A Rice County judge has dismissed two felony counts in the case of a former St. Olaf student authorities said was planning a mass casualty event on campus.
Last April, Waylon Sieber Kurts was charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit threats of violence, and Terroristic Threats – Reckless Disregard Risk, all three felonies and misdemeanor Conspiracy to Commit Theft.
The charges stem from the discovery of packaging for ammunition magazines addressed to Kurts in a college dumpster. The custodian who made the discovery notified campus authorities, and the subsequent search of Kurts’ room turned up a tactical knife and a folding knife, a 24-round magazine for a Glock pistol, two empty boxes for 60 round rifle magazines, an empty ammunition box, a tactical vest that could hold three rifle magazines, 6 propane canisters, fireworks, lighter fluid, a lock pick set, and a note detailing the radio frequencies used by St. Olaf Public Safety officers.
Also found in Kurts’ room were several notebooks filled with notes and ideas he had written down, including a hand drawn map of the Skoglund-Tostrud Athletic Facility. Another notebook found inside of his vehicle contained notes for combat, describing the deadliest place on a person’s body to shoot them, how many times to shoot to ensure the victim’s death, how to kick in a door, and other notes on “things to be good at.”
At the time, court documents referred to text messages Kurts had exchanged with a possible “co-conspirator.” The person has been revealed to be a friend of Kurts’ from his home state of Vermont. Through his attorney, Kurts made the claim that he was purchasing the magazines for that friend, because they are illegal in Vermont. No firearms or ammunition were found, and no one has said that Kurts made specific threats against anyone.
Rice County Judge Christine Long dismissed the counts of conspiracy to commit assault and conspiracy to commit threats of violence, saying the charges lacked evidence.
Court documents show that Judge Long does see enough evidence to try Kurts for Terroristic Threats (Reckless Disregard Risk) due to the fact that he disposed of the packaging in a public trash can, saying Kurts showed conscious disregard for the fact that the packaging itself would cause “extreme fear” on the St. Olaf campus.
A trial date is expected to be set soon.
Pursell wants to ensure farmer will be able to grow commercial marijuana
As the 2024 Legislative Session begins the final push, more and more bills are being debated and voted on in both chambers. Representative Kristi Pursell said each of her committees has sent an omnibus bill, which combines many smaller measures into one larger bill, to be considered by the full House of Representatives.
Last week, she said, there were several bills that were passed. This is not a budgeting year, but there are still some finance bills that are being considered to supplement the current budget. One of those that passed last week was an education bill to help school districts implement the 2023 READ Act. The goal of that law is to have every Minnesota child reading at or above grade level every year, beginning in kindergarten, and also to support multilingual learners and students receiving special education services. Pursell said with all of the money passed for education last year, something that was left out was funds for training educators with regard to the new law, so the House passed a bill allocating funds for that purpose.
Another bill that was passed was what Pursell called the “annual” cannabis update bill. With the goal to have marijuana dispensaries up and running by January 1st, and because the federal government does not allow marijuana to be shipped across state lines, the state needs to start issuing growing permits so those dispensaries will have a product to sell. As a self-styled advocate for farmers, Pursell said she had particular interest in one part of that conversation.
“The part of the cannabis conversation that I was most interested in was trying to get the permits to growers out earlier. I’m especially interested in it being grown outdoors by farmers who know how to grow things, and not just in high energy intensive indoor growing facilities.”
Finally, Pursell also referenced an ongoing debate regarding housing and a Renters Bill of Rights. Even with the commitment by the state in 2023 to help bring more affordable housing to Minnesota, housing remains a crisis, and the debate on the floor Thursday night was about making sure renters are watched over under the law.
“We have seen this crisis across the state, across the country, about housing and trying to pass protections for renters in a lot of different measures. So, we had what we like to call a “robust discussion” on the House floor talking about what’s fair to landlords and what is fair and equitable to renters.”
The legislative session is constitutionally required to adjourn by midnight on May 20th.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Kristi Pursell can be heard here
School Board to continue budget conversations
The Northfield School Board will meet tonight in the boardroom of the Northfield School District office building.
Among the items on the agenda this evening will be discussions of the proposed 2024-25 Child Nutrition Fund budget, and the proposed Community Education Fund budget. There will also be discussion of a letter drafted by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann and Board Chair Claudia Gonzalez-George addressed to the Northfield City Council affirming the district’s commitment to a lease in a new Northfield Ice Arena for up to $250,000 over 20 years. There will also be an update on the Bond Referendum for this fall.
The School Board will always invite public comments from those who live in the Northfield School District. Time for those comments is scheduled at the beginning of each meeting. Registration is required to address the School Board. Those wishing to do so may sign up beginning at 5:30 pm.
Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6:00
KYMN News 4/22/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
