PIEDMONT, S.D. — The night that Eric Donald Robert stalked the driver of a 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass was the first crime in a chain of events that would land him on death row. He followed the 18-year-old driver, Briana St. Clair, on her way to work near Blackhawk, South Dakota, before flicking on strobe lights resembling a police squad car from inside his red 1989 Chevrolet pickup truck, according to the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader. St. Clair pulled over around 2 a.m. and Robert walked to the driver’s side door, telling her he was a plainclothes police officer working narcotics. He asked her to perform field-type sobriety tests and then said he needed to search her trunk. She objected. He grabbed her and forced her into the trunk of her car. “I put you in here to teach you a lesson,” St. Clair said he told her. Robert took $225 from the vehicle, then drove his truck two blocks away, returning to drive her car to a nearby location. Unknown to him, however, St.
Nearby reporting
Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
The Minot State Beavers football team face the end of their regular season as they head to Duluth, MN to face off against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs this Saturday, November 14. Heading into the final game of the regular season, the Beavers have earned a record of three wins seven losses on the season and three wins six losses in NSIC play. At this same point last season, the Beavers has the same 3-7 record, heading off to play the same University of Minnesota Duluth team. Historically, the Beavers have found a tough opponent in the Bulldogs. In their 13 times meeting since 2012, the Beavers have been unable to conquer the Duluth, going 0-13 in the past 13 years. Last season, the Beavers fell to the Bulldogs 7-33. This year, the Bulldogs are 7-3 on the season, 7-2 in NSIC play and ranked fourth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division, making them a tough opponent for the Beavers as they look to improve upon their final record last season.
by Dave Anderson, Veterans Memorial Hall board member Veterans Memorial Hall at the Depot in Duluth was originally a meeting place for the Civil War veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic. Now it is an organization that honors and remembers all veterans in the Arrowhead of Minnesota. Wisconsin vets are welcome there, too. VMH holds a Remembrance Dinner every December as a fundraiser for its programs. This year’s keynote speaker will be past president of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society, Steve Daniel of Duluth. He’ll be talking about local ship building efforts in our region during World War II. “The Inland Waterways of Duluth were located on Park Point and they produced wooden sub chasers. Globe Shipyards in Superior produced patrol frigates and tugboats,” said Steve Daniel in a recent interview. Tickets to the dinner are $65 and it will be catered by Valentini’s, which is an old Northland tradition with roots going back to 1930’s Chisholm.
