So far, so what?

BY ED FELIEN Kyrsten Sinema: Sinema’s great moment of fame came when she emerged as one of the principal architects of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. She suffers under the self-aggrandizing delusion that without her it wouldn’t have passed. It was a budget bill. It only needed 50 votes plus Kamala…

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DACA protests

More than 150 people protested Dec. 8 in downtown Minneapolis, blocking Washington Avenue near I-35W for two hours at rush hour. They protested outside of Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office, demanding that the U.S. Senate act immediately to legalize people with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) temporary immigration status. The…

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How did they do that?

BY ED FELIEN What just happened? Did we get hit with an inflationary spiral that skyrocketed prices just before the election and then calmed down just before Christmas? It seems evident that a rise in gas prices began the action. This was caused—it was widely reported and believed—by the Saudis…

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Vegetables, vitamins and pickleball

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Healthy eating – let food be your medicine The phrase “Let food be thy medicine” is often attributed to Hippocrates. But a Dutch doctor specializing in nutrition and natural medicine (see www.drgoodfood.org/en/vitarecipes/foodfixes) scanned every known bit of writing by him and found nothing that can be…

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Holy Days of winter – we will survive

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Nine years of thinking about winter holidays This will be my personal ninth Holiday article in Southside Pride. I seem to take longer to write these than any other pieces I write, whether that’s because of or despite the fact that I feel somewhat ambivalent about…

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Nothin’ happening at 38th and Chicago, yet

BY TOM ABELES The area around the intersection at 38th and Chicago has achieved a stasis after the death of George Floyd. There are numerous major issues that need resolution. The most recent one to surface is the agreement of the city to purchase the former Speedway station and to…

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Living

BY TONY BOUZA A wag, name forgotten, on his deathbed, said, “If this is dying, I don’t think much of it,” and died. This will be my last column. Another wag (they abound) said, “Every hero becomes a bore at the end.” The fat lady has sung. The publisher has…

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Police federation contract negotiations

BY CAM GORDON Hopes are high that when city leaders and the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis begin contract negotiations this fall, the process will be more open to scrutiny and input than it has been in the past. In November, the City Council approved a settlement agreement related to…

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Arts make spirits bright

BY LYDIA HOWELL This holiday season, cultural wish lists embrace tradition—with unexpected twists. See beloved fiction transformed for the stage. Explore rituals from Nordic to African American. Discover how accessible the fine arts can be. Family outings, date night or “experience gifts” are all possibilities. Theater classics The Guthrie Theater…

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Thank you, Andrew Johnson

BY ED FELIEN Thank you, Andrew Johnson—for being so polite and friendly and helpful. Thank you for always standing for the most progressive ideas, for standing for change when change wasn’t easy, and fighting for it when it was needed. Andrew Johnson has announced that he’s not going to seek…

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Police report

BY ED FELIEN What’s happening with crime? What’s happening with the police? The murder rate is actually down from last year. It feels a lot safer. There’s lots of chatter on Nextdoor about strange cars in the neighborhood and Ring camera videos of people stealing packages from front steps. The…

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Happy days are here again!

BY ED FELIEN Shout hallelujah and just get happy We’re going to the promised land We’re heading across the river Soon our cares will all be gone Forget your troubles, come on get happy You better chase all those blues away Shout hallelujah, c’mon get happy Happy days are here…

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