It may be rainy outside, but at least it’s above freezing … and that, oddly enough, brings me to our first Daily Digest item:

* The warmer weather and wintery rain is a double-edged sword, reports KARE11. The good news: melting snow now means less risk for flooding later this spring. The bad news: it’s bound to get colder again, and for places further north, like Duluth, that will mean ice all over. They’ve already been bracing for an ice storm up there, which is odd because this kind of thing typically doesn’t happen until March, says U climatoligist Mark Seeley. But, enjoy the warmer temps while they last and be careful not to biff it on the ice later!

* Also somewhat weather related: to get rid of all that ice, Minnesotans typically use salt — about 350,000 tons of it every year in the Metro area. But all that salt has to go somewhere later, and according to a new University study, it’s infiltrating it’s way into Minnesota’s lakes and rivers, which could affect the wildlife within them and the water that our fair citizens drink. View the University news release here.

* The economy is affecting pocketbooks around the world, and now potential college students are turning their post-secondary priorities away from spendy private colleges and looking to public schools, like the U of M, for their degrees. Fox9 reported yesterday that applications to the U are up 15 percent, and after 10 years of a steady upward trend, applications at private schools around the state are down 5 percent. The Department of Administration says it will simply make an already competitive pool more competitive, but a private school rep says parents and high school seniors shouldn’t rule out private schools just because of the price tag, since most students get a hefty amount of scholarships and financial aid.

Enjoy the rain and spring-like temperatures, folks. We’ll check in with you again tomorrow.

Courtney Sinner

Campus Editor