Meet the Abu Huraira Islamic Center

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With a box of Little Caesar’s pizza and a chai tea, Abdirahman Omar sits down at a long table inside the building at 3055 Old Highway 8 in St. Anthony. He’s meeting with other members from the Abu Huraira Islamic Center, who convene almost every day to discuss current needs and events.Omar, an imam and spokesman for the group, says they have many hopes for the building, which they’ve owned since August 2012. One is to make a floor dedicated to healthcare for Somali people, who require a different cultural confidence in their medicine. Spaces could be rented to dentists, urgent care and other healthcare providers.More than that, they want to make this building something that can belong to the Somali people, for the community and beyond. Continue Reading

Churches pick up on sustainability movement

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On the first day, there was a meeting.

It was a Citizens for Sustainability meeting in October. Dan Doerrer, associate pastor of Nativity Church, was invited to attend by members of the group. There he connected with Rev. Susan Mullin, director of faith formation for Faith United Methodist Church.

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Meet Daniel Olson and his art

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The story is drawn in simple black-and-white panels. They run cinematically through the main character Neil Wilson’s life. A faraway glance at the outside of a church or a restaurant gives you the place. Wordlessly, the characters glance at one another. Silence says more. Continue Reading

Shoveling: How did we do this winter?

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An 81 year-old landlord thought his properties in Northeast Minneapolis were being shoveled. But the worker contracted for the job skipped out, says Dan Bauer, Minneapolis supervisor for sidewalk inspections, and the sidewalks remained uncleared. Worse yet, the complaints against his properties were piling up.

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From urban farming to freedom fighting at Sabathani conference

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At the table after lunch, an excited Dimitri Kaasan draws on a napkin. He diagrams the aquaculture system at his son’s school, Southside Family Charter School. Plants such as herbs are rooted in circulating water that is fertilized by fish (see video for fuller explanation). The students keep up the system through the year and base their curriculum around growing the plants and fish.

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