BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE How did clandestine lovers communicate in the days before email, cell phones and Skype? Well, not surprisingly, it wasn’t easy. And just like today, when even encryption will fail if you don’t use it right, sometimes things didn’t work out so well. Take Romeo and Juliet,…
BY ELAINE KLAASSEN A friend’s beaten dog inspired the kindness of Southside Pride’s IT support person. Celia Wirth and her husband, Ron Wirth, are friends with a senior citizen, Gemma Barry, who lives a few blocks from the restaurant/bar where Ron is a brewer, Roma in Mahtomedi (50 beers on…
BY AUTUMN CHMIELEWSKI, MHA, MA The month of February often brings to mind oversized chocolate boxes and construction paper cards. But Valentine’s hearts aren’t the only ones taking center stage this month. February is also American Heart Month. The designation was first made by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the…
BY STEPHANIE FOX In a corner of the basement at Minnehaha United Methodist Church, George Gallagher is organizing boxes filled with non-perishable foodstuffs. He and volunteer Conrad Larson are working to get food to people living in parts of southeastern Minneapolis, people who might otherwise go hungry. Larson is one…
From the Longfellow Forum: There is no question that there was a public relations contract for the 2040 Plan with the former head of the Republican Party, and that Heather Worthington, the director of Long Range Planning for the City, lied to hide it. The documents are clear. I went…
BY DAVID TILSEN We had another wonderful MayDay parade, ceremony and festival last spring. The creativity of the puppeteers, sculptors, playwrights, performers and other workers continues to be first rate, and our community supports and benefits from this joyful annual celebration. In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask…
BY TONY BOUZA The name certainly conjures a shudder of emotion—cum—eroticism. As a cop in New York, I observed the information that the local distillate—illegal and popular—was, of course, called Kong. Potent. That it killed or blinded many of its imbibers did not appear to be a deal breaker. Hooch…
BY ED FELIEN What does the Los Angeles teachers’ strike have to do with Minneapolis? Well, actually, quite a bit. Some part of the strike was about wages. They got a little bit of the raise they asked for four years ago. They got smaller class sizes and school nurses.…
BY ELINA KOLSTAD Whether or not the number of bulldozers per capita will increase due to the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan, it must be noted that Minneapolis is ALREADY being bulldozed. One lot at a time, one iconic restaurant at a time, sometimes a city block at a time. If…
BY NASRO ABSHIR My name is Nasro Abshir. I am the founder and owner of Family First Choice Childcare. My mom and I used to have two childcare locations—one in the Phillips neighborhood and the other in Loring Park. While commercial displacement has been talked about as a “concern” for…
OUR FIGHT Clouds of doubt hovered over our heads They multiplied and grew to mistrust That brewed to a storm of anger Which unleashed its rage In thunder of words and Lightning of gestures In a while, The exhausted tempest subsided, Clouds dissipated, The sun of trust hesitantly appeared It…
BY JOHN KOLSTAD Willie Murphy, longtime leader and pinnacle of the Twin Cities blues and R&B community has died at age 75. Willie is hailed as a Legend, and it certainly is true. I heard a fan once tell him that he was a legend and he replied, “yah, everyone…
BY WYATT MILLER, FOR THE MINNEAPOLIS PEACE ACTION COALITION The administration’s announcement and subsequent backtracking reveals an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of a war-weary public. President Trump’s announcement in December that he would withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan was met with confusion and criticism…
BY ARTHUR T. HIMMELMAN Engagement invites people to the table Shared power gets people what they want to eat A poster during the mass uprising in France in 1968 read, “You participate, she participates, I participate, they decide.” Malcolm X: “Just because you invite me to the table does not…
A celebration of life service for John Karrigan was held Saturday, Jan. 19, at Calvary Lutheran Church, 3901 Chicago Ave. S. in Minneapolis. John’s longtime partner, Bonnie Rae, wrote this: John R. Karrigan passed away peacefully on Jan. 11, 2019, at the age of 74, after a 10-month battle with…
