Downtown drowning in parking lots: Now city planners are considering how to transform the lots into the kind of dense, urban development needed to meet the city's aim of doubling the downtown population over the next decade. (Maya Rao) Check out Chris Keimig's Empty Lots blog for a running commentary on the asphalt desert..
25-year term for teen who killed another teen: Sadness and regret, rather than anger and revenge, permeated Malcolm Jackson's sentencing for second-degree murder almost two months after he fired several fatal rounds at Trequan Sykes' back as he was walking away from an argument outside his south Minneapolis home. (Abby Simons)
Garage break-ins target pricey bikes: Garage burglaries are keeping Minneapolis police busy, with 38 of them in one week in the southwest. Often, the doors were unlocked. (Masako Hirsch)
Bid to demolish Shingle Creek school put off for further study: The school district said it will likely appeal the decision. Until then, building's historical significance will be explored further. id persistent vandalism costs it at least $35,000 annually. (Steve Brandt)
Hennepin County board bans bullying at work: Hennepin commissioners approved the new policy after cutting out examples they deemed open to misinterpretation. (Kevin Duchschere)
Defendant, more charges added in Native Mob gang killing (Dan Browning)
Obituary: Bluesman Big Walter Smith, a north Minneapolis resident, was a "rock of a performer" (Chris Riemenschneider)
