The marathon is over and Election Day is here
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Today on the MPR News Update, we're fanning out across the state to cover Election Day. Also, wind power jobs are dwindling, more numbers are in from the wolf hunt, Bob Dylan tickets are relatively easy to come by, why health insurance may be good for your health, and the Timberwolves stun Brooklyn.
LONG LINES: Minnesota voters hit the polls at 7 a.m. to cast ballots for president, Senate, two constitutional amendments and a host of congressional and legislative candidates. Long lines were a common sight as many voted before heading into work. A few glitches, such as malfunctioning voting machines, were reported.
THE RACE IS RUN: After a grinding presidential campaign that packed suspense to the finish, Americans head into polling places in sleepy hollows, bustling cities and superstorm-ravaged beach towns deeply divided. All sides are awaiting, in particular, a verdict from the nine battleground states whose votes will determine President Barack Obama or challenger Mitt Romney can piece together the 270 electoral votes needed for victory.
8TH DISTRICT: On the last day before the election, the congressional candidates in Minnesota's 8th District campaigned on opposite ends of the sprawling district in the northeastern corner of the state. Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack spent the final hours of the campaign to rally supporters in the southern part of the 8th District. Challenger former Rep. Rick Nolan tried to fire-up Democrats in the northern part of the district.
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LIVE UPDATES: We're following the day's election news on our live blog, sifting through the best stories, photos and videos from traditional news sources, blogs and social media.
YOUR EXPERIENCE: We'd like your help in covering the Election Day story in Minnesota. Today's Question: What's been your experience at your polling place? Leave a short answer here, or submit a more detailed account here.
STILL NOT SURE? Are you one of those undecided voters we keep hearing about? Here's some help: Select a Candidate.
DON'T KNOW WHERE TO VOTE? Because of redistricting, polling places have changed for some folks. Find your polling place here.
MEANING OF MARRIAGE: Minnesota voters will find two proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot on Tuesday. One would require official photo identification in order to vote. A second would take the state's existing law against same sex marriage and place it in the state constitution. Sasha Aslanian, who has been covering the debate over the marriage amendment, answers some frequently asked questions about the amendment.
VOTER ID: Opponents of the proposed requirement that voters show official photo identification say that their phone banking efforts have helped change minds on the amendment. Amendment supporters say they are busy trying to counter what they believe is the false information coming from the opposition. Both sides are working hard to make sure their supporters are going to the polls.
SELLING INSURANCE: The federal health care overhaul aims to drastically reduce the number of Americans who don't have health insurance. But as Minnesota officials gear up to promote the importance of health insurance, market research indicates that even subsidized health plans will be a tough sell with some people. Wouldn't the uninsured just sign up? It's complicated.
KILLING WOLVES: At the end of Monday, the DNR closed the east-central wolf hunting zone around Lake Mille Lacs where eight of the zone's allotted nine wolves were killed over the weekend. Hunters will be able to kill another 200 wolves during a second season beginning at the end of the November. That season will include trappers as well as hunters. So far, 66 wolves have been reported killed in the state's first managed hunt.
BECALMED: Hundreds of workers in our region are losing their jobs as wind turbine manufacturers cut production. The federal tax credit that subsidizes wind energy is set to expire at the end of the year, and political uncertainty is putting the brakes on the wind industry. More than 500 workers are losing their jobs in the Red River Valley. By the end of November, 345 workers who make wind turbine blades at a Grand Forks, N.D. factory will be out of work.
MINING TUSSLE: Disputes over mining proposals are becoming increasingly common in Minnesota and the outcome often turns on whether a city decides to annex mining land from a nearby township. Case in point: A tug of war is playing out over a proposed granite quarry in west central Minnesota. When North Dakota-based Strata Corporation proposed a quarry near Ortonville earlier this year, the board of rural Ortonville Township, slapped a moratorium on any new mining project.
ABUSED AT BRECK: Richard Covin said he was sexually abused by a teacher at the Breck School in 1974, and claimed the school committed fraud because administrators failed to act on earlier allegations from another student. But a judge has ruled that the school was under no duty to warn Covin, because Covin did not report his abuse to administrators. The teacher at the center of the case, William Alan Jacobs, is already serving an 18-year prison sentence for criminal sexual conduct and child pornography.
BROOKLYN CRUSHED: It was another celebratory night at Barclays Center for a Russian. No, not Mikhail Prokhorov. His Brooklyn Nets were on their way to an easy win and a 2-0 start until rookie Alexey Shved led the Minnesota Timberwolves on a furious rally from a 22-point, second-half deficit to a 107-96 victory on Monday night. Shved scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter -- matching the Nets' total after Minnesota outscored them 32-10. Nikola Pekovic led Minnesota with 21 points.
