Minnesota News Briefs: Young woman abducted in Appleton

Talk about it

(Appleton, MN) -- The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says a young female of unknown age was abducted by at least three people in a dark-colored SUV in Appleton around 8 p.m. Monday night.

Officials say a white, heavy-set man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark pants got out of the SUV during the kidnapping. It's believed at least two others were in the SUV, which was last seen heading south on Highway 7. The driver was identified as a white male wearing a t-shirt. Both the driver and a third passenger remained in the vehicle. The female was wearing a white, poofy coat with her hood up, black pants and a white hat. If you see this vehicle or have information on this crime alert, please contact the Swift County Sheriff’s office or call 911 immediately.

_________________________________________________________________________

A junior at Rush City High School is under arrest for allegedly making terroristic threats Monday at school. The Chisago County Sheriff's Office says the 17-year-old boy made direct threats against a female student and also threatened to shoot up and bomb the school. The suspect was taken to a regional juvenile center where he awaits arraignment. The case remains under investigation.

_________________________________________________________________________

Police in Duluth are investigating reports of counterfeit 20-, 50- and 100-dollar bills being used in the area. Officers say the suspects have been passing the fake bills at retail establishments in the Twin Ports and obtaining legitimate money as change. Businesses that deal in cash transactions are asked to use extra care examining 20s, 50s and 100s to ensure they are genuine. Anyone who sees any of the fake bills or other currency that looks suspicious should call 911.

__________________________________________________________________________

A $24-million-dollar school bond issue in the western Minnesota town of Rothsay failed last night by 12 votes. Passage of the referendum would have built a new 100,000-square foot, K-12 school building. The current Rothsay school opened in 1903. School officials wanted to use the old building for a fire hall and community center.

_________________________________________________________________________

It's not always easy for live theater to make a profit. But Minnesota's most-renowned stage, the Guthrie theater, did well in its last fiscal year, thanks to a schedule of well-known shows from the 1950's such as Tennessee Williams' "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof." The Guthrie ended up about 68-thousand-dollars in the black this time around, with a one-percent gain in audience. Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" runs through December 29th at the Guthrie in Minneapolis.

_________________________________________________________________________

There aren't many reasons for hardy Minnesotans to abandon work in the oil fields over our western border. The latest numbers out of North Dakota show more oil wells than ever and yet another record month of drilling. October figures show just over 23-million barrels of oil pumped out of the Bakken region -- an average of 747,000 barrels a day -- yet another increase over the previous month. North Dakota trails only Texas in oil production. The Lone Star State has also seen more crude lately -- with an average output back up over two-million barrels per day.

_________________________________________________________________________

Investigators are not ruling out anyone as a suspect in the November 29th shooting death of Cold Spring Officer Tom Decker. BCA Assistant Superintendent Drew Evans confirmed that Officer Greg Reiter was Decker's partner on the night of the shooting and adds that Reiter "has been cooperative in this investigation and has talked to investigators on many different occasions." A $100,000 reward is offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in Officer Decker's death. Dive teams are scheduled to search the Sauk River again today for the 20-gauge shotgun allegedly used in the shooting.

__________________________________________________________________________

Officials are in Worthington today gathering public input on the state's long-term plan for combating substance abuse. David Hartford with the state Human Services Department says a number of agencies are participating. He says long-term goals include strengthening substance abuse prevention, early intervention in health care and more support for recovery -- plus reducing drug trafficking and production.

__________________________________________________________________________

A prayer vigil last night (Mon) at Five Oaks Church in Woodbury as the search continues for an Oakdale woman. Twenty-seven-year-old Danielle Jelinek has been missing since December 8th. She was last seen with a former boyfriend who lives in Chisago Lake Township. Chisago County Sheriff Rick Duncan says they continue to follow up on several leads. He says large-scale volunteer searches have ended, however law enforcement officials will continue periodic searches of their own.

_________________________________________________________________________

It could soon be tougher for nearly 40,000 Minnesotans who are already struggling to put food on the table. Cuts in funding for food support, under the SNAP program, are expected to be included in a new farm bill. Colleen Moriarty with Hunger Solutions Minnesota says SNAP shouldn't be cut because there's still a great need and it does make the difference between a senior being able to have the right kind of nutrition to keep them in their home and have their medicine work. She says it also makes the difference between children having ready access to food so that they can succeed in school. Moriarty says because of SNAP, more than a half-million Minnesotans have been able to stay above the poverty line.

__________________________________________________________________________

Orono High School alumni are raising money for the funeral of one of the victims in the Connecticut school shootings who has Minnesota connections. Six-year-old Sandy Hook student Charlotte Bacon was the daughter of Minnesota native and Orono graduate JoAnne Hagen-Bacon. Classmate and family friend Leah Spring is raising funds at the site rememberingcharlotte.blogspot.com. More than $1,400 has been collected since Saturday. Anyone is welcome to contribute and donations will help pay for Charlotte's memorial service and other expenses. Her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are headed to the East Coast for the funeral and are flying free on American Airlines.

__________________________________________________________________________

There's a hearing yesterday on a request to lower the bail of Byron Smith, the man accused of killing two teens who broke into his Little Falls home on Thanksgiving Day. Smith's lawyer wants his client's bail reduced from two million dollars. Meanwhile, the Minnesota attorney general's office has rejected a request to help prosecute Smith in the deaths of 18-year-old Haile Kifer and 17-year-old Nick Brady -- citing a high volume of criminal cases it's working on now.

__________________________________________________________________________

A St. Paul man is the latest pedestrian to die in Minnesota. The State Patrol says 23-year-old Ryan Lockhart was struck and killed by a car in Pine City late Sunday. There's been a sharp rise in pedestrian deaths across the state this year, while other traffic-related fatalities have dropped.

__________________________________________________________________________

Minnesota-based Caribou Coffee is being sold to a private German holding company for about 340-million dollars. The Joh. A Benckiser Group will pay $16-dollars per share for Caribou's more than $20-million outstanding shares. Officials say Caribou will continue to operate as independent company and headquarters will remain in Brooklyn Center. The company's board unanimously approved the buyout. Caribou opened its first shop in Edina in 1992 and is now the second-largest coffeehouse chain in the U.S.

__________________________________________________________________________

A singer from Minnesota will compete tonight (Mon)on the finals of NBC's "The Voice." Nicholas David (real name Mrozinski) from Eagan advanced to the final three last week with his version of the classic ballad, "You Are So Beautiful." David dedicated the song to his wife, son and parents who were in Los Angeles for the show. He'll face Terry McDermott and CassaDee Pope in "The Voice" finals with a major recording contract on the line.

__________________________________________________________________________

The state Commerce Department has opened an investigation to make sure long distance companies don't continue charging customers extra for long-distance calls within Minnesota. The FCC has ordered that the rates for interstate and intra-state long distances calls be the same by July of next year. State Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman recommends consumers keep a close eye on their phone bills for improper long-distance surcharges. Rothman says the FCC order does not apply to long-distance calling cards.

_________________________________________________________________________

Cases of whooping cough in Minnesota continue to increase The state Health Department confirms close to 4,300-5,000 statewide cases at last check -- with a majority of them around larger metropolitan areas of Minnesota. State health officials remind us there is a safe vaccine available for both adolescents and adults.

_________________________________________________________________________

There seems to be no let-up in pedestrian deaths across Minnesota. The latest case is a person who was struck by a car near Interstate-35 in Pine City last night. The State Patrol has not identified the deceased. Minnesota has seen a sharp rise in pedestrian deaths this year, while other traffic-related fatalities have dropped.

_________________________________________________________________________

Prices at the pump this morning are "so 2010." Minnesota-Gas-Prices.com. says our statewide average for regular unleaded continues to fall -- now at $3.01 per gallon. That's a 22-cent drop from a month ago and far less than what Americans are paying on average. Prices for Minnesota gas are nearing levels not seen in two years.

__________________________________________________________________________

Each winter, carbon monoxide incidents increase by 10-percent. According to the Minnesota Poison Control Center, there are thousands of deaths each year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Becca Virden with CenterPoint Energy urges everyone to purchase a carbon monoxide detection device. Virden also recommends that anyone using fuel-burning equipment have it regularly checked by a qualified technician.

_________________________________________________________________________

Minnesota's chances of having a White Christmas look pretty good. Not counting this season's snowfall, the National Weather Service says southern Minnesota has at least a 60-percent chance come next Tuesday. Historically of course, the likelihood of snow cover increases as you go north. Most of the state still has some snow on the ground after previous storms this month. Despite recent rains, some spots in central Minnesota still have up to nearly 10-inches of snow.

_________________________________________________________________________

Time is getting short for holiday buying. Author and organizing expert Donna Smallin Kuper says the idea now is to get "a lot" done in what time you have left. She recommends buying multiples so you can check several names off your list at once. Smallin Kuper says the key to shopping is knowing your budget and sticking to it.

Tags: news, minnesota