State/region news briefs, April 9

Mary Holz-Clause, Ph.D., has been named chancellor of the University of Minnesota Crookston. Her appointment is effective June 30, pending approval by the U's Board of Regents.

"I am excited to join the University of Minnesota Crookston community," Holz-Clause said. "The campus is a treasure for the area and the entire state."

Holz-Clause's background is in agriculture. She comes from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she was dean of the Huntley College of Agriculture and a tenured professor in the Department of Agricultural Business Management and Agriculture Science.

Holz-Clause grew up in Iowa, where she and her husband still own and operate a cattle feedlot.

"I am confident Mary will be a tireless advocate for the University of Minnesota Crookston, and her skills as a fundraiser, marketer and communicator will serve the campus well," said University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler.

JOHN REINAN

Duluth's much-maligned Minnesota Slip Bridge in Canal Park, also known as the blue pedestrian bridge, is undergoing repairs that city officials hope will make it more reliable.

Construction work began last month and is expected to be complete by the first week of June. The bridge will be closed again later this fall to receive a new shade of blue paint.

Through May, the bridge will be pinned up to allow for marine traffic in and out of the slip, but will be closed to pedestrians. Foot traffic will be rerouted around Lake Avenue onto Railroad Street, then Harbor Drive to access the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, city officials said.

Mark Brunswick

Work begins Monday on a $12 million renovation of Rochester International Airport that will remake the ticketing counters and baggage claim area, the airport announced.

The terminal has airline counters and baggage claims at both the east and west end of the terminal. The renovations by Kraus-Anderson construction crews will put all ticketing counters on one end of the terminal and all baggage claims on the other.

The airport is owned by the city and operated by a subsidiary of Mayo Clinic. It is served by Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and, coming June 8, United Airlines. Some 230,000 passengers pass through the airport annually.