Opinion | Southwest Connector

A car drives on a snowy street during a winter day in Minneapolis. The chaos of streets narrowed by snow and potholes the sizes of swimming pools can create a cycle of trauma. (Eva Ortiz)

Want to be on the community solutions team?

One of my favorite movies is “Groundhog Day.” In the 1993 film, Bill Murray plays a cynical television weatherman from Pittsburgh who goes to Punxsutawney, Penn., to cover the annual … more

By Eric Ortiz | 2/17/23

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.

Healthy hearts matter

February is a month that includes Valentine’s Day and is American Heart Month, a time when all you are encouraged to focus on your cardiovascular health. I have been contemplating the many … more

By Michele Rae | 2/17/23

Margi MacMurdo-Reading  of Gardening Angel Design

I rely on the Connector, Messenger for my business

I've been a garden designer and landscape business owner since 1995, but I took a 10-year hiatus in New Zealand from 2004-2015, when I returned to Minneapolis I had to start over from scratch. I … more

1/31/23

North High School assistant football coach and MPD officer Ricky Plunkett, right, talks with quarterback Deshaun Hill during the 2021 season.

‘Boys in Blue’ shows how to turn pain into power

The world is not black and white. But sometimes, it gets reduced to that.All cops are bad.All criminals are bad.All [insert any group] are bad.Those kinds of blanket statements are not helpful. … more

By Eric Ortiz | 1/19/23

Hercules, an Olde English Bulldogge, had his tail cut off by a breeder at a young age before he joined the Peter family.

Dogs don’t need cosmetic surgery

I’ve had three family dogs that I can remember in my lifetime. Hunter was a yellow Labrador, Hercules an Olde English Bulldogge, and now, Smokey, our German Shepherd mix. When I was growing up, … more

By Chloe Peter | 1/19/23

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

Return to sender

One day as I am writing a draft of this column, I become aware that the U.S. mail has arrived at my house. I bring in the mail. An envelope jumps out at me with the words RETURN TO SENDER. Sad! Those … more

By Donald L. Hammen | 1/19/23

Money can buy the right to speech

I enjoyed Donald Hammen's last article in the Messenger. To me, yes, money is speech in many circumstances, but not all. What most prominently comes to mind is Twitter. In many ways, this platform is … more

1/3/23

WARD ELEVEN ALLIED VOICES FOR EQUITY INVITE YOU TO FEB. 8 MEETING

Money can buy the right to speechI enjoyed Donald Hammen's last article in the Messenger. To me, yes, money is speech in many circumstances, but not all. What most prominently comes to mind is … more

1/3/23

Add more holidays to your life and honor what is significant to you

My children and I tested positive for COVID-19 about a week before Thanksgiving, which meant we had to miss a larger family gathering that my in-laws were hosting. We made the best of it on … more

By Eddie Glenn | 12/13/22

Wedge resident Dave Whorton talks to community members before a neighborhood public safety walk. (Photo by Eric Ortiz)

It’s time to learn to walk again

Walking is one of those big early milestones in life. When you’re a kid, you have to walk before you can run. As you get older, walking is how we move through the world from task to task each … more

By Eric Ortiz | 12/13/22

My vacation was full of transcendent experiences of natural beauty, including these redwoods, but I was most inspired by the work of other people doing good. (Photo by Larry LaVercombe)

The value of three documentaries I watched on a plane

In flight and bookending our Sonoma County vacation, where we enjoyed winding wine-country roads, redwood forests, and sunbathing seals at the mouth of the Russian River, I watched three … more

By Larry LaVercombe | 12/13/22

A more sustainable season

Extra waste from the holiday season is a big problem in America. The average American throws away 25 percent more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday season, according to … more

By Chloe Peter | 12/1/22

Centrists research and don’t blindly check boxes

I take exception to Mr. LaVercombe’s premise that it is the unaffiliated swing voters (his “comfortable” who are tyrants. I think it is the strident malcontents and activists … more

By Donald Wolesky | 12/1/22

Look closer at Credit Card Competition Act of 2022

The Black community has struggled to keep up financially with White peers. Much of this can be attributed to a lack of access to financial services offered to the community. Nontraditional services … more

By Brett Buckner | 12/1/22

Donald L. Hammen reading a copy of the Messenger.

Musings on $20

Each day since writing the last Stories and Journeys column, I have been checking the obituries in the newspapers I read. None of them are mine. So, here I go again.Before starting to write this … more

11/30/22

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.

Carrying on a tradition, one step at a time

It was the summer before my junior year at Hamline University in 1977. I had already been named the editor of the Hamline Oracle, Hamline’s student newspaper, for my junior year, and I decided … more

Denis Woulfe | 11/17/22

Our midterm elections and the tyranny of the comfortable

It’s Monday the 7th, and I’m writing the first section of this column the day before The Election. I’ll write the second half on Nov. 9... PART ONE I’ve finally … more

Larry LaVercombe | 11/17/22

Time is running out to hold Big Tech accountable for abusing local news

Local journalism is facing an existential crisis because of Big Tech's abusive business tactics. In the early days of the internet, the news was something you had to go out of your way … more

News Media Alliance | 11/10/22

We need to have more conversations about eating disorders

With all the trend diets that are popular in the media right now, it can be difficult to know where I stand when it comes to my own body image. I am bombarded by social media posts about if I just … more

Chloe Peter | 11/3/22