Star Tribune
Minnesota sheep on the loose in Zumbrota evades police but not a cowboy’s lasso
ZUMBROTA, Minn. — The sheep wandered into a small town Monday night looking for a good time.
In fact, she had such a good time, she even evaded two police officers and hung around until Tuesday afternoon, when a couple cowboys — armed with a lasso and a mighty bear-tackle — ended her mini-vacation from the farm. It’s not a children’s movie, but the actual events in Zumbrota, Minn., earlier this week captured on a police body camera.
According to video Zumbrota Police Department posted to Facebook, two officers dispatched to a residence Monday evening to see about a sheep “on the lam.” After approaching the sheep at a doorway, the skittish animal fled on hoof.
Next, a body camera shows the two officers, one with a movable fence in hand, trying to corral the sheep before the animal ran across the grassy backyard and lunged through a backyard fence.
“Sheep — 1, ZPD — 0″ the video caption read.
On Tuesday, a second video went up after police called in reinforcement from the Central Livestock — Zumbrota sale barn in town. The loose sheep, spotted on a stoop, is unawares while a man with a cowboy hat and serious-looking lasso, plus a couple other assistants with looks of grim determination, arrived to ensnare the furry ungulate.
The animal again tried escaping, leaping and barging like a running-back through the defensive line, only to knock down one pursuer before a couple more tackled her. They then tied up the animal.
“It’s not uncommon to get an animal complaint like this,” Police Chief Patrick Callahan said Wednesday. “We have the Zumbrota sales barn in town. They don’t claim this sheep. But that’s one of the reasons why we’ve had to deal with stuff like this in the past: sheep, goats, whatever.”
A staffer at the sale barn declined to comment Wednesday, saying the heroic John Waynes didn’t want any media attention. Plus, it was a busy day, as they were selling hogs and cattle.
It’s still not clear from where the lost sheep decamped. As of deadline, the sheep was still believed to be at the sale barn, according to the police.
A few miles west of town, Nancy Ellison has raised sheep for 50 of her 79 years. She uses the wool for spinning and weaving.
“I’ve seen [the sheep] on the news,” Ellison said Wednesday. “I’m kind of getting close to retiring. My sheep are old. Their ages are 9 to 18.”
In other words, Ellison’s sheep aren’t looking to hit the town on a weeknight. But the animals still capture her imagination. While the wool prices have taken a nosedive in the U.S., she knows some farmers, particularly out West, still raise big flocks. When she took a trip to Norway, she saw sheep running over the road.
“Our sheep are in fences around here,” she said. “Except the one that got loose, I suppose.”
Some take him up on it and fret when he’s not around.
“It is nice to be missed and be part of the school’s culture,” Arzola said. But mostly, he added, he wants kids to know that police aren’t around just for when the bad stuff happens. He’ll hand out his stickers and bracelets, even a trading card bearing his image. Then, they’ll talk about dogs and family.
School resource officer Al Arzola talks to students in his office at John Adams Middle School in Rochester on Oct. 11. (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Two months ago, Rochester played host to a three-day training session for new SROs from across the state — an event organized by the Minnesota School Safety Center. On the final day, the 26 officers learned about surveillance challenges at the other school where Arzola works: Dakota Middle School.
It is a beautiful building with a scenic view. There is a lot of glass, too. Arzola, handling the role of instructor and tour guide, took the group outside and noted how one could look straight through the entrance to the large groups that gather inside. There were no curbs in front, either.
“There is nothing stopping any vehicle whatsoever from going through my front doors,” Arzola told the officers. “Law enforcement wasn’t talked to before this building was made. It was kind of like, ‘Here it is. You’re the SRO. Do what you do.’”
He showed them his office, too, which is separate from the main office and near those of other school support staff members. That makes sense, said Jenny Larrive, SRO coordinator for the Minnesota School Safety Center, given than SROs spend more time connecting with youth than on actual law enforcement.
“The basic rule in Minnesota is you cannot preemptively post law enforcement at a polling place,” he said. “A city can’t say, ‘Wow, Precinct Two, there’s a lot of intensity there, let’s just put a cop at the door.’”
Simon doesn’t go deep into the details on security, though. “I don’t want to give a total road map to the bad guys,” he said.
But testimony at the Capitol last year on behalf of the new law bolstering protections for election and polling place workers indicated there’s room for concern. One election worker was followed to her car by an angry voter; the head of elections in another county was called repeatedly on her home phone during off hours, and an official was lunged at by an aggrieved voter, forcing her to call the local sheriff.
Those who violate the law could now face civil damages and penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation.
The Brennan Center survey indicated more than four in 10 election leaders were concerned about recruiting enough poll workers due to threats of harassment and intimidation. This includes doxing — publishing a person’s personal information online in a threatening manner — and swatting, fake emergency calls that result in an armed response being sent to someone’s home.
“Election officials are working to prepare for everything right now,” said Liz Howard, director of partnership engagement at the Brennan Center. “More than 90% of election officials have made improvements to election security since 2020.”
Star Tribune
Daylight saving time ends next weekend. This is how to prepare for the potential health effects
The good news: You will get a glorious extra hour of sleep. The bad: It’ll be dark as a pocket by late afternoon for the next few months in the U.S.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time next Sunday, Nov. 3, which means you should set your clock back an hour before you go to bed. Standard time will last until March 9 when we will again ”spring forward” with the return of daylight saving time.
That spring time change can be tougher on your body. Darker mornings and lighter evenings can knock your internal body clock out of whack, making it harder to fall asleep on time for weeks or longer. Studies have even found an uptick in heart attacks and strokes right after the March time change.
”Fall back” should be easier. But it still may take a while to adjust your sleep habits, not to mention the downsides of leaving work in the dark or trying exercise while there’s still enough light. Some people with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression usually linked to the shorter days and less sunlight of fall and winter, may struggle, too.
Some health groups, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology.
Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those that do — mostly in Europe and North America — the date that clocks are changed varies.
Two states — Arizona and Hawaii — don’t change and stay on standard time.
Here’s what to know about the twice yearly ritual.
