Union Park
Union Park
St. Thomas drops the curtain: Eliminates theater department, slates Foley Theater for destruction
In recent weeks, the University of St. Thomas has announced that it will both close its 80-year-old Department of Theater and tear down the Foley Theater, an on-campus venue that hosted its first production in 1915. The administration is calling this a strategic decision to free resources for other programs with greater student interest, but students and faculty in the department are criticizing what they see as the university’s abandonment of an essential art. MORE »
New Director at Union Park
Roger Bromander is the new executive director at the Union Park District Planning Council 13 in Saint Paul. A resident of the city since 1993, Bromander has extensive experience in land use planning and consulting. Most recently he served as chair of the Housing and Land Use Committee for the Macalester–Groveland Planning Council neighborhood, where he lives. He has a Masters degree in Non-Profit Management from Hamline University. MORE »
Rock-Tenn Public Meetings: September 6 and 15
Opportunities for citizen input on final recommendations for Rock-Tenn are coming up fast. The public comment period ends September 19 for written comments, with meetings held before then on Saturday, September 6 and Monda, September 15.
In addition to recommending biogas as the first choice for fuel, the Rock-Tenn Community Advisory Panel (RCAP) recommended a goal of zero waste for St. Paul, rejected any use of refused-derived fuel (RDF), and urged that the state change laws so that RDF cannot be classified as a renewable fuel. Copies of both the St. Paul Port Authority report (released August 25) and the RCAP summary and findings can be found at the RCAP Web site. MORE »
Pre-emptive police raids on protesters, journalists
Protesters, journalists and old-style hippies were among the targets in the first 24 hours of police raids in preparation for the Republican National Convention.
Sheriff Bob Fletcher claimed that his operation targets only the RNC Welcoming Committee, a local anarchist protest group. However, police also targeted journalists from I-Witness video and a family traveling in a green bus and demonstrating environmentally-friendly practices such as solar panels, hydroponics and composting. MORE »
