Drones as law enforcement tool, Mayo Clinic job growth, Bachmann staffer defects to Paul
North Dakota, federal officials weigh in on drones as law enforcement tool
"Law enforcement officials in the Fargo-Moorhead area said they haven't used unmanned surveillance aircraft to search for wanted criminals, but they aren't closing the door to the idea," reports the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
Schlienz may have died from rare, aggressive ailment
Duluth News Tribune: "If Daniel Schlienz died of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), as his sister said she was told, it probably happened fast, medical experts said."
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Mayo Clinic projects mean bright future for jobs
Post Bulletin: "Mayo Clinic poured hundreds of millions of dollars into building projects this year, creating a ripple effect that should benefit the Rochester community for years."
Nowthen approves protection contract with Anoka County sheriff after all
Pioneer Press: "The sheriff is sticking around town after all in Nowthen. After coming up with a different way to pay for the roughly $318,000 cost, the Nowthen City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a two-year contract with the Anoka County sheriff's office."
Farming practices threaten corn crop
Time: "One of the nation's most widely planted crops -- a genetically engineered corn plant that makes its own insecticide -- may be losing its ability to kill a major pest, and scientists fear potentially risky farming practices are spurring the rise of insects immune to the hybrid's sophisticated weaponry."
Sheriff revises timeline on inmate's request for help
Duluth News Tribune: "As St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman backtracked on when he said Daniel Schlienz first requested medical attention in the county's jail, family members and a friend of the dead man gave more detailed accounts of his illness going back to Christmas Eve."
ND coal groups to pay $500K for lawsuit challenging Minn.
North Dakota utilities and coal interests agreed to pay up to $500,000 of the state's cost in challenging a Minnesota law that restricts imports of coal-generated electricity. (MPR News)
Bachmann's Iowa campaign chairman defects to Paul
AP: "Michele Bachmann's struggling presidential campaign saw her Iowa chairman defect Wednesday to rival Ron Paul's side, an embarrassing blow that came as some called for her to leave the race to free up her supporters for other candidates."
Romney jabs at Paul, who strikes Iowa chord
"Both candidates appear to have benefited from a decline in support for Newt Gingrich, who has been buffeted by negative advertisements from Mr. Paul and outside groups working on behalf of Mr. Romney," reports the New York Times.