Fond du Lac expansion, Dayton pushes farm runoff measure, seed shortage

Posted at 7:30 AM on January 17, 2012 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Around MN

Lakeville woman, sister had harrowing escape from ship
Star Tribune: "A Lakeville woman and her sister were among survivors from the sinking Costa Concordia. A White Bear Lake couple are still missing."

Fond du Lac Band wants to expand downtown reservation
Duluth News Tribune: "City Attorney Gunnar Johnson fired off a letter Friday detailing the city's objections to a proposed expansion of the land the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa governs in downtown Duluth."

Dayton to take lead on effort to reduce farm runoff in Mississippi River
Star Tribune: "Minnesota will be the nation's first test site for a novel federal program designed to stem the flow of agricultural pollution that is strangling some of the country's great waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to announce Minnesota's leading role in the project at the Capitol on Tuesday morning, with Tom Vilsack, the U.S. secretary of agriculture and Lisa Jackson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, at his side."

Voter photo ID legislation introduced as constitutional amendment
MPR News: "Gov. Mark Dayton rejected a Republican-backed bill last spring that would have required Minnesotans to show photo identification to vote. In his veto letter, Dayton noted that the measure would have forced local governments to spend money and that it did not have broad bipartisan support."

Citizen-lobbyist wants Legislature to be more open
Area Voices: "Rich Neumeister has prowled the Capitol's halls for years fighting for public access and recently took on controversial departures of two state officials. He concluded that in both cases, 'with these decisions happening within the Legislature, the public may never know why.'"

Minnesota mother: "You don't get paralyzed from falling"
Yahoo! Sports: "An official report from a game in which a Minnesota high school hockey player may have been paralyzed has drawn aggressive scorn from her mother after referees claimed that she "fell unaided" to the ice."

Seed shortage: A reality for spring planting?
Red Wood Falls Gazette: "Some estimates show seed amounts down 25-50 percent over past years, and those who deal in corn and soybeans may have some concerns to deal with when they go to get their seed."

Yeast experiment hints at a faster evolution from single cells
New York Times: "Our ancestors were single-celled microbes for about three billion years before they evolved bodies. But in a laboratory at the University of Minnesota, brewer's yeast cells can evolve primitive bodies in about two weeks."

American Crystal calls union offer 'stunt'
AP: "American Crystal Sugar Co. has rejected a proposal to end the cooperative's lengthy lockout of its union employees at plants in northern Minnesota and North Dakota.The company posted a statement today calling the union's proposal a 'publicity stunt' by its leadership."

2012 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon cancelled
News-Chronicle: "After long deliberation, the John Beargrease Board of Directors regretfully announced the cancellation of the 2012 race."

Superior lands 600 aviation jobs
Superior Telegram: "Kestrel Aircraft Company wants to revolutionize general aviation, and Superior is the place it's going to happen."

Best Buy realigns leadership team
Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journals: "Struggling Best Buy Co. Inc. said Monday it was taking two of its top executives and tweaking their job descriptions, naming one president of U.S. operations and the other president of international operations."

Minnesota DNR hopes to raise hunting and fishing license fees to stem red ink
Duluth News Tribune: "Minnesota's Game and Fish Fund, which pays for most fish and wildlife management in the state, is headed into the red. One item in a recent presentation by Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Landwehr carried an ominous heading: 'Bankrupt Game and Fish Fund.'"

Rep. Keith Ellison on Rev. Martin Luther King Day

Midday marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a discussion about race and religion in America. Jan. 16 is by presidential proclamation Religious Freedom Day. Why is this day important?

Cloquet man injured in drunk tractor driving incident
Pine Journal: "A St. Cloud man was arrested Jan. 6 for driving a tractor while intoxicated after a Cloquet man, who was apparently a passenger, fell off the tractor."

Harrowing escape from Costa Concordia, Dayton's wishlist, ex-Fargo Police Chief on trial

Posted at 3:30 PM on January 17, 2012 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Around MN

Lakeville woman, sister had harrowing escape from ship
Star Tribune: "A Lakeville woman and her sister were among survivors from the sinking Costa Concordia. A White Bear Lake couple are still missing, as five more bodies were recovered Tuesday."

Dayton's wish list
MPR News: "Gov. Mark Dayton has unveiled a wish list of public works construction projects that includes regional civic centers, a St. Paul ballpark and a southwest corridor light rail line." Fox9: "The governor says bonds for construction projects around Minnesota would create up to 21,700 new jobs." Duluth News Tribune: "Gov. Mark Dayton today released a $903 million construction plan that includes money for a water pumping system for the Lutsen ski resort and its neighbors." Austin Post Bulletin: Dayton's proposal includes the full $35 million requested by the city of Rochester to expand Mayo Civic Center. The remainder of the $77 million civic center project cost would be funded through a 3 percent increase in the city's lodging tax. The governor also included $13.5 million to expand the Hormel Institute in Austin, which would create an estimated 125 high-paying jobs."

Alcohol suspected in death of 18-year-old left in cold car in Rochester
Star Tribune: "Underage drinking is suspected in the death of an 18-year-old father-to-be who was left sleeping in a cold car overnight in Rochester, Minn., police said Tuesday."

Trial underway for former Fargo Police Chief accused of racial discrimination
WDAY: "The trial for a former Fargo police chief, accused of racial discrimination, is underway in California."

Nine reasons the Michele Bachmann campaign fizzled
Des Moines Register: "How did Michele Bachmann drain the reservoir of good will she once enjoyed with Iowa caucusgoers? The native Iowan bolted out of the starting gate to 22 percent support in The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll in June, just one percentage point below poll leader Mitt Romney."