Mississippi River Headwaters parks recognized with safety award ST. PAUL - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, recently selected its southern Headwaters recreation section as its 2012 Government Employee Safety Now Award recipient.

Dear Master Gardener, Is there a beautiful flowering houseplant I can buy to cheer me up during the doldrums of winter? I would like to find something different from the usual cyclamen, kalanchoe or Christmas cactus.

Question: Is there still such a thing as a farm license? I remember some of my friends having one but that was a long time ago and they basically used it to drive all the time. Answer: Yes, there is still a restricted farm work license in Minnesota.

Recently Social Security recipients have found that their direct deposit has been redirected to another bank account.

CAMP RIPLEY - Members of the Minnesota Twins Caravan stopped by the Minnesota Army National Guard Aviation Support Facility Jan. 15 to visit with service members and their families in St. Cloud.

Sweetgrass - or "Wiingashk" in the Ojibwe language - is used in ceremonies and signifies the hair of Mother Nature or "Ogashiinan." According to the Ojibwe culture, sweetgrass purifies the negative with the positive.

Question: I know you are always talking about the number of traffic deaths in Minnesota for each year, but how many have there been in the past 10 years? It's hard to think about what the big picture might be without knowing more.

CAMP RIPLEY - The importance of information sharing can never be overstated.

Programs coming to Staples library STAPLES - The Staples Public Library will be hosting two upcoming programs. Adventures With Coffee will be held Thursday with storyteller Pam Collins in the RoundHouse for children ages 3 to 5.

Meet Jared, a 6-year-old boy from Brainerd. He is bright, active, upbeat and heartwarming. Jared lives with his grandmother. He has no contact with his dad and very little with his mother.