Wedding Bells

KSTP reported that an agent with teh Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit. Denise Bechtold, claimed she was punished for reporting that some colleagues padded their time sheets and for complaining about not being promoted because of her gender.

Bechtold filed her lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. The defendants include the state, former BCA superintendent and current Commissioner of Public Safety Michael Campion, and Timothy O'Malley, the BCA's current superintendent.

Bechtold is seeking $75,000 in compensatory damages, at least $100,000 in punitive damages, and legal costs. She also wants to be given a job that she would have been given if there had been no retaliation or discrimination.

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The Star Tribune reported that the the Twins and the Minnesota Ballpark Authority are expected today to sign off on the lease to a three-decade stay in the new stadium.

KSTP reported that the Twins will get to keep all revenue from ticket sales, advertising, naming rights, tours and concessions during baseball games. 10 percent of the net revenues from non-basbeall related events, they must share with the authority.

KSTP also reported that the Twins will be charge $900,000 in rent, and the money will flow into a maintenance fund.

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Star Tribune reported that two men were robbed minutes after leaving a north Minneapolis bar late Tuesday night. They were then made to kneel, and shot in the head in an alley, police said

Police had arrested three people by Wednesday afternoon. The victims were found at random and the suspects weren't involved in any illegal activity that would have led to violence.

The two male suspects are gang members, but that wasn't related to the killings, police said.

The men left Waldo's Bar about 11 p.m. Tuesday reported the Star Tribune. As they headed down an alley a block away, they were confronted by the three suspects.

The victims gave up their wallets but then the boy forced the men to kneel down and shot them each in the head, police said.

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Thousands of students were sent home Wednesday after a sheet of paper was found a bathroom sink that threatened bombing was found, reported the Star Tribune. Classes resume at the University of Minnesota Thursday.

Joe Plocher found the note at the bottom of a bathroom sink that was poorly punctuated and threatened the bombing of at least five university buildings by 10 that night, MN daily reported.

Plocher snapped a photo of the note on his cell phone camera and reported it to a faculty member in Smith Hall faculty member. Police were then contacted thousands of students and faculty members on the East Bank campus were evacuated from eight building. The buildings were locked down for the rest of the day and classes were canceled in those buildings, reported the Star Tribune.

Authorities found nothing to be suspicious and re-opened the buildings to resume class Thursday morning

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Star Tribune reported that a bail was set at $1 million today for the Oakdale teenager accused of killing her newborn girl by stabbing her 135 times in her family home.

Nicole Beecroft, 17, appeared in Washington County District Court where she was escorted to from the juvenile center.

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An 8-year-old boy is recovering from serious injuries after a dog attacked him while he was walking to school in Minneapolis, Star Tribune reported.
DeVonta Prince was in front of Hosmer Library at 347 E. 36th St. when an Akita got off its chain in a nearby yard.
Residents called 911 after witnessing the attack. The boy was bitten on his head, torso, arms and hands. His mother said he was in surgery for more than three hours at the Hennepin County Medical Center reported the Star Tribune.

The dog was taken into custody by the Animal Control Center.

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Star Tribune reported that a 59-year-old Minneapolis man may spend the rest of his life in prison. He admitted in federal court that he look "lascivious" pictures of five boys under the age of 16.

Lyle Robert Paton pleaded guilty to five counts of producing child pornography in exchange for the dismissal of a single count of possessing child pornography, reported the Star Tribune.

Paton had been convicted three other times in cases involving teenagers over the past 20 years, reported the Pioneer Press.

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Kstp.com reported that sexually transmitted diseases including chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis climbed to a record high last year, the state Health Department said on Monday.

The Health Department said that data showed that 16,428 cases of sexually transmitted diseases were reported in 2006. Of those cases, about 13,000 included people infected with chlamydia.

Nearly 70 percent of the chlamydia outbreaks were among teens and young adults, ktsp.com reported. Star Tribune reported that almost one out of three chlamydia cases occurred in greater Minnesota.
Officials said there was a slight drop in gonorrhea cases last year, but the number still hovers around 3,300. There were 104 cases of syphilis reported in 2006, the Star Tribune reported. Gay and bisexual men accounted for 80 of those cases, the department said.

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Ktsp.com reported that the reward offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for killing three people in St. Paul has ballooned to $22,000.

Authorities say an anonymous donor contributed $15,000 to the reward.
31-year-old Otahl Saunders, his 32-year-old fiancee Maria McLay and McLay's 15-year-old daughter, Brittany Kekedakis, were shot to death by a group of men who broke into their home on March 23rd.

Police say they're continuing to look into more than 100 tips, reported Star Tribune.

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One person died and another was critically injured Wednesday evening in a head-on collision on a busy Twin Cities highway, the Star Tribune reported.
Authorities had to shut down a portion of Hwy. 169 at about 6:20 p.m. Patrols worked to clear the accident scene near Brooklyn Blvd. on the border of Maple Grove and Plymouth.

According to Pioneer Press, the patrol officer reported that the driver of a northbound Chevrolet crossed over a grassy median and struck a southbound vehicle driven by Julie Borg, 55, of Plymouth.

Borg was taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale with two broken femurs, a collapsed lung and head trauma. She was in critical condition.

The driver of the pick up truck died. The driver's name has not been released reported Star Tribune.

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Star Tribune reported Tuesday that Minneapolis school leaders names five North Side schools they want to close in hope it will boost the area's lagging achievement and loss of students. About 2,100 students would be forced to find new schools, and the district said it will offer them better programs for success, reported the Star Tribune.

District officials blame a $16 million shortfall and declining enrollment as reasons to the close schools, reported the Star Tribune.
Kstp.com reported the schools recommended for closure were: West Harry Davis Academy, Jordan Park Community School, Lincoln Community, Northstar Community School, Shingle Creek Elementary and Tuttle Middle School.

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Star Tribune reported that a fire tore through a 16-unit townhome building in Eagan, Minn. on Sunday night. No one was hurt through the fire, authorities said.
Police arrived at the Forest Ridge Townhomes near Denmark Avenue and Pilot Knob Road about 9 p.m. They helped evacuate the homes before fire crews arrived.

Ktsp.com reported that authorities now believe that a bucket being used as an ashtray may have had something to do with the start of the fire.

Kstp.com reported The American Red Cross is helping families displaced by the fire.

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Kare11.com reported that Robert Renville, was pronounced dead 8 p.m. Wednesday after he was shot in a while in a car near Ohio and Stevens Streets in St. Paul, said police. The shooting was an alleged "drug deal gone bad," Kare11.com reported two other men were also hit with bullets were fired at car, Livon Lucket, and Russell Robinson.
Ktsp.com reported that it was a barroom attack that happned at Costello's Bar and Grill on Selby Avenue, at 1:30 a.m. It is not known the target of the shooting.

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Ktsp.com reports that flames ripped through a mobile home Thursday in Landfall, Minn. It killed a the mother, father, and four-year-old son. Two others were rushed to Regions Hospital after the fire started around 4:30 a.m. The fire allegedly started in teh back of the home near the bedrooms and spread quickly to the rest of the mobile home, kstp.com reported.
Star Tribune reported that Luis Alberto Bernal, the father, saved the life of six-year-old son Luis Bernal Jr., but he was unable to save himself or his wife Sandra Bernal and another son Erik Bernal. Their bodies were removed from the scene six hours after the fire was reported. Investigators found no sign of arson or other foul play, star tribune reported.

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Star Tribune reported that more than 42,000 people are licensed to carry handguns in the public in Minnesota. 19,147 of those permits are in the seven-county Twin Cities Metro area. However, this amount falls short of the legislative estimate of 90,000 within three years of the 2003 law.

Hennepin County has the most licenses with 6,612. Next is St. Lous County with 3,462, then Anoka, Ramsey, Dakota, Washington, and Scott. Those licensed must be 21, pass a gun training test, and a background check, reported the Star Tribune.

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Marcus LeVesseur, a 24-year old senior at Augsburg College has the chance to win is one last title and finish his career undefeated. He had won three national titles in 2002, 2003, and 2004, reported Star Tribune. He missed a year of school and sports due to some trouble with alcohol and the law. He cleaned his act up, went to rehab and re-entered the wrestling team late December in 2006. He holds 27-0 record this season, making his college record 151-0. USA today said he is ranked No. 1 at 165 pounds. The National tournament is to take place this weekend. He is favored to become the first D-III wrestler to win four individual national title, and end his career unbeaten and untied, reported the Star Tribune.

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Star Tribune reported that across the metro area, feral cats are a growing nuisance and public health risk according to community groups and animal control workers. . Statistics and estimates suggest that there could be anywhere from half a million to a million feral cats roaming the Twin Cities, reported Star Tribune.

Eyewitness news 5 reported that Minnesota's recent mild winters may have helped thecats reproduce at abnormal rates, packing animal shelters to capacity and forcing more officials to deal with this problem

The solution by animal-rights groups is trapping, spaying or neutering the cats, then vaccinating and releasing them. It keeps the cats alive, but is effective in decreasing population in the future years, Star Tribune reported.

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Five years ago, a University of Minnesota study discovered that a type of stem cell in mice could have a potential to treat disease as the same taken from embryos. But now the university and the lead scientist, Dr. Catherin Verfaillie, said a part of the study is flawed, reported the Star Tribune.

Questions were raised by a British magazine, New Scientist, a disclosed the incident in a article published last week.

An expert panel concluded that a process used to identify the cells was "significantly flawed, and that the interpretations based on these data, expressed in the manuscript, are potentially incorrect," reproted Star Tribune.

According to the Northwestern Chronicle, these findings are preliminary. Much more research must be done to reproduce the results reliably. The difficulty is finding money, scientists, and finding patent on their research, so future problems won't exist when spreading information.

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Minnesota State Patrol released a crash video to promote safety and to remind motorists to give wide berth to emergency vehicles of face a citation, Pioneer Press reported. Too many state troopers and emergency vehicles have been struck by oncoming traffic.

Star Tribune reported that six emergency vehicles in the last month have been hit performing their duties. State Patrols are calling attention to the Ted Foss "Move Over" law, which is to pull over or give at least one lane of space for vehicle to pass by. The law was named by the Minnesota State Patrol after Minnesota State Patrol Cpl. was killed during a traffic stop in 2000. From 2001-2005 passing vehicles have injured 126 state troopers, Star Tribune reported.

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Great Value and Peter Pan peanut butter is linked to the spread of a salmonella outbreak all across the country affecting 39 states, included Minnesota, reported the Star Tribune. It has sickened 300 people since August, officials said. Doug Shulz, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Health Department said that five people have become sick and one person has been hospitalized in Minnesota, reported Star Tribune.

Lids of jars produced by ConAgra with product code '2111' can be returned to the company for a refund, reported the Pioneer Press. According to officials, it's a mystery of how the germ got into the peanut butter, it could be linked to dirty jars or equipment, reported Pioneer Press.

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Alfonso Rodriquez was sentenced to die today for the kidnapping and death of a University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin, reported Star Tribune.

He abducted Sjodin in November 2003 from a mall parking lot in Grand Forks, N.D. Six months later her body was found in Crookstone, Minn. by a ravine, according to Star Tribune.

Kare 11 reported that Rodriquez showed no emotion and declined the chance to speak during his sentencing. The judge said "It was the most difficult day of his life."

Rodriquez will be the 45th inmate on Federal death row. The average sentencing is carried out for about six to eight months, Kare11 reported.

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Star Tribune reported today that two more unvaccinated Minn. children die of the flu according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

The names are not released yet, but one was 8 years old and the other was 17 months old. They were from Hennepin and Isanti county.

5 Eyewitness News reported that flu deaths in children are infrequent but not rare. There have been 13 flu deaths nationally this year, and 3 of the 13 have been in Minnesota.

State Health Officials have no explanation for the odd cluster of fatalities in Minnesota. 85% of the outbreaks in schools have been in the past 3 weeks this year, reported Kare11 News.

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Twins Abbygail and Madysen Fitterer who were surgically seperated a month ago conditions have been upgraded to fair. The 6-month-old girls, who were born joined at the chest are now breathing on their own, Star Tribune Reported.

Their ventilators that helped them breathe were removed earlier this week. They are on their way to a smooth, gradual recovery. They will continue recovery at the Mayo Clinic's Eugenio Litta Childrens Hospital.

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