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Minneapolis Public School bell schedules prevent students from taking CTE classes
Who gets career training in high school?
They wanted to save the boulevard trees along six blocks of 29th Ave. and they came together to do just that. Then they celebrated together at Arbeiter Brewing. (Photo by submitted)
Motivated by a common goal
“Now is not the time to turn our back on workers, who soon will face an attack from the highest level of government,” said Ward 11 Council Member Emily Koski before she voted to override Frey’s veto. “I stand in solidarity with all those fighting for fair wages, fair working conditions and a better future for themselves and their families.”
City Labor Standards Board derailed
Sean Sherman, chef and cookbook author, focuses on rebuilding Indigenous food pathways broken by colonization.
Sean Sherman buys 2601 Franklin Ave for new NATIFS Indigenous BBQ restaurant and commissary
North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS) , the nonprofit founded by James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Sherman, has acquired the Seward Co-op Creamery building in Minneapolis. The …
City invests nearly $18.5 million into affordable housing projects
The city of Minneapolis has committed nearly $17 million in direct investment, along with $1.5 million in 10-year federal tax credits, to 11 affordable rental housing projects in Minneapolis. The …
MPRB 2025 budget focuses on caring for park assets
At their December 10 meeting, the Board of Commissioners adopted a 2025-2026 Budget for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) that focuses caring for park amenities and infrastructure, …
Ramps at Hwy 55/Hiawatha Avenue and Lake Street now open
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) crews have completed installing the new signal system and reopened the ramps to and from Hwy 55/Hiawatha Ave. and Lake St. Crews will continue work …
Roosevelt High School culinary arts teacher Ben Rengstorf (far right) stands with student volunteers at the fall community meal on Nov. 21, 2024. Rengstorf believes, “When you cook together you form a community.” (Photo by Rosalind Smith)
High School’s culinary arts program goes beyond classroom
The Roosevelt Culinary Arts (RCA) program hosts community meals a few times a year. The RCA is a class that helps students learn how to cook and practice professional chef skills. Ben Rengstorf has …
Dr. Abdiasis Inshar hows a treatment room where patients receive chiropractic care at Premier Health Chiropractors. (Photo by Khalid Mohamed)
First Somali-American chiropractor aims to help people be well
Dr. Abdiasis Inshar, a 26-year-old chiropractor working at the Premier Health Chiropractors of South Minneapolis clinic (1813 East Lake St.), believes he is the first Somali-American chiropractor in …
NEBA donates to PTA
On behalf of the Nokomis East Business Association, treasurer Tesha M. Christensen (right) presents $500 to the Lake Nokomis Community School PTA. Accepting were LNCS Keewaydin Community School …
Erik Halaas is founder of Live On Minnesota, which aims to return the body to the earth after death, while conserving land and reducing carbon emissions. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)
Natural organic reduction
Live On Minnesota is working to become the first provider of Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) in the state of Minnesota. Also known as “human composting,” NOR is the safe and peaceful …
What a year 2024 has been for our neighborhood
Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA) is proud to represent four neighborhoods: Keewaydin, Minnehaha, Morris Park, and Wenonah. In the past year, we worked with nonprofits, churches, local …

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Jan 2025 Messenger

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Home & Garden
 Minnesota back in a drought
The weather here in Minneapolis has been extreme recently, and drought is something we’ve experienced every year. Although the 2024 drought was not as severe as previous years, rainfall …
Extension programs to keep you busy this winter
If you’ve been following this column the past few years, you will know that I’m a Master Gardener Volunteer through the University of Minnesota Extension. It’s a wonderful program …
Woodworker Bill Dossett (left) and Joe Hayes look over a set of windows being restored. According to Dossett, the dust collection system in the new building is an upgrade that has made a big difference for staff. Plus there's a room just for planing.
Hayes Window expands into new location, offers storm windows
Lost your storm windows over the years? Have windows you can’t open anymore because they were painted shut? Does the glass rattle in the wind? These problems don’t mean that you need to …
Many trees in the community went down in storms over the summer on both private and public land. The very dry conditions of the previous drought damaged tree roots.
What’s up with our trees this year?
Trees are an important part of the landscape in South Minneapolis. They shade our streets and yards, provide habitat for wildlife, improve the air, and reduce the urban heat island effect. If …
How to garden in a small space
Many of us in south Minneapolis have small outdoor spaces, so we need to do more with less. It can be a challenge to make space for a garden alongside everything else we use our yards for – …
Opinion
Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice steering committee.
Still processing. Still grieving
Stories and Journeys is three years old. Happy Birthday! An amazing human being by the name of Amy once observed that writing is how I process my life. Others have claimed to have made the same …
Parents flood school board meeting to demand solutions to overcrowded classrooms
On Tuesday evening, Dec. 10, 2024, parents, caregivers, and teachers packed the Davis Center board room and the overflow space to voice concern over ballooning class sizes and shrinking numbers of …
Katie Simon (front) drops off warm clothing from a community drive for victims of a fire. They are accepted by Elliot Park Neighborhood staff Jessica Focht-Perlberg and Colton Baldus.(Photo submitted)
Letters - Jan 2025
GRATEFUL YOU WROTE ABOUT JOURNALISTS IN AMERICA AND LINDA TIRADO I have been meaning to write thank you for your piece on journalists in America and especially Linda Tirado. When I look at …
Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice steering committee.
Scared and hurting but hopeful locally
As I start writing, it is as if my words are having to push through feelings of fear and a sense of something being lost. It feels like I am wanting to cry. I'm grieving as I write. It's Nov. 14. I'm …
Cam Gordon is the co-chair of the Green Party of Minnesota. He regular writes for the Southwest Connector and Longfellow Nokomis Messenger, covering government.
Why people vote third party
This year, like most, the campaigning and voting in partisan offices like president, congress, and state legislature, was dominated by the two largest parties – the Democratic Farmer Labor and …
Rebuild Repair Recycle
Longfellow resident Mary Haugh got a second run at life and decided to give vintage homes a second life, too. After surviving an aggressive form of cancer in the prime of her professional marketing …
The Minnesota Toy Library (MTL) is a toy lending program for families with children ages birth to five years. Members can check-out up to five toys at a time, and take them home for 2-4 weeks. And …
It’s one thing to cull outgrown or unused clothes from your closet, but what do you do with a piano that’s outlived its usefulness in your home? Pianocycle is a Public Benefit Corporation …

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Aging Well
  Don Fredriksen has dedicated countless hours for www.techforseniors.info through Gifts for Seniors.    Gifts for Seniors has helped older adults live fulfilling lives …
Nokomis Square Cooperative, a senior community, has been happily situated in the Nokomis East Neighborhood since 1984. The residents there are celebrating their 40th anniversary on Sept. 28. There …
There’s always a buzz in the neighborhood when a new business opens, but what about celebrating a business that has shown real staying power?  RoseLee Buechler (Rosie) has owned and …

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AWARD WINNING NEWSPAPERS

20 AWARDS FOR TMC PUBLICATIONS IN 2023

TMC Publication's three newspapers earned a total of 20 awards at this year's Better Newspaper Contest. Congrats to the winners! NEWS1) First Place, Sports Story - Eric Erickson, “Unforgettable …
Voices Against Violence
Dr. Catherine Barrett
‘Oppressive’ experience:’ 57 hearings, 80 court orders, 12 parenting time schedules
What do you do when 11 judges and referees, 20 therapists, 12 mediators, two parenting consultants (with 37 directives), one custody evaluator, and one guardian ad litem haven’t been able to …
Police officer Paul Elmstrand, officer Matthew Ruge and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth
Violence Free Minnesota issues statement on Burnsville Police and EMT domestic violence homicides
Violence Free Minnesota issued the following statement on Tuesday, Feb. 20 to call attention to the full circumstances around Shannon Cortez Gooden's murder of two police officers and an EMT in …
Christmas Eve luminary supports Domestic Abuse Project
For 25 years, the warm glow of hundreds of luminaries have lit Dupont/King’s Highway on Christmas Eve. The annual event not only brings neighbors together, but it has raised over $50,000 for …
Dani's daughter sent her teddy bear with her mom on Oct. 2, 2023. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how my daughter would take the news that her mom wasn’t coming home for a month,” said Dani.
Domestic abuse victim jailed
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a Minnesota judge ordered a victim to jail for not forcing her daughter to see her father. Dani* was ordered to serve 30 days in jail on Oct. 2, 2023 or …
Thi Synavone works as the executive director at Standpoint. (Photo submitted)
FROM THEIR STANDPOINT
Thi Synavone came to the U.S. in 1979 as a Laotian refugee. After living in many states, her family settled in Minnesota in 1988. Synavone said that growing up, domestic and sexual violence was never …
Longfellow
Last year was filled with growth and discovery. We gained invaluable insights from one another, as well as from the residents, partner organizations, and business owners in Greater Longfellow. …
The LCC Shoveling Network helps connect volunteer shovelers with residents in need. Sure, we just had the hottest September weather on record by far, and with record warmth this October, it might be …
The Seward and Longfellow neighborhoods threw a one-of-a-kind party on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. Following a weekend long paint-a-thon, the second stage of a two-year project was unveiled in the late …
Nokomis
Colin Johnston, owner of Steve’s Tire & Auto – with service centers at 54th Street and 34th Avenue as well as 46th Street and Nicollet Avenue – projects a warm, friendly, and …
“When it’s dark, that’s when we shine. It’s like a little beacon,” said Fred DuBose, who opened SunBean coffee shop with his wife, Annie, eight months ago at 4553 S 34th …
Some people spend the entire year looking forward to the State Fair. I prefer Nokomis Days. Our celebration falls on the first weekend of August, but the planning gets underway in the cold, dark days …
Arts
The McKnight Foundation announces the selection of Ricardo Levins Morales as its 2024 Distinguished Artist, an award given annually since 1998. Theater maker Keila Anali Saucedo, who nominated Levins …
36th ART (Avenue Revitalization & Transformation), a resident-led community improvement initiative in South Minneapolis, is deepening its partnership with the Hiawatha Collegiate High School to …
The City of Minneapolis Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs has unveiled two new artist-designed asphalt murals on 21st Avenue in south Minneapolis. The murals are located near Folwell …
MESSENGER CELEBRATES 40 YEARS
Cal deRuyter and Tim Nelson began and ended their careers in neighborhood journalism. In 1977, their office was at Thomas and Fairview in St. Paul. (Photo submitted)
How a newspaper business developed
When I was chosen to be co-editor of our high school paper, it was exciting to learn the ropes of planning a publication, assigning stories, cleaning them up and eventually putting them on the page …
At Uptown Bill's, the coffeeshop, bookstore and performance venue in Iowa City which Tom Gilsenan managed for almost 10 years.
SO MANY STORIES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
Our neighborhoods are full of wonderful stories. And for more than a dozen years, I got to tell those stories right here in the Messenger. It was grand. Minnehaha Falls is full of stories. It has …
20 years with neighborhood newspapers
It has been nearly 20 years since I handed in my first story to the Longfellow Messenger, and it is hard to believe the time has passed so quickly. I had arrived in Saint Paul from Montana with two …
Lewis Duemke
THE MOVERS AND THE SHAKERS
The Longfellow-Nokomis Messenger is not only one of Minneapolis’ oldest neighborhood newspapers, it is part of a long tradition of such Minneapolis and St. Paul publications.Coverage of city …
Carola Bratt wrote and edited for the Messenger when it was owned by the Milbraths.
Staff members through the years

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Citizens have different plan for Roof Depot site

Residents speak: No city project at Roof Depot Site

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Racial Justice
At the Town Hall meeting, neighbor Marcia Howard reminds people who wish to return to normalcy that George Floyd Square is now a historic landmark, and “what was normal was Black folk dying in the middle of the street.”

Health before aesthetics

Neighbors packed the house at Belfry Community Space (3901 Chicago Ave.) on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, for a Town Hall “In Defense of Black Lives.” The meeting was held in response to the …

Through Their Eyes
At the Town Hall meeting, neighbor Marcia Howard reminds people who wish to return to normalcy that George Floyd Square is now a historic landmark, and “what was normal was Black folk dying in the middle of the street.”
Election
Since the age of 18, I have voted in every single general election. Since my mid-30s, I have voted in every single mid-term election. And once Minnesota switched from caucus to primary elections, I …
What is at stake in the 2024 election personally for you? A recent NBC online news site presented 7 policy issues important to the American people in the 2024 election.  These include the …
The AI Revolution: Navigating Its Impact on Elections In the evolving landscape of democracy, elections have long stood as the cornerstone of citizen participation and political representation. …
Family
By Eric Ortiz Mark Rivard is not your typical educator. He never went to college. He was not that good a student in high school. And he calls himself “uneducated.” But he has found a …
Every artist has an interesting origin story. But nothing compares with how Mark Rivard got started. Rivard began illustrating skateboards with Sharpie markers in the early 2000s. That led to an …
Due in part to high demand, parents who want to place their kids in summer rec programs or summer camps should being vetting such programs and camps well in advance of summer. The following are a …

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School & Sports
What does the term ‘holiday season’ mean to you? To many it means spending time with family; eating a large dinner with inlaws and extended family, watching seasonal movies, sitting …
Roosevelt Career & Technical Education (CTE) students debuted a rat rod go-kart they constructed on Friday, June 21 at the “50th Annual MSRA Back to the Fifties Weekend” classic and …
In a touching exploration of a life enriched by wanderlust, Nokomis author Autumn Carolynn invites readers to journey with her in her first book "Traveling in Wonder: A Travel Photographer's Tales of …
Longfellow Business Directory articles
Ekta Prakash moved to Minneapolis 20 years ago as an immigrant from India and has served as CAPI’s CEO for the last 14 years.
A BETTER BUSINESS AS USUAL
Since we last printed the Longfellow Business Directory in early 2020, our business community, landscape and daily rhythms have been substantially and irrevocably changed. COVID-19 has presented a …
Ruhel Islam at the Gandhi Mahal site. Photo by Jan Willms
LONGFELLOW RISING
The year 2020 was challenging for the Longfellow business community, particularly in the main commercial intersection of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue referred to as Downtown Longfellow. The COVID …
As we heal the Coliseum, it is a sign that the broader community along Lake St. is healing. Taylor Smrikarova, Redesign
RESTORING THE COLISEUM
The Colisum, a community commercial center since 1917, was almost destroyed following the civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd. In order to restore this historic 80,000 square-foot building, …
Mother Earth Gardens
COMMUNITY VOICES
1) “We are asking questions about what our community needs, trying to use our space and resources to meet those needs, and trying to hold onto connections and awakenings that have been made …
A LONGFELLOW PARTNERSHIP
The Longfellow Business Directory has been an important part of the Longfellow community going back to the 1990s. It was started to help foster better communication within the business community, and …
TWO YEARS AFTER AN UPRISING

Breathing new life into 27th and Lake

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Hiawatha Golf Course: 8 years and counting

Update on Hiawatha Golf Course

Read more about Hiawatha Golf Course

Web Extras - Contact us to sponsor content
Tips for creating the perfect outdoor kitchen
(BPT) - With the growing trend toward creating outdoor living spaces, building an outdoor kitchen has never been more popular—or more attainable. Whether you love entertaining or simply enjoy …
Warm up with hot deals: 5 reasons to visit a winter boat show near you
(BPT) - Eager to escape the cold and experience summer vibes this winter? Now is the time to visit one of the winter boat shows taking place across the country and start planning for warmer days …
How Meagan Wolfe navigates intense scrutiny to make elections and her peers stronger
Votebeat reports that Wisconsin's local clerks have found an ally in the state's election chief as she withstands efforts to oust her from the job.
Candidates promised a bigger child tax credit. Will that actually happen?
The 19th spotlights what could potentially happen to the child tax credit once presidential-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Avalanches: What causes innocent-looking snow slopes to collapse? A skiing physicist explains, with tips for surviving
In The Conversation, a physicist explains how avalanches form and what skiers can do to escape and survive them.
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