Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 60

STAR TRIBUNE Star.TribuneThursdayMarch 291990 S3e MetroState news ST. PAUL EDITION Dying mother waits for daughter's return 5 1 3 -A 'I S3 9 without leaving a clue as to why or where she had gone. St Paul police say there is no evidence of foul play and consider her a runaway. Jodi Casey is white, feet 5 inches tall, weighs about 12S pounds and has dark blond hair. Her family and friends launched a search effort and distributed more than 500 fliers with Jodi's picture.

As the weeks went by, they fell slowly back into the routines of their lives. Everyone except Margaret Casey, that is. Thoughts of Jodi and the search for her consumed Casey, her sister said. and she was hospitalized Feb. 10.

Her heart, kidneys and liver all are failing and doctors hold out little hope for recovery, Haselman said. She drifts in and out of consciousness in a coronary intensive care unit But her dream of being reunited with Jodi is still alive. "We don't want her to give up that hope and her will to live," Haselman said. The family is asking that anyone with information about Jodi call her grandmother, Adelyne Greer, at 645-0886. "There comes a time when you can't let it consume your whole day, but that didn't happen with Margaret," said Haselman.

"At Christmas, she didn't want to go anywhere because she was sure that Jodi would call and she would miss her. "At first, she had dreams of Jodi coming in the door. She would see Jodi coming up the steps of the deck. But the dreams had changed to nightmares that Jodi was killed. She never slept anymore and she was eating poorly.

We attributed it to her intense grief. It consumed her life." Casey's health rapidly deteriorated condition because she still hopes. "The doctors said it was miraculous she survived the first weekend. The family was told she was dying and to say its goodbyes," said Haselman, a nurse at St Paul-Ramsey Medical Center. "But Margaret is a pretty strong person, and she is determined she is going to find Jodi." Casey's family doesn't know why Jodi disappeared and they don't care.

"We want her to know we love her, and we want her to come home," said her sister, Lori. The St Paul Central High School junior disappeared from home Oct. By Pal Gastafsoe ZStafTWriter "Mtt failing heart is beyond repair, but Margaret Casey's heartache ould disappear if she saw her -daughter Jodi one more time. Relatives of the 43-year-old St Paul said she is clinging to life with the same determination that to let her give up hope of a -reunion with the 17-year-old girl who has been missing since this past October. Her sister, Karen Haselman, believes Margaret Casey remains alive six weeks after being taken to Midway Hospital in critical 'U' doctors unclear of risk to some who donate pancreases Jodi Casey Wilson says he'd open hearings on Conroy I i I St Paul City Council President Bill Wilson said Wednesday he would support holding open hearings'4nto the dismissal of Fire Chief Steve Conroy if the chief and his attorney, Earl Gray, agree.

Conroy said he and Gray would support such a move. "We want the public to know the issues and what the answers are," Conroy said yesterday. "We are confident we have done a good job and that there is no basis for a "r-i Wilson made the statement after receiving a letter yesterday from Mayor Jim Scheibel proposing that the issue be referred to an administrative law judge who would hear evidence and recommend action to the council? Scheibel decided Friday to proceed with action to fire Conroy, contend ing the chief no longer could run the department effectively. Scheibel asking' the council to approve the firing, a move that would require the support of five of the seven City By Gordon Slovut Staff Writer University of Minnesota surgeons have sliced in half the pancreases of 72 people over the past 10 years so they could transplant half a pancreas into the donors' diabetic relatives. The operation almost always cures the relatives' diabetes.

But what does the loss of half a pancreas, the large, dumbbell-shaped abdominal organ that secretes digestive chemicals as well as insulin, do to the donors? The greatest fear is that it may turn some of them into diabetics. But so far it hasn't produced diabetes in the donors at the university, where 80 percent of the world's noncadaver pancreas transplants have been performed. However, some donors have been left with less than optimal ability to regulate blood-sugar levels, university scientists report in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medi 31 Around tho Twin Citios BurnsvilleSecond van recovered in probe of armed robbery of Brink's armored truck council mcmDers. ihue Assistant City Attorney Phil Byrne said last week the hearing before the administrative law judge would be closed. He cited the Data Practices Act and a recent Minnesota Supreme Court decision involving disciplinary matters.

However, Byrne said yesterday, Conroy has the right to waive closed hearings before an administrative -law judge and the City Council. He added that opening the hearings might simplify the process, as the council would have been forced to close parts of its hearing to discuss certain evidence. Vf'ii Neither Conroy nor Gray has formally requested that the hearings be open, Byrne said. Gray could not be reached for comment yesterday. hi; Wilson said he expects the City Council to act on a resolution outlining the administrative law judge proceeding next Thursday.

Any move to open the hearings provided Conroy and Gray agree to it probably would be discussed then, Wilson said. I ih Authorities recovered a second van Wednesday that they say might have been used by armed men who robbed a Brink's armored truck Tuesday in Burnsville. They also said they have found fingerprints in another van and a car used in the heist. The robbers, three or four men armed with an assault rifle and a pistol, escaped with an undisclosed amount of money Tuesday afternoon outside of First Bank Burnsville on County Rd. 42.

The men held up a guard as he was loading money into the truck in the bank's parking lot. The robbers then attempted to block the truck with the car and a Dodge van when the truck's driver pulled away. One robber fired several shots at the cine. "We have found that one-third of the donors had abnormalities of glucose tolerance (imperfect control of blood-sugar levels), and that is something we would like to avoid because it might be detrimental to them," said Dr. David Sutherland, head of pancreas transplantation at the university.

He was a coauthor of the journal article. The article reports on follow-up examinations on 28 of the university's donors, none of whom have any discernible physical problems from donating part of their pancreas. Some of the examinations occurred up to six years after the surgery. Sutherland said it may be 20 to 30 years before scientists know definitively whether there is any detrimental effect to the third of the 72 donors who have shown some degree of blood-sugar abnormality in tests. In the meantime, he and his co-Pancreas continued on page 7B armored truck.

The second van found yesterday was parked in the lot of the Red Lobster restaurant across County Rd. 42. All three vehicles had been stolen in the Twin Cities, said FBI special agent Al Garber. FBI spokesman Byron Gigler said that the robber carrying a rifle and pistol was wearing gloves, but authorities don't know if the other suspects wore gloves. The suspects, weapons and methods in Tuesday's robbery resemble those in last April's armored car heist in Eden Prairie, Garber said.

No suspects have been arrested in the April 18 robbery, in which the robbers escaped with nearly $1 million. left lane said no vehicles were ahead of him. The State Patrol said the blast may have come from a southbound vehicle. Peerman said he had no idea why anyone would shoot at him. The State Patrol said it has no witnesses or leads.

Hwy. 280 runs between Ramsey and Hennepin counties, connecting Hwy. 36 with Interstate Hwy. 94. materials stored in a 20-foot-by-200-foot warehouse at 200 W.

Sycamore St The fire also damaged auto bodies and parts at the nearby Atlas Auto salvage yard. Firefighters were called to the scene at 9:43 p.m. Tuesday and battled the blaze for nearly seven hours. reports. Iowa Lotto Winning numbers: 8, 16, 19, 29, 31.35.

Wild card: 2 Diamonds. Winner: No winner. Jackpot $6.2 million. 48 tickets matched five numbers to win $600. Staff Photo by Joey McLeister Taking delight in flight Eight-year-old Jonathan Isaacson was running with in south Minneapolis.

With a high of 50 and breezes his kite when he took a tumble, but he managed to from 8 to 15 miles per hour, today might be another keep it aloft. He was playing along Bloomington Av. good day to go fly a kite. Gunfire may have hit truck on Hwy. 280 The State Patrol says a truck haul- The truck had been in the 1 no furnitiirA en Uuru JMi in VtooHinA nrtrfh Tti Hri vr oilice furniture on 280 in The truck had been in the heading north.

The driver St. Paul officials aim 'clinic blitz' ing Hwy. the Twin Cities may have been hit by guntire Wednesday. The semitrailer truck's windshield was shattered, but the driver, Oliver Peerman, was not injured, officers said. Peerman said he heard something hit the windshield and pulled over, then called police.

Later he continued on his trip. f. "Red measles" lasts seven to 10 days and can have dangerous complications, including middle-ear infections, pneumonia, dehydration and encephalitis. Several children in Milwaukee and California have died from pneumonia, Terrell said, "but there haven't been any deaths here, yet" Children over 15 months who haven't had a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination should be immunized immediately, Terrell said. Parents of children between 6 months and 15 months old who have been exposed to the virus should call their doctor or clinic.

A vaccine shot should be given within 72 hours of exposure to halt the onset of the disease. were not "They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Adelmann said. The Kelkars were wounded in the thigh. James received a scratch on his ankle. The three were treated at St Paul-Ramsey Medical Center and released.

Police said they are not sure of the gang affiliations of those who had fought with the suspect at a gasoline station at Fisk St and Selby Av. before the shooting. But Corcoran An unusually large outbreak of measles is forcing St Paul public health officials to launch a "clinic blitz" to immunize preschoolers from the highly contagious virus. A special measles immunization clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the St.

Paul Public Health Center, 555 Cedar St. Officials also will immunize children from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at Ames School, 1760 Ames PI. Children also may be immunized at Maxfield School, 380 N.

Victoria and East Consolidated School, 409 Case from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Parents should bring shot records and insurance or medical assistance cards, health officials said. St PaulUnited Products fire being probed at measles I.

M-ti Terrell emphasized that an emergency shot given to a child under1 43 months will be good for only about six months and will not replace'the regular MMR shot to be given at 15 months. Jv Mils State health officials recommend that children who have had MMR allots as preschoolers should have a booster when they are 12 years old. Terrell said people aged 12 to 33 should1 their family doctor or go to a clinic for a booster. ru The St Paul Public Health Center has regular weekday immunization clinics from 8:30 a.m. to 1O.30 iruh said the fight and the shooting weW the latest outbursts in a long-rurminj eanedisnute.

if.1,7 He said the suspect ran from the fight to 767 Selby, where he obtained -the gun. When the three victims, accompanied by at least one rival gang member, walked by, the suspect ran out and fired several shots before leaving the scene in a car. The suspect was arrested minutes latt er at Avon St and Carroll gun watfrecovered, police slid. "''f' Win Terrell, health educator with the Public Health Center, said the special clinics are part of an effort to halt what is quickly becoming a record measles outbreak: Seventy cases have been reported in St Paul since Jan. 1, she said, and more are showing up every day.

About 40 of those children have been hospitalized and several have had to be placed on respirators. But officials said they suspect that as many as 280 St Paul children are infected with the virus, because of an estimated high number of unreported cases. Last year more than 70 cases were reported in the state. County jail yesterday pending charges. Police said the suspect, believed to be a member of the LA.

Crips gang, burst from the front porch of a house at 767 Selby and began firing a long-barreled pistol The shooting was in retaliation for an earlier fistfight several blocks away, police said. LaSalle James, 18, the least seriously injured of the three victims, may have been involved in the fistfight, said police spokesman Paul Adel-mann. Bui Angela Kelkar, 12, and her sister, Amanda, 20, apparently Gang feud blamed in wounding of three in St. Paul The cause of a fire that did an estimated $500,000 in damage to buildings and inventory of the United Products Corp. in St.

Paul remained under investigation Wednesday, officials said. Most of the damage was to roofing Compiled from staff and news services Lottery results Wisconsin Megabucks Lotto America Winning numbers: 18, 35, 40, 44, 49, S3. Winner: Not available. Jackpot $3.5 million. By Conrad deFiebre StafT Writer Three young people who received minor gunshot wounds on St Paul's Selby Av.

Tuesday evening, including a 12-year-old girl, were victims of gang feuding, police said Wednesday. "There'll be some murders out of this before it's over," said Lt Joe Corcoran, homicide squad commander. An 18-year-old Minneapolis man arrested shortly after the 7:15 p.m. shooting remained in the Ramsey.