Disasters

The voices of children marked the profound horror and grief of Sept. 11, joining in song at ground zero Thursday and reading the names of 2,792 loved ones who died there exactly two years ago. Two hundred children and young adults, each of whom lost a relative in the most devastating terrorist assault in U.S. history, approached the microphones in pairs and began reading the names as hundreds of victims' relatives listened. Many in the crowd hugged one another and prayed.
MPR News marked the second anniversary of September 11 by asking you for your stories about its impact. Did the events of that day leave a lasting mark on you and your family? Or has the impact faded? How will you remember September 11th?
Among the 2,792 names on the official World Trade Center death toll are 42 people actually listed as missing - not dead - because their remains have not been identified and their whereabouts on Sept. 11 cannot be established with certainty.
Gov. Pawlenty said Friday that the state will seek a federal disaster declaration because of drought conditions. He says it appears about 50 of the state's 87 counties qualify for disaster assistance because of the late-summer drought. Some House Democrats say the governor should also start putting together a state disaster relief package.
Roseville police officials continue their investigation of Sunday's fatal crash and multiple collisions involving an 88-year-old driver. Two people are dead. Three more were treated at a Saint Paul hospital, including the driver. The Roseville crashes are prompting calls to evaluate increased testing of elderly drivers in Minnesota.
Most areas of the state have not received a heavy rain since the July 4th weekend. The hot and dry weather since then has led to a sharp decline in the state's crop conditions. Farmers are losing money each day it doesn't rain.
Lights and air conditioners flipped on across a wide swath of the northeastern United States and southern Canada on Friday, but the creaky power grid that blacked out millions of people encountered new problems as it struggled back to life. Three deaths were linked to the blackout.
While the Northeast went black, the lights stayed on in Minnesota in part because it was too far away and a damage control mechanism worked by isolating the massive blackout that swept from New York to Detroit.
Ranchers in western South Dakota are watching a storm system very carefully. The storm rolling across the plains this week, is crucial. In a region that's seen two years of drought, any snow or rain in the forecast could break the billion dollar drought.
Documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board appear to lessen the likelihood that airframe icing played a role in the October 2002 crash that killed U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone and six others, but raised new questions about the Eveleth-Virginia Municipal Airport's guidance beacon.