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Crunch time for state lawmakers, budget still not complete
State lawmakers worked overnight Saturday passing a health care plan. It would allow 7,000 more Minnesotans to enroll in a publicly funded insurance plan. Another 5,000 would be offered tax credits and employer grants to get private insurance.
 
Company recalls meat in Wisc. and Iowa
Federal officials say a Chicago-based company is recalling beef products distributed in 11 states, including Wisconsin, due to an E. coli scare. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Saturday said no illnesses have reported with the recall from JSM Meat Holdings Co.
 
Wetterling's classmate takes up his cause   
Nearly 20 years after Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped while riding bikes with his friends near his home in St. Joseph, one of his classmates is still working to make sure children are safe and Wetterling is not forgotten...
 
St. Paul boy in fair condition after falling out window   
A 5-year-old boy fell out of a second floor window in St. Paul Friday evening is in fair condition, according to hospital officials. Gillette Hospital reports Aiden Hughes is recovering from his fall from a window onto the pavement below at 217 West Baker Street. "He's in pain, he's got a fractured skull. His ear's leaking spinal fluid," said his mother Kelly Rose...
 
Residents warned to stay off balconies after collapse   
Four men were injured after a third-floor balcony collapsed in Little Canada Friday evening. Witnesses told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS they heard cracking and popping noises prior to the collapse...
 
After a four-month grind, lawmakers ready for the end   
Top legislators and Gov. Tim Pawlenty stepped out of their budget talks and onto the Capitol steps Saturday, breaking to mark Minnesota's 150th birthday even though they still haven't resolved all their differences on a session-ending budget deal...
 
Lifetouch under fire after allegedly altering yearbook photos
Besides the head and body switching, some necks were stretched, and some outfits were altered by a Minnesota-based national photography company...

 Read Lifetouch's response
 
Happy 150th birthday Minnesota!


 Full list of events

Even legislators took a break today to mark Minnesota's 150th birthday...

 WWII planes fly over Capitol 

 Commemorative stamp unveiled 
 
Wis. woman accused of shooting daughter for $1
A Sheboygan woman already accused of shooting her daughter with a BB gun to win a $1 bet now faces charges of violating her bond...
 
Will gas prices ruin a Minnesota summer tradition?   
While the average price of gas in the Metro went down a penny Saturday, the reality is: Gas is still about $3.68 a gallon. Which is too high for some Minnesotans who realized they might not be able to enjoy summer like they used to...
 
Rockies rally to beat Minnesota 3-2
Ryan Spilborghs hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and the Colorado Rockies overcame Livan Hernandez's strong outing to end a six-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night...
 
A 'greener' roof for Mpls. City Hall   
A crew from Minnesota Native Landscapes began putting soil on the roof of the Minneapolis City Hall and Hennepin County Courthouse courtyard Saturday...
 
AIDE: Sen. Kennedy conscious after seizure   
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the lone surviving son in a famed political family who helped define national Democratic Party politics, suffered at seizure at his Cape Cod home on Saturday and was recovering in good spirits at a Boston hospital...
 
Trial date set for former Viking Darrion Scott
The trial will begin on July 7th in Hennepin County District Court. Scott is charged with two felonies in connection with the alleged assault of his 2-year-old son last month...
 
2 seperate crashes overnight leave 2 dead   
Two separate crashes Friday night have left two people dead. Joseph Engles was killed when his car crashed through a wooden sound barrier fence along 94 and Danielle Pound lost control of her car along 694 and slammed into a median divider...
 
Coon Rapids Police under fire after alleged interrogation   


Trayvon Eatman, 15

  3 arrested in Coon Rapids robberies, assaults [5.14] 

The mother of a Coon Rapids High School student is angry with police after they interrogated her son about his relationship with three teens recently arrested for a series of beatings...

 Assaults, robberies plague Coon Rapids [5.12] 
 
Priest bans autistic child from central Minn. church
A Catholic priest has filed a restraining order against the parents of a severely autistic 13-year-old boy in an effort to keep him from attending the church here on Sundays...
 
Parts of 35E in St. Paul closes
Resurfacing of Interstate 35E between Interstate 94 and West 7th Street in St. Paul begins Friday night. Work begins on the southbound side of the interstate, requiring a full closure and detours on weekends until late June...
 
Fridley man assaulted, robbed in bedroom


Joshua Ward, 21

Teddie McKinley, 22

A 20-year-old Fridley man woke up Friday to two burglars punching him in the face and threatening him with a shotgun. The victim's father, Stephen Wallerius, heard a disturbance and called police at about 4 a.m. to report burglars in his home in the 5700 block of Washington St. NE.  Matthew Wallerius told police that the two burglars woke him up and demanded money...
 
Wis. man accused of possessing illegally capturing deer
State Department of Natural Resources wardens entered a fenced property Tuesday in the town of Lake Holcombe with search warrants and found 19 live deer and two dead deer, as well as six elk...
 
General Mills sends earthquake relief money to China
General Mills is donating $500,000 to the American Red Cross to help with the recovery effort in China following a devastating earthquake...
 
DFL Senate candidates head to Alexandria
The DFL candidates for U.S. Senate are stumping for support in Alexandria. The 7th Congressional District convention is being held at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria this weekend...
 
'Abigail Taylor' pool safety bill becomes law
Abigail Taylor pool safety bill is now law in Minnesota.The proposal is named for the 6-year-old girl who suffered an ultimately fatal injury after sitting on a drain at a country club wading pool...
 
Will King Abdullah's research school pull from local colleges?   
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is trying to pluck the world of it’s brightest young scientists. He’s opening his own research school in the fall callsed KAUST. But will it affect the student enrollment at the University of Minnesota?
 
Police looking for suspects in S. Mpls. bus stop robberies   
Police are looking for the suspects responsible for two robberies at the bus stop in South Minneapolis. The two crimes happened at bus stops near Chicago Avenue between East 40th and 42nd Streets...
 
Mpls. school bans touching   
Students at a Minneapolis Elementary School are faced with a new rule: No touching. Armatage Elementary School issued the ban, saying students were being too rough with one another...
 
Man tries to shoot fish, schools go into lockdown in Princeton
Schools in Princeton initiated a lockdown Friday afternoon, after a man allegedly was trying to shoot a fish. Police received a call from Princeton Middle School officials regarding a single gunshot that was heard near the school grounds just before 1 p.m...
 
2009 Gov's Fishing Opener to be held on WBL   
For the first time since the tradition began 60 years ago, the Governor's Fishing Opener will be held in the Twin Cities metropolitan area - on White Bear Lake...
 
Como exhibit to feature butterflies thanks to Scandia man   
A new exhibit at the Como Zoo in St. Paul will feature butterflies from all over the world and it’s all thanks to a Scandia man. Kraig Anderson says hundreds of animals arrive at his little hobby farm each week...
 
Violent Wis. bus attack caught on tape   
Surveillance video shows a man in a red sweatshirt and bandanna boarding the bus in Milwaukee Wednesday, then pummeling the driver.
 
Fire sweeps A&W, KFC in Brooklyn Center
Fire crews responded to a one-alarm fire at an A&W and KFC restaurant in Brooklyn Center Friday afternoon. Flames were seen shooting through the roof on traffic management cameras...
 
Pawlenty has 'no designs' on being VP
Gov. Tim Pawlenty, frequently mentioned as a possible running mate for Republican John McCain, said Friday he doesn't have "any motivations or designs" of doing anything more than volunteering on behalf of the presidential candidate...
 
PAWLENTY: GOP needs more diversity
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty told Wisconsin Republicans tonight that the party needs to attract more diverse candidates and voters, and speak about issues that people care about...
 
Search continues for missing Marshall teen


Brandon Swanson, 19
photo from the Marshall Independent

Authorities in southwestern Minnesota are looking for a 19-year-old Marshall man whose car apparently went into a ditch near Taunton. Brandon Swanson has been missing since early Wednesday, when he called his father via cell phone...
 
Baby hurt in Burnsville fire   
Three adults and an infant are in the hospital Friday morning after an apartment fire in Burnsville. The victims were hurt when fire started on the 1000 block of West Bursnville Parkway around 12:45 a.m...

 Tenants describe what happened
 
Driver crashes into Paynesville City Hall
The outside of City Hall in the west-central Minnesota town of Paynesville will have to be rebuilt after someone crashed into the southwest wall...
 
New bike center opens in South Mpls.   
A new bike center opened on the Midtown Greenway Friday. The Freewheel Midtown Bike Center, located behind the Midtown Exchange, is modeled after a bicycle center in downtown Chicago...
 
Minn. native, winemaking patriarch Robert Mondavi dies
Robert Mondavi, the Minnesota native who helped put California wine country on the map, has died. He was 94...
 
Pawlenty addresses Wisconsin GOP
Possible Republican vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is the keynote speaker for Wisconsin Republicans at their annual state convention in Stevens Point...
 
Tick illnesses hit record highs
The state Health Department is warning people to guard against tick bites as new statistics show 2007 was a record year for tick-born diseases in the state...
 
Should Mpls. give the boot to the car boot?   
The ‘boot’ is used to control illegal parking, but it may become a thing of the past. The public is welcomed to weigh in on the proposed boot ban at a Minneapolis City Council meeting on Wednesday...
 
Incarcerated political operative Forciea sues therapist
Imprisoned political operative Patrick Forciea is suing his former psychotherapist for what he claims was improper treatment of his bipolar disorder...
 
Warm-weather businesses hurting after cold spring   
Friday marked the warmest day in 2008 so far, but it took a while to get here. In 2007, temperatures around the state were higher two months sooner than this year. This year’s warm up is taking atoll on a number of businesses...
 
Wis. teacher on paid leave after hugging student
A Kimberly elementary school teacher is on paid leave while the school district investigates a parent's report that the instructor hugged a student...
 
MSP starts streamlined security check   
Call it a "sane lane" for air travelers. Starting Friday, travelers who know the security drill can choose their own lane at one of the checkpoints at Twin Cities Airport...
 
Arbitrator: Pitt firing was justified


 Read the arbitrator's decision

Sonia Morphew Pitt "abused the latitude accorded to her" when she stayed on the East Coast for nearly two weeks after the Aug. 1 collapse, arbitrator Christine Ver Ploeg wrote...
 
Going fishing this weekend? Bring your camera along   


Elijah Zahler caught this fish on Weaver Lake in Maple Grove

Do you have a picture of your prize fish? Send it to us, we'll post it on our interactive 'Fish Spotter' map. If you're going fishing this weekend, don't forget your camera...

 See the interactive 2008 Fish Spotter map with new photos
 
RNC protesters to appeal parade permit
A coalition of protesters planning to march on the first day of the Republican National Convention plans to push the city of St. Paul for a permit more to its liking...
 
DNR eases burning restrictions in central Minn.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is easing burning restrictions in central Minnesota due to April rains...
 
Unemployment rises in state
"We need strong job growth if the economy is to pick up," said State Economist Tom Stinson. He said that without an increase in population, thousands of empty houses will continue to be a drag on the economy...