Debra Keefer Ramage
Debra Keefer Ramage began writing freelance for Southside Pride in 2012, shortly after returning from a 13-year sojourn in England. She covers progressive politics, education, co-ops and neighborhoods. In 2017 she started doing Southside Pride’s restaurant review column, The Dish.
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE George Floyd Square George Floyd Square is settling into a place with an identity, at least that’s how it feels to this writer, making pilgrimages there every other month or so, not as a tourist, or a penitent, but as an investigator. I have to say,…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Openings and closings A sad closing happened in late July but didn’t make it into the August Dish – Pie & Mighty on Chicago Avenue. We are so sorry to see them go. Another big favorite that closed recently, not so close to home, was Mort’s…
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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…
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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…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Retail shops on Bloomington Avenue Mercado Central, a nonprofit venue on the corner of Bloomington Avenue and Lake Street, contains several retail businesses. It serves as a business incubator specifically geared toward Latinos, as both business owners and customers. There has been some turnover among the…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE No, we’re not telling you WHO to vote for, this article is literally about HOW to vote. The primary ballot composition involves a few caveats to ensure you don’t spoil your ballot. No doubt you will get this spiel when you go to the polls, but…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Openings and closings It seems like the great wave of closings that plagued 2020 and 2021 is finally tapering off. There is only one south Minneapolis closing to announce, but it’s sad because we enjoyed announcing the opening and then had to follow up with a…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE More updates on the Kmart site Yes, the old Kmart was supposed to be torn down by now. But then, following the George Floyd uprising, we had to tear down not one but two burned-out post offices instead, and the building was reconfigured to a double…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Some of us were delegates, some of us were alternates, and some of us were “volunteers.” Some of the alternates got upgraded to delegate. Some of us were officers in the newly formed political committee – the Democratic Socialist Caucus. (No official connection to the DFL,…
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Closings and one new location Hi, local food lovers. We’re being hyper-local this month right up to the restaurant review, which is … well, it’s still in Minnesota anyway. We’ll start with places closing, because that’s sad and we want to get it out of the way. Hot Indian, inventor…
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