Shares of Best Buy rose and call-option trades quadrupled in the past few weeks as rumors emerged about investor William Ackman buying into the electronics retailer.

Three key changes will now make it easier for companies seeking to participate in the program, which gives a 25 percent tax break to individuals and investment funds that provide seed money to businesses focused on technology.

The Minnetonka-based company will use the 450,000-square-foot Eden Prairie complex to house the headquarters of its recently-unified Optum health services businesses-OptumHealth, OptumInsight, and OptumRx.

American Medical Systems has settled two separate lawsuits alleging that its board breached its fiduciary duties in connection with the company's $2.9 billion merger agreement with Endo Pharmaceuticals.

New regulations require for-profit schools like Capella University to demonstrate that they prepare students for employment-but they have been altered from an earlier draft to allow colleges multiple chances to improve their performance before losing access to federal aid programs.

Target and Fairweather, Ltd.-which owns 15 Target Apparel stores across Canada-failed to reach a settlement through formal mediation; thus, a federal court trial is scheduled to begin in November 2012.

The retail giant said that May sales were "near the low end" of the company's expected range, and same-store sales failed to meet analyst expectations.

Tennant said that the acquisition will add to its intellectual property portfolio, as well as its existing lineup of environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Inc. magazine, which published the list, said that the company's original name-Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company-sounded "robotic and dull," but a nickname coined by the founders was just the ticket.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson has asked the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to assess the effects of CenterPoint Energy's tiered pricing structure, which charges customers higher rates as their gas usage increases.

In the latest decision in a long legal dispute between two pension funds and the City of Minneapolis, an appellate court agreed with a district court ruling that said the funds miscalculated benefits and overcharged the city.

The government claims in a lawsuit that even after inspections by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a Brooklyn Park-based grocery wholesaler continued to sell unsafe seafood.

There were 259 local construction permits issued in May, more than any other month since May 2010.

Circle Pines-based Northern Technologies International Corporation signed a deal with ITC Limited to jointly develop and commercialize biodegradable products in India.

A new performance space adjacent to City Center will be called "New Century Theatre," and performances might begin as early as September.