News Minute: Here is the latest Minnesota news from The Associated Press - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

News Minute: Here is the latest Minnesota news from The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minneapolis police SWAT team leader has been fired after his conviction for assaulting a man while off-duty at a bar in Andover. David Clifford was found guilty by a jury in Anoka County last month. Jurors determined Clifford wasn't acting in self-defense when he punched 44-year-old Brian Vander Lee last June at Tanners Station.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - Federal prosecutors want the notes from mental health professionals who examined a man convicted of killing a University of North Dakota student from Minnesota more than nine years ago. Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. of Crookston, Minn., was sentenced to death after being found guilty in the death of Dru Sjodin (shuh-DEEN') of Pequot Lakes in 2003. Prosecutors have filed a motion asking for results from several mental health examinations.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Governor Mark Dayton has proclaimed this week Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week in Minnesota. The designation is part of a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the tree pests. State officials are urging residents to learn the signs and symptoms of infestations.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota's top elected Democrats are scheduled to recap this year's legislative session. Governor Mark Dayton, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk and House Speaker Paul Thissen (TEE'-sihn) will attend today's briefing. They will likely tout changes in the tax system, as well as the vote to legalize gay marriage.

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