Greater Minnesota

Mayo Clinic unveils plans for a new $5 billion campus in downtown Rochester
The plan will center on new “health neighborhoods” where practitioners and services come to the patients. Mayo officials say the new model will streamline care for patients and staff.
Facing budget crisis, Rochester proposes closing some schools, moving others
Rochester Public Schools is announcing major changes to manage the district’s bloated budget, including closing some schools and eliminating transportation for districtwide schools. The changes will allow earlier start times for elementary students and later start times for middle and high school students.
Research reveals more secrets of where wolves hunt in northern Minnesota and their impact on forests
Research published in the past month by scientists with the Voyageurs Wolf Project reveals further insights into how and where wolves in far northern Minnesota hunt for their prey, and how in some cases that hunting can have a profound impact on the region’s forests. 
Judge throws out lawsuit by southeastern Minnesota dairy farm seeking to triple in size
Environmental advocates, including the Land Stewardship Project, opposed the expansion. They said the additional manure generated by a larger operation would increase the risk of water pollution in a region where nitrate in groundwater already is a problem.
Tackling the 'big brown spot': Keeping fields in living cover could be path to reducing nitrate
Commercial fertilizer and manure applied to crop farms is a major source of nitrate in Minnesota’s water. A new report finds planting crops that keep the soil covered year-round benefits both the environment and farmers.
St. Cloud State gets approval to launch some online programs — with conditions
St. Cloud State wants to expand online education aimed largely at nontraditional students by providing accelerated online degrees. Some SCSU faculty have raised objections to the university’s contract with a for-profit company to manage online programs in exchange for half the tuition revenue. 
Agency combats poverty one energy audit at a time
With winter fast approaching, a nonprofit called MAHUBE-OTWA is working to winterize homes throughout northwest and central Minnesota. The organization was formed in the mid-1960s as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's “War on Poverty” and is still meeting the challenge.