For many, North Dakota may never be a top winter vacation destination. In fact, The Weather Channel named Fargo "America's Toughest Weather City." However, that hasn't kept the Peace Garden State from having a successful 2011. According to the Fargo-Moorhead Forum, several magazines and websites praise NoDak for its booming economy and security.

The legislation will allow more card tables at Minnesota's two horse tracks and boost the betting limits. The deal also gives Minnesota's tribal casinos access to simulcast horse racing. The amendments are effective immediately.

The measure would allow race tracks to add more tables and higher stakes for card games such as blackjack and poker. Tribal-owned casinos would be allowed to simulcast horse races and take bets on them. It was a rare case of the tribes and racing industry both endorsing a bill.

A Twin Cities company called Flair makes breathing strips that were worn by I'll Have Another in the horse's Kentucky Derby and Preakness victories. But they won't be part of his bid for the Triple Crown. The strips are banned by racing officials in the state of New York, where the Belmont Stakes are run.

Canterbury Park offered its richest purse ever for a single race at the track on Saturday. The $161,000 Mystic Lake Derby was the first significant event since the horse track partnered with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Last month, the owners of Mystic Lake Casino agreed to pay $75 million over the next decade to boost racing purses at Canterbury Park. In exchange, the racetrack will drop its longstanding push to add slot machines. Hammers Terror won the inaugural race, with jockey Lori Keith in the saddle.

The goal is to help ease the housing shortage in the oil rich part of western North Dakota. Plans call for 10 buildings that will accommodate 240 campers, according to the Fargo Forum. The first phase of the project will open in July. Officials in Williston are considering a new law to ban RVs within the city.

PepsiCo has decided to shut down its bottling operations and eliminate 16 jobs in Fargo, N.D., Forum Communications reports. The company will keep about 300 warehouse and sales positions in the area.