Her Mom was the kind of can-do person I admire. Nothing in the wedding preparations fazed her. She just figured out a way to solve whatever problem came up, with the attitude that just because she didn’t know how to do something didn’t mean she couldn’t do it if she set her mind to it.

Her daughter has the same attitude. Her father was a doctor and her parents had decided to move from Richmond, where they met, to Maine, thinking it a better place for kids to grow up. I love the fact that right from the start her parents were thinking about the best environment to raise their children. When I asked her Mom for photos of our soon to be daughter-in-law growing up for a video I was having made for the wedding reception, she had a matching picture for every one I had of my son.

The firsts. The cute. The memorable. When I walked in to see my future daughter-in-law just finished dressing for her wedding, her beauty took my breath away, And, she started crying. Her mother said, “It’s a family tradition. All the brides in our family have always cried walking down the aisle.”With such loving parents, it is no surprise, then, that their daughter is a wonderful mother. Sadly, our beautiful daughter-in-law  lost both her parents within a year after she and my son married.

My other daughter-in-law’s parents and we have carved out different roles for ourselves. They live in the city. We live on a creek in a semi-rural area on nine, mostly wooded acres with a sledding hill in the back yard, swimming, fishing and canoeing in the creek. When we moved in, long before the grandchildren arrived, we had chickens in the front yard for their fresh eggs and let our beagles roam the neighborhood.

So, we are the country grandparents. In the city, our grandson gets to visit museums, the zoo and ball games. His grandparents can, when emergencies arise, pick him up from school or take care of him in the evening. Our daughter-in-law’s beauty was recognized at a local horse race, where everyone dresses like it’s the Kentucky Derby.

Her outfit won the day.

It’s no mystery why our grandson’s Mom is a wonderful mother.

She has loving, caring, attentive parents.

Since getting to our house is a 45-minute, not a 10-minute trip, visits with us are planned, less frequent, and last longer.

Trips from our house are to the Farmer’s Market, where Grandpa, a Master Gardener, helps out by taking extra food at the end of the day to a local homeless shelter.

Or, to the butcher, who always has a piece of candy for a well-behaved grandchild, as long as Grandma or Grandpa says it’s ok.

Or, to the farm, where we own a cowshare that provides us with raw milk.

We can see the cows where our milk comes from, the calves coming up, the peacocks that roam the yard, and the live rabbits for sale.

Our grandchildren watch their grandfather ride a tractor, mowing our front yard.

They dam up the creek.

They see deer in the front yard.

Lucky grandchildren.

Lucky grandparents.

Source: chicmommagazine

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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner cheered on their daughter Seraphina as she crossed the finish line at her track meet on Sunday in Pacific Palisades. Along with her proud parents, Sera also had the support of older sister Violet, who helped her younger sister prep for her race by accompanying for her prerun stretches. It was a loving afternoon for Jen and Ben, who showed PDA in the stands. Adding to the family fun, Ben also treated his daughters to a trip to the farmers market that day as well. Seraphina is not the only one in the family to receive praise for her accomplishments. It was recently announced that Ben will receive an honorary doctorate from Brown University on May 26. It's the season for special recognition, as Ben's best friend Matt Damon just got an award last week from Harvard.

Source: popsugar

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DNA is great for proving ancestry. In fact, it is probably the most reliable proof available today. However, DNA tests occasionally produce surprises. Just ask the man known as Paul Fronczak. Newly-born Paul Fronczak was abducted by a woman posing as a nurse in 1964. The abduction occurred in a maternity ward at Chicago’s Michael Reese Hospital where he was born. The police launched a nationwide manhunt; FBI Agents examined 10,000 babies and interviewed 30,000 witnesses. More than a year later, a 1 year-old boy was found abandoned outside a store in Newark, New Jersey.  Child welfare officers placed him in a local orphanage.  FBI agents were alerted, and examined the boy’s skin, bones, blood and ears.  They decided that the boy’s ears matched those of the missing Fronczak baby, and that he probably was Paul Fronczak. Of course, DNA testing had not yet been invented at the time.

A few days later, Dora Fronczak took one look at the child and said, “That’s my baby.” He was then reunited with his "parents."There is but one problem: as he grew up, the child did not resemble his Polish and Croatian parents. He seemed to have inherited none of his parents' physical characteristics. Paul, now aged 49 and married with a daughter of his own, recently purchased DNA kits for himself and for both of his parents who agreed to take the tests. The results confirmed what Paul had already suspected: there is no possibility that he is the biological son of the couple that raised him.

Source: blog.eogn

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Ready to show off?
If you've got any gymnastics moves, now is your chance to strut your stuff -- and it won't cost you a penny. Try the rings or climb the rope -- right on the beach in Santa Monica. Maybe you'd rather just swing or kick back in the sand while the kids show off. On a sunny afternoon recently, kids as well as fit adults were doing that and more on Santa Monica beach's famous Muscle Beach.

"The idea of having a gymnasium right at the ocean is really cool -- the ropes and the swings and bars ... you don't have that at other beaches," said Elizabeth Gevorkian, 16, who lives nearby in Burbank.
"It is really cool to watch people who know what they are doing and then try it yourself," said a very happy 13 year old visiting with her brother from Canada.

There is even an area for the kids to climb mini ropes and other equipment. Adults -- and kids -- were doing yoga, inline-skating, riding bikes (you can rent both right here and bike along the beach on the South Bay Bicycle Trail that runs for 22 miles) and jumping in and out of the surf and squealing with laughter. They were playing beach volleyball on the many free courts and lining up for fresh lemonade and tacos, playing games in the arcade on the pier.

In case you're wondering, the original Muscle Beach -- a few miles away in Venice -- is plenty busy too and a great place to people-watch -- if you prefer characters. (I saw one guy skateboarding with a black cat on his shoulder.)

"Teens feel like this is sooo cool," says my friend Jennifer Miner, one of the Vacation Gals, who lives nearby, as we stroll down Ocean Front Walk in Venice. It's certainly grubbier than neighboring Santa Monica but that contributes to the ambiance and Miner suggests that during the day, local parents like her feel it is perfectly safe to allow their young teens to come on their bikes for a snack, a little shopping at the beachfront stands and maybe a henna tattoo. Did I mention you can get a palm reading right here too?
Venice started as one man's fantasy to copy Venice, Italy. And when it was first built, it had canals, floating gondolas, bridges and at one point, even camel rides. Today, people -- and the famous ocean waves -- are the attractions.

"If you want to see surfers who know what they are doing, get up early and come watch as the sun is rising," suggests Miner. And if you've got young surfers in your gang, stop in at the International Surfing Museum in nearby Huntington Beach where you will learn how surfing was imported to Southern California nearly a century ago by legendary Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku. (Got your board shorts?)

Kids who visit Los Angeles, especially tweens and teens, want to hit the beach and the beach towns are guaranteed to please -- no town more so than Santa Monica with its world-famous pier, which has been drawing visitors since it was built in 1908 -- the first pleasure pier on the West Coast.

I met families from around the world here, including one family from Australia whose teens wanted to come to the pier so much they took a very expensive cab ride from Hollywood. "We don't have anything like this at home," explained 13-year-old Kristin Thiele, here with her family from Brisbane. (If you don't want to drive, Starline Tours also offers trips to Santa Monica from Los Angeles.)

Ride the solar-powered Ferris wheel -- it's nine stories tall -- the twirling cups, the roller coaster, carousel or bumper cars. Maybe you'd rather fish from the end of the pier or snack on a funnel cake or cotton candy. "It's really fun to eat on the pier," said 17-year-old Stephanie Simmons who lives in LA and was here with her friends.

When it's time for a little shopping therapy, head to the Third Street Promenade, a three-block, open-air pedestrian mall with lots of stores, restaurants street performers -- musicians, mimes, acrobats, even bubble blowers and psychics -- and if you're lucky, a celebrity or two. Some TV shows are taped right here.
Of course, there's more here than just fun in the sun -- even the chance for a unique cultural experience at the J. Paul Getty Villa just north of Santa Monica in Pacific Palisades high on the Pacific Coast Highway. It's famous around the world for its collections from ancient Greece and Rome but we like it for its special family guides to the galleries and kid-friendly activities. At the Family Forum, kids can act out a scene from an ancient vase (Do they prefer being an athlete or a monster?) or paint their own masterpiece. Kids can roam around the gardens, too. Another plus: Admission is free, but get tickets in advance.

I'm glad I was able to avoid LA traffic for a night and stay at the recently renovated Loews right here in Santa Monica where it overlooks the beach. The fish at dinner just came off the boat and I can see the gorgeously lit-up Ferris wheel from my room.

Not only is the hotel revamping its kids menus to make them tastier and healthier and initiating a Precocious Plates program so kids can order smaller portions from the adult menu, but they have initiated a Fit for Fun family wellness program that includes culinary tours of the Santa Monica Farmer's Market with Chef Keith Roberts, organized bike rides and Yoga on Muscle Beach, surfing and stand-up paddle lessons and guided hikes through the Santa Monica Mountains. (Check the progressive dining credit deal -- the longer you stay, the more you save -- $25 each night up to $175 for a seven-night stay.)
Kristin Thiele looked out at all the people enjoying the Santa Monica Pier and beach and smiled happily. "It has its own character," she said.

Source: foxnews

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Pretty much from the moment I pushed my daughter into the world, I've been followed by the same warning: "Just wait until she's a teenager." It's like some parents' sick version of gaslighting moms of younger kids. It implies that we can't possibly know how bad life is until we get where they are. And you know what? I'm sick of it.

I do know the teen years are going to be tough to get through -- for both my daughter and for me -- but sitting in my little house with my 7-going-on-34-year-old daughter, I can also see just how lucky parents of teenagers are. Maybe you've forgotten? Maybe you need a reminder to stop and smell those Axe-scented roses?

Take it from me, I can't wait to be the mother of a teenager:
1. I will get R-rated movies back. I can count on one hand how many of these I've watched in the past year -- usually when my daughter is at a sleepover at a friend's house or on the very rare girls' night out. To think that I could actually know a thing or two about the flicks up for Oscars ... now THAT'S worth throwing a party for.

2. She will get my jokes. Well, maybe not all of them; I am an '80s child, after all, and she's a child of the aughts. But she's only just beginning to grasp sarcasm, and I can't wait for the day when she understands it fully.

3. I will get my living room back. Complain all you want about how secretive your teenagers are, but I can't WAIT for the day when she's hiding her stuff in her room and neither can the foot that stepped on a pile of LEGOs last week. I DREAM of the day she doesn't want me rifling through her stuff, OK?

More From The Stir: I'm Not Sitting Around Waiting for My Teen Daughter to Hate Me

4. No more mind-numbing night-time reading. I love reading to my girl at bedtime for the bonding value, but some of the books she picks up from the library make me want to drive a screwdriver in my ear. I can't wait until she's moved on from the books about the fairy who appears with magic bracelet charms for a little girl ... to something I'd actually want to borrow off her nightstand. Maybe we'll be able to share books?

5. Saturday mornings will be about sleeping. Perhaps I'm still a teenager at heart, but the thought of snoozing until noon on a weekend fills me with longing. These 6:30 wake-up calls are not doing it for me.

6. She'll be able to pour her own milk. Now before you go and tell me I'm a helicopter parent, she does know HOW to pour. But it's a lot cheaper for me to pour the full gallon of milk into a glass than to let the 50-something-pound kid try to hoist that thing up in the air ... which isn't to say I don't yearn for the day when I won't have to drop EVERYTHING and run into the kitchen just because she's thirsty. Here's to building those arm muscles!

7. She'll stop growing out of her clothes so fast. Teenagers may WANT a lot of clothes, but small children NEED a lot of clothes ... if only because one month after you buy them a brand new pair of sneakers, they hit a growth spurt and need another pair.

8. When I send her to her room, she'll stay. Because she won't WANT to talk to me.

9. I won't always win at board games. Yes, I'm a dork; I adore playing Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. But while my kid is getting better at these games every single day, the fact is I currently wipe the floor with her and it's just not fun. Bring on the challenge, Kid!

10. I'll get to go to the bathroom alone again. Teenagers are icked out by seeing their parents naked. If it takes stripping down butt nekkid to pee alone, I will DO IT!

Source: thestir.cafemom

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Greens MP John Kaye wants the health minister to put more effort into a counter-offensive that shows parents the consequences of whooping cough, measles and polio. "Only a high rate of immunisation can stop the spread of many diseases," he said. His comments follow a report that found many wealthy parents in NSW are rejecting the scientific evidence and electing not to immunise their kids.

Mr Kaye said some of Sydney's most advantaged suburbs were at risk of epidemics, with a potentially deadly outbreak also affecting immunised children. "It must be made clear to parents that waiting until a child gets sick is unfair on their own offspring and on others around them," he said. "There are still far too many parents falling prey to absurd and disproven voodoo claims and conspiracy theories."Every child in a rural and remote community must also have access to an immunisation program, Mr Kaye said.

Source: news.ninemsn

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Working families often feel "exasperation" when they see other parents bringing up large families on benefits, the deputy leader of the Labour party, Harriet Harman, has said. In a toughening of Labour rhetoric as the party draws up plans to return to the contributary principles of Beveridge, Harman said she understood people's resentment over high benefits while the economy stagnates.

Harman's remarks came as William Hague backed George Osborne's "absolutely correct" comment that the conviction of Mick Philpott had highlighted the need for a debate about Britain's welfare system. Philpott, who lived on benefits, was jailed last week for killing six of his children in a house fire in Derby.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Harman said: "It is absolutely understandable – when people limit their families to one or two children and feel they'd like to have a third but they can't afford it – the exasperation that people feel for the very small number of very large families that there are. But if you think of the Philpott family example, above all that was a problem of somebody who was just a criminal, a controlling person who was abusing everyone in their family as well as abusing the system. Fraud should be clamped down on."

But the Labour deputy leader, who served as social security secretary in the first year of Tony Blair's government, rejected a Tory idea to limit benefits after the second child. Asked whether the state should always provide support, regardless of the number of children in a family, Harman said: "I don't think that the state should be dictating family size. But I do think the state should support children."

Asked whether it had been fine for the state to support Philpott's 17 children, Harman said: "I don't think it is fine. I don't think anybody thinks what was going on in that family was acceptable, [particularly with] the violence."

Liam Byrne, the shadow work and pensions secretary, has outlined plans to toughen Labour's approach to welfare. In an Observer article, Byrne called for a return to the "old principle of contribution", pioneered by William Beveridge after the second world war, in which benefits would vary according to past contributions.

Harman said Byrne's proposals had three principles: work should pay, there should be an obligation to take work, and there should be support through a "contributary principle" for people who put into the system as well as those who take out.

This follows Labour's proposal for a job guarantee in which people over the age of 24 who have been unemployed for two years, and people under 24 unemployed for a year, will lose their benefits if they do not take a job when one is offered.

A new poll in the Sun shows that 67% of people believe the welfare system does not work and needs urgent reform. Harman said: "It is not surprising that people feel very concerned about the situation. You have got a twin problem: you have got an economy which is stagnating and so not generating jobs, and you also don't have a proper work programme so that people can be offered a job and if they don't take it their benefits are docked.

"The difficulty is for people who are in work seeing their standard of living pressurised – understandably they feel very resentful for people who are not working. For people who are looking for a job and can't find work it is deeply frustrating. For the small minority who don't want to work they are let off the hook by the fact there isn't a proper work programme."

Source: guardian

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When doctors use quick-and-easy disease labels to sum up symptoms of concern in an otherwise healthy infant, parents are more apt to want to treat their child with some type of medication, even if they're told that drugs won't help, new research says.

The finding was gleaned from the results of a survey administered in a general pediatric clinic setting. The poll had asked parents how they would react to being told that their child's excessive crying and spitting amounted to a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), rather than being given no specific disease label at all. The study highlights the powerful impact that a physician's choice of words can have on parental decision-making, while emphasizing the importance of good doctor-patient/parent communication. "The disease label seems to send the message that there is an illness that requires medical treatment," explained study lead author Laura Scherer, an assistant professor in the department of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri. "But, depending on the situation, medical treatments may be necessary, or not. In the case of GERD, an otherwise healthy infant probably will not benefit from medication. So in this case [that] label can be misleading."

Scherer and her colleagues published their findings in the May issue of Pediatrics. Though the survey results speak to the potential impact of disease-labeling as a whole, the authors noted that the issue is of specific interest with respect to GERD. A growing concern is that this particular condition is both overdiagnosed and overtreated among basically healthy children.

Between 2011 and 2012, the investigators surveyed 175 parents (whose average age was about 35) either while in a pediatric clinic waiting room or an examination room. Most participants were mothers and described as highly educated. The average age of their sons and daughters was 4.5 years. About one-fifth of these children had been previously diagnosed with GERD.

Parents were randomly given one of four hypothetical scenarios: Their infant had GERD and existing drugs were ineffective; their infant had GERD without any comment on medications; no disease label was offered in the context of drugs being ineffective; or no disease label or drug information was offered.

The result: Those parents who were given a GERD diagnosis ended up being interested in treating their infant with drugs despite being specifically cautioned that drugs wouldn't work.

By contrast, parents who were not offered a single disease label to describe their infant's crying and spitting symptoms only expressed an interest in drug treatment if the physician did not raise the issue of the drug's ineffectiveness. This left parents to assume that the relevant drugs worked.

When medicinal ineffectiveness was discussed, these parents expressed no eagerness to launch a drug treatment. "It's important for both patients and doctors to know that these kinds of labels can influence how parents or patients respond to symptoms," Scherer said. "Words have the power to make a normal process seem like something that requires medical intervention," she explained.

"It's also important," she added, "for parents or patients to listen to the whole story. Is the doctor saying that these symptoms will go away on their own, or that available medications don't work all that well? That information is just as important as the disease label."

For his part, Dr. David Dunkin -- an assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of pediatric gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City -- said the survey findings get to the very heart of the doctor-parent relationship. He was not involved with the new study.

"It's the job of the physician to be a partner with the parent, and to give them the information that they need about the child's condition, but also about what the side effects, risks and benefits are of treatment," Dunkin said. "Because, in my case, I often see patients who have already been referred by a pediatrician, and already come in with the idea that their baby has reflux [GERD], without really having had the situation explained to them fully," he noted.

"But while this conversation is happening it's very important that physicians be very careful about what they say and how they say it," Dunkin added. "We have to be sure to explain things thoroughly and in a language that parents won't misunderstand. And if they don't understand, you have to give parents a chance to ask questions. Because while you may be strongly recommending something, in the end you really have to make the decision together."

Source: drugs

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I just noticed a news item that the Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) has already promulgated or is in the process of issuing orders that the administration would hold legally accountable those children who are found guilty of neglecting their parents. They could also be liable to pay a penalty of up to Rs 10,000 and even undergo imprisonment. "Neglect" has been described as depriving aged parents of their daily meals.

One would wonder if such measures would improve the sensitivity of the younger generation to ensure that their aged parents are fed adequately and are not victims of any neglect. The number of such cases of neglect in UP must be a monstrous figure driving the govt to resort to such a drastic measure, making it a cognizable offence. Yet, this is not at all surprising to note that a large number of old parents are bereft of care by their own children. I am sure UP is not the only state afflicted by this social malaise. This must be all pervasive in most parts of our country.

With the steady collapse of the joint-family system and the fresh generation getting busier and busier with their hectic lifestyles, parents financially dependent on their children are left unattended in terms of diet and healthcare. Husband,wife, their children are all working and return home well beyond their working hours. They have other commitments too. So the aged and the helpless are on their own possibly half starved and more crucially without any company of their children or grandchildren which they crave for! At the same time, there must be many who don't neglect their elders on purpose but due to incompatible spouse or lack of time, can not always manage to look after their parents as intently as the elders deserve at this age. The over-stressed time schedules and pressure of a variety of responsibilities also make the children impatient, irritant and indifferent towards their parents though these fall short of any justification.

For greener pastures and pursuit of more income, many leave their parents behind and go abroad for several years or for good. They fulfil their obligations by making occasional phone calls, enquiring abut their parents' well being. Many a times, remittances, as promised, don't come on time, resulting in huge compromises by the senior citizens in terms of their healthcare and essential expenditure.

This trend of neglect has also led to mushrooming of old age homes and the not-so-old-as-yet parents start saving during their prime time to invest in such homes as their expectations from their children are on the wane and therefore after retirement or in signs of their health failing, they straightaway walk into the homes.

While depiction of facts in Hindi film like 'Baghban' could be exaggerated, the basic assertion, that a large section of modern day youngsters are turning a blind eye towards their parents and seniors, remains true to a certain extent. Hindi film dialogues like "Mere paas Ma hai" looks convincing only in movies. We see in UP several houses named 'Matri Smriti' or 'Pitashree' or 'Pita ka Ashirwad'. Many of these house owners can not escape the responsibilities of not looking after their parents and to overcome their guilt, they name their homes in memory of their departed parents and also display huge portraits in the drawing rooms in a blatant display of their 'love' for their late seniors.

Without being critical of all youngsters for their alleged callous attitude towards their parents, there is a considerable number of dedicated children who have sacrificed their careers, foreign postings and choicest marriages in the interest of their parents. And they are content and happy. Every one can not be a Shrawan Kumar but to neglect their parents, when they need help most, belies the sacrifices made by the aged to bring up their children. And this must not be forgotten. Have we therefore come to such a stage that laws are being made to punish those guilty of not ensuring two square meals for their parents? Laws contemplated could be populist political measures yet they are being thought of and hence this wake up call.

In the aftermath of the Delhi sexual assault case, we have seen a huge upsurge by the youth to address this social malaise and we have also seen the youth's agitated mind to tackle the disease of corruption. If such burning issues can stir the nation's youth, then why don't they rise to create awareness of ensuring well being of the aged instead of becoming targets of provisions of penal laws?

Source: ibnlive.in.com/blogs/shantanumukharji

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SIREN, Wis. – The prosecutor has submitted sufficient evidence that a mother failed to supervise her 3-year-old daughter who drowned near their home in August and he can present to jurors further evidence that the girl’s parents knew of her propensity to wander and to be fearless of the canal where her body was found.

Burnett County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Kutz reached that conclusion Friday in denying a defense attorney’s request to dismiss a felony charge of child neglect resulting in death filed against Jenna Elizabeth Danish, 33.

Danish and Thomas Jay Williams, 42, of Danbury, have been together 15 or 16 years, Danish’s attorney said, and were the parents of Reena Williams. The girl’s father also is charged with child neglect resulting in death, a crime punishable by a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Kutz also denied a defense motion to rule as inadmissible some evidence of prior incidents in which the girl wandered away from her parents.

Norine argued that the girl’s history of wandering off should have led to the parents’ “foreseeability,” of such an event. He said that argument is central to the prosecution’s neglect case.

Kutz told the parties: “If the jury is informed that there were prior incidents out there then the defendants would have some sort of knowledge that their daughter was prone to wanderlust and that if they didn’t properly supervise her she’d take off and heaven only knows what would happen to her. We certainly found out in this particular case.”

Reena Williams was reported missing on the evening of Aug. 14. She was the subject of a massive search that night and the next day before her body was found late on the afternoon of the 15th in a power dam canal 25 yards from the family’s home.

Both defendants, who are free on bond, attended a motion hearing Friday, but the majority of the time was spent hearing the motions of Danish’s attorney, Assistant State Public Defender James Rennicke.

Rennicke argued that the charge against Danish should be dismissed. He told Kutz that there was no history of the child being abused in any way. The public defender suggested that unless the girl was watched 24 hours a day, seven days a week and could have been pulled from the water within a minute or two, she was going to die an accidental death.

“It doesn’t meet the statutory definition of ‘neglect,’ ” Rennicke told the court. Burnett County District Attorney William Norine disagreed. “Are their cases situations where you would watch a 3-year-old 24-7? You bet. And our argument based on this environment is that this is one of them. … The standards for neglect, or lack thereof, vary with the circumstances.”

Danish and Williams were charged Sept. 21 with neglecting their daughter, resulting in her death. Authorities said the couple had a habit of allowing Reena to wander away, that Williams was smoking synthetic marijuana minutes before Reena disappeared, and that Danish was sleeping at the time.

Rennicke told the court that he has seen no evidence that either of the defendants were using drugs. Norine said his office still is awaiting reports from the state crime lab with the results of testing done on synthetic drugs and paraphernalia taken from the residence.

Defense attorney Nathan Cockerham represents Williams. He told the court that he would be filing his motions at a later date. But he joined Rennicke in telling the court that they are requesting that the two defendants be tried separately. Prosecutor Norine wants to try the defendants together.

Kutz told the parties that if the prosecutor intends to use a statement of one co-defendant that implicates another, a U.S. Supreme Court decision makes it mandatory that the two defendants be tried separately. Norine said that at this point he has no such statement.

Rennicke also has filed a motion that the trial be moved from Burnett County or that a jury from another county be brought in to hear the case. In his change of venue motion, Rennicke wrote that people outside the courthouse shouted words to the effect of “baby killer” at him and the dead girl’s father when they walked from the parking lot to the courthouse for a prior hearing. He said the case also has generated a significant amount of news coverage, which has been prejudicial against the defense.

The attorneys will have further discussions about a venue for the trial in the coming weeks. The next hearing will be held in about two months.

Source: duluthnewstribune

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