Recently in Local News Category

The fire last month in Soudan Underground Mine State Park, was probably caused by the sparkes produced by maintenence, the Star Tribune said.

The park manager, Jim Essig, told Duluth News Tribune that it is not likely the mine will be open this summer for tours, although visitors are welcome above ground.

The damage from the fire in the mine included "charred timbers and melted PVC pipes and electrical wiring," the Star Tribune said.

When the fire started, there were crew members in the lowest 600 feet of the mine shaft, according to Duluth News Tribune.

The Star Tribune reports that the cost of repairs and cleanup is still unknown, but experts will be finding out shortly.

Gov. Mark Dayton made $671,724 last year, which is far more than what he made the previous year, which was a reported $172,472 according to The Republic.

The Star Tribune reports that these figures are the earnings he recieved from his investments.

Dayton released his tax information at a time when he was pushing for a proposal to raise taxes for the higest earners in Minnesota. He falls into that category, according to the Star Tribune.

Included in the $671,742 that he earned last year, was $407,665 from selling 8,431 shares of stock in the Target Corporation, The Republic reported.

According to the Star Tribune, these shares were purchased in August, 1930.

The Star Tribune reported that a 25-year-old soldier from Minnesota died while serving the Army in Afghanistan Friday.

Spc. Joseph A. Kennedy died after coming under small arms fire, according to 5 Eyewitness News. Kennedy was killed in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Friends of Kennedy told the Star Tribune that he "was killed by Afghan insurgents who attacked his Humvee."

According to 5 Eyewitness News, Kennedy was assigned to the "2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Knox, Ky."

He has been deployed since January and sacrificed a lot to devote himself to the Army, the Star Tribune reported.

A 73-year-old woman was seriously injured in a car collision Saturday morning, the Pioneer Press said.

The Star Tribune indentified the woman as Wanda Lou Mathison and is in critical condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

A press release from the St. Paul Police Department, informed the Pioneer Press that Mathison turned left from onto St. Anthony Avenue in front of the car being driven by 55-year-old John Watzl. During the time of the collision, Watzl had a 59-year-old passenger were with him, and neither of them were injured.

There were no citations or arrests made in this case, the Pioneer Press said, and there was no evidence that alocohol or drugs were involved.

The Porky's in St. Paul decided to shut it's doors for good after the construction of the light-rail line along University Avenue slowed down business, the Star Tribune reported, the restaurant sold it's property to a neighboring housing facility.

The restaurant is auctioning off it's equipment and furnishings online from Monday to Wednesday, according to the Pioneer Press.

The 58-year-old Porky's restaurant closed Sunday night after patrons of all ages came out for one last meal, the Star Tribune said.

Pioneer Press reported that the restaurant will not be selling the Porky's sign, because the Truelson family, owners of the restaurant, will be keeping it.

On the contrary, the Star Tribune reported that Porky's will indeed be selling the sign.

The Minnesota based Jennie-O in Willmar is recalling about 55,000 pounds of turkey burger products, Northland's NewsCenter said.

The company feared that their 4-pound cartons of the "All Natural Turkey Burgers With Seasonings: Lean White Meat," may be contaminated with salmonella, the Star Tribune reported.

According to Northland's NewsCenter, the U-S Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service is who announced the recall.

The meat in question was being sold only in Sam's Club stores, the Star Tribune reported, and consumers are being asked to bring the meat back to Sam's Club for a refund of their money.

Researchers in Duluth are trying new ways to fix the potholes by using powerful microwaves to heat the mix at the exact site where the craters developed, the Star Tribune said.

KTTC also reports that this technology they're experimenting with provides a use for taconite waste.

David Hopstock, a Roseville, Minn.-based consultant, told the Star Tribune that this technology could be the way potholes are filled in winter months in the near future.

Hoptock said it doesn't usually work in the winter because of how fast the mix cools off, he is worried about the road patched not lasting, according to KTTC.

KTTC reports that they will need to do more tests to see how long the patches last.

An ex-con admitted to robbing a bank located inside a Fridley Cub Foods, according to the Star Tribune.

The robber, Joe Nathan Michael, 48, admitted to stealing $1,991 from the bank. He gave the teller a note with the message "Give money, I gun," the Fridley Patch reported.

According to the Star Tribune, Michael pleaded guilty to the robbery on Wednesday in federal court in Minneapolis

Michael faces a sentence of 20 years in prison for a single count of bank robbery, the Fridley Patch said. The hearing where he will be sentenced in not yet scheduled.

The criminal history of Michael include a felony robbery. domestic assault, gross misdemeanors for domestic assault, all in Minneapolis, the Star Tribune said.

After being run over by it's mother in an SUV, a one-year-old baby died Monday, 5 Eyewitness News.

The mother helped her other child into their car seat, started her car, and and started backing out of the parking spot when she hit her 1-year-old in a stroller outside the Stillwater Medical Group Clinic, police said told the Star Tribune.

According to the 5 Eyewtiness News, the mother then took her baby back inside the Stillwater Medical Group. They provided immediate care and called 911.

The Star Tribune reported that the child was then taken to Regions Hospital.

Stillwater Police Chief John Gannaway said "The mother will not face charges, this was a very tragic accident," according to 5 Eyewitness News.

Installations on the Metrodome's new fiberglass roof will begin soon, according to the Star Tribune. The Dome's landlords received the first insurance payment for the collapse of the old roof.

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission told Fox News that all $25 million associated with replacing the roof will be covered by insurance.

Commission Chair Ted Mondale, told the Star Tribune that he was confident they can finish the repairs needed for the Metrodome in time for the Minnesota Vikings' preseason schedule in August.

Officials told Fox News that they will be taking parts of the old roof off in sections and replacing panels as they go. Engineers made it clear that a partial repair would not be safe.