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No more immunity cards for Minnesota legislators

 
Published May 27, 2014

No more immunity cards for officials

Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is robbing state lawmakers of a cherished perk long used to get them out of sticky situations: a card that allows legislators to avoid arrest while the state House or Senate is in session. Under the state Constitution, lawmakers cannot be detained except in cases of treason, felony or breach of the peace. The wallet-sized card has been used to get lawmakers out of drunken driving charges and other arrests, the Star-Tribune reported. The cards don't allow lawmakers to avoid being charged, but they cannot be detained unless charged with a felony. Ritchie said there's no law on the books that requires his office to provide lawmakers with the card, so he said he will stop issuing them.

Pop group members attacked with saw

Japan's hugely popular female pop group AKB48 canceled fan events Monday after a saw-wielding man attacked two members and a staffer, shocking the nation. The two group members, Anna Iriyama, 18, and Rina Kawaei, 19, suffered hand and head injuries, and the male staffer who tried to stop the attack Sunday at a fan event in northern Japan had cuts on his hand. All three left the hospital Monday. Police arrested Satoru Umeta, a 24-year-old unemployed man, on suspicion of attempted murder. He told investigators that he is not an AKB48 fan.

Man who once set weight record dies

A Mexican man once listed as the world's heaviest human being died Monday at the age of 48 in Monterrey. Manuel Uribe had slimmed down to about 867 pounds, well below his then-record peak weight of 1,230 pounds, which was certified in 2006 as a Guinness World Record. Uribe had been confined to his bed in Monterrey for years, unable to walk on his own. No cause of death was given.

By the Numbers

$23,215 The typical cost of health care for a family of four with employer-based insurance this year, according to the Milliman actuarial firm. The amount has doubled in the past 10 years, but the cost grew at a much slower rate this year.

Times wires