Neighborhoods

Two deaths, dozens of injuries, hundreds of families displaced, thousands of trees lost and millions of dollars in damage. These numbers only begin to describe the effects of the tornado strike on May 22, 2011. Residents of Jordan, Folwell and Webber-Camden were among those most affected along the tornado’s 3.5-mile path, and it is in these neighborhoods where the storm’s destructiveness remains most evident two years later.

Matt Sturgis turns myth and reality into bronze sculptures.

When Rebecca Wicklund took her first metals class five years ago, she was on a quest. “I was always looking for jewelry that I liked and could afford. I wanted to see if I could make things for myself.” After learning the basics of soldering, drilling and piercing metal with a jeweler’s saw, she made her first pieces. As she grew in experience, she gave earrings and necklaces to friends and family as gifts.

The last few times Central Avenue closed to traffic, it was for road reconstruction, the Celebrate Northeast parades, or to celebrate redevelopments happening. This time, it’ll be “to help promote environmentally friendly transportation choices, such as walking, bicycling and mass transit,” says a City of Minneapolis news release. “Open Streets events were also created to promote good public health by encouraging active, healthy lifestyles.