State briefs

The main natural gas line serving Silver Bay ruptured and exploded, and gas was burning off Tuesday in a field across Highway 61 from North Shore Mining.

Lake County authorities said the fire was under control and no one was hurt.

The line broke shortly after 11:30 p.m. Monday. The blast and resulting fire caused an orange glow that could be seen for miles.

Professional wrestler Curt Hennig found dead in Florida

Professional wrestler Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig was found dead in a hotel room Monday in Brandon, Fla.. Officials said foul play wasn't suspected.

Hennig, 44, of Champlin, Minn., was scheduled to appear at the Florida State Fair in Tampa on Monday night.

Twin Cities airport police to conduct random vehicle searches

Police at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport began conducting random searches of vehicles on the airport's inbound roadways Monday.

Airport officials cited the new terrorism alert issued by the Bush administration last week and a new security directive for the country's airports.

"We are asking the public to be understanding of this requirement and patient with us. ... Don't give yourself a short window for your flight," said Tim Anderson, deputy executive director for operations with the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

Anderson said it remained to be seen how many vehicles police would pull over and search, but that it would depend on the availability of officers and the time of day. He said he didn't think it would be a large number.

Anyone who refuses to let an officer search their vehicle won't be allowed any closer to the terminal, Anderson said. He said the searches won't be intrusive -- officers won't be going through baggage or glove compartments -- but they will ask to look in trunks of cars and in the backs of vans.

"This is a 60-second deal," he said.

Besides the searches, Anderson said, under the heightened terror alert passengers may notice security personnel in places they might not have been before, and authorities are being more vigilant. But he said it should be mostly business as usual for most travelers using the airport.