Admission fees for the general public will go up by $1. The increase is due to cuts in state government funding. The last time admission fees were increased was in 2008.

5.4 percent of Minnesota mortgage holders were behind by at least one payment during the third quarter. That's almost a full percentage point lower than during the same period last year. It's also one of the lowest delinquency rates among the states.

The Center for Responsible Lending says Minnesota's foreclosure rate on bubble-era loans was higher than most other states. The report also found 5.5 percent of the Minnesota mortgages made during the housing bubble are delinquent.

A woman from Savage was sentenced to 60 months in prison Friday for her role in a multi-million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme that victimized lenders across the country. Barbara Lynnae Puro, 49, was sentenced after pleading guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is eyeing a $374 billion mortgage-servicing portfolio of Residential Capital LLC. The bankrupt lending unit, a subsidiary of government-owned Ally Financial, filed for Chapter 11 protection in May. Dow Jones News Wires reports Minnesota-based ResCap already has a proposed agreement to sell the mortgage unit to NationStar Mortgage Holdings Inc. Berkshire says it will match the $2.4 billion bid, but offer a lower breakup fee.

A 6-year-old boy from St. Paul was pulled from a swimming pool Friday night at a Hopkins country club where he was celebrating at a birthday party, police say. Club employees performed CPR on the child, and an ambulance brought the boy to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. The Associated Press reports the death has been ruled an accident.

A horse that broke free from its pasture in Forest Lake needed to be rescued Wednesday after it fell through a neighbor's swimming pool cover into about three feet of water. Firefighters used an aerial ladder truck to lift the horse to safety.

To some, the practice of letting retiring state employees cash out their unused sick time and vacation days is "antiquated." To others it's part of a competitive compensation package.