Statewide Blog

Drone resister; 30 years of calling the Dome home; Primer: Copper-nickel mining

Voter ID

Lawsuits likely before and after Voter ID balloting

MPR News: "Only days after the Legislature approved a proposed constitutional amendment that will ask voters this November to require that Minnesotans show photo identification at the polls, groups that oppose the measure vowed to fight it in court."

Drones

First man arrested with drone evidence vows to fight case

US News and World Report: "The tiny town of Lakota, N.D., is quickly becoming a key testing ground for the legality of the use of unmanned drones by law enforcement after one of its residents became the first American citizen to be arrested with the help of a Predator surveillance drone."

Best Buy

CEO Brian Dunn leaves Best Buy over 'personal conduct'

MPR News: "Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn is leaving the company amid an investigation into his personal conduct."

UnitedHealth vet Mikan asked to steady Best Buy

Star Tribune: "Though he brings financial bona fides as the company's interim CEO, analysts don't see him in the job permanently."

Red River

Field drainage affects Red River Valley flooding, new study shows

Forum of Fargo Moorhead: "Tile drainage of farm fields has been cast as a villain that aggravates flooding in the Red River Valley and held out as a great hope for better managing runoff to minimize flooding."

Lake Superior, invasive species

Salties bring no new invaders, thanks to 'swish and spit'

Duluth News Tribune: "The first saltwater ship of the 2012 season left the Twin Ports on Tuesday afternoon with a load of wheat bound for Belgium, and there's some good news on what the Arubaborg probably did not leave behind. Invasive species."

Occupy Minnesota

City Hall confrontation between Occupy protesters and Mayor Rybak has a '70s vibe

MinnPost: "Tuesday afternoon's session was not a meeting about putting up tents in Minneapolis.This, rather, was an old-fashioned protest gathering with an opportunity to shout at the mayor and the police chief about allegations of police brutality."

History

Metrodome: Home sweet storm home

Historically Inclined: "Never mentioned among the pantheon of great ballparks, Minnesota's former home to Major League Baseball is also celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2012, albeit with no fanfare. Utilitarian at best when it opened 30 years ago this month, the Metrodome made early-season baseball sufferable in the North Star State, where April showers are always cold and often white, but its weatherproof, space-aged charm was soon eroded by carpet burns, trampoline bounces and vanishing pop-ups."

Mining

MPR News Primer: Copper-nickel mining

MPR News: "Mining runs deep in the culture and economy of northern Minnesota. So why are people drawing battle lines over plans to build copper-nickel mines in the Iron Range? It's a new kind of mining for Minnesota and there are plenty of potential rewards -- and risks."

Op-Ed

Kurt Zellers: GOP offers its best ideas for jobs

Star Tribune: "The governor should take them seriously. After all, he invited them."