Southside Pride


	Phillips/Powderhorn Nokomis Riverside

October 2007

	Phillips/Powderhorn: Oct 2007
	Safety forum raises race concerns The issue of race and its relation to recent violent crimes in South Minneapolis raised the most immediate and emotional concerns at a community safety forum held on the evening of Sept. 24 at Park Avenue Methodist Church. Organized by 8th Ward Council Member Elizabeth Glidden, the meeting called upon city government and law enforcement to answer questions, provide updates and seek community response about a number of violent assaults that have occurred recently in or near the Powderhorn, Central, Bancroft, Bryant and Kingfield neighborhoods. read more They lied to us They’ve lied to us. The President, Congress, the StarTribune, all the networks, they’ve all lied to us. And not just about little things. They’ve lied to us about matters of life and death. read more Reps call for health department renewal As Governor Tim Pawlenty considered his candidates for a new Commissioner of Health, four DFL legislators publicly called on him to choose a leader who can restore trust in the department. At a Sept. 25 press conference, the legislators spoke bluntly about the need for a change in the culture at the health department in the wake of the scandal that led to the resignation of commissioner Diane Mandernach. read more Click here for a list of articles for Oct 2007

	Nokomis: Oct 2007
	Bridge reports under review “While it may be a difficult process, I believe it is very important we answer why the 35W bridge collapsed to help Minnesotans restore their faith in our road and bridge system,” Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL-Minneapolis) said the day after the one-day Special Legislative Session in the middle of September. read more School success, setbacks studied The findings of research conducted by a strategic planning team were reviewed at the last regular meeting of the Minneapolis Board of Education on Sept. 25, covering areas including student enrollment and achievement, district operations, revenue sources and uses, and the results of parental opinions surveys about students, school principals, teachers and other district employees. read more Burner facts being hidden I am troubled by the fact that the Midtown Eco Energy Project’s public comment period has come and gone with virtually no public discussion. I live in the Corcoran Neighborhood that will be directly downwind of this facility. The planned site is two blocks west of the old fertilizer plant on the corner of Hiawatha Avenue and 28th Street that was probably responsible for the arsenic contamination in the soil of Corcoran Neighborhood. As you know, there is currently a major cleanup effort in the area where many homeowners have decided to have the contaminated soil of their yards removed. The effort to clean up the area may be short-lived as the permit for this facility will allow the burner to emit 69 pounds of arsenic every year along with many other toxic chemicals such as benzene, cadmium, mercury, formaldehyde and vinyl chloride to name a few. read more Click here for a list of articles for Oct 2007

	Riverside: Oct 2007

		‘Collective Number One’ ponders union future Produce awaits customers at North Country Co-op. Workers here are weighing options after a recent board of directors decision to halt union contract negotiations. Facing a lack of a bargaining partner, contract negotiations between the union formed by North Country Co-op workers in March were halted in late September. The workers began organizing in response to what they felt was a lack of protection for their rights and a loss of too many benefits, resulting from a change in management structure. read more Municipal Wi-Fi access spreads Wireless internet service offered by Minneapolis and its business partner, US Internet Wireless, is now available for subscribers in the first two areas of the city that were scheduled for installation, with about 1,000 subscribers already online. Service in the Phase 1 installation area downtown passed a critical test after the 35W bridge collapse in August, keeping communications open for emergency response teams after cellular phone service in the city failed. read more Remodeling woes hit Hard Times Cafe After remaining open almost continuously for most of its 15-year history, the Hard Times Cafe on Riverside Avenue remains closed after owners became entangled in the city’s permit application process earlier this summer. The West Bank landmark and meeting place for those outside the mainstream, and even city movers and shakers, has served coffee and locally-produced food from 6 a.m. to 4 a.m. since 1992. read more Click here for a list of articles for Oct 2007