NewsCut

The first congressional hearing on guns, the latest victim in Chicago's violence, tools and protected speech, the ongoing SPCO dispute, and the winter carnival medallion.
A medallion for medicine
The annual Saint Paul Winter Carnival Medallion Hunt is over. The medallion, a Saint Paul Pioneer Press promotion, comes with something extra this year: commentary on the state of the health care system.
A winter without the windsled?
If, as I wrote on Monday, the warmer-than-normal temperatures don’t allow the ice to thicken on Lake Superior between Bayfield and Madeline Island this year, this baby won’t be putting in an appearance. It’s the windsled that replaces ferry service in the area in the winter. It hasn’t been used since 2011.