News | Southwest Connector

Are you considering pulling your children from Minneapolis Public Schools as the strike drags on?

3/23/22

Minneapolis' second Black fire chief, Bryan Tyner, speaks at the renaming ceremony in Longfellow on March 17. "I'm just so happy to see this day finally here," said Tyner. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Dight Ave is no longer named after a man who launched a crusade to bring the eugenics movement to Minnesota and wrote fan letters to Hitler. Instead, it has been renamed to honor John Cheatham, a man … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 3/23/22

Educators rally in downtown Minneapolis on March 16, 2022. They have also been at the Governor's Mansion and the Davis Center.

Minneapolis educators strike for ‘safe, stable schools’

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN “Our community deserves safe, fully-funded, stable schools,” said Roosevelt High School bilingual science teacher Ana Vasquez, an Indigenous woman.She found it … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 3/23/22

Little Sock’s adventures resonate in pandemic

Like everyone else, a sock needs a friend. And with that in mind, Kia Heise and Chris D. Park wrote their second children’s book “Little Sock Makes a Friend.” The book by the … more

By Jan Willms | 3/23/22

Advice and service tips from Bobby & Steve’s Auto World

After a brutal winter, Minnesotans know it’s time to tend to our vehicles. And for metro area residents there’s no better place than the locally owned Bobby & Steve’s Auto … more

By SUSAN SCHAEFER | 3/23/22

"It's such a cool feeling to know we're able to help people in this way," said NACC Operations Manager Ashlee Jallen. (Photo submitted)

Native American Community Clinic combines medical care, classes and Indigenous spiritual practices

A patient who had an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine was having second thoughts. They were anxious to receive the vaccine and did not know if they wanted to continue on the day that they were … more

By CHLOE PETER | 3/23/22

How to create a food forest

Food forests represent an abundant past and a hopeful future. A diverse planting of native trees, shrubs, and perennials that bear edible flowers, fruit, nuts, and seeds; food forests grow all the … more

by Russ Henry | 3/23/22

Not sure what to put in your boulevard? Plan ahead for success. Pick plants well-suited to the conditions.

Wondering what to plant in those tough spots?

As a Master Gardener, people ask me lots of questions about their yards, but probably the most common type of question is “I have a spot that’s hard to grow things in. What should I plant … more

By LAUREN BETHKE, Master Gardener | 3/23/22

Residents concerned about Minneapolis Police Department

Prior to a community safety meeting tonight at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, a group of Ward 13 neighbors have released an open letter to Minneapolis Council Vice President Linea Palmisano. Here … more

3/21/22

Awards

We are blown away by the 20 awards we won in the 2022 Minnesota Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: We won awards across the categories of articles, photographs, ad design, … more

3/18/22

MFT59 @ Governor's Mansion [Photo gallery]

The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and ESPs Local 59 "hold the line" front of the Governor's Mansion on the 9th day of the strike. View photos and videos. more

Amy Pass | 3/18/22

View of Katherine Kierland Herberger Gallery / Community Commons / Gallery 110 with objects installed for the exhibition "Racism as a Public Health Crisis: Youth and Professional Artists Respond" at Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Exploring ‘Racism as a Public Health Crisis’

As an art teacher at St. Paul’s Como Park High School, Sydney Willcox seeks to connect student creations with their own lived experiences. A recent collaboration with local artists allowed that … more

By Eric Erickson | 3/17/22

Players saw resurgence coming

As a Minneapolis Storm youth hockey player, Zander Zoia realized he and his teammates had a chance to compete with the state’s best someday. Zoia said his last youth team gained a lot from … more

By Matthew Davis | 3/17/22

Southwest Minneapolis resident Amelia Huffman is the city’s interim police chief. (Photo courtesy of Minneapolis)

Challenging times for interim police chief

Since Jan. 15, 2022, when Amelia Huffman took over as head of the Minneapolis Police Department, she has faced what may the biggest challenge of her career. In the days following the police killing … more

By Cam Gordon | 3/17/22

Nadvia Davis, author of Grant Practices Math with Manners

AUTHORS IN STEM

On Feb. 25, 2022, Stonebridge World School (4530 Lyndale Ave. S.) hosted its first-ever Authors in STEM event. The event connected Twin Cities Black authors and illustrators with hundreds of … more

3/17/22

David Frank, new Uptown Association Executive Director.

NEIGHBORHOOD BRIEFS March 17, 2022

STAFFING CHANGES AT UPTOWN ASSOCIATION The Uptown Association Board of Directors have selected David Frank as their new executive director. Frank brings many years of experience in urban development … more

3/17/22

Park planning: Painter, Cedar-Isles

PAINTER PARK UPGRADES A skate park is being planned for Painter Park when the area is upgraded this year. A basketball court will be added, and the tennis/pickleball courts will be improved. A … more

3/17/22

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.

Have a courageous conversation

Healthy relationships and a sense of belonging and connection contribute to our well-being. How do we improve our relationships and expand our circles of belonging to enhance our own lives and our … more

By Michele Rae | 3/17/22

Predictions for the local real estate market

In the March 3 Connector, I talked about becoming a realtor, and I’d planned this week to offer predictions on what to expect in local real estate over the next weeks, months, and even years. I … more

By Larry LaVercombe | 3/17/22

“While CSA stands for ‘Community Supported Agriculture,’ it could also stand for ‘Community Sustained Agriculture,’” observed Andrea Yoder of Harmony Valley Farm. She holds a bucket of ramps.

CSAs enhance farmer/eater relationship

Just what is a CSA?“A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a direct partnership between consumers and local producers,” explained Abby Rogosheske of Seward Co-op. “A consumer … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 3/17/22