State Sen. Linda Higgins seeks the exclusion of state and federal inmates from population counts used for state and local redistricting.

Related: Census issue: when, where — and for what purpose — to count inmates

An education think tank identified 2,817 so-called "private public schools," whose doors, it says, are "effectively closed to poor children." Only 37 of them are in Minnesota. Researchers speculate that school choice may be the main reason, but a U of M researcher disagrees.

Duluth is having some fun in the race to get Google's attention as the computer behemoth plans to test ultra-fast broadband networks in cities around the country. The annnouncment has led to some creative, and a bit goofy, antics from communities interested in the project.

Roy Magnuson is well known at Como High School in St. Paul as a longtime social studies teacher and coach. He's also known for his political activity. We talked about how he got involved in politics and how it influences his classroom work.

For Dean Urdahl, his work as a writer sometimes spills over into his work as a legislator. His books about the 1862 Dakota Uprising, for example, prompted his efforts last session urging Congress to repeal an antiquated law on the treatment of Indians.

Despite occasional naysayers, three out of four experts say our use of the Internet enhances and augments human intelligence, and two-thirds believe it has improved reading, writing and "rendering of knowledge."