11 May: Minnesota

On this date in 1858 Minnesota became the 32nd state of the Union. Here are 10 things you might not know about the US state of Minnesota.

Lake Superior Agates

1. The name of the state comes from a Dakota Sioux Indian word meaning "cloudy water" or "sky water" which refers to local rivers.
2. The state capital is St. Paul and the largest city Minneapolis. These two cities are next to each other and have been dubbed "the Twin Cities". Nearly 60% of the state's population live in the Twin City area. The settlement that became St Paul was originally called "Pig's Eye" after a French-Canadian whiskey trader, Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, one of the founders. Minneapolis, meanwhile, is, according to Weather.com, the coldest major city in America with 23 to 25 subzero cold days each year.
3. Minnesota is the second northernmost U.S. state (after Alaska) and northernmost contiguous state. One of its nicknames is the Land of 10,000 Lakes, although the actual number is nearer 11,000. Hence Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined. It also has more cycle trails than any other state.
4. The official state bird is the Common loon. However, Minnesotans often joke that the Mosquito is their unofficial state bird, because there are so many of them (over 50 different species). Other state symbols include State Insect: Monarch butterfly; fish: Walleye; State Flower: Pink and white lady's slipper; State Tree: Norway pine; State Mushroom: Morel; State Gemstone: Lake Superior Agate; State Beverage: Milk and State Muffin: Blueberry.
5. Politics can be a bit wacky in Minnesota. The state itself has two slightly different constitutions because the Republicans and Democrats refused to sign the same document. The town of Dorset chooses its mayor by lottery rather than by election. Every resident's name is placed in a hat. Hence the youngest mayor in history was Robert Tufts, aged 4, whose name was drawn out in 2013. In Cormorant, a Dog named Duke has won the mayoral election three times. Further proof that if there is a silly option, most people will vote for it.
6. Famous people from Minnesota include, in the world of music, Bob Dylan, Prince and Eddie Cochran; in literature, Sinclair Lewis and F. Scott Fitzgerald (with Laura Ingalls Wilder and Neil Gaiman making the state their home although both were born elsewhere); in film, Judy Garland, Jane Russell, Kelsey Grammer, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Lange, Chris Pratt, and Winona Ryder (who was named after the town of Winona, Minnesota. Aviator Charles Lindbergh, agony aunt Ann Landers and evangelist Billy Graham also come from Minnesota.
7. Things invented in Minnesota include Masking and Scotch tape, the pop-up toaster, Staplers, the super computer, Spam, rice cakes, water skis and Mars and Snickers bars. It has also seen some medical firsts, including the first open Heart surgery and the first bone marrow transplant, the first heart operation to use the deep freeze technique, and the first Blood transfusion using artificial blood. Finally, Minneapolis Public Library was the first to separate children's books from the rest, forming the first children's department in a library, back in 1889.
8. Minneapolis has more golfers per capita than any other city in the country and the state has more recreational boats than any other state - one for every six people.
9. Minnesota has some things which are the largest of their kind, such as the largest fibreglass half-husked corn cob which is 25 feet tall. The largest statue of Paul Bunyan which is 29 feet tall. He is kneeling. If he'd been standing up he would be 33 feet tall. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is the largest urban sculpture garden in the country. The Guthrie Theater is the largest regional playhouse in the country. The largest statue of a pelican stands 15.5 feet tall. Finally, the world's largest ball of twine, (weighing 17,400-pound) to have been made by one person (Francis A. Johnson) is in Darwin. Every year in August, Darwin holds “Twine Ball Day" to celebrate it. Weird Al mentions Darwin’s twine ball in his 1989 song “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota.”
10. In 1914, two guys called Carl Wickman and Andrew "Bus Andy" Anderson began operating a bus service, with just one bus, between the towns of Hibbing and Alice. This company expanded into Greyhound Lines, Inc.

Closing the Circle

A stable wormhole has been established between Earth and Infinitus. Power Blaster and his friends can finally go home.

Desi Troyes is still at large on Earth - Power Blaster has vowed to bring him to justice. His wedding to Shanna is under threat as the Desperadoes launch an attempt to rescue their leader. 

Someone from Power Blaster's past plays an unexpected and significant role in capturing Troyes.

The return home brings its own challenges. Not everyone can return to the life they left behind, and for some, there is unfinished business to be dealt with before they can start anew.

Ben Cole in particular cannot resume his old life as a surgeon because technology no longer works around him. He plans a new life in Classica, away from technology. Shanna hears there could be a way to reverse his condition and sets out to find it, putting herself in great danger. She doesn't know she is about to uncover the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious past.

Available from:

Amazon (Paperback)

Amazon Kindle

Completes The Raiders Trilogy. 

Other books in the series:

Book One

Book Two