The state's chilly temperatures and geological stability could be just what the growing data industry needs to keep its "server farms" cool and reliable. Legislators this year passed a package of tax incentives in hopes of luring companies scouting out places to build data centers.

Scientists from around the world are in St. Paul this week for the annual Robotics and Automation Conference, where everything from golf course-mowing machines to cancer-seeking micro-cameras are on display. The conference is not open to the public, but WCCO-TV got a peek.

With the help of a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, computer scientists and biologists from the U have developed robotic boats -- called Carp Trackers -- that can locate and follow carp, allowing officials to net and remove the fish from lakes and rivers.

The Minnesota Twins are negotiating a deal with Hennepin County to get a stake in a new light-rail transit hub near Target Field that connects the Hiawatha, Northstar and future Central Corridor lines, the Pioneer Press reports. The $79 million project also includes an entertainment plaza on the north side of the ballpark.

Trading services firm MF Global collapsed at the end of October after a disastrous bet on European debt. While few people in Minnesota did business directly with the broker, many of the state's farmers, co-ops and grain elevators are finding their accounts frozen and their money at risk.

Delta Airlines' primary headquarters and hub in Atlanta is flourishing. Not so at other hub cities. Since Delta absorbed Northwest Airlines, the Twin Cities area has lost 3,000 jobs associated with the carrier. In Memphis the number of flights has been nearly halved, pushing up air fares to the second highest in the nation. Behind Cincinnati. Which is also a Delta hub.

The Duluth News Tribune is reporting that the agency is transferring the state's top two foresters and launching a national search for a new chief. DNR commissioner Tom Landwehr says the timber industry has become more dependent on state lands and the agency wants to streamline its process for turning over land to loggers and mills.