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Candle light vigil for injured officer in Lake City

: "There is an ever growing amount of support for officer Shawn Schneider as he continues to fight for his life. Out of respect for the family, details on Shawn Schneider's condition are not being released. ... Minnesota State Patrol is one agency taking over policing duties while Lake City officers take time to cope with Monday's shooting. One of the officers helping out declined an interview but says at least three troopers are in town for both day and night shifts. And he said as long as they're needed, they'll stay on as well."

American Crystal Lockout: Ending a fight in God's house

Company executives and labor leaders attend prayer service that focuses on ending the lockout at American Crystal

"There were prayers, hymns, scripture and some tears Wednesday during a worship service at United Lutheran Church in Grand Forks aimed at reconciliation in the long-running labor dispute between American Crystal Sugar Co. and its 1,300 locked-out union workers, 

 the Grand Forks Herald. "It certainly can't hurt to have the Lord involved in helping us whenever there is a problem," said Joel Stola, a Beltrami, Minn. beet farmer.

Minnesota court upholds Chippewa tribal ruling against gaming company

: "A Minnesota court has recognized a Chippewa Indian tribal court judgment of more than $19 million against Gaming World International of Lawrence County and its owner, Angelo Medure, paving the way for tribal lawyers to pursue Mr. Medure's assets in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida."

The nation's struggling economy is making tentative steps toward recovery, but it still has quite a ways to go to catch the high-flying agricultural sector (

: Juhl Wind has acquired the $22m Valley View wind farm in Minnesota.

Cities feel pinch of federal community block grant cuts

"Cuts to the block grants program were cited in a recent report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, which noted that the number of vacant properties in the United States had jumped to 10 million from 7 million in 2000, threatening to attract crime and cause blight," 

: Minnesota households with 'real' broadband access: 57 percent

Minnesota is running faster when it comes to the availability of high-speed Internet access, but the goal keeps looking further and further away.

Former top Koch staffer raised concerns about her conduct months ago

Between December of 2010 and November of this year, Cullen Sheehan was the top staffer in the Minnesota Senate. He was Amy Koch's chief of staff, helping to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Senate. Sheehan is also the first person to report an inappropriate relationship between Koch and a male staffer (

: Stadium politics played role in Koch and Brodkorb dismissal, insiders say

Best Buy has hard time filling online Black Friday orders (

Best Buy purchase a sign of warming to gaming?

: "The President could have easily bought the game online, so maybe his public purchase is telling of a shift in his opinions on gaming. He hasn't exactly been kind to games in the past."

Cuddyer: Thank you ... and you ... and you

Michael Cuddyer is joining the Colorado Rockies after leading the Twins for the last 11 years. He says this transition is tough and as he says goodbye to Minnesota he took a moment and 

 his appreciation for Twins fans: "You have all accepted my family and me as one of your own since day one of my career as a Twin. Whether you were a Cuddy Buddy, attended a Twins Unplugged event, supported one of my family's causes or were just a casual fan who cheered at the game, thank you."

What helps the Vikings' potential draft position?

: "One more loss will clinch a top three selection for the Vikings, which seems like a given at this point, as sad as that is."

Is ex-reporter Christine Clayburg paying TV journalists to help clients tell their good news stories?

: "I called Clayburg to find out if this was so. I asked if she paid people working in Minnesota newsrooms today. There was a pause. 'We can put you in touch with somebody if that is a story they have a particular passion with,' Clayburg replied."

Editorial: Welcome back, partisan politics

: "The United States Congress has taken divided politics to a new level. And that's saying a lot for this cast of characters. Five days ago it appeared a deal was done to prevent American workers' taxes from going up on Jan. 1 - appeared. Today, we're back on shaky ground."

Holidays hit hard for family of man slain at Proctor bar

: "Renee Anderson swallowed hard, but held her tongue when she heard a defense attorney on Wednesday ask the court to reduce the bail of the man accused of killing the best man she ever knew -- her father -- so that the defendant could be home for Christmas with his family."

LA Times Columnist Lazarus: "So keep in mind that we generate about 25 percent more waste during the holiday season, from Thanksgiving to New Year's -- that's a million tons a week of extra stuff. What do I mean by that? I mean about 125,000 tons of plastic packaging; what I mean is about 744 million holiday cards that are sent; what I mean are about 8,000 tons of wrapping paper used on presents. That's the equivalent of about 50,000 trees." (

Minnesota News

Statewide Blog

Michael Olson

Author

Candle light vigil for injured officer in Lake City; American Crystal Lockout: Ending a fight in God's house; Minnesota court upholds Chippewa tribal ruling against gaming company; Juhl acquires Valley View wind;

Vigil supports injured Lake City officer, lockout prayers, a waste-filled holiday

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