AM.MN: You too could be munching a homegrown Arctic kiwi

Minnesota, land of 10,000 … quinces? That’s the dream of Alexandru Bortnova, a former heart surgeon from Moldova who grows non-native fruits in Shoreview and Litchfield. Himself a transplant (his family won a green-card lottery to escape Moldova’s catastrophic careen into capitalism in the mid-1990s), Bortnova has made his backyard home to grapes, kiwis, apricots, cornelian cherries, seaberries, Carpathian walnuts and, yes, quinces. He’s seeking wine-quality varieties hardy enough to withstand Minnesota winters — probably a lifetime’s work.

Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning …

HASTINGS: Met Council will no longer lavish transit on locals. Hastings accounts for half of all trips by metro dial-a-ride buses; more equitable metro-wide transit spending will bring higher prices and reduced service. [Hastings Star Gazette]

WASECA: Crops okay with dry May. The drought in southern Minnesota has been harder on lawns than young farm crops, which don’t need a lot of rain and have enjoyed the cool weather. [Mankato Free Press]

STILLWATER: Schools cluster high-achievers. Teachers who have a critical mass of gifted-and-talented kids in class don’t ignore them, as happens when they’re randomly distributed. [Stillwater Gazetter]

MINNEOTA: Members build own church. A new Bethel Fellowship Church, complete with 70-foot trusses over the worship space, is rising from the plains on volunteer power alone. [Marshall Independent]

BLOOMINGTON: Financial services beckons veteran cop. The deputy chief departs after 22 years for a gig with Edward Jones investments. A trend? Roseville’s fire chief is leaving to become a leadership consultant. [Bloomington Sun Current; Roseville Review]

EMMAVILLE: Ghost town for sale. You can have it all — store, cafe, gas station, motel — for $300,000. [Detroit Lakes Tribune]