These days, the atmosphere inside the old Armory downtown consists of car exhaust and little else, yet the mayor invoked the smell of brats and beer and the shouts of Vikings fans in pitching it as part of the game-day experience for a new Vikings stadium in a familiar spot - the Metrodome, Jim Ragsdale and Mike Kaszuba report. Eric Roper fills in some of the colorful history of the Armory, including the Prince video filmed there that brings me back to my MTV days.

The school board finds itself caught between the competing forces of teachers and school reformers as it negotiates a new teacher union contract, Corey Mitchell reports. Groups calling for more accountability have cropped up in urban districts across the country, and in many places are working with teacher unions to bring about reform. Such collaboration between Put Kids First and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers isn't likely, however.

Kari Dziedzic prevailed in the spirited DFL state Senate primary to replace Larry Pogemiller, Eric Roper reports. The Dziedzic name is a household one in northeast Minneapolis, thanks to her father, former Minneapolis cop and longtime City Council member Walt Dziedzic. Roper lays out the vote totals here.

Now there's an explanation to the almost nightly calls we get from Minnesota Orchestra fundraisers - the orchestra is running a $2.9 million deficit, Graydon Royce reports. So why is the orchestra embarking on a $45 million renovation of Orchestra Hall? Separate pot of money, orchestra leaders say. For me, that brings to mind the financially moribund Minneapolis Public Library, which opened its $125 million Central Library in 2006 and then voted to hand it over to Hennepin County nine months later.