The University of Minnesota is considering a campuswide smoking ban at its Twin Cities location. (10/06/2008)

The Hormel Institute in Austin is celebrating the opening of a $23 million expansion to its cancer research facility. (10/03/2008)

Organizers of this weekend's annual Minnesota Solar Tour expect more interest this year because of high energy prices. (10/03/2008)

Parents, teachers and other adults spent time reading to kids around Minnesota Thursday as educators marked national "Read for the Record" day. (10/03/2008)

The head of Minneapolis Public Schools presented a report Thursday morning, updating progress in five key areas. In four of those, students are not meeting the district's own targets. (10/02/2008)

Schools worry that cell phones distract from learning, but with most students owning one, how best to regulate them? (10/02/2008)

The University of Minnesota is one of dozens of colleges and universities around the country that have partnerships with banks. Its deal with TCF brings in $1 million a year. (09/28/2008)

University officials say Brother Deitrich Reinhart has cancer in both lungs. (09/26/2008)

Minnesota State University Moorhead has imposed a hiring freeze as it deals with a $3.2 million budget deficit. (09/25/2008)

This year, state Democrats plan to push an education plan they're calling the "New Minnesota Miracle," which would increase school funding by $2.5 billion. Gov. Pawlenty is also pushing his plan to improve the schools; his focus is on teacher performance pay and recruiting mid-career professionals to teach math and science. Midday explores these proposals and what they'll mean for education in Minnesota. (Midday, 09/25/2008)

A judge has denied a request from Olga Franco for acquittal or a new trial. Franco was convicted last month in connection with a school bus crash near Cottonwood which killed four children. (09/23/2008)

Gov. Tim Pawlenty traveled the state today to discuss education initiatives he'd like to see pass during next year's legislative session. Some of the ideas might sound familiar because Pawlenty has pursued them before. (09/23/2008)

St. Cloud State University will inaugurate its 22nd president this afternoon. (09/19/2008)

An artificial research stream brings a bit of wild river to downtown Minneapolis. (09/19/2008)

A few Somali parents in Willmar complained that the public schools weren't allowing their Muslim children to step out of class for daily prayer. Today, school officials said they won't change their policy, which allows students to pray during lunch time and between classes. (09/16/2008)