The city is pledging to do a better job of informing people of their rights after the Star Tribune reported that nearly $250,000 in proceeds from auctions of impounded vehicles went to the city's coffers rather than the owners' pockets.

The Pioneer Press reports city police found an enormous fiberglass cow bolted to a trailer and abandoned in the street, so they hauled it into the impound lot. The owner, whoever that may be, has a right to reclaim it, but the trailer isn't registered. If no one claims the cow, the city will auction it.

The Minnesota State Patrol says it has impounded a car in Koochiching County with an unusual alternative fuel source. A trooper spokesperson says the driver of a rusted out Ford Pinto had a gas can on the front seat with a hose that ran out the passenger window, around the front and under the hood, which was "rigged up to the engine."

Connecticut-based Northern Tier Energy, the new owner of the St. Paul Park refinery, reported quarterly operating income of $199.4 million, up $33.7 million from the quarter a year ago, according to a company news release. Northern Tier credits record productivity at the St. Paul Park refinery and favorable crude oil prices for the boost in profits.

The city's impound lot auctions off cars after they go unclaimed for 15 days. This year the city kept $237,000 of that money that should have gone to the vehicles' owners.