“Federal prosecutors Thursday announced they will seek the death penalty against 20-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the Boston Marathon bombing, accusing him of betraying his adopted country by ruthlessly carrying out a terrorist attack calculated to cause maximum carnage,” reports the Associated Press. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to press for Tsarnaev’s execution was widely Read more →
“Saying that Edward Snowden has ‘contributed to a more stable and peaceful world order’ by exposing U.S. surveillance practices and forcing a new debate over security and privacy, two Norwegian politicians nominated the former intelligence contractor for the Nobel Peace Prize Wednesday,” writes NPR’s Bill Chappell. If he were to win the award, Snowden, who Read more →
The Associated Press reports: Seeking to energize his sluggish second term, President Barack Obama vowed Tuesday night in his State of the Union address to sidestep Congress “whenever and wherever” necessary to narrow economic disparities between rich and poor. He unveiled an array of executive actions that included increasing the minimum wage for some federal Read more →
Minnesotans today woke up to another day of sub-zero temperatures, school cancellations and dangerous wind chills. Some are making the best of it, like racing a 135-mile course or partaking in an ice fishing extravganza. But others may need a reminder. So… Today’s Question: Why do you live in Minnesota?
MPR News reports: Christine McVicker and her family are paying $2.65 a gallon for the propane that heats their family’s Isanti home. She says when they bought their home a decade ago, a gallon of propane cost around 75 cents. She says her supplier has warned the price could soon hit 6 dollars. McVicker has Read more →
If researchers from Princeton are right, Facebook will have gone the way of Friendster and MySpace by 2017. But if that’s true, what will take its place? Time reports: Disease models can be used to understand the mass adoption and subsequent flight from online social networks, researchers at Princeton’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Read more →
An “independent consultant has issued a damning report of the state’s troubled online insurance marketplace,” write MPR News reporters Catharine Richert and Elizabeth Stawicki. MNsure’s management structure is “non-existent” according to Optum, a subsidiary of Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, which recently performed a week-long analysis of the more than $100 million website. MNsure executives have been Read more →
Parents and kids waiting in line to enter Disneyland. (Humayunn Niaz Ahmed Peerzaada / Flickr) “For centuries, having children has been held up by many as the ultimate source of fulfilment and meaning in life. However, according to one of the biggest studies ever conducted into Britain’s relationships, childless couples have happier marriages,” writes John Read more →
Mining companies are doing well currently in Minnesota, but the towns where they operate and draw labor from are seeing less from companies for schools and economic development. Marshall Helmberger of the Timberjay does the math and provides some additional context. Read his full article here. To understand just how badly state and local governments Read more →
MPR News reporter Dan Olson joined Christopher Smith on a recent ice fishing outing. @chris_steller @MPRnews Ice skating outside and sledding. — Melissa Hansen (@ThatGirlMissy) January 17, 2014 @MPRnews Best part of winter? Snow falling like you're in the middle of a gently shaken snow globe & its warm enough to go out and enjoy Read more →
Michael Olson
Molly Bloom