Minnesota briefs: Luverne museum now has more nutcrackers than city has residents

It's official: The Rock County History Center in Luverne now has more nutcrackers than the city has residents.

Betty Mann, a 92-year-old Luverne resident, donated her collection of 2,800 nutcrackers to the museum about six years ago. They became a popular attraction, and the center decided to see if it could collect more, said Wendell Buys, the center's director.

As of last week, the nutcracker collection numbered more than 5,000 — exceeding the city population of 4,954 from the 2020 census.

And Mann has continued to contribute, he added, estimating that between 3,500 and 4,000 of the nutcrackers have come from her.

The History Center also displays one of only two Luverne automobiles in existence. The Luverne Automobile Co. produced about 750 cars in the city between 1903 and 1916.

JOHN REINAN

DULUTH

Direct flights to Florida paused in January

Sun Country Airlines' direct flights from Duluth to Fort Myers, Fla., will hit pause in January.

The change stems from "soft bookings" related to Hurricane Ian's impact on the Fort Myers area, said Tom Werner, executive director of the Duluth Airport Authority, in a news release.

Flights scheduled between Jan. 6 and Jan. 30 are affected, with those passengers now connecting in Minneapolis via a shuttle bus. Direct flights will resume Feb. 3, but northbound flights will now stop in Madison, Wis.

JANA HOLLINGSWORTH

MINNESOTA

USDA looking to give out digital access grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants businesses, local-level governmental bodies, nonprofits and federally recognized tribes to apply for grant money to expand digital access in rural areas.

Federal officials with the USDA's rural development program are accepting applications for its Distance Learning and Telemedicine program, which supports remote access to education and medical care.

The USDA is allocating $64 million toward the program in 2023, with $12 million alone for projects related to substance use disorder treatment. Applications can be submitted through grants.gov until Jan. 30.

TREY MEWES

BEMIDJI

Short on housing, city moves to limit teardowns

Responding to a housing shortage, the city of Bemidji is limiting permits for teardowns. This summer, the City Council passed a six-month moratorium on teardowns that are converted to green space or parking.

At its most recent meeting last month, the council heard proposed amendments to the moratorium ordinance that would further clarify the limits on residential teardowns in the city.

"The city has a shortage of housing, particularly affordable housing," read a memo from James Kramvik, community development director. "Removal of dwelling units for the establishment of green space or surface parking adds to the overall shortage of housing."

JOHN REINAN