AP-US-CLINIC-SHOOTING-MINNESOTA

Man convicted of murder in Minnesota clinic attack

BUFFALO, Minn. (AP) — A jury has found a man guilty of murder and other counts in a shooting attack on a Minnesota medical clinic last year that killed one staff member and wounded four others. KARE-TV reports that jurors began deliberating Thursday afternoon, following testimony by the defendant, Gregory Ulrich, and short closing arguments. Ulrich is charged with murder, attempted murder and other counts in the shooting in Buffalo, northwest of Minneapolis. Prosecutors began closing arguments by naming each person who was shot, calling them “innocent, defenseless victims who were front-line workers in the medical field.” Ulrich’s attorney tried to dispel the notion that the attack was premeditated. Investigators have said Ulrich was addicted to opioids and angry his supply had been cut off.

ELECTION 2022-MINNESOTA-CONGRESS

Benda drops out of Minnesota 1st District congressional face

ALBERT LEA, Minn. (AP) — Republican Matt Benda has dropped out of the congressional race in southern Minnesota’s 1st District. He pulled out Thursday, just two days after he filed paperwork to challenge the party’s endorsed candidate for the open seat formerly held by the late U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn. Benda, an agricultural attorney from Albert Lea, finished fourth in last week’s special primary for the chance to fill out the rest of Hagedorn’s term. The winner was former USDA official Brad Finstad, who is also running to represent the district in the next Congress, too. Benda says Finstad now has his full support.

KNIFE THROWER

Mankato man accused of throwing knife during argument

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — A Mankato man has been charged with felony assault after he allegedly threw a knife at another man during an argument in April. The Mankato Free Press reports 39-year-old Brent David Steinkopf was charged Tuesday in Blue Earth County District Court with felony second-degree assault and gross misdemeanor fifth-degree assault. According to the criminal complaint, the knife struck the man in the leg, leaving a one-inch puncture wound on his calf. Steinkopf denied being involved and accused another person of stabbling the man. That person told police the man hit with the knife came into his apartment with a bleeding leg.

DEER CRASH

Deer causes fiery crash on interstate near Forest Lake

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A deer caused a fiery crash on Interstate 35 near Forest Lake. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the crash took place about 8 a.m. Wednesday when pickup driver Susan Norberg of Ramsey hit a deer. She abandoned her truck in on the interstate. Minnesota Department of Transportation cameras show rush-hour traffic moving around the truck before a semitrailer driven by David Haag of Center City plows into it. The pickup and semitrailer slide across the interstate onto an exit ramp. The pickup hits a car parked on the shoulder and both vehicles burst into flames. The semitrailer came to rest on the median, its front end mangled. Police said no one was hurt.

BISHOP APPOINTMENT

Pope taps L.A. bishop to head Minnesota diocese

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Pope Francis has appointed a Los Angeles bishop to lead a southern Minnesota diocese. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Thursday that Francis has appointed Bishop Robert E. Barron to lead the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Barron is the auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles. He will replace 76-year-old Bishop John Quinn, who has decided to resign. The Diocese of Winona-Rochester covers 12,282 square miles. Nearly 600,000 people reside in the diocese. About 134,000 of them are Catholics.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-HORSES

War forces zoo to scrap sending wild horses to Russia

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Zoo has scrapped plans to send a group of Asian wild horses back to their native Russia in light of the war in Ukraine. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports eight of the endangered horses, known as takhis or Przewalksi's horses, were supposed to return to a nature reserve in Russia this fall following delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Zoo officials say they can't afford to take care of the horses any longer and are looking for options, including shipping the horses to another zoo in North America.

WAREHOUSE-HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

Hazardous powder sickens Georgia warehouse workers

DUBLIN, Ga. (AP) — One person was hospitalized Thursday and others were sickened by a possible hazardous materials release at a Georgia warehouse. Dublin Fire Chief Matthew Cutler tells local news outlets that firefighters were called to the Best Buy distribution center. More than 20 employees were complaining of irritation to their eyes, nose, and throat from an unknown powdered substance. Firefighters and company officials evacuated the warehouse, which closed for the day. A hazardous materials team responded to help firefighters decontaminate. Best Buy is also sending a cleanup team. The Minneapolis-based company says it's investigating the cause.

FORT LAUDERDALE PROTEST-LAWSUIT

George Floyd protester sues Florida police over eye injury

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A protester who suffered eye damage when a rubber bullet fired by a Fort Lauderdale police officer struck her in the face is suing the city. Latoya Ratlieff is seeking unspecified monetary damages in her lawsuit against Fort Lauderdale and Officer Eliezer Ramos, who fired the rubber bullet. She filed the lawsuit on Tuesday. The 36-year-old Ratlieff was taking part in a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest over George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer. A police investigation cleared Ramos of wrongdoing, saying he was aiming at a protester who had thrown tear gas at officers.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022