Rural Dover woman found guilty of attempted murder
Andy Brownell KROC-AM NEWS
March 9, 2010
A pre-sentence investigation has been ordered for a rural Dover woman, who has been convicted of attempted murder and assault for an attack on her brother-in-law. An Olmsted County Jury today found 37-year-old Brenda Shorter guilty of 2nd degree attempted murder and 2nd degree assault charges, but acquitted her of conspiracy to commit 1st degree murder. Shorter was accused of trying to kill her brother-in-law by striking him on the head with the blunt end of a hatchet, and trying to strangle him with a rope at the family's farm in 2008. The conspiracy charge alleged Shorter and her husband plotted the murder so they could collect on a $300,000 dollar life insurance policy. 38-year-old William Shorter was convicted of the conspiracy count last year and was sentenced to 15-years in prison. His wife's attempted murder conviction carries a presumptive sentence of around 13-years in prison.
Northfield man accused of torching his home and vehicle
Minnesota News Network
March 9, 2010
Northfield man was arrested on arson charges this morning after he allegedly set-off an explosion and fire at his home and then torched his mini-van. The fire that destroyed Mark Cole's home was reported around 5:30am, and about 30-minutes later, firecrews were called to the parking lot at Northfield's City Hall, where the 43-year-old man's vehicle was ablaze. Northfield Police Chief Mark Taylor says it appears Cole drove to city hall after he started his home on fire, but there's nothing to suggest his actions had anything to do with the city government.
Denny Hecker faces new federal indictment
Minnesota News Network
March 9, 2010
Ex-auto mogul Denny Hecker and a former senior officer have been indicted on eight additional counts of wire fraud. A federal grand jury today also charged Hecker with ten counts of bankruptcy fraud. 57-year-old Hecker and 54-year-old Steven Leach are accused of orchestrating a scheme to defraud lenders and others out of millions of dollars. They were already indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit to wire fraud. Hecker also faces one count of money laundering.
County Board briefed on "Wet House" financing plan
Kim David KROC-AM NEWS
March 9, 2010
The Olmsted County Board was briefed today on a proposal that surfaced last year as an alternate method of dealing with chronic alcoholics. Last year the board approved an agreement with the Center City Housing Corporation to set up a so-called " wet house " after being told it would be cheaper to offer chronic alcoholics housing than pay the cost of putting them in jail or other facilities. Community Services Director Paul Fleissner today told the board the current plan still calls for the Center City organization to run the facility but the construction funds would consist of a 20-year loan from the state that the county would not have to repay if the building is used for a public purpose. Center City would obtain its own funding to operate the facility and tenants would also be expected to pay rent. Plans call for the 40-unit building to be located on the county campus and Fleissner says the estimated cost is around $6-million. He hopes funding is approved this year.
Twin Cities school bus driver suspected of being drunk on the job
Minnesota News Network
March 9, 2010
Charges are pending against an Eagan school bus driver arrested for alleged drunk driving. Police were called on Monday afternoon when a school bus hit a parked car. Arriving officers say they could smell alcohol on the driver. The 61-year-old failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody. Tests on his blood alcohol content are pending. There were seven students from Eagan High School on the bus at the time. None were injured.
20 Minnesota GM dealers receive some good news
Minnesota News Network
March 9, 2010
There was some good news today for a number of General Motors dealerships in Minnesota that were informed last year that their franchise agreements with the automaker were being canceled. GM has reinstated 20 of the 30 dealers in the state who were seeking arbitration in hopes of reversing the company's decision to discontinue their dealership contracts. The majority of the dealers are in out state Minnesota.
Nathan may be done for the year
Minnesota News Network
March 9, 2010
Twins closer Joe Nathan has a significant ligament tear in his right elbow and it's possible he'll need season-ending surgery. Nathan experienced pain and tightness in his elbow after throwing 20 pitches in a Grapefruit League game last weekend, and came back to Minnesota for an MRI exam. The plan now is for Nathan to take two weeks off to allow swelling to go down before trying to strengthen the muscles in his elbow. He'll try to pitch again in Florida, but if that's not successful he'll have the surgery. Nathan has saved 246 games since coming to the Twins from San Francisco in a trade before the 2004 season. He set a team record with 47 saves last season.
