Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 17

INDEX Faces Places B4 Obituaries B6, B7 Weather B8 www.startribune.commetro StarTribune Tuesday, November 15, 2(X)1 Section Trial to begin today iifi Lei s'sei iinSp Allina will cut medical help line Shutting down its Medformation service will save money, the health system says. Ex-neighbor's arrest came 8 years after Linda Jensen's fatal stabbing "This is not something we relish doing," spokeswoman Kendra Calhoun said. "In 1984, when this was started, it was a needed community INSIDE Daschle with Twins U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, has asked that decisions on cutting the Twins be put off for a year.

Turn to B2. Terrorism preparedness Security and health officials met to discuss how to respond to a terrorist attack. Turn to B3. 'Mamma review "Mamma Mia!" is a tepid, cheery musical. Turn to B4.

COLUMNISTS tragic murder. And it seemed like that was way above what a small town like this would run into. I was shocked." Eight years would pass before investigators got the tip and evidence leading to an ar Charlie, found her body later that day when he returned home from a construction job in Maplewood, service, but now a lot of call centers are available through neaitn plans. Most health plans, including Medica, HealthPartners, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, have nurses available by phone to steer members toward ap propriate treatment. Several large clinics also have similar services for their patients.

Susan Mason, a representative of the Nurses Association, said Medformation serves patients from all clinics and health plans, as well as the uninsured. LINE continues on B5 rest in Jensen killing. Some wondered whether police would ever make an arrest. Today, in a Sherburne County courtroom in Elk River, jury selection will Kent R. Jones Is charged In her death.

begin in the trial of Kent R. Jones, 38, of Becker, Minn. TRIAL continues on B3 A bloody comforter was fastened to Jensen's chest by a kitchen knife. The couple's daughter was unharmed. "The grue-someness was quite shock Linda Jensen was killed In February 1992.

ing, Russell Pittman, an excavator, said Monday while eating lunch at the Lake Cafe in downtown Big Lake. "It was a sex crime and a Commuters and buses come together In Eden Prairie at a stylish bus station, soon to be the core of a multipurpose cluster. to lure riders, transit villages that are home to housing, shops more are going the suburbs. Is fli Jill TrnTm.i inr.nr Tr By Glenn Howatt Star Tribune Staff Writer Allina Health System will shut down the Medformation medical advice phone line for consumers at the end of the year, a move that it expects will save $1 million each year, the company said Monday. The decision, announced to employees last week, is being criticized by the Minnesota Nurses Association, which said Medformation is one of the few services that offers free medical help to the community.

Allina officials said the cut, which will eliminate the jobs of 20 registered nurses and an unspecified number of nonunion workers, was necessary as part of a $30 million reduction in corporate spending. .) more rk BepotX CARVER: Station transit 1 W) 1J MapleNB Grove ft RobbLsL In a bid new hubs parking, and up in I i By Richard Meryhew Star Tribune Staff Writer BIG LAKE, MINN. Few in Big Lake talk much anymore about what happened that winter morning out at the Jen- sen place on County Rd. 15. Too much time has passed.

But few in this city 40 miles northwest of the Twin Cities say they'll soon forget what happened to Linda Jensen. On the morning of Feb. 24, '1992, the 39-year-old wife and mother was raped and repeat- edly stabbed at her Big Lake -Township home while her infant daughter sat in a nearby playpen. Jensen's husband, Changes urged in K-9 training Minneapolis police i criticized for keeping dogs chained outside By David Chanen StarTribune Staff Writer An animal welfare agency has concluded that a new K-9 training technique used by the Minneapolis Police Depart- ment didn't directly violate state law, but recommended changes to ensure dog safety in the future. More than 50 people called the nonprofit Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley in response to a TV news report showing six German shepherds chained up at night with tipped-over water buckets and no shelter from near-freezing conditions.

Humane Society investigator Keith Streff said he didn't learn about the allegations un-i til the training was finished at the end of October, making it too late to observe whether the dogs were subjected to adverse conditions. State law requires that any dog kept outdoors be provided shelter. Last week, Streff met with Police Chief Robert Olson, Deputy Chief Rick Schultz and head dog trainer Cpl. Greg Zi-. poy, and they agreed to make i shelter available before the next dog academy.

Streff said none of the dogs was harmed. Minnesota Federated Hu- mane Societies, an administra-; tive agency that investigates I charges of animal cruelty and neglect, said it sent a letter of complaint to the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office on Monday, based on the allegations in th report on WCCO-TV, Channel 4. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals also sent a letter to Olson complaining about the dog training program. "The cops love these dogs and wouldn't do anything to hurt them, but we'll correct anything that isn't right," Olson said. Zipoy said he wanted to institute "chain training" because several of the department's 10 docs weren't aggres sive enough.

Some dogs would sniff out a suspect in a building but not immediately return to notify their handlers. TRAINING continues on B7: Dog trainer says chain method was selected after the consideration of many training methods. CJ. She didn't write for today. FYI Natural gas bills to be lower, utilities say Xcel Energy said Monday that natural gas bills this heating season November through March will be 30 to 45 percent lower than last year.

The aver age customer will pay $30 to $45 a month less than during the 2000-2001 heating season. "There are a lot of things that have gone right," said Scott I lulls, Xcel's manager of gas supply planning. Prices are lower this season because demand is lower, drilling has increased and stores of gas are higher than last year. I lulls said Xcel's residential rate this month is about 17 percent lower than last November, and the October rate was 43 percent lower than last October. Rolf Lund, of Reliant EnergyMinnegasco, said its prices also are down.

During a typical year, the average gas customer can expect to pay about $600 a year. That's well below last year's average of $1 1 50. JimBuchta TODAY Ventura to take part in terrorism discussion Gov. Jesse Ventura, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Public Safety Commissioner Charlie Weaver and other officials will conduct a statewide, interactive discussion on terrorism today, which will be broadcast live on all Minnesota public TV stations. "Minnesota Prepares: A Statewide Briefing" will run from 8:30 toll p.m., and follows "Bio-terror," a Nova documentary airing at 7 p.m.

Viewers may ask questions or voice concerns via telephone, e-mail or the Internet. COMMENTS If vou have comments or complaints about this section, contact the reader's representative at 612- 673-4450 or readerrep startrlbune.com. If vou have news tips, contact Scott Gillespie at 612-673-9088ormetrostate startrlbune.com. Star Tribune photos by Carlos Gonzalez A commuter left the bus station In Eden Prairie, which will soon Include housing, a park-and-rlde ramp, restaurants and shops. Getting more of us on the bus Maple Grove potential depot City has federal grant to build transit hub for express and local bus service, but plans for nearby stores and restaurants are not yet firm.

1 ANOKA II HENNERNrrT' COUNTY jj 1 i -r RAMSEY 'f I C0UNTT Hubbard Marketplace Transit Station Is a rehabbed fir and police Tj shops, restaurahtSp houses and is xne iransrer pomi tot- four Metro Tranat 9 routes. ByDan WascoeJr. Star Tribune Staff Writer Call it wimpy or call it common sense, but catching a bus in some parts of the Twin Cities area is changing from shivering on a street corner to spending a more comfortable time in what planners like to call a transit village." The idea is to develop a compact complex of shops, restaurants, apartments, day-care center and bus depot, where a passenger could pick up dry cleaning or a takeout dinner before walking, biking or driving home. In Burnsville, Travis Bronson and his girlfriend Jessica Kielty live in Dakota Station apartments near Minnesota Valley Transit's bus depot, and he's planning to sell his car and rely on the bus this winter. Bronson, 21, who used to live in Israel, said the developing self-contained nature of the transit-apartment complex reminds Rachel Hewitt, who manages the 150-unit Dakota Station apartments, said students and other tenants "are very impressed with the idea" of having bus service nearby.

And the bus company has promoted ridership with free passes for new residents. The evolution of transit villages is spotty, but a few are starting to crop up on land once owned by suburban bus authorities. TRANSIT continues on B2: Four communities have projects in various stages of completion. has a bus depot and Is building a parking ramp.Aj resiaurani is nearoy ana developers apartments' and eatin? nlattfc to complement the creating a compact transit village. Burnsville Transit Minnesota Vailpv SCOTT i (' COUNTY 1 nA I fl Burnsville DAKOTA i "fii il-'' COUNTY expauuirig a par King ramp near its bus station and sold some of its property to allow construction of apartments..