The Sosina Special

DAVENPORT, Iowa--Two Twin Cities activists are being held in Iowa on conspiracy charges from 2004, MNdaily.com said.

Scott DeMuth, 22 and Carrie Feldman, 20, are were subpoenaed to a grand jury believed to be connected to an incident at the University of Iowa in 2004, which caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, Siouxcityjournal.com said.

DeMuth, a University of Minnesota sociology graduate student, and Feldman, a former St. Catherine University student, have declined to testify and have been held in civil contempt.

The two were apart of Animal Liberation Front, a group that claimed responsibility for an incident that happened in Nov. 2004. ALF broke into research laboratories and released test animals while destroying computers and research data at the University of Iowa, the group's Web site said.

"It would not be a far stretch to assume that these subpoenas are being used as a fishing expedition for information and as a punitive action against the beliefs we hold and the legal work that we do," DeMuth has said.

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn.--A semitrailer overturned at the intersection of U.S. Highway 52 and Interstate  Highway 494 on Wednesday, closing the road for more than seven hours, Pioneerpress.com said.

The truck spilled sodium hydroxide solution a little before noon driving through the rain and Thanksgiving Day traffic, Startribune.com said.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation spent the day cleaning up the spill, said Capt. Matt Langer of the State Patrol.

The spill is "just a contact concern" and poses no risk to the public, Langer said. "Quite a lot of liquid spilled.

The driver was not seriously injured in the accident.

LOS ANGELAS-The beating of a 12-year-old boy Friday in southern California may have been motivated by a Facebook posting, ABClocal.com said.

The A.E. Wright Middle School student was attacked by as many as 14 students because of a Facebook posting that encouraged violence against redheads, CNN.com said.

Authorities believe the posting was inspired by a South Park episode.

The boy was not seriously injured in the incident, and no one has been arrested.

CHINA-Two men were executed for selling tainted milk on Tuesday, Startribune.com said.

Zhang Yujun and Geng Jiniping were executed for selling tainted milk with melamine, which killed at least six babies and 300,000 others, CNN.com said.

Yujun, a dairy farmer, was executed for endangering public safety and Greg Jinping, the milk salesman, for producing and selling toxic food, the Xinhua News Agency said.

Melamine is used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants. It caused kidney stones and urinary tract problems with hundreds ot thousands of children, CNN.com said.

I read an article from CNN that talked about marijuana use and gave statistics on arrests from the year 2008. The issue is the statistics show the disproportionate ratio between arrests of nonwhites and the diverse based on their representation with in their area of residence. 

I talked to Luis Perez, a 23-year-old Latino restaurant manager. He will be attending the Universityof Minnesota in the spring of 2010.

Luis didn't think the story itself was stereotypical but addressed stereotypes in the nation. He thought the stereotypes were confronted with substantive quotes and data.

A quote from the story featured New York Gov. David Paterson and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, who suggested legalizing marijuana would cripple MEXICAN and U.S. gangs.

Perez didn't think specifying Mexican was necessary. He also couldn't believe that blacks and Latinos made up about 50% of New York's population, yet represented 86% of those arrested for possession in 2008, CNN.com said.

"The data makes no sense. But if police see a handful of black people on the corner, they look suspicious. If they see white people, they'll keep driving." 

African Americans are three times as likely as whites to be arrested for a pot crime, according to the Center for Juvenile and Criminal Justice. Yet the New York Cicil Liberties Union report says, federal studies show young whites use marijuana at higher rates than blacks and Latinos.

Murder charges were filed against a Puerto Rican suspect on Wednesday for killing a gay teen, CNN.com said.

The body of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, 19, was found on Puerto Rico Road 184 on Friday, decapitated and partially burned, Newyorktimes.com said.

The suspect, Juan Martinez Matos, 26, was arrested on Monday. He allegedly confessed to Lopez's murder, CNN.com said.

Matos met Lopez last Thursday while looking for women an area known for prostitution. Matos then killed Lopez after discovering he was a male, Prosecutor Jose Bermudez Santos said.

Lopez's murder has created a buzz among the gay community who believe the homicide was carried out of due to hatred.

''All the information we have is very clear that this is indeed a hate crime,'' National Gay and Lesbian Task Force spokesman, Pedro Julio Serrano said.

A week-long search for the body of a missing N.C. 5-year-old girl ended on Monday but raised other questions of child prostitution, New York Times.com said.

The body is believed to be Shaniya Davis who had been missing since last Tuesday. Police believe she went missing after being offered for prostitution by her mother, Antoinette Davis, CNN.com said.

Davis, 25, was charged with human trafficking and felony child abuse, said Fayettville police.  

Davis' sister, Brenda Davis, 20, spoke at her sister trial in her defense.

''I don't believe she could hurt her children,'' Brenda Davis said.

Mario Andrette McNeill, 29, was also charged with Davis' kidnapping. McNeill was seen on surveillance footage with her at a hotel.

About 200 people were apart of the 8-day search party. Many were saddened by the outcome of the search.

''We were hoping that someone could carry her home,'' Syd Severe, who came from Raleigh to help with the search, said. ''It's just sick.''

BEREA, Ohio --The Cleveland Browns openly agreed to accepting the help of, Ohio native, Lebron James's with their season on Wednesday, Yahoo Sports said.

On Tuesday, James, the 2008-2009 NBA MVP, said if he put the time and commitment in, he could be a good NFL athlete, NFL.com said.

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini welcomed the idea of James playing for Cleveland.

"I think he should come on down," Mangini said, smiling. "I know he's pretty busy right now, but if he wants to give it a shot, the guy is gifted.

James, an All-State receiver in high school, would be an asset to the struggling 1-8 Cleveland Browns and second-year quarterback, Brady Quinn.

That'd be great," Quinn said. "Tell him to suit up and let us know, we'll get him working. Obviously he's an incredibly talented athlete. If he wants to try to play a little bit now, we'd be more than willing to pick him up."

This isn't the first time the possibility of James changing sports has come up. Last year, the 24-year-old filmed a football commercial for State Farm Insurance that debuted during the Super Bowl.

 Not everyone believes James can make the transition like Cleveland defensive tackle, Shaun Rodgers.

"I heard that comment," Rogers said. "I have mixed emotions about that. A great athlete? Yes. A football player? No."

ST. PAUL--A 20-year-old Eagan woman died after being struck by a car last Monday in St. Paul, Startribune.com said.

Alexandria Jane Mardell, a St. Catherine University student, stopped to wave goodbye to friends on West 7th Street before she was struck. Mardell was taken to Regions Hospital where she died overnight, Pioneerpress.com said.

Mardell had turned to wave goodbye to friends when she stepped in front of a car, Charlotte Mardell, the victim's mother said.

The driver of the vehicle was a 33-year-old Eagan woman. No alcohol or drugs has been connected to the incident, police said.

Mardell was majoring in communications and business with aspirations of becoming a business woman in New York or California, Charlotte Mardell said.

The accident is still under investigation.

 MINNEAPOLIS--A Minneapolis man was arrested on Sunday suspicion of killing another Minneapolis man on Saturday, Pioneerpress.com.

The 31-year-old man was connected to the stabbing of Brandon Keeler on Lowry Avenue NE in Minneapolis, Startribune.com said.

"He was the kind of guy that if he had the means to help you, he would," Carl Bartel, a longtime friend, said. "And if he needed help, he wouldn't ask for it."

Friends of Keeler said there was nothing that appeared out of order with Keeler.

"He was always very happy," Jason Clifford, a friend, said. "I don't know who would dislike him."