Registration open for ‘speaker’s platform’ at Powderhorn Park Fourth of July celebration

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This Fourth of July at Powderhorn everyone will have an opportunity to speak up and be heard. Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association and Southside Pride are co-sponsoring a speaker’s platform on the Tea House on the Lake. Before the age of Twitter and email, before radio and television, there was an American tradition that on the Fourth of July families would gather in the parks and playgrounds of the public schools and eat a picnic lunch while listening to speakers debate the important issues of the day. This was the principal source of information for most people about slavery, women’s suffrage and wars. Those speeches were the mass media and social media of their day. Today, communication is reduced to bytes and sound bites and 140 characters.

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Potholes and paving projects in Nokomis

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According to Mike Kennedy, the city’s director of the Transportation Maintenance and Repair Division, residents in the southwest and Lake Nokomis areas of the city call in with more complaints than anywhere else. But, the StarTribune reported, “He doesn’t believe their streets have more potholes than other parts of the city.”

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Minneapolis: Powderhorn fireworks for 2014 canceled?

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There will be a special meeting hosted by the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA) and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 6 p.m. at the park building at 3400 15th Ave. S. to discuss fireworks at Powderhorn for the Fourth of July. For the last 10 years, PPNA and MPRB have co-hosted the event. PPNA has been responsible for fundraising to cover the cost of the fireworks and entertainment, and the MPRB provided space, park staff, security and event cleanup. Late last year the MPRB determined it could no longer afford to pay for both the neighborhood event at Powderhorn and the citywide event at the Mississippi River, so it was canceling funding for the Powderhorn event.

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OPINION | How did they kill Terrance Franklin?

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May 10, 2013. At about 1:30 pm Terrance Franklin and his friend, Anquanette Hollman, were sitting in a 2002 blue Chrysler PT Cruiser at the back of the apartment building at 2743 Lyndale Avenue South. He was fixing a blunt (a hollowed out cigar filled with marijuana). Her two small children were in the back seat. They had just gone into the building and caught the attention of the maintenance person who checks the video surveillance cameras. Continue Reading

E-DEMOCRACY | Terrance Franklin, Mike Freeman and the grand jury scam

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From: Jordan Kushner Date: 2:58pm, Sept 20No comment so far on the grand jury. Obviously no surprise. For those concerned, it is important to realize that the grand jury process is completely a political tool to avoid political responsibility and transparency.Mike Freeman has no legal obligation to have a grand jury make the decision. A grand jury is only required in Minnesota to charge cases of first degree murder and certain career sex offender cases that carry mandatory life imprisonment. This case does [not] fit first degree murder (premeditated or other inapplicable circumstances). Continue Reading

Thirteen arrested in anti-foreclosure protest at Wells Fargo

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Thirteen people were peacefully arrested at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage on 26th Street Feb. 27 demanding turnover of vacant homes to community control and fair banking practices.A march of about 200 people, organized by Occupy Homes MN, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change and allies from faith and labor communities, began at the home of Gayle Lindsey, fighting her foreclosure with Occupy Homes and her neighbors in the Foreclosure and Eviction Free Zone in the Central Neighborhood. It proceeded to Jessica English’s reclaimed vacant home, which had turned into a drug house after being abandoned by Wells Fargo.Jessica, a single mom of four experiencing homelessness, has rehabilitated the house with Occupy Homes as a place to raise her children.“As a homeless mom, it’s sickening to see all the vacant homes Wells Fargo owns that attract crime in Minneapolis,” Jessica told the crowd. “Wells Fargo abandoned this home, letting it turn into a drug house that brought blight on the community.Now the community has come together to welcome my family home and demand that Wells Fargo turn over vacant homes to community control for affordable housing. We are restoring what Wells Fargo destroyed.”From there, the crowd of 200 took the streets and marched through the gates of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, where they were joined by a heavy police presence.They brought 20 bags of trash cleaned up from neglected vacant homes, demanding Wells Fargo clean up their own mess. Continue Reading

Progress in the Walker Library do-over

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Construction of the $12 million new Walker Library at Lagoon and Hennepin seems to be right on schedule. The Hennepin County Library System says, “We’re looking forward to re-opening the library in mid-2014.”Demolition of the old building was completed just last month. That building, with its iconic “LIBRARY” letters echoing “HOLLYWOOD” in Beverly Hills, had its two major floors underground. In 1981 that seemed like a brilliant idea to conserve energy. Unfortunately, two problems resulted from that design decision: Water seeped in and patrons were not thrilled about going into a sub-subbasement to look for a book. Continue Reading