Some slightly off-the-beaten-path stories you may have missed over the past week:

— They can’t possibly be as good as Nicky D’s old-fashioned morning delights: “Blackbird Doughnuts eyes national expansion; founder sells South End restaurant” (BBJ)

— Very encouraging: “Springfield Rail Hub gets $130M as West-East Rail Advances” (B&T)

— A simple case of morons thinking everyone else is morons? “Republican PAC seems to think you’re a moron” (Universal Hub)

— Strange times. This normally happens during recessions, not before recessions: “Colleges and hospitals drive construction activity while developers wait out high rates” (BBJ)

— It merely obscures the ominous demographic trends facing higher-ed: “Free community college helping to shore up state university enrollment” (WBUR)

— Our state and governor don’t rank very high: “Which states are the most free? A new report scores all 50” (Washington Post)

— He thinks there must be more to MBAs than graduates choosing between jobs at McKinsey and Goldman Sachs: “I Teach at a Business School. It’s Time to Shut Them Down” (NYT)

— It wasn’t supposed to be this kind of ‘assistance’: “High pay, low results: Nearly 600 DTA staff on six-figure salaries as fraud runs rampant” (Herald)

— Protests are a little too much, but it is one of the worst ad campaigns ever: “People have a lot of feelings about ‘Liberty Biberty.’ Now there’s a Boston protest planned over the mascot.” (Boston Globe)

— A fascinating look at the country’s changing demographics: “Israel’s New Center of Gravity” (WSJ)