By Betsy Adams

‘Christmas meant bundling up on a silent night for an hour’s ride to Shakopee for a church service. The snow used to twinkle and it was just beautiful. There were no sounds but the bells on the horses.’
– Louise Mitchell

A New York reporter called Minnesota “another Siberia, unfit for human habitation.” Understandably incensed, Minnesota Territory and later the state of Minnesota felt compelled to respond with a humdinger of a PR campaign! And they did.

Every year the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the deadliest times on Minnesota roads. During 2005-2007, 23 motorists were killed and 63 were injured during the holiday travel period (Wednesday-Sunday), according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS). Traffic safety officials encourage motorists to buckle up, drive at safe speeds and pay attention behind the wheel.

By Forrest Adams

Reds, oranges, yellows and greens brighten at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum every spring, and while the majority of the membership gets a little grayer, efforts are under way to bring more budding youth onto the landscape.

The Minnesota Department of Tranportation says that the extended periods of record-setting cold temperatures may lead to a severe pothole season this year. They've also put together video and photo montages describing the whole process (see bottom of this post).

"Potholes usually form after water in highway pavement freezes. When the water freezes it expands, forming weakened pockets, or voids, in the pavement. The voids then collapse, creating the all too familiar pothole," a news release from the agency stated.