Minnesota News Briefs: Murder-suicide reported in St. Anthony

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ST. ANTNONY, Minn. - The Minneapolis suburb of St. Anthony has been rocked by what police call a murder-suicide.

A couple was found dead in the driveway of their duplex last night, while another man was also shot and is recovering in the hospital. A family argument was reportedly the cause. St. Anthony Police Chief John Ohl says officers responded to a "shots fired" call. Upon arrival they found a 52-year-old male deceased from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and his 45-year-old wife dead. Their 25-year-old son suffered a injury to his leg. Ohl says the son is recovering.

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Authorities have identified the motorcycle rider who died on Highway-10 in Morrison County. The State Patrol reports 39-year old Daniel Scepurek of Randall was killed on the roadway after he collided with a deer -- and was then run over by two vehicles which couldn't avoid him. One of the drivers sustained minor injuries in the accident.

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Authorities recovered a body from the Mississippi River this morning (Tues) on the east side of Minneapolis. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office says a passerby reported seeing a man jump off the Franklin Avenue bridge around 6:15am. The medical examiner will identify the man. Last week, another man jumped off a bridge near the University of Minnesota campus and his body was pulled from the river in the same area.

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The two officers involved in the fatal shooting of a suspect in Minneapolis on Friday have been identified. Both Officers Laura Turner and Chad Meyer are on standard administrative leave after responding to a domestic incident where they say they were confronted by 40-year-old Delshawn Crawford, Senior who was holding a knife. Crawford was shot to death.

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A deadly accident in central Minnesota as a motorcycle rider hit a deer -- then was run over by two vehicles. It happened on Highway-10 in Morrison County last night. The cycle and the rider ended up in the roadway and the approaching car and SUV could not stop in time. The State Patrol has not identified the motorcyclist, adding that one of the two other drivers sustained minor injuries.

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A new SurveyUSA poll indicates a majority of Minnesotans are happy with the job Governor Dayton is doing. Fifty-six percent of respondents approve of Dayton's job performance while 33 percent disapprove. Just 21 percent support the performance of state legislators and 67 percent were opposed. The survey also found that 52 percent of registered voters in the state believe same-sex couple should be able to marry, 42 percent oppose gay marriage and six percent are undecided. It's the first poll to show majority support for same-sex unions in Minnesota.

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Former Governor Tim Pawlenty claims he has no interest in the Republican vice presidential nomination. During a speech Monday at the University of Minnesota, Pawlenty encouraged journalists and observers to remove his name from the list of Mitt Romney's potential running mates. The Minnesota Republican has been campaigning on behalf of Romney and wouldn't rule out a possible Cabinet position. Pawlenty ended his campaign for the White House last summer in Iowa.

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Following Governor Dayton's veto of a Republican tax bill Monday, Democratic leaders take to the air to tour the state today. Dayton, Senate DFL Leader Tom Bakk and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen head to Duluth (10:45am), Moorhead (12:30pm) and Rochester (2:30pm) to brief area media about the 2012 legislative session. The governor signed a Vikings stadium bill on Monday but vetoed a final tax bill, bringing harsh criticism from Republican lawmakers.

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Renewable energy advocates are cheering a provision in the $500-million bonding bill for construction projects around the state. It allows schools, hospitals and other public buildings to use five percent of the project cost on solar energy. Ken Bradley with Environment Minnesota says it also requires the solar electric or heat to come from a Minnesota-made manufacturer. Bradley says public buildings that install solar electric or thermal heat systems would save thousands of dollars on utility bills. Solar Skies of Alexandria and Silicon Energy in Mountain Iron are two companies that supported the bonding bill provision.

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A lot of farmers got back out in the fields this past week, according to the USDA. The latest Crop Report shows corn planting continued, thanks to drier conditions, bringing the statewide total up to 88-percent.

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The governor signed a Vikings stadium bill on Monday but did not put the pen to a second tax bill approved by lawmakers this session. Saying the business tax relief measure would have created a $100-million hole in future state budgets, Governor Dayton vetoed the bill, adding it would have provided, quote, "virtually no tax relief for anyone else." Republican majority leaders responded harshly and Senate Tax Committee Chair Sen. Julianne Ortman went on record saying "the governor has demonstrated that he cares more about political talking points than the best interests of Minnesotans and our economic future."

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MnSCU officials today consider tuition increases for the upcoming school year. The latest proposal calls for a boost of $171 for full-time students at state colleges, bringing the average pay-out to just over 48-hundred dollars a year. The proposed increase at statewide universities would be $285, pushing the average tuition to just under $6,800 dollars a year.

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We could learn late tonight if 3,500 health care workers from five Twin Cities-area hospitals will go on strike. Julie Schnell, president of Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota, says employees have been trying to negotiate a new contract for several months. The hospitals involved are Fairview , Children's, Health East, North Memorial and Park Nicollet. The workers include nursing assistants, emergency room technicians, maintenance and food service personnel, clerks, warehouse staff and others. If the workers approve, they could strike for up to five days.

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A Dakota County grand jury has indicted a national right-to-die group in connection with the alleged assisted suicide of an Apple Valley woman in 2007. County Attorney James Backstrom says Georgia-based Final Exit Network faces felony charges which include assisting another to commit suicide. Four individuals, none from Minnesota , face similar charges. The case centers on Final Exit member Doreen Gunderson Dunn of Dakota County who reportedly asked the group for information and support for her suicide. The Dakota County case hinges on a Minnesota law that prohibits aiding, advising and encouraging a suicide. Final Exit argues the law is unconstitutional because it violates free speech. Backstrom says it is his duty to enforce the law by prosecuting violators. A similar case was thrown out the by the courts in Georgia.

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Hermantown police are hoping advances in DNA testing will help identify bones found 36-years ago. Deputy Chief Shawn Padden says kids playing in the woods behind their home found the remains in April, 1976. He says they may be able to identify the man if they can get a DNA sample from a living relative. Police believe the man was between 30- and 50-years old. Among items found near the remains: leather work boots, wool trousers, a wool hat and long underwear.

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Minnesota has picked up lots of rain in recent days but it has missed large parts of the state. That means wildfire danger remains high and red flag warnings are posted throughout northwestern Minnesota . Tom Fasteland (fast-land) with the Interagency Fire Center says high fire danger extends across the upper half of Minnesota , where no rain is expected until late this week. Monday turned out to be the warmest day of the year so far in Minnesota . The National Weather Service reports Hutchinson, Madison, Olivia and Morris all hit 90-degrees, while St. Cloud and the Twin Cities area got up to 86. Forecasters say today's weather will cool by an overall ten-degrees or so this afternoon, with the statewide highs in the mid-60's to upper-70's.

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While tearing up roads and laying down train tracks between the Twin Cities, construction workers have come across some interesting finds along the Central Corridor Light Rail Project. Spokesperson Laura Baenen (BAN'-en) says, among them, they've found un-mapped underground utilities from 100-years ago. The project is halfway complete and they expect the 10-mile line to be 75-percent finished by the end of this year. The Central Corridor, which connects St. Paul with Minneapolis and its light rail lines, is slated to be done in 2014.

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According to reports, this is the final day where the public can buy into an initial offering of stock in Facebook. But don't get your hopes up, since only investors who have big connections will likely be able to purchase shares of the social media's IPO. The price range has gone up in recent hours -- now between $34-38-dollars a share. The initial offering could raise nearly $12-billion for Facebook and its investors.

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Just for planning purposes, Minnesotans may need to shield their eyes this Saturday. Scientists say the first total Solar eclipse visible from the U.S. in 18-years will happen this Saturday morning. Minnesota is on the outer edge of the viewing while folks on the West Coast will get to see the moon cover the sun. That's assuming it's clear on Saturday. Keep in mind too that NASA says it's not safe to look directly at the sun's ring, which will be the only thing that appears, starting at 8:06am our time and lasting for nearly an hour.

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Former Minnesota Twins outfielder Torii Hunter is on leave from the Angels after his son's arrest in a Texas sexual assault investigation. Seventeen-year-old Darius McClinton-Hunter is one of five Dallas-area high school students accused of felony sexual assault of a child. Hunter flew home to Texas several hours before last night's game against the A's and was placed on the restricted list for personal reasons. After leaving Angel Stadium, he tweeted "this is very tough for a father, thanks for ur prayers and support. Be blessed everyone." Thirty-six-year-old Hunter is the final season of a five-year contract with the Angels.

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Here are the winning numbers from the Minnesota State Lottery for Monday, May 14th, 2012. The Daily Three: 0-1-7. Northstar Cash: 11-12-21-22-28. Gopher Five: 3-30-33-42-47.

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