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PETTERS TRIAL Still no verdict in Petters fraud trial ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) There's still no verdict in the fraud trial of Minnesota businessman Tom Petters.

Jurors finished their third full day of deliberations Tuesday and broke for the night. They've been discussing the case for just over 24 hours in all, spread across four days since closing arguments last week.

The jurors have to decide whether Petters is guilty or not on each of the 20 individual counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy and money laundering against him.

Petters denies he was responsible for a Ponzi scheme at Petters Co. Inc. that cost investors more than $3.5 billion. He says other defendants in the case carried out the scheme without his knowledge.

SHOOTING DEATH-ST PAUL Teen charged in St. Paul shooting death ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) A 16-year-old St. Paul boy has been charged with second-degree manslaughter for allegedly shooting another teen in the head on Thanksgiving morning, killing him.

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office charged the 16-year-old on Tuesday by juvenile petition. Prosecutors are seeking to try him as an adult.

They say he shot 15-year-old Darion Joseph Smith, after a group of friends had been playing Russian roulette with an unloaded .22-caliber handgun. According to the criminal complaint, a witness heard the suspect say he didn't know the gun was loaded when he fired at Smith.

The 16-year-old was also charged in a separate juvenile petition with two counts of second-degree assault for allegedly firing shots into an occupied home one night earlier.

An adult, 19-year-old Daniel T. Cornell, is also charged in the case.

APPEALS COURT-CHILD PORN MN appeals court doesn't broaden child porn law (Note content.) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The Minnesota Court of Appeals has declined to broaden a state law defining child pornography.

In an opinion Tuesday, the appeals court says a picture found on a Clay County man's cell phone didn't count as child pornography, and his conviction was reversed. The picture showed an unclothed 11- or 12-year-old girl from the waist up, with one arm covering her breasts.

The appeals court says child porn, as the statute defines it, must depict "an act of apparent sexual stimulation or gratification" or meet certain other defined tests.

A lower court had ruled that depictions that result in the sexual stimulation or gratification of the viewer could count. The appeals court says that's not enough.

CONGRESS-3RD DISTRICT 2 Dems challenge Paulsen in Minn.'s 3rd District ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Two Democrats have stepped forward to challenge first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen in the western Twin Cities suburbs.

Minnesota PTA President Jim Meffert of Edina announced his candidacy on Tuesday after filing paperwork to run in November.

Meffert has been involved in advocacy efforts for children and public education.

Psychiatrist Maureen Hackett of Minnetonka announced her campaign last month.

Hackett is an Air Force veteran who helped pass a law banning smoking on the grounds of state psychiatric facilities.

SCHWAN CENTER SOLD Schwan sells call center in SW Minn.

MARSHALL, Minn. (AP) Schwan Food has sold its customer contact center business to a Bloomington company.

The sale includes a call center building in Marshall.

Schwan Food Company has previously handled customer service contacts internally at centers in Marshall and Lake Wilson.

Customer Elation says it's agreed to retain more than 200 employees working at both contact centers.

Schwan CEO Greg Flack says the agreement allows his company to focus on building its frozen foods brands.

Information from: KMHL-AM, http://www.marshallradio.net 702 COMMUNICATIONS-LAYOFFS 702 Communications lays off workers, restructures MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) Moorhead-based 702 Communications has laid off 15 employees and closed its retail office in Wahpeton, N.D.

The moves announced Tuesday are part of company restructuring.

Sales and service manager Brian Crommett says the layoffs represent one-third of the 45 people employed by the 10-year-old company.

He says 702 Communications is moving away from telephone and Internet service for residential customers. The company recently acquired Internet provider GoMoorhead will now focus its efforts on wholesale business to other large service providers, GoMoorhead and business clients.

Crommett says 702 Communications will continue to provide service to its current telephone and Internet customers in the Fargo-Moorhead and Wahpeton-Breckenridge markets.

Information from: The Forum, http://www.in-forum.com TV-VENTURA-CONSPIRACY THEORY Ventura turns investigator for 'Conspiracy Theory' MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Former pro wrestler, actor and one-term Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is taking another stab at TV stardom.

Ventura is hosting a program that digs into conspiracy theories ranging from what really happened in the Sept. 11 attacks to what's behind a sprawling research center in remote Alaska. The program, called "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura," premieres Wednesday night on cable's truTV.

Ventura declined to talk to The Associated Press about the show.

But truTV executive Marc Juris says the show looks only at conspiracy theories plausible enough to be true. He also says Ventura is passionate about getting answers.

After Ventura chose not to seek a second term as Minnesota's governor, he briefly had his own talk show on cable's MSNBC in 2003, but it lasted only two months.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 12-02-09 0130CST | save this article / add to your favorites list