Near Two Harbors, 34 structures burned and Highway 61 closed; in Crow Wing County, a 1,600-acre fire sparked evacuations

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 have been doing a masterful job over the last few months, asking us to think about what The Yard should be. It's the   4.2-acre park space that will be part of Ryan Company's office campus near and on Star Tribune land.  Like the stadium, it's a done deal. Agree or disagree, it's reached the stage to consider how to get it right. The world doesn't need another failed attempt at park.  It can't be -- 

 -- a neighborhood park plopped in the middle of the city.

 this week, Sam Newberg considers the popular parks around the world and what should be incorporated into the Minneapolis version when it opens around the time the stadium does in 2016.

The park will be nothing like anything ever seen in the Twin Cities,  Newberg writes. "We need a place to do yoga in the morning. We need that place to celebrate a World Series victory. We need a place to eat and drink. We need a place to meet friends downtown. We need a place to gather and light a candle when a leader like Nelson Mandela passes. We need a place to sit and watch the world go by. We need an everyday active public space at The Yard. We need a place to host events year-round.  We need a place to kiss."

Be sure to read the very solid comments section in the latest installment.

Archbishop John Nienstedt's "they told me this was taken care of years ago" defense is crumbling with Madeleine Baran's story today that 

a priest accused of sexual abuse was allowed to continue in his position

Though Harry Walsh told Baran he did nothing wrong, the archdiocese paid off one of the people making the allegations. Nobody told the police.

Today Walsh teaches sex education to troubled teenagers and vulnerable adults in Wright County.

 (Winona) Bishop calls for compassion in healing process

Nearly 1 percent of women in the United States claim they have given birth as virgins. The revelation is in Britain's BMJ medical journal, according to the 

.  Each year, the BMJ Christmas edition publishes untraditional science papers.

4) PROMISE: BETTER TIMES AHEAD FOR MNSURE      

Audrey Kletscher Helbling, who writes the 

"We are committed 100 percent and fully committed to making this process a better one," 

In her goodbye letter to her staff, the outgoing MNSure boss warned her staff to ignore "slings and arrows" shot by "those who want you to fail."

And those who want some health insurance.

The Yule Log, the looping, endless picture of a fireplace for people who don't have one  on Christmas, doesn't just happen.  Netflix is streaming the fire this year, with a director's cut version.  (H/T:

 Eddie Jonokuchi, 93, has been volunteering as a Salvation Army bell ringer for over 50 years in Milwaukee.

UMD professor’s friends maintain holiday reading tradition

(9-12 p.m.) - First hour:  A judge said it’s likely unconstitutional; tech leaders urged President Obama to overhaul it; the government says it saved the country from a cyberterrorism attack. Is there any way to change the NSA domestic surveillance program to both mollify the public’s concern for privacy and appease the government’s counterterrorism needs? Or is it an “all-or-nothing” game?

Second hour: James Fallows recent cover story for the Atlantic highlights the 50 greatest breakthroughs since the wheel - we’ll discuss the list, talk about what sparks innovation, and Fallows new project, American Futures.

Third hour: Tom Weber speaks with the CEO of Xcel Energy about planned rate hikes, the future of its largest coal-fired power plant, and efforts to expand wind power in the state.

 (12-1 pm) - A new documentary from the Humankind series:  "The Search for Well-Being: Integrative Medicine."

 (3-6:30 p.m.) - President Obama had high hopes for 2013, with signs of an economic recovery and the Afghanistan war winding down. But things went downhill from there. Failed efforts at gun control, the Edward Snowden leaks, and the fumbled rollout of the healthcare law  just to name a few. NPR takes a look back at Obama's bad year.

NewsCut

Bob Collins

Author

Getting The Yard right,  Nienstedt’s defense crumbles,  giving birth like a virgin,  what it’s like to try to use the MNsure site,  and the Yule Log video’s director’s cut.

Envisioning ‘The Yard,’ a crumbling archdiocese defense, and giving birth like a virgin (5×8 – 12/19/13)

Go Deeper.

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