Minnesota News Briefs: Spring break scrapped in Minnesota school district

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(Sartell, MN) -- The Sartell-St. Stephen School Board finalized plans last night to do away with the district's traditional week-long spring break.

Around 200 people attended the hearing and many aired their concerns. Parent Nicole Oftedahl says she first heard of the hearing a week ago by word-of-mouth. She says the board did not give the community enough time or information about the agenda item. Acting school board chairman Patrick Jacobson-Schulte says a universal spring break week doesn't necessarily work for every family. Schulte says long breaks are hard for young children who need routine. The district will move forward with creating a few long weekends throughout the school year.

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A winter storm warning is in a effect for a portion of Minnesota today and tomorrow. A blizzard warning is in effect for west-central Minnesota. The heaviest snow is expected across the central portion of the state. Places like Alexandria, St. Cloud and Brainerd could see between 10-17 inches.

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A 61-year old woman is charged with running over another woman on a Maple Grove sidewalk in January. Fifty-four-year old Ann Blake of Andover died. An officer witnessed a car driven by 61-year old Linda Hamm drive up on the curb and strike Blake, then veer over the centerline of the highway and collide with another car. Hamm, from Maple Grove, showed a high blood alcohol level after the accidents.

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A train derailment left 20 cars off the tracks in southwestern Minnesota last night. Authorities in Jackson County say there were no injuries, no hazardous materials found and most of the cars were empty. The Union Pacific train was headed toward the city of Brewster.

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Some good news for those who live in Wisconsin but work in Minnesota -- and vice-versa. Revenue officials from Minnesota and Wisconsin say they have an agreement on tax reciprocity that will again allow residents who live in one state and work in the other to file just one state income tax return. The revenue chiefs say they have legal authority to sign a deal without legislative action and the change will begin next year. About 60,000 Wisconsin residents work in Minnesota while 20,000 who live in Minnesota work in Wisconsin.

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In south-central Minnesota, a Silver Lake man is charged in the murder of a Glencoe woman last week at her residence. Forty-two-year old David Muniz Bustos is charged with 2nd degree murder in the stabbing death of his girlfriend, 40-year-old Dominga Limon after an argument. The complaint says Limon’s 20-year-old daughter was present at the time, went to her car, returned a short time later and could see through a window, Bustos apparently striking Limon in the chest area. Examination revealed she had been stabbed several times. Limon was taken to the Glencoe Hospital for emergency treatment and was then transferred to HCMC for treatment, but died Thursday.

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A southern Minnesota man gets probation, a fine and will have to perform community service after pleading guilty to killing pelicans on a farm last spring. Fifty-nine-year-old Craig Staloch of Minnesota Lake violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and will serve two years probation and pay a fine of more than 12-thousand dollars. Back in May, a state wildlife specialist found countless dead pelican chicks and smashed eggs on the farmland Staloch rents.

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There could soon be approval for a new bridge over the St. Croix River near Stillwater. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann says the bill allowing the project to proceed has been scheduled for a vote in the U.S. House, and that could come as early as tomorrow. The Senate has already approved the measure, which would exempt the new bridge project from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The current Stillwater Lift Bridge is 80 years old and has been deemed "structurally deficient."

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We're nearly at the end of February and over a month into the 2012 legislative session and Vikings stadium backers still haven't rolled out a bill. At the House, Moorhead Republican Morrie Lanning says he's still hopeful of moving the issue along this week. There's talk that the legislature could adjourn by Easter -- just over a month away and likely not enough time to get a stadium deal together. But Lanning says he hasn't given up on this session and it's still very feasible to pass a Vikings stadium package.

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Investigators will soon release the name of the construction worker who died after being pinned under a load from a tractor trailer in Kerkhoven on Monday. The Swift County Sheriff's Office says something on the truck shifted and fell, pinning the man to the ground. He later died at the hospital.

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A St. Paul man who disappeared on Valentine's Day is still missing. Fifty-two-year old David Wandtke left the family home to go to the grocery store and never returned. Police Sergeant Paul Paulos says they are looking for a 2002 maroon Chrysler PT Cruiser. Paulos says foul play is not suspected in the case. Anyone with information on Wandtke's whereabouts is urged to call St. Paul police.

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State Representative Tony Cornish says Wednesday will be the day the Minnesota House votes on a bill that would change state law about when it's legal to kill someone in self-defense. Cornish, a Republican from Good Thunder, is hoping a provision the Senate put in the bill will defuse criticism from leaders of the law enforcement community. The measure would make it easier to prosecute if the defendant knew, or should have known, that the person they shot was a peace officer. Opponents call the bill "shoot first, ask questions later." They warn it will encourage people to over-react to perceived threats -- and make it tougher for prosecutors to get convictions when people should *not* have killed someone in self-defense.

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In the wake of Monday's fatal high school shooting in Ohio, Minnesota officials say it's important that schools have an emergency plan in place with local officials. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Wade Setter says when something happens and a school goes into lockdown, the plan details how school officials work with emergency responders who render aid, apprehend the suspect and then conduct an investigation. Setter says in some cases schools may request additional police presence to confirm that students are being protected.

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A well-established St. Paul micro-brewery could soon get larger. Summit Brewing plans a six-million dollar expansion which would start either late next year or in 2014. Officials say it will also hire more workers down the road. Summit, which has been around for more than 25-years, distributes its beers in more than a dozen states but of its sales are still in Minnesota.

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It's been 140-years to the day since Minneapolis and St. Anthony became one city. The two cities were joined after new bridges were finished over the Mississippi River. Within a few years, in 1880, Minneapolis had a population of 46,000 people.

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Here are the winning numbers from the Minnesota State Lottery for Monday, February 27th, 2012. The Daily Three: 3-4-7. Northstar Cash: 1-12-14-30-31. Gopher Five: 4-13-35-37-40.

Tags: news, minnesota