Santa's elf in Winona builds and donates 450 toys Small wooden cars, bulldozers, trucks and tractors line a table in Jim Frankard's brightly lit shop. The pine toys are just a few examples of the 450 others the Winona man began making this spring to donate to the Toys for Tots program. Local Toys for Tots organizers say the donation is the largest they've ever received of the kind.December 8, 2012
Legal pot complicates drug-free work policies Pot may be legal, but workers may want to check with their boss first before they grab the pipe or joint during off hours.December 8, 2012
MPR News photos of the week Students remember Gordon Parks, the Union Depot in St. Paul is set to reopen and a police officer killed on-duty is laid to rest. All that and more in our photos of the week.December 7, 2012
President Obama lights National Christmas Tree As he and his family flipped the switch to light the National Christmas Tree Thursday night, President Barack Obama said he hopes the tree lasts longer than its predecessor, which died after just a year.December 7, 2012
Ex-Minn. soldier to receive Purple Heart A retired Minnesota National Guard soldier is about to receive a Purple Heart, six years after he was wounded in Iraq.December 6, 2012
Roundtable: Majority-minority America Panelists, including Brother Ali, discuss the changing demographics of the country and what it will mean when the U.S. becomes a "majority-minority" nation in the coming decades.The Daily Circuit, December 6, 2012
A walk through Union Depot's history Union Depot's $243 million renovation is finally done and on Saturday officials in downtown St. Paul will reopen it to the public. John Diers, author of a forthcoming book on the history of Union Depot, spoke with The Daily Circuit during a walk-through of the building.The Daily Circuit, December 6, 2012
A history of weed: From Jefferson to Clinton to Washington Washington state and Colorado voted to legalize and regulate its recreational use last month. But before that, the plant, renowned since ancient times for its strong fibers, medical use and mind-altering properties, was a staple crop of the colonies, an "assassin of youth," a counterculture emblem and a widely accepted -- if often abused -- medicine.December 6, 2012