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A few selections from the Ground Level series 

"Their budget under pressure, Duluth police have turned to video camera surveillance to fight crime. They say it works. But they aren't cheap," 

Have you ever used a gun in self defense?

Concern for security has led one Minnesotan to use an unusual tactic to protect his farm. Ken Kalish deploys guard llamas, both to protect farm animals from predators and to keep tab on strangers.

Primary turnout was 2nd lowest in 62 years

: "The Minnesota Secretary of State's office is reporting that voter turnout in Tuesday's primary was 9 percent. That's the second lowest voter turnout for a primary since 1950. Only the 2004 primary had a lower percentage of eligible voters turnout for a primary with 7.73 percent that year."

Commentary: Time to fix the broken primary system

"Another primary election has come and gone but the results are still the same. A pathetically small number of true believers decide the fate of our democracy by electing people at the extremes of party ideology. Thoughtful good-government types then wail and whine about the outcome, asking, 'When will it ever end? How can we stop the paralyzing polarization that has overtaken us?' The answer is that it will never end. We are getting exactly what the system is designed to produce. If we want a different result , we cannot blame the voters or the candidates. We need to change the system," (

"Placing an infant in a child care center in Minnesota costs more than a year of state college tuition -- and can consume half the annual income of a typical single mother -- according to a national report released Thursda," 

Bachmann scores weakest Minn. GOP US House incumbent primary win in 50 years

: "Michele Bachmann's 80.4 percent primary vote total on Tuesday was the smallest vote percentage received by a Republican member of the U.S. House from the Gopher State since 1962 spanning 75 incumbent reelection bids."

Bachmann's fundraising prowess crushes that of her DFL opponent Jim Graves (

Nolan, Cravaack dive into race for Congress

"Rep. Chip Cravaack and his DFL challenger, Rick Nolan, chose very different venues Wednesday for public appearances in Duluth after Tuesday's primary election determined the makeup of the race for Minnesota's 8th Congressional District," 

: Cravaack, Nolan diverge on Paul Ryan's medicare plan

Minnesota News

Statewide Blog

Michael Olson

Author

Video expands Duluth police force; Cravaack, Nolan diverge on Paul Ryan's medicare plan; Bachmann scores weakest Minn. GOP US House incumbent primary win in 50 years; Cost of day care exceeds college;

The Price of Safety; 9% turnout to vote; Cost of day care exceeds college

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