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"Let's start with a shared understanding of how oversight in government works," State Auditor Julie Blaha writes. "I think of it like a hockey game -- with fewer lost teeth."

Vote yes on Question 1, which would make it easier to get maintenance issues fixed, the authors write.

Columnist Rochelle Olson's weekly roundup covers Hermantown's secretive data center plans, SNAP cuts, the FBI's illegal gambling probe and more.

"Minnesota's small towns aren't running out of assets -- they're rediscovering them. For Ely, that means treating its homes, businesses and community institutions as part of a shared legacy worth reinvesting in," John Bennett writes.

"If we don't act now, we will lose the financial stability that makes every other dream possible," Ward 12 Minneapolis City Council candidate Becka Thompson writes.

Proposed ICE rule would be a step closer to disaster.

From columnist Jill Burcum: It's hard to think of a renovation that would require more care. Yet we're watching the East Wing become rubble with little public discussion.

"The Legislature passed an unambiguous 'carbon free' law for the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to implement. Now those industries are arguing the PUC should just pretend we passed a squishy law they would have preferred," the authors write.

My Jefferson Lines bus departed 12 minutes ahead of schedule last week, leading to retraining for "inexcusable" staff actions and a road trip with two other stranded passengers, Robin Washington writes.

Here's how that role bears out at Carleton College, which I lead, and in Northfield, writes Alison R. Byerly.