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Quality of Life
Graphic: Race
Graphic: Population
See how White Bear Lake compares with other Minnesota cities.Health Care
Nursing homes on the brink of budget disaster
White Bear Lake's only nursing home is already under the gun financially. Budget cuts from the state would make the situation worse.
Audio slideshow:
Cerenity Senior Care is White Bear Lake's only nursing home. Take a tour of the facility with Administrator Greg Baumberger.
Graphic: Health Care
As they struggle with funding, nursing homes are unable to compete with larger hospitals in offering higher wages to employees.Higher Education
Century College braces for bad news
Century College in White Bear Lake offers a mix of two-year technical degrees like nursing and engineering. It faces two choices: Raise tuition dramatically or cut services to students.
Graphic: Century College funding
More than half of Century College's funding comes from the tuition paid by its students.K-12 Education
K-12 schools are a bright spot in White Bear Lake
School leaders across Minnesota are worried about how state government's deficit will affect their own local budgets. But White Bear Lake's school district is faring better than most.
Graphic: White Bear Lake schools
The number of students in the free and reduced lunch program has steadily increased in the school district.Transportation
Potholes get bigger as budget gets tighter
Cities with aging infrastructure are particularly nervous about potential budget cuts. White Bear Lake has 26 miles of streets awaiting reconstruction, and some repairs will have to wait.
White Bear Lake street conditions
Interactive map showing White Bear Lake's street conditions and proposed road projects.
Graphic: MnDOT Spending
MnDOT spending is set to increase dramatically over the next two construction seasons.Public Safety
Cities try to protect police, fire budgets
White Bear Lake's police and fire departments already have bare-bones budgets. But they may not escape more budget cuts.
Graphic: Public Safety
Compare the number of crimes in White Bear Lake to other Minnesota cities.Arts and Culture
'Best of times, worst of times' for arts funding
The Lakeshore Players Theatre and other arts groups are pleased voters approved a new sales tax that will bring in millions of dollars for the arts. But they worry the new money source will prompt legislators to cut other arts funding.
Environment
Water quality matters in White Bear Lake
People in White Bear love their lake. They worry about what might happen to efforts to keep the lake clean, and how their favorite pastimes might be affected.
Slideshow: The allure of the lake
White Bear Lake has been a vacation destination for decades. Here's a look back at its long and colorful history.
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