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The Minnesota Toy Library is for parents, grandparents, educators, occupational therapists, and mostly, for kids, to come and choose toys that are fun and that help them learn. MTL Executive Director Rebecca Nutter said, “We can’t just keep consuming things. We need to do better.” (Photo submitted)

Minnesota Toy Library opens third metro location

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 …

Mark Rivard, at right, holds up the first skateboard art he drew with a sharpie. Next to him, his mom, Lorelli Byrne, holds up an iconic piece he did on another skateboard. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Disrupting education with skateboards, art, and experiential learning

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 …

Hear from Mark Rivard, creator of Do Rad Things, at 'Let's Connect' event in February

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 …

Begin planning kids' summer recreation now

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 …

Southwest Connector launches 'Let's Connect,' a new community speaker series

Minneapolis is filled with great local people doing great things in the world. The Southwest Connector will showcase them with "Let's Connect," a new community speakers series. Every month, the …

When presidents would send handwritten lists of their nominees to the Senate, things were a lot different

President George Washington, left, and his Cabinet: Henry Knox, secretary of war; Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the Treasury; Thomas Jefferson, secretary of state; and Edmund Randolph, attorney general.

The US now faces the likelihood of a bruising and raucous set of confirmation hearings − a clear break from the cooperative system the founders established.

Arson fires at Stevens House

The Minneapolis Park and RecreaCon Board Park Police Department is asking for the public’s help in solving three recent arson fires at the Stevens House, located at 4901 South Minnehaha Park …

Fire Motor Operator Mary Mohn, Firefighter Bonnie Bleskachek, Firefighter Vicki Hoff and Captain Jean Kidd, who from 1992-1994 formed the city’s first all-women crew, in front of their rig, Engine 5.

MFD commemorates 30th anniversary of first all-women fire crew

Current and former fire department staff, city officials, friends and family joined together at Minneapolis Fire Station 5 (2700 Bloomington Ave.) on Sept. 23, 2022, to honor the four members of the …

Gary Schatzlein stands in Schatzlein’s Saddle Shop at 413 W Lake St., holding a saddle that needs to be repaired. “It has been hard to compete with online shopping,” Gary Schatzlein said. “Brands have made it harder for us to buy from them.” The horse behind him is one customers used to sit on and see if their apparel fit right. Now, the horse displays a “Do Not Touch” sign

WHERE PAST AND PRESENT MEET

Before Lake Street was a popular hub of Minneapolis, it was a rural area where farming was prevalent. There were rarely any streetcars or buses that rode up and down the street, but rather, horses …

Repairs coming to historic park buildings

The Ard Godfrey House, John H. Stevens House, and Longfellow House are scheduled for repairs this fall as part of ongoing efforts to rehabilitate historic structures located in Minneapolis parks. …

Minneapolis' second Black fire chief, Bryan Tyner, speaks at the renaming ceremony in Longfellow on March 17. "I'm just so happy to see this day finally here," said Tyner. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

It’s Cheatham Avenue now

Dight Ave is no longer named after a man who launched a crusade to bring the eugenics movement to Minnesota and wrote fan letters to Hitler. Instead, it has been renamed to honor John Cheatham, a man …

Righting a wrong, name by name − the Irei monument honors Japanese Americans imprisoned by the US government during World War II

The US government locked up nearly 126,000 Japanese Americans from 1942 to 1945, but never kept comprehensive records of all the people subjected to this unjustified incarceration.

Pearl Young, the first woman to work in a technical role at NASA, overcame barriers and ‘raised hell’ − her legacy continues today

Many of her male colleagues believed Pearl Young had an attitude problem based on her efforts to advocate for herself and her team.

The National Cold War Center and Woodrow Wilson Center partner to elevate the story of the war that saved the world

(BPT) - In 1987, President Ronald Reagan boldly stood before one of the iconic symbols of the Cold War and, in words that shape his legacy, demanded from the Soviet leader, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down …

Excavating the new trackway site, with footprints from hominins, birds and other animals visible in foreground. Neil Roach

Fossilized footprints reveal 2 extinct hominin species living side by side 1.5 million years ago

Ancient fossil footprints are the first evidence of two different hominin species − Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei − living in the same place at the same time.

The 10 biggest tournament cash prizes recorded in poker history

Clubs Casino compiled a ranking of the 10 biggest tournament cash prizes in poker history (adjusted for inflation) using data from The Hendon Mob.

15 of the biggest sports gambling scandals

OLBG compiled a list of 15 gambling scandals from numerous sports around the world.

The election is over − but what is a ‘lame duck’ anyway?

The lame-duck period in the US is longer than in other Western democracies, which tend to make the transition over a period of just days.

How Native Americans guarded their societies against tyranny

Native American communities were elaborate consensus democracies, many of which had survived for generations because of careful attention to checking and balancing power.

Remembering the veterans who marched on DC to demand bonuses during the Depression, only to be violently driven out by active-duty soldiers

Thousands of volunteers joined the military during World War I. But when the war ended and the Great Depression began, the volunteers wanted a bonus to be paid in 1932, not in 1945 as planned.

High scores: Replaying the 10 most popular arcade games

OLBG shares the most popular and best-selling arcade games over the past 40-plus years.

A video game based on the Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’ is the most recent example of innovative retelling of this popular story

The recent launch of the video game “Black Myth: Wukong” has broken numerous records around the world for the number of users. The game is set in the world of the famous Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” where players battle gods and demons of traditional popular Chinese religion.

“MINECRAFT EXPERIENCE: VILLAGER RESCUE” REVEALS EXCLUSIVE IN-GAME CAPE FOR ALL ATTENDEES

(NewsUSA) - After Mining, Crafting, and Battling Through the In-Person, Immersive Minecraft Adventure, Each Guest Receives a Limited-Edition Half-Zombie, Half-Villager Cape World Premiere Set For …

Place your bets: The top 5 sports Americans wager money on

Sqore compiled a ranking of the most popular sports for betting in the United States using data from Variety Intelligence Platform.

How the Gaza humanitarian aid pier traces its origins to discarded cigar boxes before World War II

Palestinians in Gaza have begun receiving humanitarian aid delivered through a newly completed floating pier off the coast of the besieged territory. Built by the U.S. military and operated in coordination with the United Nations, …