.
The sign that Doug Daggett removed was urging support for a constitutional amendment that aims to increase state sales tax to fund the environment and the arts. It was placed by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.
"If my tax dollars are used to promote getting more of my tax dollars, something doesn't seem right," said Daggett.
Several months ago park commissioners voted unanimously in support of the amendment, which could also bring more state funding for projects around the Minneapolis lakes. The commissioners' attorney ruled it was legal to lobby for the amendment.
Commissioner Bob Fine, a lawyer representing the Lake Calhoun area, said Saturday he is uncomfortable with the park displaying the signs. "I don't think it violates a law," he said. "But I don't think it's a good idea."
Fine also said city crews remove any signs political candidates post on city property.
Daggett was suprised to hear that removing the sign himself was not upholding the law.
"If he did that, he's a naughty person,'' said Minneapolis Park Board Superintendent Jon Gurban. "But we're not going to do anything about it."

October 26, 2008

Driver Who Crashed onto I-35W Identified

The Star Tribune reported that the name of the driver who crashed through construction barriers and onto a closed portion of I-35W in South Minneapolis has been released.
The Hennepin County medical examiner's office said Sunday that 33-year-old Jose Joel Guerra of North Minneapolis was the driver. A press release said he was also known as Jorge Sandoval.
Details of the accident are scant, other than it occurred at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday at the 46th Street bridge.
The State Patrol said the driver of a 1991 Buick Regal was moving south on the Stevens avenue frontage road when he drove through barricades blocking the on-ramp to southbound 35W.
The man died at the scene.
I-35W will be closed all weekend from downtown Minneapolis to Crosstown Hwy. 62. It is expected to reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday.

Metro Transit Bus Runs Over U of M Student

A Metro Transit bus ran over the legs of a student on a bike on Thursday at 11:10 a.m. on the corner of 10th Avenue Southeast and Fourth Street Southeast in Dinkytown, the Minnesota Daily reported.
University of Minnesota sophomore Caitlin Arnett is in satisfactory condition, Hennepin County Medical Center spokeswoman Christine Hill said Friday.
Lexi Meisner, a witness, said she was on the way home to her sorority house when she saw Arnett riding her bicycle against traffic along 10th Avenue.
“It kind of looked like she swerved away from the bus before she hit the curb, wobbled a bit, and fell down,� Meisner said.
However, Metro Transit Police spokesman Bob Gibbons said Arnett was going in the same directionas the bus. Gibbons said both were stopped at the stoplight, and Arnett rode out ahead of the bus when the light turned green. They collided when the bus tried to pass her, causing Arnett to fall and be run over by the rear wheels of the bus. The case is still being investigated, Gibbons said.
Meisner said the bus ran over her thighs like a speed-bump. She said she could hear the bones snapping and popping.
Arnett lay still for a few seconds before she started screaming for someone to help her, Meisner said.
“I’ve never heard someone sound like they were in so much pain,� she said.
Whitney Starkey, another witness, said she was across the street when she heard someone scream. She saw the accident and called 911.
Meisner said the No. 2 route bus began backing up in what appeared to be an attempt to get farther away from the curb, but Meisner got the driver’s attention and stopped him. The bus was a few inches from running over Arnett's legs a second time, she said.
Starkey said a fire truck arrived about a minute after she called. An ambulance arrived later to take Arnett away.
Minneapolis police Sgt. Jesse Garcia confirmed the time of the accident, but said Metro Transit Police handled the case.

October 19, 2008

179 Claims Filed for Bridge Collapse Victim Fund

By 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the official deadline for people to apply for damages from a $36.64 million fund allocated by the Legislature last year for victims of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, attorney Susan Holden had received 179 claims from victims, the Star Tribune Reported.
Holden is the chairwoman of a panel of personal-injury attorneys in charge of distributing damages for claims,which range from property loss to injury to death.
More than 100 of the claims were submitted within 24 hours before the deadline. Holden said her office had been calling survivors on Wednesday to make sure they new about the widely-publicized deadline.
Between now and the end of January, Holden and two others, Steven Kirsch and Michael Tewksbury, will meet with survivors individually or as a panel.
"The next few months will be very intense," Holden said. "It's going to be an enormous amount of work, and we are going to hear some gut-wrenching stories, no question about that. It will be time-consuming and emotionally draining, but we all are equipped and ready to do that."
The panel aims to complete the hearings by Jan. 31. It will then determine how much money each survivor will receive for losses and damages, both tangible and intangible. Compensation offers must be made by Feb. 28, 2009, and recipients have 45 days to accept or reject offers.
The Legislature created two funds. The first $24 million is available to any survivor for as much as $400,000 per claim. The second $12.64 million is for survivors who claim damages exceeding $400,000, and it must be used to cover uncompensated medical bills, loss of wages or loss of future earning capacity.

October 11, 2008

Duplex Owner to Sue City of St. Paul

The Pioneer Press reported that the owner of a duplex that was raided by police two days before the Republican National Convention said he will sue the city of St. Paul in federal court.
Michael Whalen, 60, said police surrounded the occupants of 949/951 Iglehart Ave. on Aug. 30 with weapons drawn.
Whalen's attorney, Ted Dooley, said police did not have a warrant, thus were not allowed to enter. A couple of hours later, police returned with a warrant and handcuffed Whalen and others in the back yard.
According to the warrant, they were searching for explosives in heavy boxes, among other things.
The boxes in question contained vegan literature.
"They found nothing, absolutely nothing," Dooley said. "We want the police to back off and stop screwing around with people's rights."
Whalen resides in the 951 half of the house. The 949 half was empty, but members of an independent media group, I-Witness Video, were given permission to stay there during the convention.
The group, which helped exonerate the charges of 400 people arrested during the 2004 Republican Convention in New York, planned to film a documentary about protests during the convention.
Dooley said he thinks I-Witness group members were the real reason behind the police raid.
The city will forward the suit to its insurance company for defense and indemnification under the $10 million police liability insurance once it receives notice of the lawsuit and determines if it is related to the RNC, City Attorney John Choi said.
Police were operating under the authority of the Ramsey County district judge, who signed the search warrant. "I'm confident that the St. Paul police acted in good faith in obtaining and executing the search warrant," Choi said.

October 10, 2008

Car Pulled From Mississippi River Contained Body

The Star Tribune reported that a body was found in a car pulled from the Mississippi River near Harriet Island in St. Paul on Friday.
Workers who were dredging the river as part of a shoreline stabilization project discovered the vehicle, a homicide investigator said.
The car was brought to the surface of the river about 9 a.m., spokesman Peter Panos said. The police were called after workers saw the body.
Panos said it is still too early to determine whether or not a crime occured, but the level of decomposition of the body suggests it was in the water quite awhile.
Police had yet to identify the body, and Panos said they were not releasing any further details until an identification is determined and family members are notified.
As of late Friday afternoon, investigators were still trying to determine the owner of the car.
The car was found near the site of a former parking lot, which is now being rennovated to include a trail and other amenities, a representative of a firm overseeing the shoreline work said.

October 4, 2008

Memorial Bike Ride to Honor Four Fallen Riders

The Star Tribune reported Friday that Twin Cities bicycle riders wll hold a bike ride Saturday to memorialize the four riders who have died in recent accidents on Twin Cities streets.
The Memorial Ride to Honor Fallen Bicyclists will start at 11 a.m. at Snelling and Summit avenues in St. Paul, where Virginia Heuer Bower was struck and killed by a vehicle last Saturday. Here, riders can gather around a ghost bike constructed in her honor. The bike is marked with a flag, sign, and other mementos people have left in memory of the bicyclist.
Painted white, ghost bikes are placed at the scene of an accident to honor a bicyclist who died in a traffic accident, said Jeremy Werst, who helped organize Saturday's ride and runs the online forum www.mplsbikelove.com. He said the bikes are a new phenomena in the Twin Cities.
The ride will be 13.6 miles, and riders have been asked to wear black shirts with orange ribbons tied to their handlebars or arms, Werst said. After visiting Heuer Bower's ghost bike, riders will head west down Lake Street in Minneapolis to Excelsior Blvd and W. 32nd Street, where Jimmy Nisser lost his life on Sept. 11 in an accident with a vehicle that police say has not been found.
From there the ride will head northeast on Hennepin to Nicholas Morton's ghost bike memorial, located on 5th Street and Nicollet Mall. Morton was killed Sept. 23.
Riders can leave flowers, messages, and engage in a moment of silence at each stop.
There will also be a separate ride Saturday to the place in Blaine where Dale Aanenson died Sept. 22. A photo shoot of bicyclists, intended to bring attention to the large number of people who bike to work, will take place at 3 p.m. at Gold Medal Park in downtown Minneapolis.

October 3, 2008

1 of 2 RNC charges dropped

The Star Tribune reported Friday that a man accused of throwing a 50-pound bag of sand off the John Ireland Bridge onto Interstate 94 in St. Paul during the Republican National Convention had the charge of second-degree assault against him dropped on Thursday.
At a hearing, District Judge Kathleen Gearin dismissed David T. Mahoney's charge, saying the lack of named victims of the occurrance means there is no probable cause to sustain it. Mahoney still faces a charge of terroristic threats.
Ramesey County attorney's office spokesman Paul Gustafson said officials are confident they can find the names of victims, which would cause the assault charge to be reinstated.

September 27, 2008

First Lawsuit Following the RNC to be Filed

An anti-war protester who claims he was a victim of police violence during the Republican National Convention announced Friday afternoon in St. Paul that he will file a $250,000 lawsuit against law enforcement officials, the Minnesota Daily reported.
Mick Kelly, 51, of Minneapolis, said he was shot with a “high-velocity marking projectile� during a demonstration the Anti-War Committee had organized on the fourth day of the RNC.
Kelly said police tore down a banner he was carrying before shooting him with the projectile, and that the alleged attack was "suprising and incredibly painful."
He was later arrested on charges of unlawful assembly.
“What happened to me was wrong and what happened to other protesters at the RNC is something that should be condemned,� he said.
Ted Dooley, Kelly's attorney, said the police failed to respect the rights of protestors during the RNC.
“What you saw was a trampling and a shredding of the First Amendment,� he said.
St. Paul officials said they will release a statement about the lawsuit.
Dooley said the lawsuit has not been filed yet, but it will be within the next few weeks.
“We fired the shot across the bow,� he said. “They know we’re here.�

Dog Thrown From 3rd Floor

According to the Star Tribune, a felony animal-cruelty charge was filed against a man Friday after he threw his ex-girlfriend's dog from a third-floor apartment balcony on Thursday night, causing injuries that left the owner no choice but to have the dog put down.
Sara Goff of St. Paul said ex-boyfriend Donald R. Dornseif's angry reaction probably had something to do with the fact that the English bulldog was a gift from Goff's current boyfriend.
"Where'd you get that?" she recalled Dornseif saying when he first saw the dog, Precious. "What do you want a dog for? I hate dogs."
Goff and Dornseif's 6-year-old daughter Mya and two of her friends, a 5-year-old girl and a 10-year-old girl, were in the apartment with Dornseif at that time.
The 5-year-old's mother, who was watching the children at the time, told police she had stepped away briefly and was on the balcony below when she heard Dornseif go on a rant about dogs.
Dornseif later told police that Precious had jumped from his arms and over the railing.
Neither police investigators or Goff believed his story. Goff said Precious was excitable, but the dog's short legs would have prevented her from jumping.
She said she is convinced Dornseif threw the dog out of jealousy -- "and just to be rotten."
Neighbors said Friday that the dog landed outside the apartment building in the 1300 block of Mississippi Street. Stacks of Sheetrock were propped up alongside a sidewalk outside, and the broken, crumbled corner of one sheet marks the exact location. Afraid of how the dog might react, no one would go near Precious at first, Goff said, but a boy eventually picked her up and brought her inside.
According to the complaint, the 3-year-old dog, who weighed 60 to 70 pounds, had several leg fractures, a broken neck and severe internal injuries.
When checking Dornseif's claim that the dog had jumped, a police investigator noted that the balcony railing was almost 4 feet high and that Precious landed nearly 10 feet away, the complaint said. "It would be impossible for such a heavy, short dog to jump a distance of 8 to 10 feet from that railing without being propelled," the investigator said.
The complaint also said the 5-year-old's mother told police she heard Dornseif say: "Do you want to see the dog hit the sidewalk?"
Dornseif denied saying so, but he did admit to police he had been drinking.
Goff had owned Precious for three months. "She was like my baby," Goff said. "No matter how long I had her -- I loved her."

September 21, 2008

Gender segregation transforms St. Paul school

According to the Star Tribune, the decision to segregate students by gender at North End Elementary in St. Paul has completely changed the tone of the school - for the better.
After struggling for years to bring in students and having student enrollment at less than half of capacity, the school established the University Academies for Boys and Girls, making it the first public school in the state to segregate classes by gender.
In kindergarten through third grade, boys and girls attend separate classes in separate parts of the building. They also eat lunch separately.
"I love the separation," said first-grade teacher Judi Ryd, "When the boys and girls are together, they can get so distracted."
Boys and girls learn in different ways, Ryd said, and the new system both accommodates these differences and decreases the anxiety over which girl likes which boy or what one boy said to another girl. She also said they seem to enjoy their new uniforms, which consist of navy blue pants, white shirts, and navy ties for the boys.
The school is taking part in a campaign that encourages students to believe in themselves and to set their sights on college. A banner in front of the school says "The home of future leaders," and a different college or university sponsors each classroom. Classroom doors also have a sign saying the year that the students inside will graduate from college.
Since 9 out of 10 North End students come from low income families, Principal Hamilton Bell thinks that this is an especially important vision.
"We want to establish a mindset with these students that they can become successful," Bell said.
The school district is also working with other local agencies to provide other resources for the school, including a family resource center, an Achievement Plus program, pre-kindergarten, and a research center for closing the achievement gap.
This summer, the school was identified as not progressing adequately under the the federal No Child Left Behind law. To prepare for the change, staff members spent 10 days over the summer in professional development.
Though it's still too early to see if the transformation is producing results, Bell says he's already seen a renewed passion for learning in the students. He predicts success.

September 17, 2008

Donated school supplies stolen

An overnight robbery of donated school supplies incited hurt and confusion among members of East Side's District 2 Community Council, the Pioneer Press reported.
The St. Paul-based council just finished its fifth annual drive for school supplies last week, and 3,000-plus donations were being held in an East Side space on Prosperity Avenue before being delivered to schools.
Lisa Heilman, community organizer for the district, called the incident "very surprising, and frustrating, because ultimately the purpose was giving to people in need."
Between Thursday and Friday, a burglar or burglers unlocked the front door by breaking through a nearby window. Inside the facility were tables loaded with backpacks, calculators, notebooks, pencils, pens, glue sticks and scissors. There was also a large box containing tissues.
Nobody saw the break-in. Police were notified after a neighbor saw a myriad of supplies scattered in front of the building Friday morning.
An estimated two-thirds of the items had been stolen, including the tissues.
"Of all the things stolen, that was the most shocking to me," Heilman said. "Maybe it's because they were so light."
The most expensive items taken were the calculators, which were headed to Cleveland and Hazel Park middle schools.
Council members expressed repeatedly that their sorrow was not for themselves, but for those who donated supplies only to have them stolen.
The drive was not completely quashed, however. The council still has several notebooks, pencils, and pens that will be donated. Additional supplies should be taken to District 2 Community Council offices at 1961 Sherwood Ave. in St. Paul.

September 14, 2008

Final Farmington Candidate? Flip a Coin

According to The Star Tribune, the final slot on the ballot for the Nov. 4 election of Farmington school board officials was decided Wednesday by a coin toss.
Tuesday's primary election left Carol Kappes and Bruce Westover in a 360-360 deadlock, a situation which the state requires settled by drawing of lots. A coin toss was the chosen game of chance to determine who would take that sixth spot on the ballot.
After Westover was assined tails and Kappes was assigned heads, school district administrative assistant Lori Jensen tossed a quarter in the air. The result was tails. The two candidates were standing right behind her.
Westover, 37, will join the other five candidates in the Nov. 4 vote.
Kappes, 48, will not ask for a recount. She said the odds of her gaining that sixth spot are slim.
She wishes the turnout had been higher, but she knows she did all she could - including reminding her husband to vote.

September 13, 2008

I-35W Bridge Nears Completion

The new Interstate 35-W bridge could open to motorists as early as next Tuesday, The Minnesota Daily reported.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty and other city officials will announce the opening date at 11 a.m. Monday.
Construction began on the $234 million project three months after the old bridge collapsed.
The construction team could receive a $20 million bonus if the bridge is completed by Monday. The state's original contract with Flatiron Construction holds that the company will receive $200,000 for each day the bridge is finished before Dec. 24th, up to 100 days; Monday marks the 100th day.
According to Kevin Gutknecht, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the most important thing is to re-open the bridge to the 141,000 motorists that used the bridge daily before it collapsed.
“It costs the road users $400,000 every day the bridge is closed because users have to travel further and burn more fuel,� he said.
However, the safety and quality of the bridge rank higher than how quickly it will open. Jon Chiglo, the design build project manager for the bridge, has the final say on when the bridge will open. He says that smart bridge technology has been incorporated into the design so that the safety of the new bridge can be monitored over time.
Other features for the new bridge include 10 traffic lanes and a 100-year life span.
A ceremony for the new bridge opening is unlikely.