Riverside


‘Bars and Measures’ at the Jungle Theater

BY ADAM M. SCHENCK “Bars and Measures,” like the emotive Guthrie play “Disgraced,” takes as its theme the intersection of Islam, terrorism and our politics. The characters have their traits and flaws: Bilal (Ansa Akyea) is a hotheaded convert to Islam and a talented jazz bassist. His younger brother Eric…

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Women in policing

BY TONY BOUZA The NYPD I entered on 1/1/53 had a Police-woman’s Bureau (adopting the androgynous “police officer” came about 20 years later and the police union is still called “The Patrolman’s Benevolent Association” —a classic anachronism).  There were maybe 150 females in a department of over 20,000, and they…

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Artists fire up a neighborhood

BY CHRISTOPHER HARRISON ELDRIDGE Seven years ago the corner of 38th and Chicago was in a state of decay. Lots had been vacant and boarded for decades: few businesses; no community activity; no development.  In the words of Victoria Lauing, “There was a hunger for change.”  In response to that…

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City Council blocks our right to vote

BY ED FELIEN The City Council voted on Friday, Aug. 5, to deny petitions to allow us to vote on two proposals that would greatly benefit the public welfare. One proposal would have required Minneapolis police officers to carry insurance so the city wouldn’t have to pay out damages when…

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IIhan Omar wins in 60B

BY ED FELIEN Against amazing odds, Ilhan Omar, Somali-American mother of three, won a difficult DFL Primary Tuesday, Aug. 9.  She got 2,404 votes—almost 41 percent.  Mohamud Noor, another Somali American, received 1,738 votes, or 29.6 percent, and long-time incumbent Phyllis Kahn got 1,726 votes, or 29.4 percent. “We are…

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St. Paul’s Grand Avenue and how to get there

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Grand Avenue is not the grandest avenue in Saint Paul; it’s not even the grandest one nearby. That would be Summit Avenue, home of the Governor’s Mansion, the James J. Hill House, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s and his buddy Garrison Keillor’s little places. But it’s clear…

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Queen of Cuisine: Good neighbor

BY CARLA WALDEMAR Bradstreet Neighborhood Craftshouse 1930 Hennepin Ave. S. 612-871-1200 www.bradstreetcraftshouse.com Back in Ought Nine when Bradstreet Craftshouse operated in the belly of the Graves Hotel downtown, the cocktail cognoscenti love-love-loved it. Me, too, for the inventive small plates slid across the bar along with that martini glass. But…

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Smith College, 1967 to 1969

BY ED FELIEN New England is beautiful in the fall.  The leaves slowly turning.  The summer lingering softly into crisp mornings.  And Smith College was picture perfect.  “Why, it’s Paradise,” said Jenny Lind in the middle of the 19th century.  And, so, Smith College named the pond in the middle…

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Open Streets 2016 on Franklin Avenue

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE This year Franklin Avenue’s Open Streets celebration will be on Aug. 21, going from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The boundaries of the Franklin Avenue festival are Portland Avenue in the west and 28th Avenue in the east. Who else closes their streets to rampant fuel-burning…

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