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Attendees review materials at the city’s third visioning workshop held at The Square event center on July 23. (Photo by Jill Boogren)
No consensus on vision for GF Square
Mayor proposes 8.1% property tax increase
Ericsson resident Jessica Wyn Miller (right), an entomologist, leads a Bug Club adventure into the world of bugs near her Minnehaha Creek-side home. She has found that her work as an artist intersects with insects.“I got excited for aquatic insects when I found out they reflect the health of a water,
She hated bugs – so she decided to become an entomologist
Roosevelt CTE students reveal rat rod gokart
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 …
Be a citizen scientist at Minnehaha Park Sept. 14
The Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) is starting off a yearlong project to engage with communities to help survey and document species in parks through "BioBlitz" events, funded by a …
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 present Bridging Cultures, a bridge mural paint-a-thon culminating in a free community cultural festival on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 (1-5 p.m.).
South Minneapolis residents partner with school and artists to transform bridge and celebrate Latinx cultures
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 …
Sandwich competition part of Nokomis Days parking lot party at Bull's Horn
Chef extraordinaire Doug Flicker of Bull's Horn pulls together a Sichuan Chicken Cheesesteak sandwich from Mr. Pickles during this year's Nokomis Days parking lot party on Sunday, Aug. 4, using fried …
Nokomis East Business Association (NEBA) Vice President Natalie Lyons staffs her tent and gives away water and gelato during the first day of the three-day festival on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024.
Nokomis Days 2024
(Left to right) Gifts for Seniors Program Coordinator John Schleis, Gifts for Seniors Executive Director Carolyn Deters,  Comcast Community Impact Director - Midwest Region Stacey Nelson Kumar, and Don Frederiksen.
Living 50+ Good Neighbor
  Don Fredriksen has dedicated countless hours for www.techforseniors.info through Gifts for Seniors.    Gifts for Seniors has helped older adults live fulfilling lives …
The Nokomis Square Cooperative building is celebrating 40 years on Sept. 28.
Nokomis Square Cooperative: Community within a neighborhood
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 …
Student abroad experience sparks lifetime of travel, book for Nokomis resident
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 …
Ahmed Aden Amin
New principal at South High School: Ahmed Aden Amin
Ahmed Aden Amin  is the new principal at South High School. In 2021, he was hired as the principal at Sanford Middle School, where he attended school himself. He graduated from Roosevelt High …

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Sep 2024 Messenger

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Home & Garden
 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 – …
Lauren Bethke
Unusual fruits for your Minnesota garden
You probably know that many different fruits are commonly grown in Minnesota, like apples, raspberries, and grapes. But did you know we can also grow kiwis? Read on to learn about some unusual fruits …
Lauren Bethke
Slow mow summer
You’ve probably heard of “No Mow May” – a slogan designed to encourage everyone to avoid mowing their lawns until June and letting spring flowers bloom to support pollinators. …
Jon Trappe
Talking lawn care with U of M
People are getting back into our yards and gardens, with pent-up demand following a long winter. University of Minnesota Extension Educator Jon Trappe has tips for yards that accomplish multiple …
A rain barrel collects roof runoff so you can save the rainwater for later use. Reroute downspouts away from pavement and onto grass, a rain barrel or a rain garden. (Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota Extension)
A watershed moment
What is a watershed? What is our local watershed called? Where does it begin and end?  What is the largest watershed in the U.S.? According to board chair of the League of …
Opinion
Nokomis Days planning committee members include (back row, left to right) Kara Motta and Rachel Garrison of The Wellness Center MN, Tesha M. Christensen of the Longfellow Nokomis Messenger, Kyle of Nokomis Life, Peter Stein of Steinography, (front row) Heidi Van Heel of hvh Engage! and Jackie Sawyer of Nokomis Tattoo.
Nokomis Days 2024: That’s a wrap!
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 …
Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice steering committee.
Minneapolis for a lifetime? Debatable
I recently attended my first Minneapolis Advisory Committee on Aging meeting. I am convinced that in the city of Minneapolis elders/seniors don't exist. There is such a thing as the "Minneapolis for …
Nokomis East Business Association Board Members (left to right): Natalie Lyon of Farmer's Insurance, Jackie Sawyer of Nokomis Tattoo, Colin Johnston of Steve's Tire, Heidi van Heel of hvh Engage!, Patrick Jensen of Edward Jones and Tesha M. Christensen of the Longfellow Nokomis Messenger.
See you on the Nokomis Days scavenger hunt
I love finding the small town in a big city. When I moved down to Minneapolis after working for my hometown newspaper in Cambridge, Minn. for a decade, I was delighted to find that sense of community …
Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice steering committee.
On becoming an octogenarian
UPDATE REGARDING DEWAYNE TOWNSEND AND MARCEA MARIANNI'S NEW REALITY Text message from Marcea July 3. DeWayne passed away around 10 p.m. July 2. An important voice and significant presence is no more …
Michael Wilson
Striking labor disputes in the City of Parks
Consistently rated in the top 3 park systems in the country, our beloved Minneapolis parks have a labor problem. The largest bargaining unit of unionized workers at Minneapolis Park and Recreation …
Rebuild Repair Recycle
For 70 years, Eric Johnson has lived in the shadow of Bethany Church, but that shadow may soon disappear if the building’s current owner, Augsburg University, moves ahead with plans to demolish …
Cradling the Mississippi River on either side, the Twin Cities are a critical, yet hazardous, resting place for migrating birds. An estimated 40 million birds migrated through the Mississippi River …
The MPRB began and supported several small but impactful projects at Hiawatha Golf Course while funding for a more comprehensive design effort was secured.   Osprey Trash Boom System …

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Aging Well
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 …
In an exciting development for the local television landscape, “Inside Senior Living,” a groundbreaking docu-series, has announced its partnership with PBS North. The series, set to …
With affordable housing a priority at all levels of government, state and local commissioners and elected officials joined leaders from Ecumen – a nonprofit leader and developer  of …

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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
The Longfellow River Gorge Festival (formerly Share the River Gorge) is a free, family-friendly event that has been a community favorite for almost three decades. Appreciation for our …
Joel McReynolds joined the Longfellow Community Council after a decade of experience in nonprofit programming, including youth mentoring, community gardens, refugee outreach, fundraising, and …
When Longfellow resident Mary Laurel True was only five years old, her mother taught her how to recognize a bargain and how to dress with style. True said, “I’m the oldest of six …
Nokomis
“[Libraries are] one of the public places where you can hang out [without being expected to spend money] and you can have air conditioning or heat," said Nokomis Head Librarian Jane Boss. With …
More at www.nokomiseastba.com
Nestled at 50th Street and Hiawatha lives a 15-year-old garden in the shape of a monarch butterfly’s wing. As an initiative of the Monarch Mile, it was created as a corridor to meet the needs …
Arts
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 …
Anxiety, restlessness, being a superpower and feeling free and unchained are some of the emotions Saint Paul actor Michael Wolfe experiences while waiting for a bus. Wolfe, who identifies as a …
Longfellow resident, handcrafter, and entrepreneur Anna Sharratt is offering up all kinds of fun classes through her new business. In her Twin Cities Makers Circle (TCMC) classes, participants use …
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

Read more about the Roof Depot issue

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Racial Justice
Rise and Remember 2024 (Photo by Jill Boogren)

RISE AND REMEMBER 2024

On May 25, Singer Kashimana and Brass Solidarity led a joyful procession from the solidarity fist at 38th St. and Chicago Ave. to the Say Their Names cemetery, where 400 candles were placed around …

Through Their Eyes
Rise and Remember 2024 (Photo by Jill Boogren)
Rise and Remember 2024 (Photo by Jill Boogren)
Rise and Remember 2024 (Photo by Jill Boogren)
Rise and Remember 2024 (Photo by Jill Boogren)
Rise and Remember 2024 (Photo by Jill Boogren)
Election
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. …
As Minnesotans we understand that exercising our right to vote is fundamental to a healthy democracy. In the 2020 National election, MN was #1 in turnout with just under 80% of eligible voters …
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
Longfellow resident Amelia Martin, 17, studied Chinese (Mandarin) this summer in Taiwan on a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI‐Y) scholarship. NSLI‐Y, a program of the U.S. …
The newly open Red Lake Nation College in downtown Minneapolis is one of the first tribal colleges in a major U.S. city and is reaching a “never-served” community,” according to Dan …
Less than one-third of Minnesota students test at grade level for reading and math, according to state-wide data. And behind every statistic, there’s a student. Reading Corps, Math Corps, and …
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

Dakota elder weighs in on debate over Hiawatha Golf

Read more about Hiawatha Golf Course

Web Extras - Contact us to sponsor content
Does where you live determine how you eat? New study uncovers America's emotional eating patterns
Hims compares America's foodie capitals and what their eating patterns say about their culture and health.
What you need to know about Project 2025
The 19th reports on a 920-page policy blueprint that contains the Heritage Foundation's vision for a second Trump administration — with impacts on women, LGBTQ+ rights, families, education and the workforce.
The surprisingly simple way cities could save people from extreme heat
Grist reports on how cool roofs reflect sunlight and reduce the urban heat island effect.
How could Project 2025 change education?
The Hechinger Report analyzes the ramifications of Project 2025–from Head Start to student loans–and how the conservative proposals for a new Trump administration have a wide scope.
Extreme heat is making schools hotter — and learning harder
The 19th reports on the rising temperatures in classrooms that translate to dehydrated, exhausted kids and teachers who have to focus on heat safety instead of instruction.
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