Southwest Connector

Community leader, Manu Lewis, said, “We need to go back to humanity.” (Photo submitted)

The world is opening up again. That’s good news for all of us who are still here. But just when you think life can’t get any more absurd, Elon Musk buys Twitter. The richest man on Earth … more

By Eric Ortiz | 5/5/22

This picture is from MNHS of Rice Lake in 1929 prior to formation of Lake Hiawatha. Note the location of where Minnehaha Creek enters and the delta around it. This is before the golf course was created.

Would you drain a treasured lake in The City of Lakes to save nine holes of golf?

What is causing the flooding at Hiawatha Golf Course is the fact that it is in the floodplain. The course has sunk and now exists 3-4 feet below the water elevation as evidenced by the fact that it … more

by Sean Connaughty | 4/30/22

Faced with controversy, park board once again fails to govern

The Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board is in a difficult position when it comes to Lake Hiawatha and the Hiawatha Golf Course. It has been eight years since the 2014 flood that inundated the golf … more

By Ian Young info@hiawtha4all.com | 4/28/22

Minnehaha resident John Schmelig met with Ukrainian Army veterans while serving in the Peace Corp in 2017.

My personal connection to Ukraine

On a spring afternoon in June 2017, I’m bounding along a country highway in a minivan with four other passengers. I’m gazing out the window across a green sea of a waist-high crop … more

By John Schmelig | 4/28/22

Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice steering committee.

The Donald L. Hammen I know: staying strong, writing with courage

Imagine you are with me at my recent visit to the River Lake Eye Clinic. I have been a client there for many years. Even before receiving original Medicare plus supplement. You have now taken the … more

By Donald L. Hammen | 4/28/22

Public comment from Sean Connaughty on Hiawatha Golf Course Master Plan

Hiawatha was the Iroquois chief who founded the Iroquois Confederacy over 800 years ago making it the oldest living participatory democracy on earth. Hiawatha resolved conflict, brought Peoples … more

4/25/22

Letter to MPRB District 4 Commissioner Shaffer from Friends of Lake Hiawatha

Dear Commissioner Shaffer, First, let us acknowledge that this process is difficult and painful for nearly everyone in our community. Especially so for many of our Dakota and Indigenous … more

4/25/22

Letter to MPRB President Meg Forney

Hello president Forney,I am writing to express my concern regarding the Darwin Lehman proposal for Hiawatha Golf Course and the Park Board's intention to entertain this proposal in a public meeting … more

4/25/22

Letter to MPRB from Friends of Lake Hiawatha

Hello Park, Commissioners, Friends of Lake Hiawatha object to any plan that damages, alters, or eliminates existing habitat. We object to any plan that kills, displaces or threatens … more

4/25/22

Mural by Tom Jay at the 2021 LynLake Street Art Series. (Jungle Theater/Tom Jay)

The power of street art

Make today better. That was the message on a mural created at the LynLake Street Art Series in Minneapolis last summer. The mural started as a black wall painted outside the Jungle Theater … more

By Eric Ortiz | 4/20/22

Minneapolis street art on Lake Street at Lyndale Avenue calls for peace after the George Floyd protests in 2020. (Eric Ortiz)

How do we solve the public safety crisis in Minneapolis? Check all that apply.

4/7/22

A Real Way to Stop the Violence

In Minneapolis, public safety remains an open wound. There has been no slowdown to the shootings, carjackings, robberies and other criminal acts that plagued the city in 2021. Minneapolis now … more

By Eric Ortiz | 4/5/22

Hale and Field schools were combined in a unique pairing in 1971 designed to take meaningful steps towards racially integrating one school that had more White students and one that had more Black. (Mpls Star Trib News Negatives.Box 310)

'Separate Not Equal' exhibit marks the 50th anniversary of the Hale-Field pairing project

Of all my identities, being a Field-Hale-Field kid is one of the most formative. Let me explain. I grew up on First Avenue in south Minneapolis, a stable block of Tudor and Craftsman-style homes that … more

by guest columnist Cara Letofsky The Fair Economy Project Director | 4/5/22

For me, 2022 will be the Year of the Woman

As I make my way down the river of life experience with those of you who have taken the plunge and joined me as readers of Stories and Journeys, I always knew this moment would come. Initiating … more

By Donald L. Hammen | 3/23/22

Minneapolis police need to change how officers are trained

I recently took part in the 15-week Minneapolis Police Academy, and I believe the department has not done enough to change the culture of the officers. I did not want to join the police department, … more

3/23/22

THE TOKEN POC

I glanced around the room, hoping something would be different this time. Entering yet another door into yet another room. The same kind of room I was just in, funny enough. Crowded, chattery, even a … more

By ABHA KARNICK | 3/23/22 | 1 comment

Can we handle the truth?

I was talking with my 80-something neighbor the other day while shoveling snow. He’s a veteran who was an engineer in the United States Army and is a wise man. Having lived in Uptown for over … more

By Eric Ortiz | 3/17/22

Reincarnating waste

I’m a tree hugger/nature lover. Since I was five years old, I have been daydreaming about how to help. I believe I have figured out how I can make an impact. I’m proud not ashamed to take … more

3/17/22

TMC Publications sales representative Denis Woulfe has worked on both the editorial and advertising sides of newspapers, and relishes the opportunity to work with area businesses on developing marketing plans and finding solutions to reaching their audience.

Still an intern after all these years

I often tell people that I came into my current work in community newspapers as the “Intern Who Never Left.” The statement usually draws a smile and perhaps a look of surprise since most … more

By Denis Woulfe | 3/17/22

THE TOKEN POC

I glanced around the room, hoping something would be different this time. Entering yet another door into yet another room. The same kind of room I was just in, funny enough. Crowded, chattery, even a … more

By Abha Karnick | 3/17/22