Minnesota News Briefs: Big Lake police chief to resign

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BIG LAKE, Minn. - The city of Big Lake is paying Police Chief Sean Rifenberick $160,000 to resign.

Chief Rifenberick's settlement includes a $143,000 payment for his full salary until June, unused vacation time and full retirement benefits He was placed on paid leave last month. The chief has been accused of misconduct in the past but the city has not revealed the specific reason for the settlement. Rifenberick has agreed not to sue the city of Big Lake as part of the agreement.

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An Eden Valley woman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of her ex-boyfriend in Brooklyn Center. Thirty-nine-year-old Rochelle Inselman is accused of killing 41-year-old Bret Struck on February 12th in his home. Struck's body was discovered the next day by a concerned co-worker. The criminal complaint says Inselman had been stalking Struck since their relationship ended in 2004. A witness told police he sold a handgun to a woman named Rochelle in January and investigators matched accessories found in a trash can near Clearwater to the alleged murder weapon. Inselman makes her first court appearance this afternoon.

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The mayor of Luverne is running for re-election this fall, but for now is heading overseas on military duty. Pat Baustian will serve in the United Arab Emirates with the Sioux Falls-based 114th Fighter Wing. He says it's a three-month deployment and by the time you leave and get back home it's about 110 days. Baustian's work will include support of base communications, using radio and Internet. He leaves today, but filed papers on Monday to run for another two-year term as the city's mayor.

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It appears the former CEO of Richfield-based Best Buy may have abruptly resigned over allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports neither Brian Dunn nor Best Buy is commenting, but a source close to the company told the newspaper that Best Buy is investigating multiple complaints that allege Dunn behaved inappropriately with a subordinate. Dunn's resignation comes at a trying time for the company. Best Buy lost one-point-seven-billion dollars in the fourth quarter and is closing 50 stores nationwide. In Minnesota, five stores will close and 300 employees will be laid off.

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Don't put away your heavy coats quite yet. It's another cold morning with temperatures ranging from 18-degrees at Silver Bay to mid-30's in southwestern Minnesota. Forecasters say the latest freeze warning for central and southern Minnesota will stay in effect until 9am. Highs however will warm up into the upper 50's to low 60's statewide this afternoon.

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How much longer will Minnesota's legislative session last? House member, St. Cloud Republican King Banaian says their plan is to "be done by the end of April." Banaian says passing a state bonding bill is a priority. He points to debate over restoration of Minnesota's Capitol Building, which he supports, but says will likely pull money away from other projects.

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A fire that burned 16-hundred acres of forest and grassland in north-central Minnesota is now completely contained. Still, the DNR says firefighters will remain vigilant over the next several days to make sure winds don't whip up the fire again. The fire broke out Sunday near the town of Nimrod, apparently sparked by a vehicle. The fire has burned five buildings, including a home, a hunting shack and several outbuildings. No injuries have been reported.

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A new study by the University of Minnesota holds some positive news for menopausal women. Researchers analyzed data on nearly 1,200 women who used soy supplements for relief from hot flashes. Professor Mindy Kurzer says they found that soy definitely reduces hot flashes modestly by about 20-percent in hot flash frequency and by about 26-percent in severity. Kurzer says the women used soy isoflavone supplements that are available over-the-counter at nutrition stores. Soy products are considered a beneficial treatment that does not have the side effects of traditional hormone therapy.

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According to the latest Beige Book survey, the upper Midwest grew at a "solid pace" during late winter and early spring. The Federal Reserve's 9th-District includes Minnesota, along with other states includine the Dakotas and a portion of Wisconsin. Officials pointed to strength in consumer spending, professional services, construction, manufacturing, energy and mining, and agriculture.

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Many economists agree that Minnesota is better off than lots of other states. Minnesota's jobless rate inched up recently but they say the state's overall economy is moving in the right direction St. John's University Professor Louis Johnston says Minnesota's economy is poised for slowly, steady growth which bodes well for the long term. Johnston thinks Minnesota's economy will grow two or two-and-a-half percent this year.

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What seems like good news is not really all that good for home foreclosures in Minnesota. In March, foreclosures dropped from the month before and were considerably down from March of last year. But the experts caution that the positive numbers will be followed by another surge in home take-backs. RealtyTrac's Daren Blomquist says there's going to be some more bumps over the next six- to nine-months because of all the delays the past few years.

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The state's largest natural gas provider is reminding Minnesotans that the Cold Weather Rule ends this Sunday. It protects residential customers from service disconnections between October 15th and April 15th. CenterPoint Energy's Becca Virden says disconnections could happen Monday if customers with past-due bills do not make payment arrangements before the 15th. Virden says there are still heating assistance funds available for low-income Minnesotans and other eligible customers. Demand for natural gas was down 20-to 30-percent in Minnesota thanks to above-normal temperatures this winter.

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Cases of pertussis or whooping cough continue to circulate around the state. Kris Ehresmann with the Minnesota Department of Health says be sure your infants and young children are up-to-date with their pertussis vaccinations. She says a pertussis vaccination is also available and offered to older kids and adults. Ehresmann says whooping cough symptoms are initially mild and similar to a cold but develop into severe coughing fits. Ehresmann says whooping cough is also known as the "100-Day Cough" because symptoms can last that long.

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A new study confirms what many men have always wanted to believe. Beer makes men smarter, sort of. Researchers at the University of Illinois found that men who drank a couple of beers were better at solving brain teasers than men who were completely sober. In the study, 40 men were given three words and told to name a fourth to complete a pattern. For example, "cheese" would complete a pattern with the words "blue," "cottage," and "Swiss." The 20 men who drank two pints of beer before taking the test solved 40-percent more of the problems more quickly than the 20 who didn't. However, the beer-drinkers who were better at creative problem-solving were worse at working memory tasks.

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Here are the winning numbers from the Minnesota State Lottery for Wednesday, April 21st, 2012. The Daily Three: 9-9-7. Northstar Cash: 4-10-17-22-27. Gopher Five: 7-13-14-19-21. Hot Lotto: 4-6-9-11-16 and the Hot Ball was 12. Powerball: 16-23-42-44-47 and the Powerball was 2.

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