Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Four Killed in Crash Outside of Sleepyeye
By: Lauren Daniels
Four friends were killed in a car crash last Friday just West of Sleepyeye, Minnesota on Highway 14 when a pontiac grand prix lost control and slid into oncoming traffic, getting hit by a dodge pickup truck.
The driver of the vehicle was Kansas Adams, age 19 from Sleepyeye, Minnesota. He suffered from serious injuries while the remaining four passengers, three teenagers and a 20 year old, all lost their lives as a result from the crash. The driver was the only one wearing a seatbelt.
One of the passengers killed being the drivers brother, Payton Adams, age 17. Other passengers killed we’re John Mangen, age 18 from Fairfax; Caleb Quensenberry, age 17 of St. Peter; and Styler Hadley, age 20 from Sleepyeye.
The driver of the pickup, Douglas Wilborn, age 43 of New Ulm Minnesota had his two children Jakob, age 9, and Sydney, age 7 as passengers at the time of the crash. The three were hospitalized, but their injuries were noncritical. They were all wearing seatbelts.
Superintendent of Sleepyeye public schools, John Cselovski says, “It’s a big shock for our community here” being a town of only 3,600. For a lot of them, they first found out about the crash when they heard helicopters during a school play.
Through social media, the word spread quickly to friends including Ethan Silfies, who had played along side with Mangen on the football and baseball fields before they graduated together. Silfies said, “I was completely speechless” and “It’s not just Sleepy Eye; it’s the whole 507 area code from Redwood Falls to Marshall to Mankato. Everybody, even if they didn’t know them, is still affected.”
There was a small amount of marijuana found in the car, but alcohol was said to have not been involved with the crash, and the reason for losing control of the car was due to slippery roads. The driver said he remembers hitting an icy patch, and from there the rest is a blur.
As the news spread throughout the rest of the town, many were praying, and hoping it wasn’t true. It was a tragic loss for the town of Sleepyeye.
President Obama Visits Saint Paul, Minnesota
By: Hayley Jacobs
President Obama visited Minnesota state Capital, Saint Paul, on Wednesday February 26th to propose an agenda to offer Americans new jobs. He wants to rebuild the transportation infrastructure.
He arrived at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, welcomed by cold winds and Saint Paul Governor, Chris Coleman.
St. Paul was chosen for the President’s announcement for this $600 million federal grant, because St. Paul has received about $125 million in funding for prior renovations.
Mr. Obama started his speech by getting the crowds attention with little jokes about the weather, “I walked off those stairs and I was like, ‘This is balmy, this is great.’ February, in Minnesota — can’t beat it. Cannot beat it.”
In his main speech, the President went over four parts of his agenda. In part one, he guarantees good, well-paying jobs in manufacturing and energy. People would have work building and fixing roads, bridges, etc. Part two is innovation and infrastructure. Third is job training. Lastly, he guarantees access to world-class education and rewarding work with livable wages, with the ability to have savings and health care.
He also wants the American population to have efficient, affordable transit, similar to the trains that will be running through the Minneapolis-St. Paul area starting in June.
The president is not waiting for Congress to make a decision and work on these priorities. “In this year of action, whenever I can partner directly with states or cities or business leaders or civic leaders to act on this opportunity agenda, I’m going to go ahead and do it. We can’t wait. We’ve got to move. We’ve got to get things going. Too many families are counting on it. So next week, I’m going to send Congress a budget that funds rebuilding our transportation infrastructure in a more responsible way — by doing it over four years, which gives cities and states and private investors the certainty they need to plan major projects,” he said.
The president is eager and confident about this new four-year plan. He said he will be trying to create more jobs, with or without the help of Congress. With high hopes Obama states “But … in this year of action, whenever I can partner directly with states or cities or business leaders or civic leaders to act on this opportunity agenda, I’m going to go ahead and do it. We can’t wait.”
Monday, March 10, 2014
6 Year Old Found Dead In The Cold
By: Paulina Glowacki
A 6-year-old girl from Bemidji, MN was found dead outside her home due to the expose of cold temperature on Thursday morning.
Officers and medical personnel arrived at the scene finding the young girl wearing a jacket, boots, hat and mittens. They arrived minutes after the emergency 911 call from the victim’s mother and another call from their neighbor.
Bemidji Police Capt. James Marcotte said that the child has been exposed to frigid weather and found dead at the scene. Police is still investigating as to why the child was out in the old. She was transported to Sanford Bemidji Medical Center and later to Ramsey County Medical Examiner Center for an autopsy to be completed on Friday or next week.
Marcotte had not confirmed if the child was found outside the security doors and moved inside. The exterior door of the apartment building has a buzzer system. It has not been confirmed if the security doors were locked at the time.
On that day, cold temperatures hit as low as -25 and a windchill below 40. Exposure in low temperatures below 40 windchill could result in frostbite in as little as 30 minutes.
"The weather we have been experiencing in Minnesota has been very frigid," Marcotte said. "When you go outside you need to cover up."
From Dec. 1 2012 to March 30, 2013, there have been reported 46 total deaths in Minnesota according to the state Department of Health.
Rumors have spread that the girl was out waiting for the school bus.
"This would have been way, way, way too early for the bus," Jim Hess, a superintendent of Bemidji Area Schools, said. "The bus wouldn't arrive there until much later."
Hess stated that the students and staff of the child’s school is working on support of school psychiatrists and social workers to deal with the child’s death.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Carleton College mourns 3 students
By: Heather L.
Three college students killed, and two seriously injured after a car crash on February 28th
Five members of the Carleton College ultimate frisbee team were on their way to California for a tournament. Just a mile from the school they hit an icy patch, lost control and and was hit broadside by a semitrailer truck Friday afternoon near the junction of Hwy. 3 and County Road 47.
James P. Adams, 20, of St. Paul; Paxton M. Harvieux, 21, of Stillwater, and Michael D. Goodgame, 20, of Westport, Conn were found dead at the scene. William Sparks, 20, of Evanston, Ill., who was driving the 1997 Toyota 4Runner, and Conor J. Eckert, 19, of Seattle, were seriously injured. The truck’s driver, Danny Terry, 56, of Pioneer, Tenn., was uninjured, said Lt. Eric Roeske of the State Patrol.
The five guys all were members of the Carleton Ultimate Team, which finished No. 3 in the nation last year and had been ranked No. 9 heading into the weekend’s Stanford Invite tournament at Stanford University. The women’s team also was going to the tournament but canceled those plans.
The small, close knit school of around 2,000 students were overcome by a wave of shock and grief. Three vibrant campus leaders were gone. Saturday morning hundreds of students and faculty packed into Skinner Memorial Chapel. Overflowing from the pews and many standing, they shared memories and anecdotes.
“You didn’t have to know them to be affected,” said Isabel Carter, a sophomore. “It’s a small school and a close community and I have a lot of friends who were friends with them. It’s definitely touched everyone.”
A downtown Northfield coffee shop, Goodbye Blue Monday, is popular among students and locals. A table of the guys’ Ultimate Frisbee teammates bought drinks for the house, a way of paying it forward in honor of their friends.
Adams, Harvieux and Goodgame were all involved in many school activities. They strived in classes and were loved very much.
“They were all very good friends. I can’t imagine what their families are going through,” said Andy Clark, the swim coach. “You just don’t expect to lose people at this age. It’s the worst kind of tragedy. It’s hard to comprehend.”
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Dakota County Drug Task Force Recovers Over 80 Pounds of Marijuana
By Amanda Adelmann
Dakota County Drug Task Force agents found over 80 pounds of marijuana and arrested 34 year old Hastings man, Gregory Brian Spakow on January 21 2013. Who is now facing 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine if he is found guilty.
The agents found over 80 pounds of marijuana at a residence in southern Dakota County, they watched a confidential informant deliver the 80 pounds of marijuana to the residence on January 17 as a controlled delivery, according to the complaint. Where he then placed the marijuana in a shed near by the residence with an “unknown male”. Authorities watched as Spakow and the “unknown male” took the stash from the informant’s vehicle and put it into the shed on Spakow's property. The property was located near Goodwin Avenue and 160th Street.
Agents then conducted a search of the home where they found "a small plastic bag containing a green leafy substance, a metal grinder, a gallon size plastic bag containing a green leafy substance, cash, and documents in the name of Spakow” said authorities.
When the Drug Task Force searched Spakow’s rural home they found even more marijuana in the freezer, four duffel bags filled with suspected bags of marijuana, as well as a 20-gauge shotgun and seven cellphones.
Sheriff Dave Bellows said the 80 pounds of marijuana doesn’t constitute a county record, but clearly was an amount intended for sale due to how much there was, not personal use. He also stated that the street value of the 80 pounds a marijuana found is said to be $250,000.
Gregory Spakow has no criminal record in the state of Minnesota according to state records and his next court date is set for this upcoming April on the 21st.
Gregory Brian Spakow now faces a charge of controlled substance crime in the second degree with intent to sell and is also facing a charge of 25 years in prison as well as a $500,000 fine if he is found guilty of controlled substance crime in the second degree (sale).
Burnsville Liquor Store Robbery
By: Whitney T
Jack C. Bellissimo
On February 19th, a little after midnight, a local Liquor store in Burnsville Minnesota was broken into. Shortly after the crime Burnsville Police found their suspect.
Burnsville Police got a call at 12:05 AM on Wednesday, February 19th. The Burnsville Liquor store alarm had been going off. The front door alarm had been triggered. Witness claimed to have seen a person dressed in all black running out of the liquor store. They were headed to the Colonial Villa apartments that were right by the Liquor store. Not much later the local police stopped 21 year old, Jack C. Bellissimo, leaving the apartments in his pickup truck. He was headed towards County Road 11.
When Police first spotted him leaving, he was swerving all over the roads, police reported to Sun This Week news. Mr. Bellissimo was drunk and covered in blood. He had told police that his legs and hands were covered in blood and he was on his way to the hospital. When the officer asked about the injuries he confessed. He told them that he had got cut leaving the liquor store. He stole two bottles of Vodka and an energy drink. Officers claimed that he smelled like alcohol, his eyes were glossy and his speech was also slurred. His blood alcohol level was .21 which is almost 2 times over the legal limit. Jack first went to the Hospital to treat his injuries, then held in Dakota County Jail.
Jack does not have any previous arrests on record. The 21 year old, if convicted, will be charged with a felony for burglary and face a $200,000 fine as well as up to 10 years in prison. In addition he will be charged with 2 DWI, another 90 days and $1,000 fine with connection at the Big Discount Liquor, 12100 County Road 11.
Jack Bellissimo has a court date set on May 20, in Hastings.
Jack C. Bellissimo
Monday, February 24, 2014
Gov. Mark Dayton steps in to School lunch debate
By: Blayr T.
Governor Dayton commits to including $3.5 million in his supplemental budget proposal to ensure that no Minnesota student is denied access to a hot meal at lunchtime. Legislative leaders, who return to session at the end of the month, have similarly vowed to make lunch funding a priority.
As of today more than half of the school districts in Minnesota deny hot lunch, or any lunch at all, to students with no money in their lunch account. On top of this a report done by Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid that found schools throwing lunches in the trash, feeding students alternative lunches of cold cheese or butter sandwiches, or sending them home with “LUNCH” or “MONEY” reminders stamped on the backs of their hands.
After hearing this shocking information Dayton states that “No child in Minnesota should be denied a healthy lunch.” He further continues saying “we cannot expect our students to succeed on an empty stomach. I look forward to working with the Legislature to make this issue a priority in the upcoming legislative session.” In return, legislative leaders who return at the end of the month have similarly vowed to make lunch funding a priority.
Other schools react to this statement defending the ways that their schools work, and how what they are doing is simply being misinterpreted. Take Osseo for example, the largest of the 46 districts that immediately or eventually cut off lunches to students with deficits in their lunch accounts.
District spokeswoman Barb Olson says that when a child’s account balance goes in the red, the school provides an alternate lunch, consisting of a sandwich, fruit and milk for at least the next three days. “We want to reassure people we do not deny children lunch,” said Olson, who could not explain why students were given an alternative to a hot lunch. “We aim to keep courtesy meals to three. When students exceed those numbers, we engage in problems solving.”
Dayton is not the only one appalled by the mistreatment of the children, at the legislator amendment sponsor Rep. Joe McDonald, R-Delano puts a statement out saying that “It disappoints me that House Democrats chose special interests and partisan politics over children,” “I offered an amendment last year on the House floor that would have provided funding to ensure low-income children are not turned away from the lunch table for lack of payment. My amendment would have utilized funding from more bureaucracy — including a new climate center — to help ensure our students don’t go without a school lunch. Unfortunately, Democrats stood on the side of spending more taxpayer dollars in a government agency instead of taking the opportunity to support our children.”
House Speaker Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said funding school lunches will be “a very big priority. We’re going to include it in our budget.” Of students being denied lunch by their school, he said, “It just seems wrong.” In a follow up with the words of Mark Dayton, “if a child can’t afford a hot school lunch, the state of Minnesota should pick up the tab.”
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