Duluth is accessible and very much open for the tourists it depends on every summer, city officials say. But there has been a deluge of visitor cancellations, and the tourism industry is battling the misconception that the city is not safe after record flooding last week. Those impressions linger even though 99 percent of the community is in decent condition and unsafe areas are barricaded, Mayor Don Ness said.

The first-ever Street Eat Awards in which we honor the local food truck scene.

International Falls won the competition held by the Minnesota Chapter of the American Water Works Association in Duluth for the best-tasting drinking water in Minnesota. St. Cloud and East Grand Forks took second and third place.

MPR News reports new data suggests that inmates who have visitors -- like family members and clergy -- can reduce their chances of recidivism by as much as 13 percent. The biggest hurdle is helping the 40 percent of prisoners who receive no visitors at all.

The 2012 annual fair in Freeborn County kicked off appropriately enough with a birth – in a bathroom near the Cattle Barn. A baby boy was born Tuesday to parents who both work for the carnival group Merriam’s Midway Shows, the Austin Daily Herald reports. Dale Merriam, a semi-retired owner of the traveling carnival, said the mother had worked just Monday night until after midnight setting up for the fair. A collection was being taken for the parents.

The retailer brought in some big stars to be a part of its semi-annual managers meeting in Minneapolis. The Star Tribune reports Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey, Olympian snowboarder Shaun White and Taylor Swift were among the well-known faces.

The city's Planning Commission voted 7-0 to reject the retailer's proposal after hundreds of people showed up to speak out against the plan. Commissioners say the store hasn't addressed concerns about traffic, parking and a nearby wetland. The company says it will address those issues before the City Council votes later this month.

The man behind the sound effects and character voices on the national radio show passed away unexpectedly Sunday after collapsing at his home. Garrison Keillor says he was one of radio's great clowns, who worked hard at silliness.