The Strib's David Peterson has a necessary exposé on local governments that only do the briefest business on-camera, then take the important, controversial stuff to a back room. Scott County and the St. Louis Park City Council get a finger-wagging. Some argue the contentious stuff must be handled off-camera — one Richfield spokesman complains "the public was taking advantage" of televised debate. However, at least a handful of local candidates are making an issue of the furtiveness.

One in six Minneapolis schoolkids is homeless or lacks a permanent home during the year, writes the Strib's Patrice Relerford. The number is up 18 percent from the year before. Homeless kids are even more likely to fall short on standardized tests than other kids in poverty. The district has three staffers who work at 17 local facilities making sure kids were registered. They try to keep kids with original schools, but one first-day bus was two hours late, Relerford notes. (You can see MinnPost's coverage of the issue here.)

An aggravating Strib editorial says voters should "learn" about Minneapolis School Board candidates — there's a primary tomorrow — but provides no endorsements and only links to candidate-supplied statements. There's a roundup of district initiatives and challenges, but couldn't the editorial board, you know, actually interview the hopefuls? If you need quality campaign info, check out this piece from the Southwest Journal's Dylan Thomas or Twin Cities Daily Planet's Karlee Weinmann.

There are also U.S. Senate primaries tomorrow, and Al Franken primary opponent Patricia Lord Faris gets four minutes to make her case to WCCO's Esme Murphy.

Some Minnesota manufacturers are besting Chinese rivals because of high global shipping costs, the Strib's Dee DePass notes.

Fox9's site notes Lakeville just had its first city layoffs ever.

MPR's Dan Olson talks to an Iraqi refugee who's settled in Minnesota. The "medical professional" is one of a handful able to leverage family ties. A U.N. resettlement official say Iraqis generally have a good chance of finding work here because they're from an urban population. But the man won't reveal his name because he's worried about safety of friends and family.

It's RNC assessment week! AP's Amy Forliti — one of perhaps two dozen journalists arrested at an RNC demonstration Thursday — says anti-war organizers gained momentum from last week's marches. It's a rationalization not everyone buys — one PoliSci prof says anarchists hijacked the message. However, organizers term their anti-war statement "very strong" and say they even networked in jail. Minnesota Independent has six-minute video focusing on actual messages.

Also in the RNC aftermath, Minnesota Independent's Jeff Severns Guntzel looks at munitions used to by riot cops and says many questions remain unanswered. City Pages' Matt Snyders was arrested off the Marion Bridge Thursday and files this weekend dispatch. Unlike other pros, he was hauled to jail for processing. A Forum Communications editorial praises Twin Cities policing. The Uptake has edited much of its raw footage of demonstrations into video reports.

KARE's Rick Kupchella scored an interview with John and Cindy McCain. And bless it, KARE's web story even has a fact-check on McCain's claim about Obama's community organizing experience!

Many newsies feature Gov. Tim Pawlenty's humiliating treatment by Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog from Conan O'Brien's late-night show.

MPR's Laura Yuen says Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak wants us to host the Democratic National Convention in 2012. A St. Paul convention official is "right there with him." The tar-and-feather committee meets in Cossetta's empty parking lot café.

Nort spews: You get the sense Twins pitcher are bumping up against some internal innings-pitched limits; Minnesota loses 7-5 to Detroit for its fifth defeat in six games. The Twinks remain 2.5 back of Chicago. The Vikes open at Green Bay; game time is a surprisingly early 6 p.m. Both papers put Favre's absence on the front page. Ah, circuses. The Business Journal's John Vomhof, Jr. notes Purple season ticket sales were flat this year.