Remembering Al Haug
By Ed Felien
Al Haug died Saturday, Feb 2., from prostate and esophageal cancers. He was one of those kind and gentle souls who keep a community together.
Jay Peterson, a local musician now living in Maine, wrote: “I met Al when he was managing, and I use that term with a degree of caution, The Coffeehouse Extempore, in the mid 1970s. He helped guide that fondly remembered West Bank institution during its infancy, and departed for another West Bank landmark next-door, The New Riverside Cafe, a few years later. He’ll be remembered as one who walked the walk, a true believer in the Collective
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Carol Becker announces run for re-election
“When I first ran for the Board of Estimate and Taxation, I did so because I wanted to use my expertise in government to help Minneapolis chart a wise course among difficult decisions. I wanted to use my 25 years of experience in public administration, my doctorate in public administration and my seven years of experience in the Minneapolis Budget Office to help everyone in Minneapolis live well.
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Andrew Johnson announces a run for City Council
 Andrew Johnson has announced his candidacy for the 12th Ward City Council seat. Many people in South Minneapolis have begun to question the priorities of the incumbent when she voted to give a New Jersey billionaire a $650 to $850 million subsidy from the Minneapolis sales taxes for a new Vikings stadium and couldn’t find the $2 to $3 million to continue funding the Neighborhood Revitalization Project that won national acclaim as a model of citizen participation.
Here is his statement:
My name is Andrew Johnson and I am pleased to announce my candidacy for Minneapolis City Council, Ward 12.
As president of Longfellow Community Council, I have worked very hard to better the organization and community, from focusing on important priorities such as revitalizing East Lake Street, to empowering staff with technology that has improved our communication on project updates and events and made us the most transparent community organization in the Twin Cities
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The cost of a
college education
BY POLLY MANN
It costs a lot of money to go to college. As far as I can make out, it costs $448.08 per credit to attend the University of Minnesota, with a minimum requirement of eight credits, which totals $3,504, and I suspect that’s low. Medical insurance is available at $1,340 annually. And, of course, on top of that there are books and room and board. I paid $60 for a text for the last college course I took some 10 years ago.
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Cancel all debts and redistribute the land
By Debra Ramage
According to David Graeber, “Cancel all debts and redistribute the land” was the program of every revolution from ancient times up to the birth of mercantile capitalism. In the introduction to Graeber’s book “Debt: The First 5000 Years,”
he describes a scene at a fundraising party in Westminster. He is discussing his international anti-poverty work with a woman who works for a domestic anti-poverty charity. He explains about the predatory lending to corrupt leaders of impoverished nations and what devastation it has wrought, and she asks him what he believes should be done. The IMF must be abolished and the debts cancelled he tells her, and to his consternation this good lady says, “But they borrowed the money. Surely, everyone has to pay back their debts?” Snap! I had almost this exact thing happen to me—twice—in acknowledged leftist circles here in the Twin Cities when I suggested that perhaps not all student borrowers DO have a moral obligation to pay back their debts.
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Wounded Knee
FROM AN UPCOMING BIOGRAPHY OF KEN AND RACHEL TILSEN (UNTITLED) BY DAVID TILSEN
February 27, 1973
The Pine Ridge Reservation in southwestern South Dakota has never been an easy place to live. Although larger than several states, it is a small remnant of the territory negotiated in the Ft. Laramie Treaty of 1873, as almost any resident could tell you. In 1973, its unemployment rate was between 75% and 90% depending on who measured it. Alcoholism, murder, suicide, domestic abuse, poverty and hopelessness were rampant. This was the poorest county in the United States, where very few homes had telephones, televisions, newspapers or regular news of any kind.
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Eyewitness Account
STORY BY MADONNA THUNDERHAWK (who was about 27 during Wounded Knee)
So we’re in Wounded Knee, and the firefights are getting heavy, and we knew they were bringing in APCs and they were bringing in the heavy artillery. We heard. The news came, the moccasin grapevine, that we had some attorneys, some lawyers that were coming in, and there was some negotiations going on.
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The hungry insurgent
BY CHARLEY UNDERWOOD
When the weather gets cold, one thing growers sometimes do is go to conferences. The other day, I went up to St. Cloud to see what was up with the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers. The most interesting talk for me was listening to a bunch of apple growers talk about climate change. Now understand this: You are pretty careful to avoid the terms “climate change” or “global warming” when you talk to groups of farmers, because some of them think the whole thing is a big conspiracy so Al Gore can heat his Nashville mansion or so some university climate scientists can get bigger research grants and sell more books. They think global warming is a political question, not a science question.
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Denise Bunkert’s Art of Healing
BY JANET CONTURSI
Thirteen years ago Denise Bunkert made a life-changing decision. What happened to her happens occasionally to all of us, but we rarely take the time to notice: Driving to work one especially beautiful morning, Denise saw the sun coming across a field, and was moved to tears. It was a simple, yet profound moment in which she knew she had to be outside painting. So, after 15 years working in graphic design, publishing and education, she decided to make painting her life’s work.
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Schools aim to make college available to all
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Bernadeia H. Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools |
Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) is sending a strong message to students, families, staff members and the community that we believe it is imperative that all students be prepared for college, career and life. Providing more students with the right preparation will advance our whole nation.
We know that when college is affordable, the chances of college completion increase. Each year hundreds of MPS students fail to get federal college aid because of difficulties completing the required Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These students are 70% less likely to apply to college.
AchieveMpls and MPS are teaming up to provide FAFSA workshops in February and March for MPS students and their families. Our goal is to help students complete the FAFSA and continue on their path to achieve their dream of college.
We are proud to announce that MPS will add to our college readiness efforts...
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February
Riverside Community Calendar
Announcements
Challenges of MayDay:
HOBT needs your ideas and your support
Dear Neighbors,
I’m writing about the MayDay Parade and Festival, specifically the situation for MayDay this year and into the future.
I’m the artistic director of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, one of the founders of MayDay, and one of the midwives of this event’s artistic and community development for 39 years. It has been my great joy to work with so many wonderful people for so many years! Thank you!
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Seward Neighborhood Group Seeks Photographs for Book
The Seward Neighborhood Group has received a grant from Minnesota Historical & Cultural Grant Legacy Fund to produce a Seward neighborhood history. If anyone has photos they can lend to this project please contact Dick Westby at 612-722-2853. The history covers from the late 1800s to present. We are especially looking for a photo of the interior of the old Ebenezer Swedish Lutheran Church (with choirs) as well as one of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union protesting.
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February 2013 
