BY ELAINE KLAASSEN Does anyone need to be reminded that it is in our best interests to nurture the Earth? In May of 2019, Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz signed legislation that set aside $900,000 for pollinator-friendly native plantings. The money, available through the Lawns to Legumes program, was dispersed in small…
BY ED FELIEN There are four important dates to remember: Feb. 25, Precinct Caucuses March 3, Presidential Primary Aug. 11, Primary Election Day Nov. 3, Election Day Precinct Caucuses: On Tuesday night, Feb. 25, the four recognized parties in Minnesota for the 2020 ballot are: Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party 651-293-1200 Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party 651-280-7922 Legal Marijuana…
Members of the MN350 Solutions Committee met with Cargill executives on July 11 to make them aware of changes they could make to benefit the environment. When the activists arrived at Cargill corporate headquarters in Wayzata, they were not allowed to enter the building but rather were escorted by security…
J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece “The Hobbit” will be playing at the Children’s Theatre Company until April 14. Go and see two hours of excitement in this adaptation written and directed by Greg Banks. Altogether the show is two hours, counting the 20-minute intermission, but I count it all as excitement.…
BY ED FELIEN Funding for neighborhood organizations has come mostly from the increased property taxes on downtown development. In 1989 the city gave developers a huge tax break to encourage development. Tax Increment Financing meant they would only have to pay property taxes on the value of the buildings they…
BY TERESA ENGSTROM Here I go again, banging my head against the brick wall that is the Minneapolis Park Board. Staff and commissioners all inclusive. I was totally gobsmacked at the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting held at Powderhorn Park Thursday night, March 7, 2019. The Park Board had the…
Spring Parade of Homes It’s time for the Spring Parade of Homes. Until March 31, you can tour 472 new homes Thursdays to Sundays from 12 to 6 p.m. It’s free except for four Dream Homes where you’ll be asked to pay a $5 admission at the door. Proceeds from…
WORDS & MUSIC BY LARRY LONG Beneath your coat and too long tie There’s a burning cross you can’t hide Instead of bridges you build walls All for you and none for all White sheets in the White House Everybody scream and shout White sheets in the White House Time…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Janaan Ahmed, a junior at Patrick Henry High School (PHHS) in Minneapolis, is the 2019 student at-large director on the Minneapolis School Board. The activism for which Ahmed became known, almost a full year before her selection as student representative, was as one of the point…
Congress passed a resolution last week condemning anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate speech, but more than 20 elected officials in Minneapolis condemned the original version of the Resolution that was meant to criticize Ilhan Omar for speaking out against Congress’ uncritical support of Israel. Ilan Omar was criticized for saying, “It’s…
The rich get richer A great deal of what I do when I write is to reduce word usage. For example, a small newsletter that I receive monthly contains so much information about the corporations that run this country. (No, they don’t govern it; they simply control those who do…
BY RICHARD TAYLOR Sometimes, the venue for a meeting can tell us a lot about its goals, such as the aborted one between President Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, Vietnam. As Trump put it, “Vietnam is thriving like few places on earth. North Korea would be…
A Southsider weighs in on the Upper Terminal Redevelopment BY ELINA KOLSTAD I recently found out about Minneapolis’ exciting opportunity to redevelop over 48 acres north of downtown at the site of the Northern Terminal on the Mississippi River. The city has approved a $200 million project proposal for the…
BY ELAINE KLAASSEN “The Scramble for Africa” is a very long book about Europe’s takeover of the continent of Africa at the end of the 19th century. The story is appalling, mostly because of the confidence of European rulers to just take and control whatever they found there, as though…
Love for the Earth BY ELAINE KLAASSEN Since all the great romantic loves of my life are now either married, dead, or sainted hermits, I decided on Valentine’s Day that my last great love affair will be with the Earth. As my good luck would have it, there was a…
