Lakes Radio News Stories:

Smooth Scavengers
07-30-10

            A Fergus Falls family will enjoy a year’s worth of free “McCafe Smoothies” from the local McDonalds restaurant. McDonalds hid a three-foot smoothie cup in Fergus Falls and invited the public to take part in a scavenger hunt. Bailey Rogelstad, along with her mother and brother were able to sniff out the cup. They located the find underneath the bridge that crosses over Vine Street. The “smoothie” cup hosted by the Pelican Rapids McDonalds restaurant has also been found, but there are no details surrounding that hunt.

KIDNAP MANHUNT

Kidnap, knife assault suspect in custody

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — A man accused in a kidnapping and a knife attack is in custody in Olmsted County after an extensive search.

Authorities say the 30-year-old suspect could face charges Friday.

Bruce Fujan tells KARE-TV he noticed a car parked along a rural road near Rochester Tuesday night. A man, woman and toddler were outside. The woman was crying and bloody and had the child in her arms. The man took off. Fujan told the woman and child to get in his car and he called 911.

Sheriff's officials say the man was the woman's former boyfriend who had kidnapped and attacked her. Deputies with dogs searched area farms and fields. The man was spotted by a local business owner the next day and arrested.

IRAN-US HIKERS-ONE YEAR

Moms work full-time for hikers' release from Iran

PINE CITY, Minn. (AP) — The moms of three Americans jailed in Iran are preparing for a bitter milestone since their arrest — one year in captivity.

Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd (SHORD) and Josh Fattal were detained one year ago on Saturday. Their families say they were hiking along the Iraqi border when they were arrested and deny Iran's accusations that they were spying.

Trying to win their freedom has become a full-time job for their mothers, who have put their own careers and lives on hold as they try to keep pressure on the Iranian government.

In May, they were allowed to visit their children in Tehran. Since then, they've had no contact with them.

On Friday, the mothers will lead a demonstration outside the Iranian Mission to the U.N. in Manhattan.

FAILING SCHOOLS-MINNESOTA

26 low-performing Minn. schools to split $34M

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Department of Education is announcing how $34 million in federal grant money will be spread among 26 of the state's lowest-performing schools.

The new Office of Turnaround Schools is making the announcement at the department's headquarters in Roseville.

The state identified the lowest-peforming schools based on test scores and graduation rates. Of those, 26 schools picked one of four turnaround plans and applied for the money.

All the schools picked models in which they had to replace their principals, but none of them decided to shut down or convert to a charter school.

Four of the eligible schools opted out of the program, so they won't have to make the changes but also won't get the money.

MINNESOTA GOVERNOR-HAHN

Minn. third-party candidate had domestic incident

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Third-party gubernatorial candidate Rob Hahn is confirming that his former wife has an order of protection against him.

Hahn confirms a story published in Thursday's Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The newspaper cited a report filed by Hahn's now ex-wife as she sought the order after a March 2009 incident.

The paper says her account says Hahn pushed her against a wall, screamed in her face, broke two phones and, when she ran from the home, yelled, "You're (expletive) lucky I didn't kill you."

Hahn says the account is "probably an accurate description."

He says he voluntarily enrolled in a domestic abuse program and has been open about the incident, including talking about it at a Capitol rally on family law issues in March.

CHARITABLE GAMBLING

Charitable gambling receipts decline

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Donations to Minnesota charities through pulltab and bingo games are at the lowest level in more than 20 years.

Gross receipts for the state's charitable gambling industry dropped from $1.2 billion in 1989 to $998 million last year.

Allied Charities of Minnesota says $43 million was donated to charities through gambling in 2009, down from $101 million in 1989.

Allied Charities executive director King Wilson tells the Star Tribune the decline could be attributed, in part, to a limited number of low-tech games. Wilson wants to see electronic bingo and hand-held video devices that might attract younger players.