Jim Pollard has loved fossil collecting since he was a kid. Now 70, he’s opened a natural history museum in a Blue Earth storefront to share his passion for paleontology and to make science more accessible to rural kids.

The 70 days since the legislative session started have seen a variety of twists and turns that have left three seats open at various points in time. Now, leaders hope for a boring phase ahead.

Xcel wants to continue operating the plant into the 2050s. It’s requesting to store an additional 34 casks of spent fuel at the site. But spent fuel storage has a history of controversy at the plant near Red Wing, which is just 700 yards from the Prairie Island Indian Community.

The invasive emerald ash borer continues to spread across Minnesota with a confirmed infestation in Aitkin County.

Starting today, burning restrictions are in place across more than a dozen Minnesota counties, including several in the Twin Cities metro. Among the counties affected by the restrictions are Hennepin, Ramsey, Chisago, Mille Lacs, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Washington counties.

In announcing its new event the Beltrami County Historical Society is seeking public input for the exhibit titled “Women’s History, Period. (The Evolution of Menstruation).” BCHS executive director Emily Thabes said the weeklong event at the end of May will feature guest speakers and cover a multitude of topics historical and contemporary.