SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A South St. Paul elementary school teacher and his husband, who were found dead of an apparent murder-suicide last week in Washington state, were under investigation for having sexual contact with a 16-year-old boy and inappropriate conduct with at least two other underage boys, according to court documents.
Teacher Aric Babbitt and Matthew Deyo were found dead Thursday on Lopez Island, in the San Juan Islands in the northwest corner of the state about 100 miles north of Seattle. They died of gunshots wounds. Babbitt was a 1998 graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.
Babbitt, a teacher at Lincoln Center Elementary since 2002, was put on paid leave by South St. Paul schools after the district learned of the allegations Aug. 17, Superintendent Dave Webb said.
According to Dakota County court documents released Tuesday, a 16-year-old boy and his parents went to police Aug. 14 to report “an ongoing sexual relationship” with Babbitt and Deyo.
Further investigation revealed other underage boys had experienced similar sexual activity with the pair.
The 16-year-old told police that Babbitt was his former elementary school teacher, volunteer work supervisor and mentor.
The boy reported that Babbitt had agreed to be a mentor for him when he came out as gay to his family and that the teacher gave him gifts of underwear and small yoga shorts and also asked for photos before he was 16.
The boy told police that this past April, shortly after he turned 16, Babbitt and Deyo asked to take him to a concert in Minneapolis and that they said they would “treat him to a hotel stay,” according to an application for a search warrant.
Once there, Babbitt and Deyo provided the teen with alcohol and marijuana and he became very intoxicated, the documents said. They did not go to the concert. Instead, all three had unprotected sex, the court records stated.
The boy woke the next day in the hotel room with Deyo touching him, court documents read.
After the initial sexual contact, Deyo and Babbitt asked the boy and his friend to follow them on the social networking site Tumblr, where there were nude photos of Babbitt and masturbation videos. They also gave him a password for their porn subscription.
Babbitt and Deyo also created a Dropbox account for the boys to log into. They instructed them to post nude and semi-nude photos in the account.
The court documents said Babbitt and Deyo would expose other teens to porn and encourage them to communicate with the men on social media without their parents’ knowledge.
In a search of Babbitt and Deyo’s South St. Paul home Aug. 16, officers found numerous computers and media devices, as well as a camera hidden in a bathroom clock.
Two additional victims described “strange situations in the bathroom,” documents read. One boy reported that when he was 16, Babbitt and Deyo said that they had a surprise for him in the bathroom. Once in there, he saw a computer tablet with porn playing on it.
They said that he could have the tablet and could do whatever he needed to in the bathroom.
One boy said that when he went to take a shower while staying at the residence, Babbitt encouraged him to masturbate in the bathroom, the court documents stated.
On the day of the Aug. 16 search of the couple’s South Fifth Avenue home, investigators attempted to speak with Deyo and Babbitt and explain the nature of the investigation; neither agreed to provide a statement.
On Aug. 22, investigators learned that Babbitt and Deyo had not been heard from by family or friends since Aug. 16, the court records said.
Deyo’s brother, identified as “JD,” told authorities Babbitt and Deyo came to his home at about 2 p.m. Aug. 16 and said they were going camping. They asked JD if they could borrow his gun in case they needed protection from bears.
“JD said their story didn’t make much sense as they first said they were going camping near Alexandria but then changed their supposed destination to Grand Marais,” the court document read. JD said he eventually lent them a shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition.
San Juan County Sheriff Ron Krebs said in a prepared statement Thursday that a kayaker discovered a man’s body on one of the island’s beaches. Responding officers also found the body of a second man.
It was ruled a murder-suicide, the sheriff’s statement read.
A suicide note was found stating both men had visited Lopez Island years ago with their dog and loved the island.
Witnesses reported hearing two gun shots at about 8:30 the night before.
South St. Paul police Cmdr. Phil Oeffling said Tuesday that a warrant for the couple’s arrest had not been issued. The investigation is ongoing, he said.
Babbitt was hired by the school district on Aug. 28, 2002, and had taught grades 1, 2, 5 and 6. He was supposed to teach fourth grade this school year, which starts Sept. 6.
Babbitt had no disciplinary record with the school district, Webb said.
Babbitt’s father, Dana, was superintendent of the South St. Paul school district from 2003 to 2007. He was previously principal at South St. Paul High School and assistant superintendent in the South Washington County school district.
On Tuesday afternoon, two trucks were parked in front of Babbitt and Deyo’s Cape Cod-style house, which the couple bought together in 2003.
A next-door neighbor said Babbitt’s family had been coming and going all day. No one answered the door.
Judy Grau, who also lives next door, said Babbitt and Deyo called her “Ms. Judy” and regularly brought over food and sang and played music for her.
“They sang together, but Aric had the best voice,” Grau, 77, said. “Matt played the piano, and they played guitar and the sax.”
Grau said Deyo, who grew up in the Hastings area, wasn’t employed but was going to school to be a chiropractor. She described him as “pretty low-key.”
She said she never saw the couple act strangely. “I never got an indication of anything,” she said.
Grau said she had heard allegations after the couple went missing … but considered them “just rumors.”
She last saw them the day of the house search. They drove by several times but didn’t stop.
“(Police cars) were lined up along the street for five hours,” she said.
Around 5 or 5:30 p.m., after authorities left, the couple drove in the back alley to their garage and loaded sleeping bags and a shovel into the trunk of their car.
“I haven’t seen them since,” she said. “I don’t know why they grabbed a shovel.”

UPDATE: Concordia grad found dead on island with husband was accused of having sex with boys


Migrants walk after they disembarked from Italian Navy ship Sirio in the Sicilian harbour of Augusta, Italy, Aug. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello
A migrant holds a baby as he waits to disembark from Italian Navy ship Sirio in the Sicilian harbour of Augusta, Italy, Aug. 21. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello
SYRACUSE, Italy—Isaac, a 17 year-old from Ghana, holds back tears and looks down as he tries to describe the six months he spent in a Libyan jail where he says not a night would pass without someone dying.
"There were too many people. When you tried to sleep, you couldn't even stretch your legs," he said, adjusting his red and grey baseball cap.
"Someone would die every night and they wouldn't even take the dead bodies. I saw a lot of dead people put on fire."
Isaac, who did not give his real name to protect his privacy, headed to Libya, leaving his mother and siblings behind in Ghana, after being persuaded by a man from his village to seek a better life elsewhere.
He now lives with 11 other boys in a home for child migrants in the Sicilian town of Syracuse - one of thousands of unaccompanied children who have come to Italy, many with horror stories about their time in Libya, where insecurity has allowed smugglers, militias and Islamic State to operate with impunity.
The U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, has warned that lone child migrants, who are travelling to Europe in greater numbers, are at risk of rape, forced labour, beatings and death during their long, treacherous journeys.
But reaching Italy does not mean an end to exploitation and even in the country's reception centers, children are at risk, UNICEF said.
"They are object of exploitation in different ways," Paolo Rozera, head of UNICEF Italy, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"One is sexual exploitation, the other is child labour in the fields of the rural areas of Apulia, Calabria, Sicily."
Rozera said agents in charge of hiring labourers to work in the fields of Italy's southern regions did not care if the workers were 15, 17 or 20 years old.
"For them it's very important to find people that are available to work for very few euros," he said.
"For the minors it's an opportunity to earn some money for themselves or to send to their parents."
Warnings
Lidia Grimaldi, from Saligaro, a charity which runs two homes for child migrants in Sicily, said children were keen to earn some extra cash to send home. But unaware of their rights, they were often deceived.
"When you drive in the countryside you can see boys working in the fields," Grimaldi told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"One of the children told us he went to work (on a farm) and received 20 euros ($23) for an entire day's work while the normal salary is 70 euros ($79) to 80 euros ($90). We told him not to go back there because it's exploitation."
Grimaldi said even though her team tries to protect the 24 boys staying in Saligaro's homes, some children may still return to unscrupulous employers despite the warnings.
In the first five months of 2016, more than 7,000 unaccompanied children made the crossing from North Africa to Italy, according to UNICEF.
Of the 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children in Italy, some 5,000 have disappeared from migrant reception centres raising fears for their plight, Rozera said.
A speedier asylum process would reduce the frustration caused by long delays in processing claims, and the temptation to run away, he said.
"When you're speaking with a 15 year-old, they don't want to wait," Rozera said.
"They arrive in Italy after perhaps a 2 or 3 year journey. Their only hope is their future. The Italian government is really doing a lot (but) we can do it better."
Italy has been on the front line of Europe's migration crisis, now in its third year, after a deal struck by the European Union with Turkey largely halted the flow of Syrians and others from Turkish territory to Greece.
EU border agency Frontex said in July that about 750 people, mostly from sub-Saharan and Western Africa, were arriving in Italy each day compared with about 50 in Greece.
Back in Syracuse, Isaac's face lights up as he talks about his new life in Europe.
"In Italy, when you're sad they talk to you until you laugh," he said.
"I don't feel Ghanaian, Libyan or Italian. I don't know where I'm from any more. But in Italy, I'm happy." he said, adding that he dreams of becoming a professional footballer.

Abused and exploited, child migrants in Italy dream of better life


MINNEAPOLIS—As recently as six years ago, Target Center was a local house of horrors in downtown Minneapolis.
But the tide started to turn in 2011, when Cheryl Reeve led a talented roster featuring Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen to the franchise's first WNBA championship, starting a stretch of three titles in five years. A fourth championship could come later this fall.
Flip Saunders was brought back to lead the Timberwolves front office in 2014, and all he did was acquire Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng.
The Wolves enter this season with a promising, young roster, a proven coach in Tom Thibodeau and a legitimate shot to end an NBA playoff drought that dates to 2004.
The only issue is that Target Center is still ugly.
But it shouldn't be for much longer.
A new Target Center scoreboard, the first visual sign of progress amid a $97 million renovation project that is set to be completed in time for the start of the Wolves' 2017-18 season, was unveiled Friday morning and will be on display Sunday night when the Lynx take on Seattle.
Featuring 4,300 square feet of display space—four times the size of its predecessor—the new scoreboard is massive. It is so big there are scoreboards inside the scoreboard, which are easily seen by those sitting in the first few rows. So big that even if you're sitting in one of the top rows at Target Center — the seats that make you fear for you life and gasp for oxygen as you approach your chair — you still have a pretty good view of the action.
When you combine the big board — advertised as the "largest center hung arena scoreboard in the Upper Midwest" — with separate video boards in each of the arena's four corners, Target Center has seven times more digital board space than it did before.
It's big, and it's beautiful.
"You walk in here and it's 'Wow,'" Wolves general manager Scott Layden said. "This is a big-time addition."
It catches your eye the moment you walk into the arena. For a moment you forget that you're in a severely outdated facility, designed in the 1980s, and instead consider the possibilities for the future.
"The feeling folks are going to get when they see something of this size creating this much energy—the light shows, the digital shows, the player introductions, the way in which we can prompt things to happen late in the game when the score is close to pull the crowd back in," Wolves CEO Ethan Casson said, "it's a great tool."
The scoreboard alone makes Target Center feel 10 years younger, and this is only Phase One of the renovation. Also included in this phase are suite-level construction and acoustic improvements.
"It's a great first step," Casson said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg."
Exterior work will be done during the Wolves' season, and a bevy of interior improvements — such as restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, the concourse, a new lobby, additional club spaces, and food and beverage upgrades — will happen in the third and final phase next summer, when the Lynx will play their home games at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
When that's all completed, Target Center should again be a facility worthy of housing its on-court product.
Combine the upgraded digs with the WNBA's premier franchise and one of the NBA's best young cores, and there's a chance Target Center could be a must-visit destination.
"I know the players are going to love the sort of energy that these things bring," Layden said. "I think that's the bottom line — it enhances the experience."

Finally, the Wolves might give the Target Center two good te...


Rescue personnel involved in the search for a missing 78-year-old man on Fish Hook Lake return to the public access Friday after recovering the body of John Patrick Sargent of Park Rapids. (Kevin Cederstrom/Enterprise)
Members of the Lakes Area Dive Team put their dive suits on as they leave the public access of Highway 71 to join the search for a missing man following a two-boat accident Thursday on Fish Hook Lake. (Kevin Cederstrom/Enterprise)
First responders move along the south side of Fish Hook Lake near Deane Point as they search for a victim who fell in the water following a two-boat collision on Thursday. (Kevin Cederstrom / Forum News Service)
PARK RAPIDS, Minn.—The body of a missing man following a two-boat accident Thursday on Fish Hook Lake near Park Rapids has been identified. Divers recovered the body of 78-year-old John Patrick Sargent about 1:30 p.m. Friday an estimated 350 yards out from the Fish Hook Lake public access off Highway 71. The sheriff's office notified family members who gathered at the access. Sargent's body was brought in just after 3 p.m. and transported to a Park Rapids funeral home.
Hubbard County Sheriff Cory Aukes stated in a news release Friday Sargent's body was recovered in 8-feet of water. Sargent was operating a 16-foot fishing boat when he collided with a 17-foot boat operated by 32-year-old Jessiah Hoeg of Maple Grove.
Sargent and both his passengers, Thomas and Gloria Dalby of Brainerd, both 57, were ejected from their boat. None of the parties were wearing life jackets, according to the sheriff's office.
Witnesses at the Loon's Nest Resort saw the accident Thursday and were able to pull Thomas and Gloria Dalby from the capsized boat and brought to shore.
Thomas Dalby was airlifted from the public access to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. He was treated for broken ribs. Gloria Dalby was treated and released from CHI-St. Joseph's Health in Park Rapids.
The occupants of the second boat, identified as Jessiah and Rick Hoag, sustained minor injuries.
Alcohol does not appear a factor in the crash, according to the sheriff's office.
Involved in the search operation Friday were the Hubbard County Sheriff's Office, Lakes Area Dive Team, Becker County Dive Team, Central Lakes Search and Rescue and a local fishing guide with specialized electronic equipment.
The cause of the accident where the two boats collided is unknown at this time and Hubbard County Sheriff Cory Aukes said the incident remains under investigation.
Aukes said when the accident occurred people from nearby Loon's Nest Resort rescued two of the accident victims from the water.
The Lakes Area Dive Team and Becker County Dive Team joined the search for Sargent on Friday, along with the Hubbard County Sheriff's Office and a Minnesota DNR airplane. Also responding to the scene at both the public access and Loon's Nest Resort, which made the initial call, was Hubbard County Sheriff's Office, Hubbard First Response & Rescue, North Memorial Ambulance and Park Rapids Police Department.

Man missing following Fish Hook Lake accident identified


WILLMAR, Minn. -- A Kerkhoven couple was transported to Rice Memorial Hospital and three others were also injured after a three-vehicle crash Monday morning on Highway 71 on the north side of Willmar.
The State Patrol says 91-year-old Harold W. Freetly and 88-year-old Arlene P. Freetly were transported by ambulance to the hospital, with non-life threatening injuries.
Sophia M. Simon, 25, and Alice E. Strom, 4, both of Spicer, and 46-year-old Dean W. Dickinson of Fargo were also left with non-life threatening injuries.
According to the Patrol, the crash happened around 8 a.m. Monday. Harold Freetly was driving a 2011 Ford Taurus west on 37th Avenue at U.S. Highway 71.
While he attempted to cross southbound traffic on Highway 71, his vehicle hit a 2004 Ford Escape driven by Sophia Simon.
The impact spun the Escape around. Dickinson, driving a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado southbound on Highway 71, attempted to swerve around the collision but hit the back side of the Escape.
The State Patrol said alcohol was not a factor in the crash, and all were wearing seatbelts.
All three vehicles were severely damaged from the crash.
The Willmar Police Department, Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office, Willmar Fire Department, Willmar Ambulance and Kandiyohi County Rescue assisted on the scene.

Fargo man among 5 injured in three-vehicle crash


A long string of vehicles surround the protest camp south of Bismarck-Mandan over the Dakota Access Pipeline on Tuesday. Photo by TOM STROMME / Bismarck Tribune
Roadside daisies lining North Dakota Highway 1806 in Morton County with teepees of the Overflow Camp blending into the background in this photograph taken on Tuesday afternoon. The camp was the site of a large gathering of many different Native American tribes on Tuesday who are opposing construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Photo by TOM STROMME/BismarckTribune
Freddie Lane, right, works at unwrapping a 22 foot totem pole at the Overflow Camp on Tuesday afternoon. Lane, a member of the Lummi Tribe said totem pole was carved at the House of Tears in Lummi, Washington and will be taken to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Photo by Tom Stromme / Bismarck Tribune
MANDAN, N.D. — Ceremony, aromatic sage and drumming song welcomed the 12 tribes of Washington State into the encampment of Native Americans supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Tribes with new and unusual names — Yakama Nation, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Lummi Nation, Puyallup Tribe, Nisqually Indian Tribe, The Suquamish Tribe, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and Hoh Tribe — entered the camp Tuesday afternoon accompanied by a 22-foot red cedar totem pole in beautifully painted Plains' animals and symbols.
These were the latest of now dozens, at least 70 it's thought, to join the protest encampment that sprawls in tents and tipis across a wide meadow not far from the pipeline construction site. All is quiet there while a court battle plays out.
Meanwhile, the encampment is a bustling and cheerful scene of new tribes coming to support Standing Rock, daily prayer, meal preparation and now a new school for the camp children.
Jewell James, chief carver of the House of Tears Lummi Nation, said the totem is the fourth he's made to unite tribes and environmental groups in their stand to protect the earth. This one will eventually go to the native nations of Manitoba.
"This is about little people against billionaire corporations. Standing Rock is clearly opposed to the pipeline, and I'm here to celebrate their clarity and their willingness to stand up," James said.
The totem truck was stopped and inspected at the Highway 1806 roadblock manned by the North Dakota Highway Patrol as part of the state's response to the protest and people in the camp jokingly referred to it as the totem Trojan.
JoDe Goudy, chairman of the Yakima Nation, wore traditional skins and headdress to the welcoming ceremony. He said the nations drove straight through 18 hours to reach the camp and stand in solidarity with Standing Rock.
"You have our prayers, our support and our love regardless of the outcome. We know that we've already won in spirit. Don't give up hope. We will leave our flag in your territory and carry your message home to our children. They are watching and listening to you," Goudy said.
Even as he spoke, the tribal nation flags were being raised along the roadway into the camp, the long colorful line resembling the entrance to the United Nations building in New York.
Besides the Washington tribes, the chairman and vice chairman of the Navajo Nation joined the ceremony, each dressed in jeans and dark sports coats.
James, the carver, said it's rare to see the Navajos, a big nation and one with its own battles, at such events.
"The world's waking up, the mainstream media doesn't control the message anymore," he said.
Navajo chairman Russell Begave said he's proud of the two dozen or so Navajo members who have been at the camp, helping with cooking and other chores that have become part of daily camp life while the protest is maintained.
"We'll be here. My heart goes out to Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault. The world is very in tune with our plight and our struggle. They feel it; they see it," said Begave, adding that the encampment is the largest gathering of Native Americans united for a cause that he's ever experienced. "It's very unusual to see this kind of solidarity. But we are fighting for our water. Everything else is pushed aside, and we stand together."
The totem was unwrapped on a trailer flatbed, and everyone was welcome to touch it, add their own power and examine the finely wrought detail of an eagle, white buffalo, bear, wolf and warrior.
Standing Rock Chairman Archambault told the crowd how he feels as the Native American nations continue to arrive nearly every day.
"At first, I was nervous and afraid and not sure we were doing the right thing. Now I can keep my head high — everybody is moving in this direction," he said.
Archambault and all leaders who spoke emphasized the prayerful, peaceful nature of the protest.
Begave, of the Navajo nation, said people in the camp are finding themselves and each other.
"They finally feel like they're a Navajo or a Sioux. They are seeing these are their people and there is healing and pride," he said.
It's expected the encampment will remain in place until at least Sept. 9, when a federal court judge is expected to decide whether to issue an injunction against the pipeline's Missouri River crossing while it decides the Standing Rock Sioux's claim that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to follow federal law in giving permission for the water route near the reservation.

Totem pole, Washington state tribes join pipeline protest


Taking a drink of what he said was clean Minnesota water, Gov. Mark Dayton launches a drive to get people to sign a pledge to protect the state's water on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Forum News Service photo by Don Davis)
"Good Minnesota clean water..." he declared after drinking from a blue bottle at the Minnesota State Fair. "May we always keep it available."
Dayton then asked every Minnesotan to take a pledge to care for the state's water.
"It is something we can no longer take for granted," he said in front of the Department of Natural Resources' fair fish pond.
Pollution Control Commissioner John Linc Stine said just 2 percent of Minnesota's water comes from outside the state, so no one is to blame but its residents for the 40 percent of watersheds that fail to meet water standards.
Health Commissioner Dr. Ed Ehlinger said that not only is clean water safe, but it also helps create a better economy.
And Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson encouraged landowners to "plant cover crops and buffer strips" to help clean up water by reducing runoff.
Dayton is leading a year-long charge to improve the state's water after Stine's department issued reports showing poor water quality in many parts of the state, but especially the southwest where farming is intense.
The pledge Dayton wants Minnesotans to take reads:
"I know that water is critical to my life. Because water is so critical, I vow to be a good steward of our water.
"I today take the Minnesota Water Stewardship Pledge to affirm my commitment to:
"Rethink how water impacts my life, and the lives of future generations.
"Use water efficiently and wisely in my everyday activities.
"Learn more about what people can do to protect and preserve water.
"Factor water use efficiency and protection into the choices as a consumer.
"Talk to others about clean water protection and preservation."

Dayton wants Minnesotans to take clean water pledge


The marquee sign at Caesars Palace hotel is seen on the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. February 16, 2011. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo
CHICAGO -- Shares in Caesars Entertainment Corp shed 16 percent on Monday after a U.S. judge cleared the way for $11.4 billion in lawsuits against the casino group, which Caesars had warned could plunge it into bankruptcy alongside its operating unit.
On Friday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Benjamin Goldgar in Chicago declined to renew a stay on litigation by bondholders who allege Caesars reneged on guarantees of bonds issued by unit Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. The operating unit filed for bankruptcy in January 2015 with $18 billion in debt.
Shares of the Nevada-based gaming company were trading at $6.28 by 8:58 a.m., recovering from a year low of $5.39 hit in initial trading.
The Caesars unit was asking Goldgar to extend the protection against the lawsuits, which has been in effect since February. The operating unit said the lawsuits threaten a multibillion-dollar contribution that its parent has agreed to make to the operating unit's reorganization plan.
Caesars filed an appeal against Goldgar's decision on Friday. The current injunction expires on Monday. On Tuesday, Caesars faces a potential ruling in New York.

Caesars shares plummet as it faces $11 billion in lawsuits


Eleven different agencies responded to the scene to take part in the search. (Beth Leipholtz | Echo Press)
Officials worked to canvas Lake Le Homme Dieu Saturday morning in search of Randt. (Beth Leipholtz | Echo Press)
ALEXANDRIA, Minn.—The third drowning death of the summer in Douglas County happened Saturday when a Garfield man fell from a boat on Lake L'Homme Dieu.
The body of 29-year-old Brandon Darryl Randt, a mechanic for Alex Auto and Marine, was found at 1:35 p.m. in 24 feet of water.
Randt was test driving a new Lund Alaskan aluminum fishing boat for the dealership, where he had worked for nearly six years.
"Just an amazingly talented mechanic, with a huge heart," said Todd Hanson of Alex Auto and Marine.
Hanson said the test drive was "something he did just about on a daily basis."
Randt's mother, Chris Carrigan, said her son loved "anything outdoors," including four-wheeling and ice fishing and was an Eagle Scout.
A donation fund to Ducks Unlimited is planned in Randt's memory.
Carrigan said Randt, who grew up in Hutchinson, also developed a love of gardening and raising chickens at his Garfield home.
"He loved to cook and try new recipes," Carrigan said.
Carrigan said Randt's family includes two brothers, two sisters, a half-brother and half-sister.
She last saw her son during a camping trip to Lake Carlos State Park.
"He loved to have fun," Carrigan said.
Randt fell into the lake Saturday morning.
A witness called 911 at 9:14 a.m., reporting a man overboard near the Rotary Beach boat access on the north side of the lake.
According to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, that witness said Randt seemed to be returning to shore when the witness lost sight of the boat due to the sun. When the witness spotted the watercraft again, Randt was in the water and the boat was circling.
Multiple agencies were involved in the search, including a North Ambulance helicopter.
Randt was not wearing a personal flotation device. Randt's body was transported to the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.
Visitation for Randt will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria and will continue from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, with a 1 p.m. funeral service at Zion Lutheran Church in Alexandria.
Two other Douglas County drowning deaths came in June.
The body of 61-year-old Glenn Charles Steffen of South St. Paul, was pulled from Lake Andrew after he had gone out fishing on June 20.
Scott A. Gagner, 55, of Miltona, fell from a boat and drowned in Lake Miltona on June 11.
Reporter Beth Leipholtz contributed to this report.

Minn. drowning victim 'a talented mechanic with a huge heart'


Nick Murray shows where it all began: one of his first brewers, which he and John Schott used to brew beer in his garage before pairing with Lakeside Brewery. The brewer now sits at Lakeside Tavern, and they plan to make small ‘mystery’ beer batches in it. KAYSEY PRICE / FORUM NEWS SERVICE
The fermenters where Nick Murray and John Schott brew the beers for The Lakeside Brewery. KAYSEY PRICE / FORUM NEWS SERVICE
DETROIT LAKES, Minn.—Beer. It seems to have been around forever, capturing people's interest since the beginning of time. Nick Murray and John Schott, who began manning the Lakeside Brewery back in April, are no exception—for them, brewing the beverage has become an "obsession."
It all began when Murray and Schott, who have been best friends since high school, were working at Zorbaz in Detroit Lakes, and the craft beer scene started growing.
"We were able to taste a lot of (craft beers) that a lot of people weren't able to get," Murray remembers.
From there the ale interest began brewing between the two friends.
"I was like 'well, why don't we start a brewery?'" Murray said, recalling that they bought their first brew kit off Amazon, and "it was really bad," he laughed. "When we bottled it, a couple of the bottles exploded."
But the two kept a positive attitude and took to the books.
"I hate reading" Murray said. "I am a picture person all the way."
But he said once he gets hooked on something, he gets obsessed.
"It's like, 'get out of my way,'" Murray added, saying he and Schott had a "let's keep trying" attitude.
Eventually, after much experimenting, they began getting the hang of the brewing process and turned one of their garages into a brewery.
"Once we hit that point, it was kind of frustrating," Murray recalled.
A restaurant wasn't something Murray and Schott wanted to tackle—they wanted to open their own brewery, but "the banks wouldn't even look at you," Murray said.
Murray and Schott had spent time working at local restaurants and had family and friends supporting their obsession. They even earned a few awards for their brew creations, including a Zorbaz Home Brew award and second place in the porter category of an American Homebrewers Association competition. But it wasn't until Chet Collins, the owner of Lakeside Tavern, approached the two brewers with an idea that their obsession found a home. Collins had the brewery, and Murray and Schott were brewers, so they decided to put the two together.
"It was kind of surreal when we go this deal," Murray said, remembering that they brewed a beer batch at the Lakeside Brewery with Collins, and he was on board within a matter of hours.
With the agreement in place, Murray and Schott were able start "figuring out the nooks and crannies of the new brewery" and continued getting creative with their brews.
"I try to make (brewing) as fun as possible and as interesting as possible," Murray said. "To me brewing is an art—it's a science, but you have to have a creative side."
Murray, who went to culinary school says the food creativity comes in handy with the different flavors involved in the beer-brewing business, and they do their best to meld the science side with the creative side.
"(We're) not so much on quantity. (We're) more on quality," Murray said, adding that they have five in-house brews as of right now, one of each type of beer: IPA, porter, pale ale, lager and shandy, and they are hoping to add a couple more soon.
Their goal is to try "to appeal to everyone."
"My thoughts are more on the demographics of the area," Murray said, since he sees the area as having starkly different taste in beers: the craft beer scene is starting to emerge, but "people are also still drinking Old Milwaukee," Murray said.
They want to respect the differing tastes by just making beer that just "tastes great," and their method seems to be working.
"We average about eight kegs a week, so it's going well. The Shaka Shandy is definitely a top seller right now," Murray said, adding that they make the shandy's lemonade in-house.
And the positive feedback from customers is giving the brewers a feeling like they're "not under any pressure," so they're "just trying to take different angles to (brewing)."
Murray and Schott are hoping to start a "mystery tap line" in about a month where customers will blindly test a new beer and try to describe on a comment card what they think the flavors are.
They may also start showcasing local home brewers' recipes, giving other brewers who may still be stuck in their garage a little recognition.
They're even going to try to change a city ordinance in Sept., so they can sell their growlers on Sundays.
But with all the change, the "Brew Boys" still focus on making good beer and staying humble, although some have dubbed them "brewmasters."
"That's a title I feel you have to earn," Murray said, adding that he doesn't feel like they will ever reach that level.

Beer hobby turns into obsession, business pairing for Detroit Lakes duo


Aug 19, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers outside linebacker Kyle Emanuel (51) looks on from the sideline during the second half of the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Qualcomm Stadium. San Diego won 19-3. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
MINNEAPOLIS—Last season was not how it was supposed to go for Kyle Emanuel.
Sure, after turning in a strong rookie preseason, the former North Dakota State linebacker tallied a sack and an interception in his regular season debut with San Diego. But a nagging shoulder injury kept Emanuel from having a breakout campaign, finishing with just 25 tackles on the year.
Playing in the Chargers' third preseason game, Emanuel showed his injury issues were in the past, playing most of defensive snaps in the first half in a 23-10 loss in the first game in U.S. Bank Stadium for the Minnesota Vikings. Emanuel finished with one tackle and a pass defense.
"The shoulder's feeling good," he said. "It's a lot better than last year, and I'm just hoping and praying I can stay healthy this year."
The injury taught Emanuel that it takes more than physical talent to stand out in the National Football League.
"Almost mentally more than physically, you have to fight through some things," he said. "It's a very tough league in a lot of ways, and no matter how you're feeling that day, you gonna have to fight. With that injury last year, it was tough. I think I learned from it and can use that."
Now in his second professional season, Emanuel said the major difference from last year is his familiarity with playing in the NFL.
"When you go into Year 2, you're just a lot more comfortable with everything, both on and off the field," he said. "Last year was more about trying to prove you belong on the team, that you can do this. This year, it's more about proving that I can be a starter and that I can play a lot of snaps for this team while getting ready for the regular season.
"You're more established, but the mindset stays the same in that you're trying to improve every day. That's what the preseason is for. It's good to knock the rust off in the first couple games."
Emanuel has forced his way into the starting rotation through a strong preseason performance.
For 2016, though, Emanuel has his eyes on a starting outside linebacker job and has seen plenty of playing time with the first team defense this preseason, lining up opposite both Melvin Ingram (16 starts in 2016) and Jerry Attaochu (12 starts).
"I'm hoping to be out there starting, but I'm just trying to fill my role as best as I can," Emanuel said. "That's always been my mindset, through college and now in the NFL. But, I want to go out there, make some plays and help this defense be great and win a lot of ball games.
"Hopefully, I can stay healthy and stay on the field, because if I do, I can do that."

After fighting injuries, former Bison Emanuel fighting for starting linebacker job in San Diego


Marty Riske, who owns the M.J. Capelli Family Hair Salons, is the Libertarian candidate for governor in North Dakota. Photo by Patrick Springer / Forum News Service
BISMARCK—Some have likely seen them waving from parade floats, spoken to them at public events or gatherings or had a conversation at their doorsteps: Candidates have fanned out across the state to engage in summer retail politics.
Gubernatorial candidates and state party officials say the summer has been a good time to build a foundation as well as momentum. Soon the the post-Labor Day fall election blitz will begin.
"There's one last little pocket — one last weekend at the lake or get the kids ready for school," North Dakota Republican Party Chairman Kelly Armstrong said. "I like being us right now. Complacency is my biggest concern. I think we're in a pretty good spot."
New legislative and statewide candidates have run highly energetic campaigns, a good sign of the party's overall health and strong bench of candidates from which to draw, according to Armstrong.
"It's been abnormally quiet. But maybe that's some sort of strategy?" Armstrong said of the Democrats.
Republicans hold every elected statewide office in the state Capitol, two-thirds majorities in both legislative chambers and two of three seats in the congressional delegation.
The most high-profile statewide race so far is the race for governor, which features Republican Doug Burgum, Democratic-NPL Rep. Marvin Nelson and Marty Riske for the Libertarian Party.
The Republicans have held the governor's office since 1992.
Burgum ran an expensive, high-profile and tough gubernatorial primary fight, emerging with an upset win over Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.
Since the dust settled, Burgum has spent the summer continuing to build his campaign while mending fences with state officials and party faithful during a campaign that included some negative campaigning at times.
"It's been exciting to see the positive reaction we've received from citizens across the state about our campaign's vision to diversify and transform North Dakota's economy," Burgum said. "From now until Nov. 8, we're going to continue the discussion with voters about balancing our budget, reinventing government and diversifying our economy."
Democratic-NPL Party Chairwoman Kylie Oversen says they've positioned themselves to accomplish a goal she's touted since stepping into the party's top role: focusing on gaining more legislative seats to rebuild the party and increase their bench.
"We've got a really strong slate of candidates that have been working hard for months," Oversen said.
Several candidates are in good shape particularly in the eastern part of the state, said Oversen, adding that their statewide candidates have been making a strong showing as well.
"I think what we've been hearing is that voters have gotten maybe tired of the status quo," Oversen said.
Nelson said getting more visibility on the race is always a challenge given the interest in the presidential campaign.
"It's hard ... with the national reality show on TV every night," Nelson said. "I'm sure I'm probably still not quite where I need to be in terms of visibility."
Plans for the home stretch of the campaign this fall are still being developed, according to Nelson, who said he's drawn a receptive audience to his campaign message about the Republican-dominated state government leaving some of the population behind. Nelson also said budget cuts to human services programs weren't the right decision and the state needs to be more responsive to the public and state workers.
Libertarian Party Chairman Tony Mangnall said the party's strength has reached an all-time high in the state this election cycle due to dissatisfaction with the status quo with the two major political parties.
"We've turned that corner. We're a real party," Mangnall said. "We've been able to use social media — the great equalizer. With as successful as this year's been, it's only looking up."
The party has also seen a jump in volunteers coming forward and getting involved, providing a larger base to draw from and build on after this cycle, Mangnall said.
Riske said he's participated in a few parades across the state this summer, a popular way to conduct on-the-ground politicking in the summer months. He's also been active on social media, debating issues with residents on Facebook.
"Overall, I'm really pleased with it," Riske said of the campaign.
The state budget is a major concern to voters, according to Riske, who said North Dakota hasn't yet fully felt the impacts of the sharp drop in oil production out west despite revenue declines stemming from low oil and agriculture prices.
"We're really in a midst of a perfect storm here, (and) I think we're in a good position," Riske said of his campaign and the Libertarian Party in general.

N.D. gubernatorial candidates building on political foundati...


Canada's Chief of Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance speaks during a news conference upon the release of a progress report on addressing inappropriate sexual behaviour in the Canadian Armed Forces, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada August 30, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie
TORONTO—The number of sexual-offence complaints in the Canadian Armed Forces increased 22 percent this year, but that is a "positive indicator" because it means more alleged victims are speaking up, according to a military report released on Tuesday, Aug, 30.
The progress report was the second on Operation Honour, a military program to tackle the issue started in 2015 after an external investigation said the Canadian military had an underlying sexualized culture hostile to women and gays.
Western militaries are increasingly coming under scrutiny for their handling of sexual offences. A Pentagon report in May said sexual assaults in the U.S. military are still underreported.
According to the Canadian report, the military saw 106 founded complaints for incidents in the first six months of this year, which it said was a 22 percent increase without providing a comparative figure. It said there were 174 founded complaints in all of 2015.
"This increase appears to be a positive indicator that military members are more aware of the problem and more confident in stepping forward and reporting incidents," the report said.
The investigation in 2015, by a former Supreme Court justice, found a broadly held perception in the lower ranks that those higher up condone inappropriate sexual conduct or are willing to turn a blind eye.
Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance said the new progress report shows Operation Honour has been working, and that he felt encouraged.
He told a news conference in Ottawa that as result of investigations between April and July this year, 30 people received "career-impacting" punishments.
"Those who do not see the wisdom of what we are trying to accomplish and choose not to modify their negative behavior will be compelled to do so or they will be released," he said.

Sexual offense complaints in Canada military up 22 percent


ALEXANDRIA, Minn. -- Search and rescue officials are searching Lake Le Homme Dieu in Alexandria for a missing boater or swimmer.
About 9:15 a.m. Saturday, officials were called to Rotary Beach. The search is ongoing but due to the windy conditions, officials say it could take some time.
Responding agencies include the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, the Pope County Sheriff's Office, the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Department, the Minnesota State Patrol, Garfield Fire and Rescue, Brandon Fire and Rescue, Carlos Fire and Rescue, Alexandria Fire and Rescue, North Aircare, the Ottertail Dive Team and North Ambulance.
Check back for updates on this developing story.

Crews combing Alexandria lake for missing person


Dakota Access Pipeline crews leave the work site on Monday, Aug. 15, 2016, north of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Reservation. Work has not yet resumed in that area due to safety concerns surrounding the protest. Amy Dalrymple/Forum News Service
BISMARCK - Amnesty International USA is calling on North Dakota officials to remove a roadblock to the Dakota Access Pipeline protest site and meet regularly with protesters and community leaders.
In a letter to Gov. Jack Dalrymple, the Morton County Sheriff's Office and the North Dakota Highway Patrol, Amnesty International said no parking signs on Highway 1806 and reduced speed limit warnings would ensure safety at the protest site without a roadblock.
The organization also urged state officials to regularly meet with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council and other groups gathered at the protest site. Human rights observers from Amnesty International visited the protest site last week and the group plans to continue monitoring the situation.
"The U.S. government is obligated under international law to respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of Indigenous people, including the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. It is the legitimate right of people to peacefully express their opinion," the letter reads. "Public assemblies should not be considered as the 'enemy.'"
The call from Amnesty International follow similar requests from the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota last week.
Law enforcement has said the roadblock restricting southbound traffic on Highway 1806 is necessary for safety due to protesters who have blocked the roadway or vehicles stopping to take pictures.

Amnesty International calls for protest roadblock to be remo...


A fighter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) holds an ISIL flag and a weapon on a street in the city of Mosul, June 23, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
BAGHDAD—Islamic State has claimed a suicide bombing that killed at least 15 people and injured 16 at a wedding party near the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala late on Sunday.
Five assailants including the suicide bomber attacked the celebration in Ain al-Tamr, west of Kerbala in southern Iraq, firing machine guns and throwing hand grenades, the police said. All the attackers were killed by security forces.
The bombing is the first in the Kerbala region since Iraqi forces dislodged Islamic State militants from their stronghold in Falluja, 50 miles north of city.
The ultra-hardline Sunni group has been retreating since last year in the face of government forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition and Iranian-supported Shi'ite militias.
But it remains in control of parts of northern and western Iraq and continues to claim bombings all over the country, targeting mainly Shi'ite districts and cities.
A statement on the Amaq news agency that supports Islamic State said the attack was carried out by four of its suicide fighters against a "gathering of Shi'ites".
Initial reports in local media late, citing security sources, blamed the killings on a dispute between two tribes at the wedding party.
Islamic State claimed a truck bomb that killed at least 325 people in Baghdad's Karrada shopping street in July, the deadliest attack since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Islamic State claims wedding suicide bombing that killed 15 people


MINNEWAUKAN, N.D.—A 73-year-old man who was wearing his lifejacket was found alive after his boat sank and he spent about 12 hours floating on Devils Lake.
The unnamed Sheyenne, N.D., man was reported missing Saturday after he failed to come back from a Friday fishing trip on the lake, Benson County Sheriff Steve Rohrer told KZZY-FM Radio. A search was launched early Saturday morning, but rescue workers received a call saying the man had floated to shore and had been taken to a local hospital.
The man was a little sore but seemed OK, Rohrer said.
It's uncertain where on Devils Lake the man had been found.
Check back for updates as this story develops.

Missing fisher, 73, found alive after floating for 12 hours on Devils Lake


Pipes for TransCanada Corp's planned Keystone XL oil pipeline are pictured in Gascoyne, North Dakota in this November 14, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Andrew Cullen/Files
MONTREAL—Canada's National Energy Board canceled the first day of hearings on TransCanada Corp's proposed Energy East pipeline in Montreal on Monday, Aug. 29, after protesters disrupted the panel session, agency spokeswoman Sarah Kiley said.
There is no word yet on a new date for the hearing, Kiley said.
"Disruptions prevent intervenors from sharing their views and asking their questions," the regulator said in a statement. " ... Disruptions and disrespectful behavior are not acceptable."
Footage posted on Twitter by local media showed protesters at the venue standing, clapping and chanting at the panel.
Environmental groups against oil sands development fiercely oppose the 1.1-million-barrel-per-day Energy East pipeline, which would carry crude oil from Alberta to Canada's Atlantic coast.

Protesters shut down TransCanada pipeline hearing in Montreal


PERHAM, Minn. — A 56-year-old former farm owner from Detroit Lakes faces charges in Otter Tail County District Court for allegedly wrongly selling 295 dairy cows leased to him by another farm.
In March, Sunshine Heifers reported to the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office that cattle leased from 2013 to 2014 to Ricki Jay Stene’s Twin Creek Farms were unaccounted for. Twin Creek Farms had closed days before the report.
Several months of investigation found payment and documentation for 295 dairy cows missing (a value of about $590,000 at $2,000 per cow).
Stene told investigators that all cattle had been sold properly or died before the farm was closed.
One of Stene’s former employees recalled that he had been told to cut off ear tags and cover cows’ brands when they were sold to other farms in the last two years. Another former employee also said he recalled those practices from his time at the farm.
Stene was charged with felony-level livestock theft and defeating security on personality.
For felony-level livestock theft, if convicted, Stene could be sentenced to imprisonment for no more than 10 years, and may be fined up to $20,000, according to the Minnesota statute.

Minn. man charged with selling leased livestock


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Superior honors fallen firefighters who died while on way to fight Utah wildfires


A large print shows one of the new billboards to be installed in the search for Jacob Wetterling. Six of the billboards will be placed near where he was abducted in 1989. Dave Schwarz, St. Cloud Times (must credit St. Cloud Times)
American Public Media will launch an investigative podcast next month looking at the disappearance of Jacob Wetterling, the 11-year-old boy abducted from his hometown of St. Joseph, Minn., almost 27 years ago.
Wetterling was taken by a masked gunman on Oct. 22, 1989. A friend and younger brother say the three were bicycling home after renting a video when a man came down a driveway and ordered them to lie on the ground. The other two boys were told to run away and not look back or they'd be shot.
The podcast, called In the Dark, is led by reporter Madeleine Baran, who won a Peabody Award for her reporting on clergy sexual abuse in Minnesota. The name of the podcast refers to the crime itself, Baran said, but also to the lack of transparency around the decades-long investigation.
"So it has these two senses," Baran said. "There's this crime that happened in the dark and, also, there's this investigation that happened in the dark."
The abduction was a pivotal moment in Minnesota and beyond, sparking concerns about child abduction and a national focus on sex offenders. Because the case has been closely covered by local media for all those years, Baran was surprised to find details that had been overlooked.
"When I started reading just basic information about the case, there were certain things that stood out to me as interesting, like the fact that this happened on a dead-end street, this happened in a town of 3,000 people, the police got there right away," Baran said. "That changed how I thought about it and made me think, 'Why hasn't this been solved?'"
The Wetterling case led to the passage of a federal law in 1994 that required states to create sex offender registries.
"This was obviously a sensational crime in Minnesota, but for us to spend this much time as investigative reporters looking into it, it has to have something more than that," Baran said. "The something more in this case is that it's affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who are on sex offender registries in this country."
Following the success of Serial, podcasts are seen as a way to tell a longer, more complex story.
"It can go much deeper even than one long radio documentary can," Baran said. "It's hard for me to imagine, given what we've found out, doing it in a different way. The format really does lend itself, because these are complicated stories."
Unlike Serial, though, In the Dark's mission isn't to solve the crime. Baran said it's looking at why the case hasn't been solved and the impact it's had on the people swept up in it, including Jacob's parents.
"In the eyes of Minnesota there's this person, Jacob, who is missing, but he's their son," Baran said. "You can talk to a lot of people ... who want to talk about it as a mystery or this sensational crime. But, really, what is it like if that's your kid?"
APM Reports editor-in-chief Chris Worthington is overseeing the reporting project.
"While this case has been covered locally and nationally, no one has really gone in depth about the investigation itself," Worthington said in a statement. "We wanted to examine what went wrong and why this case has not been solved. And most importantly, why Jacob Wetterling hasn't been found."
The podcast is produced by APM Reports, which began work last year as American Public Media's investigative reporting and documentary unit. American Public Media is the parent company of MPR News.
In the Dark begins Sept. 13. After that, a new installment of the eight-episode series will be released each week. It will be available on iTunes.

'Serial'-style podcast to take deep look at Wetterling investigation


iPhones sit on display during a preview event at the new Apple Store Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., July 28, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
LOS ANGELES - Apple had made the date of its next iPhone event official: The company sent out invites to journalists Monday, inviting them to a "special event" on September 7. The company will once again hold the announcement at the Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco.
The company typically doesn't reveal beforehand which products it is going to announce at its events, but Apple has long used events in early September to introduce the next version of the iPhone.
This time around, a number of leaks are suggesting that the iPhone 7 will ditch the headphone jack, and possibly add a second camera to the back of the iPhone 7. A dual camera would allow the iPhone to take two photos at the same time with different settings, and then combine the two for the best version after the fact.
Omitting the headphone jack on the other hand seems to be rather controversial; the company will likely allow consumers to continue to use their existing headphones with an optional adapter.
In addition to the latest iPhone, Apple may also use the event to introduce a new version of its Apple Watch.


Galvin Eeg of Roseau County grooms a chicken, held by mother Sara Eeg, at the Minnesota State Fair on Aug. 25, 2016. He said he is glad poultry can be exhibited again this year after last year's bird flu epidemic canceled bird shows. (Forum News Service photo by Don Davis)
Galvin Eeg of Roseau County grooms a chicken, held by mother Sara Eeg, at the Minnesota State Fair on Aug. 25, 2016. He said he is glad poultry can be exhibited again this year after last year's bird flu epidemic canceled bird shows. (Forum News Service photo by Don Davis)
Galvin Eeg of Roseau County grooms a chicken, held by mother Sara Eeg, at the Minnesota State Fair on Aug. 25, 2016. He said he is glad poultry can be exhibited again this year after last year's bird flu epidemic canceled bird shows. (Forum News Service photo by Don Davis)
Galvin Eeg of Roseau County grooms a chicken, held by mother Sara Eeg, at the Minnesota State Fair on Aug. 25, 2016. He said he is glad poultry can be exhibited again this year after last year's bird flu epidemic canceled bird shows. (Forum News Service photo by Don Davis)
"It is good," she said in the middle of the Minnesota State Fair poultry exhibit. "It feels like home again."
The clucking, crowing, quacking, honking and peeping heard in the barn when the fair opened Thursday was music to poultry producers' ears.
"It is a sign that things are back to normal, about as normal as they can be," said Steve Olson, executive director of Minnesota chicken and turkey producer organizations.
A year ago, the same room was pretty quiet, save for people talking. A 2015 bird flu epidemic that eventually lead to more than 9 million chicken and turkey deaths in the state forced the cancelation of all poultry shows at fairs to help slow the disease's spread.
The state appears disease-free this year, so the shows resumed.
Gavin Eeg, 12, of Roseau County, was grooming his black Australorp chicken before showing his pen, for which he received a blue ribbon, and remembered last year, when he made a quilt with chickens on when showing the actual animal was banned.
He was not happy shows were canceled last year, suggesting his solution would have been better: "If there are sick ones, just don't bring them." Experts say birds can carry the flu even when they do not show symptoms.
Fleming, 16, whose chickens receive a red ribbon, also missed not being able to show last year, but planning to be veterinarian she said she understood. But she was happy to be back.
"My birds are a little bit weak this year, I know that," the Crow Wing County 4-H'er said. "But that's OK, I am down here and that is all that matters."
Showing poultry helped Fleming, she said, because it forced her out of her comfort zone as she had to talk to judges.
"I enjoy it because when I first started, I was not comfortable with public speaking or talking to people I didn't know," she said. "It has really brought me out of my shell. I have really learned to be more comfortable with situations like that."
Judges ask a lot of questions, and exhibitors need to be there with good answers about the animal and how it was raised.
"You are going to have to talk to him," Fleming said.
For Eeg, who calls his "business" Eeg's Eggs, said he likes to show chickens better than cows, which his sisters show.
"If a cow steps on you, it can break your foot," he said. "If a chicken steps on you, it is not going to hurt at all. If a cow hits you, you could fall over and break your rib or something. If a chicken hits you ... it is not going to be as bad as a cow ramming into you."
Chickens also are cheaper to raise, he said, and fewer people have them.
Eeg, who wants to be a farmer, said he does not eat many eggs and no poultry.
Overall, however, poultry consumption remains strong.
Olson said that most export markets that closed during the flu outbreak have reopened, although China still will not accept American poultry. Typically 15 percent of chickens and a higher percentage of turkeys are exported.
Minnesota flock numbers are at pre-flu levels, with a country-leading 46 million turkeys, 55 million broiler chickens and 10.5 million egg-laying chickens. Broilers were not affected by the 2015 flu, but turkeys and layers were.
Minnesota poultry producers now are in better shape to resist the flu, if it spreads again, Olson said.
For one thing, he said, producers and governments have learned to respond quicker to stop the disease's spread. Also, he added, "we have more biosecurity" to keep diseases out of the flocks.
While adding biosecurity takes money, poultry producers have not needed convincing to increase protection.
"It certainly has got every producer's attention..." Olson said. "If they did not get hit, they understood it was by the grace of God."
In the coming days, a meeting will look at federal biosecurity standards that soon will be required on all poultry operations.
The bird flu did not drive any Minnesota poultry producers out of business, Olson said. "If we had a second year in a row, I think we would have had some."
Scientists still are looking into why the 2015 flu outbreak was more severe than typically hits flocks.

Poultry back home at Minnesota State Fair


U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen speaks during a news conference following the two-day Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy meeting in Washington, DC, U.S. on March 16, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo.—The case for a U.S. interest rate hike has strengthened in recent months, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Friday, Aug. 27, in a speech that left the door open for such a move as early as next month.
Yellen, speaking at an international gathering of central bankers and academics in Jackson Hole did not say when the U.S. central bank would raise borrowing costs, and investors remained skeptical that such a move was imminent.
But the Fed chief said the U.S. economy was creating a lot of new jobs and would likely keep growing moderately, despite data earlier in the day showing only sluggish growth in the second quarter.
"In light of the continued solid performance of the labor market and our outlook for economic activity and inflation, I believe the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened in recent months," Yellen said, adding that the Fed still thinks future rate increases should be "gradual."
Yellen did not give guidance on what the central bank needs to see before raising rates. Following her remarks, investors continued to bet there were roughly even odds of an increase at the Fed's December policy meeting.
"She's just kept the door open for a hike sooner rather than later," said Subadra Rajappa, an interest rate strategist at Societe Generale in Washington.
The Fed also has policy meetings scheduled in September and November, with prices for fed funds futures implying investors see much lower chances of a rate increase at either of those meetings.
Fed Vice Chair Stanley Fischer, however, told CNBC on Friday that a rate hike in September and more than one hike before the end of the year were possible, though he added that it would depend on future economic data.
In her speech, Yellen said the U.S. central bank already thinks the economy is close to meeting its goals of maximum employment and stable prices. She also described consumer spending as "solid," but noted that business investment was weak and exports were taking a hit from a strong U.S. dollar.
The Fed raised rates in December, its first hike in nearly a decade, but it has held off further increases so far this year due to a global growth slowdown, financial market volatility and an inflation rate persistently below its 2 percent target.
The dollar jumped after Yellen's remarks and was about 0.50 percent higher against a basket of currencies in early afternoon trading. U.S. stock prices fell in choppy trading, while prices of U.S. Treasuries were mostly weaker.
Other options
The Fed signaled in June that it still expected to raise rates twice this year, but investors have been doubtful in part because policymakers appear sharply divided over whether to hike rates soon or take a more cautious approach.
Yellen noted that Fed officials have a wide range of views on where rates will likely be in the coming years. She said current forecasts imply a 70 percent probability they will be between 0 percent and 3.75 percent at the end of 2017, and a 70 percent probability they will be between 0 percent and 4.5 percent at the end of 2018.
Yellen was speaking at a Fed conference where central bankers gathered to hear new ideas on how to stimulate economies even after officials have cut rates to near zero and flooded banks with money.
She devoted much of her speech to outlining how the Fed may deal with recessions now that an aging population, weak investment and other dynamics appear to be slowing economic growth and keeping interest rates lower.
Some analysts have suggested the Fed will have less flexibility to fight future recessions because there will be less room to cut rates.
Such a view is "exaggerated," Yellen said, because the Fed will be able to buy bonds and make pledges about future policy to lower interest rates. She said the Fed still planned to wind down its massive balance sheet, but that such an effort would take time. Yellen added that the balance sheet was likely to be useful for policy for some time.
The Fed may also want to explore other options, including broadening the range of assets it can purchase, raising the inflation target, or targeting nominal GDP, she said.

Fed's Yellen says case for interest rate hike has strengthened


Access to a narrow peninsula of farmland jutting into Stump Lake, south of Lakota, N.D., is compromised by the rising lake water.Herald photo by Sarah Kolberg.
DEVILS LAKE—The excess rain this year is one ingredient needed for spring flooding, and as residents wonder if Devils Lake could begin to swallow up land, National Weather Service meteorologists say it's too early to tell if the Red River will cause significant damage.
Grand Forks had about 3.21 inches of rain in August as of Thursday. That's about 18 inches for the year, or about 4 inches of precipitation above average counts, according to the weather service. July was the seventh-wettest month on record with 5.3 inches.
To the west, more than 19 inches has fallen in Devils Lake as of Tuesday, according to Jeff Frith, manager for the Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resource Board. July saw 6.65 inches, the second-wettest July since 1993, which had 10.25 inches. About 4.3 inches has fallen in August as of Tuesday.
Near Starkweather, N.D., a Ramsey County city of 117 residents located about 25 miles north of Devils Lake, weather tracker Mike Connor has reported more than 23 inches, with 8.12 inches falling in July, the most that has fallen in that month since 1993. About 5.2 inches has fallen there in August as of Tuesday.
The excess rain has saturated the soil, especially in the northern Red River Valley, and as a whole, North Dakota is wetter than normal, National Weather Service meteorologist Jennifer Ritterling said. If it doesn't dry up, the ground could freeze and leave no room for the snowpack to melt except outward.
That could mean flooding for some communities around Devils Lake. The massive body of water has remained steady at about 1,450 feet for most of the year, give or take a few inches.
The rain is concerning because it is filling up the coulees near Devils Lake and causing significant inflow, Frith said. Usually flows wrap up toward the end of July, but some coulees have been running full blast the last few weeks.
It's not unusual considering the amount of rain the Devils Lake Basin has seen, Frith said.
"We have been seeing a dramatic increase in the flows in the coulees, certainly more than what we had this spring when the coulees thawed out in the spring," Frith said. "We had virtually zero flow at that time due to our drier conditions."
Heavy flow in the spring could be preceded by a wet fall, which is concerning because it could increase the elevation of Devils Lake, he said. The lake's record elevation was set June 27, 2011, when it reached 1,454.4 feet, resulting in the flooding of cropland, roads, homesteads and even small communities. The lake reached near-record levels in June 2013 when the elevation topped out at 1,426.97 feet.
Every foot the lake goes up or down puts about 10,000 acres of land at risk, Frith said.
"If we go into freeze-up with saturated soils the way they are now, the basin storage capacity up in the northern part of the basin flow, we could see a significant amount of runoff next spring and be right back where we were three or four years ago," he said. "It just sets the stage for nowhere for the snowmelt to go."
Too soon to tell
Knowing if the region, specifically the Red River Valley, will see significant flooding is like predicting the winner of the 2017 Super Bowl, Ritterling said. There are so many variables that are unknown that it is too early to tell.
"There are a lot of factors that go into spring flooding," she said.
She referred to an article written by Grand Forks meteorologist Allen Voelker. "Anatomy of the Red River Spring Flood" describes the key factors in predicting flooding for cities along the river: the freeze and melt cycle, the amount of early spring rain and late spring storms that will deplete or add to snowpack, the depth of snowpack and how much water it contains, frost depth, river ice conditions and soil moisture content.
"Out of all of those, we partially know one of them," she said of soil moisture content. "There is no way to tell at this point."
It's likely there are two to three months left until the ground freezes, and it's possible the region could begin to dry off by then. Temperatures for the three-month outlook are expected to be above average, though precipitation also could be above average, according to the weather service's Climate Prediction Center. Most of North Dakota and all of Minnesota should avoid drought through November.
"There is still a bit of fall to go through," she said.
Surprise from the lake
The Old Farmer's Almanac, which recently released its 225th issue, predicted a colder winter than normal for the Grand Forks area and North Dakota in general, but below-normal snowfall for eastern North Dakota, while the west should receive more snow.
Ritterling warned people not to put too much stock into the publication. Though it boasts an accuracy of 80 percent, its winter prediction last year was about 55.6 percent accurate.
"There are actually people who have looked into verifying The Old Farmer's Almanac against what really happened, and the results aren't very good," she said.
Devils Lake should be safe, Frith said, adding agricultural land and surrounding communities could see flooding. It would take a monumental event to surpass the record elevation, which is about 4 feet away.
"This lake has surprised and has made a lot of fools of prognosticators over the past," he said. "I wouldn't rule anything out."
With a few months to go, he said a few weeks of no rain couldn't hurt Devils Lake and surrounding cities.
"Certainly, Mother Nature can stop at any time," he said.
Flood predictions from the weather service are expected in January. When asked if people should be worried, Ritterling had some friendly advice.
"The fall is usually pretty nice," she said. "Go out and enjoy our last few months of being able to do stuff outside."

Will Devils Lake and Red River Valley flood?


Jeramy Pinkerton, fisheries specialist with the Minnesota DNR, carries a sturgeon to a holding tank so it can be tagged along the St. Louis River near Duluth in April 2016. Bob King / Forum News Service
DULUTH, Minn.—Last spring, on the banks of the St. Louis River, fisheries officials surgically implanted small transmitters in the bellies of 45 lake sturgeon.
Already, the hydro-acoustic tracking project has revealed valuable information to biologists.
"We're seeing adult-size, mature sturgeon hanging out in the river until mid-summer," said Anna Varian, assistant Duluth-area fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. "We didn't know there was a river population. Now we know there are adult-size fish hanging out all summer long. That will provide a great fishery for people."
Anglers may fish for sturgeon on the river but must release any sturgeon they catch.
Until now, DNR officials in Minnesota and Wisconsin had thought that perhaps sturgeon were entering the river each spring to spawn, then returning to Lake Superior. The news of a summer-long river population was welcomed by Jason Kahler of Superior, Wis., an avid sturgeon angler.
"I think that's awesome," Kahler said. "It's good to know they can survive the river, that it's not too polluted."
Like many anglers on the river, Kahler sees smaller sturgeon — up to about 3 feet — jump out of the water occasionally. But he has never seen the big ones jumping.
How tracking works
After implanting hydro-acoustic tags in the sturgeon last spring, DNR crews placed eight acoustic receivers in the river. So far, fisheries employees have brought up four of those receivers to see how many signals they have received from passing sturgeon. If a sturgeon with a transmitter passes within about 400 meters of a receiver, the receiver records a signal from the fish.
The receivers checked by the DNR had recorded signals from 43 of the 45 sturgeon tagged this spring, Varian said. The transmitters issue a signal every 30 to 90 seconds, she said, so it's possible that the two undetected sturgeon may have passed by the receivers too quickly to leave a signal. Or a tag might have malfunctioned, or the fish may have died.
Varian said fisheries officials are pleased — and relieved — that the transmitters and receivers are working.
"It's very exciting," she said. "It's a little nerve-wracking to push a couple-hundred-thousand-dollar piece of equipment over the side of the boat and hope you find it again. It's also nerve-wracking to cut into a sturgeon and put a tag into it. To know we've had good survival by seeing this data has been a big relief."
Paul Piszczek, fisheries biologist for the Wisconsin DNR in Superior, said that in the past he has received anecdotal reports of lake sturgeon caught incidentally in the river.
"The acoustic technology provides a more quantifiable view of lake sturgeons' seasonal habitat use," Piszczek said, "which can guide habitat management projects throughout the river."
Receivers upriver
The four receivers checked had all been placed in narrow areas of the river upstream of the Bong Bridge. Four other receivers are in place near the Duluth ship canal and Superior entry to detect sturgeon movements into or out of Lake Superior, Varian said. Those receivers have not been checked yet.
Each receiver checked so far has had hundreds of thousand of "hits" on it, Varian said.
"It's an insane amount of data," she said. "I don't know how else to explain it."
Several fish have been tracked at all four of the receivers checked, Varian said, while some fish have been tracked primarily near one receiver.
"One fish has moved about every half-day from one receiver to another," she said. "They each have their own personality, I suppose."
The fish tagged this past spring ranged in size from 39 to 65 inches, Varian said.
Determining population size
The research also will help in tracking spawning movements of sturgeon, which biologists need to know in order to better determine the size of the river's population. Female sturgeon, unlike other species, may spawn just once every three to seven years, Varian said.
"Unlike with other fish, where we can target all of the adult population at one time, we can't with sturgeon," Varian said. "It's important to know how often they're spawning. By tagging fish and learning something about their movements, we're hoping to answer some of those questions. That will help with population estimates."
Other fisheries agencies around Lake Superior also are doing acoustic monitoring of sturgeon in their jurisdictions, DNR officials said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is doing monitoring near the Bayfield peninsula, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada is doing the same near the St. Marys River near Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Each agency's receivers will monitor the passage of sturgeon from any other jurisdiction, he said.
The acoustic tagging project on the St. Louis River is a cooperative effort involving the Minnesota and Wisconsin DNRs, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Transmitter-equipped sturgeon giving researchers 'insane' amount of data


Cheered on by spectators, contestants from all over Britain slid in the gooey mixture, usually an accompaniment to Sunday roast meals, as they wrestled each other on a padded gravy pool at the Rose 'n' Bowl pub in Lancashire, England in a bid to raise money for a local hospice.
Rules state that participants wrestle in gravy in two-minute bouts and they win points for not only their moves but also the audience's applause.
"If you can stay on your feet and get the upper hand on your opponent, it allows you to throw them and toss them around," competitor Joel Hicks said. "But if you can't get any balance then you're just straight over."

Watch: Competitors take their lumps in gravy wrestling championships


LANGDON, N.D.—A Langdon woman running with her dog was killed when a vehicle struck her from behind at 9:15 p.m. Saturday a mile east of Langdon, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
A 25-year-old Langdon man was driving home from work in a 2003 GMC Yukon, going westbound on North Dakota Highway 5 when he struck the woman, 31, who was running in the same direction. She was pronounced dead at the scene, the Highway Patrol said in a Sunday release.
The driver of the Yukon was not injured.
The crash remains under investigation. Names of those involved will not be released until family has been notified, the Highway Patrol said.


OSLO, Norway -- A freak lightning storm has killed 323 reindeer in a remote mountainous area of Norway, officials said on Monday.
Dead animals were found lying on top of each other, many with their antlers entangled, after the thunderstorm on the Hardanger plateau in southern Norway on Friday.
"We've never had anything like this with lightning," Kjartan Knutsen of Norway's nature surveillance agency said, adding there were sometimes isolated cases of sheep or reindeer struck down.
Reindeer tend to group together when in danger. It was unclear whether the herd had been killed by a single lightning bolt or several.
Hardanger was extremely wet on Friday, helping conduct lightning.
"The high moisture in both the ground and the air was probably an explanation for why so many animals died," Olav Strand, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, wrote in a statement.
Experts flew in by helicopter to take samples of the dead reindeer, amid a rising stench of decay, as part of a project to monitor elk and deer for diseases. Five of the 323 animals were found alive but badly injured and were shot by wildlife officials.
It was unclear what would happen to the bodies. One option is to leave them to decay.
"It's part of the natural ecology, this is far from where people live," Knutsen said. Hardanger has about 12,000 reindeer and hunters are allowed to shoot 2,000 a year for their meat.

Freak lightning storm kills 323 reindeer in Norway


Aug 28, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) celebrates after hitting a two run home run during the seventh inning in a game against the Minnesota Twins at Rogers Centre. The Toronto Blue Jays won 9-6. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY
Aug 28, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Alex Wimmers (51) throws a pitch during the eighth inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Toronto Blue Jays won 9-6. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY
TORONTO—Josh Donaldson hit his third home run of the game in the eighth inning of the Toronto Blue Jays' 9-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins and hats came fluttering down onto the field.
In hockey terms, Donaldson had scored a hat trick. When Edwin Encarnacion hit three homers in a game last August, the Rogers Centre crowd reacted the same way.
"It's nice," Donaldson said of the three-homer game. "It's kind of one of those things as a baseball player you want to have it happen one day and you don't know if it's ever going to happen. It's a rare thing and I was happy to do it."
He said he did not know what he might do with the hats.
Donaldson's second homer of the game was a two-run shot that put Toronto into a 6-5 lead during the four-run seventh.
His home run in the eighth gave him the first three-homer game of his career and down came the hats.
"We saw it for Eddie when he did it," said Blue Jays starter R.A. Dickey who pitched six innings to a no-decision. "It's neat. I think it's unique to this area so it's really cool."
Troy Tulowitzki also homered for the Blue Jays.
It was the 10th loss in a row for the Twins (49-81) while the Blue Jays (74-56), who overcame a 5-1 disadvantage Sunday, remain at the top of the American League East.
Toronto reliever Scott Feldman (7-4) pitched two-thirds of an inning to pick up the win.
Twins reliever Pat Light (0-1) allowed three hits and three runs over 1 1/3 innings to take the loss.
"As for Toronto, we all know what they did last year and the offensive team that they have when they get going," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Donaldson's back on track. ... He wasn't swinging as well when we saw them earlier in the year, but he's got it back on track."
Donaldson fouled a ball off his knee cap the first inning and manager John Gibbons told him if it continued to bother him, he would remove him from the game.
"It felt like I'd just been shot in the knee," Donaldson said. "As I gave it a little time and our training staff was able to work on it, it progressed throughout the game."
Twins starter Kyle Gibson allowed eight hits, three walks and four runs while striking out one in 5 1/3 innings.
Dickey allowed six hits, three walks and five runs (three earned) in six innings. He struck out five.
The Blue Jays scored a run in the first on Encarnacion's sacrifice fly. It scored Jose Bautista, who led off with a double, his first of three hits, on a drive deep to left center. Left fielder Robbie Grossman appeared to have caught the ball but it was jarred loose when he collided with center fielder Danny Santana.
Santana had a sprained left shoulder and Eddie Rosario took over in center field in the second.
Minnesota scored an unearned run in the third. Rosario singled and was safe at second on Donaldson's throwing error on a forceout attempt on Brian Dozier's grounder. Joe Mauer walked. The run scored when Max Kepler's grounder deflected off Dickey's foot to second baseman Devon Travis, who got the forceout at second.
Donaldson's first homer of the game in the bottom of the third gave Toronto a 2-1 lead.
"He's a challenge," Gibson said. "There's a reason he's an MVP looking for back-to-back. ... I thought I threw a couple pitches right down the middle thigh high that he really didn't even move his hands on. Whether he was looking off speed or just his pitch recognition and plate discipline is really good. That's why he's such a good hitter and puts the barrel on the ball quite a bit."
The Twins led 5-2 after a four-run fifth. Trevor Plouffe hit an RBI single and took second on a passed ball. Miguel Sano hit a two-run single.
Tulowitzki led off Toronto's two-run sixth with his 22nd homer of the season. Kevin Pillar doubled and Travis singled.
Bautista led off seventh with a single against Light and Donaldson hit his second homer of the game to center to give Toronto the lead. It was his fourth multi-homer game of the season and the 10th of his career.
After a two-out single by Tulowitzki, J.T. Chargois replaced Light and he walked Pillar before allowing Melvin Upton Jr.'s two-run double.
Donaldson hit his 33rd homer of the season and the third of the game with two out in the eighth against Alex Wimmers.
"It doesn't get any better than that," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said." He's heating up. He had a little stretch where he cooled off like everybody. Earlier in the homestand he was just missing some pitches."
Roberto Osuna allowed one run on Dozier's double and Mauer's single in the top of the ninth.

Donaldson's 'hat trick' of homers leads Jays over Twins


MINNEWAUKAN, N.D.—A 73-year-old man who was wearing his lifejacket was found alive after his boat sank and he spent about 12 hours floating on Devils Lake.
The unnamed Sheyenne, N.D., man was reported missing Saturday after he failed to come back from a Friday fishing trip on the lake, Benson County Sheriff Steve Rohrer told KZZY-FM Radio. A search was launched early Saturday morning, but rescue workers received a call saying the man had floated to shore and had been taken to a local hospital.
The man was a little sore but seemed OK, Rohrer said.
It's uncertain where on Devils Lake the man had been found.
Check back for updates as this story develops.

Missing angler, 73, found alive after floating for 12 hours on Devils Lake


When Jamestown Fire Chief Jim Reuther picked up Chloe, an 8-week-old female bloodhound, in Fargo, he wasn't thinking too much about the return trip to Jamestown.
"Try driving with a 20-pound dog on your lap," he said, chuckling at the thought.
Reuther went to Fargo Aug. 21 to meet with Erin and Ryan Solberg, owners of Cedar Ridge Hounds where they raise pure-bred bloodhounds in northern Minnesota. The couple decided to give Reuther the dog because of how he intends to use Chloe—as a search-and-rescue dog.
Reuther said he had talked with Erin Solberg off and on for about eight or nine months about bloodhounds, and he mentioned how he wanted to use Chloe.
"It's an amazing cause (training Chloe to become a search-and-rescue dog), and he (Reuther) seems so gung-ho," Erin Solberg said.
Solberg said a puppy like Chloe would normally cost around $500, and she would be more if she were to certify Chloe as a pure-bred bloodhound. She said two of the dogs from their farm had been sold to other people who have either trained the dogs in search and rescue or are in the process of doing so.
The idea
Reuther said he got the idea to train a bloodhound in search and rescue after seeing what a bloodhound that has received proper training can do at a search-and-rescue scene. In December 2011, he said he watched a bloodhound, which was owned and trained by Earle "Bud" Myers with the Valley Water Rescue Team, search along holes drilled in the ice to help locate the body of Darrin Ackerman, a 49-year-old Jamestown man who was last seen ice fishing on the reservoir. When the bloodhound named Barnaby indicated on the scent of Ackerman on one of the holes, the rescue team used a remote-operated vehicle with a camera attached and located Ackerman.
Reuther said he started exploring the idea of getting his own bloodhound and getting the dog and himself trained in search and rescue after that day. When he saw a similar experience with a different bloodhound earlier this year in the West Fargo, N.D., area and discussed the idea with Jamestown Police Chief Scott Edinger and Stutsman County Sheriff Chad Kaiser, he decided training a bloodhound for search and rescue was something he wanted to do.
Reuther also talked with his veterinarian, Dr. Dawn Entzminger, to make sure she was willing to provide around-the-clock medical attention to Chloe in case she is injured at a search-and-rescue scene.
Training
Reuther said he is doing the training with Chloe and himself with no cost to the city of Jamestown or the Jamestown Fire Department. He said he will pay for any training that he or Chloe takes.
Currently Reuther and Chloe are getting to know each other. He said he has started some basic training with Chloe—basically playing hide and seek.
"I'll have someone hold her, then I will walk away, then have her come to me," he said. "Once we have that down, I'll hide behind something and see if she can find me."
Myers, a retired state's attorney who worked in Grand Forks, Richland and Cass counties, said bloodhounds are trained to be scent-specific searchers.
"We train them so they are only searching for one person, so they can go into a crowd and eliminate everyone in that crowd except for the one scent for which they are looking," he said.
Reuther said Myers will be helping him train Chloe.
Both men said the biggest challenge in training a dog in search and rescue is building the relationship between the dog and the handler.
"They have to be able to read each other, to know what each little sign means, to know each other's mood," Myers said.
Reuther said he hopes to have he and Chloe ready for search-and-rescue work in about a year, maybe more, depending on how he and the dog learn the training.

North Dakota fire chief to train dog, himself in search and rescue tactics


A 3D-printed logo for Twitter is seen in this picture illustration made in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina on January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
LOS ANGELES—Twitter has opened its Amplify program to all video creators in the United States, allowing them to generate content from pre-roll ads sold by the company.
Under the standard terms of the program, Twitter will pay video creators 70% of ad revenue, keeping 30% for itself. That's better than YouTube and Facebook, both of which share 55% of ad revenue with video-content partners.
That said, Twitter isn't home to the same level of video creation or consumption that either YouTube or Facebook are. While Twitter's more favorable rev-share model is aimed at addressing that, Twitter remains stuck in short-form territory: In June it expanded the maximum length of video posted from 30 seconds to 140 seconds.
With Twitter's Amplify Publisher Program, approved creators can either elect to opt-in videos tweet-by-tweet, or pre-set monetization for all of their videos. The content doesn't have to be exclusively available on Twitter.
Also Tuesday, Twitter is launching Media Studio, which replaces video.twitter.com as a desktop destination for accessing upgraded publishing and monetizing tools. Media Studio provides a new unified media library (with videos, GIFs and images) plus tweet scheduling and planning capabilities, team-based management and multi-account support, and improvements in stability and upload performance.
In addition to the expanded Amplify program, creators can choose to work with Niche, the creator-focused software platform Twitter acquired in early 2015. Niche currently works with 35,000 creators worldwide together with advertisers to develop "authentic and resonating" branded content.

Twitter opens video ads to all U.S. users, touting better revenue-sharing terms than YouTube or Facebook


The U.S. Department of Agriculture has closed six offices in five U.S. states after receiving anonymous threats, a USDA representative said on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
"Yesterday, USDA received several anonymous messages that are concerning for the safety of USDA personnel and its facilities. As a precaution, USDA has closed offices," USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said in an emailed statement.
Herrick said offices were closed in Fort Collins, Colorado; Hamden, Connecticut; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Kearneysville and Leetown, West Virginia.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said USDA was working with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure the safety of their offices and personnel, but he declined to provide any details about the threats.
"In consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, USDA has taken some prudent steps to ensure the protection of their facilities and their personnel," he told a news conference.

USDA closes offices in five U.S. states after threats


Barb and Glen Haultin's farm house was destroyed in a tornado that hit Hillsboro, N.D., on Saturday, Aug. 27. WDAY photo
Barb and Glen Haultin's farm house was destroyed in a tornado that hit Hillsboro, N.D., on Saturday, Aug. 27. WDAY photo
Barb and Glen Haultin's farm house was destroyed in a tornado that hit Hillsboro, N.D., on Saturday, Aug. 27. WDAY photo
HILLSBORO, N.D. - A Hillsboro family is picking up the pieces after a devastating EF-3 tornado ripped through their farm home over the weekend.
Despite the losing their house in the storm, the Haultins are calling themselves lucky.
"It was just kind of surreal," said Barb Haultin, Hillsboro.
It looks more like a war zone than a farm home.
"A well-built house like this just kind of demolished completely, it puts me in awe," said Barb.
The destruction is forcing them to live out of their camper.
It's not just their roof gone, furniture, pictures thrown or ruined by the storm.
"Life is bumps in the road," said Glen Haultin.
The couple was out of town when the storm hit, making them one of the last to see the damage.
Even after losing their home, this farming family is looking on the bright side.
"I just kept thinking how lucky we were that we weren't here," said Barb.
"There's a lot of people that lose loved ones," said Glen.
They're also lucky to live in Hillsboro, where they say the community has lifted them up.
"Unbelievable support. We've had hundreds of people coming out to offer to help," said Barb.
The community is helping clean up, giving meals, just talking to a family who lost almost everything.
"I can't repay what this community means to me," said Glen.
Now, the Haultins pick up the pieces and count their blessings.
The Haultins say they plan on rebuilding their house as long as their basement remains intact.
They're guessing it'll take at least a year to restore everything.

Hillsboro family living out of camper after devastating tornado rips through home


CROOKSTON—An Olso, Minn, man who faces multiple charges has been trafficking cocaine in northwest Minnesota, drug task force agents said Friday.
Juan Andres Gonzalez Jr., 24, was arrested Wednesday in Crookston on an outstanding warrant issued Aug. 4 in Polk County District Court. He faces three felony charges—two first-degree conspiracy to commit a controlled substance crime-sale and one count of failure to affix a tax stamp—and a gross misdemeanor charge of carrying a pistol without a permit.
The charges come after agents from the Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force, which serves several counties in northwestern Minnesota, purchased cocaine from a street-level dealer, according to a news release. Within a week, agents worked their way to Gonzalez, whom they said was the main distributor.
He also was arrested in July 2014 with a loaded semi-automatic pistol and "buy money" that had been used to purchase cocaine.
Agents searched cellphones that indicated Gonzalez was responsible for distributing more than four ounces of cocaine from North Dakota and Texas to northwest Minnesota in three months.
No further information will be released, officials with the drug task force said.
On each sale charge, Gonzalez faces up to 30 years in prison and $1 million in fines. He also faces seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine on the tax stamp charge. The misdemeanor charge could result in a maximum sentence of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.
Bond was set for $20,000 in the case, though Gonzalez could post bond for $2,000 with conditions. His next court appearance is Thursday.

Olso man trafficked cocaine in northwest Minnesota, agents say