Star Tribune
Congenital syphilis cases hit 40-year high in Minnesota
Minnesota saw more cases of congenital syphilis last year than at any time in the past four decades, according to data released Thursday by the state’s Health Department.
Twenty-nine newborns – including three stillbirths – were infected with the disease last year, up from 20 in 2022. Just a decade ago, there were no cases of congenital syphilis reported in the state, the Health Department said.
“The increase in congenital syphilis is especially troubling because it can be prevented through early detection and treatment,” the Health Department said in a statement.
Congenital syphilis occurs when a woman who is pregnant passes a syphilis infection on to the fetus. That can cause severe complications such as miscarriages, stillbirths, premature birth, and brain and nerve problems that include blindness and deafness.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease and has been on the rise in Minnesota and nationally in recent years. There were 1,623 cases of syphilis reported in Minnesota last year compared with 1,088 just four years ago, according to Health Department data.
The increase in congenital syphilis cases follows the increase in syphilis cases, both locally and nationally, said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham.
“It is heartbreaking,” Cunningham said. “Congenital syphilis is preventable by timely diagnosis and treatment.”
With the spike in cases, the Health Department is recommending that women who are pregnant be screened at least three times during pregnancy.
The Health Department also said it is working with health care providers to better understand the signs and symptoms of the malady, as well as routine screening, treatment and prevention of congenital syphilis.
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Star Tribune
One alleged “Nudieland” shooter to testify against “major perpetrator” of mass shooting in plea deal
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the defendant provided evidence for an “ironclad” case against the main perpetrator, Dominic James Burris.
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Both MSA schools have foundations to support their missions, though the report found that MSA “did not obtain required financial reports from its affiliated foundations, including their annual financial statements or their annual reports about fundraising activities.”
The Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf Foundation was inactive between 2020 and 2023 because the foundation board members had moved out-of-state, according to the report. And the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind Foundation did not file as a nonprofit corporation with the Office of the Secretary of State until the auditor’s office inquired about a filing status in May.
In his letter, Wilding said that, by next month, a school administrator for each school will be assigned to act as a liaison between each school and its foundation. But, he added, “The [Minnesota State Academy for the Blind Foundation] is considering its future and may not continue their operations. If this is the case, we will obtain financial documentation of their fund disbursements for record keeping.”
Over the last several months, Wilding wrote, MSA has updated or implemented new procedures to address several concerns, including how payroll and deposits are monitored and how both petty cash expenses and travel expenditures are approved.
A quarterly review of donation acceptance forms will begin in 2025, he said. MSA’s fiscal services director will also work with the state Department of Education “on the process for returning overreported expenditures” — a process Wilding wrote should be completed by January 2025.
Star Tribune
Sentence topping 8 years for man whose ricochet gunshot struck Minneapolis girl, 11, in face
A 45-year-old man received a prison term Tuesday topping eight years for squeezing off automatic gunfire moments into New Year’s Day in Minneapolis that ricocheted and struck a girl in the face while she was looking out her second-story bedroom window.
James William Turner, of Fridley, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition in connection with the shooting of Laneria Wilson, 11, on Jan. 1 near 23rd and Bryant avenues N.
With federal sentencing guidelines recommending a sentence of anywhere from 8⅓ to nearly 10½ years in prison, Judge Ann Montgomery opted for the lowest point in that range and added three years of court supervision after his release.
Ahead of sentencing, prosecutors pointed out to Montgomery that “instead of celebrating New Year’s with her friends or family, [Laneria] spent the evening having bullet fragments removed from her face. The victim could easily have been killed. Moreover, the bullet that struck the 11-year-old appears to be one of 24 shots Turner fired that night — 24 bullets that could have injured or killed innocent people.”
Prosecutors also noted that Turner’s criminal history spans his entire adult life and includes convictions for second-degree assault in Anoka County and domestic assault in Ramsey County. Those convictions barred him from possessing guns or ammunition.
Defense attorney F. Clayton Tyler asked that Turner receive a five-year term, arguing that he has abstained from illicit drugs and alcohol since his arrest and has completed mental health therapy.
Also, Tyler added, while Turner admitted to firing the automatic rifle, “he did not do so maliciously or with intent to hurt or frighten anyone. On the contrary, he considered himself close friends with the child’s mother and had previously babysat the child.”
Laneria’s mother, Shenedra Ross, told the Star Tribune in May that since the shooting, she moved her family about two hours west of Minneapolis, where they had lived previously. In the days after being shot, just shy of her 12th birthday, Ross said, Laneria had difficulty coping and was afraid to be near windows.
