Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/karen-hollish/page/4/)
As a Planet reporter from 2009 to 2011, Karen Hollish profiled families within Minneapolis' thriving Somali immigrant community, explored the diabetes epidemic on the Bad River Indian Reservation, and broke the story about former Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher misusing federal anti-terrorism funds. She also covered the Cities' robust bicycling beat and curated the Planet's daily blogs section. Today she lives in Tucson, Arizona, where she plans parties that help homeless pets for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona.Photo by Rick Olivo.
Whether it’s called an “environmental facility” or hazardous waste “dump,” the Hennepin County Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Center (HHDC) planned for Northeast Minneapolis has created a growing rift between those who want it there and those who don’t.
Three emails, five voice mails and 23 days later, I finally heard back from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office about our Data Practices Act request.
As for the 33 terrorist groups the department investigated in 2009, according to its own report?
The wind blasted through the grounds of Riverside Plaza, where eighth-graders Fathia Hassan and Sundus Yusuf had just finished Peace Patrol.It’s a daily duty in which Cedar Riverside Community School’s upperclassmen escort younger students to their apartments in the Plaza, making sure everyone gets safely home. Peace Patrol fits in with CRCS’s close-knit and familial nature, which is what Hassan likes most about her school. “We have a small class, so the teachers – they know everybody,” she said. “They can help you out, and they can talk to you one on one.” Small class sizes are one reason why the school has been increasingly popular, Executive Director Ricky White said. Continue Reading
Southwest High School student Kamal Berhe was born in Ethiopia, made his way to Kenya and then, four years ago, moved from there to the United States. Today the 19-year-old and his older brother share a two-bedroom apartment in Riverside Plaza. He’s looking forward to the nearly $55 million, 22-month renovation project that’s set to start this January. “I think that it’s a great idea,” Berhe said Monday, taking a break from checking Facebook on a computer at the Riverside Plaza Tenants Association. “I think for safety.” Improved outdoor lighting, way-finding guides and security cameras are just a small part of the major changes expected from the reconstruction. Continue Reading
Ibrahim Nasir, 76, peered down at his keyboard, perplexed but determined.
After a belabored bout of hunting, pecking and squinting up at the screen, it was finally out: “Abraaaaaaaaahiim nasir,” his assignment read.
Minneapolis resident Jeff Bragg, 45, is nervously watching his Byetta supply dwindle. The injectable drug is one of three medicines the laid-off marketing professional uses to manage his type 2 diabetes. He refilled them all last month, when he could still afford health insurance. But on Oct. 1 his federal COBRA subsidy ran out, making his monthly bill skyrocket from $230 to $650. “At first I thought OK, I’m just going to take my medicine every other day, so it will last longer,” he said. Continue Reading
On Wednesday October 6, Former United States President Jimmy Carter joined thousands of volunteers in Minneapolis’s Hawthorne neighborhood as part of Habitat for Humanity‘s 27th Annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Hawthorne EcoVillage and St Paul’s East Side Payne-Phalen neighborhood are two of the sites of the work project, which also includes neighborhoods in Washington, D.C, Baltimore and Annapolis, MD and Birmingham, Alabama.
For many people, including this reporter, COBRA’s 15-month lifeline is about to end. I want to know what problems you are facing getting new coverage and share the resources I’ve found with you.I’m working on a story about the federal subsidy program that has helped laid-off people keep their health care. Under this program, which was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, qualified individuals have had to pay only 35 percent of their monthly premium’s cost. In Minnesota, the state has even picked up the monthly tab for its lowest-income folks.Please contact Karen Hollish at khollish at gmail.com if you have a story to tell. Continue Reading
I visited Karen Amit’s English as a Second Language classroom at Riverside Plaza. She uses repetition, encouragement and, as she puts it, lots of big-gestured “Italian talking” to reach her students.
Amid widespread business cutbacks, layoffs and closures, the city is offering entrepreneurs a rare opportunity: Come up with a winning plan to start a bike shop in North Minneapolis, and we’ll give you up to $350,000 to get it started.