Students Purposely Excluded from Some Neighborhood Boards

There was an article yesterday in the Minnesota Daily (a student newspaper) with the subhead: "Few students apply to neighborhood board organizations in Minneapolis." I was surprised to see the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association (MHNA) characterized as one of the two "best at involving students in decision-making." This can't be true because, unlike the vast majority of Minneapolis neighborhood organizations, MHNA has written policies into their bylaws that appear designed to exclude students from the process.

White Terrorism Becomes Cliche

White gunman stalks Muslim woman in Texas last week.

Last Monday night, four men showed up to the Black Lives Matter protest outside the Minneapolis Police Department's 4th Precinct and shot five unarmed black protesters. This was after a week of similar visits from white men—armed with guns, cameras, and racist commentary—streaming live video to the internet for the entertainment of their fellow racists.

It’s become a cliche after such attacks to ask overly timid headline writers, "What if the white guy with a gun was a brown guy with a gun?" When armed men in masks menace unarmed civilians; when these men post video of themselves delivering hate-filled messages and flashing weapons; when this ends in a mass shooting... This describes an act of terrorism.

Uptown Secures 50 More Years of Drive-Thru Banking

A Google search for "do people still go inside banks?" shows that, for some of us, physical banks are a thing of the past. Which means you might not be aware of the dangers of car-free banking. Read on, for a story every parent should see.

Better Know a Pumpkin: Andrew Johnson

I took Ward 12 Council Member, and recent jack-o'-lantern, Andrew Johnson on a historic walking tour of our very historic Lowry Hill East Historic District. He agreed that it is a beautiful neighborhood and that it should never change. Afterwards he sat for a series of softball questions in Mueller Park.

Great Moments in "Oops, I Missed My Turn"

Sometimes buildings get in the way.

No helmet, no reflective clothing. smh. https://t.co/1kC6Z4GLoM

— § (@section_sign) November 1, 2015

A driver crashed a vehicle into the dry cleaner at 2500 Hennepin early Sunday morning. It's happened before, in far more spectacular fashion, just one block north. In 2005, the driver of a van nearly demolished the building at 2400 Hennepin (which still houses Sudz Salon, as well as newer occupant Spyhouse Coffee). 

News coverage of the 2005 crash reprinted below—as always, without permission.

Wedge Living: Halloween Crafting & Recipes

There have been some spooky rumors going around about Council Member Andrew Johnson and his mysterious animal control ordinance. This guy is jack-o'-lantern material.

Clearing Things Up

Some Twitter disclaimers have become necessary: