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…
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…
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…
BY STEPHANIE FOX For most people in Minnesota, getting to the polls to vote means driving (or biking) to an early voting center or to their local precinct on election day to fill out a ballot. Easy-peasy. Minnesota has same-day registration and does not require registered voters to show an…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Eater’s ‘Home for the Holidays 2022’ My favorite online food information source, Eater.com, has a seasonal series of the above name and theme. So far, Bettina Makalintal has counseled us to let go of ironclad tradition and have a different kind of meal every Thanksgiving, Hillary…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Looking for examples In last year’s “Gracefully,” I promised that I would pick up where I left off in illuminating the stories of people who typify the various ways to live gracefully at any age. I mentioned that I had to leave out three great Canadian…
BY KAY SCHROVEN Have you ever wondered how you would fare if for unforeseen reasons you became homeless? You may think it wouldn’t happen because you have resources and could reach out to family and friends for help. But what if you couldn’t? What resources would you need? How would…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Your holiday events guide – random and quirky There are SO MANY events to share this year, the whole thing will be presented in list format. For online ticket sales, I’ll provide the name (search term) for the website only. If in-person or phone ONLY ticket…
BY ED FELIEN No, not him. The other guy, Charles Koch. Charlie Koch loves doing what he’s doing. He did it to Carter in 1979. Remember the gas shortage, worrying about heating oil supplies for the winter? Then, Reagan promised a Morning in America. It was a clear manipulation of…
BY KAY SCHROVEN On Friday, Oct. 14, Mortenson Construction, the Lake Street Council and numerous small business owners, many of them BIPOC, gathered under a big white tent at Lake Street and Chicago Avenue to celebrate the progress made in the restoration of Lake Street. There were photo displays of…
BY CAM GORDON In October, a power struggle about how to respond to groups camping outdoors came to a head, not only outside City Hall between city officials and the community, but within City Hall and the City Council itself. Nearly four months have passed since the council voted to…
BY ED FELIEN, PUBLISHER Bill Cottrell wrote to me, “What a one-sided newspaper you operate and write for. I am disappointed with your clear bias and lack of any effort to present a fair and impartial paper.” So I invited Bill to write 300 words to present his point of…
BY TOM ABELES When a major river meets a blockage, the river finds a suitable bypass. Similarly, when a major blood vessel in a human has a blockage, it can result in death, or the body finds an alternative path. In either case, the alternative is problematic. The route down…
BY JOHN CHARLES WILSON Metro Transit is facing one of the worst crises I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been a transit fanatic since the 1970s. This crisis isn’t caused by a lack of funding or ridership, but because of a shortage of drivers. Quite a few routes in the Southside…
BY ED FELIEN Our ancient mothers and fathers spent a lot of time looking at the sun and the moon. They marked when the sun would be highest in the sky and when it would be lowest. They noted the days halfway between the darkness and the light, and they…
