Secrets of the City

Fortune takes a hard look into how the collapse Bernie Madoff’s economic house of cards has played out in Minnesota. Not well: “While some regional reports put the losses at $300 million, a local attorney working with victims believes $600 million is a more accurate number. He knows of two families who lost a total of more than $130 million. Dozens of other families lost smaller amounts, representing everything from children’s college savings to retirement accounts, while local Jewish-funded philanthropies find themselves scrambling to pay for basic core missions for the poor.” (Via)

Ever misplace your wallet? Ugh, hate days like that. Wells Fargo is having one, as they have apparently lost $328M to an unexplained “credit event.” Barron’s wants to know what happened. (via)

The Strib does a story on salaries for the local arts community, and reveals that Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling pulled in $682,229 in salary and benefits last year: Even discounting a one-time bonus of $100,000, his compensation surpassed that of his peers not only in New York but also at nonprofit theaters elsewhere in the United States. So, Joe Dowling — overpaid?

Aaron points out that it is ridiculously easy to look up someone else’s utility bills online here in the Twin Cities, and pay them, if you like. But is this a bug or a feature? After all, utility bills are public information. Aaron does a little digging, and then a little more. As it turns out, Mayor R.T. Rybak uses a lot more water than Aaron.

Yeah! Prices are falling! There are so many good deals out there. Gas is cheap, groceries are cheap. Oh wait, that’s a bad thing? Sure, down the road it means we’ll probably all lose our jobs and won’t be able to pay back our loans with more expensive dollars, but we can buy cheap stuff!  Where are the best places in town to find a deal? [Update: Never mind, food is still expensive.]