BY ELAINE KLAASSEN Steve Floyd is a man with a heart for others. He has raised four children—the fifth is still under his supervision; he nurtures dozens of other youth through the Agape Movement and through his work as a mental health counselor at Change, Inc.; he makes award-winning photographs;…
BY KAY SCHROVEN Crime Graffiti is a polarizing issue. Some regard it as art that should be preserved, perhaps even in a museum, like Banksy, whose work was recently on display in North Minneapolis and who remains unidentified. It is said that he remains unidentified to protect himself from authorities…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Open Streets is back after a pandemic pause. One of the most popular of these (usually) annual events is Open Streets East Lake, held this year on Aug. 13, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This area of Minneapolis is recovering not only from COVID-19 but also…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Highland Bridge updates The development of Highland Bridge, the official name for the former Ford plant site on the banks of the Mississippi, is making massive strides toward completion this year. You can follow the progress through the dedicated website at highlandbridge.com, print out periodic progress…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE State offices On your primary ballot, no matter where you live in Minnesota, you will see several selections for top state offices: governor and lieutenant governor (they run as a team), secretary of state, and attorney general. All of these positions are held by DFL incumbents…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Linda Taylor, known to her friends and neighbors as Miss Linda, had lived in her rented home for more than 18 years, raising her five kids in the two-bedroom, one-bath home in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis. Then, last January, her life was upended. Her landlord…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Richfield – suburban or urban, but mostly rectangular and growing In a previous year, I wrote about how Richfield used to be much larger in area, and if things had continued as they were, the Twin Cities could have been Richfield and St. Paul. But through…
BY JIM SPENSLEY At first, I welcomed blogging, but now I am pretty well convinced if life is better, it isn’t due to social media as practiced. A friend sent a link from Next- door asking about “very loud noises.” By the time I opened the posting, replies had already…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Senate District 63 has only one incumbent, Rep. Emma Greenman of 63B, who was endorsed by acclamation. Running for Senate to replace retiring Sen. Patricia Torres Ray is Zaynab Mohamed, who was also previously endorsed by Twin Cities DSA, among others. Mohamed was endorsed without major…
BY LYDIA HOWELL In my home state of Texas, laws have gone gun-crazy. And Minnesota isn’t as sensible as I believed. For conceal and carry permits, laws were changed from “sheriffs may issue” – allowing some caution – to “shall issue,” putting more guns in public places. Echoing national challenges,…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Cedar Avenue – geography and history, with a side trip to Somalia Geographically, Cedar Avenue is a lot longer than you might think. Its northern terminus is now at Seven Corners where it ends in a T-intersection with Washington Avenue South. But at one time, what…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE No, we’re not telling you WHO to vote for, this article is literally about HOW to vote. The primary ballot composition involves a few caveats to ensure you don’t spoil your ballot. No doubt you will get this spiel when you go to the polls, but…
BY KAY SCHROVEN 3rd Precinct Advisory Council (3-PAC) 3-PAC is an inclusive organization whose purpose is to foster communication among residents, businesses and the police, serving the 3rd Precinct with a common goal of community safety. The group meets monthly (usually the second Monday), currently at the Corcoran Park building…
BY TONY BOUZA We are the only Western country that regularly awakens to news of slaughters of our children by idiots with ridiculously easy access to all forms of firearms. In the aftermath of these awful and preventable events (we do regulate and license vehicles and a lot of other…
BY CAM GORDON On June 15, Judge Joseph R. Klein ordered the city of Minneapolis to immediately stop any ongoing implementation of the 2040 Plan until the city satisfies the requirements of the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act (MERA), which could include completing an environmental assessment. On June 20, the city…
