A celebration of Rice Street in pictures

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Neighborhood folks gathered at the Rice Street Branch Library on Tuesday, September 15, for the gallery opening of the photography exhibit: We are the people in your neighborhood: a celebration of Rice Street in pictures. Professional photographer Sarah Stacke spent several weeks last year documenting Saint Paul’s North End neighborhood. The exhibit is in two parts, the photo gallery at the library and poster sized photos featuring Rice Street business owners that are on display in Rice Street storefront windows. The exhibit runs through October 15. Purpose of the public art exhibit is to foster a sense of community while supporting patronage of local businesses. Continue Reading

Melvin Carter III: “Access to transit… a social justice issue”

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“Access to transit is really a social justice issue, a lot of folks seem to miss that,” said St. Paul City Councilmember Melvin Carter III, speaking about the recent success in getting one more station added to the Central Corridor LRT line. In August Carter wrote a letter to Metropolitan Council Chair Peter Bell expressing concern at the way the LRT plans were going in his ward. Carter was frustrated that residents and business people located closest to the planned route would reap the least benefit and pay the highest cost for the new transit system. Of special concern was the fact that LRT stations were planned for the rail line’s intersections with Rice Street, Dale Street, Lexington Parkway, and Snelling Avenue. Continue Reading

In search of a new St. Paul school superintendent

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A sparse crowd showed up at the Superintendent Search public input session at Rondo Education Center in St. Paul on September 17. Participants were invited to share their ideas on what qualities they would like to see in the new superintendent. Diana McCauley, senior associate with the search team Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, facilitated the discussion that was held as part of the ongoing process leading up to the hiring of a new superintendent to replace Meria Carstarphen who left the district in June.  Part of that process includes developing a profile of leadership qualities expected in the next superintendent. Continue Reading

Minnesota State Fair memories

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I have been going to the Minnesota State Fair ever since I was a little child, and every year it is a delight all over again. Long ago, my sisters and I put on our pretty little dresses, and walked with our mother to board the Snelling Avenue streetcar that took us straight to the fairgrounds. We rode the majestic State Fair Carousel (now located in Como Park).We ate until we were stuffed – pronto pups and candy floss, root beer and ice cream cones. We walked until we were exhausted, and then headed back home as dusk set in. Through all these years, so much has changed, yet it’s always the same – it’s the great event that families look forward to all summer, it’s the last hurrah before the kids head back to school, it’s the perfect date for young lovers , and it’s the place to be for retired folks. Continue Reading

Ken Porwoll: St. Paul barber with “a consistent and caring presence” honored by McKnight Foundation

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Ken Porwoll is 89 years old. Every week for the past 25 years he has gone downtown to cut hair for clients at Listening House, a day and evening shelter and community center that provides hospitality, practical assistance and counsel to people who are homeless, disadvantaged, or lonely. It is located in downtown St. Paul.A retired salesperson, Porwoll said in a telephone interview, that he first became interested in Listening House when he read a newspaper article. Curious, he stopped in to visit. Continue Reading