Steve Knutson, executive director of the Fremont Community Clinics system, says, "We can have providers do wonderful things and intervene early, but if we don't have a willing patient on the other side of the table we're not going to get to an endpoint."

For many months, retail reports, financial statistics and monthly jobless updates have relentlessly driven home to all of us the bleak state of the national and regional economy. In an effort to personalize some of those numbers, we asked MinnPost interns Wilt Hodges, Emily Ness and Joey Peters to profile how several Minnesotans are coping with tough times.

· Weddings still need planners, but couples' budgets have tightened
· In tough times, one-man construction shop find ways to survive
· Marinas are always on Minnesota resort-goers' priority list
· Many new lawyers are finding job search a real trial

Couples are trying to save money these days, but they're still hiring wedding planners to organize their budgets and help them find the most efficient ways to pay for the big day.

After nearly 30 years in the business, Robert Sutherland considers himself a survivor who has seen firsthand how quickly economic conditions and health issues can change daily life. Tammy. In recent months, finally, he has seen his construction work rebound.

Numbers go up and down, and weather always affects business, but boating and fishing lure vacationers even in a recession.

Finding work right out of law school can be a challenge even in good economic times. But in a time of retrenchment, recent law school grads also are facing a double-whammy from other employers who fear they're overqualified for non-lawyer jobs.

Minneapolis officials in the midst of updating the city's streetlight assessment fee — which is paid not only by businesses and residents but also by nonprofits, including churches, cemeteries and the YMCA — are getting an earful from some of those who pay it.

The riverfront building is the last piece of the Postal Service parcel puzzle in downtown St. Paul. Ramsey County has purchased the rest of the property in its quest to turn the nearby Union Depot into a transit hub.

Our mission, should we choose to accept it — and frankly, we have to — is to figure out a thoughtful, progressive, Minnesota-ish, 21st-century way to build a new stadium, or recycle the Metrodome, to accommodate our beloved football team.

Minnesota's unemployment rate fell to 7.3 percent in September, but hold your applause. The reality is that the state's jobs picture has improved tentatively at best.