Finance & Commerce reports the California-based Tower Investments owes more than $740,000 in back property taxes and fines. For the past six years, Tower has been pushing a major biobusiness park on a former elk farm in southeast Minnesota, but nothing has happened on the site since 2010. Tower's senior vice president claims the taxes aren't paid because Tower is in the midst of appealing its property taxes with Olmsted County.

Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann says she’s in the campaign for the long term. The day after the latest GOP candidate debate Bachmann insists the race consists of more than front-runners Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. Bachmann is skipping the Florida straw poll, saying the balloting there is too narrow.

The proposed store would be the fifth location the Minneapolis-based discount retailer has on the Hawaiian Islands. Pacific Business News reports the 136,500-square-foot store will be the anchor of a new shopping center in Central Maui and could open in 2014.

County officials want to improve sidewalks along county roads to encourage more walking, the Star Tribune writes. A draft plan is expected to be ready early next year, but, the county has already set aside $200,000 this year to begin building safer sidewalks and crossings.

Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Thomas Sorel is leaving the 5,000-worker agency that he has guided since April 2008, and on Dec. 1 will become the new leader of AAA Minneapolis, a 200,000-member auto club.

The Twins won a $200,000 grant from Pepsi to build the state-of-the-art field that will feature specialized turf. It will be the state's first accessible softball field for competitive wheelchair play once its completed next summer.