A proposed state law could make textbooks cheaper for University students. The Higher Education Conference Committee adopted a proposal that would force publishers to disclose individual prices of items...

Some students have a way to get out of mounting debt when they graduate: move to the country. Student loan forgiveness and repayment programs offer graduates an opportunity to get rid of debt but come...

In a rush to pass its finance bills last week, the House approved a bill providing University funding and a few other surprises. The House passed its higher education omnibus bill Thursday after almost...

Gov. Tim Pawlenty returned to his alma mater Monday to give a speech at the Law School. Pawlenty, who graduated in 1986, addressed the global economy, health-care reform and a professor's advice in law...

A group of University students biked to the Capitol Saturday in support of the Global Warming Day of Action, an event celebrated nationwide in local gatherings. About a dozen Minnesota Public Interest...

Rep. Betty McCollum, the Democratic congresswoman representing St. Paul, talked Monday on campus about her trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Addressing a modest crowd at the Humphrey Institute, McCollum...

Being old fashioned might be the popular route when it comes to choosing regents. When the House reconvenes next week, it will take on the regent selection process after a contentious election last month. Rep....

As the Legislature prepares to take its session break, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty threatened to veto higher education funding legislation if it includes the Dream Act. Lawmakers in the House and Senate...

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar spoke on campus Monday about global warming going mainstream and praised the University's energy efforts. "After years of congressional inaction, neglect and even defiance on this...

If the House version of the higher education bill passes, tuition could increase by 2 percent next year, the lowest increase so far in the session, and maybe not at all in 2009. With an apple on his desk,...

The Minnesota House is expected to introduce a bill today that includes funding for the University. Lawmakers in the House have been tight-lipped about specifics of the plan as they struggled to pull together...

For the first time in more than 10 years, the University might get its full request from the Legislature to repair leaky roofs and crumbling buildings. The House Capital Investment Finance Division Committee...

The University may receive about $42 million less than it requested for the 2008-2009 biennium budget. The hole in funding could mean increased tuition and cutbacks in programs at the University, according...

A proposed state law could mean woe for those who will have to find a wily way to smoke weed. Sen. Amy Koch, R-Buffalo, proposed a bill to outlaw the sale and possession of glass pipes, bongs and other...

Brett Weik-Ulrich had no idea that a stolen jacket would lead to a weeklong nightmare. Weik-Ulrich's keys were in his jacket, and his car went missing last week. He filed a police report and replaced all...

An increase in the state grant program could mean some students could receive $1,100 more per year for college. State Sen. Rod Skoe, DFL- Clearbrook, proposes to increase the state grant program by approximately...

The University might soon get a bit closer to India. State Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Eden Prairie, wants an India Center at the University, similar to the existing China Center, in order to expand research...

Some Minnesota lawmakers want to see the stars shine in the city. A bill sponsored by Minneapolis DFL Rep. Phyllis Kahn would mandate that all new streetlights in the state be equipped with a hood to cast...

The University might become a little greener and more natural. The Legislature is considering giving the University more than $2 million to research organic agriculture. The appropriation would create...

When tuition goes up at the University next year, many students will have their fate tied to a different state than Minnesota. The Wisconsin Board of Regents sets tuition for Wisconsin students at the...

Wisconsin lawmakers are calling the reciprocity debate a Minnesota bookkeeping problem, saying their state is paying what's due to Minnesota. A bill in Minnesota's House would charge Wisconsin students...

;"The 'Gov' shall appoint a state poet laureate,/ Who shall serve for a four-year term./ Because this appointment will always be great,/ There's no need for the Senate to confirm." Most bills don't read...

As lawmakers debate a statewide smoking ban, some campus bar owners wonder if it will fire up business again. Proponents of the bill hope the ban would alleviate health problems and competition between...

Students from Wisconsin could see their tuition jump at the University if lawmakers have their way. African studies sophomore Ryann Streicher, from Madison, Wis., attends the University because of the...

A Minnesota House committee heard a bill Wednesday that would establish policy for state-funded embryonic stem cell research. The bill, introduced by campus-area DFL Rep. Phyllis Kahn, became instantly...

Jeremiah Peterson missed home like any other college student, but he was further away than most. During the fall of 2003, he left for Iraq with his National Guard unit. "For two years, home was the only...

Average student debt at the University went up by $10,000 between 2002 and 2005, and increased tuition isn't the only thing to blame. Retired U.S. appellate Judge Gerald Heaney asked a Minnesota House...

It's hard to compete against sick kids and keeping the bars on prisons. A proposed constitutional amendment could make that competition unnecessary for certain cultural and environmental programs with...

The University is talking money this year at the Capitol, and several hundred students, faculty and alumni gathered last night at the McNamara Alumni Center to rally behind the University's funding requests. University...

Keith Ellison remains close to his roots, despite election publicity and controversy that turned him into a household name. His constituent office is in the Minneapolis Urban League building, where he...

At the State of the State address Wednesday, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty said the state of Minnesota is "great," but could be better through healthcare, energy policy and education reforms. Faced with...

While students were relaxing during the break, legislators introduced hundreds of new bills at the Capitol in St. Paul, many of which could impact the University. Among the bills thrown in the hopper are...

On top of having to rebuild two coaching staffs, the University is receiving flak from a few state legislators for spending millions of dollars to buy out the coaching contracts. In November, the University's...

Since the November election, when he was elected to represent Minneapolis and some inner-ring suburbs in the U.S. Congress, Keith Ellison has been a busy man. As the first Muslim ever elected to Congress,...

The budget forecast for the 2008-09 state budget is good news for Minnesota, with a projected $2.17 billion available over two years, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Minnesota Department...

No air conditioning, an uncharacteristic location and 80-year-old dioramas are some reasons the Bell Museum might move to Falcon Heights. The relocation is slated to go before the Legislature in 2008....

State-funded stem cell research, a light rail line between Minneapolis and St. Paul and a new Science Classroom Building could be some of the changes the University will see when the state Legislature...

Although the national political landscape shifted dramatically following last Tuesday's elections, many University students expressed doubt the power shift would affect their lives. In the midterm elections,...

University-area Sen. Larry Pogemiller will be the next majority leader of the DFL-controlled state Senate. Pogemiller represents Senate District 59, the area covering the University's Minneapolis campus. Pogemiller...

When Martin Sabo retires after representing the 5th Congressional District for 28 years, Democrat Keith Ellison will take his place. Ellison, the first Muslim ever elected to Congress and the first black...

.Sandra Burt, Republican What are two or three of the most important issues to you in the election? The most important issues are public safety - because I believe that effects every one of us - education...

.Alice Hausman, DFL, Incumbent What are two or three of the most important issues to you in the election? They continue to be education and health care, but now these have extra weight because we have...

.Keith Ellison, Democrat What is your policy on immigration? We need a pathway to citizenship for people who are in the country. We need to streamline and improve ... legal immigration; if we did that,...

As the room erupted into cheers, two young renegades in the mob craned their necks to watch Illinois Sen. Barack Obama enter the crowd of all ages and races. Hopkins High School student Zoe Illies, 17,...

Beneath the glare of lights and in front of television cameras, three candidates for the 6th Congressional District debated issues and bashed their competitors' policies. The Center for the Study of Politics...

Midterm elections in Minnesota are gaining national attention this year. Minnesota has several congressional seats that could be a toss-up this year, and the outcomes could play a role in the larger picture...

Four U.S. House hopefuls joined Carlson School of Management lecturer and Republican candidate Alan Fine on his turf Wednesday night in a battle over who will take the 5th Congressional District seat. The...

Nestled in a quaint residential neighborhood, the University's St. Paul campus is isolated from the city's bright lights, noise and contentious politics. While the 5th Congressional District race is drawing...

As political candidates use MySpace, text messages and YouTube to lure young voters, many say nothing makes a lasting impression like old-fashioned face-to-face contact. A handful of volunteers came to...

Bass lines and cymbal crashes echoed off the columns of Northrop Auditorium Friday night during Amps Against Apathy, a political action and music event held by Democracy Matters. The event attracted bands...

The outcome of a political fight in the Twin Cities' suburbs could decide which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives after the November election. Students from Minnesota's 6th Congressional...

This year's Election Day won't just be about candidates fighting; voters will decide whether to amend the Minnesota Constitution. The proposed change, dubbed the transportation amendment, would require...

If student turnout at the polls is historically low, then primary turnout is historically awful. But one race on the ballot is shaping up to be a major draw for students. This year, perhaps due to the...

Voters complain that elections often come down to a choice between the lesser of two evils. Third parties say they're the alternative. Third parties sporadically make grand entrances into the Minnesota...

State Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL, has devoted nearly half her life to politics. First elected to represent the University area in the Minnesota House in 1972, the 69-year-old is running for her 18th term in...

Voters might have to crawl through the mud to get to the polls this November. Democrats and Republicans alike are throwing dirt in high-profile races, in a "he said, she said" attempt to bring voters to...

Minnesotans will face many unfamiliar names on the ballot in November. In a statewide race for appellate court judge, two unknown candidates are trying to break into a race that has historically gone to...

Alan Fine faces a daunting task: to move from the classroom to Congress. He changed his approach overnight. The senior lecturer at Carlson School of Management is trying to break through the DFL stronghold...

Historically, Minnesotans forget to visit the polls for the September primaries. Scores of volunteers and activists are trying to prevent that as they frantically canvass campus before the Tuesday vote. Democratic...

Environmental researchers and experts hide in the nooks and crannies of the University, but a proposed environmental institute would seek to bring them together to solve some big problems. The University...

Increasing tuition is one of the biggest headaches students and parents suffer from during college. This fall, however, marks the second year the University has offered the Founders Opportunity Program,...

With the Mayo Clinic and IBM, Rochester long has been a haven for science, technology and business. Now the University is making the small southeastern Minnesota city in a haven for ambitious students. This...

Every year at the Minnesota State Fair, the infamous food-on-a-stick sensation claims a prominent Minnesota identity. Fairgoers will have the option of more than 50 kinds of food served on a stick to peak...

The Minnesota Ballpark Authority on Friday selected Dan Kenney for the position of executive director, after a noteworthy candidate withdrew from the race. University Regent David Metzen dropped out of...

The universe in all its splendor was revealed to a crowd of 40 on Saturday night. During the muggy evening, the space-curious, some standing in the back after all the chairs filled, packed into the visitor...

When mechanical engineering junior Alex Kosset received an envelope in the mail with the return address "Astronaut Scholarship Foundation," he said he had a hunch what it was. Kosset opened the envelope...

A new ordinance that went into effect this month will allow Minneapolis police to fine landlords for their tenants' noise violations. The law is stirring discussion with some University-area landlords...

Of all the summer jobs she could have chosen - scooping ice cream, sitting on top of a lifeguard chair, mowing lawns - animal science senior Taiana Carvalho chose to have a red-tailed hawk perched on her...

Northwest of the University's St. Paul campus, nestled in a quiet neighborhood, is what some consider a golfing paradise. "There's a lot of history here," said Greg Jamieson, assistant program director...