We've got jobs and a lower cost of living than many of the hot places-to-be, such as San Francisco, and those facts are luring thousands of college grads.

A man is in critical condition after a standoff with police near Hutchinson, Minn., WCCO reports. A woman had barricaded herself in a home on a farm because a man outside the house had fired shots. Police finally escorted her to safety. Police later found the man near the farm, and he shot himself as officials cornered him, WCCO says.

Bob Harms of Kingston, Minn., is aboard a Toro riding mower for a 485-mile journey the length of Minnesota, from the Canadian border to the Iowa state line. The trek is a fundraising effort for children with hearing loss.

It was quite the spectacular sight this weekend in Duluth -- tens of thousands of raptors flew over Hawk Ridge as part of the annual Hawk Weekend Festival.

The Credit Union National Association says 10,200 Minnesotans have joined credit unions in the last month. Both Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank have taken criticism for their efforts to charge monthly debit card fees.

Police in Superior, Wis. say the man suffered gashes to his leg and arm after the 200-pound bear mauled him while he was deer hunting. Authorities were to find the bear and euthanize it. .

A house about a mile north of Freeborn, Minn., exploded Friday afternoon, severely injuring a 75-year-old man. Fire largely destroyed the home. Investigators were probing what might have caused the blast. The house had recently been sold.