Utilities Sector

North Loop water main that broke last week was installed in 1891 and looks like it [PHOTO]

The City of Minneapolis' official Facebook page yesterday posted the above photo of the North Loop water main that broke last week, spilling 14 million gallons of water onto downtown streets and disrupting water service in the area for days.SEE ALSO:-- Downtown Mpls water main break: No poop in the ... More >>

Red, White, & Boom!

Tim Pawlenty named to board of sand mining company

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty wasn't meant to lead a nation. But, since his August announcement to drop his 2012 presidential bid, he's made sure he's still governing something, somewhere. Pawlenty was named to Smart Sand Inc.'s Board of Directors on Wednesday, which marks his eighth appointmen ... More >>

Pert Near Sandstone (CD-release)

Lyn Lake Street Fest, Stone Arch Festival of the Arts announce lineups

​Though much of their lineup had already been unveiled on their website, the Lyn Lake Street Fest has fleshed out its schedule and revealed all of its acts today, including Peter Wolf Crier's first local appearance in five months. As if that wasn't enough to get us salivating about summertime fun, ... More >>

Forecast in St. Paul: Radioactive rain

TopatoMaybe Blinky makes a guest appearance in the Mississippi this summer?​Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency say it's raining radiation in St. Paul as a result of the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan. The readings show elevated levels of radioactive iodine-131 i ... More >>

Gas leak in St. Paul evacuates 12 buildings

KSTPReports are still coming in of the smell of natural gas throughout the area.​A large natural gas leak on the Central Corridor in St. Paul this morning resulted in street shut downs, building evacuations and over a thousand XCel Energy customers without a pilot light this afternoon. While ... More >>

Stone Arch Festival music lineup announced

Shawn Neary's Wapsipinicon is one of many local acts performing at Stone Arch this summer​The Stone Arch Festival, a two-day local art, food, theater, and music extravaganza that takes over St. Anthony Main every Father's Day weekend, has announced its music lineup for this year. The Stone Arch Fe ... More >>

Xcel rate hike won't pay for fancy trips, Beyonce concert tix

If your electricity bill went up, you'd like to assume it is because it costs more to create the same amount of power than it did the year before. Not so.

3rd Annual Prince Family Reunion

Cheetah Nunchuck

The Green Institute faces possible foreclosure after 15 years

It was ahead of its time, but now the nonprofit has a looming debt problem

10/2 Photo of the Day: Witch's Hat

Keepin' it in the family

T-Paw puts the patronage back in the state government

Blowin' in the wind: T. Boone Pickens has a Minnesota-friendly energy strategy

Rays of Future Present: Solar in Southeast Como

Electrifying Minnesota

Just Don't Inhale

Mozaic Project in Uptown kicks off 2007 with a Big Dig

Passing gas: What went wrong with Xcel's D.C. lobbyist

Minnesota by the numbers: The nation's biggest importer of electricity

2005 Wine & Dine Guide: The World in a Bottle

If 40 distributors each work with between 30 and 200 chateaus, bodegas, collectives, estates, wineries, or what have you--how many separate bottlings are available in Minnesota?

Apocalypse Soon

This thing's gonna blow!

Wanted: Someone To Write An Ode to a Urinal

Is there no one in Minnesota who can handle the job?

Nuke 'Em!

Xcel energy spearheads a high-stakes plan to store nuclear waste on a tiny, dirt-poor Indian reservation in the Utah desert

In Pork We Trust

Coleman and Dayton partner up to bring home the bacon

Made to Be Broken

Xcel comes begging for more nuclear waste storage

Down to the Wire

Opponents of a new power line in the suburbs win one, and lose one

Chump Changed

The pay was low, but working for Ma Bell meant a worry-free retirement. Now Qwest is sending out the pension checks, and local retirees say they're getting the wrong number.

Whitewater Affair

The current investigation into rafting the rapids on Minneapolis's stretch of the Mississippi

From Minneapolis, With Love

Hennepin County wants to dump its incinerator ash in the metro's "environmental Bermuda triangle"

Fish Boil

The state plans to kill all the fish in two Anoka County lakes to rid them of pesky carp. Area residents, however, are less than thrilled with the idea of helicopters spreading poison near their homes.

Sewer Politics

According to a city report released just weeks before the July floods, Minneapolis will have to come up with more than $100 million a year for the next 25 years to fix its crumbling streets and sewers--or face much worse.

The Information Dirt Road