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 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…
