Opinion | Southwest Connector

Back in 2013, I was a seventh grader who took a trip to Washington, D.C. for a family wedding. In the midst of a government shutdown, we decided to go to a National Geographic Museum. It was one of … more

6/16/22

Our future is at stake. But we still have a chance to do the right thing. (Zaur Ibrahimov/Unsplash)

We can do better to build peace

Everyone deserves an opportunity to reach their full potential. But not everyone gets that opportunity today. Due to a never-ending cycle of violence, dreams are being snatched daily. Violence is … more

by Eric Ortiz | 6/2/22

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

Imagine along with me

Imagine all the people living in peace! Wait! Not just yet! Imagine us walking exploring the yard surrounding my house. It's spring but feels like summer. We see tulips, dandelions, violets … more

By Donald L. Hammen | 5/30/22

Colleen O’Connor Toberman is the Land Use & Planning Director at Friends of the Mississippi River. She can be reached at ctoberman@fmr.org or 651.222.2193 x29.

Join us to explore the future of the Mississippi River

In the 20th century, we made major public investments to transform the metro Mississippi River for commercial and industrial purposes. However, some of that old infrastructure is no longer useful, … more

By Colleen O’Connor Toberman | 5/24/22

Winners of the PPGJLI writing competition, Nah’Lyiah Davis, Abigail Mutua, and Aniyah Stewart, threw the first pitch at a Twins’ game that also recognized the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut playing baseball. (Photo submitted)

Celebrating Jackie Robinson’s leadership legacy

The Minnesota Twins recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut in Major League Baseball. Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute was represented during the … more

By Dr. Artika Tyner | 5/24/22

Optimism is not for the faint-hearted

Why is pessimism so compelling? Is it that we fear being disappointed? Is it so foolish to have optimism and hope? My experience is that optimism seldom leads to complacency. Rather, it’s … more

By Larry LaVercombe | 5/24/22

A young artist at a community festival at Mueller Park in 2021. (Photo courtesy LHENA)

To everyone who wants to savor the world

It's time to start healing. But how do we create a healing community when people are hurting? "A traumatized gang member is more likely to cause trauma. A cherished person is going to find the … more

By Eric Ortiz | 5/24/22

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

Humanity is our business

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 | 1 comment

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

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