Columnists

Regular Columnists

Ed Felien  •  Elaine Klaassen  •  Polly Mann  •  Tony Bouza  •  David Tilsen  •  Debra Keefer Ramage  •  Stephanie Fox  •  Johnny Hazard 

 


Harvest Moon Block Party

BY STEPHANIE FOX The South Minneapolis neighborhood of East Phillips held its annual Harvest Moon Block Party on Sept. 21, an annual event where local community and civic organizations come together to give residents information on what is happening in their area, from local problems to possible solutions. Some groups…

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Remembering Joe Selvaggio

BY ED FELIEN I confess, I always kind of resented Joe Selvaggio. My best friend for almost twenty years, Tony Bouza, always said that I was his second favorite hero. I would ask him, “Who’s first?” He would always answer, “Joe Selvaggio.” But I had been publishing Southside Pride for…

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Homeless beggars

BY ED FELIEN You see them standing by the side of the road and your heart breaks. They are begging for money, for shelter, for food. And, maybe, sometimes, they are begging for money for drugs. It’s gotten out of control at 46th and Hiawatha. Nicole M wrote on Nextdoor, “My…

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Hennepin County youth auto initiative

BY KAY SCHROVEN While violent offenses in Hennepin County year to date have increased 5 percent over 2023, property offenses have decreased 6 percent, and auto thefts have decreased a strong 25 percent. Auto thefts are also down in Minneapolis year to date, with 3,895 this year (Aug. 5, 2024)…

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Greens pick Southsider for vice president

BY CAM GORDON [Please see Editor’s Note at end of Cam’s Corner.] The Green Party of the United States held their convention in August and selected former Southsider, Rudolph “Butch” Ware III, to be their candidate for vice president in 2024. Jill Stein, the Green Party’s presidential candidate, announced Ware…

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Fall on Selby Avenue, St. Paul

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Housing nonprofits and land trusts Selby Avenue, like everything else, exists in the now, but unlike many other streets, Selby Avenue seems very conscious of its past and its future. Part of Selby Avenue’s past was the brutal destruction of a prosperous African-American community and neighborhood…

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Fall on Chicago Avenue South

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Chicago Avenue, from downtown to the city line Every year since 2020, when we check out this section of Chicago Avenue, we focus most sharply on George Floyd Square. And this piece will do the same, but let’s not start there. We sometimes overlook the things…

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Cornbread Released!

BY ED FELIEN An international contingent was at the Cedar Cultural Center on August 16 to celebrate the release of a new album and a new biography of Cornbread by Andrea Swensson, Deeper Blues: The Life, Songs, and Salvation of Cornbread Harris. Jimmy Jam Harris from LA, US Senator Amy…

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Debts to be paid, wounds to be healed

By Cam Gordon Minneapolis is falling behind in addressing its racist past. In October of 2020, following the police killing of George Floyd that previous May, the City Council and Mayor unanimously approved establishing a truth and reconciliation process. Then, the focus was clear. The staff report, presented by Joy…

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Summer on Bloomington Avenue South

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Two East Phillips institutions at Bloomington and Franklin Avenues One of the biggest stories about this summer on Bloomington Avenue is happening right at its northernmost point. This is the heart of the city’s Indigenous people’s community at the Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC). In May,…

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