Minnesota News Briefs: Minnesota Red Cross personnel in Louisiana

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NEW ORLEANS - American Red Cross personnel from southern Minnesota are in Louisiana as Hurricane Isaac hits the Gulf Coast.

Craig Dale of New Ulm and Diane Radel of Redwood Falls drove an emergency response vehicle from Mankato to Louisiana to help feed and care for those affected by the hurricane. The Red Cross also has mobile kitchens and truckloads of relief supplies on the way to the Gulf Coast, and more than 50 pre-positioned support trailers are ready with supplies. Other crews will be sent to assess storm damage and take part in mass-care operations.

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Homeowners with flood and storm damage in northeastern and southern Minnesota are urged to apply for the state's Quick Start Disaster Recovery Program. Julie Anderson of the Minnesota Recovers Task Force says Quick Start loans are available for anyone not covered by insurance. She says these are long-term loans up to $30,000 and if you stay in your home for ten years and it's your primary home, those loans are forgivable. Anderson says it's to encourage people to repair their homes and stay there for the long term. She says northeastern Minnesota homeowners interested in a Quick Start loan must first apply for a U.S. Small Business Administration loan. State lawmakers allocated $12.2-million for the program.

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Wells Fargo is providing nine-million dollars to help residents in Minneapolis and St. Paul become homeowners. The money will be distributed through the "Neighborhood LIFT" program. Participants will be eligible to receive up to $15,000 to help pay closing costs in return for agreeing to stay in their new homes for at least five years. Their are income requirements. Officials say you don't have to be a first-time home buyer, but you can't qualify for the program if you already own a home. Applications will be accepted at a two-day event at the Minneapolis Convention Center September 7th and 8th.

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Bail is set at one-and-a-half-million dollars for a Crookston man charged with second-degree murder in the death of a Thief River Falls woman. Thirty-one-year-old Jedidiah Troxel made his first court appearance this morning but did not enter a plea. Troxel is accused of stabbing 40-year-old Tanya Kasmierczak slashing her throat and leaving her body near the Red Lake River Landing last Saturday. Investigators say a pair of muddy boots tied Troxel to the crime scene. His next court appearance is in late October (10/29/12).

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A former Wadena County social worker will spend one year behind bars after pleading guilty to criminal sexual conduct charges. Twenty-nine-year-old Todd Anderson of Verndale admitted to having sexual contact with two men ages 18 and 19 in June of 2011. The criminal complaint alleges that Anderson told one of the victims to keep their encounter quiet or, quote, "I can pull strings and mess up your life." Anderson was sentenced to 48 months in prison Tuesday, but it was stayed and one of the conditions was that he serve 364 days in jail. He was also ordered to register as a predatory offender.

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A new case of swine flu has been confirmed in Minnesota. State health officials say the latest case of the H3N2 virus was in a man in his twenties from the Twin Cities. He purchased a pig at a live animal market in Dakota County on August 17th. So far this year, three cases of the virus have been confirmed in animal markets in Minnesota. And officials say they expect to see more of the virus in the state -- although the behavior of the virus doesn't appear to have changed. Nationwide, there have been 277 cases reported. The virus is typically spread form pigs to humans.

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Drunken driving arrests are down this year in Minnesota --and fatal crashes involving alcohol are also on the decline. In the past five years, drunken driving deaths have decreased 34-percent, from 170 in 2007 to 111 in 2011. Officials say the decline is due in part to enhanced enforcement campaigns, one of which is in effect now through Labor Day. In the past two weekends, 605 drunken drivers were arrested as part of the campaign. A similar campaign at this time last summer yielded almost three times as many arrests.

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With Labor Day almost here and the end of summer right behind, officials are reminding people to remain vigilant about water safety in the state's lakes, rivers and pools. It's particularly important for young people. Drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental death for children ages 14 and younger. Officials say it's important to review safety rules with family members, and parents need to maintain visual contact at all times with children who are in or near the water. Weak swimmers and non-swimmers are also urged to wear life jackets. And if you plan on boating over the Labor Day weekend, use extra caution, especially on crowded lakes and rivers.

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The head of the Minnesota National Guard is in Owatonna today meeting with Yellow Ribbon leaders in southern Minnesota. Adjutant General Richard Nash will talk with leaders from Albert Lea, Mankato, Owatonna and Rochester this afternoon. The Guard is currently reintegrating more than three-thousand soldiers and airmen from around 500 communities across the state. The "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon" program was started in 2005 to help returning Guard and Reserve members and their families cope with the challenges of re-entering civilian life. The program provides a number of counseling and support services.

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A Crookston man charged in the murder of a 40-year-old Thief River Falls woman was tied to the crime by his boots. The complaint against 31-year-old Jedidiah Troxel says investigators found a boot print under the body of Tanya Kasmierczak. Her body was discovered Sunday near the Red Lake River east of Thief River Falls. People attending a party saw Troxel and Kasmierczak talking near his car early Saturday morning. Family members reported her missing later that day. Troxel was taken into custody Monday night, he will make his first court appearance this morning on second degree murder charges.

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Former Governor Tim Pawlenty will be in the spotlight tonight at the Republican National Convention in Florida. He's scheduled to speak just before vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan. Pawlenty is a national co-chair of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign.

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Funeral services are today (Wed). for Stanley Crooks, long-time chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Crooks died Saturday at the age of 70. He became the tribe's chairman in 1992 and has also served as the chairman of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, a lobbying group. Crooks is survived by his wife and two daughters.

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State officials are warning Minnesota taxpayers of a potential new phone scam. A group referring to itself as "Alliance" calls, claiming to be "Minnesota Internal Service Representatives" and tells the taxpayer there's a large refund waiting for them -- if they provide bank account information and pay a small penalty fee. State Revenue Department Assistant Commissioner Terri Steenblock says that agency would never call a taxpayer and ask them to provide their social security number or bank account information -- and would never charge a penalty to release a refund to a taxpayer. Steenblock says there's only one reported incident at this time, but they want to let Minnesotans know so they can be on guard.

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