High school girls oratory competition accepting applications

Fifty high school girls will be selected to compete in a juried Minnesota oratory competition. The speech topic is “A Republic if you can keep it” Rising to Benjamin Franklin’s Challenge. Applications are being accepted now. The event is Oct. 26 at the Minnesota State Capitol. A total of $1,750 will be awarded to the top three speeches. The event is sponsored by Metro Republican Women.

“We are thrilled to invite Minnesota girls to address such an important topic in the most beautifully restored Minnesota State Capitol,” said Deb Kaczmarek a leader with the Speaking Proudly organizing team, past president of Metro Republican Women, and high school speech coach and teacher. “Competing in this magnificent setting, exercising the freedom to speak up for our country, will be an experience these girls will remember the rest of their lives.”

Thirty-two judges consisting of speech teachers and well-known political and community leaders will take part in judging the various speeches throughout the day. Competition schedule and rules, details about the application process, and speech preparation tips can be found at speakingproudly.org. Applications are due Aug. 1 and selection of competitors will be made by Aug. 31. Applications are received and identified only by a number assigned to the speech outline to allow judges to focus strictly on the merits of the speech submission and eventually, its delivery. A $50 deposit with each application is returned to the girl if she is not selected to compete or after she engages in the competition.

Children confirm deaths of Minnesota businessman, wife

ORONO (AP) — The children of a one-time part owner of the Minnesota Vikings and his wife have asked for privacy while they grieve their parents’ deaths.

Irwin and Alexandra Jacobs’ children confirmed their parents’ deaths in a short statement issued Wednesday through a public relations firm.

Authorities haven’t publicly identified the couple but said they were investigating the deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were found Wednesday in a bed in the Jacobs’ home in the Minneapolis suburb of Orono. Police say they aren’t seeking any suspects.

The 77-year-old Irwin Jacobs had a stake in the Vikings in the 1980s, when he gained notoriety as a corporate raider who bought out underperforming companies at a profit. He also owned household products company J.R. Watkins Co. for more than 40 years.

Patrol: says teen on cellphone was driving nearly 100 mph

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities say a Minnesota teen was video chatting on her cellphone and driving nearly 100 mph when a state trooper pulled her over on a busy highway near St. Peter.

The Star Tribune reported that 18-year-old Theresa Redenius, of Lakeville, is charged with careless driving. The trooper says he could see Redenius was “still on active FaceTime video chat” while driving on state Highway 169 Saturday afternoon.

Redenius told the newspaper that she did not realize how fast she was going but said she used the phone correctly and had both hands on the wheel.

A bill requiring motorists to use hands-free devices when talking on the phone won final approval from the Minnesota Senate Thursday. Gov. Tim Walz plans to sign it today.

Agriculture report shows fewer but larger farms in US

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The latest Census of Agriculture shows the number of farms and ranches in the U.S. has fallen but the remaining operations are larger and are responsible for a higher percentage of agricultural sales.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the 2017 Census of Agriculture on Thursday, marking the 29th release of the report since the government began collecting the data in 1840. Since 1982, it has been released every five years.

The census shows there were 2.04 million farms and ranches in 2017, down 3.2 percent from 2012. The average size of those operations was 441 acres, an increase of 1.6 percent.

About 75 percent of all sales came from only 105,453 of those farms, down more than 14,000 from 2012.

The average age of producers was 57.5.

Bodycam footage shows attempts to save woman shot by officer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The fiance of a woman who was fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer after she called 911 to report a possible crime cradled his head in his hands Thursday as body-camera footage of attempts to save her was played at the officer’s trial.

Don Damond declined to watch the chaotic footage of the unsuccessful efforts to save Justine Ruszczyk Damond, who was shot minutes after calling 911 to report a possible rape near her home. Justine was a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia who had taken her fiance’s last name ahead of their wedding, set for a month after her July 2017 death.

The Star Tribune reported that one officer’s body camera showed Officer Mohamed Noor and his partner taking turns performing CPR before firefighters arrived and took over.

Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter. He was fired from the Minneapolis Police Department after being charged.

Defense attorneys have said Noor was reacting to a loud noise and feared an ambush. Prosecutors have argued there was no evidence Noor faced a threat that justified deadly force.

The head of the city’s police homicide unit, Lt. Richard Zimmerman, testified Thursday that lighting in the alley was bright enough that he could see the officers clearly when he arrived. Defense attorneys have contended that lighting was poor in the alley the night Damond was shot.