Camden State Park to close during special hunt Saturday, Sunday

Camden State Park will be closed to all visitors Saturday and Sunday during a special hunt to prevent overpopulation of deer and protect resources.

Hunts also will take place at other Minnesota state parks and recreation areas this fall, and access to the parks will vary. Some will remain open to all visitors, some will have limited public access and some will be open only to hunters with special permits. The deadlines have passed for youth and adults to apply for the permits to participate in the hunts, which include regular firearms, muzzleloader and archery options.

“Too many of one animal or plant species in an area can start to throw off the balance of other species in that area,” explained Tavis Westbrook, Natural Resource Program coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources Parks and Trails Division. “When there are too many deer in a park, they tend to feed too much on certain trees and native plant communities, so occasionally we allow deer hunts as a means of protecting natural resources.”

The DNR thanks visitors for their patience and understanding during the hunts.

For a list of parks that are open, partially open or closed during the 2017 hunting season, visit www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/hunting.html or contact the DNR Information Center at info.dnr@state.mn.us or 888-646-6367 (8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday). Details on which areas of each park will be affected by the special deer hunts can also be found in the “Visitor Alert” boxes on the individual park Web pages at www.mndnr.gov.

Dayton pushes to make cybersecurity funding priority

ST. PAUL (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton says he’ll continue to press to get the funding necessary to protect the state’s computer system from hackers.

Dayton got only a fraction of the spending he proposed for technology and cybersecurity upgrades last session and plans to push the issue again next year.

Speaking to cybersecurity experts in Minneapolis Tuesday, Dayton said computer upgrades are a tough sell when in competition for other needs such as a rundown bridge or a new college library. Dayton says he fears it will take something catastrophic to give cybersecurity priority funding.

Minnesota Public Radio News said in the past year alone, Minnesota officials discovered a data breach in a state park computer, a hacker broke into a state university computer and an email scam targeted Minnesota school district officials.

Police: Burns to Duluth woman were self-inflicted

DULUTH (AP) — Duluth police say the severe burns suffered by a woman found on fire last week were self-inflicted.

The 24-year-old Duluth woman was found on fire in a car along Highway 23 in the Fond du Lac near the Lake Superior College Fire Training Center Thursday. Lake Superior College officials told WDIO-TV the woman was not a student or teacher.

Authorities said the woman suffered critical, life-threatening burns and was taken to a Duluth hospital.

A passer-by saw the woman on fire and extinguished the flames.

Lawmakers ask court to restore budget amid fight with Dayton

ST. PAUL (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers want a district court to enforce its ruling that struck down Gov. Mark Dayton’s veto of the Legislature’s operating budget.

The legal battle between the Democratic governor and Republican Legislature has been in limbo for months. Dayton zeroed out lawmakers’ $130 million budget in May in a bid to rework costly tax breaks and other measures.

Dayton appealed a Ramsey County District Court judge’s ruling that restored that funding, eventually putting the case before the Minnesota Supreme Court. But the state’s highest court still hasn’t ruled definitively.

Lawmakers asked District Court Judge John Guthmann on Wednesday to enforce his July ruling. The motion says the House and Senate are spending budget reserves and have stopped per diem and other expenses while their funding’s fate is uncertain.

Man sentenced to 7 years in Breckenridge shooting

BRECKENRIDGE (AP) — A judge has sentenced a man convicted in a shooting in Breckenridge to seven years in prison.

Matthew Allard was convicted of assault, making threats and firing a gun, but acquitted of attempted murder. Allard was arrested at a mobile home in Wahpeton, North Dakota, after an extensive search by police following the shooting last December.

Court documents said Allard argued with Isaac Herrera at a Breckenridge home and fired two shots from a pistol, striking Herrera in the stomach.

KVRR-TV reported Wilkin County Attorney Carl Thunem said Allard will begin his sentence at the St. Cloud prison.