Minnesota News Briefs: Ag Dept. finds possible salmonella in cilantro

Talk about it

Routine testing by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has found possible salmonella in fresh cilantro.

The California-grown produce was shipped to stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan from late July through Monday. No illnesses have been confirmed. Customers are asked to either throw out the cilantro or return it to the store where they bought it.

_________________________________________________________________

The owner of a Saint Cloud motorcycle shop is dead after a three-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in Waite Park. Police say a car driven by a Sartell man ran a stop sign and struck 52-year-old motorcyclist Paul Hiltner of Richmond. Hiltner was thrown from his bike into the path of an oncoming semi tractor-trailer and died at the scene. The driver who struck him wasn't hurt but could face charges. Hiltner owned Hardtails American Motorcycle.

_________________________________________________________________

A well-known weather expert predicts August will be generally cooler and more rainy than our record hot July. And U-of-M Climatologist Mark Seeley says other records were broken last month: Saskatchewan had more tornadoes in July than the entire U.S. 50 states -- the first time that's ever happened Seeley points to a changing climate across the U.S. and other northern land masses. He expects extreme weather to break more records in the coming months and years.

_________________________________________________________________

The driver of a subcompact car has died in a head-on crash in Redwood County. The State Patrol reports 18-year-old Jaime Garcia of Renville was killed when his car collided with an SUV on Highway-19 near Vesta. The other driver was injured but should recover.

_________________________________________________________________

Minnesota's drought situation remains troubling in southern and northwestern portions of the state. But U-of-M Climatologist Mark Seeley says we should get a break from the heat and dry conditions this month as weather pattens shift. That change includes a lowering of the jet stream which will likely bring more rain to our region. That air flow also increases the chance of more volatile weather for the remainder of August.

__________________________________________________________________

In just a few weeks, thousands of kids will be returning to the classroom and for some families it can be a difficult time of year. Annette Bauer with the Salvation Army says food, school supplies and getting them enrolled can be both expensive and stressful. A number of back to school supply drives are being held around the state. Bauer says the Salvation Army is collecting all kinds of things like backpacks, calculators, pens, pencils and notebooks.

_________________________________________________________________

Chances do not appear good for the DNR to agree to a citizens group's request and cancel this fall's wolf hunting and trapping season. DNR spokesman Chris Niskanen says the Legislature has set the course for the hunt. Doctor Maureen Hackett with the group Howling for Wolves says "certainly lawsuits are always possible," but indicates their approach is public education and awareness to try to change lawmakers' minds.

________________________________________________________________

A Minneapolis teenager is charged in the June shooting death of a five-year-old boy. Seventeen-year-old Stephon Shannon is accused of opening fire outside a home on the city's northside. One of the bullets struck and killed Nizzel George as he slept on a couch in his grandmother's residence.

________________________________________________________________

A Cass Lake man faces kidnapping and assault charges after an incident in summer of 2010. Twenty-eight-year-old Robert Roybal Jr. is accused of kidnapping and kicking a girl on the Red Lake Indian Reservation Federal officials say if Roybal is found guilty, he could get up to life in prison for each kidnapping charge and ten years behind bars for the assault.

_________________________________________________________________

Motorcycle deaths are up slightly this riding season. To date, there have been 26 fatalities compared to 23 at this time last year. State Patrol Lieutenant Eric Roeske (ROSS'-key) says there were seven riders killed in July alone. Roeske says, when you boil it down, most crashes are preventable usually by some pretty simple measures -- whether it's avoiding alcohol, wearing a helmet, or motorists watching for motorcycles when changing lanes or pulling out. In 2011 there were 42 motorcyle rider deaths and 45 in 2010.

_________________________________________________________________

New rules are in effect for off-highway vehicle use in Superior National Forest. Motorized travel in the region is now allowed only on roads and trails designated on the Motor Vehicle Use Map. Kris Reichenbach with the Superior National Forest says the rules were put in place to increase safety for riders and to reduce impact on wildlife. They apply to all classes of motor vehicles except aircraft, watercraft and over-snow vehicles. Downloadable Motor Vehicle Use maps are available at the Forest Service's website.

__________________________________________________________________

Another lake is infested with Eurasian Milfoil. The DNR reports McCormack Lake near Chisholm in St. Louis County tested positive in three dozen different locations, with mature growth of the invasive species found near shore. Eurasian Milfoil has now been discovered in more than 260 lakes and waterways around the state.

__________________________________________________________________

A judge has ruled officials in the city of Truman violated the rights of a police officer who had his hours cut and who later lost his job after serving in the military. service in Kuwait. Michael Schultz, who was deployed in Kuwait, can get his former job back and will be paid about 11-thousand dollars in lost benefits. Truman officials claimed they reduced Schultz's job to part-time for budgetary reasons, but did not cut his hourly pay.

__________________________________________________________________

State DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin is decrying attack ads that Democratic challenger Tarryl Clark is running against party-endorsed candidate Rick Nolan in the 8th congressional district. Martin says Clark is breaking her promise that she would not resort to negative attacks against her fellow DFL candidates in the primary. Clark said Thursday she stands by the ad. It alleges that Nolan received a $200,000 dollar bonus when involved with a business-development project during the Perpich administration. Nolan calls it an "absolute, unadulterated lie." The primary election is Tuesday.

Tags: news, minnesota, health