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Participants at the fifth city visioning workshop on Sept. 24, 2024, review materials in a breakout room addressing reconstruction of the right of way at 38th St. and Chicago Ave., George Perry Floyd Square.
Tensions rise at city workshop amid calls for police reform
On Sept. 19, 2024, the city council approved redistributing some funds from 15 departments to pay for repairs at the Agate Board and Lodge Housing and Shelter Facility (510 South 8th St.), where Agate has a 42-bed shelter program and 95-bed board and lodge program.
Officials clash over shelter funding
Echo Bodine
Who ya gonna call – a Ghostbuster?
People connect at Leni de Mik’s garage in Linden Hills over music and conversation.
What this award means to me
From Tara Lund: I am submitting this piece written by my neighbor and friend, Leni de Mik. I nominated her for a Linden Hills Treasure award and she was selected and accepted the award Tuesday, Oct. …
John Wilson
Network NOW and You
Metro Transit recently released its draft plan, called Network NOW, to restore, and improve on, the service they provided before COVID. Many of the improvements involve making transit more useful all …
23 new Police Officers
Neighborhood News - Oct 2024
More meadow, less lawn The redesigned Bryn Mawr Meadows Park seeks to strike a sustainable balance between nature and recreation. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with refreshments and a park tour will be …
Tidbits - Oct 2024
Lyndale Avenue South open house OCT. 23 Efforts to improve safety and modernize Lyndale Avenue in South Minneapolis are continuing. After hearing the community’s thoughts about how to improve …
SWBA Directory 2024-25
Woodworker Bill Dossett (left) and Joe Hayes look over a set of windows being restored. According to Dossett, the dust collection system in the new building is an upgrade that has made a big difference for staff. Plus there's a room just for planing.
Hayes Window expands into new location, offers storm windows
Lost your storm windows over the years? Have windows you can’t open anymore because they were painted shut? Does the glass rattle in the wind? These problems don’t mean that you need to …

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Oct 2024 Connector

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Mindful Creativity
GreenRoom fellows practice dancing and performing together at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts on Friday, July 19, 2024.
Maia Maiden leads Ordway theater fellowship for budding artists
Tears streamed down 62-year-old Myra Curry’s face as she sat in a circle receiving praise from her cohort fellows. One after the other, people took turns telling Curry how proud, and inspired …
Hennepin History Museum’s staff welcome all visitors: (Left to right) executive director John Crippen, archivist Michele Pollard, and curator Alyssa Thiede. (Photo submitted)
Masks, puppets and plenty of free parking
Propped up alongside Sky, Prairie, Moon and Woods and with arms extended, River’s giant, blue face stares down at passersby, perhaps hoping one stops and hears stories about the Mississippi …
Howard Quednau Shepards and Charlatans, 2023 Wood, styrene, plaster, paper, acrylic
MCAD faculty biennial exhibit
The Gallery at Minneapolis College of Art and Design will spotlight the art and research undertaken by faculty in the 2024 MCAD Faculty Biennial. Some fifty faculty members are participating in an …
Ezra Young, 17, of Roseville works in the SPRAYFINGER area next to the Uptown VFW during the LynLake Street Art Series on Saturday, July 13, 2024. “This is not just a grubby alleyway anymore. It’s art,” Young said. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
From dirty alley to street art gallery
LynLake is becoming a destination for street art. Thirty-one new locations for artwork were added to building walls by 64 local and regional artists representing an array of cultural communities …
Jackie Lannin planned to give buttons to friends and wear one to work.
Craftivism
On July 30, artistic members of Twin Cities Indivisible met at Sue Scott’s home in Edina for a Craftivism Happy Hour. Craftivism is the practice of using craft projects to support social causes …

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COLUMNISTS
Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice steering committee.
Anxious, curious, angry with no internet service
I’m experiencing anxiety. As I begin to write this Stories and Journeys column, I am aware that I am without Internet service. That has just been confirmed with the over the phone help from my …
East Phillips urban farm vision growing stronger
Good things take time. Look at the East Phillips community's struggle to win control of the Roof Depot site . For a decade, a broad coalition of East Phillips neighbors and supporters have …
Larry LaVercombe is a writer, filmmaker, and activist, born in Detroit and arrived in Minneapolis in 1975. He lived in a treehouse in San Diego before getting an MFA from the USC Film School. He writes most days, and as Team Larry he has been selling residential real estate in Minneapolis for 26 years.
Have you noticed home sales are down but prices are up?
Check it out: This graph at right indicates the number of closed sales in our Southwest Minneapolis area over the past 10 years. You will note the “COVID spike.” Then note: The average …
We can do more for the opioid crisis
We have a growing problem that not a lot people understand. Behaviors are happening on the streets and in schools that are unprecedented. Principals, teachers, and behavioral specialists can't …
Tommie Beevas
The CCCA would harm marginalized communities
The Black community has faced many hurdles, yet we have shown remarkable resilience and unity in rebuilding and strengthening our neighborhoods. When I came to America from Jamaica as a young …

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Rebuild Repair Recycle
Marigolds, hollyhocks, cosmos, and black eyed Susans. These are just a few of the late-summer flowers bursting into bloom right now. While many are cutting them for bouquets, farmer Maddy Bartsch is …
The Kenilworth Tunnel is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2025. On July 31, 2024, Met Transit reached a major milestone when the lowest element of the tunnel was done. In September, …
Jessica Miller still shrieks sometimes when a spider jumps on her, but the south Minneapolis environmental entomologist has found that makes her more approachable when she’s teaching classes on …

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Home & Garden
Jon Trappe
Talking lawn care with U of M
People are getting back into our yards and gardens, with pent-up demand following a long winter. University of Minnesota Extension Educator Jon Trappe has tips for yards that accomplish multiple …
A rain barrel collects roof runoff so you can save the rainwater for later use. Reroute downspouts away from pavement and onto grass, a rain barrel or a rain garden. (Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota Extension)
A watershed moment
What is a watershed? What is our local watershed called? Where does it begin and end?  What is the largest watershed in the U.S.? According to board chair of the League of …
Larry LaVercombe is a writer, filmmaker, and activist, born in Detroit and arrived in Minneapolis in 1975. He lived in a treehouse in San Diego before getting an MFA from the USC Film School. He writes most days, and as Team Larry he has been selling residential real estate in Minneapolis for 26 years.
How real estate agent commissions will now affect us
You’ve heard, I’m sure, about the court ruling and the decision by the National Association of Realtors: Buyer’s agents will no longer receive a “standardized” 2.7% …
Jill Carmody is a senior manager at the Habitat for Humanity’s Minneapolis ReStore. They are both a drop-off site for leftover paint products, and a retailer for the Amazon brand of recycled paint. Carmody said, “PaintCare has made it easy for people to recycle their left-over paint, which is the right thing to do for the environment.”
Recycle your left-over paint with PaintCare
Did you know there’s an option for recycling leftover paint in Minnesota? That’s right, recycling, not just disposing of leftover paint. Since 2014, the non-profit PaintCare has been …
Patricia Neal works with children to tend their neighborhood sponsored garden.
Local model for an urban CSA
“Four years ago, I realized we needed a model for an urban CSA,” says Craig Neal, founder and chief gardener of the Neighborhood Sponsored Garden (NSG) located in a backyard on Beard Ave. …

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Living 50+
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is partnering with MN Senior LinkAge to host a free class to help people learn about Medicare. “Medicare Annual Update” on Wednesday, Oct. …
I recently attended my first Minneapolis Advisory Committee on Aging meeting. I am convinced that in the city of Minneapolis elders/seniors don’t exist. There is such a thing as the …
Nancy Eustis was named Volunteer of the Year at the Kenwood Senior Living, 825 Summit Ave. She has lived at The Kenwood since 1997. Eustis has volunteered throughout the community in many ways. …

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AWARD WINNING NEWSPAPER

20 AWARDS FOR TMC PUBLICATIONS IN 2023

TMC Publication's three newspapers earned a total of 20 awards at this year's Better Newspaper Contest. Congrats to the winners! NEWS1) First Place, Sports Story - Eric Erickson, “Unforgettable …
Voices Against Violence
Dr. Catherine Barrett
‘Oppressive’ experience:’ 57 hearings, 80 court orders, 12 parenting time schedules
What do you do when 11 judges and referees, 20 therapists, 12 mediators, two parenting consultants (with 37 directives), one custody evaluator, and one guardian ad litem haven’t been able to …
Police officer Paul Elmstrand, officer Matthew Ruge and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth
Violence Free Minnesota issues statement on Burnsville Police and EMT domestic violence homicides
Violence Free Minnesota issued the following statement on Tuesday, Feb. 20 to call attention to the full circumstances around Shannon Cortez Gooden's murder of two police officers and an EMT in …
Christmas Eve luminary supports Domestic Abuse Project
For 25 years, the warm glow of hundreds of luminaries have lit Dupont/King’s Highway on Christmas Eve. The annual event not only brings neighbors together, but it has raised over $50,000 for …
Dani's daughter sent her teddy bear with her mom on Oct. 2, 2023. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how my daughter would take the news that her mom wasn’t coming home for a month,” said Dani.
Domestic abuse victim jailed
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a Minnesota judge ordered a victim to jail for not forcing her daughter to see her father. Dani* was ordered to serve 30 days in jail on Oct. 2, 2023 or …
Thi Synavone works as the executive director at Standpoint. (Photo submitted)
FROM THEIR STANDPOINT
Thi Synavone came to the U.S. in 1979 as a Laotian refugee. After living in many states, her family settled in Minnesota in 1988. Synavone said that growing up, domestic and sexual violence was never …

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Neighborhood organizations
Neighborhood news - Sep 2024
20th ANNUAL AUTUMN BREW REVIEW Minnesota’s longest-running craft beer festival, Autumn Brew Review, will take place this year on Oct.12, 2024, from 1:30 to 5 p.m. This premier craft brew …
Neighborhood News - Aug 2024
LAKE CLEAN-UP East Bde Maka Skat thanks the neighbors who helped out at the July Bde Maka Ska Cleanup. The next one will be Saturday, Aug. 24 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet on the lake footpath off …
Elise Moore (left) and Valerie Blomberg met at Disco Death Records recently to talk about vision and planning for the upcoming year. (Photo submitted)
Lowry Hills East
NEW BOARD MEMBERS The Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association (LHENA) is excited to announce the election of its new Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The updated list of board members and …
Neighborhood News - July 2024
BIKE TRAILS OPEN The reconstructed South Cedar Lake and Minnesota River Bluffs trails are now open for public use from the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis to Shady Oak Road in Minnetonka. The …
Neighborhood news - June 2024
E-waste Collection Event JUNE 29 What do old cell phones, aging computers, and obsolete chargers have in common? They are all part of the e-waste problem in the U.S. According to a 2023 study, …

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Opinion
Tesha M. Christensen lives in south Minneapolis and owns the Southwest Connector, as well as the Longfellow Nokomis Messenger and Midway Como Frogtown Monitor. Drop her a line at tesha@swConnector.com.
We’ve got audio - check our website
We’re a newspaper, yes, but we know that we need to be more than just the printed paper that lands on your doorsteps each month. We’ve got a website where we put additional content and …
Conversing - Oct 2024
I’m voting for bergman The voters who live in Minneapolis Public Schools District 6 have a clear choice on Election Day: We can choose a candidate mired in the controversies of the past or we …
Youth community journalist students from the Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation’s Youth Community Journalism Institute at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul with Minnesota House Rep. Maria Isa Peréz-Vega (District 65B).
The power of community journalism
Healing begins with opportunities, and opportunities promote growth.  That's why we developed the Youth Community Journalism Institute at the Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation . We want to …
Larry LaVercombe is a writer, filmmaker, and activist, born in Detroit and arrived in Minneapolis in 1975. He lived in a treehouse in San Diego before getting an MFA from the USC Film School. He writes most days, and as Team Larry he has been selling residential real estate in Minneapolis for 26 years.
Here’s what’s happening locally
The two biggest questions in local real estate are: 1) How is the Aug. 17 new rule about real estate commissions going to affect us? 2) What is going on in real estate? Regarding the second question: …
Michele Rae, RPh, MA, NBC-HWC is the founder of The Center Within, LLC and author of “Living From the Center Within: Co-Creating Who You Are Becoming.” She provides holistic coaching designed to accelerate and support personal, professional, and organizational transformation.
Wellness and spirituality
Recently I have been invited to become a course director for the Integrative and Functional Medicine fellowship at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute. The topic for my course for the …

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HENNEPIN AVENUE
Amazing Thailand has struggled without street parking for customers in front of their building at 3024 Hennepin Ave. S., especially as they’ve shifted business to takeout, says general manager Korawan (Yin) Muangmode, second from left, shown with her brother and family, owners Dee and Kulsatreet Noree with Yindee and Sandee (age 4), and head chef Khamsouk Pathilath (left). (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
Hennepin Ave design: Helpful or hurtful?
If the proposed reconstruction plan for Hennepin Ave. passes, Kristin Traynor says The Corner Balloon Shoppe will be moving from 2455 Hennepin Ave. “I have an extremely diverse group of …
Hennepin for People has drawn people together at various events to inform and educate on the project. (Photo submitted)
Hennepin for People supports city’s proposed plan for Hennepin Ave. South
As woman of color, Wedge resident Chandra Lalla says she knows how “our streets don’t serve everyone well.“For generations, city streets were built solely with car travel in mind, …
Corner of Lagoon and Hennepin, looking south, in 1938. (Minnesota Historical Society)
True progress on Hennepin requires a business plan
Small businesses are the lifeblood of any community. They provide distinctive character to a neighborhood and are the engine that drives a local economy. Without local businesses, there is no local …
COMPETITION FOR SPACE ALONG S. HENNEPIN
By Tesha M. Christensen In a one-way presentation on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022, city staff acknowledged that there are competing desires for E. Hennepin Ave., and they can’t all be addressed …
BUSINESSES SUBMIT LETTER TO CITY
In all, 115 Uptown businesses collectively asked the city to conduct “a more thorough analysis, update studies and ultimately begin to incorporate the views, suggestions, and proposals of the Hennepin Avenue business community into a new plan for Hennepin Avenue that is truly inclusive for all.”
George Floyd Memorial Square
Rise and Remember 2024 (Photo by Jill Boogren)

RISE AND REMEMBER 2024

On May 25, Singer Kashimana and Brass Solidarity led a joyful procession from the solidarity fist at 38th St. and Chicago Ave. to the Say Their Names cemetery, where 400 candles were placed around …

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Web Extras - Contact us to sponsor this content
MicroRNA − a new Nobel laureate describes the scientific process of discovering these tiny molecules that turn genes on and off
Victor Ambros received half of the Nobel Prize for his work on microRNAs. Here he talks about the teamwork – and the nematodes – that made the discovery possible.
How one 83-year-old fell into a fraudster’s fear bubble – and how gift cards played a key role
Wednesday morning, the day before Thanksgiving, Mae awoke, set her hair in curlers and switched on her laptop. A message appeared. It said her Safari web browser had encountered a problem, and a link …
3% of American don't know the Presidents Name
(Peter Fiorillo) - Message Delivery is Key for, standing out from the competition. You need to be unique in your message and branding let us create and deliver your message to 100 million Americans …
Responding to work emails after hours contributes to burnout, hostility
Image it’s Friday evening. You’re about to watch a new Netflix drama, trying to unwind after a long week. Suddenly, your phone pings with a work email marked “urgent.” Your heart sinks; your …
The latest Halloween trick-or-treat trends, according to Instacart data
Instacart shares insights about the top candy picks state-by-state, what's uniquely popular in different regions, how many people plan to trick-or-treat and pass out candy this year, and more.
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