Monday roundup: Tornado one year later, DFL endorsements, testing the water

What's making news in Minneapolis, today and over the weekend:

North Minneapolis, one year after the tornado:

• North Side still pocked with vacant buildings A year after a tornado, many North Side buildings remain vacant, posing a physical and emotional barrier to recovery. (Maya Rao) Check out an interactive map of the location of damaged and vacant buildings, as well as details of the hard-hit intersection of Penn and Broadway (Chris Havens, Dave Braunger, Ray Grumney, Jane Friedmann) There are videos of the transformation of the neighborhood (Jerry Holt) and the city's redevelopment ambitions (Matt Gillmer)
• Cost of the response and recovery: $80 million and counting (Eric Roper and Randy Furst) See a sample of the major public and private contributions here.

Also in north Minneapolis, sit-down dining is hard to come by: A developer tried without success to woo a higher-end restaurant, the latest in the struggle to offer more than just fast food in the area. (Maya Rao)

DFL endorsements: Newcomer Darrell Washington and incumbents Carla Bates and Kim Ellison won the coveted endorsements for Minneapolis school board from DFL activists this weekend, but the most competitive race, for the Southwest seat, will be resolved in the primary (Steve Brandt) In the Hennepin County Commissioner seat being vacated by Mark Stenglein, outgoing state Sen. Linda Higgins got the DFL endorsement, but she too will face a contested primary (Kevin Duchschere)

Warmup has cities rethinking water ways: A federal grant coordinated by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District will help Minneapolis and Victoria study its stormwater. (Bill McAuliffe)

Firms shifting from suburbs to downtown: A number of smaller firms see networking opportunities among the benefits of the urban core. (Janet Moore)

Minnesota schools poised to get new grades: Minneapolis research specialist Chris Moore said that the old method of rating school performance mainly on test scores created a focus on "bubble kids," those just above or below testing proficient. But with the new system of measuring growth, adopted in exchange for a waiver from the most punitive measures of No Child Left Behind, will make every student's progress count more, he said. (Kim McGuire and Steve Brandt)