REGIONAL BRIEFS: Child found in closet with drugs, gun

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From the Forum Communications News Bureau

MINNESOTA

Teen dies in collision (DNT)

EVELETH, Minn. -- A 16-year-old girl has died from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident Wednesday afternoon in Eveleth.

The Minnesota State Patrol reported that Hannah Wilson of Virginia, Minn., was driving a 1997 Plymouth Breeze west when crossing the four-lane U.S. Highway 53 about 3:30 p.m. The car was hit broadside by a northbound 2002 Mercury Mountaineer.

Wilson was airlifted to Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth with critical injuries. The State Patrol reported this morning that she died from those injuries.

The patrol said Wilson was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The Mercury was driven by Jeffrey Reed, 38, of Duluth, who suffered minor injuries.

New bridge ready to move into place (HSG)

HASTINGS, Minn. -- The main span for the new Highway 61 bridge over the Mississippi River here is on schedule to be floated in place this weekend.

The current bridge will close to traffic starting early Saturday through Monday. The timing of the move and lift has been delayed several times but the new span should be in place and secured by the end of Monday.

The 6.5 million pound, 545-foot long span is floating on two barges in the Mississippi River since crews rolled it off land here on Sept. 7.

Veterans job fair slated in Detroit Lakes (FF)

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. – Veterans and their families are invited to attend the Northern Minnesota Veterans Job Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Minnesota State Community and Technical College campus here.

Nearly 40 of the largest and best-known employers in the northwestern and west-central regions of the state will have displays and details about open positions.

Veterans and family members will have the opportunity to visit one-on-one with resume and job search experts, learn about education benefits, take a basic business start-up workshop, and network with veterans service providers.

A complimentary lunch will be served between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

For more information, call Kathy Carney at (218) 825-2032 or Steve Retzer at (218) 236-2303.

Prep work begins Monday on I-94 project (FF)

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Motorists travelling on Interstate 94 between St. Cloud and the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area and will encounter delays beginning Monday when both directions of the interstate are reduced to a single lane between Highway 24 at Clearwater and County Road 75 in St. Cloud.

The lane closures will occur intermittently from sunrise to sunset Mondays through Saturdays through Dec. 1. No closures are currently planned for Sundays.

The closures are needed as crews begin preparatory work for a major project to resurface over seven miles of I-94 between Clearwater and St. Cloud next spring and summer.

For more project details, including the construction schedule, travel information and tips on how to navigate work zones during construction, visit www.mndot.gov/d3/i94/.

Minnesota cities compete for ‘Prettiest Painted Places’ (AEP)

Four Minnesota communities will vie with nearly 200 nominees from other states to be named of the Paint Quality Institute’s “Prettiest Painted Places in America.” .

Here are the competition’s descriptions of the Minnesota communities:

Alexandria: Surrounded by lakes and resorts and rich with historic “must see” sites, the town is replete with beautifully painted homes and buildings.

Hastings. A river town known for its “front-porch hospitality,” Hastings is steeped in history and proud of its preservation efforts, boasting three historic districts and designation as a Main Street town by the National Trust.

Lowry Hill East. The one-time streetcar suburb of Minneapolis has rebounded from tough times in the 1960s, thanks to an ambitious revitalization effort that has transformed the area into one of the city’s most attractive, characterized by beautifully restored single-family circa 1880-1920 homes that range in style from Queen Anne, to Colonial Revival to Prairie School.

Stillwater . With colorful Victorian mansions built by lumber barons and a Main Street on the National Register of Historic Places, the vibrant community on the banks of the St. Croix river is considered the “Birthplace of Minnesota.”

Judges with expertise in color selection, exterior painting, and home improvement will review the entries, conduct additional research and make selected site visits.

Finalists will be announced in late September, and the nation’s 12 “Prettiest Painted Places” will be revealed in mid-October.

The Paint Quality Institute has conducted its competition twice before, most recently in 2000.

North Dakota

Child found in closet with drugs, gun (FF)

FARGO – Narcotics officers executing a search warrant Wednesday at a south Fargo apartment found a 4-year-old child sleeping in a closet that also contained marijuana and a loaded handgun, police said Thursday.

Two of the four people who were in the apartment were arrested, Fargo police Lt. Joel Vettel said.

Michael Jerome James, 20, Fargo, was arrested on suspicion of child neglect, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia. Shatonna Jamei Cook, 23, also of Fargo, was arrested on the same marijuana possession charge.

The child was taken into protective custody.

Vettel said 65 grams of marijuana was found on the floor of the closet, and a loaded .38-caliber revolver was discovered in a child’s backpack on a shelf in the closet .

Police also seized 5 pounds of marijuana from an adjacent closet, as well as three handguns and $7,315, he said.

2nd juvenile arrested in Fargo armed robbery (FF)

FARGO – A second juvenile male has been arrested in connection with an armed robbery on Sept. 11 at Rayon’s Market in south Fargo, Lt. Joel Vettel said Thursday.

The 16-year-old’s arrest followed a police announcement Monday that a 17-year-old boy had been arrested in connection with the robbery at 721 S. University Drive.

According to police, the two suspects entered the store around 11:15 p.m. with their faces covered and displayed knives. The store clerk complied with their demands for money, and the robbers left on foot with an undisclosed amount, police said. No one was injured.

Both juveniles were arrested on suspicion of armed robbery, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Vettel said police are asking prosecutors to try to get the cases transferred to adult court.

Both teens were being held in Cass County Juvenile Detention, he said.

Accident victim identified (GFH)

MINNEWAUKAN, N.D. -- Authorities Thursday identified a 43-year-old Maddock man who was killed early Wednesday in a one-car accident in Benson County.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol said Willard Westad was driving a 1997 Jeep Cherokee southbound on U.S. Highway 281, about six miles south of Minnewaukan, about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday when he apparently failed to negotiate a left-hand curve in the road.

The vehicle drifted to the right-hand shoulder and then Westad over-corrected the mistake, which resulted in the Jeep to angle across the roadway and roll in the east ditch, the patrol said. Westad, who was alone in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene.

South Dakota

Mitchell among tech schools given a grant (DR)

MITCHELL, S.D. — Mitchell Technical Institute has been awarded a $2.533 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to help fund the Technical Education at a Distance program.

The TED program seeks to provide quality training in rural areas through a combination of online education and hands-on training utilizing contracted local mentors throughout the state.

This grant will address the growing need for speech-language pathology assistants, but according to MTI president Greg Von Wald, the TED model could be expanded to other programs in the future.

MTI has nine students enrolled in the speech language pathology assistant online program this year, and Von Wald said with the grant, regional professionals will be able to travel to those students to give them hands-on training. That training will be implemented this semester.

The grant is part of a larger $500 million project announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor. The program is aimed at secondary education institutions across the country for development and expansion of innovative training programs.

Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown was awarded a $14.171 million grant.

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