Sand mining ban; Gone are the days of good government?; Warm weather gamble

Winona residents praise ban on sand mining

MPR News: "Residents in Winona, Minn., applauded the council's decision to temporarily ban any new or expanded silica sand mining or processing operations within city limits.Four other cities and five counties in southeast Minnesota have passed moratoriums on silica sand mining in recent months."

DFL files ethics complaint against Senator Michel

Uptake: "The fallout from the affair between Senator Amy Koch and her staffer Michael Brodkorb leads to an ethics complaint against a Senator Geoff Michel."

How Minnesota won the women's hockey title

Slapshot: "A matchup between the nation's top two women's hockey teams and Western Collegiate Hockey Association rivals set the stage for an intense battle in the N.C.A.A. championship game Sunday night, and the Minnesota Gophers walked away with the championship title, winning 4-2 over Wisconsin."

Minnesota gets D corruptibility grade, says State Integrity Investigation

City Pages: "​Minnesota is in the middle of the pack when it comes to the potential for government corruption, according to a new study by the Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International, and Global Integrity."

Farmers gamble on warm weather, start planting early

Forum of Fargo Moorhead: "Mike Bergeron beat the calendar, planting spring wheat in the last days of winter, nearly a month before he usually does such seeding."

Minnesota House votes for board to run trust lands

Pioneer Press: "The Minnesota House opted Monday, March 19, to approve a shift in control of 2.5 million acres of school trust lands in northern Minnesota from a state agency to a new board in hopes of generating more money for schools."

Op-Ed: Public has right to know how tax dollars are used

Duluth News Tribune: "The bill would require the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board to make public more information than it has been about clients seeking public money."

Report: Twin Cities rental market tightest in a decade

MPR News: "New housing data shows shows the Twin Cities rental market is the tightest it's been in a decade, with rents on the rise."

Russell Means to discuss Wounded Knee takeover at Augustana

Argus Leader: "Widely known for leading the 71-day armed takeover of Wounded Knee on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation, Means' talk is called 'Wounded Knee, Before, During and After,' and coincides with the Center for Western Studies' 44th annual Dakota Conference."

AFL-CIO registers PAC to fight "right-to-work" amendment

Capitol View: "Minnesota's unions have formed We Are Minnesota, a fund meant to raise money to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment that would make union membership and the payment of union dues voluntary for all workers."

Freakonomics - Conspicuous conservationism

Minnesota Today guest editor Steve Boland: "Interesting story of what people will spend to have other people *see* that they are green, rather than just being green."

Reading a story that you think other Minnesotans will find interesting or important? Become a guest editor and share your links.

Finding Minnesota: Somerskogen Sugarbush

WCCO: "Almost all of us love this warm March weather, but not maple syrup farmers. Why? Because when maple trees bloom, the sap stops. But in Minnetrista, the sap is still slowly flowing. And that's a good thing."

A ride in the park

Rice Creek Trail ride in Fridley from Yamihoo. (h/t Fridley Patch)

Where in the Boundary Waters Should I Canoe?

Boundary Waters Blog: "No matter how many times I've been on Boundary Waters canoe trips it's still a tough decision to decide where to go. Who I'm paddling with, how much time I have and how energetic I'm feeling all make a difference in what route I'll choose."

Chef's night off at Kitchen in the Market

Eat Drink Life Love: "It's the most fun you'll have in a kitchen ... probably ever. You'll eat fantastically and learn a lot too. The evening also benefited Renewing the Countryside, a local non-profit organization that champions rural communities through farming, business and other creative initiatives."

Foggy Night from David Cowardin on Vimeo.

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