Disasters

Peshtigo's Catholic priest, Rev. Peter Pernin, wrote a dramatic account of the 1871 fire. He hoped it would help raise money to rebuild the town. In this passage, Pernin describes how he and others survive by throwing themselves in the Peshtigo River.
Father Peter Pernin rushed to the Peshtigo River, dragging a cart loaded with a wooden tabernacle containing the Holy Eucharist. In this excerpt from Ghosts of the Fireground, author Peter Leschak describes what it must have been like for the priest as he tried to save himself and the instruments of his faith.
An event that began as a poignant farewell to the late Sen. Paul Wellstone Tuesday evening culminated in a furious series of partisan speeches, with Wellstone's family and friends exhorting supporters to help his ballot replacement to victory next week.
A landmark structure at the site of Minnesota's oldest prison crumbled in a spectacular blaze of flames Tuesday night.
Most of Minnesota has had plenty of rain this summer, some areas have had way too much. But the southwest corner of the state is dry. Some areas are as much as five inches below normal rainfall for the year and that's hurting crops.