Star Tribune's Whistleblower

This week's Washington Post story about the new assertiveness by federal agencies in charge of consumer protection had a decidedly Minnesota flavor.

Every year, Jill Swing signs a piece of paper when she buys beauty products for the shelves of her 15-year-old salon, Jill's on Jackson in Watertown, Minnesota. Swing promises that she won't succumb to "diversion," the practice of selling "salon-only" products to unauthorized retailers.

In the spring of 2007, my colleagues Pam Louwagie and Glenn Howatt were investigating how wanton real estate speculation was laying waste to the North Side of Minneapolis.

The Better Business Bureau doesn't want consumers to get lured in by work-at-home offers that proliferate during tough economic times.

Minneapolis’ carriage horses trot back to the country at night, but they leave something behind in the city

Starting tomorrow, new federal rules go into effect that will prohibit whole classes of these prerecorded marketing pitches, called robocalls. That is, unless you enjoy them so much that you put your desire to hear them in writing. Violators could face fines of $16,000 per call.

One of the great things about Whistleblower is that we are able to tackle a variety of subjects. In Sunday's paper, I wrote a column about background checks and the privacy concerns they raise for employees.

An insurance rep in Hennepin County sent along these thoughts advising storm-affected homeowners to think before they sign:

Two Scott County residents say that flies are taking over their houses and that the proposed settlement isn't a solution at all.

Campbell knew he had enough money in the bank. He tried another store. Certegy's computers turned him down again. He tried to get the clerk to explain what was going on, but it was clear she didn't know. He talked on the phone with a Certegy representative, who said he could fill out an application....