BY CHRIS STEGEMAN As citizens, we establish neighborhood organizations to advocate on our behalf and hold meetings to ensure that our public health and safety needs are being met. What are we left with when the city’s agenda pushes forth a project against the sentiment of neighborhood organizations, particularly in…
BY NICK ESPINOSA AND ANTHONY NEWBY One hundred fifty community members braved a record cold snap to demand that the new City Council prioritize closing Minneapolis’ worst-in-the-nation racial equity gaps as they begin their new term. After the conclusion of the inauguration ceremony for the new council, hundreds kicked off…
BY RICHARD TAYLOR “Omission,” George Orwell once noted, “is the greatest form of lie,” an observation relevant to the U.S. conflict with Iran over its alleged nuclear weapons program. The omissions provide ironic support to Obama’s statement,” I wouldn’t say [chances of success of the interim agreement] are more than…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE On Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013, neighbors of 3104 16th Ave. S. may have seen something that hadn’t occurred for 18 months—churchgoers, some toting musical instruments, trickling into the building. Just two days earlier, the trustees and Rev. Walter Lockhart had received the certificate of occupancy from…
We sent the following letter to State Senators Jeff Hayden and Patricia Torres Ray and Representatives Jim Davnie, Jean Wagenius, Karen Clark and Susan Allen: An Open Letter to our state representatives and senators: You represent the most progressive districts in the State of Minnesota. As your constituents we have…
BY ED FELIEN On Dec. 23, 2013, John Delmonico, president of the Minneapolis Police Federation (MPF), wrote an op-ed piece for the Star Tribune arguing that the Minneapolis Police Department should not seek outside investigators when MPD officers use deadly force. The proposal of Chief Harteau to use the Bureau…
BY LARA NORKUS-CRAMPTON, RN Is Hennepin County quietly rebuilding the aging downtown HERC Garbage Incinerator? Would this be the best investment of hundreds of millions of public dollars? Why not invest more in recycling programs? Shouldn’t the public be part of this discussion? A recent item appeared in the 12/10/13…
Chatterbox 229 E. 35th St. 612-728-9871 Also Linden Hills and Highland Park locations Remember way back to 1928? Me neither. But for a taste of that hard-partying, speakeasy era, stop in at Chatterbox Pub and step back in time. For 85 years the Chatterbox has anchored its corner of East…
On Nov. 21, the Longfellow Community Council (LCC) elected a new president and vice president to its Board of Directors. Andrew Johnson, the former LCC president, won the Ward 12 City Council election in November, leaving a vacancy in the organization. Eric Day, LCC’s current vice president, was unanimously elected…
BY LARA NORKUS-CRAMPTON A recent report from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) makes a strong case that much more municipal solid waste could be recycled and composted. Commissioner John Stine made eloquent statements about the quantity of recyclable and compostable materials that were being inappropriately shipped to landfills. Not…
BY AMY BLUMENSHINE “I’m a secret agent for Mother Earth.” So proclaims the T-shirt given me by Powerfully Green, my solar panel installer. The 36 new electricity-generating panels themselves are no secret—quite visible on my roof. (“They look sexy,” says my neighbor.) I do admit to some secret satisfaction, however,…
