State briefs

ST. PAUL (AP) -- A state lawmaker pleaded guilty Tuesday to drunken driving and will serve 30 days, likely under home monitoring.

Rep. Rob Leighton, DFL-Austin, also was fined $900 and placed on probation for two years, a Ramsey County District Court spokeswoman said. Judge James Campbell stayed a one-year jail term and $3,000 fine.

Leighton, 34, was arrested April 25 after a night out at a St. Paul bar. He and a passenger were stopped shortly after witnesses reported that the car they were in had struck two parked cars and then driven off.

Paul Rogosheske, Leighton's attorney, said the lawmaker had gotten behind the wheel after the accident to take the woman who had been driving, Anna Youngerman, to the hospital. Youngerman, a DFL campaign strategist, had cut her nose and received nine stitches.

''I offer a full apology to the House of Representatives for the embarrassment I may have brought upon that great institution,'' Leighton said in a statement after the court hearing.

Tornadoes confirmed

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday that four weak tornadoes briefly touched ground during Sunday night's storms across southwestern and central Minnesota.

Wind downburst damage also was widespread, and the wind may have hit 80 or 90 mph in some spots, the weather service said. In addition, one area was pounded with baseball-sized hail for as long as 10 minutes.

National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Krause spent Monday and Tuesday reviewing the storm damage. Power poles were blown down, farm buildings were destroyed and homes were damaged. No injuries were reported.

Money set for blowdown area

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved about $9.25 million in emergency spending for cleanup and recovery in the ''blowdown'' areas of the Superior and Chippewa National Forests.

A windstorm on July 4 of last year damaged hundreds of thousands of acres of forests, trails, roads, campsites and portages within and outside of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Millions of fallen trees are now drying and could fuel devastating forest fires.

U.S. Sen. Rod Grams sought the funding, according to a news release from his office.

''The aftereffects of that devastating storm are going to be felt for many years to come,'' Grams said. ''This money will help address some of the concerns on the front end, hopefully helping us avoid tragic consequences in the future.''

The full Senate is expected to consider the bill next week.