Locals scoff at the news that Twin Cities home prices suffered the biggest one-month drop of any metro area in two decades. February/March's 6.1 percent decline is a sampling problem, some contend, while others say year-over-year figures are a better gauge, the PiPress' Chris Snowbeck reports. Even on an annual basis, our 23.3 percent drop is above an 18.7 percent decline among big cities, though behind true foreclosure hot spots, the Strib's Susan Feyder writes. Other indices show stable prices the last four months.

Now we know the Gang Strike Force didn't purloin those vehicles, at least if Bob Fletcher can be believed: The PiPress' Mara Gottfried says Ramsey County Sheriff's officials found the 14 missing cars the state auditor couldn't account for; via Fletcher, strike forcers ripped Auditor Jim Nobles for making "no effort to locate the cars before, during or after the audit." Of course, it was the cops' duty to account for the cars in the first place.

Sotomayor reax: Predictable, but at least one jab is good. Amy Klobuchar is "very positive" on the nomination, AP reports, but she's not above hectoring state GOP chair Ron Carey. "If we took everything out of context that people said in law schools, we wouldn't have any nominees on the bench," A-Klo says, according to the Strib's Kevin Diaz. Senators-not-elect Al Franken and Norm Coleman split in predictable ways, Franken calling Sotomayor a "remarkable jurist" while Coleman frets about "following the Constitution rather than making new law and policy."

More Sotomayor: Speaking of context, MPR's Bob Collins does a great job of localizing the Sotomayor story with her extensive quote praising the Minnesota Supreme Court's gender balance. Writes Collins, "The view that a woman's perspective has a place on the bench is no longer seriously debated." Surely that's true of cultural perspectives, too. By the way, Fox9 says local Hispanics are psyched, and so is the Strib's editorial page.

Who abetted the Hausers?: The Strib's Curt Brown is still kicking butt, breaking news that movie company head Alan Pezzuto blames L.A. lawyer Susan Daya for buying the outbound plane ticket then "abandoning" the "naive" family. Daya acknowledged buying the plane ticket but says the Hausers repaid her. Even so, aiding a fugitive should equal disbarment. Jon Tevlin offers a terrific boildown of the cultural clash and irresponsibility. And Steven Miles has a must-read op-ed on the intersection between traditional and alternative medicine.

The good news is that Daniel's parents have agreed to his chemo, AP reports. In return, he gets to live at home. The judge turned back the foster-home recommendation of a guardian ad litem. Hauser's tumor is bigger than it was when first diagnosed in January, and he's having acute pain, MPR's Sea Stachura notes. The teen is being treated at Children's Hospital. The Mankato Free Press' Dan Linehan writes that the boy began taking oral drugs Tuesday.

More Hauser: According to the PiPress' Jeremy Olson, the guardian didn't trust the family, noting Hauser has "been drug all over the country, and he's ill. He's very, very ill." The judge said he was part of negotiations to bring the family back. Pezzuto, who made a video of Hauser's return, says he and his wife don't plan to profit on the "personal" project. Of course, the publicity's already been garnered.

Sign of the times: The Fairbault Daily News' Jim Hammerand reports that thanks to an expansion, the city's prison is now the city's top employer. Until recently, it was the school district, but it has slumped from 560 jobs to 507 as the state correctional facility has grown from 479 to 612. It's the biggest pen in Minnesota. Related: MPR's Tom Weber looks at the dissolution of the McLeod West school district.

Rep. Collin Peterson says there's a "minus 5 percent chance" there'll be flood diversion on the Moorhead side of the Red River, Forum's Mike Nowatzki writes. One reason: an estimated $909 million cost. The Minnesota side is 4 feet higher than the Fargo side, and wouldn't see as much of the benefit. So keep those sandbags handy.

Yikes: The Strib's Steve Alexander reports the city of Minneapolis is only getting $50,000 worth of wi-fi service three years into a $1.25 million-a-year contract. The reason? Dead spots throughout the city. There are still at least 3 square miles of the city not covered, though deals with the parks and St. Paul are closing those. The city can carry over unused financial credits for the remaining seven years of the 10-year deal. Nearly 14,000 citizens have purchased the service. 

Who knew there was such demand for flights between Minneapolis and Toledo? We may be getting a new airline, JetAmerica, to fill that need, the Strib's Chris Serres writes. Flights begin Aug. 14. Nine dollar to $199 fares -- plus $15 per checked bag. Trouble is, there's no deal with the airports commission yet, and flying anywhere other than Ohio sounds arduous. In slightly more exciting aviation news, Fox9 notes Southwest's flights to Denver began yesterday.

The PiPress editorialists say following Gov. Pawlenty's election-reform veto, we should try again next year, but only after a complete review of the recount (which we can hope will be over) and expert recommendations. "Wholesale changes may not be needed," they note, and clearly aren't comfortable recommending any specific change.

A few days ago, I remarked that Minneapolis' Midtown Greenway seems to make the news only when a crime happens there. Very nearly on cue, the Strib's Steve Brandt offers a feature on volunteer night patrols. Brandt says the 45-person effort needs more helpers to deter dusktime robberies. More lighting may be coming, but more people is the best defense.

Prince's former home -- burgled twice by the same miscreant, WCCO's Darcy Pohland reports.

Following his paper's Tuesday tweet-fest, Joe Soucheray still hates Twitter, and wishes he had his old typewriter back.

Nort spews: Justin Morneau hit a three-run laser and Nick Blackburn looked like an ace in a 5-2 win over the BoSox at the Dome. Sore Loser here and here; meanwhile, Boston columnists are dreaming of signing Joe Mauer in 2011. Wasn't Kevin Garnett enough? In other news, the PiPress' Rick Alonzo says Viking Pat Williams called out Tarvaris Jackson for being lazy. And congrats to the D-III baseball champs at St. Thomas.