BY ED FELIEN Lisa Bender changed the world. There probably has never been anyone in Minneapolis politics (with the possible exception of Hubert Humphrey) who has had such a profound impact on the city, the state and the country. She had a vision for the City of Minneapolis that she…
BY TONY BOUZA One of my closest friends, Joe Selvaggio, (who is probably well known to you) has done more for poor people than anyone but Mary Jo Copeland. Joe is an ex-priest and has strayed. Today he wrestles with death and asked me to include this and respond: “The…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE 2020 is gone but the Weirds are definitely lingering on. As February rolls in and we congratulate ourselves on surviving the first full month of what could be another very stressful year, we acknowledge two things—one, we’re just past the one-year anniversary of the first publicized…
BY DAVE TILSEN Last June, in response to all that was happening, I posted on Facebook that if Jacob Frey would not step up and help the people, I was going to have to run against him. He didn’t, I did. On Jan. 21, 2021, he announced that he thought…
COVID vaccinations Israel leads the world in per capita COVID vaccinations, with more than a million and a half Israelis having been vaccinated. Authorities estimate officials can administer the vaccine to some two million Israelis before the end of March, if not earlier, and hope to have the bulk of…
BY DAVID TILSEN To be interviewed by Laura Waterman Wittstock was like being listened to by a wise friend. Then, afterward, you listen and think, why did I say that? I didn’t plan to open up that much. Somehow Laura was able to do that with people. Without ever compromising…
BY PAPA JOHN KOLSTAD Twin Cities health care activists are seeking changes to a state law that gives nearly free state collection services to a corporate giant. Health Partners/Regions Hospital enjoys the privilege of having the Minnesota Department of Revenue provide collection services for debt people owe for health care.…
BY ED FELIEN Estimates range from between 1,000 and 1,200 people who gathered on Sunday, Jan. 3 to protest yet another police killing of a young Black man. On Wed. night, Dec. 30, the Minneapolis police Strike Force/SWAT Team/Community Response Team/Roughrider Cowboys/or whatever this unit of the MPD is currently…
BY ED FELIEN By the time we went to press, there were three candidates for City Council in Ward 11: the incumbent, Jeremy Schroeder; Dillon Gherna, a young gay man who worked on Hutchinson’s successful campaign for sheriff; and Emily Koski, the daughter of former mayor, Al Hofstede. We asked…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE I can’t tell you (because I’ve lost track) how many friends and acquaintances have done major or minor remodels this year, or moved to a larger or smaller place, or just a different place, or just impulsively rearranged their furniture and changed their decor every couple…
BY SAFIYO MOHAMED This is a true story about how Amazon dehumanizes and abuses its workers for the sake of excessive profit. When Amazon (msp1) hired me and more than 50 other people in 2016, we joined over a thousand workers already working there. My first day was very exciting…
BY TONY BOUZA I have a tiny coterie of friends who, whenever we meet, immediately plunge me into esoteric, vehement exchanges on arcane subjects. Two such are the publisher of this tract (and I mean that in the sense of propaganda leaflet) and the sadly dead and missed Ivan Musicant.…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Throughout this pandemic, we have been noting businesses in various categories that have closed for good (and a few brave souls who opened businesses!).We’ve noted the impact on restaurants, breweries, retail and services, both vital (like groceries and pharmacies) and not so vital but still pretty…
The battleground that is Lake Street Lake Street,” Kay says in the beginning “ …surrounding the riots in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by the MPD… ” I take exception to her statement. The Minneapolis Police Department did not kill Mr. Floyd, a fired Minneapolis police officer…
Holidays are holy I love Debra Keefer Ramage’s essay “Holidays are Holy” in the December 2020 paper. I agree with the core ideas and values, and I hope that our society resets into something more equitable for everyone. However, I question two points: 1) The Israelites probably were not enslaved…
