Packaging company Bemis will close its St. Louis Park facility at the end of August or early September and its Minneapolis facility near the University of Minnesota will likely close by the end of the year, the company has reported. About 160 employees will be laid off.

The new parent company of Fashion Bug is closing the 600 remaining stores by early 2013, including locations in Apple Valley, Brooklyn Park, Coon Rapids, Elk River, Hudson and Shakopee. Last year, 124 Fashion Bug stores were closed.

Woodbury, Edina and Coon Rapids topped the list of "cheating" suburbs in the Twin Cities. A dating website for people looking to date married men or women released a "top 10" of the least faithful cities in the metro.

Metro counties contribute almost two-thirds of the money going into the the Legacy Fund set up by a constitutional amendment. But parks in those counties get far less than half of the Legacy grants. Debates to make the distribution more 'equitable' are contentious.

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.