"Stick a fork in it," Ruben Rosario writes for the Pioneer Press. "The Metro Gang Strike Force is officially dead." Randy Furst of the Star Tribune summarizes the 34-member strike force and its troubled history, explaining that the agency is charged with having "less to do with prosecuting gang members than with harassing them." John Lauritsen of WCCO is explicit about the charges, culled from a report from the state legislative auditor: "missing cars, shredded documents and allegations that more than $18,000 in cash from the gang strike force could not be accounted for." Meanwhile, in a separate Strib story, Randy Furst reveals that the Strike Force's chairman, Manila "Bud" Shaver, reportedly asked officers not to seize a car that was believed to have been used in a crime. The car was Shaver's own, and was believed to have been used by his daughter's boyfriend in a home invasion case in Hudson, Wis.

This weekend brought the news that three members of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, all Minnesotans, had been killed in a mortar attack in Basra, Iraq. The Pioneer Press sums up the details, starting with the names of the soldiers: Spc. Carlos Wilcox, 27, of Cottage Grove; Spc. Daniel Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury; and Spc. James Wertish, 20, of Olivia. The men were assigned to a military police unit at the Contingency Operating Base Basra, which regularly takes mortar fire. WCCO reports on a vigil in Stillwater to honor the fallen men, while FOX9 informs us that Gov. Tim Pawlenty has ordered flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff today. Pawlenty visited the Red Bull Division in Iraq on Sunday, as KARE11 reports; MPR notes that two other Minnesotans, Air Force Capt. Thomas Gramith and Army Ranger Ben Kopp, also died this weekend, the first in a jet fighter crash in Afghanistan, the second from injuries sustained when he was shot in Afghanistan on July 10; more details about Kopp can be found at WCCO.

Michelle Chen, in a piece published on ColorLines, discusses how Somalis in the Twin Cities feel that they are under siege from the media following recent news that a number of the Somali-Americans who disappeared from Minneapolis and St. Paul last year have been killed in skirmishes in Somalia. Nimco Ahmed, a youth organizer in the Twin Cities, is quoted as complaining that "Young Somali men are being portrayed as terrorists right now." Chen points out that there is a more quotidian tragedy facing the TC Somali community right now: That of Somali-American youth joining street gangs. As if in response to Chen's piece, Patrick Condon of the Associated Press has written a piece of the rise of Somali youth gangs, pointing out that seven Somali men have been killed in Minneapolis in the past 10 months, and all are believed by authorities to have been killed by fellow Somalis.

Self-described community advocate Al Flowers, who announced his candidacy for mayor of Minneapolis April 9, has been ordered out of his southwest Minneapolis house by city inspectors. ""They say I ain't got no water, but that's not true," said Flowers in a Star Tribune story authored by Steve Brandt. The story points out that Flowers owes $574 on his utility bill, of which about $448 is past due. Flowers believes that the citations are politically motivated.

Bill Hudson, reporting for WCCO news, informs us that residents of Burnsville have been terrorized by a pair of aggressive broad-winged hawks, who have been dive-bombing the neighborhood. The story quotes DNR Conservation Officer Tony Salzer, who paints a grim picture of terrified Burnsvillians: "Their lawns were out of control ... They [residents] were wearing bike helmets to try to deal with it."

It's hard to put a finger on what, precisely, the Twin Cities has given to the cuisine of the world. We claim the corn dog, but that's debatable, as is the Cosmopolitan. The Jucy Lucy has never really caught on outside Minneapolis and St. Paul. Maybe all we can really claim is a candy bar, but what a bar! The St. Paul-based Pearson's Candy is responsible for the undeniably popular Salted Nut Roll, and the company turns 100 this year. As the Associated Press informs us, Pearson's produces a whopping 50 million Salted Nut Roles per year. Unfortunately, they long ago stopped making the Seven-Up Bar; researching the candy bar turns up a surprising number of websites dedicated to vintage candy with names like Candy Addict, all of which share an obsession with this compartmentalized jelly-and-chocolate confection.

In a related story, the Star Tribune reports that Minnesota was home to the world's largest cupcake Saturday. Although the cupcake was at the Mall of America, it was given to a pig farm to be devoured rather than passed out among Mall patrons, as "most would not have had frosting," as the story reports.

In sports: Sid Hartman praises Carlos Gomez, saying, "Defensively, Gomez can play with the best center fielders in the league";  unfortunately, Gomez's defensive skills didn't help the Twins against the Rangers, when a 12th-inning homer from Ian Kinsler ended a 3-3 tie; meanwhile, Favre's throwing motion looks fine. Whew.