A routine school assembly became anything but when middle school math teacher Seth Brown learned he had won the Milken Educator Award.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports Stillwater Area Schools are looking to share services and equipment with the city and Washington County as a way to be more efficient. Stillwater officials say you have to do things differently to give taxpayers the best value for their money.

Lori Blomme, 40, collapsed on Monday while leading a class at Menlo Park Academy, her brother-in-law David Blomme told the Star Tribune. She had taught at the northeast Minneapolis school for nine years and students told Fox 9 she was strict but well-loved. A cause of death was not immediately known.

The Stillwater Lift Bridge will close Monday for four months while MnDot crews make repairs. The bridge will not reopen until late December. The lift span will open to boat traffic on Sundays from Oct. 15 through Nov. 5 and will also not open again until late December.

Minnesota has no state guidelines governing classroom science experiments. A teacher's association has issued recommendations, but following them is purely voluntary. This month's accident that burned four Maple Grove students may lead to more scrutiny.

One problem, Talking Points Memo points out: Taxes under Reagan were generally higher than they are today.