Guns, guns, guns: Everyone's talking, but what's to be done?

Candles are lit among mementos at a memorial for victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, on Dec. 17, 2012 in Newtown, Conn. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)by Phil Picardi, Minnesota Public Radio,
Hart Van Denburg, Minnesota Public Radio
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Today on the MPR News Update: The Connecticut elementary school massacre continues to resonate in Minnesota. Also, we take a look back at how quickly the shooting deaths of police officers are resolved, return for another visit with a man coping with ALS, and tell you about another key departure at Best Buy.

GUN CONTROL? Gun owners responded to an MPR inquiry into what they thought should be the legislative reaction to the mass shooting in Connecticut. Some said an "assault weapons" ban would be ineffective, others disagreed, and yet others want teachers to be armed.

ARMED AT SCHOOL: A staff member at Seward Montessori School in south Minneapolis is on administrative leave after bringing a loaded gun to school Wednesday morning. The staffer, a woman in her late 50s, was escorted from the building. School district officials and Minneapolis police are investigating the incident.

GUN SALES UP: Minnesota firearms sales and requests for permits to carry guns are on the rise after the Sandy Hook school shooting. Local gun sellers say the shooting has prompted customers to buy guns for personal safety, as well as protection against possible future gun restrictions.

TALKING ABOUT GUNS: We asked Minnesota parents in MPR's Public Insight Network to share their thoughts following the school shooting in Connecticut. We also asked them what it's been like to talk to their children about the incident. We've compiled a selection of their responses here.

AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Appealing to gun owners, President Barack Obama said he believes in the Second Amendment, the country's strong tradition of gun ownership, and the peaceful aims of most American gun owners. "I am also betting that the majority, the vast majority, of responsible law-abiding gun owners would be some of the first to say that we should be able to keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few from buying a weapon of war."

OFFICER DOWN: The killing of Cold Spring Police Officer Thomas Decker last month is the first fatal shooting of a Minnesota law enforcement officer since 1970 that was not solved within a few days, an MPR News analysis has found.

LIVING WITH ALS: Some of us mark time by major life changes or events. The same is true for Bruce Kramer and his family, who will never forget the moment two years ago when he was diagnosed with ALS. He spoke with MPR's Cathy Wurzer for part of her continuing series following his journey with the disease.

TAX LAWSUIT: The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that a lawsuit alleging some Minneapolis homeowners paid excess property taxes can go forward in tax court. Attorneys are seeking class action status for the case involving three neighborhoods: Near North, Camden and Phillips.

VERSO FINED: The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Division has cited Verso Paper Corp. with two serious violations at its mill in Sartell, which was destroyed in an explosion and fire on Memorial Day that killed one worker. According to the agency report issued Wednesday, the violations may have contributed to or caused the accident.

MORROW STEPS DOWN: State Rep. Terry Morrow, DFL-St. Peter says he will vacate his seat before the start of the 2013 legislative session on Jan. 8 to take a job in Chicago as legislative director for the Uniform Law Commission, a non-partisan organization that provides model legislation to states. Morrow also is resigning his faculty position at Gustavus Adolphus College.

ANOTHER BEST BUY DEPARTURE: The Best Buy executive charged with pumping up the struggling retailer's online sales is leaving the company. Stephen Gillett, president of Best Buy Digital, is the latest in a string of top executive departures from the company this year. He will join the Symantec software company as chief operating officer.

THE LIGHT SHOW GOES ON (FOR NOW): Duluth Mayor Don Ness says the city has reached a new deal to continue the Bentleyville Tour of Lights at the city's Bayfront Park. A federal judge has twice ruled against the city for trying to ban "street preachers" from evangelizing at the festival. Festival founder Nathan Bentley said he considered making this the event's last year.

Phil Picardi is a newscaster for MPR News, and occasionally fills in as Morning Edition host when Cathy Wurzer is away.

Hart is the morning online editor at MPR News.

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Minnesota's Legislature set to convene: What's on the agenda? Who are the players?

The Minnesota Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. (MPR Photo/Hart Van Denburg)by Matt Sepic, Minnesota Public Radio,
Hart Van Denburg, Minnesota Public Radio
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Today on the MPR News Update, Minnesota legislators are getting ready for the start of the 2013 session this week, and an MPR news analysis finds the public is unable to find out a lot about their possible conflicts of interest. Bar and restaurant owners in downtown St. Paul await the return of the Minnesota Wild. And last year's drought has dried out the soil so much that some homes in southeastern Minnesota are sinking.

PRIORITIES: A new legislative session gets underway Tuesday with Democrats running the whole show for the first time in 25 years. That means DFL Gov. Mark Dayton gets to work with a DFL-controlled House and Senate that should be more receptive to his tax and spending proposals. The state budget, which shows a projected $1.1 billion deficit, will be the top priority for the session. But several other policy issues are also expected to get attention.

TRANSPARENCY: All state lawmakers who take office Tuesday are required to file an economic disclosure statement outlining the sources of their income outside of the Legislature. But an MPR News analysis of the disclosures by current and incoming lawmakers finds that the forms provide little information that could alert the public to potential conflicts of interest.

PREVIEW: Here are the key players, and here are some of the legislative priorities.

MORE TRANSPARENCY: The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from The Real Truth About Abortion, Inc., which was formerly called The Real Truth About Obama, Inc. The group wanted to stop the Federal Election Commission and the Justice Department from enforcing fundraising and advertising regulations against it.

BREAKING THE ICE: The contract impasse between owners and players in the National Hockey League appears to be at an end. Over the weekend the two sides reached a tentative agreement on a deal that, if ratified, will end this season's lockout. Many businesses near the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul are anxiously watching the labor talks.

BROKEN BY DROUGHT: We tend not to think of droughts as a wintertime problem. But in southern Minnesota the dry conditions are causing big problems for some homeowners. Dried out soil is causing foundations to crack and homes to sink deeper into the ground. A lack of snow in many areas this winter has "locked in" the drought that started last summer.

WHAT AN OFFENDER MIGHT DO: The Minnesota Court of Appeals today provided a graphic account of why Minnesota locks up people after they've served their prison time under the theory that they might offend again. The court ruled today that a man who has raped several women in the past, can be committed under the state's program just for taking steps that, while not sexually violent under the state's definition, mirror his pattern of behavior that preceded his previous violent behavior.

SCHOOL SCARE: Sleepy Eye and New Ulm schools have added extra security as students head back to classes following the arrest of a juvenile accused of making threats of a shooting.

TRANSIT CONTRACT: In the Twin Cities, Metro Transit workers are wrapping up voting on a new three-year contract. The Amalgamated Transit Union is still working under a contract that expired July 31. Union leaders say proposed contract gives workers a 2 percent raise in each of the next three years. Health benefits remain the same.

PENUMBRA ENCORE: St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre Company announced Monday that it raised enough money to resume productions this spring. Due to an income shortfall in August, Penumbra cut six full-time staff positions and suspended all programming.

IMMIGRATION SPENDING: The Obama administration spent more money on immigration enforcement in the last fiscal year than all other federal law enforcement agencies combined, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan group focused on global immigration issues.

HAGEL FOR PENTAGON: President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, two potentially controversial picks for his second-term national security team.

Matt Sepic is a newscaster and general assignment reporter for MPR News.

Hart is the morning online editor at MPR News.

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