BY ED FELIEN Ian Young, in a Star Tribune editorial published Aug. 5, said, “Those commissioners voting to advance the nine-hole master plan are the ones who have done their homework and understand the reality of the issue.” Really? Young says any proposal to save Hiawatha Golf Course would “not…
If you’ve been following discussions about the Hiawatha Master Plan involving the lake and golf course, you can be forgiven for feeling a bit of déjà vu. That’s because some supposedly simple solutions keep being proposed as alternatives to an “expensive” master plan. You may have heard “do this one…
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 ED FELIEN After a long and painful two-month inquiry, the Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct cleared state Sen. Omar Fateh of any serious wrongdoing, but they did find that Fateh didn’t disclose the $1,000 he paid Somali TV for campaign advertising. His statement: “The unanimous decision reached today…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE For this review of things in the neighborhood, we’ll go geographically down Lyndale Avenue, starting just north of Franklin Avenue, and ending just south of Minnehaha Creek. The first organization to check out is called Vision Loss Resources, a nonprofit that provides just what the name…
If the city is designing an avenue for the future, then why is it not including electric car charging stations? That is but one question we should be asking as this egregious project is being rammed down the throats of businesses along Hennepin Avenue. Businesses who neither want, need nor…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE An opening The long-vacant Viking Bar location on Riverside Avenue has finally attracted a new resident: TAMU Grill and Catering, with a Kenyan fusion menu. Owner George Ndege, aka Chef JoJo, was formerly known as both the host of KFAI’s African Rhythms and a caterer of…
BY KATHRYN KELLY On July 20, the Planning Committee of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board started the process of reconsidering the Hiawatha Golf Course Master Plan for the fourth time. This time Park Board President Meg Forney wasn’t going to let this initial vote fail, so her first act…
BY ED FELIEN [Ed Felien’s remarks to the Park Board on July 20] In a promotional video having something to do with the Hiawatha Plan, Michael Schroeder is shown saying, “My mission is to de-Wirthify the Minneapolis Park System.” The crown jewel of his plan is to turn the Hiawatha…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Retail shops on Bloomington Avenue Mercado Central, a nonprofit venue on the corner of Bloomington Avenue and Lake Street, contains several retail businesses. It serves as a business incubator specifically geared toward Latinos, as both business owners and customers. There has been some turnover among the…
BY TONY BOUZA The Floyd case is marvelously instructive for all the awful lessons it provides. A latter-day “Rashomon.” Racism is number one, but forgive me, not the issue that grabs me. I monitored the Chauvin-types very carefully through Internal Affairs and gave the others ample room for caution in…
BY CAM GORDON The mayor and City Council are moving quickly to restructure city government. Substantial ordinance amendments, which have yet to be shared with the public, could be approved by the end of August. The timeline presented by Mayor Jacob Frey in June called for the public hearing on…
BY LYDIA HOWELL For the last three elections, Minnesota was number one in voter turnout, at almost 80% participation. One reason for such high participation is Minnesota’s Election Day (“same day”) voter registration, passed in 1973. “It’s not just the absence of obstacles, but the presence of good laws. I…
BY ELINA KOLSTAD After putting our 5-year-old to bed the night of Wednesday, July 13, I realized there was a helicopter flying around outside. It’s not all that unusual to hear helicopters from our house, sometimes going to or from the nearby hospital, but this was persistent and constant. A…
Third Precinct Advisory Council (3PAC) Minutes July 11, 2022 Meeting was called to order by Co-Chair Gwen McMahon at 6:39 p.m. 17 attendees. Treasurer’s report: Doris Overby, Treasurer, balance of $1457.73 in our checking account at Wings Financial. Check to reimburse Gwen McMahon will be written shortly for $561.12. Minutes:…
