Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 17

fro State news Minneapolis Star and Tribune Friday July 121985 1B Marketplace section begins on page 7B West would meet East with chopsticks from Hibbing and they were quite well accepted," he said. The cost of the Hibbing project Is estimated at $3.2 million, and construction is scheduled to begin by September, according to George Gi-beau, an economic development consultant for the city of Hibbing. Ward has formed Lakewood Industries, Inc. which will have its headquarters in Hibbing, to build and run the factory. Gibeau said the plant will be the first result of the area's plans to close to the site of the wood." Phillips said.

"Almost 70 percent of the cost incurred in manufacturing items like chopsticks now comes from shipping raw wood to plants overseas." Most chopsticks used in Japan now are produced in South Korea from wood imported by that country. He added that the Japanese require wood with a certain off-white pigment, such as aspen, to be used for their chopsticks. "We sent samples of our product to Japan for testing, director with the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Development Board, which is providing some of the financing for the project Ward said the idea for the plant grew from discussions with friends and business acquaintances In Japan, who expressed a demand for a less expensive product that would be disposable. He chose Hibbing because of the availability of wood, labor and transportation. "It simply makes more economic sense to manufacture wood products Ward, a wood exporter from Vancouver, British Columbia, is the driving force behind a proposal to build a plant In Hibbing that will make 1.2 billion chopsticks annually for export to Japan.

It is expected to employ 60 to 70 people on Minnesota's depressed Iron Range. "When you talk about chopsticks being manufactured in northern Minnesota, you get a few chuckles, but we have done quite a bit of marketing research on the concept and we think it will work," said Mark Phillips, economic program development Oi i A Saw'. hi! 4 v'- 'I rpS? "LX: i -7 I hi I f' It ii -w, im-jfe diversify Its products and widen Its economic base. The need to attract new industry Is especially great because recent cutbacks at Iron Range taconlte plants have left about 2,000 people jobless. "What we're hoping is that this project will make (other) wood product manufacturers explore this area as one for future industrial growth," Phillips said.

Chopsticks continued on page 2B brutality probed Burnette said the family had gathered to unwind from the wedding reception with a few friends and out-of-town relatives. "The police crashed in on them," she said. Burnette said police sprayed tear gas at everyone, including five children. A 15-year-old boy was punched in the mouth and a 17-year-old girl was thrown to the ground, she said. Bouza said he hadn't reached any conclusions about police conduct at the scene, but indicated that he might make a statement after the news conference by Indian leaders today.

"It's much too early for anyone to jump to conclusions on either side of the scale," he said. "If they hold a press conference and make conclusions, then I'll try to balance the books to fill the vacuum." Senate nomination. The treasurer moved his offices from the Capitol to a remodeled apartment at 1208 Grand Av. in St Paul earlier this week. He said yesterday that he will ask for a meeting with Humphrey, Gov.

Rudy Perpich and Chief Justice Douglas Amdahl of the Minnesota Supreme Court the three officials state statutes say can jointly approve the hiring of outside legal counsel at state expense. Barbara Flanagan Barbara Flanagan is ill. By Suzanne P. Kelly StaM Writer For years most Japanese have eaten with chopsticks stamped "Made in Korea." But rising demand for a cheaper, disposable product has made Japanese Importers look for new suppliers. Ian J.

Ward wants to be one of them. If he's successful, by next year those Japanese citizens will be using chopsticks stamped "Made In Hibbing. Minnesota." Woman dies of stab wounds By Kevin Diaz Staff Writer A 27-year-old woman died of stab wounds hours after an attack early Thursday at her north Minneapolis apartment, authorities said. Police identified the victim as Vittini Doreen Slaughter, who lived alone with her two sons, ages 3 and 7. Slaughter apparently called police after being assaulted in her second-floor apartment at 1714 Fremont Av.

N. while her children slept Police arriving there shortly after 5 a.m. found Slaughter in a nightgown, lying in a hallway with her door ajar. She was semi-conscious and bleeding heavily from stab wounds, police said. No motive had been established and no suspects were in custody, police said.

"All the signs are that she was a good woman and a caring mother, but she ran afoul of somebody, probably a burglar," said Patrick Farrell, deputy chief for investigations. Investigators said that although they do not believe the attack is related to last week's stabbing of a 26-year-old woman in her apartment in the Stevens Square area, they have not ruled out a connection. Police have said there is a good chance that the assailant in last week's stabbing is the same man who killed two senior Stabbing continued on page 2B Police troubled by pistol look-alikes By Dennis J. McGrath Staff Writer Deputy Police Chief Robert Lutz slapped the ammunition clip into the pistol, cocked It aimed at a nervous visitor in his office and playfully pulled the trigger. There was a loud, metallic click! "This is a toy," Lutz said.

"There is no barrel (it is plugged) and there Is no firing pin. Everything else is the same as a real gun. I could easily be flown to Beirut with one of these." The metal pistol is a "look-alike," intentionally designed to fool even a trained observer. This and other fake pistols are advertised In popular gun magazines and can be bought through the mail for $20 to $40, police say. Although they may be designed to adorn a den wall and cannot fire a bullet police say these toys are almost as dangerous and as useful to the criminally minded owner as the genuine item.

Police confiscate about one of these toys a month when they are used improperly, said Lt Bob Kulseth. He said he approached a city council member in an attempt to get a city ordinance banning the "look-alikes." But because they are not weapons, they can't be outlawed, Kulseth said. A police officer facing one of these models would almost certainly believe the toy to be a real weapon, department officials said. A person holding one would be almost asking to be shot they said. Similarly, a robber could use the replica as convincingly as a real weapon during a holdup, said Sgt Fake guns continued on page 2B Staff Photo by Duane Braley Woman killed in truck-car crash Authorities were trying Thursday night to positively Won- the Intersection of Hwy.

55 and South Shore light. The woman, the sole occupant of the car, was de-tlfy a woman killed In a traffic accident In Plymouth yes- ties said. A car and a semitrailer truck collided at right dared dead at the scene. The truck driver was not terday afternoon. The accident occurred at 4:35 p.m.

at angles at the intersection, which Is controlled by a stop injured. Allegations of police at wedding party are By Dennis J. McGrath and Kevin Diaz Staff Writers Minneapolis police officials are investigating charges that officers overreacted when they arrested eight people and sprayed tear gas at juveniles at a wedding party in an Indian family's home about two weeks ago, Police Chief Tony Bouza said Thursday. Leaders of the Indian community said they will hold a news conference today to complain about mistreatment by police. "Children were brutally manhandled," said Allene Burnette, a member of the state Indian Affairs Council "It's unforgivable.

Adults face this all the time, but when it happens to our children, that's going too far." Bouza said that no one at the party Mattson having tough time finding lawyer for office budget test case has filed a complaint with the department but that after receiving two calls from Indian leaders he assigned an internal affairs unit officer to investigate the incident Police went to the house, near 33rd St and Portland Av. about 2 a.m. on June 30, responding to two calls from residents complaining of a noisy party, revving car engines and squealing tires. The first officers who arrived recognized the house's occupants as a family that police have had many dealings with, so they called for backups, Bouza said. Eventually there were 16 officers at the scene.

The officers told supervisors that the revelers refused to disperse, then barricaded themselves inside the house, Bouza said. Police broke down the door, used tear gas and fought with the people to subdue them. the attorney general has been intimidated by the Legislature." In a letter to Mattson, Humphrey rejected the treasurer's suggestion that his office represent both sides of the case, and suggested that Mattson seek more funds from the 1986 Legislature or from the Legislative Advisory Commission. The law Mattson would challenge cuts the state treasurer's staff from 20 employees to three full-time and one part-time worker, including Mattson; slashed his budget from $1.2 million in 1983-85 to $326,300 in 1985-87, and stripped him of many responsibilities. Mattson contends that the Legislature's action was motivated by a desire to punish him for his politics.

He has made a practice' of running, against endorsed DFL candidates, most recently in 1984 when he unsuccessfully challenged Secretary of State Joan Growe for the party's U.S. ft 'jP- 'llliiii By Lori Sturdevant Staff Writer State Treasurer Robert Mattson, saying that the Legislature has made his office "nothing more than an indigent" is squabbling with Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III over who should finance the court test he seeks of the law that gutted his office's budget Mattson says Humphrey has a legal duty to represent a state official in a test of the law's constitutionality, and to pay for that representation. Humphrey, however, said his duty is to defend the Legislature's action. He said he would arrange outside counsel for Mattson, but Mattson's budget would have to pay legal fees of $75 an hour. Mattson said in an Interview Thursday: "We just don't have the money in our budget and the attorney general knows it In my judgment Staff Photo by Charles Bjorgen Lt.

Bob Kulseth held a "look-alike" .357 Magnum. Among those on the table are Colt .45 automatic and German Luger replicas..