The recalled bicycle handlebars can break while the user is riding the bike, resulting in loss of control and a fall hazard.
The replacement lawnmower blades can break during normal use, posing a laceration hazard to the user and bystanders.
The recalled bicycle handlebars can break while the user is riding the bike, resulting in loss of control and a fall hazard.
The replacement lawnmower blades can break during normal use, posing a laceration hazard to the user and bystanders.
In an information technology executive’s ideal world, a company’s network environment would be as sterile as an operating room. Access to equipment would be tightly controlled and any person coming in to use it would be required to submit to the IT equivalent of a surgical scrub-down.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The Minnesota Twins announced Thursday night that they will be retiring the two-time World Championship Manager Tom Kelly’s No. 10 uniform.
Kelly will receive the honor during a pregame celebration when the Twins host the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 8, 2012.
“Few, if any individuals have had as much direct impact on the success of the Twins franchise as Tom Kelly,” said Twins CEO Jim Pohlad. “Over a 41-year career with the Twins organization, Tom has helped ensure high standards on and off the field and has always demonstrated the utmost respect for the game. It is our honor to celebrate Tom’s remarkable career by forever retiring his famed No. 10.”
Kelly joins Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett and Bert Blyleven as the seventh Twin to have his number retired by the organization.
MERRIFIELD, Minn. (WCCO) — A Northern Minnesota man is concerned that hunting dogs are becoming the hunted.
John Reynolds of Merrifield lost his dog Penni when she got caught in what’s called a “Body Grip Trap.”
The traps are designed to kill raccoons, fishers and bobcats — but there have been several reports of pet dogs getting caught in them.
Reynolds is a trapper himself. But the type of trap he demonstrated for us is the kind he wants nothing to do with.
“You can imagine what this would do to the neck of a dog,” said Reynolds, as he springs a body grip trap.
There are several names for this type of trapping device, but Reynolds and others call it the body grip trap. It lures prey in-between the springs with grouse or pheasant meat. And it kills quickly — instantly breaking the neck or the windpipe of the animal. It’s a scenario, that last month, became all too real for Reynolds.
On Dec. 17, Reynolds and his springer spaniel Penni were walking around a lake near Emily, Minnesota. Penni ran off and got caught in a Body Grip Trap.
“It took about a half hour before I found her … and she was dead,” said Reynolds.
And he’s not alone. Reynolds says at least four other dogs in the area have been caught and killed, as well.
What worries him most is that body grip traps can virtually be set on any public land in the state of Minnesota. Including some parks.
But Reynolds isn’t out to get rid of the traps, he just wants the rules to change.
“Every time you go in the woods with your dog you are playing roulette,” said Reynolds.
Because the bait is what attracts the dogs, Reynolds would like to see the traps moved off the ground — where fishers and raccoons can still get them but dogs can’t. Twenty-five other states have that type of regulation, but Minnesota does not. And because of what happened to Penni, Reynolds now refers to body grips as ‘hidden killers.’
“All we are looking for is a change in the method. It doesn’t seem like much to ask. They are good traps, we just don’t want them set where our dogs can reach them,” said Reynolds.
In 2010, the DNR created regulations that do not allow the traps to be placed near houses or buildings occupied by livestock.
The DNR says they continue to talk with trappers and concerned dog owners about the body grip traps.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — A pest control worker may have saved the life of a woman and her son Tuesday afternoon. Investigators said Ernest Kidwell interrupted a domestic assault at a home in St. Paul.
Kidwell can’t stop thinking about a decision he made as he wrapped up work on Tuesday.
“I had a gut feeling about it,” said Kidwell of Environmental Pest Control.
He was checking for bugs and rodents at homes on L’Orient Street. When he got to a home on the 1400 block of L’Orient St. the screaming inside alerted him of trouble.
“She was crying. I figured ok, maybe they just had a fight going on or something like that,” said Kidwell.
He couldn’t help but notice blood on the face of the man in the house, 54-year-old Tin Kyaw, or the way the woman and her children huddled together.
“It was just the awkwardness that I felt and the way they were presenting themselves. It just felt like something was wrong,” Kidwell said.
As he prepared to leave, the woman saw an opportunity. She and Kidwell were in the living room while Kyaw was in the kitchen.
“She quietly said, ‘Help me,’” said Kidwell. “At that point I freaked out. I could either punch him in the face or go tell someone quick and not lose my job.”
Kidwell chose the latter and made sure she knew it.
“I saw her and said I’ll call and she nodded,” he said.
A police officer happened to be nearby in a parking lot. Kidwell told the officer what he saw in the home. He would later learn he interrupted a violent beating.
According to a criminal complaint, Kyaw punched and tried to strangle the woman. Kyaw’s even accused of taking out his anger on her 7-month-old child by stepping on the child’s head because the woman wouldn’t drink with him.
“I had no idea the kid was involved,” he said.
Kidwell watched as Kyaw was taken to jail, while the woman and her child were taken to the hospital. But he doesn’t see her as a victim. If anything, he sees the opposite.
“I’m like, good for you. There’s a lot of cases where women won’t do that,” he said.
The woman and kids were taken to a shelter. Kyaw faces four counts ranging from domestic assault to malicious punishment of a child. Kidwell said the only time he questioned his decision is when he left to go get help. He worried what would happen between the time he left and police arrived.
ST. PAUL (WCCO) — Despite the warmer weather, it’s finally time to celebrate winter. On Thursday, the St. Paul Winter Carnival began.
To see all the activities, check out the report above!
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — It’s a sticker that starts a lot of sticky conversation. License tabs. They can be pricey and they need to be replaced.
So, why do we pick up the tab every year? Good Question.
License tabs actually date back more than 100 years in Minnesota.
“It started in 1909 and that year 7,000 cars were registered and it cost a $1.50,” says Doug Neville, spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety.
Now prices can range depending on the value of the car — $98 is the average.
Neville said we pay each year because tabs give police up-to-date information if there’s a crash, or your car gets stolen.
And there’s another benefit, too.
“If there’s a recall on your vehicle that we have the right information, too, because that manufacturer will let us know and we can help get the word out,” Neville said.
The money you pay for your tabs goes to road repairs.
The bulk of the bill is tax deductible, but don’t try putting off your payment.
“The tabs expire the month that they expire and that 10-day grace period is one of those urban myths,” says Neville.
In fact, Driver and Vehicle Services lets you pay ahead.
“One thing that a lot of people don’t know is you can pay for more than one year. If we have the sticker for the year, you can pay for two years at a time,” Neville said.
Police can ticket you the first day of the month after your tabs expire.
It’s a misdemeanor, but the penalty goes up if you skip paying an entire year.
Fines range depending on where you get ticketed because of local fees.
