May art events kick off Friday, May 4

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Mark the first and third weekends in May for art exhibits, open studios, new galleries and bikes as art. First weekend
May 4–5, Arts Off Raymond features dozens of artists’ open studios at 10 locations along University Avenue — including two in Prospect Park. The Textile Center of Minnesota, 3000 University Ave. SE, opens its Mexican shawl exhibit, while 14 artists will open their studios at the Art and Architecture Building, 3338 University Ave. SE. Continue Reading

DeLaSalle athletic field dealt setback by city’s preservation board

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Jeremy Stratton

After a nearly five-hour-long meeting on August 8, the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) rejected DeLaSalle High School’s plan to build an athletic field on Nicollet Island. The commission ruled that the facility does not fit the historic district of which the island is a part.

On both its own and city-owned land, the school hopes to build a regulation-size football field, soccer fields, a press box, concession area and bleacher seating for as many as 750 people, to be used by both the private institution and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Nicollet Island residents, environmental organizations and preservationists oppose the plan.

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SAFE Zone got safer, but did Downtown?

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Jeremy Stratton

This summer, the city, Hennepin County and Downtown business leaders put more cops on the street in response to what one business representative called a “crisis situation” with crime in Downtown’s core and entertainment districts.

From Apr. 18 through Oct. 1, the Minneapolis Safe Zone Collaborative seems to have had an impact – violent crime rates fell in the zone, while increasing citywide, according to a final Hennepin County report last month. (Property crime rates were slightly higher in the Safe Zone, which covers from 2nd Avenue North to Marquette Avenue between Washington Avenue and 12th Street.)

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Armed Robberies Raise Concerns Over Downtown Crime

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Jeremy Stratton

Two recent armed robberies in the Loring Heights area have neighborhood residents worried, and a similar assault was reported in the nearby Elliot Park neighborhood. Meanwhile, a person was shot outside a Downtown strip club in the North Loop neighborhood.

The two Loring assaults occurred within a block of each other, but on different days. On Sept. 29 at 9:20 p.m., two suspects robbed a victim at gunpoint near Clifton Avenue & Clifton Place. The suspects took the victim’s wallet and fled eastbound, according to weekly Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) crime maps. On Oct. 3, a similar robbery — again with two suspects — took place at 10:35 p.m. at Clifton Place & Oak Grove Street, according to the maps.

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Bike Bridge Near Loring Park Opens

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Jeremy Stratton

Bicyclists may have an easier time entering and leaving Downtown now that the Loring Bike Bridge has opened — and a future project may extend improvements all the way to Loring Park.

The bridge in effect extends the Loring Park path along Lyndale Avenue up and over Lyndale just south of I-94, depositing riders at Aldrich Avenue. It allows riders to and from Southwest Minneapolis streets west of Lyndale to bypass a car-heavy zone between I-94 and Franklin Avenue.

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Elliiott Park Public Computer Lab Opens

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Jeremy Stratton

For those without computers, computer skills or Internet access, Elliot Park, 1000 E. 14th St has a new computer lab. Park Director Travis Hegland said the six Compaq PCs were installed in late July. An Internet connection was the last step before opening the lab.

The park will offer computer classes to youth and teens, Hegland said. He hopes to offer programming and instruction to adults and seniors, but specifics have not yet been set.

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