BY LYDIA HOWELL For the last three elections, Minnesota was number one in voter turnout, at almost 80% participation. One reason for such high participation is Minnesota’s Election Day (“same day”) voter registration, passed in 1973. “It’s not just the absence of obstacles, but the presence of good laws. I…
BY ELAINE KLAASSEN Steve Floyd is a man with a heart for others. He has raised four children—the fifth is still under his supervision; he nurtures dozens of other youth through the Agape Movement and through his work as a mental health counselor at Change, Inc.; he makes award-winning photographs;…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Open Streets is back after a pandemic pause. One of the most popular of these (usually) annual events is Open Streets East Lake, held this year on Aug. 13, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This area of Minneapolis is recovering not only from COVID-19 but also…
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…
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…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Linda Taylor, known to her friends and neighbors as Miss Linda, had lived in her rented home for more than 18 years, raising her five kids in the two-bedroom, one-bath home in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis. Then, last January, her life was upended. Her landlord…
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…
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…
BY LYDIA HOWELL In my home state of Texas, laws have gone gun-crazy. And Minnesota isn’t as sensible as I believed. For conceal and carry permits, laws were changed from “sheriffs may issue” – allowing some caution – to “shall issue,” putting more guns in public places. Echoing national challenges,…
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…
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…
BY TONY BOUZA We are the only Western country that regularly awakens to news of slaughters of our children by idiots with ridiculously easy access to all forms of firearms. In the aftermath of these awful and preventable events (we do regulate and license vehicles and a lot of other…
BY CAM GORDON On June 15, Judge Joseph R. Klein ordered the city of Minneapolis to immediately stop any ongoing implementation of the 2040 Plan until the city satisfies the requirements of the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act (MERA), which could include completing an environmental assessment. On June 20, the city…
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…
BY ED FELIEN The Minneapolis City Council Public Works and Infrastructure Committee invited public comments at their June 9 public hearing on their Stormwater Management Program and Annual Report. I asked them to: “Please, stop dumping on us. “You are poisoning us. Chemicals that you put on your lawns in…
