Minnesota briefs: Judge orders dock dispute to arbitration

A dock dispute between neighbors in the lakeside community of Whipholt, Minn., will go to arbitration, a judge has ordered.

In a recent ruling, District Judge Jana Austad stayed a lawsuit between Eric Netter and Shauna Raisch, ordering them to take their case to arbitration.

Netter and several property owners sued Raisch earlier this year, alleging that she installed her dock in a way that blocked a large dock installation Netter planned for a shoreline lot he owns jointly with others.

He asked the court to issue an injunction and order that his preferred dock installation be put in place.

Raisch denied Netter's allegations and asked that his complaint be dismissed. The ruling means that the lawsuit is on hold pending the arbitrator's decision.

John Reinan

A new naval combat ship named in honor of the Twin Cities will officially begin its military tenure in Duluth when its construction is completed next year.

Duluth Mayor Emily Larson said the commissioning ceremony, which will take place when the ship formally enters service in 12 to 16 months, will be a "historic" event for the city and state. "The Navy has not commissioned a vessel in Minnesota for decades," Larson said last week.

The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul will be the U.S. Navy's 21st littoral combat ship, designed to be agile enough to locate mines and disarm other threats close to coasts. Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy Jodi Greene said the ship can travel at speeds up to 50 mph. It also features a flight deck for helicopters and drones and a bay to launch smaller watercraft.

The vessel will be the second in naval history to bear the Twin Cities' names jointly. A submarine dubbed the USS Minneapolis-St. Paul was decommissioned in 2008 after 24 years in service.

The new ship was christened and launched into the Menominee River with a massive splash last month in Marinette, Wis., where the vessel was built by Lockheed Martin.

In coming months, the USS Minneapolis-St. Paul will begin sea trials, according to a news release. But it will return to Lake Superior before embarking on its first journey as an official naval vessel.