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PIGS-SWINE Flu 3 pigs at MN state fair might have had swine flu MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minnesota officials say they're waiting for confirmation on whether three pigs at the Minnesota State Fair tested positive for the swine flu virus, which would make them the first U.S. cases of the disease in swine.

In a conference call with reporters Friday, Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson said the three pigs probably were sent to slaughter some time after the fair ended on Labor Day.

But he and other officials stressed there is no danger to human health from the discovery.

They say swine flu is a respiratory disease, not a foodborne illness, and that it can't be caught from eating Pork or pork products because it's not present in them.

Hugoson says farmers will continue watching their herds for flu symptoms, and inspectors at slaughterhouses will continue to reject any pigs showing disease symptoms.

COLD OCTOBER October cold snap in Minn. sets record MINNEAPOLIS (AP) If it seems winter came early to the Twin Cities, the National Weather Service would agree.

The weather service on Friday confirmed that after 19 straight days of below normal temperatures with accumulating snow, it's the coldest first two weeks of October on record.

Usually, the average high temperature for the Twin Cities in the first 14 days of October is 63 degrees. The weather service says this year it has been only 47 degrees.

The weather service says the old record was 52 degrees set in 1875.

There has been an official total of 2.8 inches of snow so far this month, making it the snowiest October since 1977.

Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com PETTERS INVESTIGATION Judge denies change of venue for Petters ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) A judge has denied Wayzata businessman Tom Petters' bid to move his trial out of Minnesota.

Petters, who's accused of orchestrating a $3.5 billion Ponzi scheme, had argued that the media coverage of his case has made it impossible for him to get a fair trial in Minnesota.

But in an order Friday, U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle wrote that the defense had failed to meet the high burden required to prove that a fair jury can't be seated when Petters goes on trial Oct. 26 in St. Paul.

Kyle also wrote that only a small number of the 149 potential jurors who've returned questionnaires indicated they've formed a firm opinion of Petters' guilt. And he says many of them have already been excluded for reasons such as work conflicts and family circumstances.

FLAGS HALF-STAFF Minn. flags to fly at half-staff for fallen troops ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Flags at all state and federal buildings in Minnesota will be flown at half-staff this weekend in honor of a Marine and soldier killed overseas this month.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty says the observance will last Saturday from sunrise to sunset.

Minnesota National Guard Maj. Tad Hervas died in Iraq on Oct. 6 under mysterious conditions. The military says the 48-year-old from Coon Rapids was shot in the head but says it was a noncombat injury.

His funeral will be Saturday in Anoka.

Twenty-seven-year-old Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron J. Taylor died Oct. 9 while serving in Afghanistan. The Pentagon says few details are available about his death.

Taylor's funeral is set for Saturday in Hermantown.

Both will be buried with full military honors.

DEF LEPPARD CANCELS Def Leppard cancels St. Paul show ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Metal band Def Leppard says it's canceling the third leg of its North American tour, including a planned stop at the Xcel Energy in St. Paul on Nov. 6.

The band says in a statement that it's canceling due to unforeseen personal matters. The band says it doesn't take canceling shows lightly.

Fans who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster, by phone or over the Internet will get automatic refunds. Otherwise, refunds are available at the point of purchase.

For more information on refunds, fans can call the Xcel Energy Center Box Office at (651) 726-824.

Before canceling, Def Leppard had one the top 20 shows on tour, according to information from the trade publication Pollstar. The band was taking in nearly $700,000 a show.

UMINN-SOLAR DECATHLON U of M takes 5th in international solar decathlon MINNEAPOLIS (AP) University of Minnesota students have taken fifth place in the international Solar Decathlon for their ICON solar house.

The team competed against 19 other teams, which included entries from the United States, Canada, Germany and Spain.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman announced the winners of the fourth biennial competition on Friday.

This year's competition asked students to design a full-featured home powered only by the sun. Teams competed in 10 contests, and the Gophers placed first in best lighting design and best engineering.

The university says in a news release that more than 150 undergraduate and graduate students worked on the solar home, which takes its name from the iconic shape of its gabled roof.

Team Germany came won the competition.

Lewis and Clark Project to get $10M from water spending bill YANKTON, S.D. (AP) The annual Energy and Water Appropriations bill is on its way to the president's desk, and it contains $10 million for the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System.

Executive Director Troy Larson says the project can live with the lower-than-expected funding for now. Lewis and Clark had gotten $27 million for 2009, and Larson says congressional committees used the fact that the project received more than $56 million in the economic stimulus package as a reason to trim the annual appropriation.

He says in 2011 and beyond, Lewis and Clark will have used up all funding sources and that the only possible construction in a given year will be from the money it gets from the federal government.

Larson says construction might have to be scaled back a bit in 2010.

The project is designed to pipe water from wells near Vermillion to towns in southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota.

Information from: WNAX-AM, http://www.wnax.com (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 10-17-09 0130CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list