By Shannon Fiecke, Correspondent

With the backing of a coalition of local governments, Scott County is ramping up efforts to convince Google it ought to be a test community for high-speed broadband network.

Scott County Deputy Chief Information Officer Perry Mulcrone, who recently participated in a Google Webinar, said Google is looking for communities that are “dirt ready,” where it can install fiber to homes “as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota State Patrol plan to close two Twin Cities Metro area roads today at approximately 6 p.m. due to flooding.

By Kristin Holtz, Correspondent 

In these days and times, it’s no wonder people are hurting.

Lost jobs and lost homes have translated into a lack of stability for many, as they struggle to provide for their families.

By Lori Carlson, Editor 

In his first year as a music teacher, Brian Lenz already has made his mark.

Jane Horn's Prior Lake gardens are featured on the "Better Homes and Gardens" Web site, the Internet home of the popular lifestyle magazine. The self-taught gardener offers tips on a range of issues, including plant choice and how to cultivate a luscious landscape.

The "Better Homes and Gardens" feature isn't the first time Horn, a Scott-Carver Master Gardener, has shared her yard space with the public. In July 2009 she hosted a public viewing of her garden, with proceeds going to support the Piper Breast Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

By Meryn Fluker, Staff Writer

A standing-room-only crowd of about 50 people filled the room Monday during a public hearing on the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District’s recently proposed budget cuts for the 2010-11 school year.

Some attendees wielded band instruments while others wore bright, yellow stickers proclaiming “Synergy is important.” Many members of the audience did both.