Speech team earns first place

FAIRMONT — The Fairmont Area Schools speech team took first place in the Mankato East Speech Fiesta Speech Tournament on Saturday in Mankato.

There were 26 teams involved in the event.

Fairmont had 21 competitors in varsity and novice finals. Of those finalists, Fairmont took first in six varsity events, while junior high students Grace Simpson, Sydney Blomster and Samantha Thatcher reached the novice finals.

Varsity results were: first place — Bergen Senf, discussion; Emily Kerekes, informative; Izzy Munsch, drama; Isabell Geiger and Tabitha Thatcher, duo; Ameya Komaragiri, great speeches; Apoorva Komaragiri, prose; second place — Weston Loughmiller, extemporaneous speaking; Apoorva Komaragiri, prose; third place — Ameya Komaragiri, impromptu; Annika Wheeler, storytelling; fourth place — Apoorva Komaragiri, poetry; Kaycie Brookens, prose; fifth place — Eleanor Hamlet, discussion; Weston Loughmiller, impromptu; Ameya Komaragiri, original oratory; seventh place — Jack Niestrath, impromptu; Kaycie Brookens, original oratory; Izzy Munsch, poetry.

Novice results were: second place — Samantha Thatcher, prose; Grace Simpson, storytelling; fourth place — Sydney Blomster, informative.

The Golden Cardinal was given to Isabell Geiger and Tabitha Thatcher, the team’s outstanding duo, who have been the duo champions at the last four speech tournaments.

The next speech event is the Speech Showcase beginning 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Fairmont High School. Rounds will be held in the eighth-grade junior high wing. The event is free of charge and open to the public.

Nightclub has seen previous violence

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A deadly weekend shooting at a downtown Minneapolis nightclub isn’t the first violent crime at the venue.

A shooting early Sunday at Rouge at the Lounge killed one man and injured another. Police haven’t announced any arrests or identified the victims.

The Star Tribune reports two violent incidents have occurred inside or immediately outside the club in the past year and a half.

Attempted murder and assault charges were filed in October against a man accused of running over four people in the parking lot of the lounge. Defendant Eduardo Morales told investigators that he had gotten into an argument with a Rouge employee.

And, in July 2018, a fight prompted a shooting outside the bar that wounded two women and a man.

Detectives have not linked the shooting to any other crimes in the recent past, police said Sunday.