Dinkytown update: Businesses move, residents debate as Opus development moves forward

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Two Dinkytown businesses displaced by the proposed Opus mixed-use apartment and commercial building have reopened in new locations, while the Minneapolis planning commission has forwarded the Opus proposal to a city council committee.The Podium, a guitar store that dates back to Bob Dylan’s Dinkytown days in the 1960s, will open under new ownership at 4151 Minnehaha Avenue in South Minneapolis.Jeff Molde, who had owned the Podium for 14 years, announced that he would retire from the business when he was displaced by the sale of his building that also housed the Book House and the House of Hanson grocery. Molde said he tried unsuccessfully to find other viable locations to relocate.Since then, however, he sold the Podium name to a former employee who merged it with Guitar Rodeo on Minnehaha, said David Roos, who worked for the Podium for 28 years and has just started with the new business.The new owner, Jim Tordoff, worked at the Podium for more than eight years in the 1970s, Roos said. In an interview with Fox 9 News, Tordoff said he worked in Dinkytown during the Dylan era.The new store, Roos said, will have guitars, parts, strings and repairs like the Podium, but unlike the Podium, it will not offer sheet music or lessons.“It’s not Dinkytown,” Roos said about the new location, “but the parking is a whole lot easier.”He admitted that the inventory was currently much lower than it was in Dinkytown, but, he added, “That’s going to change real quick. We’ll double or triple what’s here.”Most guitars sold at the Podium ranged in price from $2,500 to $3,500 and Roos said he does not expect that to change. Guitars on the wall at the store on July 10 ranged from $700 to more than $12,000.On July 10, the Book House opened in its new location on the second floor of Dinkydale, 1316 Fourth Street Southeast, around the corner from its old site.Although the current site is smaller than the old store, customers can still browse “the best of the Book House” inventory in the main store and a rare book room across the hall. Continue Reading

Spanish and English: Joyce Preschool succeeds in two languages

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As more and more evidence piles up about the importance of kids getting a head start to their education before kindergarten, the spotlight is on what preschool programs can offer students. Joyce Dual Immersion Preschool offers not only the basics kids need to enter kindergarten, but an added focus on language, with a program aimed at supporting both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking children. Joyce has national certification and a four-star rating from Parent Aware. The school was founded in 1966 by a woman named Ruth Helen Marks, from Joyce United Methodist Church. She wanted a program to serve the many children living in the neighborhood who couldn’t afford preschool. In 1994, in response to the growing Latino population in the community, head teacher Sharon Dill changed the program’s structure into a dual immersion approach, with the curriculum taught in both Spanish and English to students from both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking backgrounds.Today, the program serves about one-third native Spanish speakers, one-third bilingual speakers, and one-third English speakers. Half the teachers are native Spanish speakers. Continue Reading

Celebrating Somali Independence Day in Minneapolis

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On June 30, a portion of Lake Street was blocked off for festivities honoring Somalia’s Independence.  This year’s event was hosted by the community organization Ka Joog.  In addition to providing entertainment organizers sought to provide educational opportunities on Somali culture for both the younger generation and external community. Along with traditional east African foods, the event featured a reconstruction of an aqual, a traditional dwelling structure of rural Somalia.  Goats, horses, and even a camel were on hand as examples of utilitarian animals still used by pastoral peoples on the Horn of Africa.  Somali Independence Day is July 1.  The occasion marks the historical expulsion of British and later Italian colonial powers from the east African nation.  CORRECTION: The celebration was on Sunday, June 30. Reporting for this article supported in part by Bush Foundation. Continue Reading

The 65-year-old Alice Cooper sells out the State Theatre

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Alice Cooper is a dinosaur, a relic, right? At retirement age (the guy’s 65 years old for crying out loud), he is a has been that to more than a few young folk these days actually is a never was. So, a Cooper concert basically is a non-event, wouldn’t you think? Wrong. Tickets for his upcoming July 15th show in Minneapolis at the State Theatre sold like tomorrows news. Continue Reading

Celebrate the Fourth of July in the Twin Cities: What, when and where!

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The Fourth may be just one day in July, but in Minnesota the celebrations can last all four days of the four-day weekend. Here’s a somewhat comprehensive guide to the many, many Fourth of July festivities taking place in and around the Twin Cities this year.Let’s celebrate together! Tag your events, tweets, Facebook posts, etc. with #tcdpJuly4 so we can tag along on all the fun. Take our poll! What’s your favorite Fourth of July activity? Twin Cities “Classics”Red, White and BOOM! Continue Reading

Supreme Court Trifecta-plus: What this week’s big decisions mean for Minnesotans

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The end of this year’s Supreme Court term brought blockbuster decisions: on the Defense of Marriage Act, California’s Proposition 8, the Voting Rights Act, affirmative action, workplace harassment and discrimination, and adoption of American Indian children. The reverberations of this week’s Supreme Court rulings are already being felt all over the United States, including right here in Minnesota. Here’s what Minnesotans can expect from the decisions.  Affirmative ActionThe ruling: The court’s decision keeps affirmative action in place, but opens race-conscious college admissions policies to more scrutiny. The University of Texas’s admissions policy, which used race as one of many factors in the admissions process, will go back to a lower court. The school will have to prove to the lower court that their race-conscious policy is necessary. What it means in Minnesota: “What is important in Minnesota is for our colleges and universities to not panic as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling. 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

St. Paul: Snelling Bus Rapid Transit open houses set for July

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Metro Transit will host three open houses in July regarding the design for the upcoming Snelling Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), slated to open in late 2015.The project will bring enhanced bus service and stations to Snelling Avenue, Ford Parkway and 46th Street between Rosedale Center and the 46th Street Station on the METRO Blue Line. The public open houses will address specific bus routes.The schedule is listed below:Routes 84 and 87: Tuesday, July 9, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
at Hamline University
 Klas Center, Kay Fredericks Room,
 1536 Hewitt Ave.Routes 23, 70, 84, 87 and 134: Monday, July 15, 5-7 p.m.,
 Hillcrest Recreational Center, gymnasium,
 1978 Ford Parkway.Routes 63 and 84: Wednesday, July 17, 12:30-2:30 p.m.,
 Macalester College,
 Weyerhaeuser Hall boardroom,
 62 Macalester St.For more information about Snelling Bus Rapid Transit, visit metrotransit.org/snelling-brt or email brtprojects@metrotransit.org. CORRECTION: Byline should read “Staff.” Continue Reading

Courage in the heart: Empowering youth through the power of art

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If you’ve passed by the old Country Boy corner store on 42nd St. and Cedar Ave. lately, perhaps you’ve noticed lights on in the evening and seen groups of teens inside, and perhaps you’ve wondered what was going on. Well, inspiring things are happening at 4164 Cedar Ave. S., the new home of courageous heARTS, an arts-based youth center founded by Ericsson resident Lindsay Walz.In early spring, Walz, in partnership with SENA, received a startup grant through the University of Minnesota’s Neighborhood Partnership Initiative. Continue Reading

One Minneapolis: Mayoral candidates squirm while peppered with questions about racial equality

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Candidates for Minneapolis Mayor met Thursday night in a forum focused on racial issues. Minneapolis, like the rest of the country, is becoming more diverse racially and whites are expected to be in the minority of city residents within a generation or so.Attending were candidates Mark Andrew, Jackie Cherryhomes, Betsy Hodges, Tony Lane, Doug Mann, Don Samuels, Gary Schiff, and Jim Thomas. Independent candidate Cam Winton was not able to attend. The forum was held at the Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis.Candidates to succeed three-term Mayor R.T. Rybak as the next mayor of Minneapolis who may have expected more feel-good questions about bike paths and “green” homes made a wrong turn last night and instead found themselves squirming in their seats at a raucous, passionate debate over racial inequality in a city that is fast-becoming more racially diverse. During a town-hall forum held at Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis, the candidates faced a youthful and racially diverse crowd insisting that Minneapolis isn’t the most progressive city in America, as it likes to tout itself but, instead, a city nearly buckling under the weight of racial injustice.(Watch a replay of the debate above.)An overflow crowd of over 500 shot pointed questions at the eight mayoral candidates (only independent candidate Cam Winton was not present) that focused on racial and educational inequality, police brutality, youth homelessness, jobs for ex-felons, the city’s policies towards people of color and the need for equitable hiring and affordable housing. Continue Reading