TRIPLE SLAYING-WISCONSIN

Authorities identify victims in Wisconsin triple homicide

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Authorities have identified the victims of a triple homicide in far western Wisconsin. The La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office says the bodies of 24-year-old Peng Lor, 24-year-old Nemo Yang and 23-year-old Trevor Maloney were discovered shortly before 5 a.m. Friday by two workers of the Milestone Quarry. The quarry is located near West Salem, about 14 miles (23 kilometers) northeast of La Crosse, which is along the Minnesota border. La Crosse County Sheriff Jeff Wolf called the deaths a “targeted act” but has not said how they died. He believes the three victims were killed sometime Thursday night or early Friday. Investigators want to see if any cameras recorded vehicles in the area at that time.

WILDFIRE WARNING

Wildfire warning issued for 9 counties in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The National Weather Service has issued a wildfire warning for areas of north-central and northeast Minnesota. The alert is due to extreme fire risk conditions in the counties of Aitkin, Beltrami, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods and St. Louis. The so-called red flag warning means the area is experiencing critical weather conditions that are ideal for wildfire, including strong winds and low humidity. Officials say any spark could become a wildfire under such circumstances. The warning is set to expire at 6 p.m. Sunday.

ENBRIDGE LINE 3-SHERIFF

Sheriff must stop blocking property used by pipeline foes

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota district judge has issued a temporary restraining ordered against the Hubbard County sheriff, ruling that the county must stop obstructing access to a property used by opponents of Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline project. Winona LaDuke and Tara Houska, two leaders of protests against the oil pipeline, recently sued Hubbard County and Sheriff Cory Aukes for repeatedly blocking a driveway to a home in north-central Minnesota. The property is one of several camps near the pipeline route used by Line 3 protesters. Aukes says he will appeal the judge’s order and that deputies “are not blocking” the driveway.

R KELLY

Prosecutors air more claims in R. Kelly case; 1 involves boy

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors in R. Kelly’s sex trafficking case say he had sexual contact with an underage boy in addition to girls, and the government wants jurors in his upcoming sex trafficking trial to hear those claims. Prosecutors aired a raft of additional allegations — but not new charges — against the R&B star in a court filing Friday. Kelly denies ever abusing anyone. Jury selection is due to start Aug. 9 in federal court in New York. A message was sent Saturday to his lawyers about the additional allegations.

TASK FORCE SHOOTING-MINNEAPOLIS

Woman hurt when Winston Smith was killed sues authorities

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A woman who was with a St. Paul man when he was shot and killed in Minneapolis by members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force last month is suing, claiming she was emotionally traumatized and her civil rights were violated. Norhan Askar was on a date with Winston Boogie Smith Jr. and was sitting in an SUV on June 3 when Smith was fatally shot. Askar’s attorneys said Friday that she suffered physical injuries and emotional distress. In a letter to the U.S. Marshals Service, they say she is seeking $15 million and will file a federal claim if the issue isn't resolved in six months. They say they also filed a personal injury lawsuit against Hennepin and Ramsey counties.

CARBON CAPTURE-PIPELINES

Carbon-capture pipelines offer climate aid; activists wary

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Two companies seeking to build thousands of miles of pipeline across the Midwest are promising the effort will aid rather than hinder the fight against climate change. Some environmental groups remain skeptical. The pipelines would stretch from North Dakota to Illinois, potentially transforming the Corn Belt into one of the world’s largest corridors for a technology called carbon capture and storage. The projects would capture the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide at ethanol refineries and transport it to sites where it could be buried thousands of feet underground beneath deep geological formations. But that isn’t stopping some conservationists from opposing it, raising the chances that the pipelines become another pitched battle between energy companies and environmentalists.

CRANE COLLAPSE-POWER OUTAGE

Crane collapse causes power outage as temps reach mid-90s

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — A crane fell over at a construction site in the Minneapolis suburb of Lexington on Friday, causing a power outage for nearly 900 customers in the area as temperatures were in the mid-90s. There were no injuries reported. A dispatch supervisor with the Centennial Lakes Police Department said the call came in shortly before 12:30 p.m. The crane fell into power lines and onto the partially-constructed building. The building was evacuated. Xcel Energy reported reported nearly 900 customers in the areas of Blaine, Circle Pines and Lexington were without power after the collapse. The power company said it expected energy to be restored at about 2:30 p.m.

MICHIGAN PIPELINE-ANCHOR

Enbridge: Anchor in Straits of Mackinac will be recovered

ST. IGNACE, Mich. (AP) — Enbridge Energy says an anchor will be recovered from the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac after it became detached from a cable during maintenance of an oil pipeline. The incident involved an Enbridge contractor. Enbridge says there was no risk to Line 5. The pipeline crosses the bottom of the straits connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Enbridge wants to build a tunnel in the water to house the pipeline. It has a permit from the state but needs approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Critics want the pipeline shut down, saying the lakes are at risk.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021