Minnesota

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Towns Battle for 'Icebox of US' Status—in Court

Cold war between Colorado, Minnesota towns heads to court

(Newser) - Who's the coldest one of all? A court will have to decide, because the battle is on between International Falls, Minn., and Fraser, Colo. Both claim the right to boast of being the "Icebox of the Nation," the Summit Daily News of Frisco, Colo., reports. Fraser sued International...

31 States Ring In New Laws for New Year

From minimum wage hikes to approval for kangaroo-hide shoes

(Newser) - Anyone planning to import shoes made of kangaroo hide into California can legally begin this year—but they'd better not try to sell any foreign-made US flags in Minnesota. Both states are among 31 that launched a host of new laws beginning New Year's Day, some of them rather unusual,...

Blizzard Death Toll Hits 22
Blizzard Death Toll Hits 22
UPDATED
Dec 24, 2007 3:38 PM CST

Blizzard Death Toll Hits 22

Snow and howling winds wreak havoc in nation's heartland

(Newser) - The death toll from a winter storm that pummeled the upper Midwest rose to 22 today, the AP reports. The worst of the storm is over for the region, but it left behind icy highways and downed power lines, especially in Wisconsin, Illinois, and upper Michigan. Remnants of the storm...

No (Funny) Bones About Franken's Run

Comedian says bid for Senate in Minn. is serious business

(Newser) - Comedian Al Franken's campaign for a Minnesota Senate seat is unconventional, the New York Times reports—and it's serious. Best known for his stint on Saturday Night Live and stingingly partisan attacks on the right, Franken is busy proving he can look senatorial. “Minnesotans know what’s a joke...

Trucks Pack on Illegal Pounds
Trucks Pack on Illegal Pounds
Nov 15, 2007 1:17 PM CST

Trucks Pack on Illegal Pounds

Light penalties, costly gas make cheating attractive; roads and bridges take beating

(Newser) - More American truckers are carrying illegally heavy loads, looking to offset diminished manpower and skyrocketing fuel prices—and light fines encourage cheating, the Christian Science Monitor reports. With road damage at issue following August's Minnesota bridge collapse, 30% of trucks are reportedly overloaded—and each of the 8 million tractor-trailers...

Doggone It, Will People Like Sen. Franken?

New York explores his blend of comedy, politics in Senate bid

(Newser) - Al Franken’s thus far successful run for US Senate has seen the comic playing a careful hand, getting serious on the trail but bringing along just enough humor to be himself. Politicians “need to be entertaining. But not too entertaining,” says New York’s Ariel Levy in...

Green Mountain State Is in the Pink

Preventive medicine helps Vt. wrest 'healthiest state' crown from Minn.

(Newser) - Vermont is the nation's healthiest state, beating out Minnesota, which has topped the list for the past 4 years. The ranking system takes into 20 factors, such as infant mortality, obesity, and even high school graduation rates, USA Today reports. Mississippi was ranked the country's unhealthiest state, one notch below...

In Minn. Senate Race, Joke May Be on the GOP

Cracking up audiences, Franken mounts serious challenge to Coleman

(Newser) - The Minnesota GOP, facing an unexpectedly strong challenge from would-be Democratic nominee Al Franken, is turning some of his humor around on him. Immediately after the actor-author announced his US Senate candidacy, the GOP released a list of what it called “mean-spirited and divisive partisan” wisecracks, the Journal reports,...

Star Light, Star Bright
Star Light,
Star Bright
Aug 26, 2007 7:07 AM CDT

Star Light, Star Bright

To have a real celestial experience, get away from urban hotspots

(Newser) - There's no better season than summer for sleeping outdoors under the stars. Get your fill of the Big Dipper at USA Today's ideal star-gazing spots:
  1. Assateague Island National Seashore, Md./Va.
  2. Canyonlands National Park, Moab, Utah
  3. Big Bend National Park, Texas

Midwestern Floods Takes 4 Lives
Midwestern Floods Takes 4 Lives
Aug 19, 2007 4:16 PM CDT

Midwestern Floods Takes 4 Lives

National Guardsmen rescue trapped drivers, state of emergency declared

(Newser) - Floodwaters have taken at least 4 lives today and plowed through bridges and roads in the MidWest, the AP reports. Dozens of National Guardsmen are braving severe storms as helicopters are rescuing people trapped by the flooding. Governors have declared states of emergency in Minnesota and Wisconsin and urged people...

Baby's Body Found at Bridge
Baby's Body Found at Bridge
Aug 10, 2007 5:37 PM CDT

Baby's Body Found at Bridge

(Newser) - The body of a 2-year-old girl is among those recovered from the wreckage of the I35W bridge in Minneapolis; the toddler's mother has not yet been found, CNN reports. Remains located by divers in the Mississippi today bring the total number of casualties in the Aug. 1 collapse to at...

Two Bodies Pulled From Bridge Debris

Confirmed death toll climbs to 7; at least 6 more remain missing

(Newser) - Authorities recovered two more bodies from the wreckage of the I-35W bridge today, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, bringing the official death toll to seven. One of the bodies has already been identified, and police anticipated retrieving a third as work continued for a seventh full day in and around...

Feds Spot Bridge Support Flaw
Feds Spot Bridge Support Flaw
Aug 9, 2007 5:28 AM CDT

Feds Spot Bridge Support Flaw

Same metal plates are used by hundreds of other bridges

(Newser) - Federal experts investigating the Minneapolis bridge disaster have identified a structural flaw that may have led to the collapse, reports the New York Times. Investigators suspect that steel gusset plates used to connect the girders weren't strong enough to support the bridge right from the start. Federal authorities immediately warned...

Investigators Plan Bridge Reassembly

Jigsaw parts to be examined; search for victims continues

(Newser) - NTSB investigators will rebuild the wreckage of the I-35W bridge downriver, the Star Tribune reports. Safety officials will examine the twisted rubble piece by piece in an attempt to figure out what caused last week's devastating collapse. Investigators also hope to recover bodies still trapped in the debris.

McCain Blames Earmarks for Bridge Disaster

Pet projects diverted funds from transportation safety, says candidate

(Newser) - John McCain blasted fellow legislators yesterday for contributing to the Minnesota bridge collapse by spending billions of taxpayer dollars on pet projects rather than transportation safety. "Maybe if we had done it right, maybe some of that money would have gone to inspect those bridges and other bridges around...

Bridge Collapse Still a Mystery
Bridge Collapse Still a Mystery
Aug 3, 2007 8:22 PM CDT

Bridge Collapse Still a Mystery

Investigators examine site, computer models in quest to explain structural failure

(Newser) - State and private experts are investigating the wreckage of the I-35W bridge in search of a structural explanation for Wednesday's collapse, and sophisticated computer modeling is testing stress points. Time looks at bridges, seemingly indestructible structures that carry enormous volumes of traffic and can succumb to anything from corrosion to...

Hero Counselor Saves Kids From Bus on Bridge

He passes 52 trapped kids to volunteers

(Newser) - When a bus packed with kids returning from a field trip came to rest at a precarious angle on the collapsed I-35W bridge, dangling over the Mississippi River, counselor Jeremy Hernandez barely had time to think. "I knew we had to get them out of there," the 20-year-old...

Bridge Rated 'Structurally Deficient' in 2005

Hunt still on for missing

(Newser) - Federal engineers rated the Minneapolis bridge that plunged into the Mississippi as "structurally deficient" as far back as 1990 and as recently as 2005, citing significant corrosion in its bearings. But state officials opted for patchwork repairs and more inspections rather than a complete overhaul. "We thought we...

Feds Send $5M to Repair Bridge
Feds Send $5M to Repair Bridge
Aug 2, 2007 12:37 PM CDT

Feds Send $5M to Repair Bridge

(Newser) - The federal government released $5M to Minneapolis today to help with cleanup and rebuilding after the I-35W bridge collapsed yesterday. Minnesota's senators say they'll need $100M and 2 years to repair the bridge fully. "We in the federal government must respond, and respond robustly," President Bush said.

Toll Hits 7 in Bridge Collapse
Toll Hits 7 in Bridge Collapse
Aug 2, 2007 6:32 AM CDT

Toll Hits 7 in Bridge Collapse

'My car pointed straight down and we fell'

(Newser) - The death toll in the catastrophic bridge collapse over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis has hit 7, with other victims fighting for their lives, CNN reports. One bystander says cars were "completely crushed" after suddenly plunging into the river during rush hour Wednesday evening when the 40-year-old bridge gave...

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