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Quick Country News Copyright
2005 Cumulus Media Inc. this service without the express written consent of Cumulus Media Inc. is expressly prohibited. |
Today's News10/15/2008 - MORE CHARGES POSSIBLE IN BRUTAL BEATING More charges could be filed today after the brutal assault of a disabled man from the Twin Cities area. Dakota County authorities say four men from Northfield and Prior Lake took the victim into the woods on two different occasions last week and tied him to a tree. They are accused of kicking him, hitting him with pieces of wood and burning his skin with a cigarette lighter. The victim was hospitalized with broken ribs, possible kidney damage and he may lose sight in one eye. A teenage girl may also face charges for her role in the case. 10/15/2008 - MN GAS NOW CHEAPER THAN A YEAR AGO Gasoline is now being sold in Minnesota at prices that are lower than a year ago. Minnesotagasprices.com is reporting the statewide average for a gallon of regular has dropped to $2.72. That's down a dollar from a month ago and is 3 cents lower than a year ago. Numerous stations in the Twin Cities are now selling their lowest grade for under $2.60 a gallon. 10/15/2008 - OCCUPIED ROCH HOME BURGLARIZED A Rochester home was burglarized earlier this week while the occupants were sleeping. A Police Department spokesman says someone cut the screen of an open window early Monday and made off with a $500 camera. The house is located in the 4400 block of Newcastle Lane northwest. Police are also investigating the reported theft of an expensive diamond ring from the Mayo Healthy Living Center this past Sunday afternoon. The owner of the ring says she placed in a secure locker before working out and discovered it was missing when she was finished. The ring is valued at $32,000. 10/15/2008 - NEW WINONA DIOCESE BISHOP ALSO FROM DETROIT The next bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Winona is from Detroit - the same place where the current bishop came from. The Archdiocese of Detroit says Auxiliary Bishop John Quinn will serve as coadjutor-bishop of the Winona Diocese, which includes southeastern Minnesota. He will assist current Bishop Bernard Harrington, who is stepping down after reaching the retirement age of 75 last month. Harrington was named Bishop of the Winona Diocese in 1999. Harrington and Quinn have been longtime friends and worked together while in Detroit. Quinn is 62 years old and has been a priest since 1972. He is expected to be formally installed as bishop December 11th. 10/15/2008 - FOUR MEN ACCUSED OF BEATING MENTALLY DISABLED MAN Four men are facing charges in connection with the brutal assault of a developmentally disabled man from the Twin Cities area. Dakota County authorities say the men - who are from Northfield and Prior Lake and range in age from 19 to 33 - took the 24-year old victim to a secluded area last Friday where they kicked him and struck him with pieces of wood. On Saturday, the men took the victim to the same site, tied him to a tree and assaulted him again. The men also burned his skin with a cigarette lighter. The victim - who is from Lakeville - was hospitalized for treatment of broken ribs. 10/15/2008 - LAST DAY TO FILE 35W CLAIMS This is the last day for victims of the 35-W bridge collapse to request compensation from a special state fund. Lawmakers set aside $24-million for most claims, plus about $12-million more for those with the most serious injuries. A member of the panel that has been reviewing the claims estimates that they will eventually total about $36 1/2-million. 10/15/2008 - TODDLER DEATH STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has ruled the death of a 22-month old boy at a daycare in Bloomington last month was caused by suffocation. The toddler was placed in a carseat inside a playpen at the home-based daycare operation and the straps of the seat somehow cut off his air supply. The toddler was found unresponsive and taken to a hospital where he died 2 days later. Police are now trying to determine if criminal activity was involved. The license of the daycare operation has been suspended. 10/14/2008 - NEW POLLS ON PRESIDENTIAL AND SENATE RACES IN MINNESOTA The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post are out with two new polls concerning the upcoming elections in Minnesota. They cover the Presidential election and the race for the U.S Senate seat now held by Republican Norm Coleman. The poll found likely Minnesota voters are supporting Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain by a significant margin. It shows 51-percent back Obama, while 40-percent expressed support for McCain's Presidential bid. The poll found a very tight race between Coleman and Al Franken, with the Democratic challenger leading the Republican incumbent by two-percentage points. The 38 to 36 percent margin is well within the poll's margin of error. 17 percent of the respondents indicated they support Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley. 10/14/2008 - NORTHERN MINNESOTA MAN FINED FOR POACHING WALLEYE A northern Minnesota man has been fined $3,500 dollars for poaching walleye. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says a call to the state's TIP-line led to charges against 67-year-old Robert Hanson of Baudette, who was caught possessing 44 more walleye than allowed after some very successful outings on Lake of the Woods in June. Officials say someone called in the tip after listening to Hanson brag about how many walleye he had caught. 10/14/2008 - HAS IT REALLY BEEN 50 YEARS? The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa is getting ready for a major concert to mark 50-years since the "Day the Music Died. "The ballroom and museum has released more information about its upcoming 50th anniversary commemoration of the final concert by Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and "The Big Bopper" before the three died in a plane crash near Mason City. The event will begin on January 28th and run through February 2nd. Organizers say concerts during most nights of the event have already been sold out, although a major concert set for February 2nd has not yet been finalized. 10/14/2008 - MN COLLEGES REPORT 3-PERCENT ENROLLMENT INCREASE The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system is reporting an enrollment increase of 5300 students when compared to the fall semester a year ago. That is a nearly 3-percent increase and put the overall headcount at just over 186,000. Two of the system's schools are in this area. Winona State reported a fall enrollment of 8500, up about 150 students from a year ago. Rochester Community and Technical College had a smaller increase, adding 76 students to bring the current enrollment to 5977. 10/14/2008 - COLD WEATHER RULE BEGINS TOMORROW Minnesota's Cold Weather Rule takes effect tomorrow. It prevents service from being cut off to homeowners and renters having trouble paying their heating bill. Officials say if you're anticipating problems paying your bill you should contact your utility provider right away to work out a payment plan. The Cold Weather Rule is in effect through April 15th. 10/14/2008 - RECORD LOW NUMBER OF WEST NILE CASES Thanks to the cool spring and dry summer for much of the state, Minnesota had the lowest number of confirmed cases of West Nile on record this year. The state Health Department says there were just 21 cases this year. There were more than a hundred last year and 2 confirmed deaths. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and because of the recent frosty weather across most of the state, the West Nile season for this year appears to be over. 10/14/2008 - MN SMOKING STUDY Offering doctors a cash bonus will encourage more smokers to kick the habit. That's according to a new study from the University of Minnesota and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. In the study, Blue Cross offered bonuses to clinics for referring smokers to the tobacco hotline, Clearway Minnesota. In less than a year, researchers say those clinics referred nearly 3 times as many patients than those that didn't get bonuses. A spokesman says there's no way to know how many of those smokers have actually quit, but the study suggests it's an effective way to point them in that direction. 10/14/2008 - NOT ENOUGH MN JOBS A new study by the non-profit Jobs Now Coalition has found there are 2 1/2 Minnesotans looking for work per available job. In 2000, it was the other way around: back then, there were 2 1/2 jobs per unemployed Minnesotan. According to the report, the number of people looking for work in Minnesota is up 92 percent while the number of jobs available is down nearly 70 percent. The Jobs Now Coalition report found there are fewer openings even for low paying jobs. |