Meet the Daily Planet's new neighborhood correspondents
Steve's a school teacher. Elisabeth owns her own business. Venora is a lawyer. Justin is a grad student. All belong to our first crop of Daily Planet neighborhood correspondents. In the weeks to come, they will be posting news items, events and attractions on our neighborhood pages, and helping their neighbors get more connected to their community. Scroll down to read more about Steve, Elisabeth and our other neighborhood correspondents - and find out how you can become one, too.
Sarah Lageson is our neighborhood correspondent for Cedar - Riverside. Sarah is currently pursuing her PhD in Sociology at the University of Minnesota and is a producer and programmer for KFAI community radio.
Justin Elston is our neighborhood correspondent for Cooper.
Justin is a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, pursuing a Masters in Public Policy at the Humphrey Institute. He is interested in creating a place for individuals to learn about the the public policy issues of the day, and add their voices to to the broader discussion of where we are, and what direction we should take as a society. Email justin.elston@gmail.com
Cynthia Frost is our neighborhood correspondent coordinator and our correspondent for Corcoran.
Cynthia Frost is a real estate agent, attorney and investor who has purchased and renovated dozens of homes in Minneapolis. She has a store-front office in Corcoran, and loves her daily ½ block commute from home. Cynthia serves on the Board of Directors of the Corcoran Neighborhood Organization and chairs the CNO Housing Committee. To see her complete profile, click here. Email Cynthia at Cynthia@MidtownMpls.com.
Venora Hung is our neighborhood correspondent for Downtown West.
Venora's a lawyer practicing in the Twin Cities. She is engaged in the community and volunteers on several Boards. In her free time, she also dabbles in the art of cooking and writing. Most recently she turned her baking expeditions into a company called Cupcake Goddess specializing in Asian inspired cupcakes (think Green Tea Frosting!). She also enjoys exploring the Twin Cities - particularly anything that has to do with healthy living, yoga and pilates. Email Venora at venorahung@gmail.com.
Wendy Brown-Baez is our neighborhood correspondent for Folwell.
Wendy has managed shelters for the homeless, studied alternative healing, been a hospice volunteer, a pre-school teacher and a co-owner of an art gallery, and has published poetry and non-fiction. Her activities include creative community: the arts, teaching writing workshops, bringing awareness of youth and homelessnes. Her interests include books, the arts, performance art, community activism, peace, justice, and beauty. Email Wendy at poetaluna@yahoo.com.
Steve Date is our neighborhood correspondent for Fuller-Tangletown.
"I'm a teacher in the Minneapolis Public Schools," says Steve. "I also do freelance video production and make documentary films. I've lived in Tangletown for 17 years.and I love it.
Favorite activities: golf, running, biking, photography, video production, travel and "wandering around the Twin Cities, discovering interesting places and local history. I'm also very interested in our city's changing demographic -- the stories of neighbors and friends who have come to live here from other places and the effects they've had on our community." Steve has hs own video production company, "Sea to Sea Productions," and writes a blog, "The 58th Year." Email Steve at steven.date@yahoo.com.
Denise Rouleau lives and works in the Seward neighborhood. She has an art studio in the Ivy Building and is a member of the Vine Arts Center. You are invited to view her artwork at www.artofthecatacomb.com
Favorite Places (in my neighborhood): Vine Arts Center, Coastal Seafoods, Seward Coop, Franklin Terrace Dog Park Milwaukee Avenue, Gandhi Mahal Restaurant, Northern Clay Center, Mississippi River, Memory Lanes Bowling.
Activities: Art, Scootering, Biking, Homeward Bound, Dog Rescue Volunteer. Email Denise at denisemrouleau@gmail.com
Ingrid Alm is our neighborhood correspondent for Whittier.Ingrid enjoys photography and journalism and loves Minneapolis. Her favorite places in Whittier include Pancho Villa, Intermedia Arts, Bad Waitress, Quang, Soo Visual Arts Center, The Wedge, CC Club and the Jasmine Deli.
Activities: Biking, Photography, Running, Yoga
Interests: Journalism, Travel, Concerts, Weather. Email Ingrid at ingridalm08@yahoo.com
Mary Treacy is our neighborhood correspondent for Windom Park.
Mary describes herself as a "one time librarian and sometimes executive director of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information ... currently a very happy independent consultant. As a hapless volunteer I've worked with a host of nonprofits including the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, Learning in Style, the DFL Education Foundation, and the Village Farmers Market. Email Mary at mtreacy@onvoymail.com.
Kari Musil is our neighborhood correspondent for Battle Creek.
I am a jazz composer and musician, and the sound of my music is fortunately well-accepted in my apartment building. My 17 year-old daughter and I enjoy life with our 2 cats, Lucy and Louie, and we both are busy navigating high school - she as student and me as band director. We love living in the Battle Creek neighborhood because it is like being in the country, but so close to the fabulous Sun Ray shopping center where getting our nails done, buying used clothing, and hanging out at Cub are a few of our fave pastimes! We also enjoy storm-watching from our deck and keeping on the look out for bank robbers. Email Kari at musil_kari@yahoo.com.
Bob Hale is our neighborhood correspondent for Como.
"I have deep roots in Como and many stories to show for it. It only took me a few decades of roaming the planet to discover what a great neighborhood it is. There are however several environmental issues that concern me, the first of course is the condition of the lake." Taking a summertime stroll about the lake will introduce you to the jolly green algae that inhabits the waters. I report on efforts to remedy that situation, as well activities and events happening in the community. Email Bob at bobhale@f1data.com.
Jason Jones is our neighborhood correspondent for Midway. Jason moved from Duluth MN to the Twin Cities in 1998 to host a late night weekend talk show on WCCO. He left WCCO in 2003 to grow his company One Shoe Productions. Currently he focuses on developing and executing fundraising events for non-profits along with entertainment production for corporate events. Jason also produces a comedy show at Jimmy's in Vadnais Heights, MN. He lives in the Midway neighborhood with his wife Kelly, dogs Milo and Buster and cats. Email jason@oneshoeproductions.com
Lisa Steinmann is our neighborhood correspondent for St. Anthony Park. Lisa is a St. Paul-based freelance writer who has lived in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood for more than 20 years and covered youth, school and community news in the pages of the Park Bugle for the past 12 years. Her work was recognized at the first regional Ethnic and Community Media Awards co-hosted by the Twin Cities Daily Planet and New America Media.Email Lisa at lisa.steinmann@gmail.com
Elisabeth Meyer is our neighborhood correspondent for Summit-University.
Elisabeth describes herself as a "30-something St. Paulite; food lover, coffee, wine, and home brew drinker; business owner; avid reader, hiker, and geocacher; neophyte runner; early childhood advocate; sister, daughter, friend; grad student; holistic health advocate; lapsed blogger." Email Elisabeth at elisabethameyer@gmail.com.
Zoe Ryan is our neighborhood correspondent for the West 7th neighborhood in St. Paul. Zoe (zoeryan@tcdailyplanet.net) recently graduated from the University of Minnesota-TC with degrees in journalism and English. She wrote for the West Seventh Community Reporter while in high school.
Become a Neighborhood Correspondent
We are still looking for neighborhood correspondents for the 83 other Minneapolis and St. Paul neighborhoods. If you can volunteer as little as 30 minutes a week, we'll help you get more connected to your neighborhood and your neighbors. Even if this opportunity isn't right for you, please read on. You might be able to put us in touch with the right person in your neighborhood. And if you live in a neighborhood that already has a correspondent, that's okay - neighborhoods can have more than one.
You don't have to make a big commitment. All we ask is that you write up one neighborhood event a week for our calendar, or a short paragraph about a neighborhood attraction or business. If you want to do more, you can - from reporting neighborhood news to recruiting your neighbors to register as users of the Daily Planet.
To check out your neighborhood page, simply go to our St. Paul neighborhood page or our Minneapolis neighborhood page and then click on the neighborhood that you live in.
Email Mary Turck, editor@tcdailyplanet.net to find out how to become a neighborhood correspondent.
The Twin Cities Daily Planet is an edited news source produced by professional journalists working in collaboration with citizen journalists from the local community. We publish original reported news articles, articles republished from media partners, and some content (Free Speech Zone articles, reader-submitted blog entries, comments) that is moderated but not edited. Click here for a complete description of our editorial policies. Support people-powered non-profit journalism! Volunteer, contribute news, or become a member to keep the Daily Planet in orbit. |
Jeremy Iggers (jeremy@tcmediaalliance.org) is the executive director of the Twin Cities Media Alliance.
We're people-powered journalism! Click on story links (below) to see more story information, and then email editor@tcdailyplanet.net if you want to report.
• 
Comments
No Diversity Here
Any conservative/realists among this group? There appears to no diversity of thought or political persuasion here. C'mon, what are you afraid of? Do you want to be tone deaf to anyone other than your preferred progressives? Let's have some healthy debate, not just the friends of Saul Alinsky.
Then you should step up to the plate....
With all due respect, why don't you sign up as a volunteer contributor and start a healthy debate yourself? All These people answered a general call out for volunteers(not professional reporters) to highlight their NEIGHBORHOOD. You can hardly criticize others when you do not take the first step yourself... I am curious about why you would make assumptions about their political background when they are highlighting events, people and places in their neighborhood (??) Don't be so judgmental - If you want to see something happen, it should begin with you :)
Post new comment