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Hours before the start of a federal government shutdown, President-elect Donald Trump doubled-down Friday on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal -- and if not, let the closures ''start now.''

The singer's Dollywood theme park and the eastern Tennessee mountains are a great place to spend the holidays.

The family-owned companies told employees this week how much extra would be in their year-end checks.

Rocky and Bullwinkle creator Jay Ward leased a tiny isle on Lake of the Woods as a publicity stunt and took a silly bid for statehood all the way to the White House.

St. Paul writer Kao Kalia Yang, author of this year's "Where Rivers Part," "Caged," "The Diamond Explorer" and "The Rock in My Throat," is the Star Tribune's Artist of the Year.

Darisha Bailey Vath, 17, was killed when Dylan Simmons, 21, struck her with his vehicle after a fight among a group of people at a park in Forest Lake. A Washington County jury found him guilty of second degree murder.

Fraud prevention is poised to be a big focus for legislators when they return to the Capitol on Jan. 14.

Officials and advocates admit that the promise of EIDBI and its rapid growth in funding and providers may have fueled suspected fraud faster than they could guard against it.

An entrepreneur wants to put up to $10 million toward a new kind of ag business, renovating a former Green Giant cannery to grow cannabis starting in 2025.

Ranging from seventh-graders to juniors, these prospects are still choosing where to continue their basketball careers.