If you’ve been following discussions about the Hiawatha Master Plan involving the lake and golf course, you can be forgiven for feeling a bit of déjà vu. That’s because some supposedly simple solutions keep being proposed as alternatives to an “expensive” master plan. You may have heard “do this one…
BY ED FELIEN After a long and painful two-month inquiry, the Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct cleared state Sen. Omar Fateh of any serious wrongdoing, but they did find that Fateh didn’t disclose the $1,000 he paid Somali TV for campaign advertising. His statement: “The unanimous decision reached today…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE For this review of things in the neighborhood, we’ll go geographically down Lyndale Avenue, starting just north of Franklin Avenue, and ending just south of Minnehaha Creek. The first organization to check out is called Vision Loss Resources, a nonprofit that provides just what the name…
If the city is designing an avenue for the future, then why is it not including electric car charging stations? That is but one question we should be asking as this egregious project is being rammed down the throats of businesses along Hennepin Avenue. Businesses who neither want, need nor…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE An opening The long-vacant Viking Bar location on Riverside Avenue has finally attracted a new resident: TAMU Grill and Catering, with a Kenyan fusion menu. Owner George Ndege, aka Chef JoJo, was formerly known as both the host of KFAI’s African Rhythms and a caterer of…
BY KATHRYN KELLY On July 20, the Planning Committee of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board started the process of reconsidering the Hiawatha Golf Course Master Plan for the fourth time. This time Park Board President Meg Forney wasn’t going to let this initial vote fail, so her first act…
BY ED FELIEN [Ed Felien’s remarks to the Park Board on July 20] In a promotional video having something to do with the Hiawatha Plan, Michael Schroeder is shown saying, “My mission is to de-Wirthify the Minneapolis Park System.” The crown jewel of his plan is to turn the Hiawatha…
BY TONY BOUZA The Floyd case is marvelously instructive for all the awful lessons it provides. A latter-day “Rashomon.” Racism is number one, but forgive me, not the issue that grabs me. I monitored the Chauvin-types very carefully through Internal Affairs and gave the others ample room for caution in…
BY CAM GORDON The mayor and City Council are moving quickly to restructure city government. Substantial ordinance amendments, which have yet to be shared with the public, could be approved by the end of August. The timeline presented by Mayor Jacob Frey in June called for the public hearing on…
BY LYDIA HOWELL For the last three elections, Minnesota was number one in voter turnout, at almost 80% participation. One reason for such high participation is Minnesota’s Election Day (“same day”) voter registration, passed in 1973. “It’s not just the absence of obstacles, but the presence of good laws. I…
BY ELINA KOLSTAD After putting our 5-year-old to bed the night of Wednesday, July 13, I realized there was a helicopter flying around outside. It’s not all that unusual to hear helicopters from our house, sometimes going to or from the nearby hospital, but this was persistent and constant. A…
Third Precinct Advisory Council (3PAC) Minutes July 11, 2022 Meeting was called to order by Co-Chair Gwen McMahon at 6:39 p.m. 17 attendees. Treasurer’s report: Doris Overby, Treasurer, balance of $1457.73 in our checking account at Wings Financial. Check to reimburse Gwen McMahon will be written shortly for $561.12. Minutes:…
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 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…
