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Associated Press - November 28, 2009 2:34 AM ET
St. Paul police identify teen killed
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - St. Paul police have identified a 15-year-old who was shot to death on Thanksgiving.
Police say Darion Joseph Smith, of St. Paul, died at the scene. Police were called at about 10 a.m. Thursday and found him with a gunshot wound to his upper body.
Investigators have arrested a 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy. Both remained in custody Friday.
Initial information indicated the shooting may have been unintentional, but investigators are still looking into the exact circumstances.
Police expect to turn the case over Monday to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office for consideration of charges.
Woman charged with assaulting abortion protester
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) - A woman remains jailed Friday after allegedly holding a knife to the neck of an anti-abortion demonstrator in Duluth.
Mechelle Tallulah Hall, of Superior, Wis., is charged with second-degree assault. Bail is set at $9,000.
The Duluth News Tribune reports that the 25-year-old Hall blurted out at her arraignment Wednesday, "I know what I did was wrong." It says the judge advised her it wasn't the appropriate place to comment on the facts of her case.
The victim was not hurt in Tuesday's incident, which took place outside the Building for Women, whose tenants include the Women's Health Center of Duluth, which provides abortions and other services.
According to the criminal complaint, Hall said during the attack that she did it "because I am certified crazy."
Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com
State trooper escapes injury when squad struck
ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) - A state trooper narrowly escaped injury as he was enforcing a statewide crackdown on drunken drivers that led to more that 30 arrests.
The State Patrol says trooper Sam Catlin pulled over one suspected drunken driver only to have his patrol car sideswiped by a second impaired driver on Highway 52 near Rochester abound 3:15 a.m. Thursday.
Capt. Matthew Langer says another trooper chased and arrested the second driver, a 25-year-old Rochester woman who has a prior DWI conviction.
The two arrests were among 33 the patrol made during a statewide crackdown between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. Thursday. Numbers from other agencies weren't immediately available.
Langer says stepped up DWI patrols will continue statewide through the weekend.
Vandals target some 500 pine trees near Backus
BACKUS, Minn. (AP) - Investigators are trying to determine who drove six-inch nails into hundreds of red pine trees near Backus.
They think the vandals might have thought they were saving the trees from logging. But if that was their plan, it backfired.
The stand is thinned every ten to 15 years. About 100 of the 600 trees were slated to be cut down and sold this month. The money would have benefitted the community and school district.
But workers found pole barn nails pounded into more than 500 of the trees.
Now the entire forest must be cut down due to safety concerns. Mike Diekmann of the Cass County Sheriff's Office says that if a saw hit 1 of the nails, "it would explode like a gun going off" and could cause serious injury.
A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered.
Old St. Louis County Jail may be demolished
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) - The old St. Louis County Jail may be headed for demolition.
The county has spent nearly $250,000 over the past six months to maintain the historic jail, but so far no one has stepped forward with a legitimate offer to buy it.
Now the county has once again applied for a permit to tear it down. The last time the county did that, the Duluth City Council rejected the permit. That could change this time.
The asking price is only $60,000. But listing agent Gary Kalligher tells the Duluth News Tribune potential buyers aren't seeing a way to profit from reuse of the property, which is in poor condition.
The jail, completed in 1923, is 1 of 4 governmental buildings and a monument that are part of the Duluth Civic Center Historic District.
Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com
FAA transcripts show efforts to reach flight 188
New transcripts from the Northwest Airlines flight that overflew Minneapolis show air traffic controllers asking the crew about what happened, and whether they had enough fuel.
The Federal Aviation Administration released the transcripts of the flight, which missed Minneapolis and flew over Wisconsin before the pilots realized they were out of contact and landed safely.
The transcript shows 1 of the pilots on Northwest Flight 188 telling controllers that they had been distracted because they were dealing with company issues. That came after controllers asked them to elaborate on the distraction.
Controllers also asked about fuel. The pilot on the plane responded that they had about two hours of fuel left.
St. Paul holds Hmong New Year celebration
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - St. Paul's Hmong community is holding its Hmong New Year celebration through Sunday at RiverCentre.
It runs from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the events include entertainment by singers and dancers, a beauty contest, shopping and ethnic foods.
Tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door.
Shuttle buses will be operating. Shuttle riders can park on the lot at Kellogg Boulevard and Broadway Street for $5 per vehicle.
Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
