Child-porn claims stun school official’s colleagues

Colleagues expressed surprise Thursday about reports linking St. Paul school board member Al Oertwig to child pornography on a library computer, and Oertwig continued to dispute the allegations that prompted him to step down Wednesday.

“This was really a shock and a surprise to me,” said Tom Conlon, who has served the longest with Oertwig on the St. Paul school board. “We had our political differences … but I looked up to him in many ways. It never would have crossed my mind.”