Minnesota News

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New drinking laws prompt civic action by college students
College students in central Minnesota are learning a few life lessons on how government works, after three new ordinances designed to control underage drinking went into effect in the city of St. Joseph. Students were caught off guard by the new rules. In this installment of our Young Reporters series, St. John's University senior Will Moore tells us students are becoming more active in city lawmaking.
New director of Minneapolis VA Health Care System
The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced the appointment of Patrick Kelly as the new director of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. He assumes the leadership of a massive institution, with an operating budget of $594 million and more than 100,000 veteran patients. Here’s more on Kelly from the VA press release: “Mr. Kelly has served…
Northern lakes nearing 1950s ice out records
Some eagerly await the annual ice out, a rather obvious term that refers to the ice being absent from Minnesota lakes. The ice that still covers many lakes north of the Twin Cities brings to mind 1950, when conditions were similar.
The North Dakota Corn Growers announced Thursday the organization will build a $1.5 billion dollar plant to turn natural gas into nitrogen fertilizer. It's the second big fertilizer plant plan unveiled in North Dakota in recent months.
Icy lakes put chill on business for walleye opener
The walleye season is expected to get off to a slower than usual start this weekend. The walleye opener is typically one of the busiest weekends for resort communities. But this year many of the lakes in northern Minnesota still have ice on them.
Legislation that would prohibit frac sand mining within a mile of a trout stream or spring in southeastern Minnesota would prevent at least 10 proposed frac sand mines in the region from being developed, according to a new analysis. MPR News: Minnesota Sands spokesman Mitch Bublitz said frac sand mining opponents were using trout as…
Many proposed frac sand mines would fail 'trout stream' test
Legislation that would prohibit frac sand mining within a mile of a trout stream or spring in southeastern Minnesota would prevent at least 10 proposed frac sand mines in the region from being developed, show an MPR News analysis.
Last year, in Aitkin in north-central Minnesota, a solid majority of people voted for a proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman, effectively banning same-sex marriages. Even so, the first-term representative from the area says he will vote for the bill to legalize same-sex marriage. His constituents are not happy.…