BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Before the pandemic, there were a lot more restaurants on Grand Avenue. Grand Cafe, Dixie’s on Grand, Saji-Ya, Emmett’s Public House, Grand Catch: all have closed since 2020. One restaurant/bar that closed, and then reopened (twice!) under new management, is Billy’s on Grand. Now Billy’s is…
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 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 KAY SCHROVEN 3rd Precinct Advisory Council (3-PAC) 3-PAC is an inclusive organization whose purpose is to foster communication among residents, businesses and the police, serving the 3rd Precinct with a common goal of community safety. The group meets monthly (usually the second Monday), currently at the Corcoran Park building…
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 SARAH MARTIN AND MEREDITH ABY-KEIRSTEAD Marie Braun, 87, a longtime activist and beloved and respected leader in the peace and justice movement in the Twin Cities, died on June 27 after a very brief illness. The response of Dave Logsdon, president of Veterans for Peace Chapter 27, reflects the…
I am a former recruit to the Minneapolis Police Academy. My family and friends did not want me to work for Minneapolis and I was skeptical. The MPD is internationally known for being a terrible department. After meeting with Chief Arradondo, I was convinced that the community needed me. I…
The DFL Senior Caucus seems to believe that the ability to drive and park a personal vehicle wherever and whenever one pleases is an inalienable right granted to every motorist. In the last issue of this paper, Patricia Kelly, Board Chair of the Minneapolis DFL Senior Caucus, alleged that a…
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 ELINA KOLSTAD I must admit I get a certain amount of schadenfreude as the owner of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) when I see gas prices going up and up and up. At the same time I am very concerned about those who were already living paycheck to paycheck…
