Read Christina in The New York Times

Lutheran Group Eases Limits on Gay Clergy - 8/21/09 - After an emotional debate over the authority of Scripture and the limits of biblical inclusiveness, leaders of the country’s largest Lutheran denomination voted Friday to allow gay men and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as members of the clergy.

Lutherans May Permit Noncelibate Gay Pastors - 8/20/09 - Leaders of the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination began a civil but tense debate here on Thursday on whether to ordain gay men and lesbians, an issue that is likely to come to a vote on Friday.

Franken, in Long Wait, Studied for Senate Role - 7/2/09 - After eight months of quietly raising money, hiring a staff and boning up on health care and other issues, Al Franken, the newly minted Democratic senator from Minnesota, finally got to deliver a victory speech on Wednesday.

Franken's Win Bolsters Democratic Grip in Senate - 7/1/09 - After nearly eight months of waiting, almost 20,000 pages of legal briefs, and millions of dollars in election costs, Al Franken emerged Tuesday as the next United States senator from Minnesota, ending one of the most protracted election recount battles in recent memory.

In Minnesota, Big Moment for a Temple for Hindus - 6/28/09 - Amid the soybean fields and silos, a testament to the Hindu faith has risen.

Thousands Face A Balancing Act Over Flu Fears - 4/30/09 - As the number of confirmed swine flu cases in this country continued to rise, precautions over the illness were beginning to affect the daily lives of tens of thousands of people, even in states where the flu has yet to be found.

New Congress Likely to Meet Before Ruling in Minnesota - 12/23/08 - The protracted Senate race in Minnesota is not likely to be resolved before the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 6, the secretary of state said Tuesday.

Ruling Favors Democrat in Contest in Minnesota - 12/18/08 - In a boost for Al Franken, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Thursday that counties could count additional absentee ballots, despite objections from Norm Coleman.

In Minnesota Recount, Scribbles, Mice and Other Ballot Puzzles - 12/16/08 - The Minnesota Canvassing Board huddled in a basement room here Tuesday to ponder the meaning of squiggles and stray marks on ballots, trying to solve the near deadlock in the Senate race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken.

Patience and Politeness as Minnesota Recounts Senate Ballots 11/19/08 - No one would mistake Hastings, Minn., in late November 2008 for West Palm Beach, Fla., in late November 2000.

Recount Begins in Minnesota Senate Race 11/19/08 - The gates are open, and the race is finally on. Again.

Close Vote Breeds Hostility in Minnesota Senate Race 11/14/08 - The vote gap between the two candidates in Minnesota’s still-undecided Senate race — the longest, closest and costliest in state history — has narrowed since Election Day, but the hostility and vitriol surrounding the race seem to grow by the hour.

Constituents Make Their Bailout Views Known 9/24/08 - Americans’ anger is in full bloom, jumping off the screen in capital letters and exclamation points, in the e-mail in-boxes of elected representatives in the nation’s capital.

Minnesota: Rebuilt Bridge Opens 9/19/08 - Flashing headlights and honking horns penetrated the early-morning sky as police officers and first responders led drivers in a slow procession across the new Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis.

A New Bridge Helps a City Heal Some Old Wounds 9/18/08 - If a bridge is a metaphor, plenty of people in the Little Apple, as this artsy, vibrant city is sometimes known, see the new roadway as a way to move ahead from the anguish.

Senator Seeks Withdrawal of Guilty Plea in Sex Sting 9/11/08 - A lawyer for Senator Larry E. Craig asked the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Wednesday to allow Mr. Craig to withdraw a guilty plea to disorderly conduct after his arrest in a sex-sting operation at an airport men’s room last year

For Sale: Anything Palin 9/4/08 - The demand for Palin merchandise underscores the velocity of her ascent. Marketers are scrambling to catch up.

A New Twist in the Debate on Mothers 9/1/08 - When Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska was introduced as a vice-presidential pick, she was presented as a magnet for female voters, the epitome of everymom appeal.

Palin Daughter’s Pregnancy Interrupts G.O.P. Convention Script 9/1/08 - Just days after Gov. Sarah Palin was named as Senator John McCain’s running mate, Ms. Palin made an unlikely announcement of her own on Monday: Her daughter Bristol, 17 and unmarried, was five months pregnant.

Offer of a Vote for Sale Draws Unwanted Attention 7/5/08 - A Minnesota college student looking to profit off his political indifference has been charged with a felony for trying to sell his vote on the auction Web site eBay.

In Iowa, Life's Possessions Become Debris Piles 6/23/08 - After the sandbagging, the evacuations, the last-minute rescues and the days of anxious waiting for the water to go down comes the heart-wrenching return home, and the long road toward recovery.

3rd Minnesota Bridge Is Closed as Special Inspections Continue 6/5/08 - State officials have closed a bridge over the Mississippi River after finding problems similar to those suspected of contributing to the fatal collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in downtown Minneapolis last Aug. 1.

Many Blacks Find Joy in Unexpected Breakthrough 6/5/08 - Many African-Americans exulted Wednesday in a political triumph that they believed they would never live to see.

Students Vandalize Portraits at Capitol 5/21/08 - In flesh and blood, former Gov. Jesse Ventura is stubborn and unvarnished. In oil paint, it is a different story...

Sticker Shock in the Organic Aisles 4/18/08 - Shoppers have long been willing to pay a premium for organic food. But how much is too much?

Families of Iraq Captives Cling to a Grisly Find 3/22/08 - For the families of five American contractors kidnapped in Iraq more than a year ago, the months of waiting with no news of their fate have made for a battle of hope against dread.

A Sizzle Among the Young (at Least Some) 2/6/08 - In the hours before his first presidential caucus, Zach Hernandez, 24, sat at his office computer Tuesday in St. Paul, continually refreshing his Facebook profile, watching the count of his fellow Obama supporters tick upward.

From One Prairie Home to Another, a Suit 1/16/08 - Perhaps they will be able to share some tuna hotdish and work things out, but right now the spat between Garrison Keillor and a next-door neighbor is proving a good deal harder-edged than "The News from Lake Wobegon."

Man Faces Federal Charges in a Sex Ring in Minnesota 12/17/07 - A man suspected of luring 100 Asian women into a sex ring here has been charged in federal court with transporting women across state lines to engage in prostitution.

Work Starts on Minneapolis Bridge Replacement 11/2/07 - Three months after the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed, construction of a replacement began here on Wednesday.

Residents Divided on Design for New Span in Minneapolis 10/12/07 - Across office cubicles and over radio airwaves, residents here are making known their often-lukewarm opinions about the recently unveiled design for the bridge to replace that downtown section of Interstate 35W that collapsed on Aug. 1.

Gunman in Rampage Had Been Certified to Be an Officer, State Authorities Say 10/10/07 - As solemn families prepared Tuesday to bury the six young people killed in a shooting rampage here, some residents questioned whether the gunman, a sheriff's deputy and local police officer, should ever have been allowed to carry a badge, much less a gun.

A Tiny Town, Suddenly Smaller by Seven, Mourns and Wonders, Why? 10/9/07 - Residents of a tiny town in the Northwoods of Wisconsin were reeling yesterday, struggling to understand how six of their young people wound up dead at a homecoming weekend pizza party at the hands, police said, of a local law enforcement officer who was also, after all, one of their own.

Airport to Overhall Men's Room Stalls 9/29/07 - Dividers intended to make soliciting sex more difficult will be added to stalls in two men's rooms at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Fateful Bathroom Draws Crowds of the Curious 9/19/07 - Michael Wolkomir would not consider his vacation, which included 10 days' sight seeing in California, complete until on his way home he posed in front of what is now known as the Larry Craig bathroom at the airport here.