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NEWS ARCHIVE

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SCSU Issues Layoff Notices to 26 Faculty Members

07/29/2010 - 11:50 AM

26 St. Cloud State faculty members will not have their contracts renewed at the end of this academic year. It’s part of an ultimate goal to eliminate 80-90 faculty positions for the 2011 school year. SCSU President Earl Potter says the 26 layoffs will save the university more than $2 million of the projected $13.7 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2012. That’s about 10% of the university’s overall budget.

There is the possibility that for fiscal year 12, we might have to stop doing some things that are healthy, that people care about, to balance the budget. Recognizing that these are programs that have produced graduates who are successful and making a contribution to Minnesota, that there are people enrolled in the programs and faculty who are committed to their students and these programs, it makes me feel awful,” said Potter.

Potter says he’s grateful to the “valued faculty members for their service” and that the "university’s budget situation made this action necessary.”
 

Groundbreaking Ceremony Planned for Skate Park

07/28/2010 - 12:00 PM

A groundbreaking ceremony for the long-awaited skate plaza at St. Cloud’s Heritage Park will be held Thursday. The $516,000 plaza was spearheaded in 2006 by Austin Lee, who, at the time, was a freshman at Apollo High School. The project will be funded by city park improvement money as well as private donations. Austin’s Lee’s father Jeff says so far, about $120,000 of the $150,000 goal has been raised.

"It's pretty incredible. The entire skate park community is very excited about this. They've all worked very hard to accomplish this goal. To be honest, there were times when they thought that it might not happen. This project has been in the works actually over 15 years started by other people and it's only been since 2006 that the city has latched onto it and helped us make it come forward,” said Jeff Lee.

Thursday’s ceremony will be held at 2:00 pm at Heritage Park on 33rd Avenue South in St. Cloud.
 

Police Seek Suspects in Alleged Gunpoint Robbery

07/28/2010 - 11:10 AM

Waite Park Police are trying to find three men they say are suspects in an alleged robbery at gunpoint. It happened at about 10:00 Monday night inside Legacy Apartments on 3rd Street South in Waite Park. Police say three black men held up two adult men inside the hallway of the apartment building. After one suspect allegedly revealed a gun, police say the suspects stole items from the victims and ran away. Neither of the victims was hurt. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Waite Park Police at (320) 251-3281.

St. Cloud Regional Airport Taking Pledges to Continue Service

07/28/2010 - 10:35 AM

Supporters of the St. Cloud Regional Airport have launched a pledge drive to bring commercial air service back to the airport. After much deliberation and research, it has been determined that the airport needs approximately $2.2 million in pledges to secure scheduled air service. Airport staff says that figure is about half of what it would cost to operate service between St. Cloud and Chicago O’Hare for one year. The airport is asking area businesses and individuals to make pledges to go toward $225 round-trip tickets between St. Cloud and Chicago. The pledges are non-binding, but airport staff says they are needed to prove to a carrier the community can support the service.

"I think that we'll get a really favorable response. The economic impact of air service loss is pretty substantive. It affects businesses negatively in a lot of ways not having regular service. Not just moving people but moving product, so I feel like we're going to be successful with this initiative," said Jami Bestgen, Marketing Consultant for the St. Cloud Regional Airport.

Bestgen says the goal is to raise the $2.2 million dollars by September and begin service shortly thereafter. Pledge documents are available on the St. Cloud Regional Airport Web site.
 

Storm Recap: High Winds & Heavy Rain

07/28/2010 - 10:15 AM

KVSC has details on Tuesday’s line of thunderstorms that passed through central Minnesota courtesy of SCSU Meteorology Professor Bob Weisman. The storms mostly produced high winds and heavy rain. Peak wind gusts were 71 miles per hour, reported at Veterans Golf Course in St. Cloud. Wind damage to trees was reported throughout central Minnesota. St. Cloud received just under an inch of rain in the storm. The reason there was no tornado activity in this storm, Weisman says, is because the storms erupted along a line, rather than individual storm cells. The most serious result of this storm happened in Iron County, Wisconsin, where six people were reported injured.

Two St. Cloud Boys Charged After Alleged Theft, Assault

07/28/2010 - 10:00 AM

Two 14-year-old boys from St. Cloud are being charged in connection with an alleged theft on St. Cloud’s east side. It happened at about 1:30 Wednesday morning on the 700 block of 13th Avenue Southeast. Police say a 26-year-old St. Cloud man saw two boys stealing items from his car and started chasing them. That’s when, police say, one of the boys pulled a knife and threatened the victim. Police eventually found the boys. The suspect who allegedly pulled the knife is being held in a detention facility where he faces charges of assault and theft. The other suspect was released to his parents. He faces charges of tampering with a car, curfew violation and possession of drug paraphernalia. No one was hurt in this incident.

Cars Set on Fire in St. Cloud, Police Seek Leads

07/27/2010 - 9:50 AM

Investigators are trying to find the person who set fire to several cars by pouring gasoline on them. It happened early Tuesday morning on the 700 block of McKinley Place South in St. Cloud. Police say someone poured gasoline on several cars that were parked in the alley and set them on fire. The owners of the cars were able to put out the fires using extinguishers and water. No one was hurt. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the St. Cloud Police Department at (320) 251-1200.

Wetterling Investigators Complete Search of Dirt

07/27/2010 - 9:30 AM

Investigators have completed sifting through dirt taken from a St. Joseph farm near where Jacob Wetterling was abducted nearly 21 years ago. The Stearns County sheriff's office says items of interest were found and will be sent to forensic labs for additional testing. Investigators executed search warrants at the farm on June 30 and July 1. Authorities took six truckloads of dirt and several other items from the farm.

The St. Cloud Times reports the sheriff's office has not identified what those items are. Jacob Wetterling was 11 years old when a masked gunman abducted him on Oct. 22, 1989. Jacob has been missing ever since, and there have been no arrests in the case.

Plum Creek Bridge Project Recieves Donation

07/27/2010 - 12:00 PM

The Plum Creek Bridge received a $5,000 donation intended to refurbish the structure.  Members of the St. Augusta Blizzard Busters snowmobile club presented the donation Monday to Vince Schaefer, who is the chair of the Stearns County Snowmobile Association.  The Plum Creek Bridge is located on the Beaver Island Trail and when re-constructed will accommodate year-round trail use in Lynden Township. The trail’s goal is to connect St. Cloud to Warner Lake County Park. The short-term plan for the trail corridor is a natural surface treadway, mostly on railroad corridor which Stearns County purchased with trail grant funds. Hiking, mountain biking and snowmobiling are all planned for the trail.

Gov. Pawlenty to Make Anouncement in St. Cloud

07/27/2010 - 11:55 AM

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty will make a stop in St. Cloud Wednesday to announce the continuation of the first lady’s military family care initiative. The program connects military families with the community to provide volunteer services during deployments. The event will be at 3:15 pm at the St. Cloud Regional Airport Army Aviation Support Facility #2. The governor’s stop in St. Cloud will be preceded by visits in Rochester, St. Paul, Duluth and Moorhead. This event is open to the public, but RSVP’s are requested. RSVP's should be sent to Major Michael Barker at (651) 282-4185 or michael.barker@us.army.mil

Turbulent Weather Today

07/27/2010 - 11:00 AM

A heat advisory has been issued for central and southern Minnesota from noon to 7 pm. Highs today are expected to reach the low to middle 90’s with extreme humidity. According to SCSU meteorology professor Bob Weisman, the system could produce widespread thunderstorms and that some of those storms will contain damaging winds and tornadoes, especially from St Cloud north and east. Weisman advises monitoring the latest weather information for any activities during the hours of 3:00 to 8:00 pm.

St. Cloud Man Killed in One Car Crash

07/26/2010 - 9:50 AM

A 21-year-old St. Cloud man is dead after a one car crash over the weekend in St. Cloud. It happened early Saturday morning at the intersection of Cooper Avenue North and 20th Avenue North. Police say the driver, 23-year-old Jason Lee Chau-Ska Sharp was traveling west on 20th Avenue when he lost control and slid sideways, causing the passenger side to collide with a tree. Both the driver and the passenger, Caleb Scott Abrahamson of St. Cloud, were taken to the hospital. Abrahamson was pronounced dead about three hours after the crash. The driver, Sharp, is being investigated for criminal vehicular operation.

2 on Motorcycle Die in Eden Valley Crash

07/26/2010 - 9:30 AM

Two people on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle were killed when their bike was rear ended by a minivan this weekend in Eden Valley. It happened Saturday afternoon on State Highway 55. Police say the driver of the minivan is being held on possible charges of fourth-degree DWI and criminal vehicular operation. Killed were 50-year-old James R. Nelson and 43-year-old Amy J. Langford. They are both from Spicer.

National Organization Brings Anti-Gay Marriage Rally to St. Cloud

07/26/2010 - 11:40 AM

A national organization promoting marriage between a woman and a man brings its summer tour to Minnesota and Wisconsin this week. And, at least one group is already planning a counter rally. The National Organization for Marriage is traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, St. Paul on Wednesday, St. Cloud Thursday and Rochester Friday. The group plans to stop in 23 cities in 19 states before wrapping up with a rally in Washington D.C. on August 15.

Granite City Baptist Church Pastor Dennis Campbell says the organization contacted him about bringing the rally to St. Cloud and he agreed to host because it has a message he supports. The group, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, is planning to counter demonstrate in East St. Cloud Thursday with a "Rally for Marriage Equality."
 

SCSU's International Friendship Program Seeks Volunteers

07/26/2010 - 11:15 AM

St. Cloud State’s International Friendship Program is looking for volunteers from the community to pair up with one of the university’s 1,100 international students from more than 80 countries. Volunteers in the program are expected to include the students in typical planned activities such as family meals and outings, sports activities, family events, holiday celebrations and outdoor activities. The aim is to share information about each other’s cultures and to promote greater understanding.

An informational session about the program is scheduled for Tuesday, July 27 at 5:30 pm in the Atwood Memorial Center Granite Room. A second informational session is scheduled for Tuesday, August 10 at 10:00 am in the Atwood Memorial Center Oak Room. For more information contact SCSU's Center for International Studies.

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