Do you swear by Sweet-N-Low? Are you an Equal addict? We want to hear about your sweetener preferences. Email SheSays columnist Meridith Holt at: mholt@forumcomm.com 

Police: Pest control worker interrupts St. Paul assault

ST. PAUL (AP) — A pest control worker is credited with interrupting a violent domestic assault in St. Paul and summoning police.

Deputy says ND town living in ‘state of fear’

18-year-old faces second terrorizing charge linked to dust-up with city councilmen
WIMBLEDON, N.D. – Authorities claim an 18-year-old and his family in this Barnes County town have created a “state of fear” after the teenager allegedly threatened on Facebook to kill the city’s 216 residents.

Woman accused of abandoning infant in woods

GAYLORD, Minn. (AP) — A Missouri woman has been returned to Minnesota to face accusations that she left her newborn baby in some woods to die shortly after giving birth in 2001.

Costa offers $14,460 per person for ruined cruise

ROME (AP) — Costa Crociere SpA is offering uninjured passengers $14,460 apiece to compensate them for lost baggage and psychological trauma after its cruise ship ran aground and capsized off Tuscany when the captain deviated from his route.

Spring flood outlook optimistic in Fargo-Moorhead

FARGO - A year ago, Fargo officials were scrambling to order flood-fighting materials as communities geared up for the third consecutive year of major flooding.

• Sandbags
• Normal risk of flooding in Missouri, James basins
• First flood outlook of season good news for Minot
• Initial flood outlook is good news for Devils Lake

Heitkamp raises nearly $500,000 for U.S. Senate run in ND

WASHINGTON (AP) — The campaign of North Dakota Democrat Heidi Heitkamp's said Friday she raised just under $500,000 for her U.S. Senate bid in the final quarter of 2011.

Celebration set to remember Harold Schafer

BISMARCK (AP) — Legendary North Dakota entrepreneur Harold Schafer is being remembered a few days before what would have been his 100th birthday.

'Our quality of life is gone’: Anger, frustration aired at oil boom meeting

BISMARCK – There is an “incredible amount” of anger and frustration in Williams County over how the oil boom has affected the way of life for local residents, a county commissioner said Thursday.

• North Dakota land spared from oil, gas leases
• North Dakota board approves higher oil royalty rate

UND nickname: Spokesman says petition drive ‘going to be close’

GRAND FORKS – With just two weeks to go before the Feb. 7 filing deadline, the petition drive to put the Fighting Sioux nickname issue to a statewide vote in June has about a 50 percent chance of succeeding, a spokesman said Thursday.

• Reed Soderstrom

Officials dismayed by proposal to cut C-27J

Move would impact base in Fargo
BISMARCK – A proposal to eliminate the Air National Guard’s C-27J transport program at Fargo’s 119th Wing is being panned by North Dakota’s senators and the state adjutant general.

• C-27J

Minnesota county attorneys may soon be armed

ST. PAUL – County attorneys might soon be able to carry weapons while on duty if a bill unanimously passed by a Minnesota House committee Thursday makes it through the Legislature.

VIDEO: Memorial exposes anger over Paterno's firing: ‘He left this world with a clear conscience'

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The near-capacity crowd of 12,000 seemed to be just waiting for somebody to bring up the subject. Finally, when someone rose in Joe Paterno's defense to argue that he had been made a scapegoat, the audience was instantly on its feet, applauding thunderously.

• Sue Paterno, wife of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno

Six simple steps for eating a better diet this year

As sure as there will be another year, there will be New Year’s resolutions. They usually go something like this: Pay off all debt. Finally quit smoking. Shed those pesky 25 pounds that don’t seem to budge. ...

• Variety of vegetables
• Healthy recipes

Taking 5 with yoga teacher Tara Stiles

When yoga teacher Tara Stiles listed her influences on her YouTube profile, she typed in “Deepak Chopra, Jane Fonda and Yoko Ono.” Shortly thereafter, Stiles become Chopra’s personal yoga instructor; together they created an iPhone app and several yoga DVDs.

• Tara Stiles makes complicated yoga positions look easy

Fargo’s Osaka Sushi & Hibachi open

FARGO – After more than four months of renovations, Osaka Sushi & Hibachi is bringing some Asian flare to the former woodsy-themed Timberlodge Steak House building here.

• Jason Zhou manages Osaka Sushi and Hibachi
• Jun Wang prepares sushi

VIDEO: Sajak: Vanna and I drank between 'Wheel of Fortune' tapings

NEW YORK — The “Wheel of Fortune” wasn't the only thing spinning for Pat Sajak and Vanna White back in the day.

• Vanna White and Pat Sajak

Morast: Reality TV and North Dakota intersect again

Earlier this week I wrote a piece in The Forum about the prospects of reality TV in North Dakota. If you haven’t read it, do it now. The stories will make you more knowledgeable than you can possibly imagine.

• Robert Morast

Robert Hegyes, Juan Epstein of 'Welcome Back Kotter,' dies at 60

HACKENSACK, N.J. - Robert Hegyes, the New Jersey-born actor who played Jewish Puerto-Rican wheeler-dealer Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein on the 1970s classic "Welcome Back Kotter," died after an apparent heart attack in his Metuchen, N.J., home Thursday morning. He was 60.

• Robert Hegyes

VIDEO: How Super Bowl footballs are made

ADA, Ohio - Daniel Riegle of Wilson Sporting Goods Co. explains the process of making footballs for the Super Bowl.

Mastodons rally to drop Bison men

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The head coach feels that a certain special quality is missing from the North Dakota State men’s basketball team. And if a lineup shake-up is needed to get the team back on track, then one could be coming.

Dubious anniversary upcoming for UND, Wisconsin

GRAND FORKS – The teams have played for MacNaughton Cups, Broadmoor Trophies and even a national title, but one incident that occurred at the Dane County Coliseum has, over the years, defined the rivalry more than anything else.

Kolpack: Monk carrying the load for Bison

Roger Kish is just over a month away from finishing his first season as a head wrestling coach. If you’re looking for his highlight, proceed directly to 157 pounds.

To have your team's scores included in "The Ticker," email smercer@forumcomm.com.

Gabriel’s Angels - Do you know an exceptional person in a company, a community, a school – or maybe in your own family - doing extraordinary things that make him / her worthy of being recognized as a member of Gabriel’s Angels? We’d like you to nominate that person so we can bring him / her on The Christopher Gabriel Program and share their accomplishments with everyone. The audio will then be featured on wday.com and we’ll even send them home with some goodies! Click here for more.