American Crystal workers vote on contract, Worthington man returns from fight in Libya, Occupy Iowa

Union votes Tuesday on new American Crystal contract proposals

Union leaders have made clear they are not satisfied with the company's new proposals, saying that they aren't enough, but they will not recommend how the 1,300 locked out members should vote (Grand Forks Herald).

St. Louis County Board considers new mining operation on Iron Range

St. Louis County commissioners are expected to give their approval today to a new, $50 million mining operation at an old mine site near Chisholm (Duluth News Tribune).

Worthington man returns to native Libya to help fight Gaddafi regime

Awad Abdulrahman trained rebel forces to fire machine guns, guarded oil fields and ultimately saved his friends by throwing himself on a grenade. Abdulrahman returned to Worthington just 16 days before Gaddafi was captured and killed (Worthington Daily Globe).

In Foley, private eyes on the street

In Itasca County, Marble, population 700, disbanded its two-person department in 2007. The Sheriff's Office was understanding, but unhappy about taking over without any additional funding, Mayor David Lotti said.Itasca County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Gregg Deutsch said the office has had to prioritize calls as its budget has stretched thinner, too. "If it's not an emergency situation, it might be put on a back burner," he said. "We do what we can" (Star Tribune).

Our View: Money, not safety, wins in Foley

we question the logic and priorities of elected officials who choose to lower their community's public-safety presence (and overall image) instead of -- gasp -- raising taxes to do what's right (Saint Cloud Times).

Police prepare as concealed carry begins in Wisconsin

It may be Nov. 1, the first day of the state's new concealed-carry law, but if you pack heat in Wisconsin without a valid permit to carry, prepare to be arrested, police said Monday (Journal Sentinel).

National Park Service closing Coldwater Spring for redo

The 27-acre site between Fort Snelling and Minnehaha Park is closing so the park service can tear down a dozen dilapidated buildings and restore the land to its natural condition. The area contains Coldwater Spring, where soldiers camped while they were building Fort Snelling in the 1820s (Star Tribune).

Prices high as harvest nears the end

As harvest is wrapping up in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota ahead of normal schedules, farmers are receiving record or near-record prices for their crops. That's counter-cyclical to the more typical dive in prices as the crops come in (Grand Forks Herald).

Stillwater ends dispute with auditor over bridge money

Donation to lobbying group has been surrendered by city (Star Tribune).

Bachmann 'out of money and ideas' in Iowa, says former campaign manager

Michele Bachmann has "run out of money and ideas" and can no longer expect to win in Iowa, her former campaign manager told ABC News on Monday (ABC News).

Iowa protesters call for national help to 'occupy' presidential campaign HQs

Iowa activists are inviting caravans of protesters from across the country to help them "occupy" all the presidential campaign headquarters in Iowa - and to shut the offices down if they feel their message about corporate greed is not being heard (Des Moines Register).

• Editor’s notebook: Covering the environment in 2014
• Best of Minnesota Scenes from 2014
• 50 years of memory making in the Boundary Waters
• ‘Fargo’ takes home two Emmys