Oil field danger, human trafficking in Minn., Bong's tale takes flight

Posted at 7:09 AM on February 17, 2012 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Around MN

Widow of oil worker hopes others won't take decision to work in oil fields lightly
Forum of Fargo Moorhead: "Cathy Ries has some blunt advice for anyone thinking of going to North Dakota's oil fields to make extra money: 'Don't.'"

Minnesota: A human trafficking battleground
KARE11: "The FBI ranks Minnesota as the nation's 13th largest center for human trafficking of children."

Minnesota House passes bill stripping seniority as key factor in teacher layoffs
Pioneer Press: "Proponents of basing teacher layoffs on performance rather than seniority got a big victory Thursday, with the Republican-led Minnesota House passing a bill that would end the practice of using experience as the deciding factor when schools have to let teachers go."

Chairwoman says Fond du Lac Band made 'great inroads' in 2011
Duluth News Tribune: "The year 2011 was a successful one for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa on economic, community and cultural fronts, Chairwoman Karen Diver said Thursday, hours before delivering her annual State of the Band address."

McCollum grills Salazar on St. Croix River crossing
Hot Dish Politics: "U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, who has been swimming upstream to stop a $700 million 'mega' bridge across the St. Croix River, took her fight Thursday to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, where she got a chance to cross-examine Interior Secretary Ken Salazar."

Fishing for eelpout continues to grow in popularity
Bemidji Pioneer: "The ice conditions are good on most lakes in the Bemidji area. Temperatures were near or above freezing during the day most of the week but the temperatures were cold enough overnight to re-freeze any melting on the lakes."

Bong's tale takes flight
Superior Telegram: "The story of America's Ace of Aces, Maj. Richard I. Bong, was more than a decade in the making."

CEC closes out alpine, Nordic ski seasons
Pine Journal: Esko's trio of downhill speedsters turned in a respectable finish for Cloquet-Esko-Carlton at the 2012 Minnesota state Alpine ski meet Wednesday afternoon at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Minn."

Washington County Fair owes $120,000 for back taxes
Pioneer Press: "The fair paid sales taxes until 2002, said Dan Dolan, who has been president of the Washington County Agricultural Society since 2006. At some point before the 2002 event, fair officials were told they no longer needed to pay them, he said."