Man accused of killing wife

allegedly out of mercy

WOODBURY, Minn. (AP) — A man charged with sexually assaulting children on a school bus is now charged with killing his wife in a St. Paul suburb.

Authorities went to Harvey Kneifl’s apartment at a senior living facility in Woodbury Thursday after he failed to show up in court for his trial on the sexual assault charges. Officers discovered the body of 72-year-old Julie Kneifl, whose throat had been cut. They found Harvey Kneifl in the shower, bleeding from a neck wound.

A criminal complaint charging the 72-year-old man with second-degree murder says he told investigators his wife had Alzheimer’s disease and that he killed her out of mercy.

The former school bus attendant was on trial on charges of molesting 10 young children. Bail for Kneifl was set at $1 million Monday.

Narrow divide in Senate raises

stakes in special election

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Voters in northern Minnesota take part in a special Senate election Tuesday with a little more at stake than usual.

Republicans had just a one-seat majority in the Senate before newly elected Gov. Tim Walz appointed Democrat Tony Lourey to his cabinet. Now the GOP is hoping to flip the seat Lourey vacated to give themselves a bit more breathing room.

The Senate is their only lever of power at the Capitol.

State Rep. Jason Rarick of Pine City is the Republican in the race. Lourey’s son Stu, who has worked as a legislative aide to Sen. Tina Smith, is the Democrat. The race includes John Birrenbach of the Legal Marijuana Now party.