Victoria Elsmore, a Ramsey County court referee in the family division, has been appointed by Gov. Tim Walz to fill the Second Judicial District seat left open with the February death of Patrick Diamond.

Elsmore has been a court referee for the Second Judicial District, which encompasses Ramsey County, since January 2023, presiding over dissolution, custody, support, domestic abuse and harassment matters. She was previously a partner at Collins, Buckley, Sauntry & Haugh, where she practiced family law.

Victoria Elsmore (Courtesy of the Office of Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan)

Elsmore will be chambered at the downtown St. Paul courthouse.

“Victoria Elsmore will be a familiar face and a welcome addition to an already dynamic bench,” Walz said Wednesday in a statement announcing the appointment. “She is filling the seat of the late Judge Patrick Diamond, someone who left a lasting legacy on this court and community.

Diamond, who served more than a dozen years on the Ramsey County District Court bench, suffered cardiac arrest in late January and died on Feb. 9 at the University of Minnesota Hospital, surrounded by loved ones. He was 64.

Elsmore’s community involvement includes serving on the Board of Trustees for Mitchell Hamline School of Law, an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, and the immediate past president of the Ramsey County Bar Association. She earned her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.

Related Articles

St. Paul man pleads guilty to firing shots at Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy during pursuit on city’s East Side

5 Concordia University graduates win first round in DHS lawsuit

Minnesota gun-carry permit age drops from 21 to 18 after legal challenge

Arrest warrant issued for man who skipped end of Lake Elmo rape trial

Oklahoma man gets 25-year prison term for fatal St. Paul shooting after niece’s wedding

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI

CHATSWORTH, N.J. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries, officials said, though it’s expected to grow before forecast rain later this week.

Related Articles

Lawsuits accuse insurers of colluding to drop coverage in fire-prone parts of California

Public health risks of urban wildfire smoke prompt push for more monitoring

In fight over insurance, neighbors crowdsource LA fire contamination data

Climate disasters are on the rise. These states want to make oil companies pay

States’ wildfire plans at risk amid budget woes and federal uncertainty

The fire in southern New Jersey’s Lacey and Ocean townships grew to roughly 19 square miles and could continue to burn for days, officials said during an update on Wednesday. No one has been injured so far in the blaze, and 5,000 residents were evacuated but have been permitted to return home. A single commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed in the fire.

“This is still a very active fire,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette. “As we continue to get this under full control the expectation is that the number of acres will grow and will grow in a place that is unpopulated.”

Officials said the fire is believed to be the second-worst in the last two decades, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26 square miles.

The Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey’s busiest highways, also reopened Wednesday morning after officials closed a roughly 7-mile stretch in the southern part of the state.

Acting Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency early Wednesday as officials said they’ve contained about 35% of the wildfire.

Video released by the state agency overseeing the fire service showed billowing white and black clouds of smoke, intense flames engulfing pines and firefighters dousing a charred structure.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, authorities said.

Forest fires are a common occurrence in the Pine Barrens, a 1.1 million-acre state and federally protected reserve about the size of the Grand Canyon lying halfway between Philadelphia to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east. The region, with its quick-draining sandy soil, is amid peak forest fire season. The trees are still developing leaves, humidity remains low and winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.

It’s a vast wilderness in the country’s most densely populated state. LaTourette, the DEP commissioner, said the fire is straddling an area on the edge of wilderness and residential areas.

“It’s the interface where the environment and development meet,” he said.

The area had been under a severe drought until recently, when early spring rains helped dampen the region, but officials cautioned recent low humidity and a dry stretch have heightened the risk of fire.

The Jersey Central Power and Light Company cut power to about 25,000 customers at the request of the Forest Fire Service and the wildfire’s command post Tuesday evening, including thousands in Barnegat Township. A spokesman for the company said Wednesday that some customers could have power restored later in the day.

“This is for the safety of crews battling the fire,” the company wrote on X.

Debi Schaffer was caught in gridlocked traffic after evacuating with her two dogs while her husband agreed to stay with their 22 chickens, The Press of Atlantic City reported.

“I wanted to take them in the car with me; can you imagine 22 chickens in a car?” she told the newspaper.

Around her Waretown house it was “like a war zone,” she said, describing smoke, sirens and the buzz of helicopters.

The site of the fire is near an alpaca farm. The farm said in a Facebook post that the property wasn’t threatened and all of the animals were safe.

The blaze is the second major forest fire in the region in less than a week.

Associated Press writer Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

The fact that the Vikings enter the 2025 NFL draft with fewer picks than any other team isn’t lost on Kevin O’Connell. It also doesn’t appear to be bothering him too much.

Asked this week about only having picks in the first (No. 24), third (No. 97), fifth (No. 139), and sixth (No. 187) rounds, the head coach did his best the change the narrative, instead emphasizing all of the pieces the Vikings have already added to the mix.

“The starting point on all of that would be looking at what we did in free agency,” O’Connell said. “I don’t know if we’re going to be on the clock with any of those picks and think we need to do anything.”

In other words, as the Vikings have done their due diligence leading up to the draft, they feel they’re in a position to select the best player available

Will they pull the trigger on somebody they believe can contribute to winning immediately? Will they trade back with hopes of giving themselves more darts to throw? The answers will come soon.

If the Vikings decide to stick and pick at No. 24, there are a number of different ways they could go. Let’s run through some of the options they might have at their disposal:

Defensive linemen

Derrick Harmon, Oregon (6-foot-5 inches; 315 pounds): The potential here could be too much to pass on. Harmon does a little bit of everything in the trenches and has shown steady improvement throughout his career. He projects as a disruptor at the next level after leading all FBS interior defensive linemen with 55 pressures last season.

Kenneth Grant, Michigan (6-4, 330 pounds): It’s not hard to imagine Grant being able to stop the run from the onset of his career. He’s absolutely massive and, frankly, that’s something that can’t be taught. Though the concern with Grant is whether he can rush the passer effectively, he still has a high ceiling because of his athleticism.

Walter Nolen, Mississippi, (6-4, 300): Not nearly as stout as some of his peers, Nolen fires off the line of scrimmage in a way that allows him to win at the point of attack. As much as his talent speaks for itself on the surface, he could benefit from some seasoning, which makes his landing spot important.

Offensive linemen

Tyler Booker, Alabama, (6-5, 320): Booker looks as if he were built in a lab to be an interior offensive lineman. He has the ability to anchor in the pass game and move bodies in the run game. The only area that might give teams some pause is a perceived lack of athleticism because of some of his test results at the combine.

Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas, (6-5, 315): Though there is some debate about where Banks will line up at the next level, he should step in as an immediate starter. He has proven to be a sturdy presence up front at tackle or guard, and that versatility could make him even more attractive.

Grey Zabel, North Dakota State, (6-6, 310): It can’t be overstated how much Zabel has raised his stock over the past couple of months. He balled out at the Senior Bowl and has been on a rocket ship ever since. He’s light on his feet and should be an effective blocker in both the pass game and run game, largely because of his advanced technique.

Cornerbacks

Jahdae Barron, Texas, (5-11, 195): It’s probably not fair to pigeonhole Barron to a single position. He has played a little bit of cornerback, a little bit of safety, and a little bit of linebacker, and has done it all with an aggressiveness that will be attractive to a lot of teams.

Will Johnson, Michigan, (6-2, 195): Johnson was once viewed as a lock to go in the top 10. Though he has fallen a little since then, the upside can’t be ignored. He has prototypical size and has displayed fluidity on tape. His lack of speed might be the biggest reason he falls into the back half of the first round.

Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky, (5-11, 185): Hairston might seem a little too lean to be a shutdown cornerback, but his blazing speed should make up for that. He ran than 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds at the combine, which helped him become a potential first-round pick.

Safeties

Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina, (6-3, 220): To say that Emmanwori is a freak athlete would be an understatement. There aren’t many people blessed with his combination of size and speed. He’s probably best suited to roam rather than drop into coverage, and should contribute from the jump with a clear pathway to grow into his role.

Malaki Starks, Georgia, (6-1, 195 pounds): There is a lot to like about the way Starks plays the game. He has proven capable of playing multiple positions in the secondary because he can do a little bit of everything. He has the speed needed to run in space, and the ball skills needed to make plays downfield.

Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron (DB04) poses for a portrait at the NFL football Combine on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 in Indianapolis. (AJ Mast/AP Content Services for the NFL)

Related Articles

Aaron Jones returns to Vikings feeling like he has something to prove

Why returning to the Vikings was an easy decision for Harrison Smith

J.J. McCarthy has no limitations as Vikings begin offseason program

Vikings mock draft: Will they trade back or take best player available?

How will the Vikings approach the 2025 NFL Draft?

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police say they’ve arrested a man who used a chainsaw to cut down large trees in at least three neighborhoods around the city.

Outraged residents began reporting the destruction last Friday afternoon. Photos posted online showed multiple mature trees toppled onto downtown sidewalks, and at least one fell onto a street.

The LAPD said “numerous” trees were felled at city-owned property on at least four blocks, and detectives were investigating other possible locations. On Tuesday, they released a photo of a suspect on a bicycle wearing dark clothing and carrying two bags. A community alert described him as a man in his 40s.

Hours later, police announced an arrest, saying a 45-year-old man had been taken into custody on suspicion of felony vandalism and that “detectives located evidence linking him to the crimes.” There was no information about a possible motive.

A message was sent to the LA Public Defender’s Office inquiring if one of its attorneys was representing the man and could speak on his behalf.

Some of the trees had wide trunks. A number appeared to be ficus trees.

Trees lie on the street after being cut down the previous Friday night seen on Sunday, April 20, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times via AP)

In a statement, the office of Mayor Karen Bass called the carnage “truly beyond comprehension.”

“City public works crews are assessing the damage and we will be making plans to quickly replace these damaged trees,” the statement said.