Thread: MN: IA bus driver arrested in Minnesota school tragedy

Any word on the injured kids?

Rescue workers are seen at the site of a bus crash Tuesday near Cottonwood, Minn. A crash involving a school bus and other vehicles in southwestern Minnesota has left at least 3 people dead, including a child. (AP Photo/Rae Kruger, Marshall Independent)

Originally Posted by jimpasz

Any word on the injured kids?

I started a thread for that specific reason. Two children remain hospitalized locally in Sioux Falls. No word about the child transferred to Rochester, MN.

Thanks for keeping the updates on the story - especially to Safari and Skip and to all others posting and making some very good points.

I have a rather 'heated' letter to the Consular Office in Chicago (using the contact info provided by legalatina) and I'll post it back here somewhere when it is completely polished and ready to roll.

Chosen: if you're around and paying attention to this, I'd recommend your video friend study this one and consider documenting this one closely. It really does represent a rather classic but unfortunate case of why every possible assumption and chance to prevent the tragedy just was cast into the wind so to speak.

We have the boyfriend's name it appear (whether it's a fake name too is another issue):
By Associated Press

Story Created: Feb 27, 2008 at 8:17 AM CST

Story Updated: Feb 27, 2008 at 8:44 AM CST


The woman charged with causing the fatal school bus crash in southwestern Minnesota was pulled over by police a month before the accident on the same highway. Minnesota Public Radio reports the woman was riding in what appears to have been the same minivan involved in last week's bus crash. MPR says her boyfriend, who was driving the van when the couple was pulled over last month, was ticketed for driving without a license.

A Kandiyohi County deputy pulled over the Plymouth Voyager after noting the license plate wasn't easily visible. The driver, Samuel Rivera Melendez, had a learner's permit but not a license. His girlfriend told the officer she had no state ID card or driver's license. Melendez would later pay $187 in fines.

The woman identified herself as Alianiss Morales. She has since been identified as Olga Marina Franco, a 24-year-old from Guatemala who was living in the town of Minneota.

http://www.ksfy.com/news/16022502.html

Bachmann writes to ICE regarding Cottonwood bus crash suspect

WILLMAR, Minn. (AP) U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann has written to U.S. immigration officials to determine how an illegal immmigrant allegedly was able to cause last week's fatal school bus crash in Cottonwood.

Bachmann asks the assistant secretary of Homeland Security in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Julie Myers, how federal and local law enforcement can ensure such a thing never happens again.

Bachmann also raises questions with ICE about the suspect, Olga Martinez Franco, who had gone by the alias Alianiss Morales. A woman using that name was ticketed for driving without a license in Montevideo in 2006.

Bachmann says she wants to know what measures ICE has in place to "foster greater cooperation with local law enforcement authorities." ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok says the agency responds directly to members of Congress when they make inquiries.

He says ICE works closely with law enforcement agencies on every level. But he says ICE routinely is not notified by local law enforcement when traffic tickets are issued to suspected illegal aliens.

He says the incident in Cottonwood is tragic, and ICE continues to work with law enforcement agencies to help minimize the possibility of future incidents.

Information from: J.P. Cola/KWLM-AM, http://www.kwlm.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 02-26-08 1530CST | save this article / add to your favorites list
http://www.kxmb.com/News/213290.asp

7th grade footballers in Cottonwood lose two teammates in crash




Associated Press - February 26, 2008 2:34 AM ET

COTTONWOOD, Minn. (AP) - Members of the Lakeview Public School's seventh-grade football team have had to learn to rely on each other more than usual the last few days.

Two members of the team were among the four Lakeview students killed last week in that fatal bus crash near Cottonwood. Jesse Javens and Reed Stevens both played on the team.

Coach Ray Pederson says the team sat together at yesterday's funeral for Jesse Javens and his brother Hunter. The coach says the players comforted 1 of their teammates when he broke down during the service.

The players wore their jerseys to yesterday's funeral and plan to again for Stevens' funeral on Thursday.


Information from: Independent, http://www.marshallindependent.com

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=7925 ... =menu239_2

Our Open-Borders Politicians Have More Children's Blood On Their Hands

By Dave Gibson on Feb 27, 08


The school bus crash in Cottonwood, Minnesota last week in which four children were killed was caused by a 23 year old illegal alien who ran a stop sign. These children are only the latest victims of the ongoing invasion of this country, an invasion which is being encouraged by our corrupt Congress and White House.



This past Tuesday morning, Mexican national Alianiss Nunez Morales went sailing past a stop sign on County Road 24, and right into a school bus carrying 28 Lakeview School students. The bus flipped over on its side, injuring several children and killing four.


The children who were killed in the crash were: Emilee Olson, 9; Hunter Javens, 9; Jesse Javens, 13; and Reed Stevens, 12. Four children were hospitalized at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Another child was transported to the Mayo Clinic.


Morales was arrested and charged with four counts of vehicular homicide as well as several misdemeanors. Apparently, the illegal alien was not even licensed to drive in Mexico. Lt. Mark Peterson of the Minnesota State Patrol told reporters: “She (Morales) doesn’t have a drivers’ license anywhere that we’re aware of.â€