MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minnesota bloggers who push products for Amazon say a new law could run them out of business.

In order to avoid paying millions in sales tax to the state, Amazon sent notice to its Minnesota bloggers that they will soon be kicked out of a program that pays them for connecting people to the online retailer.

A law meant to make money for Minnesota, will soon take money away from some Minnesotans.

Starting next month, bloggers won’t get paid for referring their readers to products on Amazon.com.

“When your visitors at the website click through and buy the products from Amazon, Amazon gives you a little commission typically about four to six percent,” said Aaron Hall, an attorney and CEO of Thompson Hall Santi Cerny & Dooley.

Hall represents lots of bloggers who are threatening to move to Wisconsin to avoid losing money.

Minnesota law says whenever a business has a physical presence in the state, it is entitled to take sales tax from them.

The new law now considers these bloggers physical storefronts for Amazon.

“Because they have presence in Minnesota, Minnesota is claiming it has a right to tax Amazon on all sales of Amazon in Minnesota,” Hall said.

In order to get around paying millions in taxes, Amazon sent a letter to its affiliated Minnesota bloggers, telling them in that 15 days they will no longer make money from Amazon.

“I understand their concern,” said Revenue Commissioner Myron Frans. “They have been making a living working in Minnesota working on behalf of Amazon.com.”

Frans says other companies pay the tax and that the state is frustrated Amazon is making a decision that forces some people to leave the state or close down shop.

Frans supports the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would simplify taxes for online purchases.

“If Congress would extend that law to require all retailers whenever they are to collect a tax based on the destination then that would alleviate the problem and everyone will be on the same playing field,” Frans said.

Amazon also supports the Marketplace Fairness Act, which is working its way through Congress right now.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Now that the weather is finally warm enough to head outside without a long-sleeved shirt or pants, the mosquitoes, ticks and black flies have appeared.

“They always bite my ankles,” said one woman sitting in a Minneapolis park Tuesday afternoon. “They love my ankles.”

That had us wondering: Why do bug bites itch?

According to Jim Stark, the executive director of the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, we’re allergic to the mosquito saliva.

While male mosquitoes are vegetarians who feed on nectar, female mosquitoes bite humans. They need human blood as nutrients to develop their eggs.

“When the female mosquito feeds on us, she gives off a little saliva,” Stark said. “That saliva acts as a coagulant to keep the blood flowing readily.”

Once our body recognizes something foreign is present, it releases histamine, which causes our blood vessels to swell, hence the redness and irritation.

“There are proteins in their saliva that are irritants to our skin, and we have a little allergic reaction to that,” Stark said.
Mosquitoes reach the human blood by using their straw-like mouth part to puncture the skin to get to the blood vessels underneath. Ticks stick their mandibles into the skin and black flies slice open the skin.

“The black fly will make a little incision into your skin and then sponge the blood,” Stark said.

Scientists still haven’t figured out why some people are more susceptible to bug bites. They do know mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide in our breath and the lactic acid in our sweat and skin. They’ve also found a genetic link when it comes to reactions to bug bites, but they don’t know exactly why some people’s body smells are better at masking those attractive compounds to throw off the mosquitoes.

“If you could develop a repellent that is good at that, you’d be making a lot of money,” Stark said.

Doumit hit a go-ahead double in the eighth inning, leading Minnesota over the Chicago White Sox 7-5 on Tuesday night.

Joe Mauer homered and Trevor Plouffe had an RBI single in Minnesota’s four-run first inning off Dylan Axelrod.

After making baserunning mistakes, errors and throwing wild pitches while blowing the lead, Doumit’s hit was very much needed.

“It’s nice to be the guy who came up with the big hit,” said Doumit, who also has delivered clutch hits in wins over Seattle and Washington this month. “It’s a nice little streak that I’m on, there’s no doubt. I don’t take anything for granted. Hopefully I can keep it going.”

The White Sox came back to tie it at 5 in the eighth when Alex Rios worked a leadoff walk from reliever Jared Burton (1-4), stole second and scored on Paul Konerko’s single that bounced off the pitcher’s mound and into center field.

Clete Thomas walked with two outs against Ramon Troncoso (0-2) in the eighth. Mauer followed with a single — his third hit of the game — and Doumit drove a double to left center that gave the Twins the lead.

“They had a mishap or two out there on the bases as well, a couple of wild pitches that let us get some people in scoring position,” Konerko said. “When you break it all down it was just the one hit there at the end that did it. Everything was even probably besides that. That was it right there.”

The double was also Doumit’s third hit of the game.

Glen Perkins pitched the ninth for his 17th save.

Konerko had four hits for Chicago, which has lost five of six and 13 of its last 15 on the road, and Conor Gillaspie had a two-run homer in the second off Twins starter Mike Pelfrey.

With the White Sox in last place and struggling to score runs, questions are being asked about trading veterans and rebuilding the team. Konerko says, not so fast.

“I still think there’s some good to come out of this at some point,” Konerko said. “It hasn’t been right now, it hasn’t been before now, but we still have good baseball in us. We just haven’t shown it.”

Coming off elbow surgery that wrecked his 2012 season, Pelfrey pitched into the seventh inning for his third straight start. He allowed four runs on 10 hits and left with runners on first and third with nobody out in the seventh.

“It stinks that I got spotted a four-run lead and slowly gave that back,” Pelfrey said. “Luckily, Doumit came up with a huge hit. Offense is always welcome.”

Pedro Florimon added an RBI single for Minnesota.

Axelrod was pitching on seven days rest after allowing six runs in his previous start. After a rough beginning on Tuesday, he settled down and retired 11 of 12 batters at one point and allowed five runs — four earned — in six innings.

“Just kind of changed my approach. Threw a few more fastballs after the first inning” Axelrod said. “It was almost like they were kind of diving on me. Just changed it up and it worked out well. It’s unfortunate what happened in the first.”

Konerko’s four-hit game was his first since July 24 of last season and raised his batting average to .248.

Mauer’s homer barely cleared the left-field wall and was his first with runners on base since Sept. 1 of last season.

The Twins had lost seven of their last 11 heading into Tuesday and were averaging fewer than three runs during the stretch.

“We kind of went silent after the first,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “We just kind of hung on from there. Coming up late there is huge.”

Notes: Twins CF Aaron Hicks is running in the outfield and making progress rehabbing from a strained left hamstring. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Hicks — on the disabled list since June 10 — will probably have to complete a rehab assignment before returning to the Twins. … Gillaspie is now second among AL rookies with five home runs. … A bus transporting the Twins Elizabethton, Tenn., rookie league affiliate was involved in a bus crash that killed a driver traveling the wrong way down a highway in Florida. … Josh Willingham was back in left field for Minnesota after missing two games with a sore knee. … Coming off a start where he fanned 14, didn’t allow an earned run, but lost 2-1 at Houston, Chris Sale (5-5, 2.43 ERA) starts for Chicago on Wednesday. … The Twins will counter with Kevin Correia (5-4, 3.97 ERA), who is 1-5 since April 23.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Alex Roberts may be a highly accomplished chef with a James Beard Award under his belt and several successful restaurants, but his grace and humility when it comes to leaving a mark on the culinary world is what propels him into true greatness.

If you’ve ever eaten at one of his fine establishments, Restaurant Alma or Brasa, you know that locally sourced and sustainable ingredients are at the centerpiece of his creations. But for chef Roberts, it goes beyond a conscious effort to his grocery shopping — he’s working to expand the definition of sustainable to go beyond food and into his business model, and with any luck, into the way his customers look at spending an evening out.

As we learned last week, Roberts was a bit of a late comer when it came to his food destiny. He didn’t grow up thinking he’d be a chef someday and even when his restaurant bosses brought it up to him, he wasn’t totally convinced. Still, once he made the leap into culinary school, it was apparent this was what he was meant to do.

From working with the giants of the industry to opening his first restaurant in his hometown, Roberts said he’s grateful for every experience he’s had along the way and the never-ending opportunity to learn and grow his craft.

In Part 2 of our chef chat, Roberts shares a glimpse inside his home kitchen, explains the potential problem with reality cooking shows and though an avid CrossFit trainer, he clues us in on his one guilty pleasure.

——-

You’ve said you were inspired to open Brasa after spending some time traveling but weren’t quite ready to open it when the inspiration hit you. What changed when you finally opened it in 2007?
I had a breakthrough with the concept. I wanted to have a really low check average. I wanted a really inclusive restaurant that was affordable for a lot of people. Alma kind of crept up as me doing organics entirely with our produce and fruit and really focusing on all of our sourcing but our prices crept up to support that. And I was fine with that. It was actually important with the size of our business. It was important to have a higher check average because the parking situation is bad and it doesn’t facilitate coming and going. But Brasa was a little different. I really wanted to have a lower check average. I couldn’t get my mind around having a place that had an appetizer, entree and dessert and have people spend like $20 and looking at the labor it takes.

Finally, I decided it should be like an eating place, kind of like a diner. You go and eat your one thing and maybe you have dessert. Kind of like how people get hamburgers. You get your hamburger and you go. That was kind of the breakthrough. Still, there was the question of concept. I had a hard time thinking I could just sell rice and beans and collard greens as kind of this right through to Minnesota, where other people might be offended that I was saying, “here’s something traditional.” The breakthrough there was getting this chicken concept, because no one owns chicken, right? Chicken’s just chicken. But if I could do this kind of chicken-oriented concept, and then just cook all the side dishes and not claim them to be any cultural example. Just say, “It’s yellow rice and black beans. It’s collard greens with smoked chicken.” And let them decide if it’s their food or not. It was always amazing that people accepted that and it’s such an inclusive, diverse clientele. Successful beyond my wildest imagination just how people embraced it. And not just Americans but people who this is their second language, their second home, and they’re supportive of Brasa.

(credit: brasa.us)

You have two locations for Brasa, which always seem to be busy. It’s the type of restaurant that seems like it could easily become a chain. Any plans to open anymore?
You know, I’ve thought about it because people bring it up so much. I mean really, every time people bring up Brasa their first question is always, “When’s the next one opening?” I designed it with the idea that expansion was possible. I’ve learned a lot about the concept because my whole model has been in fine dining. I’m used to making one plate for one customer. When I went into casual dining, it was really different from my background. I’ve really learned along the way. The family-style thing that we grew into, a sort of build-your-own-meal, is fairly complex in the expediting of it and it’s also a lot of cooking.

Cooking concepts aren’t the most franchise-friendly concepts because they require skill. Now, we do have a lot of people who come in from culinary school and things like that, so there are a lot of cooks out there. But it’s a tricky thing when you combine skill and lots of repetition. Here (at Alma), we have a skill but a changing menu that draws in creative people and people that thrive on change. Brasa is built on less change so it can get boring pretty quick for a bright, young cook. But it does require a cook that’s competent enough to really pull it off. I think if this went national, there would need to be some simplification of it. I have no plans to take it national but I do have an idea of maybe trying out a smaller, satellite concept of Brasa here in town just to see how it would do. It’d be a fun thing to try out. Right now, I have young kids – my sons are 6 and 3 – and I like being here with them. I like being here with my staff. A lot of people love to open new things but I enjoy more the flow of things running well. I’ll probably open something someday but we’ll see.

Speaking of your kids, do you like to cook at home? What kinds of things do you serve?
Yeah, quite a bit. We cook a lot from scratch. It’s a lot like Brasa. A lot of the Brasa menu was formed … most of those recipes were from my heart – I learned them from friends and family, things that were from the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, I learned that just by working in the kitchen with somebody’s mom or brother. … For me, it’s all about fresh food, really doing the same principles that I try to serve in my restaurants. I started Brasa saying I would not serve anything that my own children wouldn’t thrive on. That’s why Brasa’s kind of like every day food. And yes, I mean, I don’t believe that some fried food is bad but you wouldn’t eat it every day. There’s a way you can go to Brasa if you ate there every day and still be healthy, if you chose the right things. So it’s a lot of comfort food. Brasa is a lot less involved than cooking at Alma but in some ways, cooking a piece of fish in a pan or roasting meat on the grill with some fresh vegetables like we do (at Alma) is the same as what we do at home. The kids are really open. They all have different tastes. One girl’s the carnivore, the middle guy is the fruit and vegetable guy and then the oldest one is the starch guy, give him a pile of rice and he’s happy. They’ll all eat anything but they all have their favorites.

What is your biggest guilty pleasure food?
The only thing I stay away from is fast food. I just don’t really like it. I wasn’t raised on it. I had a stage when I had my own paper route. I was probably about 13 and I bought every possible kind of fast food and candy you could imagine. I had my own money. I tried everything. There was a period when I kind of liked a few things but it’s amazing when you’re raised on really good food, you just really don’t crave that stuff. You just don’t. But there are things – I think as an American, I like crunchy stuff. I like a lot of crispy garnishes here. We take fingerling potatoes, cut them in coins and fry them for a salad with potatoes in it. But if we go on a road trip, my kids want to get chips. We don’t usually have chips around the house but they’ll get like, Cheetos or something like that. So I’ll be like, ‘OK, gimme some.’ Stuff like that. I make popcorn at home with lots of butter. I like ice cream a little bit. I’m not a big sweet tooth, though. Not a big pizza fan. Just crunchy stuff.

(credit: CBS)

Beyond being in a kitchen, what’s your favorite pastime?
My favorite pastime is probably reading for pleasure. I’m really bad about making the time to do it so I usually fall asleep. I always try to read before bed and then I fall asleep. But my biggest thing that I’ve found in the last couple of years is fitness. Sports as a kid, martial arts – I got my black belt before I went to New York – I’ve always been really interested in movements, tennis and running. When I was little I played football but I was always too skinny to do it in high school. But the last couple of years I’ve been doing something called CrossFit, which I love. I basically do that three to five days a week for the last few years. I enjoy challenges and it’s an environment that constantly provides the ability to get better, to grow, to challenge yourself and measure the results. I like that. It’s a wonderful experience for me. It’s also just given me a vibrancy back in my own health that I really didn’t have by being stagnant in my energy level.

What do you think about reality cooking shows and the way chefs are perceived today?
I think it’s very entertaining. I think it’s some of the best entertainment out there on TV. It really is. There is some substance to it. A lot of reality shows are about what people are eating for breakfast or something and I’m not sure that anybody really cares. But you know, we’re interesting as human beings because for some reason we do care what other people are doing. Cooking shows have a lot of content if you care about food, plus all that drama of people being together. Very entertaining. I have watched some of it. I’ve watched ‘Top Chef’ seasons in the past. I think with all my CrossFit training I traded the time I would’ve spent watching TV to work out so I really haven’t watched that much lately. There’s a lot more on now than before. With YouTube and everything else, there’s just an endless amount of it. I just don’t watch that much. I actually would like to watch more because there is a lot of content in some of those shows.

The only complication I see is that it tends to create sometimes odd expectations for young cooks. It doesn’t necessarily emphasize paying your dues and working your way up the ladder. That’s the story of the most successful chefs. … You have people coming from culinary school and coming to kitchens like this where there’s a thousand things going on every day – little details around them that they can be learning from – and of course, they’re doing something like cleaning shrimp or cleaning greens, basic tasks to support us, and they’re bored out of their minds. And I’m thinking, like, ‘Wow, they’re so interested in kind of the end part of being what a chef is and my job but they don’t realize how much pleasure in learning there is with all the basic tasks and how fun it is to get to the end result.’ So I guess in my long-winded answer, I think in some ways, they’re great entertainment and in some ways, some of them can create unrealistic expectations for certain people. But I do like the fact that these shows, overall, are making the lives of chefs more public. People are coming out of high school saying they want to be a chef when they grow up. That’s not what I saw at all when I was in high school.

Would you ever audition for “Top Chef” or “Chopped” or something like that?
‘Top Chef’ always does an open casting call and a private casting call. We got called for the private one but I think it was right after the Beard Awards. I thought, you know, anybody can have a bad day on those shows and I don’t want to be the guy that’s won the Beard Award and then goes home the second week. I think I could have a great day or I could have a bad day and that elimination kind of style is hard. It could be a difficult thing. I decided I wasn’t interested in that. Also, I think the story’s more interesting when you have a chef who wants to win the James Beard Award; they’re reaching for something. They called me for the regular ‘Top Chef’ season, not ‘Top Chef: Masters.’ I think it was the one with the Voltaggio brothers on there. They wanted people who had experience and had accomplished something. It was a big list. There were other people in town who were called, too. So right now, no. It’s not a goal. To me it’s all a big distraction. To be away from here, be away from family and away from the flow of the restaurants, plus I don’t like to see myself on camera. It might be the right thing at some point.

What’s one ingredient you’d prefer never to work with?
I really dislike frozen sea urchin. I like fresh sea urchin and some people can’t tell the difference but for me, there’s something about it. I just don’t like it. Kidneys and brains, I’m not a big fan of either. I have no intention of cooking it. Some people love it, I know.

(credit: CBS)

What about an ingredient that you’re drawn to?
It’s funny, I’m drawn to fish but I almost never cook fish at home. I’d say probably greens. They’re always on my menu, in as many combinations as possible. Spinach chard, escarole … We might have five different greens on the menu right now. Greens are something that’s always on our home menu all the time. Obviously, Brasa has two or three every day. Greens, I just can’t get enough of. I like to sauté them with a little oil and garlic or braise them with meat and get the flavor of meat in there. They just soak up deliciously the way they interact with different flavors.

If you had to choose a “last meal,” what would it be?
I know for sure it would involve rice. It wouldn’t be a single thing. It’d probably be like Brasa a little bit. It’d definitely be like rice, some kind of slow-roasted meat like pork or lamb, there would be an egg of some kind, probably some greens, maybe some beans, probably one of those things where all the flavors run together. But then sometimes I think maybe a steak and wild mushrooms would be really great. It’s a hard question.

What are some of your favorite places to dine in the Twin Cities?
Yeah, over the years I’ve enjoyed going back to Bar La Grassa to see Isaac (Becker). Unfortunately, he always comps the bill so I always get mad at him when he won’t let me pay. I don’t want to order too much. La Grassa is good for sharing and it’s always a treat. The service is always great there. Mirror of Korea in St. Paul I’ve been going to for years. I’ve just been going there for so long that it’s a place we tend to go back to. And the kids will eat it. … It’s funny, they like Korean food and they don’t mind the smell of fermented vegetables, but they cannot stand the smell of fish sauce. They can’t handle that. Al’s Breakfast we love for breakfast. We don’t go out that much. And when we go out, I try to go to new places. I always have a list of places I want to go to. There’s places I’d like to go back to more often, like Piccolo. They’re always changing the menus; there’s always new things. I haven’t been to Corner Table since it changed owners, so I’d like to get back there.

What do you hope to be known for in the culinary world?
It’s a great question. It’s really in line with my values and what my business is. My goal is really to promote an idea of what a restaurant is, how sustainable a restaurant is – not just meaning environmentally and sourcing food but what that means in terms of value, leadership, integrity, in terms of what kinds of jobs you provide, are these jobs ones that support a quality of life to those that work here, in terms of that being sustainable. I’d like to be known for being a person that is contributing to making this business, this profession, one that truly benefits from as a profession not only by the customer but also provides a measure of sustainability that impacts not only environmentally but on the lives of people. Something where someone would come into the restaurant and want to be a chef when they grow up. That’s success for me. Customers coming back and seeing value whether they’re spending $100 at Alma for a meal with a great bottle of wine and a four-course meal or whether they’re going to Brasa on their lunch break and spending $11. That’s a long answer but that’s what I hope for.

Check out Part 1 of our chef chat with Alex Roberts. For more information on his restaurants, click on the following links: Brasa | Restaurant Alma.

HASTINGS, Minn. (WCCO) – It does a man good to have hobbies that bring him joy, but there are times when that passion veers into territory that no one saw coming.

This is one of those times.

Bruce Bauer, 61, took a manure spreader, a bunch of farm antiques and a ’93 Chevy S-10 pickup chassis to build what he considers a thing of beauty.

“It looks cool, it’s different,” Bauer said. “It sounds cool. You’re driving down the road and you get a lot of second takes.”

He calls his invention “Lil’ Stinker.” It has a two-man crosscut saw for a dashboard, a milking machine for the carburetor, and cast iron tractor seats with pitchfork tines as back rests.

The passenger seats are cushioned toilet seats with seat belts.

“It’s pretty nice to drive something around that I made, that I designed,” said Bauer, “that gives people that second take.”

He is a big hit at local car shows, taking home several trophies.

“He has a quirky mind!” said one admirer at the Saturday night Cruise-in Car Show in Hastings.

“I mean there’s everything imaginable on there from the farm,” said another.

Bauer enjoys showing off the suction from his unusual carburetor.

“The milk machine actually functions,” he said, as he asked bystanders to stick a finger in. “It runs off my engine vacuum.”

A cistern hand pump acts as the driver’s arm rest, while the passenger riding shotgun has an actual 12-gauge double-barreled shotgun to lean against.

Bauer used horseshoes for his hinges, levers from a horse-drawn cultivator for his parking brake and transmission shifter, and John Deere corn planter boxes to hold his headlights.

“I would wake up in the morning with a good idea some days,” he said. “I don’t know how I thought of them.”

It’s classified as a rat rod, licensed as a homemade vehicle, and perfectly fine for the highways.

“Oh, it could go 85, 90, 95, 100 miles an hour,” Bauer said. “I’d never do it. I usually try and stay with the speed limit because i don’t want any trouble.”

In his semi-retirement, the vehicle has been a new adventure for Bauer, a new attraction for bystanders, and new life for something that used to spread manure.

“Now it spreads smiles,” Bauer said.

It took him eight months to collect and assemble all the parts to give “Lil’ Stinker” the look he was going for. Bauer will have it at the State Fairgrounds for the Minnesota Street Rod Association’s Back to the ’50s event on Friday, June 21.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A man and woman have been arrested after a missing 2-month-old boy was found in St. Paul Tuesday afternoon, according to police.

At 6:15 a.m. Tuesday, Brooklyn Park Police responded to the 5500 block of Brookdale Drive in Brooklyn Park on the report of the missing boy.

The mother of Elijah Alonzo said the boy was last seen around 1 a.m. on her couch.

After an “extensive search and investigation,” police located the boy safe and sound in St. Paul at around 3:30 p.m.
The two people, who are known to the missing boy’s mother, were placed under arrest.

The family told WCCO that they are overjoyed that the boy was found, but are shocked at the betrayal of the “trusted family friend,” who was one of the people arrested and a guest at the mother’s home Monday evening.

The family friend even went to the Brooklyn Park Police Department to comfort the family while Elijah was missing in St. Paul.

Elijah’s grandmother, Esther Baker, said there are no words to describe how being reunited with her grandson felt.

“I feel so blessed,” she said. “Just ecstatic.”

Police said they have not yet established motive and the family said they have no idea why the family friend allegedly took the child — she has four children of her own.

The female suspect’s family went to comfort Baker on Tuesday. The female suspect’s mother said it was “really hard” to learn that her daughter allegedly kidnapped Elijah.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the man was attacked while out in his yard near Shell Lake Monday about 9:30 p.m. DNR carnivore specialist David MacFarland says the man’s dog apparently had initiated contact with the bear before the man was attacked.

MacFarland says the man’s brother was in the cabin, came out and shot and injured the bear, which ran away.

The Burnett County Sheriff’s Department says the man was taken by a private party to the hospital in Shell Lake. The DNR says the man was taken by air to a hospital in the Twin Cities. MacFarland says the man is in stable condition.

DNR employees are trying to find the bear.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The Department of Transportation say the closure is necessary for crews to repair a cable, which snapped Sunday night, and inspect the lift system.

The bridge is expected to reopen to cars by 4 p.m. MnDOT says it hopes to have the bridge open to boat traffic by the end of the week.

Expedition leaders still weren’t ready to declare they had found a shipwreck or the long-lost Griffin. The ship, commanded by the French explorer Rene Robert Cavelier de la Salle, was never seen again after setting sail in September 1679 from an island near the entrance of Green Bay, in what is now northern Wisconsin, with a crew of a six and a cargo of furs.

But Michel L’Hour, director of France’s Department of Underwater Archaeological Research and a shipwreck expert, said the timber appears to be a bowsprit, which is a spur or pole that extends from a vessel’s stem. It also seems to be attached to another structure below the lake bed, he said.

“All the details could be interpreted as part of a bowsprit and there’s no details which contract this hypothesis,” said L’Hour, who dove to inspect the beam with two French colleagues Monday and Tuesday. “It’s why it’s the main hypothesis now. A bowsprit which has been buried in the sediment of the lake for many centuries.”

Commercial divers overseen by scientists last week began excavating at the base of the wooden beam, hoping to determine whether it is part of the Griffin. Steve Libert, a diver and shipwreck enthusiast who has searched three decades for the Griffin, discovered the timber in 2001 and recently obtained state and federal permits to probe beneath the surface.

The beam extends 10.5 feet above the lake bed, and underwater excavators were opening a pit at the base of the post to determine whether it’s affixed to anything beneath. In another key development Tuesday, they reported that a probing device had detected a hard surface 18 to 20 feet below the lake bed. It could be a ship’s hull or deck.

“In essence, we have found a floor under that exposed wooden timber,” said Ken Vrana, the project manager. “We have more excavation to do before verifying what that surface is.”

L’Hour said the French archaeologists drew their conclusion about the beam’s age after observing differences between the section above the lake floor and the portion below the surface that the pit has exposed. The aboveground section is narrower because of erosion that must have happened over hundreds of years, he said.

Libert said he was excited by the reports and had “no doubt” the beam was part of a ship. But it remained uncertain when the team might be able to positively identify the presumed vessel.

“I think that maybe Steve found the Griffin,” L’Hour said at a briefing for reporters. “I can’t be sure, which is why I’m waiting and waiting and waiting for the proof.”

Although visibly optimistic, the searchers cautioned against expecting quick resolution of a mystery that has thrown numerous hurdles in Libert’s path.

After years of research led him to an area near Poverty Island a few miles off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, he literally bumped into the timber during a dive. That touched off years of legal battles between his Great Lakes Exploration Group and the state over access to the presumed shipwreck.

When the excavation finally got underway last Friday, divers expected to find an object similar to the Griffin’s reputed size a couple of feet below the surface, based on sonar readings. It’s now believed to be perhaps 10 times farther down. Libert, who says he has spent more than $1 million on his long quest and put the excavation’s price tag at “six figures,” scrambled to obtain equipment that can dig deeper and is better able to break through the hard-packed mud.

It probably will take another day or two to widen the hole and reach the hard surface, Vrana said. The excavation permits expire Friday, although the group could seek extensions. But with the French team scheduled to leave by then, the divers were working faster in hopes of confirming at least the presence of a shipwreck.

State officials and Libert’s group agree if the Griffin is found, it will belong to France because it was operating under authority of King Louis XIV. Graham Paul, a French consul general based in Chicago, visited the team over the weekend and said his government would favor attempting to recover the vessel.

“It would be a major excavation and very costly,” Vrana said.

But the wreckage could be in surprisingly good condition after being encased in cold mud for 334 years because it wouldn’t have been exposed to oxygen, which causes wood and metals to deteriorate, said Dave Miller, an archaeologist with Great Lakes Exploration Group.

“That’s the best way of conservation for all the artifacts and for the hull,” L’Hour said. “One can’t imagine something better than this kind of clay and mud.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Bishop said he’s visiting the Minnesota Vikings, the natural move for so many former Packers players looking for a new team and an opportunity to prove their ex-employer wrong.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier declined after minicamp practice Tuesday to confirm that Bishop was visiting with the team, but Bishop told several media outlets Monday he planned to speak with the Vikings in Minnesota.

“I wouldn’t want to verify any reports,” Frazier said, adding: “We’ll be bringing in guys to work out all the time. At whatever position we bring guys in, it’s usually not a reflection of that position. It is just ongoing. We’re always trying to have a database and do whatever we can to help our football team.”

Bishop became a starter at inside linebacker for the Packers in 2010, his breakout season. He didn’t play at all last year after tearing his hamstring in a preseason game. Bishop thrived once the Packers switched to a 3-4 defense, and the Vikings use a 4-3 scheme, meaning more pass-coverage responsibilities for their middle linebacker.

But their current starter at that critical position is Erin Henderson, who has played the weak-side spot the last two years. Moving Henderson to the middle would leave either rookie Gerald Hodges, a fourth-round draft pick from Penn State, or career backup Marvin Mitchell as unproven starters at Henderson’s previous position.

“I’m playing the ‘Mike,’” Henderson said flatly, when asked if he’s set on being the middle linebacker.

Pressed further about his feelings on the Bishop situation after practice Tuesday, Henderson said, “That’s a lot of ifs. I don’t really want to think about it that way. I have a chance to play ‘Mike’ now. I don’t see why I would let it slip out of my hands or let it go any other way.”

Speaking generally about the possibility of signing Bishop, Henderson said, “It’s cool. I hope it goes well for him, that the Vikings like what they see, welcome him with open arms, welcome him to the team. Not really sure what it’s about. I’m just employee No. 50, baby. I just come out here and do what they ask me to do on the field.”

Henderson said his comfort at the middle position has grown daily this offseason. Frazier agreed.

“He’s shown more command of the defensive huddle than we expected early on. You can see that he has a lot of control, and the guys really respect everything that he’s trying to get done,” the coach said.

Chad Greenway, the unquestioned leader of the group and the long-time starter on the weak side, said he’d have no problem making room for Bishop in the lineup.

“You have to welcome guys like that with open arms. He’s a very talented player. He’s proven that in his career. If that’s the direction of the organization, that’s the direction we go as a locker room,” Greenway said.

NOTES: Greenway, who had arthroscopic surgery on one of his knees last week, said he “feels good” and has “no doubt” he’ll be ready for full participation in practice from the start of training camp. … Rookie LB Michael Mauti, the seventh-round draft pick from Penn State who’s coming off reconstructive ACL surgery on his left knee, took part in practice drills for the first time this offseason. WR Greg Childs, who’s trying to return from tears in both of his patellar tendons, also had a helmet and participated in some individual skills drills with his teammates. “It kind of helps their confidence to know where they are,” Frazier said.

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McCollum was watched by team officials at the Target Center practice court on Tuesday. McCollum worked out by himself.

Before that, Illinois guard Brandon Paul, Georgia Tech forward Glen Rice Jr., Brazil forward Augusto Lima, Oregon forward Arsalan Kazemi and England forward Ashley Hamilton were in a practice group together. Rice is projected by most analysts to be a second-round selection.

McCollum is a potential top-10 pick. He is, though, a 6-foot-3 combo guard the Wolves have less of a need for than a reliable outside shooter on the wing. The Wolves have the ninth and 26th choices in the first round of next week’s draft.

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Coach Pam Borton made the announcement Tuesday. Banham had the surgery earlier this week.

Borton says the surgery was performed in the summer to make sure Banham “will be at 100 percent for her junior year.”

Banham, who’s from Lakeville, was named WBCA All-America honorable mention, WBCA All-Region 6 and First Team All-Big Ten last season as a sophomore. The guard had a 20.7 points per game average and posted five games with 30 or more points and 16 games with 20 or more points on the year.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Pressure is building for thousands of college students who could soon be paying more for school loans — a lot more, if Congress doesn’t act soon.

House Republicans are calling for the Senate to approve a bill the House passed last week. It would keep the interest rates on federal student loans from doubling.

—

St. Mary’s psychology major Rim Woldeslassie knows she’ll graduate deep in debt.

“I would have to say at least $30,000,” she said.

For 200,000 Minnesota students like Woldeslassie, graduation doesn’t always mean a new life.

“I guess you can’t really call it a life, because I would probably have to live back at home and work whatever job I can get just to pay off my debts,” she said.

In fact, 71 percent of Minnesota’s public and private college students leave school with loans. The average debt is nearly $30,000.

And gridlock in Washington isn’t making it any better.

If Congress does nothing, student loan rates will double on July 1 from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.

President Barack Obama and Democrats are backing a bill to freeze student loan interest rates for another year…and blaming Republicans for the impasse.

“The last thing we need to do as elected leaders in this country is to make it more difficult for them to plan for their future,” said Ken Martin, the chair of the DFL.

But there is a long-term plan.

Minnesota Congressman John Kline, a Republican, wrote a bill setting flexible interest rates that go up and down with the market. And Tuesday called for swift action.

“I’ve been here for 10 years. I don’t know that there’s ever been a better opportunity to work towards a real solution,” Kline said.

None of it sounds promising to Woldeslassie, whose loan payments are due the day she graduates.

“I am guessing I will be [paying back loans] until the day I die,” she said.

A spokesman for the University of Minnesota said the university’s president, Eric Kaler, supports Kline’s bill.

He says it gives students more predictability when they take out school loans.

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (WCCO) – The worrying is over for dozens of Minnesota families.

Their loved ones with the Minnesota National Guard returned home Tuesday after spending nearly a year in Afghanistan.

As they were saving lives overseas, new lives were beginning in some of their own homes.

Sgt. Reid Ronning’s wife, Michelle, gave birth to their daughter, Elsie, two months ago.

“I’ve seen pictures and videos of her,” Ronning said, “but she’s so precious.”

For nearly a year, 44 men and eight women from the Guard’s Company C 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion flew medical missions in the western part of Afghanistan.

They evacuated the wounded from combat zones and trained soldiers from Italy, Spain, Lithuania, Slovenia and Poland to do the same.

“It’s amazingly significant,” said Capt. Nathan Burr. “We helped the lives of not only American soldiers but coalition and Afghan civilians and soldiers.”

One married couple, Drew and Emmy Glaze, served together, keeping their wedding rings off until now when they’re home.

“We’ve always looked at this and said ‘What are we going to do when we get home?’” said Drew Glaze. “And now it’s actually happened, and now we’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do.”

For all the pride over completing the mission, there’s still some regret over what they had to sacrifice.

Sgt. 1st Class Cassandra Houston’s son, Josh, finished school this year.

“I missed his college graduation,” she said, “so that was hard to take a little bit. My own kid and I missed his graduation.”

So as they’re honored for their service, they also focus on the ways their families have served.

Blackhawk helicopter pilot David Olson of Detroit Lakes credits his wife, Ashley, for taking care of their newborn, Cheyenne, as she waited for him to return.

“She’s amazing,” he said. “To go through all this without me, she’s pretty amazing.”

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 24-year-old Wyoming, Minn. man had to be airlifted to a hospital after being the victim of a hit-and-run crash off Interstate 35 Monday night in Hinckley, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

Authorities responded to the crash at Fire Monument Road on to southbound I-35 in Hinckley at 10:50 p.m.

Trevor Langlois, 24, an accomplished chainsaw artist, was in the process of starting a new tree trimming business. He was in Hinckley Monday night to test drive a truck.

At around 10:50 p.m., he had just passed the southbound interchange to Hinckley when the truck began to act up. Langlois pulled onto the shoulder and put on the vehicle’s four-way flashers.

He was stepping from the vehicle to see what the problem was when the unknown vehicle merging onto I-35 hit Langlois and continued southbound on the Interstate.

A friend who was along for the test ride and driving Langlois’ car also pulled over and immediately called for help. The friend recalls only a dark colored sedan leaving the scene of the accident.

Now, in a family waiting room inside St. Mary’s hospital in Duluth, a Langlois’ father and wife clutch hands and hope.

“It’s family and faith. My son’s a fighter,” said Brian Langlois.

But the hardest part for the family is explaining to Langlois’ 2-year-old son, Ethan, why his father is hooked up to so many machines and unable to talk.

“The swelling’s gone down, but as far as consciousness, he’s not regaining consciousness,” Langlois’ wife, Katie, said. “They’re keeping him sedated.”

Langlois had surgery Tuesday morning to reduce brain swelling. He remains in critical condition and is unconscious.

Langlois is an Army veteran who was also a dedicated member of the Patriot Guard, the motorcycle-riding honor guards who attend veteran’s funerals and military homecomings.

Authorities describe the vehicle as a dark-colored late model Ford sedan. It should have moderate to heavy damage on the front right bumper, hood and quarter panel area. The passenger side mirror should be partially missing, too.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pine County Sheriff’s Office at 320-629-8380.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – They’ve featured some spectacular exhibits over the years, but now the folks at the Science Museum of Minnesota are about to debut their biggest one yet.

If you’ve driven by the Science Museum in downtown St. Paul recently, you may have noticed a huge poster on the building that advertising the forthcoming Maya Hidden Worlds Revealed exhibit. It’s all about the ancient Maya, who lived in places like southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador centuries ago.

The Maya people are known for their extravagant architecture, fascinating culture, and distinctive art, so much so that visitors to the Science Museum kept asking questions about them.

“After people told us they were interested in the Maya, we asked them what they knew. There were

pyramids in the jungles of Central America, and there were human sacrifices, but they didn’t know much else,” Mike Day, vice-president at the Science Museum, said.

For a long time, people didn’t believe that such an advanced civilization existed until archaeologists began discovering artifacts.

“The Maya are well known for the cities they built in the jungles of Central America,” said Dr. Ed Fleming, an archaeologist and exhibit curator. “They are well-known for their accomplishments in astronomy and time-reckoning. They created several calendars to predict celestial events to determine when to plant their crops.”

The Maya exhibit spans 15,000 square feet and includes videos, interactive displays and sound effects. Some of the artifacts there were uncovered by archaeologists in the early 1900s, others as recently as 2010.

“These objects we have in the show are invaluable. They are one of a kind, scientifically very significant,” Fleming said. “Nothing can happen to these objects.”

About half of the items came from a museum in Belize. The rest came from the collections at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania. Their staff decided on the content, meaning they chose which items should be included, and designed the layout of exhibit.

It is the largest traveling exhibit ever put together by the Science Museum of Minnesota. It’s also the largest and most comprehensive exhibit about the Maya culture ever.

It opens to the public this Friday, and after it closes here in January it will move to the museum in Denver. There are few museums in the U.S. capable of displaying something so big that also requires a great deal of expertise to show.

On Wednesday, WCCO-TV will take a closer look at some of the specific artifacts and replicas you can to see, and give you a look at the tedious task of installing those priceless items.

Forward Joey King, a transfer from Drake, signed his scholarship tender Tuesday. His application with the NCAA to be eligible to play this season is pending.

King joins guards Deandre Mathieu, Daquien McNeil and Malik Smith as members of coach Richard Pitino’s first recruiting class at Minnesota. Smith transferred from Florida International.

King is a native of Eagan. He led Eastview High School to the state tournament in 2012, averaging 24 points and six rebounds per game as a senior.

Last season for Drake, the 6-foot-9, 215-pound King played in all 32 games and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference all-freshman team. He shot almost 35 percent from 3-point range, going 33 for 95.

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The Clay County Attorney’s office charged Andrew Sandstrom, 24, with one count of second-degree manslaughter.

Sandstrom will be summoned to appear in court at a later date, the county attorney’s office said in a news release.

Police say Christiana Natany Sandstrom died after she was left in her car seat in the van for about four hours on June 11, when temperatures were reported to be about 80 degrees.

Sandstrom forgot about the infant while unloading five other young children out of the vehicle, police said. He called 911 when he realized what had happened.

A home phone number for Sandstrom could not be found.

Police said Andrew Sandstrom dropped off his wife, Shayna Sandstrom, at work that afternoon and returned home to the couple’s apartment with his children.

According to a child protection petition filed by Clay County Social Services, Andrew Sandstrom told police he had been napping and looked for the baby when he woke up. She was forgotten in the van, still in her car seat. Her father told police he thinks she was there about four hours, The Forum newspaper reported.

Shayna Sandstrom told police she called her husband twice from work to ask about the children and he told her they were fine, according to the petition.

The five other children in the home — three boys and two girls, all 7 years old or younger — were taken from the home the night their infant sister died and placed temporarily with their maternal grandmother.

County social workers on Thursday filed a petition to put the children in foster care, citing filthy conditions in the home and a toilet that hadn’t been working for some time. The petition also claimed the children are “without proper parental care because of the emotional, mental or physical disability” of the parents.

In a hearing on the child protection petition Friday, Judge Michelle Lawson ordered that the children be placed in foster care.

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Bruce Hosking, 63, of Cloquet, was arrested at his workplace just before 7:30 a.m. by sheriff’s office deputies and members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Authorities then executed a search warrant at his home.

On Monday night, authorities held Hosking at the county jail pending formal charges and a court appearance for five felony counts of child porn possession.

Cloquet is located about 20 miles west of Duluth.

The investigation is still on-going.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

They have more international players on their roster than any other team in the NBA, and even their American players don’t come straight from America to the league.

It’s the hard way to build a roster, requiring patience, discipline and investment that few teams are able to muster these days. And it’s paying off in a big way for them in the NBA Finals.

There is Danny Green, who was cut three times and spent a summer in Slovenia, drilling every 3-pointer in sight and running away with the finals MVP award.

There is Gary Neal, who was undrafted out of Towson University and spent three years kicking around Turkey, Spain and Italy before being discovered by the Spurs, scoring 24 points in a Game 3 victory that put them back in control.

There is Boris Diaw, the once-promising Frenchman who was on his way out of the league before the Spurs brought him in, playing surprisingly stingy defense on LeBron James and finding Manu Ginobili cutting to the basket for easy buckets in a Game 5 win that moved the Spurs one victory away from the franchise’s fifth title.

How do they find these guys?

General manager RC Buford has assembled an unparalleled scouting staff and worked with Gregg Popovich to establish a system and culture over the last 15-plus seasons that allows them to identify the exact attributes that will allow a player to succeed in San Antonio.

“Our management staff, RC does a great job with his scouts showing us who is out there, who is available,” Popovich said earlier this season. “And we all sit down and decide who we want to bring in. Once we bring them in, we do take a lot of time trying to develop them.”

It takes communication. It takes trust. It takes commitment to do what the Spurs do. It also takes a willingness to think outside the normal parameters of team building, to consider players that don’t fit the prototypical mold.

“When you look at a basketball player and you’re trying to evaluate someone, in my opinion you’ve got to look past the typical biases and preconceived notions on what an NBA player is and should look like or should be; what their pedigree or path should be and really get down to the guy’s talent and character and work ethic,” said forward Matt Bonner, who played in Italy and was acquired in a trade from Toronto. “Is this person going to make our team better and can he play? I think when you do that you can get a more accurate portrayal of a player and what their value potentially could be.”

The commitment to drafting and developing came early for Buford and Popovich. Situated in small-market San Antonio, they knew they couldn’t afford to throw millions at the free agent market every summer to fill holes in their roster. They certainly got lucky getting the No. 1 pick in 1997 when Tim Duncan was available, but their moves to surround him with a championship-caliber supporting cast all came the hard way.

Game 6 is Tuesday night in Miami, where Duncan will have a chance to win his fifth title 14 years after his first. Along the way he has gone from the focal point to a supporting role, all thanks to the system the Spurs have in place.

“I think development is a big part of that,” Buford said. “The better prepared you can be to fill in the holes behind that success of an aging group, the smoother the transition might be.”

Tony Parker was the 28th pick out of France in 2001. And despite being well known and coveted thanks to his stellar international play for Argentina, Ginobili fell to the second round in 1999 and didn’t come to the NBA for another three seasons.

“Ginobili that was a pick that a lot of people knew was going to be good,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said. “It’s just at the time a lot of people didn’t want to wait for him.”

The Spurs were willing to wait, and it’s paid off handsomely with the left-hander helping them win three titles and then registering 24 points and 10 assists in their Game 5 victory over Miami. He has also helped other foreign players like Tiago Splitter and Nando De Colo make the transition to the United States.

“The first years I started to feel like a guide to the new guys, it felt great, because I needed that at the beginning,” Ginobili said. “Being sort of an icon or staple player on this team feels really good. I’m very lucky. And at the same time, it’s great to have so many international players that went through some of the things you went through.”

Assistant coach Chad Forcier also deserves plenty of credit. He worked hard with Green to smooth out his jumper and has spent countless hours with many of the projects the Spurs have taken on over the years. The long and winding road that many of these players have taken to get here comes through in the hunger they show on the court.

“Just dealing with the reality that I wasn’t going to get drafted, that’s like a crossroad for a lot of guys coming out of college,” Neal said. “You realize you’re not going to get drafted and there’s a great chance that you might not become an NBA player. You kind of have to make your mind up that you want to continue on professionally and take the European route and take it seriously.”

When they arrive in San Antonio, they see a lot of other players just like them. A bond is formed and a support system is fostered.

“I think there’s a lot of guys with the Spurs who didn’t have the easy way, one-and-done in college and then bam, you have a career,” Bonner said. “A lot of guys on our team have had to go through the journey of maybe all four years of college, maybe the D-league, maybe overseas. I think that builds character and it makes you appreciate playing in the NBA and playing for an organization like the Spurs that much more.”

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press

On Tuesday, workers started re-painting the Spoonbridge and Cherry in the Walker Art Center’s Sculpture Garden.

The famous fountain piece — made by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen — gets a fresh coat of paint every few years.

It’s stood in the sculpture garden since 1985.

Then LeBron James got “the look” and things were never the same for the Heat.

James put the team on his shoulders and ran wild on the Boston Celtics for 45 points and 15 rebounds in Game 6. After that, James and the Heat never looked back en route to the Big Three’s first NBA championship.

This year, the Heat are once again staring elimination in the face and it will likely come down to just how far James and his fellow Big Three members Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can carry the Heat.

LeBron has said repeatedly that he wants the majority of the responsibility for how the Heat performs in the 2013 Finals. When the team has been firing on all cylinders, Miami has looked unbeatable against the San Antonio Spurs.

But when Miami has been playing poorly, as the team did in Games 3 & 5, the Heat resembled a junior varsity squad trying to keep pace with the Spurs. The question is can James once again reach into his veritable bag of tricks and pull out more Game 6 magic.

So what can the Heat expect out of LeBron heading into Game 6? Based on his history in closeout playoff games, Miami will likely get a big output of points, but it may not be enough to put the Heat over the top.

Since he was drafted into the NBA, LeBron has played in eight games that would closeout a series. In those games, James’ teams are just 2-6 overall; but LeBron Has played well in almost every one of the games.

James averages 29 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the closeout games while shooting an average of 43.5 percent from the field. The only question is can he once again elevate his game to another level and get the Heat to a crucial Game 7 where anything can happen?

“We look forward to the challenge,” James said. “We’re going to see if we’re a better team than we were our first year together.”

A trio of business groups combined to spend almost $2.1 million, largely to counter proposals in the Democratic-dominated Capitol. On the flip side, several organizations lobbying for labor union proposals reported five- or six-figure spending.

The main groups on both sides of the gay marriage debate saw a disparity in spending. Minnesotans United for All Families spent about $1.6 million in a successful effort, which was far more than the $211,000 spent by opposition group Minnesota for Marriage.

The National Rifle Association spent roughly $100,000 in a session that produced only minor gun law changes. Gun control advocates devoted far less money to enacting more restrictions.

Even though the session is over, the lobbying costs for the year could grow because some expenses don’t have to be reported until later.

Among the notable reports:

— Xcel Energy Services Inc., Minnesota’s dominant power company, spent about $1.16 million. Almost all of that was spent on lobbying utilities regulators rather than trying to sway lawmakers.

— Mayo Clinic, which won a long-term state commitment to aid in a major expansion, deployed about $121,000.

— Education Minnesota, the state teachers union, spent more than $658,000 in the year’s first five months. Much of it was devoted to promoting investment in education.

— The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Council 5 directed $218,000 to efforts to influence lawmakers. The union’s most visible legislative effort was to allow for the unionization of certain in-home day care workers, a measure that passed.

— The business lobby went all out to try to repel bills it found hostile. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce spent $875,000 on legislative and administrative lobbying, the Minnesota Business Partnership put in $535,000 and the Coalition of Minnesota Businesses added another $672,000.

— The two groups on competing sides of a debate over nurse staffing rules for hospitals were closely matched. The Minnesota Nurses Association reported spending $101,000 and the Minnesota Hospitals Association countered with $84,000. They eventually reached a roundly backed compromise to study staffing of hospital units rather than have mandated nurse-to-patient ratios.

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The UW-Eau Claire Police Department confirmed that the body of David Patrick Rodgers was recovered Monday evening.

Rodgers, a sophomore mathematics education major, was on the bridge that connects campus to the downtown area when he fell into the river on April 19, 2013.

“I have been in close contact with the family over the last two months, and I spoke with David’s parents last evening, sharing with them our campus community’s continued support. Please keep David’s family in your hearts during this difficult time,” UW-Eau Claire’s dean of students Brian Carlisle said.

(credit: Jupiter Images)

PRESTON, Minn. (AP) – A mother and her 18-year-old son from southeastern Minnesota are accused of stealing nearly $5,000 in frozen gopher feet and selling them for a bounty.

Thirty-seven-year-old Tina Marie Garrison and Junior Lee Dillon, both of Preston, were charged last month with receiving stolen property and theft.

Garrison has pleaded not guilty. Her son has a court hearing next month.

The complaint alleges a gopher trapper contacted the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, saying bags of frozen gopher feet had been stolen from his freezer.

The owner contacted local townships that offer rewards for gophers to keep down their numbers and found Dillon had turned in $1,014 in feet in November. In December, Garrison turned in $3,780 in feet.

The Post-Bulletin reports Dillon denied turning in any feet for the bounty.

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Three teams have gone into Game 6 of the NBA Finals on their home court down 3-2 in the series and then gone on to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The 2010 Los Angeles Lakers knocked off the Boston Celtics in seven games, as did the Houston Rockets in 1994 over the New York Knicks. Finally, the Lakers also pulled off the feat in 1988 by beating the Detroit Pistons.

Now, the Miami Heat will try to join this very select club and avoid what happened just two years ago when the Dallas Mavericks came to Miami and knocked out the Heat in Game 6 and celebrated a NBA championship on the home court of the Heat.

“This is the reason that you play 82 games, to get home-court,” Heat forward Chris Bosh said. “And we have to defend home-court.”

One uniting factor running through two of the teams that did win Game 6 and the series is Miami Heat president Pat Riley. The former coach was in charge of the 1994 Knicks team that lost to the Rockets and also the head coach of 1988 Lakers that knocked off the Pistons after trailing 3-2.

Riley was also president of the last Heat team to bring the Finals back to the AmericanAirlines Arena down 3-2 in 2011. In three shots, Riley is 1-2 and has a chance to even his record if his latest handiwork with the Heat can come back.

Finally, if Heat fans want one more thing to worry about heading into Game 6; in the last 25 years, only one team from Texas that made the NBA Finals lost the series. On the other hand, the only to lose was the 2006 Dallas Mavericks which went down at the hands of Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

H&M will open in the Center Court in November 2013, with a 20,000-square-foot store filled with ladies, men, accessories, lingerie, maternity and sports apparel. The Ridgedale H&M will also carry the brand’s new plus-size line and children’s clothing.

Bar Louie will occupy the former Applebee’s space and will open in September of this year. The 6,500-square-foot restaurant will also include a large outdoor patio.

Other additions include a Pandora store that will open in late August or early September, Chazin Interiors that opened in March this year, the new Hair Pop that opened on the upper level near the west entrance and the new Len, which is now open on the lower level.

As for remodeling, a newly remodeled The Limited opened this past weekend with a new 4,443-square-foot location and special discounts. A remodeled Ann Taylor is expected to open in September.

MIAMI (AP) — They lost three times in three months in one of the most overpowering stretches the NBA has ever seen.

Now the Miami Heat have lost three times in five games.

So superb during the regular season, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Heat have to be something even more for the rest of the NBA Finals.

They have to be perfect.

“We look forward to the challenge,” James said.

The San Antonio Spurs can finish Miami off Tuesday night in Game 6, reaffirming themselves as one of the league’s greatest franchises.

If so, the Heat and their Big Three once again go from celebrated to devastated, just as they were two years ago when they came home from Texas facing this same predicament.

“We’re going to see if we’re a better team than we were our first year together,” James said.

The Spurs took a 3-2 lead with their 114-104 victory Sunday night. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were all brilliant again, and Danny Green added to what could become one of the most out-of-nowhere finals MVP campaigns ever.

One more victory makes the Spurs 5-0 in the NBA Finals, keeping pace with Michael Jordan’s 6-0 Chicago Bulls as the only teams to make it here multiple times and never lose.

“We understand Game 6 is huge,” Parker said. “Obviously, you want to finish in the first opportunity you get. We understand that Miami is going to come out with a lot more energy, and they’re going to play better at home. They’re going to shoot the ball better. Their crowd is going to be behind them.”

None of that mattered two years ago.

Clearly reeling and their psyches shaken after dropping two straight games in Dallas, the Heat were blitzed early in Game 6. They never recovered, Chris Bosh inconsolable as he made his way back to the locker room afterward while the Mavericks celebrated at center court.

James had to endure the criticisms that came with not getting it done in the finals, a story line that was put to rest last year but will be back again if the Heat don’t manage to put together consecutive victories.

“We challenge ourselves to see if we’re a better team than we were,” Wade said. “Same position no matter how we got to it.”

The Heat would also host Game 7 on Thursday. They’re trying to join the 1988 and 2010 Los Angeles Lakers and 1994 Houston Rockets as the only teams to rally from 3-2 down by winning the final two on their home floor since the NBA Finals went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985.

Of course, the Heat — who won 27 in a row during the second-longest winning streak in league history — haven’t put together consecutive victories now in close to a month.

“We’re in a position where it’s a must-win and everything that we’ve done all year comes to this point, and we have to win,” Heat guard Ray Allen said. “We’ve found ourselves in so many situations this year, and we’ve thrived in tough moments because this is a tough team. We will be ready for Game 6.”

So will the Spurs, and the Heat know it.

“I’m sure this team, they’ve been here before many times. They understand winning that last game is one of the hardest things you’re going to do. And we understand it as well,” Wade said.

“But you know what? It’s the game; we’ve got to play it. I like our chances, just like they like their chances, in this series and in Game 6. We’ll see. We’ll see which team, which style is going to prevail.”

Their four titles have made the Spurs respected but never beloved. Their first, in 1999, came following a 50-game lockout season, and they certainly weren’t the team to help the NBA regain its jilted fan base.

Victories in 2003 over New Jersey, 2005 over Detroit and 2007 over James’ Cleveland Cavaliers were all low-rated, lukewarm-interest series in which the Spurs were supposed to win and did, just not in a way that erased the idea that they had boring players with a boring brand of basketball.

Win this one, though, and they will surely get their due. They would be knocking off the league’s winningest team and the game’s best player, with Duncan at 37 and Ginobili soon to be 36, behind a more wide-open offense that has helped Green break Allen’s finals record for 3-pointers.

Not that they’re thinking about that, or anything else beyond Game 6 at this point.

“We’ll reflect back and let it hit us when it’s over. We still have a lot more work to do. There’s still some business to be done. We have to carry it out and finish it,” said Green, who was cut previously by the Cavaliers and Spurs and now has made 25 3-pointers in the first five games.

It looked as though the game was finally passing by the Spurs last year, when the young Oklahoma City Thunder blew by them with four straight victories after San Antonio had taken a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Heat routed the Thunder for the championship and the Spurs brought back essentially the same team, believing another year in their system for players like Green and Kawhi Leonard was a better option than seeking out some quick-fix outsider.

That’s almost always been the Spurs’ way, and it’s on the verge of again being the model for an NBA title — at the expense of the Miami one that once appeared to be the way champions would be built.

“I think every one of us wants this very badly from the top on down,” Duncan said. “We’re trying to play that way.”

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Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

State Rep. Jim Abeler announced his bid in an email blast that said he had formed a campaign committee. Abeler’s freshly launched campaign website was much more direct in saying, “I’m running for the U.S. Senate.” He hadn’t been on the political radar for the seat now held by Democratic Sen. Al Franken.

“This is my time to do a job for my state and my country,” Abeler said in a telephone interview. He said he had been quietly mulling the race for four months.

Abeler, 59, is a chiropractor who has been in the Minnesota House for 15 years, specializing in health care issues as a lawmaker.

He is the second GOP candidate to declare a challenge to Franken, joining business executive Mike McFadden. Franken has a substantial head start in fundraising, but won his seat by a scant 312 votes in the 2008 election.

In his email announcement, Abeler said he believes America “is in trouble” because of what he calls “compulsive” government spending and erosion of personal privacy. He said Americans are on a path to being “indentured debtors” to creditor countries.

He first won office in 1998 and has cruised to re-election seven times since in his district, which encompasses several blue-collar suburbs.

While right-of-center, Abeler is not easy to pin down on the political spectrum.

He caught heat from within his party in 2008 when he broke ranks and helped Democrats override then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto of a gas tax increase measure. Abeler handily won re-election that year anyway. More than once, he has been one of the few GOP legislative candidates endorsed by the Education Minnesota teachers union. In 2012, Abeler endorsed libertarian-style Republican Ron Paul for president.

Abeler said he would seek the party’s endorsement at next spring’s state convention but wouldn’t rule out running in an August 2014 primary if another candidate is endorsed. He said he thinks he can convince party activists that he is solution-oriented and principled.

“The pathway is to go meet Republicans across the state and remind them of what kind of work I’ve done and the problem solver I’ve been,” Abeler said.

Andy Brehm, a Republican strategist not aligned with any campaign, said having competition for the GOP nomination will make the party’s candidate stronger. But Brehm has trouble seeing a viable route for Abeler.

“This is a longshot candidate for sure,” Brehm said. “People are hungry for independence, but they’re not hungry for inconsistency. Voting for increasing taxes before is going to be a nonstarter.”

McFadden said he looked forward to seeing Abeler on the campaign trail but said his focus would remain on drawing distinctions with the incumbent Franken.

Abeler may not be the only sitting legislator in the Republican race. State Sen. Julianne Ortman of Chanhasssen has said she is considering running and would decide this summer.

Franken and his advisers haven’t commented on any potential challengers, but they’re gearing up for a spirited campaign.

“We don’t know who we’ll be facing, but it’s clear that Al will have a well-funded opponent — and that national Republicans and their special interest pals are itching to invade Minnesota, checkbooks at the ready,” Franken campaign manager Matt Burgess said in a fundraising email sent out soon after Abeler announced.

Abeler and wife, Barb, have six sons ranging in age from 14 to 30.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Attorney Patrick Noaker filed the lawsuit in Brown County District Court in New Ulm on behalf of a man identified only as John Doe 103. He says he was molested by Francis Markey, a priest who was extradited from Indiana to Ireland in 2010 to face charges of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy there in 1968, but who died at the age of 84 last year before he could go on trial.

John Doe 103 says in the lawsuit that he was about 15 years old and in 10th grade when Markey abused him in 1982 while he served at St. Joseph Parish in Henderson.

The lawsuit accuses the Diocese of New Ulm of negligence, alleging church officials knew Markey had been accused of sexually abusing children elsewhere and knew he had undergone treatment for pedophilia at three separate facilities in his native Ireland, England and New Mexico.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages in excess of $50,000, plus a court order compelling the diocese to take a series of steps to publicize the names of other priests and church members in the diocese who’ve sexually abused people, to encourage victims to come forward, to provide them with medical and mental health treatment, and to provide them with spiritual counseling. It also seeks a series of steps to prevent future abuse as well as a letter of apology from the Bishop of New Ulm to the plaintiff.

Monsignor Douglas Grams said the diocese had no records of Markey ever being assigned to the church in Henderson, but that he may have filled at the parish during the approximately six months he spent in Minnesota while enrolled in a clinical pastoral education program at the Willmar State Hospital. Grams denied that the diocese knew Markey had been treated for pedophilia or had been accused of abusing children before it allowed him to do temporary pastoral work.

“Had we known he never would have served in our diocese,” he said.

Markey was stripped of his duties in 1982 after parents complained he was overly affectionate with boys, Grams said, and that was the last time the diocese had contact with him.

The diocese issued a statement saying it “deeply regrets the long-lasting and devastating effects of sexual misconduct on the part of clergy.” It said it’s been diligent in trying to establish a safe environment to prevent sexual misconduct. And it encouraged anyone who’s been abused by a clergy member to report the misconduct to the diocese.

In 2011, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against the diocese by a different plaintiff who alleged Markey abused him in 1982 in and around the parish of St. Andrew Catholic Church in Granite Falls.

Markey moved in 1990 to South Bend, Ind., where and counseled drug and alcohol abusers before he was arrested in 2009 on the Irish charges.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

BOSTON (AP) — Five things learned in the Boston Bruins’ win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals Monday night:

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SUPAH TUUKKA: Tuukka Rask is proving the Bruins right for putting their faith in him. Rask watched the Bruins’ entire 2011 Stanley Cup run from the bench while Tim Thomas led Boston to the NHL title, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in the process. But after the enigmatic Thomas decided to take a year off from playing there’s been no drop-off. Rask’s numbers this postseason are even better than Thomas’ were two years ago: 14-5 with a .946 save percentage and a 1.64 goals-against average. (Thomas was 16-9, .940, 1.98). Rask had 28 saves Monday night to post his third shutout of the playoffs and extend his shutout streak to more than 122 minutes. He’s the biggest reason the Bruins are ahead 2-1 in the series.

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LIVELY LINE: The revamped third line of Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin paid off for the second straight game. Boston coach Claude Julien bumped Paille up from the fourth line in Game 2 and he ended up scoring the winner in overtime. Kelly scored Boston’s other goal in the 2-1 win and assisted on Paille’s goal Monday that put the Bruins up 1-0. “I think we are just putting pucks on net and reading plays,” Paille said. “I think we are managing the puck a little bit better. Just on my goal, you saw Kells go in, and I went in and then I shot. I think we are just not giving them enough time to think with the puck and we are able to get it.” Kelly and Paille also drew penalties that led to Patrice Bergeron’s goal with 5:55 left in the second, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead. “We’re having fun. The three of us are working hard and having fun, which is nice,” Kelly said. “It’s always fun, but some days are more fun than others.” Indeed.

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FACE-OFF FOLLIES: Patrice Bergeron won 24 faceoffs on Monday night. That’s eight more than Chicago won as a team, and nobody had a worse night in the circle for the Blackhawks than Michal Handzus, who was a perfect 0-for-10 for a Bluto-like average of 0.00. “That’s definitely something that we take a lot of pride in and we talk about a lot,” Bergeron said. “We have some really good centermen, so it’s not just about the four centers, it’s about everyone on the ice chipping in and helping to get those battles.”

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DAVE’S NOT HERE: Chicago defenseman Dave Bolland had a rough night. He was called for three of Chicago’s six penalties and made two mistakes that helped lead to Boston’s two goals. The first was a turnover that led to Paille’s goal 2:13 into the second period. The second was cross-checking Kelly into the net and Chicago goalie Corey Crawford with 8:00 left in the second. A second Chicago penalty led to a brief 5-on-3 for Boston. Bolland was out of the penalty box, but didn’t have time to get back into the play before Bergeron put Boston up 2-0 with 5:55 left in the second. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville didn’t have much to say about Bolland after the game. “Haven’t talked to him yet,” Quenneville said. “We’ll reassess and reevaluate the game.”

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HISTORY MAY NOT HELP: The Chicago Blackhawks trailed the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 in the Western Conference finals then won the next three games. So a 2-1 deficit against the Boston Bruins certainly isn’t too big to overcome. It’s just that one comeback may not be the same as another. “I think they’re a little bit different team than Detroit was,” Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford said of the Bruins. “They’re able to sit back and wait for us to collapse defensively. You can’t block everything. But we made some plays, we had some good shots and had a couple of the chances went just wide.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the man was attacked while out in his yard near Shell Lake Monday about 9:30 p.m. DNR carnivore specialist David MacFarland says the man’s dog apparently had initiated contact with the bear before the man was attacked.

MacFarland says the man’s brother was in the cabin, came out and shot and injured the bear, which ran away.

The Burnett County Sheriff’s Department says the man was taken by a private party to the hospital in Shell Lake. The DNR says the man was taken by air to a hospital in the Twin Cities. MacFarland says the man is in stable condition.

DNR employees are trying to find the bear.

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The Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the victim Tuesday as 35-year-old Daniel Dwayne Maniece of Jordan. The medical examiner said Maniece died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Police were called to the 3500 block Chicago Avenue South at about 12:17 a.m. Monday on a report of shots fired. When they arrived, they found Maniece suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died a short time later.

Minneapolis Police said they made an arrest in the case at about 9 p.m. Monday, they believe the incident is isolated and the public is not at risk. They decline to provide further details as the incident is still under investigation.

An Associated Press investigation revealed that Michael Karkoc, 94, entered the U.S. in 1949 by lying to American authorities about his leadership role in the SS-led Ukrainian Self Defense Legion, which is accused of torching villages and killing civilians in Poland during World War II. AP’s evidence indicates that Karkoc was at the scene of the massacres, although no records link him directly to atrocities.

Robert Kopydlowski of Poland’s National Remembrance Institute, which investigates Nazi and Soviet crimes, said prosecutors are reviewing files on Karkoc’s unit for any evidence that would justify charges and an extradition request. Kopydlowski said the files were gathered during separate investigations into the killings of civilians in the village of Chlaniow, in southeastern Poland, and into Nazi suppression of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against German occupation. The AP found documentation showing that Karkoc’s unit was involved in both.

“If we have a living person who might be the perpetrator of a crime, we must gather evidence to prove that the person indeed took part in the crime and decide whether the evidence is sufficient to press charges and to seek an extradition,” Kopydlowski said.

Kopydlowski said the institute had been aware of a commander named Karkoc from old records, but until the AP investigation had not known he was alive.

German prosecutors said they, too, were examining evidence and had contacted prosecutors in the United States and Poland about the case. On Tuesday, the U.S. Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.

“We know who he is. We know where he lives. Now we will look at the documents and check what investigations we’ve already opened against his unit,” said Thomas Will, deputy head of the German office that investigates Nazi war crimes. He suggested it could be weeks before a decision is taken.

Will and Kopydlowski both said the scarcity of living witnesses poses a problem for prosecutors. If European authorities decide to prosecute, Karkoc’s U.S. citizenship could also make extradition difficult, Will said.

“Another hurdle is of course the health situation of an elderly man,” he said.

Germany has taken the position that people involved in Nazi crimes must be prosecuted, no matter how old or infirm, as it did in the case of retired Ohio autoworker John Demjanjuk, who died last year at age 91 while appealing his conviction as a guard at the Sobibor death camp.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

After nearly three full games (13 periods), the Bruins and Blackhawks got past their pleasantries and engaged in a full-on brawl in the waning seconds of Game 3.

With roughly 20 seconds to go and the Bruins leading 2-0, Zdeno Chara dumped Bryan Bickell to the ice on front of the Boston net. Bickell tugged on Chara’s jersey and then cross-checked the much taller defenseman in the side.

Had the cross-check come in the middle of the game, Chara no doubt would have let it go without responding. Such is the price one pays while protecting the front of the net. However, with the game in hand, Chara decided to send a message to the Blackhawks that if they want to camp out in front of the net, they’re going to have to pay a price.

Chara clobbered Bickell, smothering him into the ice and remaining on top of him for several seconds until a sea of white and black sweaters converged upon them.

Out of the scrum emerged Brad Marchand and Andrew Shaw, who said before the series that he’d like to model his game after the pesky Bruins winger. Neither player landed any punches while standing, but after they wrestled each other to the ground, Shaw delivered a heavy right punch to Marchand, who was lying on his back on the ice. It may have violated “the code,” but it likely just canceled out Chara’s bullying of Bickell.

Given there’s so much at stake during these games, it’s almost a guarantee that neither team will be going out of its way to retaliate or threaten to drop the gloves in Game 4 and beyond — at least not unless a game is pretty much over, like it was in Game 3.

Regardless, messages were sent loud and clear. The Blackhawks, who could not generate any traffic in front of Tuukka Rask all game, know they’re going to have to endure a certain level of punishment if they hope to accomplish that. And both ways, the Bruins and Blackhawks know that they won’t be receiving Christmas cards with friendly holiday greetings from each other come December.

Game 4 will take place Wednesday night at the TD Garden.

After playing four extra periods in the first two games, the Bruins made an early night of it with second-period goals by Daniel Paille and Patrice Bergeron to win 2-0 and take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.

Rask stopped 28 shots for his third shutout of the 2013 playoffs.

Corey Crawford made 33 saves for the Blackhawks.

Game 4 is Wednesday night in Boston before the matchup of Original Six teams returns to Chicago for a fifth game. The teams split the first two games there, with the Blackhawks winning Game 1 in triple-overtime and the Bruins stealing home-ice advantage on Paille’s goal in the first OT of the second game.

But this time the intrigue came before the opening faceoff instead of after the end of regulation.

Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara and Chicago forward Marian Hossa were both injured during warmups. But while Chara needed just some stitches after his collision with teammate Milan Lucic, Hossa was a late scratch with an unspecified injury.

Hossa, who has three game-winning goals in the playoffs this year, was tied for the team lead with 15 playoff points and was third on the Blackhawks with 17 goals during the regular season.

It was a loss the Blackhawks couldn’t afford.

Not with Rask stopping everything that came his way.

The Bruins’ goalie, who was a backup to Conn Smythe-winner Tim Thomas in the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup run, didn’t face as difficult a test as in the first period of Game 2, when the Blackhawks sent 19 shots at him but managed just one goal. But he stymied them all game and got some help from the post on Bryan Bickell’s shot with 42 seconds left in the game.

The puck caromed off the right post and the goal light flickered on briefly, but play continued for another 30 seconds before the whistle blew and the game degenerated into fisticuffs. Chara was on top of Viktor Stalberg, pounding away, and Andrew Shaw got the better of Brad Marchand.

By the time it was all sorted out, the benches were a little emptier but the scoring column for Chicago was still blank.

After a scoreless first period, the Bruins made it 1-0 when Paille slapped in the puck at 2:13 of the second, falling to one knee for extra power. It stayed that way until late in the second, when the Bruins picked up their first power plays of the game on two nearly identical plays, with a Bruin racing to the net and a Blackhawk undercutting his skates and sending him crashing into the left post.

Boston set up their offense during the 11-second two-man advantage, and just five seconds after it expired — but before Dave Bolland was able to get back into the play — Jaromir Jagr slid one across the middle, past Lucic in the center to Bergeron on the other side for the easy one-timer.

It was Jagr’s 197th career playoff point in 199 games, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the NHL’s all-time postseason points list.

Notes: Jagr had been tied with Paul Coffey on the career postseason scoring list. … Two of Jagr’s playoff points came on goals scored against the Blackhawks when they were swept by Penguins in 1992 final. … Boston’s Gregory Campbell, who broke his leg blocking a shot in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, attended the game. … The Bruins have killed off 27 straight penalties in the playoffs. … Boston’s David Krejci entered the game tied with Chicago’s Andrew Sharp for the most goals in the postseason with nine. The Bruins center entered the game leading all scorers with 23 points. … The Bruins are attempting to win a Cup for the second time in three seasons for the third time in their history. They also did it in 1939 and ’41 and again in 1970 and ’72. … Bruins won their seventh straight home playoff game. … The Blackhawks fell to 3-5 on the road in the postseason. … Ben Smith, who played just one game this regular season and none in the playoffs, replaced Hossa in the lineup. … Stalberg replaced Brandon Bollig in the lineup for Chicago.

(© 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)

Well, Crosby’s not even doing the complaining himself, leaving his agent, Pat Brisson, to be his mouthpiece. As Damien Cox of the Toronto Star passed along on Friday, “Sidney Crosby’s agent is convinced Zdeno Chara of the Bruins intentionally punched Crosby where he had broken his jaw in Game 1. Nasty.”

Game 1, in case you have forgotten, took place two full weeks before the agent spread the word. The reason may be because it took a while to not only find footage of the “punch” but to then display in slow-motion in such a way that it looked to be a heavy blow to the jaw. In real speed, Chara’s “punch” of Crosby was nothing more than a shove with his left arm, which only came after Crosby had grabbed the back of Chara’s shoulder pads following a whistle in front of the Boston net.

But in super slow-motion, and with some sort of mega zoom, Crosby and his agent were convinced that Chara had purposefully taken the time to carefully target Crosby’s exposed jaw with a direct jab in the middle of a scrum. And so they gathered the video and sent it along to TSN, which was happy to “report” on the wretched assault on hockey’s golden boy. (TSN’s Darren Dreger actually took Chara aside to show him the video. Chara is in the middle of playing for the Stanley Cup.)

The play in question came just five minutes into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tuukka Rask covered a puck, and Chara shoved Brenden Morrow out of the crease. Crosby reached out with his left hand and grabbed the back of Chara’s neck. Chara turned, saw Crosby grabbing onto him, and shoved him with his left hand to separate himself from Crosby. The Penguins’ captain did not let go of the Bruins’ captain, and after exchanging a few words, they were eventually separated by officials.

While the Zapruder-esque slow-motion footage provided by TSN looks damning for Chara, the video at regular speed (uploaded to YouTube by user @dafoomie) of the “incident” shows it for it is: nothing.

First and foremost, if Crosby’s jaw was not able to withstand the punishment that takes place during Stanley Cup playoff games, then the plastic shield guarding his jaw should never have been removed from his helmet. But it was, and that’s not any opponent’s fault.

“[Team doctors are] comfortable with it coming off, being hit and things like that,” Crosby said of the removal of his face shield prior to the series against the Bruins, thereby indicating his jaw was OK.

If Crosby wanted special treatment due to an injury from which doctors determined he had already recovered, then he shouldn’t have been on the ice at all.

Secondly, and perhaps worst of all, is the fact that this may be the first time in history that a hockey player has complained publicly about generic post-whistle roughhousing two weeks after it happened. Hockey is a man’s game, played by self-respecting tough guys who can get gashed open by a skate blade and still pretend like it doesn’t hurt. And yet, there is Crosby, upset he was shoved by a man whom he had grabbed seconds earlier. Accusing Chara of targeting his jaw two weeks after the fact is no doubt an unprecedented move in hockey’s rich history. (Continued…)

The “intentional” assault on Crosby’s jaw was used to explain why the 25-year-old was so upset at the end of the second period of that game. On his way off the ice after the second with the Bruins leading 1-0, Crosby said something to Chara, drawing a laugh from the 6-foot-9 defenseman. Crosby then bumped into Rask and appeared willing to get into a jousting match with the netminder. Then, after Evgeni Malkin and Patrice Bergeron fought each other and fell to the ice, Crosby and Chara confronted each other at the center ice faceoff dot. They exchanged words, with Chara leaning over to look Crosby eye-to-eye, and they eventually walked to their respective locker rooms.

Crosby went on to be held without a single point as his Penguins were swept by the Bruins.

Crosby did sort of refer to the play in question after the game.

“They’re letting a lot go out there, and the more it gets like that, the more it’s going to escalate,” Crosby said of the referees, who penalized him for interference as well as slashing in Game 1. “You can only control and channel that stuff so much. You keep letting guys do that stuff, you’re just going to push the envelope. That’s something we obviously want to stay away from, but it’s kind of a natural thing when it gets like that.”

Crosby might not have referred to the “punch” specifically at the time, because he knew his video team would need some time to rewrite history before it went public.

Just like the many instances of Crosby doing things on the ice that the most talented player in the world does not need to be doing, it’s disappointing to see. It’s why those of us who had hoped we were seeing the next Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux have come to terms with the fact that we simply are not. Crosby may be more talented than anyone else on the planet, but the more he gets caught up in nonsense like this instead of simply dominating hockey games, the less likeable he becomes.

That shift Crosby had in double overtime of Game 3 in Boston, when he lost his helmet and went on a determined rampage to try to score the game-winning goal? That’s the Crosby we all want to see. Knowing he’s capable of that but seeing him get tangled up in this is what makes it so difficult to embrace Crosby as this generation’s greatest player.

By coming out and not only claiming a regular post-whistle shove was a direct punch but also claiming Chara purposely targeted an injured jaw is a legitimately low and contemptible action by Crosby, who continues to act like he is bigger than the game. Hopefully some day, he’ll learn he is not.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

The incident happened at about 7:45 p.m., according to the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said the 11-year-old boy was picking up rocks when the other boy ran over him.

The victim was airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale.

His condition was not immediately available.