The Minnesota Department of Human Services says an Iron Range couple voluntarily surrender their child foster care license after one of their own children found a gun in a family vehicle. The department's "statement of final agency decision" says Tony and Shannon Hautala of Mountain Iron surrendered their license -- one of two child foster care licenses lost in the area in recent weeks.

For twenty years Crooks was the chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux tribe. He helped shape the direction of the band as it became one of the wealthiest in the nation, urging his fellow tribesmen to share their excess with others. One says he ranks alongside Sitting Bull and Red Cloud among the greatest Indian leaders.

A Two Harbors foster mother spanked a foster child in violation of state rules, and she and her husband, a Lutheran pastor, lost their foster care license, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. They plan to appeal.

The Associated Press says more skeptical parents are opting out of vaccinating their children, and health officials worry that could lead to a resurgence in illnesses they once considered defeated. The AP report says Minnesota has the third highest exemption rate in the country, with 6.5 percent of parents opting out.

White Earth tribal conservation officers are reviving "man tracking," the ancient skill of following someone's path through the wilderness. They say it can make life-saving manhunts much more efficient and effective.

While spring designs are trending toward the carefree with fabrics and cuts, our arm candy has taken a sharp turn toward structure.

New housing construction in Plymouth is bucking the national trend. KSTP reports permits for single-family homes there are up 128 percent. City officials credit pent-up demand and the desirable Wayzata school district.