ELDERBERRY JAM: Who will serve on the School Board?

BY DAVE TILSEN We are electing School Board members this November: two citywide candidates and three in districts—two of these districts are Southsiders. Incumbents Nelsen Inz and Said Ali from the two Southside districts are currently unopposed DFL- and union-endorsed and seemed positioned to cruise to reelection. Opponents will likely…

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FINDING MY WAY: End of my rope

BY ASHLEY THE GREY As a former attorney, I have walked in powerful shoes. Gained respect by the mere title “Attorney at Law.” People wanted to know me. I was asked to sit on boards for nonprofits and odd museums. I had been taught that being a lawyer was the…

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Summer Song (love)

BY ELAINE KLAASSEN “I’m having an affair with a married man,” my friend Allie, who is a pillar of respectability, told me. “What???” I said. Of course I had to act surprised, but anybody who ever saw her and her husband together would NOT be surprised. Could they ever laugh…

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Protest on May 15

More than 100 demonstrators showed up at Senator Klobuchar’s office on May 15 to protest her refusal to speak out against the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza by Israeli troops. They came. They complained. And they left. And nothing changed. Polly Mann challenged Skip Humphrey for the DFL endorsement for…

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What’s happening with Snelling Yards?

BY ED FELIEN Snelling Yards is a vehicle storage lot for the city at 3601 E. 44th St. between Snelling Avenue and the railroad tracks. In the 1930s the city had storage facilities in every ward especially for snowplowing equipment that would be watched carefully by the two aldermen from…

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Comings and goings on Minnehaha Avenue and nearby

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE When it comes to Minnehaha Avenue, the antique stores get most of the attention. That’s not right, because this area is rich with other innovative businesses and cultural resources for enlightenment and entertainment. So here we’re going to focus on some of the other players in…

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THE DISH: Lunch Around the World (Delights of Ethiopia)

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Dilla’s Restaurant 1813 Riverside Ave. 612-332-2898 dillasethiopianrestaurant.com The Dish continues our pursuit of international lunch options with a visit to Dilla’s Ethiopian on Riverside Avenue. We’re attracted by the restaurant’s terrific reputation and the reasonably-priced vegetarian lunch buffet. I was accompanied by Mary, who is an…

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ELDERBERRY JAM: Did we win?

BY DAVE TILSEN The Eagles beat the Vikings, so I hated the game. Didn’t even put up all my banners, hardly had a party. It was more like a morgue at my place than a party, but that’s just me. Perhaps you did let your Eagles fly, you ate your…

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The Columbia Bust

BY TONY BOUZA Every century has its memorable years—think your birthday. The ’20s had 1927 (Lindbergh), 1928 (Mickey Mouse and Oscar), 1929 (Crash). And then there was 1968 (Nixon, Humphrey, Chicago) Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. Kent State. The Kerner Commission. 1941 (War). 1945 (Peace). And the Columbia University…

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Go-To cards?

We asked candidates for county commissioner in District 4: Would you answer the following question in 50 words or less? Your answer will be published in all three editions of Southside Pride in May. Understanding that transportation costs are a major burden for the poor; and, further, understanding that Hennepin…

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IN TRANSIT: Traveling on the MTC (the empty seat)

BY JOHN CHARLES WILSON Few Minnesotans know who Mark McLaughlin or Herman Liebelt were. For the safety of our transit operators, this is a crying shame. You see, on Black Friday 1998, in the mid-afternoon, Mr. McLaughlin was peacefully driving King County bus number 2106 with 34 passengers on board.…

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District 62A, reconvened: An analysis

BY DAVE TILSEN April 7, at the American Indian Center on Franklin Avenue, there was a large turnout, a very diverse crowd, many East African folks, lots of Native Americans, some Latinos. A friendly crowd, but I sensed an undercurrent of tension. Not racial tension exactly, but partially, political tension.…

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