BY LUCIA WILKES SMITH “Sometimes they show us the ‘one-fingered peace sign’.” That’s the way Sister Brigid McDonald describes the nasty gesture made by some people who drive past a peace vigil. Brigid and her sisters—Kate, Jane and Rita—are Catholic nuns who were subjects of the History Theatre’s dramatic production…
BY ELINA KOLSTAD Recent discussions of policy, specifically the 2040 Plan in Minneapolis, have discussed the fact that we have severe racial disparities that we need to deal with as a city. This is encouraging in that the first step to dealing with a problem is to recognize that you…
BY ELAINE KLAASSEN Along with most of my friends, I wish to reduce my carbon footprint. My environmentally-friendly friends and I think if we live sustainably we can somehow alleviate and mitigate the climate heat that is exponentially encompassing the entire planet. (You know, the hotter it gets, the hotter…
The Women’s Prison Book Project (WPBP) is celebrating its 25th year in operation on Oct. 12, 2019. The project has sent requested books to women in prison and, for the past several years, to transgender prisoners locked up nationwide within America’s criminal justice system of mass incarceration. For our commemoration,…
Jimmy and Lorraine: A Musing is a meditation on the American political climate of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s through the eyes of two of the most significant artists of the time, James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry. Using text from journals, letters, interviews, and more, Wilks brings Baldwin and…
BY ED FELIEN First, I want to thank the friends and supporters who came downtown to see me try to slay the dragon. The judge asked me why I was doing this. If you don’t like the decisions they make, then there are elections. I said, these elected officials took…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Toward the end of 2018, a few high-profile business closings prompted concern in the media for the health of Grand Avenue’s business environment. In retrospect, this may have been unfounded. Although competing forces of gentrification and economic stagnation for all but the wealthiest consumers, as well…
BY ED FELIEN Why did Patrick Crusius kill 22 people in El Paso? Did he see himself as a hero trying to stop the Mexican invasion of Texas? There is conclusive evidence he was directly inspired by the racist rhetoric of President Trump. Did he believe he would be the…
BY STEPHANIE FOX For many, Lyndale Avenue is just a quick way to get from point A to point B in South Minneapolis. What a lot of people don’t know is that there are places along the way where you can find music, laughter and a chance to learn about…
BY STEPHANIE FOX The last Saturday in July was sunny with temps in the lower 80s, a rare perfect summer day. In East Nokomis, it was also a perfect afternoon for a new event, a neighborhood kickball tournament. Six teams faced off at Keewaydin Park’s baseball fields, vying for a…
BY STEPHANIE FOX NENA’s annual Crime and Safety Meeting on July 16 brought residents from beyond the boundaries of the East Nokomis Neighborhood. People came from all over the city’s largest police precinct–the 3rd–arriving at the NENA office on a warm summer evening to hear from officials, to find out…
BY LYDIA HOWELL Donald Trump’s racism can’t be sincerely debated now. His press conference speechwriter-created “denouncement” of racism is meaningless—which Tweets and his next rally ranting will contradict. Racists, neo-Nazi and white supremacist militia groups claim Trump as their own. Trump is directly quoted by the mass murderers who massacred…
The annual Monarch Festival – Festival de la Monarca celebrates the monarch butterfly’s amazing 2,300 mile migration from Minnesota to Mexico with music, food, dance, hands-on art, native plant sales and plenty of opportunities to get up close with monarch butterflies, learn about their habitats, and what you can do…
BY ELAINE KLAASSEN In “Mennonite values in a warming world,” David C. Garen articulates spiritual guidelines for living on the Earth. (The piece was printed as a “web-exclusive” for themennonite.org.) Garen is a retired hydrologist who spent most of his professional career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the…
Edwin Felien v. Brad Bourn, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board A WRIT OF MANDAMUS TO COMPEL THE MINNEAPOLIS PARK AND RECREATION BOARD TO PERFORM THEIR DUTY TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC WELFARE Court File Number: 27-CV-19-10595 To be heard before the Honorable Patrick D. Robben on Aug. 12, 2019, at 9:45…
