Minnesota News Briefs: Many unhappy with early move of holiday sales

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Not everyone is happy in the latest move to ring up earlier holiday sales.

Minneapolis-based Target is moving "Black Friday" to Thursday night to compete with rival Walmart and other retailers. Target says employees won't be forced to work on Thanksgiving evening -- and those who are signed up for shifts are excited. But some of Target's workforce is seeing red, fearing potential retribution if they don't agree to work on the holiday. A petition opened at Change.org now has 150,000 signatures, asking the nation's number-two retailer to QUOTE "Take the high road and save Thanksgiving."

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Numbers from October show Twin Cities housing sales up 15-percent over a year earlier. The Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors reports more than 4,250 houses sold across the Twin Cities last month. The median prices for a home in the metropolitan area was also up about 15-percent to an average $175,000.

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Minnesota's DNR reports hunters have taken close to 120 wolves so far during the state's first-ever wolf hunting season. The early season, which has a limit of 200 overall, ends this Sunday. Minnesota's second wolf hunting season runs from November 24th through the end of January.

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Minnesota can do a better job handling unnecessary premature births. That's according to a report card released today by the March of Dimes, which gives the state a "B." The group's Danielle Prenevost says one in 10 babies are born premature in Minnesota and babies "who survive an early birth often face the risk of lifelong health challenges, like breathing problems, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities" and other. Prenevost says smoking, lack of access to prenatal care and scheduling early births for nonmedical reasons all contribute to premature births. She says it's best for women with healthy pregnancies to wait until at least 39 weeks to have the baby.

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Fresh lake herring is the menu item for a special event tonight (Tues 5-7 p.m.) on the University of Minnesota campus. "A Salute to Lake Superior's Sustainable Fisheries" features ten chefs competing for a one-thousand-dollar prize. Sharon Moen with the U-of-M's Sea Grant program says it's a nice way to promote the delicate, light fish that are caught locally. Moen says the herring comes from 25 commercial fishermen on Lake Superior. A bus load of foodies from the North Shore are coming to Minneapolis for the event.

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It's beginning to feel a lot like winter, everywhere statewide. The cold spot this morning is nine-degrees in Wadena, while portions of the Twin Cities have dropped into the mid-teens for the first time this season. Oddly enough, some of the state's warmer temperatures, mid-20's, are in northern Minnesota towns like Hinckley, Moose Lake and along the North Shore.

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The state Pollution Control Agency says the Minnesota River is in better shape than a decade ago and now has dissolved oxygen levels sufficient to support fish and other aquatic life. But MCPA Commissioner John Linc Stine says there are still concerns about nitrogen runoff and sediment from farm fields and storm sewer systems. Stine says the Minnesota River also still has problems with endocrine-disrupting compounds that come from pharmaceutics and other waste products.

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What do you want included in the new Vikings stadium? That's the question officials have for the public tonight (5:30-6:30pm) in Rochester for their first listening session in Greater Minnesota. State Sports Facilities Authority Chair Michele Kelm-Helgen says the architect will talk about ideas they have for the stadium. But she says what they really want to do is listen to what people want to make sure is included in the new stadium, or what should be done differently from the Metrodome. Kelm-Helgen notes although the Vikings will obviously be a very important tenant, the new stadium will be a multi-purpose facility. There's another listening session in Duluth in two weeks.

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The Twin Cities campus of the U-of-M ranked third in the country last year for students who studied abroad. Dean of International Programs Meredith McQuaid says one reason is a thorough vetting of courses offered in other countries. McQuaid says another reason for the high number is options for study abroad that are shorter than a semester. The UMD campus also made the "Open Doors" rankings by the Institute of International Education, coming in at 38th.

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A Minnesota restaurant chain thinks its recipe is just right for customers on the West Coast. Minnetonka-based Famous Dave's expansion plans include 16 new locations around Los Angeles, San Diego and other areas of southern California. CEO John Gilbert says it's a high-paced market with a lot of meals eaten out -- and he says "there's not a lot of barbecue saturation out there yet." Gilbert says the nation's economy is moving in a positive direction -- enough so, that Famous Dave's can build on its locations. The chain also plans to bring its barbecue to markets in Washington and Missouri.

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The Capitol City's tallest Christmas tree is on its way. Reports say a St. Paul family has donated the 60-foot-tall spruce tree so it can stand in Rice Park for the holidays. The city will drape 15-thousand lights from the tree and turn them on during a ceremony a week from this Saturday (Nov 24 - 5pm).

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Investigators continue looking for suspects after five people were injured in a shooting incident at an event center early Sunday morning in Austin. Two victims are listed in critical condition. It happened after a hip-hop event at the Lansing Corners supper club, a one-time diner near Austin. Police are trying to figure out what happened and say it was possibly gang activity. Witnesses and victims so far are not cooperating with investigators, or claim they didn't see anything. There have been no arrests.

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It's been a volatile few days weather-wise throughout the state. We've run the gamut from record-high temperatures on Saturday to snow today -- with thunderstorms and tornadoes in between. Chris Franks with the National Weather Service says we often see dramatic temperature changes but tornadoes in Minnesota this time of year are very rare.

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A focused effort to reduce homelessness among veterans has led to a significant decline over the past four years. In 2009, one out of four homeless people was a veteran and the Department of Veterans Affairs says today that number is one in ten. U.S. Senator Al Franken (DFL-Minneapolis) says the Obama Administration made it a priority to expand services to veterans to tackle the problem -- and says the best way to keep someone from being homeless is to get them a job. Franken co-authored a bi-partisan bill to expand veteran job creation programs but it failed by two votes in September. This is National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

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Congressman-elect Rick Nolan is going to Washington, D.C. today to look for a room near the Capitol and attend orientation sessions. The 8th District's incoming representative does not plan to move his family from Crow Wing County. Nolan says he's anxious to get started and believes there will be compromise in the U.S. House next session. He says one message that came through loud and clear is voters want to see bi-partisanship and cooperation. Nolan says he would like to serve on the House Natural Resources Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Nolan represented Minnesota's old 6th congressional district from 1975 through 1981.

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A central Minnesota man is under arrest for a fire that damaged a veterinary hospital and endangered several animals. Five dogs and a cat were rescued from the North Branch fire which was put out a week ago Sunday Charges against the 21-year-old suspect are pending.

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