Q&A with Chris Lautenschlager, Minneapolis Ward 12 city council candidate

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With the election races already heating up, we wanted to find out more about the people running for City Council in our local wards. All candidates seeking endorsement were invited to participate in our Q&A. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for the candidates!Today, we’re hearing from Chris Lautenschlager from Ward 12. He’s running against incumbent Sandra Colvin Roy and Andrew Johnson.QuestionsFor people who aren’t familiar with you, will you please introduce yourself in two-to-three sentences?In one-to-two sentences, why do you believe you are the best candidate for the job?What are the top two issues you see in your ward, and how do you plan to address them?What are the top two issues facing Minneapolis, and what do you think the solution is?Should the Hennepin County incinerator (HERC) be allowed to burn additional garbage? What do you think is the solution for the HERC’s request to expand and how does that weigh against pollution and air quality issues in Minneapolis?Do you believe that bicycle and pedestrian facilities should be expanded in the city? Continue Reading

The Hub grand opening: Pedal powered party

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It was perfect weather on Friday for the grand opening of The Hub, the new mini-store that has moved in next to Spokes in Seward.The store was several years in the making according to Jason Tanzman, the director at Cycles for Change, and was the work of The Hub, Cycles for Change, Seward Neighborhood Group, and Seward ReDesign.The shop will work closely with Spokes, selling used bikes that were donated to Spokes and have been repaired, with some of the proceeds going back to the non-profit. They will also have parts available for purchase during open shop times at Spokes.Expect to find commuter-friendly parts and accessories, lights, helmets, fenders, locks, and small parts such as cables, housing, and brake pads at the store.Why the collaboration? Josh Weichsel, Hub store manager, explained, “I think that we were a natural partnership because we share the same ideals. We both want to encourage cycling as a viable form of transportation and we both see cycling as a great means of building community. We also have a wealth of experience in retail bike shop management which allows us to advise on technical matters.”Since the Hub shares the building with Spokes they will not be repairing bikes. Continue Reading

Minneapolis DFL Ward 12 convention heats up

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As the weather heated up, so did the Ward 12 DFL Convention yesterday. According to convention officials, a little more than 200 delegates attended the event, 300 had originally been expected.Delegates assembled at 10 a.m., and spent the morning listening to speeches and questioning Andrew Johnson and incumbent Sandy Colvin Roy, the two candidates vying for DFL endorsement, .At noon, the delegates cast the first round of ballots. Not reaching the 60% needed to endorse a candidate, another round of ballots were cast, again not reaching the threshold. Balloting continued into the afternoon. Not reaching a consensus, delegates voted to not endorse any candidate.Candidate ReactionsAt the end of the convention, Johnson said he was feeling “really good” about the election and the fact that he received more than 55% of the votes in the first round of balloting. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | Your week ahead: Longfellow events, April 28th – May 4th

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Welcome to Your Week Ahead – a new feature we’ll be running every Sunday. Find out upcoming registration and deadline info for local programs and classes, discover the perfect volunteer opportunity, and hear about road closures and construction projects planned for the week.Community ProgramsIf you’re interested in vegetable gardening, but need some help getting started, Transition Longfellow has a new project called Chard Your Yard. Participants receive a raised garden bed, a garden mentor, seeds and plants through plant exchanges, and classes. Program cost is $65, sign up deadline is this Tuesday.Artist and site call: The deadline for artists and sites who wish to participate in LoLa, the community art crawl for the greater Longfellow Community, is this Wednesday.Artist call: The Greenway Glow, a bike ride and illuminated art festival on the Midtown Greenway is looking for artists (musicians, performers, and artists of all kinds) interested in sharing their work during the festival.Volunteers NeededThe new Longfellow Honey House needs help cleaning up the grounds at it’s new residence to make way for all of the projects the Beez Kneez have cooked up. Meet community members, find out more about the Honey House, and learn how to prep a site for urban farming. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | April 27-28: Longfellow neighborhood weekend events

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How could this weekend be bad with spring finally here? We’ve got lots of great activities to get you out in the sunshine. As always, check the events calendar for the complete collection of everything that’s happening in our neighborhoods.SaturdaySwing by Sanford to help clean up the school’s grounds. The seventh grade Wildcats will be providing snacks, coffee, and water to volunteers.East Lake Library is celebrating Children’s Day with the “Lupita no quiere dormir” puppet show. Be sure to check out the puppets made by students from El Camino at Anderson United.Take a farm tour, sample greens and shoots, and see a demo by Beez Kneez at Growing Lots Urban Farm’s open house. Continue Reading

Minneapolis Ward 12 city council candidate forum: 15-year incumbent faces two challengers

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The Ward 12 City Council Candidate Forum packed the media room at Roosevelt High School last week. People were interested to hear 15-year incumbent Sandy Colvin Roy and challenger Andrew Johnson debate local issues. Both candidates are competing for the DFL’s endorsement. A surprise addition to the event was Chris Lautenschlager, a candidate hoping to capture the endorsement of the Green Party.

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Road construction coming to West River Parkway and 31st Avenue South

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West River Parkway and 31st Avenue are scheduled to be repaved this spring and summer. Details below.West River Parkway (above)Expect increasing traffic in the coming weeks on 25th Street and Riverside Avenue, the streets that will be part of the detour during the West River Parkway repaving project.The paving project is scheduled to begin April 29th and will extend from Franklin Avenue to 4th Street South. The project will also include repaving the ramps, some curb replacement, manhole structure lowering, and removal of concrete crosswalks.It is an extensive project that planned to take five weeks. The existing pavement will be entirely removed and replaced.According to Council member Cam Gordon, the bike path and pedestrian walkways will not be closed. However, there will be no parking on West River Parkway during the project.31st Ave South31st Avenue between Franklin Ave and 28th Street E will also be repaved this summer. Continue Reading

Hymie’s Block Party: Live music, local beer, sunshine

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If you love live music, art, flipping through vinyl, beer, and sunshine, hopefully you were able to make it out to Hymie’s yesterday for its Block Party in celebration of Record Store Day. Hymie’s had two stages, fourteen bands, a beer garden, live art, and lots and lots of records for sale.Hymie’s described the event on its website as a, “live-action mix tape for the world – these are our favorite bands. These are the people whose music we sing along to & they’re all amazing people, dedicated to the music they’re making. The only thing we know for sure going into our biggest day of the year as an independent record shop is that nobody is going to be disappointed by the music, because these people are all really, really awesome.”Merlins Rest Pub was pouring beers, and proceeds will go to the Longfellow Community Council.The Hymie’s Crew ready for a full day.Singer, songwriter Jake Manders kicked off the party.Sister duo The Ericksons performed indie-folk at noon on the Hymie’s stage.Brandon Bagaason and Zach Bagaason, the two brothers of Minneapolis-based Big Quarters, took the stage in the late afternoon with Noam the Drummer.Taking in the live music.Live art with Lizardman and McGorry, two artists with the artist collective Rogue Citizen. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | April 20th – 21st: Weekend events in the Longfellow neighborhood

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There’s so much more happening around town than what’s listed here. To get all of the details, check our complete events calendar.SaturdayIt’s Record Store Day, and Hymie’s is celebrating with a street festival. Two stages, fourteen live acts, Merlins Rest pouring brews, special releases, Mother Earth Gardens’ seed bombs, and so much more awesomeness. Stop by and chase away the winter blahs.UPDATED (4/19/13 9:45 a.m.): There were a lot of clean-up events scheduled along West River Parkway in honor of Earth Day on Monday. But, due to the whims of Mother Nature, they’ve been cancelled and will be rescheduled when there isn’t quite so much snow on the ground. Continue Reading