Kerry Ashmore

Residents might have seen some ash trees along Stinson Parkway marked with a green painted ring, and concluded that they are being removed because of the emerald ash borer.

State officials are hoping to build a new Minnesota Workforce Center in North Minneapolis, to expand the capacity of the current center (1200 Plymouth Ave. N) and to provide an economic development boost for the North Side. They weren’t satisfied with the responses to their first request for proposals last spring, and are working on another one.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) Citizen Board approved Oct. 23 a long-contested “major permit amendment” relaxing some pollution standards for the metal shredder at Northern Metals, on the west bank of the Mississippi River just south of the Lowry Avenue Bridge.

It’s hard to ignore the recent years of business growth in the neighborhood around 13th and University avenues NE. For most of Northeast, it means more entertainment opportunities, more jobs, more visitors (who also patronize businesses in other nearby areas) and more money staying in the community for a longer time.