Discussions about same-sex marriage have been playing out in faith communities for years, and the debate has grown louder in Minnesota as a vote looms on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Catholics and evangelical churches strongly support it. On Thursday, more than 100 religious leaders who oppose it will hold a faith summit in Minneapolis.

After more than 5.5 decades the Kaplan family's Subway News Stand in downtown Rochester will ring up its last sale on Aug. 31, the Post Bulletin reports. Declining sales, changes in the industry and rising prices convinced 84-year-old Ben Kaplan and his nephew it was time to close up shop. There's no word yet what Mayo Clinic has planned for the space.

A group opposing a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between and man and a woman has raised $3.1 million since it last reported its finances in January. Minnesotans United for All Families, a group formed solely to defeat the proposed change to the state's constitution, has collected more than $4.6 million since the campaign started last year.

Minnesotans United for All Families announced on Tuesday night that the group had raised $8.2 million in its efforts to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and woman, MPR reports. The group has raised $2.5 million since it filed its last campaign finance report in July, and a total of $5.96 million in 2012. The leading group in support of the amendment had not yet filed its fundraising figures.

With 98 percent of the vote counted, it appears the marriage amendment has failed. The result was striking development after similar measures have been passed in 30 states – and never before defeated. Associated Press exit polls showed a majority of women voted against the Minnesota measure and a majority of men voted for it. Young people voted against it in big numbers.

The Mayo Clinic hopes its plan for a new cancer network will bring medical care closer to where patients live. Its first partner is the Coborn Cancer Clinic in St. Cloud, which will have access to Mayo doctors and resources.

Freedom to Marry, a national group fighting to defeat the ballot measure to define marriage as solely between one man and one woman, will air its first television advertisement in Minnesota on Thursday. MPR reports the 30-second ad will run on television and cable networks in the Twin Cities and Duluth. It features a Duluth couple who have been married for nearly 60 years. Yvonne and Fred Peterson say gay couples should also be allowed to marry.

Minneapolis-based Capella University, an online learning center, announced Friday that it officially opposes the proposed constitutional amendment that would effectively ban gay marriage in Minnesota. Capella officials say theirs is the first major higher education institution to stand against the amendment.