Lawsuit over fake pot dropped

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A Duluth head shop has dropped its effort to overturn a city ordinance banning the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana.

The Last Place on Earth has agreed to drop its suit against Duluth, according the city attorney's office.

Jim Carlson, the owner of the Last Place on Earth, told the Duluth News Tribune he will continue to fight efforts to outlaw synthetic marijuana. Often marketed as "incense" under brand names such as K2 or Spice, synthetic marijuana was created when pot users sprayed a chemical similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, onto mixes of dried herbs, flowers and tobacco leaves.

"It's a multibillion-dollar industry. It's not going to go away," he told the Tribune. "They're just going to drive it underground."

Minnesota lawmakers recently passed a law that will ban the substance statewide. Even so, synthetic pot is sold as incense and readily available online.

Also clicking on MN Today

Weather service issues heat advisory for Tuesday

If it reaches 98 in Rochester, it would set a record, topping 95 that was recorded in 1987 (Rochester Post-Bulletin).

In Winona, temps could reach 99 with a heat index of 105.

City's aquatic center opens just in time "If the weather stays like this," said Kirsten Hefte, recreation coordinator for the Winona Parks and Recreation Department, "we'll have record attendance" (Winona Daily News).

Dangerous currents along Lake Superior beaches

Lake Superior's beaches have many small channels caused by strong rip currents. The currents pull water and swimmers out to deeper depths and have caused deaths."In 2003 in particular, we had a death. We had a number of rescues, over a dozen," said Minnesota Sea Grant's educator Jesse Schomberg (Northland News Center).

Wisconsin bill would allow alcohol sales at 6 a.m.

Local grocers say a state bill that would allow take-out alcohol sales earlier in the day is more convenient to shoppers, though others worry it contradicts efforts to change Wisconsin's drinking culture (Winona Daily News).

Red Wing senator offers to help pay GOP's recount bills to counties

A Red Wing Republican senator is offering to donate money to help the Republican Party of Minnesota pay bills owed to several counties for last fall's gubernatorial recount (Rochest Post-Bulletin).

Potato firm eyes expansion

In what seems a bullish vote on agriculture as well as on Grand Forks, one of the nation's biggest potato firms is building a new $4 million corporate headquarters in the city (Grand Forks Herald).

Insight Now

The Insight Now debate... on whether Congress should step in and allow a $690 million bridge to be built over the St. Croix. The divisions over this bridge have been made clear over the first day of this online debate.

Those who want to block the bridge say it's a design that violates the spirit of the federal Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Those in favor of the project say it actually keeps the surrounding environment in mind. Opponents argue that the cost of the project is too high while proponents of the prevailing project say alternatives have already been rejected.

Rebuttal statements are in around this question: Should Congress exempt a proposed Stillwater bridge from the federal Scenic & Wild River's Act.

Opinion and Editorial

Editorial: Innovation must move forward

In order for the United States to remain competitive in a global economy, legislation needs to be passed that spurs innovation. A bill introduced earlier this year by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DFL-Minnesota, and Sen. Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts, does just that (Worthington Daily Globe).

Where's the oversight?

The public suffers when big corporations and institutions flout the law with impunity (Timberjay).

Minnesota Scenes

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• Best of Minnesota Scenes from 2014
• 50 years of memory making in the Boundary Waters
• ‘Fargo’ takes home two Emmys