Around MN: lost Hope

Posted at 7:56 AM on September 26, 2011 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Around MN

Hope, the Internet-famous Ely bear, is missing and feared dead
The bear whose birth in a den near Ely was an Internet sensation two winters ago is missing and feared dead. ... Hope wasn't wearing a radio collar that would identify her as a bear used in research, researcher Lynn Rogers said. Biologists had put radio collars on the bear four times, and she had managed to remove it each time. (Duluth News Tribune).

Also on MN Today

Minnetonka hiker lost after fall in India Tom Plotkin, 20, went missing after he twisted his ankle and fell 100 yards by the flooding Ganges River. ... About 600 Indians -- military personnel, police officers and volunteers -- have been looking for Plotkin, stopping only at nightfall (Star Tribune).

CD8: From a reliable source, Daniel Fanning has resigned his position from Sen. Al Franken's office in anticipation of a run for the US House against Rep. Chip Cravaack (WCCO's Blois Olson reports).

City Pages: 50 cool facts about the Minnesota music scene

New home construction in Plymouth bucks national trend
While single-family home permits are down about 8% in the Twin Cities market so far this year, Plymouth is up 128%. Those homes range in price from $400,000 to $1.5 million. City officials cite two factors: The desirable Wayzata school district and pent-up demand (KSTP).

Cirrus sales are down, but outperforming aviation industry
In 11 years, Cirrus has produced and sold more aircraft in a shorter period of time than any other aviation company, according to Cirrus. That's despite the company being hard hit by the recession as airplane orders fell sharply. Cirrus deliveries dropped from a high of 721 in 2006 to 264 last year (Duluth News Tribune).

That Oklahoma woman who is trying to sell Target Missoni rainboots she purchased for 35 dollars on eBay for $31,000 has reposted her boots after getting a bad bid from someone who realized they had made a mistake.

The Bachmann Files
When Michele Bachmann is asked on the campaign trail about her ownership of a Wisconsin farm, she says federal payments to the family partnership have stopped and that she has never pocketed "a penny'' of the government subsidies she denounces.

But land records and interviews paint a picture that is more complete and more complicated (Star Tribune).

Facebook and the 'Like Me' election
Michele Bachmann wants to be your friend. So much so that her campaign is scouring your travels on Facebook for the things that matter to you most. Then she can place a customized message on your page assuring you that those things are important to her, too. Business Week

Op-Ed
Rep. Kline: Schools need more freedom, less federal control
A new school year has reinvigorated Washington's debate on the best way to improve education in America. There is widespread agreement that the status quo is not working, and lasting reforms are vital to the future prosperity of our children (Washington Examiner).

Blog Box
'Moneyball' makes Twins the bad guys
The first thing Minnesota baseball fans, Minnesota movie fans and Minnesota baseball movie fans need to know before deciding whether or not to see the movie version of Moneyball is that the Minnesota Twins are not the good guys (WCCO).

Flip-flopping from an early age
Seven US presidents and four 2012 GOP candidates are known by names other than their birth name (Smart Politics).

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