December 7th, 2017

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STUDENT GOV. EVENT HOSTS ELECTED OFFICIALS PAGE 8 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

LATE WEEK

THE ‘COOKIES WITH CONSTITUENTS’ EVENT HAPPENED TUESDAY.

MNDAILY.COM

POLICY

CAMPUS

Legislators call on Franken to resign

UMN professor found dead on East Bank

In past weeks, the senator has faced multiple allegations of misconduct, including groping. BY NICK WICKER nwicker@mndaily.com

A mounting number of Democratic legislators in Minnesota and around the U.S. are calling on Sen. Al Franken to resign. The new effort came after multiple women accused Franken of sexual misconduct, starting in mid-November when radio anchor Leeann Tweeden accused him of groping her in 2006. By Nov. 22, news reports showed four women accused Franken of inappropriate touching, often during photo opportunities. Since the first accusation, several women have publicly alleged Franken groped or attempted to forcibly kiss them, according to multiple news outlets. Just a day before the push for Franken to resign, U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, announced he would leave his seat after multiple allegations of sexual harassment from past employees. The list of Democratic Party senators calling on Franken to step down quickly expanded to over half of all Democrats in the Senate after Politico broke a story Wednesday that another woman had come forward to allege Franken had tried to forcibly kiss her in 2006 when she was a

The medical examiner said Barney Klamecki died of natural causes Tuesday at 74. BY MADELINE DENINGER mdeninger@mndaily.com

JAAK JENSEN, DAILY FILE PHOTO

U.S. Sen. Al Franken speaks at a press conference on May 1, 2013, at TCF Bank Stadium.

Democratic congressional aide. Prominent Democrats, including Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, are among those calling for the resignation.

On Nov. 27, Franken made a statement apologizing to those accusing him of misconduct, saying he was “ashamed” and “embarrassed” but that he would return to work u See FRANKEN Page 3

A University of Minnesota professor was found dead at the school’s Mechanical Engineering building on East Bank Tuesday. Barney Klamecki, a 74-year-old University mechanical engineering professor, appeared to die of natural causes Tuesday at 6:11 p.m., according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner. According to the University’s website, Klamecki received a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1964 and a master of science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1966. The University of Minnesota Police Department and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner initially responded to the scene, said University spokesperson Evan Lapiska. At 8:18 p.m. Tuesday, the UMPD sent out a tweet that said they were investigating the incident. Lapiska said no foul play is suspected.

ST. PAUL

Tree labels will teach on St. Paul campus The new system of placcards was made by the horticulture department for pedestrians. BY EMMA DILL edill@mndaily.com

Around 80 trees on the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus now have their own labels that identify their names, native environments and distinctive characteristics. The labels, which were fully installed last week, are part of the Campus Trees Project, a nearly two-year-long project developed by graduate students and faculty in the Department of Horticultural Science and the Department of Forest Resources. Each label provides a QR code that links users to a website with more descriptive, indepth information. Jared Rubinstein, an Applied Plant Sciences graduate student, led the project, which started in 2016. The labels are key for making forestry research on the St. Paul campus more tangible, he said. “[The project is] a way to connect our research with actual things,” Rubinstein said. “A lot of research that horticulturalists and foresters and ecologists do can feel really abstract… the idea is that we can say, ‘This is what we’re actually researching. This tree in front of you is the focus of what goes on inside that building.’” Rubinstein collaborated with former graduate student Emily Ellingson and u See TREES Page 3

COURTNEY DEUTZ, DAILY

Jared Rubinstein, a grad student in the Department of Horticultural Sciences places a sign next to a tree on Thursday, Nov. 30 on the St. Paul campus. The signs have information about the specific tree they are place in front of as well as a QR link to more information.

RESEARCH

University of Minnesota technology will contribute to Alzheimer’s detection using new cameras The cameras are built to watch patients’ eyes and record how their retinas respond to light. BY KATRINA PROSS kpross@mndaily.com

New technology developed by University of Minnesota researchers will make it easier to

detect the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers and advocates hope the study, which just entered clinical trials, will shed light on the disease and medication design. “Our goal is to detect the disease as early as we can, which will help in the progression and the success of treatments as well as drug discovery,” said co-lead researcher and University professor Swati More. The technology — created by University

researchers from the Center for Drug Design — uses a camera to collect images of light interacting with the retina, which can show the early presence of Alzheimer’s. The team has been working on this technology for the past four to five years, initially testing on mice, More said. Over the past year, they started conducting trials on humans and hope to submit the study for publication soon, she said.

Researchers want eye doctors to integrate this process into annual eye exams someday, More said. The Center for Drug Design’s Director of Administration Elizabeth Wolfson said the team has received requests about the study from external companies hoping to use the camera. u See ALZHEIMER’S Page 3

BUSINESS

Espresso Royale will close in late Dec. The Dinkytown coffee shop has operated in its location in the neighborhood since the late ’80s. BY KELLY BUSCHE kbusche@mndaily.com

Espresso Royale coffee shop in Dinkytown on Oct. 9, 2016.

EASTON GREEN, DAILY FILE PHOTO

Three Espresso Royale locations in the Twin Cities — including Dinkytown — are set to close Dec. 21, according to employees. The Dinkytown location and the two other shops, located at 475 Fairview Ave. S. in St. Paul and at 1229 Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis, are closing due to low sales, said Nicolas Sable, assistant manager of Dinkytown’s Espresso Royale. The Dinkytown location has operated since it opened in the late 1980s, according to a previous Minnesota Daily story. Employees were told about the closures in

a Wednesday conference call, Sable said. “I’m a little bit bummed… it kind of just seems like the end of an era,” he said. Corporate management long considered closing the locations because of low sales, Sable said. Pressure from other coffee shops in the area cut into Espresso Royale’s business. He said the Dinkytown location hasn’t received “proper funding” for needed renovations and equipment from corporate. “There’s definitely going to be a sense of culture that’s going to be lost in Dinkytown,” Sable said. Despite the tension between the store and corporate, he said he was surprised by the closure. Regulars consider Espresso Royale a second home, Sable said. “I think students and regulars... are definitely going to be daunted by the news.”

VOLUME 118 ISSUE 27


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