Nicollet Avenue from the Mall to (the city of) Bloomington – returning soon!
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Yes, Nicollet Avenue was originally a main north-south corridor that went from downtown to Bloomington. Very few people remember those days today, but we live in hope that it will soon be so again. Nowadays, Nicollet Avenue is essentially two unconnected streets. One is the funky,…
Open Streets’ first event on East Lake Street means that summer has truly begun
MPHA proposal addresses long-term public housing needs
BY CAM GORDON The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) has released a new proposal that could secure long-term funding to preserve, improve and produce more public housing in Minneapolis. On May 10, they made a formal request to the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) that would raise $12 million…
How we got here, Part Two
BY RICHARD TAYLOR NATO’s existence became justified by the need to manage threats provoked by its enlargement. —Historian Richard Sakwa As Americans, we must ask: Did U.S. policy inflame the crisis that led Russia to invade Ukraine? To answer, let’s examine key events in Europe from 1989 to 2022. 1989…
Vets for Peace response
BY MIKE MADDEN, VFP CHAPTER 27 Richard Taylor provides good background to the current proxy war being waged in Ukraine. I would add a few important points to his chronology: • The American role in overthrowing President Yanukovych was extensive. In addition to Sens. John McCain and Chris Murphy joining…
Structural racism in city’s neighborhood funding programs
BY ROBERT THOMPSON In 2011, the city of Minneapolis took control of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) in what many considered a hostile takeover. In 2019, the city declared that the NRP was an example of structural racism and continues to insist that NRP and neighborhood organizations only benefit white,…
My (non)dinner with Brian
MAY DAY
An appeal for free legal advice
BY ED FELIEN Attention dear friends in the Minneapolis legal community: I hope you have the opportunity to read the following brief asking for injunctive relief from the District Court to compel the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and CenterPoint Energy to remove barriers that are artificially raising the level…
Gummies and seltzers and mushrooms, oh my! Plus, Brazilian pizza at ESC
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Openings and closings Several local favorite restaurants have changed hours recently. In April, Tiny Diner reopened for all-day service, including dinner. They’re now open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day and the patio is rocking. Modern Times recently shortened their hours a bit and…
After 130 years, Elsen Brothers auto shop says goodbye
The Building Formerly Known As Walker Church
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Walker Community United Methodist Church has always done things differently. For much of the last 50 years, Walker Church has incubated dozens of radical, secular projects. And some of the renter organizations were not what you would expect in a small-to-medium neighborhood church. In the Heart…