1st District GOP divided; Otter Tail police drone; The Twinkie subsidy

1st District Republicans divided between Quist, Parry

Mankato Free Press: "Vigorously unanimous in their desire to beat Democratic Congressman Tim Walz, the delegates at the 1st District Republican Convention Saturday were deeply divided over who could accomplish the task." Politics in Minnesota: "Neither candidate managed to pass the 60 percent vote threshold needed to automatically win the endorsement in the all-day contest, nor were they willing to concede the close race, which never strayed from more than a 25-vote margin between the two candidates." Rochester Post-Bulletin: "At first, Parry, a state senator from Waseca, appeared to have the advantage. He led Quist by 19 votes on the first ballot. But as the evening wore on, Parry's lead eroded. After 10 hours and 15 ballots, Quist took the lead and held it. The swing in support came after the former state representative from St. Peter challenged Parry to a debate where each candidate asked each other five questions. Parry declined. Quist asked the delegates, 'Why would you want to endorse a candidate to debate Tim Walz when that candidate is afraid to debate Allen Quist?' Parry responded that the focus needs to be on beating Walz. He took Quist to task for waving list of questions in front of stage while he was addressing the delegates." AP: "Delegates will reconvene in another two or three weeks."

Duluth, St. Louis County retirees see six-figure pensions

Duluth News Tribune: The Public Employees Retirement Association of Minnesota confirms that 17 retired Duluth or St. Louis County "workers receive pensions of more than $100,000 a year."

FAA releases lists of drone certificates, Otter Tail County denied

EFF: Otter Tail County sought a certificate to be able to fly a drone, the small county in the northwest part of Minnesota was denied.

Next Gov: "Why, does Otter Tail County, Minn., located 60 miles southeast of Fargo, N.D., and 178 miles northwest of Minneapolis, with a population of 57,000, need its own drone? I called and asked, but no response yet."

Duluth cafeterias line up for local farmers' food

Duluth News Tribune: "If the beef you eat at a local hospital or college cafeteria this week tastes a bit fresher, credit your good fortune to more than two decades of a small but growing advocacy for locally grown foods."

The Twinkie subsidy

Grand Forks Herald: "Out of the $260 billion taxpayers spent on agricultural subsidies between 1995 and 2010, $16.9 billion went toward four common food additives: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, and soy oils."

Editorial: Student debt is nearing a tipping point

Post Bulletin: "Youth is a wonderful thing, but those of us who sometimes look back wistfully upon early adulthood have at least one reason to be glad that we're a bit further along in our life's journey."

Grow yourself a six-pack

New York Times: "Hop vines thrive in full sun to partial shade, and in fertile, well-draining soil. Other than that, they don't require much care."

Ineffective Liriano gets rocked as Rays trample Twins

ESPN: "The Minnesota Twins are becoming concerned with Francisco Liriano's struggles."

The Kadunce River at sunrise. Although this year's spring runoff was minor, it still caused the rivers to flow. Usually, there's a rock bar at the mouth of this river. (permalink) Photo courtesy of Bryan Hansel.

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