Today in the world’s greatest health care system. The Star Tribune’s Jeremy Olson reports: “Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson is suing three manufacturers of synthetic insulin for allegedly price-gouging people with diabetes who need the medication to manage their chronic diseases and stay alive.”

So much opportunity in St. Paul. MPR’s Matt Sepic reports: “The impending shutdown of [the St. Paul Sears] has again raised hopes of revitalizing the 17-acre parcel near the state Capitol. City Council Member Dai Thao, who represents the area, says Sears’ struggles are unfortunate, but the store’s closure presents a major opportunity for redevelopment.”

A fishy story from the North Shore. FiveThirtyEight’s Maggie Koerth-Baker reports: “Starting around 1979, smelt numbers in Lake Superior plummeted. In ’78, commercial fishing companies took in nearly 1.5 million pounds of smelt. A decade later, the haul was 182,000 pounds. There is no commercial smelt fishing on Lake Superior today. But because the smelt in Lake Superior are an invasive species, their decline is actually a sign that the lake is becoming healthier, ecologically speaking. From a cultural and economic perspective, though, the North Shore isn’t what it was. So is the decline of smelt something to celebrate?”

Can we eat these? “The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirms that more than a dozen lake property owners on Sugar Lake in Wright County found zebra mussels on docks, lifts and other equipment being removed from the lake for the season.”

In other news…

Did you know: “Sears Got Its Start In Minnesota, Grew To Be The World’s Biggest Retailer” [WCCO]

More like ghoulery, amirite: “Ghosts in the Mia gallery?” [Southwest Journal]