Published December 30, 2014 SALT LAKE CITY Federal wildlife officials will compare the DNA of a gray wolf accidently shot in Utah with that of a wolf spotted wandering near the Grand Canyon this year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Steve Segin, a Denver-based spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said in an email Monday night that officials won't speculate if the 3-year-old female northern gray wolf killed Sunday is the same female gray wolf seen roaming the Grand Canyon and nearby national forest months ago. Messages seeking additional details were not immediately returned Tuesday. The Grand Canyon wolf was the first spotted in northern Arizona in more than 70 years. Scat collected from that wolf will be compared with the animal killed in Utah. Utah wildlife officials announced Monday afternoon that a coyote hunter accidently shot the young wolf in the southwest area of the state after mistaking it for a coyote. State and federal officials said they're still investigating and it's too soon to say what penalties the hunter could face for killing the animal, which is protected under the Endangered Species Act. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources spokesman Mark Martinez said the hunter, … Continue reading →

Photo: Neighborhoods Organizing for Change A decision from the Minnesota Court of Appeals earlier this year on an unrelated case, adds more grist to the analysis mill of why Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman hasnt charged Navell Gordon with possession of a handgun by a felon. KMSP suggested last night that Gordon, the get-out-the-vote volunteer who allegedly flashed gang signs with Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges in October, hasnt been charged because the case has become too hot to handle in the light of its pointergate fame. The station said Gordons DNA was on a gun used in a robbery at West Broadway and Penn Avenue in August. That, the station said, connects Gordon to possession of a gun. It didnt reveal the source of the information. Is it enough evidence? In February, the Minnesota Court of Appeals said it was in the case of a felon who was convicted of possessing a handgun after police executed a search warrant in October 2011. In that case, the court ruled that the DNA evidence was enough to prove that Lamont Jiggetts possessed the handgun. The predominant DNA material on the gun was Jiggettss and testing of this evidence excluded virtually all the … Continue reading →