Neighbors and buses sideswipe 36th Street Bikeway project

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For bikers and motorists merging on to the new and improved West 36th Street in Minneapolis the view may be a Tale of Two Cities. For bikers, the best of times and excitement over a separate, partitioned 10 foot wide expressway; for motorists relegated to the other half of the roadway, “Wow, the new repainted traffic lanes look awfully narrow?” Minneapolis recently completed construction of the model 36th Street West Bikeway Project, which converted half of the street into a protected bikeway and pedestrian corridor.This is a Community Voices submission and is moderated but not edited. The opinions expressed by Community Voices contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the TC Daily Planet.The protected lane is comprised of a 3 foot buffer and railing separating vehicle traffic from a 10 foot wide bicycle and 7 foot wide pedestrian path. Running from Lake Calhoun to Dupont Avenue South, the $180K project was cooperatively funded by the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County and two East Calhoun neighborhood groups. Continue Reading

What Veterans Day means to a veteran: A collection of stories from Veterans’ voices

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Veterans’ Voices—a program of the Minnesota Humanities Center—is a network of Veterans, connected through the humanities, operating as a positive and creative force in Minnesota whose mission is to form a public narrative that affirms Veterans as positive leaders and contributors to our future. These Veterans involved with the Veterans’ Voices program have compiled a short collection of what Veterans Day means to Veterans, written in their own voices.This is a Community Voices submission and is moderated but not edited. The opinions expressed by Community Voices contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the TC Daily Planet. What Veterans Day Means to Me By: Angie BaticaWhat does Veterans Day mean to me? It is a day that deserves to recognize and appreciate Veterans who served in a branch of the United States military on November 11th of each year. Continue Reading

How you can help celebrate Veterans Day

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My brother was a homeless veteran. Since his death, Veterans Day isn’t just another meaningless federal holiday. I’m grateful that two years before my brother died, he found housing. Yet over 57,000 veterans are homeless each night, according to HUD. Sixty percent of them are in shelters, the rest un-sheltered. Nearly 5,000 are female.

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Continuing Mount Sinai’s legacy

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In February 1951, within a climate of local anti-Semitism, Mount Sinai Hospital opened its doors at the corner of Chicago Avenue and 22nd Street in Minneapolis. The hospital — described in the AJW as “a house of healing for all mankind” — was a gift from the Twin Cities Jewish community to serve and employ, among others, those not accepted elsewhere because of their race or religion.

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KSTP reports Mayor Hodges flashing gang sign; Social media erupts in anger

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Some Minneapolis residents are outraged over a KSTP report claiming Mayor Betsy Hodges allegedly flashed a gang sign with a Northside man with a criminal history.5 Eyewitness News reported on Nov. 6 that a photo they obtained shows Hodges and now identified north Minneapolis resident Navell Gordon flashing gang signs. The photo, KSTP reports, was taken a week before the November elections, and shows Hodges and Gordon pointing at one another and smiling. KSTP’s reporter Jay Kolls said on his Twitter account that the hand gesture is a known gang sign of the north Minneapolis gang Stick Up Boys. KSTP has the photo posted on their website.Read more TC Daily Planet coverage of this issue.But many residents disagree and have expressed their dissent via social media. Continue Reading

How much does a seat on the Minneapolis school board cost?

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For incumbent board member Rebecca Gagnon, who came in first in the Nov. 4 election, the cost was approximately $.70 per vote. Gagnon, who ran for one of the two open citywide seats, secured her spot on the board with 56,901 votes.A fundraising chart for the four at-large school board candidates—Gagnon, Don Samuels, Iris Altamirano, and Ira Jourdain—put together by Minnesota Public Radio on Nov. 3 shows Gagnon’s campaign raised or otherwise benefitted from a fundraising amount of around $40,000. By dividing her fundraising dollars by the amount of votes she got, an approximate per vote cost of $.70 is determined.For Samuels, who came in second and therefore also won a citywide spot on the board, the cost per vote was much higher. Continue Reading

Saundra McCoy: Minnesota Vikings fans stadium feelings

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Last week while driving home from work on Interstate 35E, I noticed the progress of the new Vikings Stadium. Well at least the massive piles of steel that it will be built from. As reported by Craig Peters in his article, “New Vikings Stadium Nearly a Quarter Complete through Symphony of Work”, the new Vikings stadium is ahead of schedule and was 23 percent complete at the end of September. I am excited to know the stadium is set to open in July 2016.This is a Community Voices submission and is moderated but not edited. The opinions expressed by Community Voices contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the TC Daily Planet.Controversy about whether or not there should be a new stadium, where it should be and who will pay has faded. Continue Reading

Saundra McCoy: Minnesota cold

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It is apparent that Twin Cities residents have taken into account the recent temperature change. It was only two weeks ago when high temperatures were in the 60s, and now with the arrival of Halloween we are witnessing temperatures in the 30s. We wait anxiously for the first snow to fall, which past history warns us can be any minute now. There are those who don’t mind the snow, but that is hard to say about the cold. Although, Minnesotans are accustom to it, we still prepare. Continue Reading