Library to have costume exchange Oct. 26

The Marshall-Lyon County Library will be the host of a costume swap for kids on Saturday, Oct. 26. Bring your old costumes and trade them for something new-to-you. You can bring them starting at 10 a.m. on the day of the event — or, to get a ticket for an earlier pick of the selection, bring your unwanted costumes to the circulation desk on an earlier October day.

Don’t need a new costume, but have one to share? We’d love your help! You can leave costumes for children of all ages and sizes at the Marshall library starting in October. We’ll find them a good home! Any costume not claimed during the event will be donated to a local thrift shop.

All costumes and accessories should be clean and in good condition. No shoes unless incorporated into the costume.

This event will coincide with a last-minute costumes crafting session. We’ll have ideas and supplies for making quick and simple costumes and accessories. Don’t have any ideas for a costume? Bring an old hooded sweatshirt, and we’ll help you modify it into a costume. Because of the materials and equipment used, only teens and adults should do the actual costume crafting. Activities and crafts for kids will be available in the Children’s Library.

State tests new technology to catch carpool lane cheaters

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota transportation officials are testing new technology to catch carpool lane cheaters.

Through September, the State Patrol issued nearly 3,500 citations to drivers who illegally used the lanes reserved for two or more people, buses, motorcycles and solo drivers who pay to use them. That compares with 2,933 citations in all of last year.

The Star Tribune said the Department of Transportation is testing a system of beacons and detectors during the morning rush hours on Intestates 35W and 35E. As a driver with a valid carpool tag passes an antenna, it flashes blue. An amber light flashes if the antenna does not detect a tag. A trooper must determine a vehicle has only one occupant before making a stop.

A citation can cost carpool lane cheaters up to $300.

1 injured in shooting outside Blaine Walmart

BLAINE (AP) — Police have responded to a shooting outside a Walmart store in Blaine.

KSTP-TV reported a man in his 30s was shot in the ear by someone he knew. The shooting happened about 5 a.m. Monday. The victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to be OK.

Authorities are searching a suspect who drove away from the crime scene. Investigators are reviewing surveillance video from the area. Police reported finding two spent casings near where the shooting happened.

Jayme Closs: 1 year after abduction, I’m feeling stronger

BARRON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin girl whose parents were fatally shot before she was kidnapped and held captive for 88 days before escaping from her abductor said she’s feeling stronger every day and is thankful for the kindness and concern expressed to her from people all over the country in the year after the crime.

Jayme Closs issued a statement Monday, a day before the one-year anniversary of the fatal shootings and abduction at her home near Barron in northwest Wisconsin. Closs said she is getting back to the activities she enjoys and loves hanging out with her friends.

The statement was read by family attorney Chris Gramstrup at a news conference at the Barron County Sheriff’s Department.

“She continues to work very, very hard on her emotional well-being,” Gramstrup said. “She’s moving forward courageously and reclaiming her life. Her incredible spirit and strength continues to inspire everyone around her.”

Gramstrup says Jayme, who has celebrated her 14th birthday, inherited her strength and soft heart from her father and mother. James and Denise Closs were killed at their home Oct. 15, 2018 by Jake Patterson who abducted Jayme.

According to the criminal complaint, the then-21-year-old Patterson told investigators he knew Jayme “was the girl he was going to take” after he saw her getting on a school bus near her home. He made two aborted trips to the family’s home before carrying out the attack in which he killed Jayme’s mother in front of her, the complaint said.

In the days that followed, thousands of people volunteered to search for Jayme. Patterson hid Jayme in a remote cabin in Gordon, about 60 miles north of Barron, before she escaped and got help from a woman walking her dog.

Jayme told police that on the night she was abducted, she awoke to her dog’s barking, then woke her parents as a car came up the driveway. Her father went to the front door as Jayme and her mother hid in a bathtub, according to the complaint. Jayme told police she heard a gunshot and knew her dad had been killed.

Patterson — dressed in black and wearing a facemask — broke down the bathroom door, according to the complaint. He taped Jayme’s mouth, hands and ankles before pulling her out of the bathtub and shooting her mother in the head, the complaint said.

He dragged Jayme outside, threw her in the trunk of his car and drove off, according to the complaint.

When Patterson left the cabin or had friends over, he sealed her under the bed with tote boxes and weights so she couldn’t crawl out, sometimes for hours, according to the complaint. When his father visited, Patterson told investigators, he turned up the radio to conceal any noise she might make.