Contested school board race could sway union talks: Candidates Patty Wycoff and Josh Reimnitz, both with education experience, pursue District 4 spot with differing views on changing the role of seniority. (Steve Brandt)
School district takes state to court: The dispute involves lease aid, money that the state Department of Education pays on behalf of charter schools to rent buildings. The state says it doesn't have to pay districts if they're both the authorizer and the landlord for a charter school, because of a law designed to prevent conflicts of interest. (Steve Brandt)
Somali terror trial focuses on tapes: The FBI, disputing argument that suspect Mahamud Said Omar is incompetent, says he told translator "They got me" after hearing tapes of his calls. (Dan Browning and Allie Shah)
Philanthropy beat: Small loans can yield big results: This month marks the seventh anniversary of Kiva, a California-based nonprofit that allows ordinary citizens to make small loans to such unlikely entrepreneurs as sheep farmers, fruit vendors and shawl weavers across the globe. Twin Cities Kiva supporters have something else to celebrate: the merger of two student chapters that have been lending money independently for the past few years. (Jean Hopfensperger)
And finally, the Lyndale Avenue bridge over Minnehaha Creek reopened Monday. Star Tribune staff photographer Elizabeth Flores was there to see Daniel Campo, his dog "Tobias," and Sydney Cole leading a group of triumphant neighbors and local business owners, who have suffered during the $3.5 million project. The Plymouth Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River also reopened Monday.
