Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, will not be charged with a felony for removing Republican campaign literature from New Hope, Minn., residents’ doorsteps, according to The Associated Press.

Kahn, a 32-year veteran of the Legislature, who serves the University area, was handing out literature for DFL legislative candidate Sandra Peterson on July 19.

According to The Associated Press, police officers received a call stating Kahn removed literature from the campaign of Rep. Lynne Osterman, R-New Hope. Officers cited her with violating a city ordinance, a citation that was later dropped.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office referred the case to the Anoka County office because Kahn has worked with Hennepin officials in her legislative duties.

Kahn might still face misdemeanor theft charges in New Hope, according to The Associated Press.

Kahn was on a bike trip in Iowa on Tuesday, and was unavailable for comment.

Amanda Hutchings, a University student running for Kahn’s seat, said she does not think the incident will help her campaign, but could help Osterman in hers.

Hutchings said she has heard of campaign literature thefts by candidates in the past.

Water Damage at Frontier Hall

Frontier Hall suffered extensive water damage Friday after children kicked a soccer ball at an indoor sprinkler.

The broken sprinkler gushed water into a hallway that seeped into about 10 rooms, said Kim Araya, assistant director of Conferences and External Relations for Housing and Residential Life.

University Deputy Police Chief Steve Johnson said the incident was an accident and thinks the children were just playing.

Araya said sprinklers sometimes break during the school year at the University.

“Usually when a sprinkler head busts, it’s about $1,000,” she said.

The children were staying at Frontier Hall for the USA Cup.

There were no charges.

Alcohol on Campus

A 20-year-old University teaching assistant was cited for driving while intoxicated Sunday morning.

There were seven other alcohol-related citations on campus during the weekend.

Johnson said the nice weather over the weekend and increased bike patrols contributed to the number of citations.

“When bike officers are out on patrol, they’re in much closer contact with the people around them, so they are able to use their senses much better than an officer in a patrol car,” he said.

Johnson commended the officers for their work this weekend.