ST. PAUL NOTES | Curbside composting tops concerns at budget community meeting

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Curbside composting and recycling topped the list of concerns at the second of Mayor Chris Coleman’s four community meetings to talk about St. Paul’s budget. Several people raised questions about whether curbside composting will be available, or expressed their support for expanded recycling and composting.In response, Coleman said that the Wilder Foundation study on curbside composting and recycling is nearly complete, with results expected within a couple of weeks. “Taking more stuff out of the waste stream has got to be the goal, whether that’s compostable things or a shirt or anything else,” Coleman said, adding that people are interested in recycling additional types of plastics and in single-sort recycling.Coleman and council members Russ Stark (4th Ward) and Chris Tolbert (3rd Ward) spoke and took questions from about two dozen people at the meeting at Kopplin’s Coffee on Marshall Avenue at 8 a.m. on July 17. The budget will be presented to the city council in August. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | TC Weekend: Deep Blues, Dragon Boats, Basilica and Bastille

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July 13-14 brought lots of sunshine and festivals to the Twin Cities. Among the festivals: Twin Cities Roots, Rock and Deep Blues Music Festival, Dragon Festival at Lake Phalen, Basilica Block Party, and Barbette’s annual Bastille Day festivities. We collected some photos of the fun on Storify. [If you don’t see the Storify photos and comments below, please refresh your browser window.][<a href=”//storify.com/maryturck/tc-weekend-dragon-boats-deep-blues-basilica-and-ba” target=”_blank”>View the story “TC Weekend: Deep Blues, Dragon Boats, Basilica and Bastille” on Storify</a>] Continue Reading

Talking about Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman

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Everybody is talking about the killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, and the not guilty verdict in Zimmerman’s murder trial. If you have something to say, or if you have seen someone else who lives in Minnesota posting an insightful comment or analysis, please send us the link, or comment below.For example, here’s a Facebook post from Shannon Gibney:This [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/14/melissa-harris-perry-george-zimmerman_n_3595503.html] is exactly how I feel right now. It’s not that I didn’t know how much our country and institutions feared and hated Black male life before, it’s just that the brutal reality has been forced into the forefront of my consciousness once again.In a little more than a month, the baby in my belly will come into this sad and beautiful world. Guess which sex I am more invested in than ever that it will be?If you want to comment here, you can do so in two ways:1) Sign in as a registered TC Daily Planet user and comment below or2) Use our Facebook comments below. We also welcome longer articles for Community Voices.In the Twin Cities, the #Hoodies Up for Trayvon rally will take place on Monday, July 15 at 6 p.m. (Official hashtag #HoodiesUpMn)You can also record a video comment using the tool below. Continue Reading

Obesity solution: Better junk food or food justice and urban farming?

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Junk food can end obesity insists David Freedman in the current edition of The Atlantic. He also maintains that poor people are more obese and that they can’t/won’t eat fruits, vegetables and other wholesome foods. Thus: better junk food is the healthy solution for poor people.Really? I have a few choice words for Mr. Freedman, but better than my words — let’s take a look at people who are working to provide a different answer, in poor neighborhoods and inner cities.LaDonna Redmond started working for food justice as a mother on the West Side of Chicago, living in what some people call “food deserts” without much access to organic or non-processed food — the kind of neighborhood that Freedman believes is unwilling/incapable of choosing vegetables over McDonalds. Freedman insists that this kind of neighborhood will benefit from “healthier junk food,” as exemplified by McDonald’s egg-white breakfast sandwich, with 50 fewer calories than the Egg McMuffin.Redmond’s vision is a whole lot bigger. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | TC Pride 2013

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From all over the Twin Cities — voices and images from TC Pride 2013.  We used Storify to find your photos, Tweets and Facebook posts. [If you don’t see the Storify photos and comments below, please refresh your browser window.][<a href=”//storify.com/maryturck/tc-pride-2013″ target=”_blank”>View the story “TC Pride 2013” on Storify</a>] Continue Reading

Forests and the Fourth of July

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If a tree falls in the forest, and there’s nobody there, does it make a sound? That’s a question that never needs asking in our urban forest, where every crashing tree was heard last weekend, and many were photographed. For two more good slide shows of trees in the forest, see Jim Mork’s Photo Bucket show here and Ryan Coleman’s Photo Store gallery, as well as Nicholas Sucik’s video and our Storify.Some buzzards in human form descended after the storm, as described by E-Democracy contributors, and we have a Better Business Bureau warning on how to protect yourself from them.That was last weekend — we can hope for better weather for this weekend and the long 4th of July weekend that’s coming up. Big events this weekend: Pride in Minneapolis, Twin Cities Jazz Festival in St. Paul, and Somali Independence Day on Lake Street on Sunday. Continue Reading

Updates: Storm!

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UPDATED 6/23 | Scroll down to see photos and comments below official notices. From Minneapolis Public Schools:”The Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) will cancel summer programs tomorrow, Monday, June 24 at six buildings which are without power due to recent storms. The power outages will affect summer school at Folwell, Lucy Laney, Nellie Stone Johnson and South High School, the Broadway High School summer program at Longfellow, and the South Campus Adult Basic Education program located at 2225 East Lake Street.”From City of St. Paul:”Due to the widespread impact and resulting level of debris from the storm, City of Saint Paul Forestry will assist homeowners who need help removing tree debris from the storm by picking it up from their curb within the next three weeks.  Forestry can only pick up logs and brush–not stumps– that have been downed as a result of the storm. To have tree debris collected from the curb, residents must notify the Forestry hotline at 651-632-5129 and debris must be placed on the curb by Friday, June 28. Tree debris must be separated from non-tree debris. It may take up to three weeks to collect the debris.”From City of Minneapolis:”The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and City of Minneapolis continue removing hundreds of trees and reopening city streets following Friday night’s storm. Continue Reading

#tcdpweekend

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So, what are you doing this weekend — ogling the hotrods at the MSRA Back to the Fifties in St. Paul? Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Pilgrim Baptist Church? Biking down the Greenway Glow? Dancing in Open Streets Minneapolis? Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | Greenway Glow, Open Streets, Secret City make big Minneapolis weekend

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Greenway Glow is on – June 22 in Minneapolis. From the website: “The Glow is TWO events in ONE: a free illuminated art festival for everyone, and a night-time fundraising bike ride to support the Greenway.” But that’s not all — the South Minneapolis weekend of festivals also includes Open Streets on Lyndale (Sunday) and Secret City.If you’d like to add photos or comments, use #tcdpweekend on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube or Instagram. [If you don’t see the Storify video and links below, please refresh your browser window.][<a href=”//storify.com/maryturck/greenway-glow-2013-in-minneapolis” target=”_blank”>View the story “Greenway Glow 2013 in Minneapolis” on Storify</a>] Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | Pilgrim Baptist Church celebrates 150 years in St. Paul

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St. Paul’s Pilgrim Baptist Church was founded 150 years ago by a group of “pilgrims” — who escaped from the South, journeyed up the Mississippi to St. Paul and put down long-lasting roots here.  If you’d like to add photos or comments, use #Pilgrim150 or #tcdpweekend on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or Instagram. [If you don’t see the Storify video and links below, please refresh your browser window.][<a href=”//storify.com/maryturck/pilgrim-baptist-church-celebrates-150-years-in-st” target=”_blank”>View the story “Pilgrim Baptist Church celebrates: 150 years in St. Paul” on Storify</a>] Continue Reading