IN TRANSIT: New bus stops for old

BY JOHN CHARLES WILSON Aladdin promised new lamps for old. The federal government, despite Trump’s recalcitrance, has decided to fund new bus stops for old, including on Routes 5 and 21 in the Southside Pride readership area. Planned improvements for these stops include: new shelters with heat and lights, electronic…

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Offering (gratefulness)

BY ELAINE KLAASSEN “The Scramble for Africa” is a very long book about Europe’s takeover of the continent of Africa at the end of the 19th century. The story is appalling, mostly because of the confidence of European rulers to just take and control whatever they found there, as though…

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Spirit and Conscience Love for the Earth

Love for the Earth BY ELAINE KLAASSEN Since all the great romantic loves of my life are now either married, dead, or sainted hermits, I decided on Valentine’s Day that my last great love affair will be with the Earth. As my good luck would have it, there was a…

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The secret language of lovers

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,…

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Beaten dog inspires kindness

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…

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St. Peter’s AME cares about your heart

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…

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