Greater Minnesota

FAA closing down two Minn. airport towers
Two Minnesota airports will have to close their air traffic control towers, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday.
A drunken gathering at a trailer home in northern Minnesota devolved into a major brawl that left one man dead and two people with serious injuries, the Beltrami County sheriff said Friday.
Dayton keeps up 'fair share' tax talk in Duluth
Gov. Mark Dayton held a town hall meeting before a standing-room-only crowd of about 150 people in Duluth last night, to make the case for a budget plan that includes a tax hike on the wealthy and spending in education and other programs.
National Weather Service raises flood risk along Red River
A delayed spring melt and late-winter snow has increased the risk of flooding in Fargo, N.D. and Moorhead, Minn., National Weather Service forecasters said Thursday.
Critics say Dayton's 'snowbird' tax would backfire
Gov. Mark Dayton is again proposing an income tax on people who spend 60 or more days a year in the state. Dayton argues "snowbirds," use the same services everyone else pays for and that they should be required to pay their fair share.
NWS warns Fargo-Moorhead to prepare for a top five flood
Fargo officials said they believe the city is still in good shape because of recent flood protection improvements, but they plan to make 500,000 sandbags to add to a reserve of 750,000 bags.
Students at New Prague Middle School were evacuated for about an hour Thursday morning after several staff members received a bomb threat via email.
Snow and rain improve farming outlook
The start of spring means the crop planting season is not far away. While the two-year drought is a worry, there have been signs of hope recently. Increased precipitation has helped boost farmers' outlook for this year's crop.
How the city of Rochester, Minn., is planning for expansion over the next several years.