News | Southwest Connector

J.D. Fratzke likes hiking in blizzards, and appreciates the reminder that the Natural World exemplifies perseverance. (Photo submitted)

Get rhythm

The Norwegians have a word, friluftsliv, for the practice of embracing a life outdoors as a bulwark against the inevitable soul-crushing doldrums of a long, dark winter in a Northern climate. I … more

By J.D. Fratzke | 3/16/23

Award-winning independent journalist and photographer KingDemetrius Pendleton poses inside Wing Young Huie’s The Third Place Gallery at 3730 Chicago Ave., where his exhibition “The Movement Never Stops” is on display. The exhibition includes photographs Pendleton has taken from the front lines of the social justice movement in the Twin Cities over the past seven years.

‘Listennn’ –The Movement Never Stops

Anyone attending a protest or march for justice in the Twin Cities over these past few years has undoubtedly heard a call carry over the crowd: “Listennn!” It’s a sure bet … more

By Jill Boogren | 3/16/23

Lighting up a winter night

How do you put together a luminary event attended by over 10,000 people?With lots of volunteers.Loppet Luminary Committee Chair Jim Young helps coordinate the team of people who shape ice from lake … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 3/1/23

Has snowfall made dent in drought?

Last summer was one of the driest on record in the Twin Cities, and the latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows that most of Hennepin County, including Minneapolis, remains in a moderate drought halfway … more

By Allie Johnson | 3/1/23

Brit Anbacht (right) chats with Jan Lyson and Ward 11 Policy Associate Corinne Horowitz (center) about the 2040 Plan and zoning. (Photo submitted)

Give feedback on new zoning rules

The city is poised to take a big step this spring when it enshrines zoning regulations that will guide the city’s growth for decades to come. Ward 7 City Council Member Lisa Goodman, who chairs … more

By Cam Gordon | 3/1/23

Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, “With the issues we’re facing, we don’t have time for nonsense. We need to get to the point.” He attended the Feb. 1, 2023 Lunch with Lisa held at the University of St. Thomas.

New police chief described as change agent

"In order to have a change, we need a change agent,” stated Ward 7 Council Member Lisa Goodman during a Lunch with Lisa event on Feb. 1, 2023. She admitted to … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 3/1/23

Marisa Miakonda Cummings said, “We have suffered. We suffer from the effects of institutional and generational trauma and we live in this every day. Some times it feels like we are being left again to die…. This is the definition of institutional genocide.” She said they are standing up “because it is the right thing to do.” “We’re not asking for anything outside of basic human rights.” (Photo by Aurora Pass)

'What we want first and foremost is the city to not demolish the building'

2/22/23

Cassandra Holmes at the Roof Depot site on Tuesday evening, Feb. 21, 2023. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

PROTESTING CITY’S PLANS FOR ROOF DEPOT SITE

Over a hundred Minneapolis Police Officers and 50 squads shut down an eight-block radius around the Roof Depot site on Tuesday evening, Feb. 21, 2023, at about 6:15 p.m., and forcibly removed … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 2/22/23

Delaney Russell, a south Minneapolis resident, is interviewed by Unicorn Riot during the occupation by Indigenous people and allies of the Roof Depot that began at dawn on Tuesday, Feb. 21 and lasted through evening when Nenoocaasi Camp was disbanded forcibly on the orders of Mayor Frey by over 100 officers and 50 squad cars. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Minneapolis Police officer pushes Longfellow elder at Roof Depot

Longfellow resident Delaney Russell was shocked when a Minneapolis Police Officer pushed her back on the slippery sidewalk when the occupation at the Roof Depot site was being cleared by over 100 … more

by Tesha M. Christensen | 2/22/23

It may look like praying when J.D. Fratzke gets into the frigid Lake Harriet water, but he is taking deep breaths to get used to the cold while vinterbadning. His six-minute stint on Sunday, Feb. 5 was one of his longest so far this season.

Jumping in

As with most things in my life, I just jumped in the first time. I knew myself well enough to understand that if I thought about it too much or just took it one step at a time that I would only be … more

By J.D. Fratzke | 2/17/23 | 1 comment

Inspired

Nine months before Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat on the bus to a White passenger. She was 15. Youth Performance Company (YPC)’s “Inspired by Claudette & … more

By Jill Boogren | 2/17/23

Met Council makeover

This could be the year of big changes for the Metropolitan Council. At least that is what two southwest Minneapolis legislators are hoping for. Later this month, State Senator Scott Dibble and … more

By Cam Gordon | 2/17/23

Heather Fisch’s son wears the He-Man Halloween costume that was created with items obtained from her Buy Nothing group. (Photo submitted)

Buy Nothing groups encourage people to buy less, share more

They say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. That’s one of the leading philosophies behind a movement taking off in southwest Minneapolis. The “Buy Nothing” … more

By Allie Johnson | 1/19/23

Twin Cities chocolatier Mary Leonard of Chocolat Céleste puts together a box of freshly-made truffles. Leonard battled breast cancer in 2020, but didn’t miss a day of work. She had chocolates to create, after all. Each chocolate is hand made with fresh whipping cream, small batch butter and the finest fair trade cocoas. The company that she started at age 46 was named after her beloved Bichon Frise. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

A sweet journey

The Twin Cities’ beloved chocolatier Mary Leonard of Chocolat Céleste didn’t take a day off work when she was being treated for breast cancer. Not even when she was dealing with … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 1/19/23

24 strategies, 64 actions

The city council is set to vote early this year on a groundbreaking racial equity framework that could guide city transportation planning and investment decisions for years to come.The draft Racial … more

By Cam Gordon | 1/19/23

Madison Weissenborn holds three-month-old Llasa prior to a free adoption day event on Dec. 9, 2022 meant to clear out the shelter before Christmas. Weissenborn is the volunteer and community partnership coordinator at Minneapolis Animal Care and Control. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Not the pound you think you know

The Minneapolis city animal control facility isn’t the grim place many picture.“For a long time, this place would have been called a pound with all the negative aspects that … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 12/13/22

Author Erin Soderberg hikes on the Superior Hiking Trail with her then-13-year-old son Henry in 2021 while researching and writing “Just Keep Walking.” Henry previously delivered copies of the Southwest Connector and Southwest Journal.

Inspired by the north woods

Erin Soderberg Downing never wanted to be a writer when she was a kid. In fact, she didn’t really like writing all that much. But she did love the adventures books could take her on, and her … more

By Chloe Peter | 12/13/22

2023 property tax levy rising 6.5%

On Dec.6, after making 26 amendments to Mayor Jacob Frey’s proposal, the council approved a 2023 budget that totals $1.66 billion and increases the property tax levy by 6.5%. The amendments … more

By Cam Gordon | 12/13/22

Artists (left to right) Diver Van Avery, Miré Regulus, and Lacey Prpic Hedkte have created a system where money raised from the sale of lawn signs goes towards the African American Community Land Trust, putting money into the hands of those who were hurt by racial covenants.

Erasing racial covenants, writing new future

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the Uprising, artists Diver Van Avery, Lacey Prpic Hedtke and Miré Regulus created an art project called Free the Deeds. It invites the … more

By Chloe Peter | 12/1/22

Brass Solidarity leads friends, family and community members in music and song at the Peoples' Way, George Floyd Square, to celebrate Tekle Sundberg on what would have been his 21st birthday Nov. 16, 2022. Sundberg was killed by Minneapolis police on July 14, 2022.

City’s plan to buy Peoples’ Way met with apprehension

At a neighborhood meeting at Sabathani Community Center on October 24, Minneapolis’ Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) agency announced plans to purchase the former Speedway … more

By Jill Boogren | 12/1/22