A press release from the Office of the Governor of Minnesota:

ST. PAUL -– Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced a proposal to more than double prison time for sex offenders and a new comprehensive internet education program to help protect children from online predators.

Under the Governor's proposal, an offender convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct would receive a 25-year sentence, more than doubling the current presumptive sentence.

Fishers of all ages set up on Fish Lake Sunday for the Fish Lake Sportsmen's Club's ice fishing contest. See some photos Katrina Styx took at the event in this slideshow:

Why did Jordan ever stop marketing itself for things like its toboggan hill and fall colors, et cetera?

A press release from the Minnesota Department of Transportation:

Snowmobilers, hikers and others using Shakopee’s recreational trail system will encounter a bridge closure and intermittent trail closures beginning today as the Holmes Street pedestrian bridge, just west of Highway 101 in Shakopee, closes for repairs and historic preservation.

Unsie Zuege of the Chanhassen Villager reports:

Since the Haiti earthquake Jan. 12, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), Chanhassen, has received an average of one call every 30 seconds. Callers primarily want to pack meals for the Haiti relief effort.

"It’s not just our Chanhassen facility,” said Lisa Pederson, site manager, “but all of our locations —Eagan, Coon Rapids, and our facility in Aurora, Ill., have gotten calls, too.”

A press release from the office of state Rep. Mark Buesgens

ST. PAUL -– State Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, made a motion today to suspend House rules and immediately pass jobs legislation to thaw the pandemic of uncertainty plaguing job providers throughout Minnesota.

House File 363 would gradually phase-out Minnesota’s corporate income tax, working to attract new businesses and reward existing businesses for staying in Minnesota.

Lori Carlson of the Prior Lake American reports:

PRIOR LAKE -- In the hours after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti on Jan. 12, the Rev. Robert Nowak, in Port-au-Prince on a mission trip, and his congregation members, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Prior Lake, all chose the same Biblical psalm to guide their prayers.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,” reads Psalm 46.

A press release from the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition:

ST. PAUL -- A measure to make roads safer and more accessible for all Minnesotans -– regardless of age or ability or whether traveling by car, bus, bike, or on foot -– was introduced into the Minnesota legislature today.

The Complete Streets bills, Senate File 2461 and House File 2801, are supported by a broad coalition of health, family, environment, senior, and transportation advocates who attended an afternoon press conference.