BY ELAINE KLAASSEN On Thursday evening, Sept. 5, I joined a group of about 70 concerned people in a global “Amazon Day of Action” at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA). According to Mighty Earth, one of the numerous environmental groups that organized and supported the event, the purpose of…
BY ED FELIEN The judge said he’d take the measure under advisement. He wrote me a letter a little more than a week later saying he was denying my petition: “Petitioner cites no specific legal duty—be it statute, ordinance, rule, or regulation—that requires the Park Board to remove rocks from…
BY ED FELIEN Wendy Knox has done it again. She has moved her Frank Theatre all over the Twin Cities. This time she’s at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. She uses this intimate space to show us what it means to grow old in a production of two plays…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Members of the South High School community have been rallying for upgrades and fixes to the school’s Les Barnard Athletic Field for years. The bleachers were too small for the crowds who would come to cheer the South’s Gallant Tigers, the track was in terrible shape and…
How to Take Care of Captives I think that we in the peace movement are so accustomed to looking at the need for action that we tend to let slide the various bits of upbeat news in the world of international politics. The Star Tribune of Aug. 25, however, published…
BY ED FELIEN There is a Race War happening in America. Some very crazy white people are attacking and murdering people of color. Dylann Roof killed nine African Americans during a church service at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2015. White supremacist James Fields deliberately rammed his car into…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE We have discovered some interesting goods and services on Chicago Avenue around the 48th Street commercial hub. In general, things are pretty stable around this location, with its prosperous but not flashy real estate, great schools, and strong neighborhood organizations and business owners’ association. The retail…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE We attended the Open Streets on Franklin Avenue a couple of weeks ago and man, there were a LOT of scooters. Scooters were a novelty rarely seen just last year at Open Streets. During my one-week visit to Atlanta this year in early August, that city…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE (Yeah, we’re hoping to sell this piece to BuzzFeed later.) But seriously, this is no joke. We were calmly and methodically doing our research to spotlight two upmarket small businesses and three long-standing nonprofits on Chicago Avenue when—BOOM!—one of the nonprofits, a 17-year-old, high-visibility presence…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Everett’s Food and Meats is a small neighborhood grocery store in the heart of South Minneapolis. It’s been there forever. As with many little grocery stores, you can get your standard items—chips and dips, beans, rice, frozen dinners and a small selection of fresh produce. You can…
BY TONY BOUZA There is no doubt in my mind that the most vital institution in America is a free press. Period. And the responsibility of the Fourth Estate? Dig for and report the truth. I tried hard to lead my life as a public servant in service to that…
Unfair Remuneration The Star Tribune recently ran an article entitled “Worker pay stagnates as it soars for CEOs.” It would be great if on its publication that situation could be rectified, but no way is that going to happen! The organization responsible for the report, the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute,…
BY ELAINE KLAASSEN Along with most of my friends, I wish to reduce my carbon footprint. My environmentally-friendly friends and I think if we live sustainably we can somehow alleviate and mitigate the climate heat that is exponentially encompassing the entire planet. (You know, the hotter it gets, the hotter…
BY ED FELIEN First, I want to thank the friends and supporters who came downtown to see me try to slay the dragon. The judge asked me why I was doing this. If you don’t like the decisions they make, then there are elections. I said, these elected officials took…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Toward the end of 2018, a few high-profile business closings prompted concern in the media for the health of Grand Avenue’s business environment. In retrospect, this may have been unfounded. Although competing forces of gentrification and economic stagnation for all but the wealthiest consumers, as well…
