Columnists

Regular Columnists

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

 


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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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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The change we believe in on Nicollet Avenue

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE This is a somewhat different take on Nicollet Avenue, South. Last week, I visited the Butter Bakery Cafe at 3700 Nicollet Ave., the ground floor anchor of an apartment building. One of the first things I noticed was that the vestibule was full of flyers, ads…

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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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Save our homes!!

BY ED FELIEN A report from the Hiawatha Golf Course Property Master Plan Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting at Park Board Headquarters A friend who was there told me: “I think it was an excellent meeting. Did you notice that most of the CAC questions came from women? These are…

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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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