The Strib's Jean Hopfensperger has a timely look at the scope and impact of local Latinos returning to their native countries. "There were people up and down Lake Street a year ago; now there's nobody," laments one ex-businessman. Hopfensperger bends over backward to say the re-emigration is "relatively small," and data aren't authoritative. Economics is the big factor, but so is increased enforcement. I wonder what local school enrollment shows, and the outstate economic impact.

An all-white 12-person jury took just six hours to determine a Minneapolis cop did not use excessive force in killing Fong Lee, denying survivors damages, the PiPress' David Hanners reports. Hanners, whose reporting made this case a public issue, notes it's the fourth time officer Jason Andersen has been officially cleared. Lee's gun was initially misidentified and lacked any DNA or fingerprint evidence. The PiPress editorialists laments a case that was never "neat and clear," leaving them "bewildered."

More Lee: AP notes Minneapolis Chief Tim Dolan ripped the family and their lawyers as "irresponsible" for taking the case to the media. The Strib's Rochelle Olson makes a convincing case Lee's lawyers were overmatched. MPR's Jessica Mador and Brandt Williams quote Hmong activists saying the verdict reaffirms that cops can kill them if they think they pose a threat. Other activists claim police brutality claims against Asians are way up.

Sounds like Tony Kushner really screwed over Joe Dowling, at least where a shoddy "world premiere" is concerned. The PiPress' Dominic Papatola says the Guthrie asked national critics not to review Kushner's "Intelligent Homosexual" after beseeching them to come. The playwright didn't sew up the play because he was working on Stephen Spielberg's new movie, apparently. One New York Times critic is mad because he canceled a European trip to do a review. No wonder folks aren't sympathetic to journalists.

I love this AP story on Minnesotans deficit-closing suggestions for Gov. Pawlenty: the first two involve raising taxes or gambling revenue, while others suggest not cutting health care. Burn! On Pawlenty's favored spending-cut side, the ideas are obvious but uninspired (across-the-board cuts) or puny (don't mow ditches as often). Counter-intuitively, the mayor of tiny St. Bonifacius did say local-government aid should be cut more; does that town get any? [Update: Yes.]

Amy Klobuchar gets big ink for proposing a food safety bill modeled on Minnesota's fabulousness. The PiPress' Jeremy Olson says Kloubuchar wants regional centers mimicking Minnesota's rapid-response approach: "The nation should not have to wait until somebody gets sick in Minnesota to solve these national food outbreaks." Apparently this would only cost $20 million. An existing bill would improve inspections. The Litchfield Independent-Review has more specifics.

A Mark Ritchie hit group is suing the secretary of state for mismatched voter registration files, the Strib's Pat Lopez reports. Regular foe Minnesota Majority, formed with the help of the woman Ritchie defeated, Mary Kiffmeyer, says vote totals exceeded the registration database by more than 400,000; Ritchie is supposed to keep the list updated post-election. Several county officials dispute the MM report, but this is really about 2010 positioning.

No shock, but still: The state's Planned Parenthood clinics see more women struggling to pay for health care, West Central Tribune's Amy Polta reports. The average PP client is between 20 and 30 and makes $11K a year; only 3 percent of the 1,800 women using the Willmar clinic (which doesn't perform abortions) could afford the full cost of care. A quarter of those clients are Latina, and almost two-thirds are below poverty level.

KSTP's Mark Albert says a 13-year-old Minneapolis schoolgirl claims there's a prostitution ring at River Bend Education Center Middle School.The six-month-old case was closed, then reopened, and involves three girls. Nothing happened on the alternative school's grounds, if anything happened at all. The Channel 5 crew plays up allegations of peer pressure.

A Republican state legislator is leading a charge to repeal an ultra-archaic 1863 federal law banning Dakota and Winnebago tribal members from the state, Forum's Don Davis writes, but Congressman Collin Peterson isn't ready to sponsor a bill just yet. Peterson, who represents the tribal homelands, "is gathering more information before he introduces any legislation,” his spokesperson says. WCCO's Pat Kessler has the video version.

Dissident Target shareholder William Ackman lost his board-slate fight, blaming big institutional investors who wanted to retain access to the company's management, the Business Journal's Rich Kirchen writes. MPR's Martin Moylan says the company's slate received 70 percent of the vote; afterward, Ackman called managers "excellent." The Strib's Jackie Crosby says Ackman will keep his shares because he'd lose even more money dumping them. Management rejected his short-term stock-inflating real estate sale/leaseback scheme. Ackman spent $10 million, while the stressed retailer flushed $11 million.

Arctic Cat will cut 60 Minnesota jobs, and logically says the recreational market isn't coming back soon. "We are focusing on re-scaling the business," CEO Chris Twomey said in a written statement, via the Strib's Liz Fedor. The cut amounts to 5 percent of the workforce and comes after a 100-job cut in January.

The GM dealership closings are starting to leak out; KARE's Boyd Huppert chronicles a 69-year-old River Falls dealer going down.

Historic home by early 20th-century woman architect saved, even if no one wants to live there, WCCO's Darcy Pohland reports.

The PiPress' Bob Shaw looks at green zoning initiatives in the 'burbs. Woodbury wants to hop on the suburban-turbine craze, allowing wind propellers on lots bigger than an acre. There's plenty of support, along with complaints about looks, noise and pinwheeling ice chunks. Changes will also make it legal to fill your roof with solar panels.

A couple of days after one of my favorite environmental ideas (porous concrete) gets publicity, WCCO's Jason DeRusha highlights one even simpler than solar: white roofs. A simple coat of paint better reflects the sun and lowers heating costs. But DeRusha pours cold water on the idea by noting Minnesota's long winters mitigate the advantages, and we have tons of sloped roofs that don't absorb as much heat. Tell it to my attic!

Strib Whistleblower Jame Shiffer notes Comcast has its kids channels awfully close to the HD porn channels, at least on the program guide. You can't see flesh-on-flesh, but naughty words lurk, apparently. Now the cable provider will put blocks of emptiness between the two, making scrolling more laborious for couch potatoes. My biggest complaint is that Comcast's HD numbering system bears absolutely no relation to over-the-air counterparts. Why not 402 for PBS instead of 440, cablemeisters?

Nort spews: This Josh Beckett guy is pretty good; Twins lose to Boston 3-1, though Anthony Swarzak has all the sportswriters pining for Francisco Liriano's rotation ejection. Minnesota travels to Tampa Bay a sub-.500 team, with a ton of road games coming up. In the Sore Winner department, the Red Sox — who played their last series at the Dome barring the playoffs — heartily dumped on the plastic palace. "This ballpark stinks," BoSox manager Terry Francona told the Boston Herald, adding an expletive.