<More DWI patrols for New Year's
ST. PAUL -- The Minnesota State Patrol is promising increased DWI enforcement during the upcoming New Year's Eve celebrations.
Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske said that because New Year's Eve falls on a weekend this year, there's the potential for more drunken driving than usual.
He said that makes it even more important for people to plan now for a safe and sober ride home, which could be a designated driver or a cab.
Roeske said families should also let others know they are available for a safe ride home at any time.
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As of Wednesday, there have been 397 traffic deaths in Minnesota comparedw ith 395 at this time in 2009.
FBI probes possible abduction
MINNEAPOLIS -- The FBI is looking for information in the possible abduction of a teenage girl in Minneapolis.
The FBI says the girl was taken at a bus stop on Nicollet Avenue South about 12:45 p.m. Wednesday when a group of four or five young men in a sport utility vehicle asked her to go with them.
The girl declined. The FBI says one of the men grabbed her and forced her into the vehicle.
The girl told someone to call 911. The SUV was last seen northbound on Nicollet Avenue South.
The girl is black, about 16 years old, wearing blue jeans, a waist-length tan jacket, a pink hooded sweatshirt, and black leather knee-high boots. The SUV was a tan or gold 1990s Chevrolet Suburban with dark tinted windows.
Law enforcement kills man with gun
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LITTLE FALLS -- A 37-year-old man is dead after being shot by law enforcement.
County Sheriff Michel Wetzel said deputies were called at 12:22 a.m. Thursday about a suicidal man with a gun.
Deputies and Little Falls police found the man as he was leaving the home of an acquaintance in Little Falls. Wetzel said when officers tried to stop the vehicle, the driver pulled into a driveway.
Wetzel said the man got out with a shotgun and wouldn't put it down. Two Little Falls officers and two Morrison County deputies fired, and the man died at the scene. His name has not been released.
The St. Cloud Times reported that the investigation has been turned over to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Warning issued for tainted cider
ST. PAUL -- The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is advising consumers to avoid drinking Pepin Heights Orchard brand apple cider with certain code dates.
Laboratory tests found the product may be contaminated with a mold toxin called patulin.
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The cider was sold in half-gallon and 1-gallon plastic jugs distributed in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arizona, Texas and Florida.
Pepin Heights Orchard, of Lake City, is cooperating with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to find the source of the patulin.
No illnesses have been reported. Consumers and retailers should discard the cider.
The affected lot codes are: Use by Jan 27 11, Use by Jan 30 11, Use by Jan 31 11, Use by Feb 01 11, Use by Feb 05 11, Use by Feb 06 11.
A Pepin Heights Response Center is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time Monday through Friday at (800) 652-3779.
Boy with illness gets stem cells
MINNEAPOLIS-- A 4-year-old Wisconsin boy with a rare skin disease has received a stem cell transplant in Minnesota.
Charlie Knuth of Darboy received the transplant Thursday at the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital.
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Charlie was born without the gene that binds skin together. Doctors hope the transplant will strengthen the boy's skin.
A stem cell transplant is an infusion of cells, not a surgery. The first infusion of cells took place in Charlie's hospital room and took about 30 minutes.
Charlie has epidermolysis bullosa, which causes his skin to blister. The disease has no known cure.
The stem cells needed for the treatment are derived from bone marrow and cord blood.
