News Briefs: 11-year-old Ashby girl dies from crash injuries

Editor's note: The following is a collection of news briefs from Forum Communication Company newspapers in Minnesota and North Dakota.

MINNESOTA

11-year-old dies from crash injuries

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – An 11-year-old girl injured in a crash near Spitzer Lake on Oct. 14 died Monday, according to the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Department.

The girl was identified as Claire Turner, of Ashby. The Sheriff’s Office reported earlier that a female driving an SUV on a county road lost control and rolled the vehicle, ejecting Turner, who had been in a rear passenger seat.

Turner was initially taken to Lake Region Hospital in Fergus Falls and later taken to a Fargo hospital.

Turner attended Underwood Public School.

The driver and two other passengers in the vehicle were treated and released from Lake Region Hospital after the crash.

Otter Tail crash victim identified

BATTLE LAKE, Minn. – The man killed in a one-vehicle crash along Otter Tail Lake on Saturday afternoon has been identified.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Ronald G. Fenno, 55, of Battle Lake, was driving a 1978 Corvette on Minnesota Highway 78 when he apparently swerved to miss a deer but skidded, losing control of the car. The car flipped into the ditch, pinning Fenno underneath the car.

Fenno, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene.

The accident happened about 7 p.m. on the south end of Otter Tail Lake.

Man arrested on child porn charges

LITCHFIELD, Minn.— A 23-year-old Dassel man is in the Meeker County Jail awaiting his first court appearance on criminal sexual conduct, use of a minor in sexual performance and child pornography possession charges.

According to a news release from Meeker County Sheriff Jeff Norlin, investigators arrested Nathan Charles Robert Schwartz on Friday at a Litchfield residence as part of an investigation into the possession and manufacturing of child pornography and criminal sexual conduct involving a minor.

A search warrant served on Schwartz’ rural Dassel residence last month turned up pictures and videos showing child pornography, drug paraphernalia and other evidence.

Officers also found photographic evidence showing Schwartz in possession of assault style rifles. Schwartz is currently a registered predatory offender and is a felon.

The investigation is ongoing and Norlin expects additional charges to be filed.

Man injured in coal plant accident

SCHROEDER, Minn. -- An employee of Minnesota Power’s Taconite Harbor Energy Center was injured this morning in an explosion at the coal-burning power plant.

Minnesota Power reports that emergency responders were called about 9:20 a.m. to the facility in Schroeder along the North Shore of Lake Superior and cared for a 41-year-old long-time employee who was in the coal bunker room at the time of the explosion.

Firefighters from the Tofte-Schroeder Volunteer Fire Department also were called to the scene to douse the ensuing fire. They left after extinguishing the blaze but then were called back when another hot spot was found burning in the coal.

The injured worker was taken by ambulance to Cook County North Shore Hospital and later transferred to a Duluth hospital. Minnesota Power officials said his condition was not immediately available but that he was conscious and communicative.

Amy Rutledge, spokeswoman for the Duluth-based utility, said the coal bunker facility, where coal is stored before it is burned in the steam generators, was being filled when the accident occurred. It’s not clear what caused the accident, she said. The injured man was the only one in the immediate area, she said. His name is being withheld pending notification of family.

Man arrested after shooting himself

HIBBING, Minn. -- A Hibbing man who shot himself in the hand Sunday was arrested Monday for expected charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a 911 call of a shooting in the 4400 block of Tweten Road in Cherry Township shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday. The victim, 46, was taken to University Medical Center-Mesabi by Hibbing ambulance for treatment. The sheriff’s office investigated the shooting and determined it to be a self-inflicted accidental shooting.

A search of Minnesota court records for the man found a 1997 conviction for assault in the second degree, as well as convictions for drunken driving, speeding and expired registration.

NORTH DAKOTA

Small grains disease specialist retires

FARGO — Marcia McMullen, North Dakota State University’s lead scientist in battling a disease threat to the region’s small grains crops, has retired.

McMullen, extension plant pathologist, led the fight against fusarium head blight — also known as scab. The disease caused some $2 billion in yield and quality losses throughout the 1990s.

“When scab devastated the state’s wheat crop in 1993, Dr. McMullen immediately made managing the disease her mission,” Jack Rasmussen, a professor and head of the Department of Plant Pathology, wrote in an internal department memo.

McMullen came to NDSU in 1984 and worked in wheat and barley research and in integrated pest management. She was promoted to full professor in 1996 and was the first female to obtain the rank of full professor in NDSU’s College of Agriculture, as it was then known.

State Hospital ending teen treatment

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – The North Dakota State Hospital is getting out of the business of treating teens.

Adolescents with psychological and/or drug or alcohol addiction issues will now be treated at private facilities around the state, such as Prairie St. Johns in Fargo, or the Stadter Center in Grand Forks, Superintendent Alex Schweitzer said Monday.

Teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities will be placed in residential treatment at the state Developmental Center in Grafton, Schweitzer said.

The State Hospital is three to six months away from closing its adolescent care facility, Schweitzer said. It will then focus exclusively on the mental health and addiction care needs of adults, he said.

Globetrotters to return to Alerus Center

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The Harlem Globetrotters are returning to Grand Forks’ Alerus Center Jan. 4, the events center said Monday.

This time, the team is letting fans decide the rules of the game, which could mean anything from playing with two balls at once or getting double the points for each basket made, the center said.

A 30-minute pre-game show, sold separately, will allow fans to spend time on court with team members.

To vote for rules go to www.HarlemGlobetrotters.com. Tickets start at $21.50 and are for sale at the website, Ticketmaster.com, at the Alerus Center box office and at (800) 745-3000.

Sanford launches $20M endowment campaign

BISMARCK – Central and western North Dakota will soon benefit from a $10 million gift from Sanford Health.

Of the funds, $1.5 million will be used immediately to enhance existing Sanford programs, services and initiatives in the Bismarck region.

The remaining $8.5 million will be used as matching funds to help launch The Builders of Excellence Endowment Campaign. The gift is part of the $200 million commitment announced in July.

The Builders of Excellence Endowment Campaign allows donors to establish a fund for future legacy giving and name it in honor of themselves, a loved one or a business or organization. When donors create their personal named endowment fund, Sanford Health will match dollar for dollar the donor’s pledge or immediate gift. This allows individuals, families, and organizations to double their donation.

For more information, call (701) 323-8450.

Garrison Keillor to campaign with Heitkamp in GF

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Radio personality Garrison Keillor is coming to Grand Forks on Sunday to headline a hotdish fundraiser for Democratic senatorial candidate Heidi Heitkamp, her campaign said Monday.

Attendees are invited to bring their favorite hotdish and Jell-O salad to the IBEW Hall, 1714 N. Washington St., at 1:30 p.m.

Suggested donations range from $20 to $250, which includes a photo with Keillor. Everyone gets a free Heidi potholder.

Keillor is best known as the folksy host of “A Prairie Home Companion” on Minnesota Public Radio. He has been making appearances on behalf of several Democratic candidates in Minnesota in recent months

He last performed in Grand Forks in March 2006, when he brought the show to the Chester Fritz Auditorium.

Heitkamp’s campaign is asking attendees to register with Emily at (701) 557-7667 and emily@heidifornorthdakota.com.

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