BWCA cell tower appeal, growing Duluth, winter’s return

AT&T asks appeals court to allow tower near BWCA

AP: "AT&T is asking the Minnesota Court of Appeals to overturn a judge's decision barring it from building a 450-foot cellphone tower with flashing lights that would be visible within parts of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness."

Pederson calls for simpler vendor bidding rules

Saint Cloud Times: "A St. Cloud legislator is echoing a local business's contention that state officials set unfair ground rules for vendors vying for a contract to supply food to the Department of Corrections and other state agencies."

Tevlin: Aw, c'mon, Gary. You're really retiring from MPR?

Star Tribune: :So, will the man who has interviewed just about every prominent Minnesotan over the past four decades miss being out of the loop? 'Damn right,' says Eichten, who turns 65 in two weeks. 'But it's time. It's the right thing to do.'"

Ness lays out plan to increase Duluth's population to 90,000

Duluth News Tribune: Duluth Mayor Don Ness "unveiled what he called his 'prosperity agenda' to an audience at the Kitchi Gammi Club on Tuesday afternoon, saying the keys to growth will include new and better-paying jobs, access to affordable housing and a well-trained work force."

Shakopee launches fourth-quarter drive for Vikings stadium

Patch: "With deadlines from Vikings owners to come up with a stadium deal that would keep the Vikings in Minnesota, Mayor Tabke and other Shakopee officials are running their own version of the two-minute drill."

Deputies called; Dusso, Rohne resign

Austin Daily Herald: "It wasn't a meltdown like many predicted, but the Lyle Public School board meeting had some fireworks. Board members were at odds once more."

Now supplying 10 percent of nation's domestic crude production, North Dakota's output more than just a drop in the bucket

AP: "North Dakota oil drillers have surpassed a milestone of half a million barrels of oil a day, the state's top oil regulator said Tuesday."

Old Man Winter comes out of hibernation

Updraft: "Well, it is about time we tap into some colder air north of the border. Ten days into the new year and the temperatures are running close to 15 degrees above normal. ... Daylight has already lengthened and Old Man Winter has to play some catch-up. That begins today."

High-tech devices leave cellphone users vulnerable to spies

Forum of Fargo Moorhead: "Spy technology is now available to the average person who wants to glean cellphone information, read private emails and track someone's location using global positioning systems. And increasingly, experts say, the technologies are being used by spouses and partners to track, harass and stalk."

• Editor’s notebook: Covering the environment in 2014
• Best of Minnesota Scenes from 2014
• 50 years of memory making in the Boundary Waters