In St. Paul, a familiar battle is brewing over a key piece of progressive energy legislation pitting business interests against environmental concerns. A bill authored by Rep. Mike Beard, R-Shakopee, seeks...

MinnesotaâÄôs great budget battle of 2011 officially kicked off last week when state Republicans proposed $1 billion in cuts largely falling on higher education and local governments. With a $6.2...

Aspiring teachers in Minnesota may soon have new avenues to earning their licenses. The Minnesota House of RepresentativesâÄô Education Reform Committee began discussion Thursday on two bills which...

Forming a consensus on any issue in modern politics is no easy task. Neither is forming an aisle-crossing coalition. But the latter is going to be a necessity at both the national and state levels as the...

As I write from my desk in a drafty Minneapolis apartment, I gaze out the window while a thick snowfall continues to accumulate on parked cars already buried by MinnesotaâÄôs most abundant natural...

Jubilant fans stormed the field of TCF Bank Stadium after the Gophers football team ended its disappointing season on a high note, knocking off the Iowa Hawkeyes 27-24 Saturday. With the season in the...

  A stronger Republican presence in the U.S. House and Senate could bring about the death of a longstanding congressional practice. For better or for worse, earmarks have been a staple on Capitol...

Minnesotans let out a collective groan on Nov. 3 when they heard the most abhorrent word in Minnesota politics âÄî recount. Unfortunately, we are no strangers to close elections and the mudslinging...

  President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress have been accused of trying to do too much. After last weekâÄôs elections, a divided Congress will spend the next two years trying to avoid...

Throughout the 2010 campaign season, the plan proposed by each of the three main gubernatorial candidates to solve MinnesotaâÄôs $5.8 billion budget deficit has been dissected, analyzed, scrutinized...

  President Barack ObamaâÄôs rally and Tim BrewsterâÄôs firing coming just six days earlier bring to mind the eerie similarities between the leader of the free world and the former...

With a reeling economy and high unemployment rates, itâÄôs easy to understand why social issues have taken a backseat to job creation on the 2010 campaign trail. Job creation has been the focus...

Anyone doubtful of the need for our schools to ramp up bullying prevention efforts clearly hasnâÄôt been paying attention to a somber parade of national and local headlines. Last month alone, at...

With slumping approval ratings for a Democrat-controlled White House and Congress facing midterm elections, this is supposed to be the comeback year for Republicans. But for MinnesotaâÄôs gubernatorial...

Waiting for the bus at the intersection of Lyndale and Franklin avenues a few weeks ago, I happened to notice a middle-aged gentleman standing on the corner several feet away from me. His haggard face...

Debate is an integral part of the political process in America. Whether chivalrous or irascible, it serves as a venue for exchanging and vetting competing ideas. On the campaign trail, public debates allow...

Former University of Minnesota wrestler Cole Konrad, a two-time NCAA heavyweight champion, is beginning to make a name for himself in a new sport âÄî mixed martial arts. Konrad (2-0) will make...

While the Big Ten is unlikely to announce any decision on conference expansion in the near future, other conferences around the country are keeping a watchful eye on its actions. Last week, Southeastern...

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved a recommendation to expand the Division I Men's Basketball Championship tournament Thursday by three teams. Beginning next year, the tournament will grow...

Vice President Joe Biden announced the reversal of a 2005 interpretation of Title IX, a federal law prohibiting gender discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funding, Tuesday at George...

The NCAA announced Thursday it had reached a new 14-year, $10.8 billion television deal with CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting to provide coverage for the NCAA Division I MenâÄôs Basketball Championship....

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany and a number of Big Ten presidents and chancellors met Sunday in Washington, D.C., to discuss conference expansion while attending Association of American Universities meetings....

The Division I NCAA MenâÄôs Basketball Championship tournament is one of the most watched sporting events in the country, and while the tournamentâÄôs television audiences have regularly...

After a lengthy series of delays, University of Minnesota menâÄôs basketball player Trevor Mbakwe finally received a trial date in his felony assault case Thursday. More than one year after the...

As the NCAA tournament progresses, so do rumors of possible coaching changes throughout college basketball. The University of Minnesota has been unable to avoid speculation, as menâÄôs basketball...

Hundreds of millions of viewers watch at least part of the NCAA menâÄôs basketball tournament, affectionately known as March Madness. Though top-tier basketball programs can often be a catalyst...

The University of Minnesota's facility manager for Williams Arena and the Sports Pavillion, Michael Dale, was fired Friday, according to a Star Tribune report. The firing came after an internal investigation. The...

Every year, the college basketball season culminates with the excitement of postseason tournaments. This seasonâÄôs NCAA menâÄôs basketball tournament field has already been winnowed down...

The University of Minnesota is hosting portions of this yearâÄôs NCAA womenâÄôs basketball and menâÄôs hockey championship tournaments, which can carry financial risks and rewards...

The University of Minnesota football team held its annual Pro Day at the teamâÄôs practice facility on Wednesday for players whose collegiate eligibility expired after this season and wanted a...

University of Minnesota men's basketball coach Tubby Smith addressed a rumor Monday, which linked him to a prospective job at the University of Oregon. Smith said in a Big Ten conference call that such...

Another delay in the trial of Gophers menâÄôs basketball player Trevor Mbakwe came at a report hearing Monday. Another report hearing in the felony assault trial was scheduled for April 8. The...

The desire to gain a competitive advantage in collegiate sports has led coaches to begin scouting and recruiting student-athletes even before they reach high school. One youngster who is already on University...

A pending class-action antitrust lawsuit filed against the NCAA is threatening to disrupt the way the association does business. Former University of California-Los Angeles basketball star Ed OâÄôBannon...

With the NFL Scouting Combine beginning Wednesday in Indianapolis, four Gophers have been hard at work preparing for their professional auditions. University of Minnesota seniors Eric Decker, Simoni Lawrence,...

The University of Minnesota menâÄôs and womenâÄôs hockey teams each have several ambassadors to help promote the school and athletics program at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Athletics...

The 2010 Gophers football team will now feature four players who all hail from the same junior college more than 1,000 miles from Minneapolis. Lackawanna College is located in Scranton, Pa., and with an...

While many universities have been cutting athletics programs, the University of Minnesota has had to look for innovative ways to keep its 25-sport athletics program thriving. The UniversityâÄôs...

Former University of Minnesota menâÄôs basketball player Royce White pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of trespassing in Hennepin County District Court. White originally faced three counts of...

University of Minnesota head football coach Tim Brewster announced on Friday the promotion of one of his staff members and the resignation of another. Brewster promoted running backs coach Thomas Hammock...

University of Minnesota head football coach Tim Brewster unveiled his 2010 recruiting class Wednesday, which included two of the top three in-state recruits, but not Seantrel Henderson, one of the most...

University of Minnesota junior basketball player Al Nolen lost an appeal on Tuesday to the Division I Progress Toward Degree Waiver Committee to have his eligibility reinstated for the 2009-10 season,...

For the second time in his first year with the University of Minnesota, Royce White said he will be withdrawing from school and the Gophers men's basketball team. White has been suspended from the team...