The march of the cell phone towers is coming to a horizon near you.

 

The spindly towers are spreading across Minnesota, and with them, debate about why they are necessary.

 

Near Afton, officials are grappling with a proposal for a 150-foot tower. New Brighton has halted a company's plan to build an 80-foot tower - but two other companies are asking about building one.

 

Arguments have recently been raging in Apple Valley, Franconia Township and northern Minnesota, where a 450-foot tower was proposed near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

 

The questions are always the same: Can't the towers go somewhere else? Is the radiation dangerous? Can they be stopped? Should they?

 

To find answers, the Pioneer Press consulted various experts and summarized their responses.

 

Read more.