FRATERNITY-HAZING

Two former Mizzou frat members charged in hazing incident

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Two former members of a University of Missouri fraternity have been indicted for a hazing incident that left another student blind and unable to walk or communicate after drinking a liter of vodka in October. The Columbia Missourian reports that a Boone County grand jury on Friday indicted former Phi Gamma Delta fraternity members Ryan Delanty and Thomas Shultz, both of St. Louis County, in the hazing of 19-year-old Daniel Santulli of Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Both are charged with felony hazing and misdemeanors of supplying liquor to a minor or intoxicated person. Shultz also faces a felony for tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution.

ST. PAUL-TRENCH COLLAPSE

Bodies of 2 workers recovered after trench collapse

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Authorities in St. Paul, Minnesota, have confirmed that two construction workers died when a trench collapsed as they were working. The St. Paul Fire Department said on Twitter Saturday that the bodies had been recovered, a day after the collapse. Names of the victims have not been released. The accident happened about 2:45 p.m. Friday in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood. Deputy Fire Chief Roy Mokosso says another worker in the area called 911 and attempted a brief rescue, but authorities believe the workers died within minutes of the collapse.

AP-US-ELECTION-2022-MINNESOTA-GOVERNOR

Minn. Republican threatens retaliation against medical board

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen has threatened to retaliate against the Minnesota board that oversees doctors as it investigates him for the fifth time. Jensen calls the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice a “juggernaut” that he'll deal with if he’s elected governor. Jensen, a family practice physician from Chaska, is a COVID-19 vaccine skeptic who has promoted alternative treatments. He said in a video posted on Twitter Thursday night that he shouldn't have to practice medicine or run for governor with the cloud of a board investigation hanging over him. The board comprises 16 people, all appointed by the governor.

CLINIC SHOOTING-MINNESOTA

Judge: Attack that led to life sentence 'simply unthinkable'

BUFFALO, Minn. (AP) — A judge has handed down a mandatory life sentence to a man who stormed a medical clinic in Minnesota, fatally shot one person and wounded four others, saying the act was unfathomable. Gregory Ulrich opened fire Feb. 9, 2021, at the Allina Crossroads Clinic in Buffalo, a city of about 16,400 people, 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis. He was sentenced Friday. A jury earlier this month found Ulrich guilty of the 11 charges against him, including premeditated first-degree murder for killing Lindsay Overbay, a 37-year-old medical assistant. Four other clinic staffers survived but suffered serious injuries. Wright County District Judge Catherine McPherson said during sentencing that the attack was “simply unthinkable.”

MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE

Special session unlikely on Minnesota budget surplus

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — It appears chances are dead for a special legislative session that could have brought billions of dollars in tax cuts and new spending in Minnesota. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz told reporters late Thursday that talks with Republican leaders had “reached an impasse,” leaving about $7.2 billion of an original $9.25 billion surplus unspent. About a week before the end of the regular session last month, Walz and top legislators announced an agreement to use $4 billion to cut taxes, $4 billion to increase spending and to save another $4 billion. Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller blamed Democrats for the impasse, saying they wanted too much in spending.

CHIMPANZEE SANCTUARY-DEATHS

Group blasts Chimp Haven fight deaths; wild chimps also kill

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An animal rights group has filed a federal complaint against the national sanctuary for chimpanzees once used for federal experiments. The group says the sanctuary's care is poor. It cites a federal warning and Chimp Haven's own reports about an escape and about deaths caused by fights among chimpanzees. The sanctuary in north Louisiana said it acted immediately to change introduction procedures after a female was killed. It says that it has cared for more than 500 chimps since it opened in 2005, and five deaths were due to aggression. Experts say such deaths happen more frequently in the wild.

HOUSE FLIPPER-FRAUD

Minneapolis-area house-flipper pleads guilty to fraud

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A woman who ran a house-flipping business in the Minneapolis area has pleaded guilty to defrauding real estate investors out of more than $3 million. Suzanne Griffiths is charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Authorities say she frequently made material misrepresentations about the status of real estate projects, failed to take promised action, falsified documents and misappropriated investments for her own use. The 46-year-old Griffiths allegedly recruited investors at seminars of a national real estate investment coaching program. Griffiths now resides in Arizona.

OILFIELD STOCK SCHEME

Former Minnesota oil executive convicted of securities fraud

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former oil industry executive from Minnesota who co-founded a facility that loaded crude from the North Dakota oil patch onto rail cars has been convicted in a stock manipulation scheme. A federal jury earlier this week found Michael Reger guilty of securities fraud. The conviction caps a shareholder lawsuit that filed five years ago against Reger and the other co-owner of Wayzata-based Dakota Plains Holdings, Ryan Gilbertson. The suit alleges that Reger and Gilbertson intentionally manipulated the price of stock in its first 20 days of trading. Gilbertson was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. A federal judge earlier this month preliminarily approved a $14 million settlement between shareholders and other directors and executives of the now-defunct company.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022