Governor's mansion opening for public tours

Last update: May 30, 2009 - 10:07 PM

The nine-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion that serves as the official home of Minnesota governors opens for public tours starting on Tuesday.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his family spend part of their time there, while also maintaining their home in Eagan.

Tours will run from 1 to 3 p.m. on the first three Tuesdays of June, July and August. Photo identification is required to enter the building.

The 20-room house on St. Paul's storied Summit Avenue has nine fireplaces.

It was donated to the state by Clotilde Irvine Moles and Olivia Irvine Dodge in 1965.

Then-Gov. Karl Rolvaag and First Lady Florence Rolvaag were the first gubernatorial family to move in, in 1966. It has housed every governor since.

DULUTH

UMD researchers to gauge changes in Lake Superior

A group of researchers will embark on a voyage next week to place measurement equipment in Lake Superior.

Professor Jay Austin and other researchers at the University of Minnesota in Duluth plan to collect data on temperature and circulation to determine whether the lake is changing.

A similar study in 2007 showed that Lake Superior's summer surface temperatures had increased more than 4 degrees since 1979. That's compared to a 2.7-degree increase in the region's average summer air temperature.

The research team embarks Tuesday on what will be a seven-day trip to set up eight moorings in Lake Superior.

A $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation is paying for the study.

DEER RIVER

Exotic snails infesting lake force tougher restrictions

Anglers and boaters must follow stricter rules on Lake Winnibigoshish near Deer River after it was designated "infested waters."

The lake received the designation last month because of a faucet snail infestation. The exotic species was first spotted there in 2007.

The snail is a host for a parasite that has killed hundreds of waterfowl on the lake during the past two autumn migrations.

Department of Natural Resources area fisheries supervisor Chris Kavanaugh says it's important for anglers and others to follow the rules so the snail doesn't spread to other water bodies.

The rules prohibit anglers from moving water from the lake, including in boats, livewells and bait containers, or trapping minnows in the lake for personal use.

AUSTIN

Fleeing suspect calls cops from stolen squad car

Officers searching for a man who had threatened a relative with a knife were startled to hear his voice coming over their law-enforcement radio.

The man asked, "What do you intend to do with Jeremy Winkel -- take him to the hospital or jail?"

Mower County deputies say the rural Lyle man radioed them after stealing a squad car belonging to an Austin police officer who was on foot, using a police dog to help in the search.

A criminal complaint says deputies chased Winkel for about 38 miles through Minnesota and Iowa before he surrendered in Northwood, Iowa.

Winkel has been in custody in Worth County, Iowa, since his arrest May 21. He has been charged in Mower County with four felonies, including fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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