The more cyclists, the better; West Bank nonprofit gives locals a chance at bicycling

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After a month of studying and repairing bicycles, two people will ride away from a small shop near the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood on free bikes.A mile south of the West Bank, the nonprofit SPOKES Bike Walk Connect center began its Earn-A-Bike program on Saturday. The program, now in its third year, consists of a four-week course aimed at getting community members who might not otherwise be able to afford a bike on two wheels.SPOKES attracts participants from around the Twin Cities area, including Cedar-Riverside residents and students from the University of Minnesota and Augsburg College.Program manager Ana Begej said Metro Transit makes substantial bicycle donations to the organization, which hosts multiple projects like the Earn-A-Bike program, bike-riding classes and open shop time.Brad Carlson, a volunteer with the group, punched a hole into a tire tube on Saturday so that Augsburg chemistry senior and fellow volunteer Ben Swanson could teach two students to repair it.Swanson said volunteering at SPOKES has helped him learn and dive into something outside of his area of expertise.“It opened up a world outside of chemistry for me,” he said.Swanson said he had planned to apply for graduate school and search for a job after he graduates this summer but now wants to ride a bike to Maine.Carlson said he tries spending as much time as he can in the little workspace, which is filled with hundreds of broken bikes.Before he was a volunteer, the program gave Carlson a mode of transportation after he overcame homelessness.“I come here, and I have a purpose,” he said.With grease-covered hands, Carlson described the different parts of a bicycle and what function each serves.One of the two students at Saturday’s program was Wondey Geta, 40, who traveled from Columbia Heights, Minn., to begin the monthslong process of earning his first bike in more than a decade, he said.“These guys are doing something that I’m drawn to,” he said, adding that he plans to volunteer with the center after he completes the four volunteer hours the program requires.University of Minnesota graduate Joshua Weichsel sat in the storefront of the Hub Bike Co-op Mini-Store, which rents space in the SPOKES building, to sell the organization’s repaired bikes on Saturday afternoon.Each bike sold at the Hub Mini-Store was repaired just a few feet away by SPOKES volunteers.Funds from the bike sales are split between the two organizations, Weichsel said. SPOKES gets 70 percent of each sale, while 30 percent goes to the Hub.Used bikes make up about 25 percent of SPOKES’ income, program manager Begej said.“Our goal isn’t to make money. It’s to serve an underserved area,” Weichsel said. “The more people on bikes, the better.” Continue Reading

Governor’s Appointment Draws Praise and Applause from Local Somali Community

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It’s not everyday that a Governor’s appointment gets special attention, reception or special interest from local and international media. But then again, it’s not everyday that the governor appoints a minimum wage worker to oversee an agency that has such direct impact on the lives of thousands of people everyday. Ibrahim Mohamed, a cart driver for Air Serv is now part of the Metropolitan Airports Commission. His appointment drew more than fifty people, including Governor Dayton, members of the Metropolitan Airports Commission and community leaders on a chilly Tuesday evening at the Brian Coyle Center in the Cedar Riverside Neighborhood.  He is the first Somali-American to hold that post and was appointed by Governor Dayton in Febraury. Continue Reading

Stand-by scheduling creates problems for many workers

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Scheduling problems at airport contractor Air Serv have gotten so bad that workers demonstrated outside company headquarters recently despite sub-zero temperatures. Newly introduced state legislation would bar “just-in-time” scheduling practices that disrupt the lives of airport workers and thousands of other Minnesotans.“The new on-call policy from our company, Delta sub-contracter Air Serv, has cut our hours and made life incredibly difficult for families like mine at the airport,” said Ronda Jama, a wheelchair agent who lives in Minneapolis. “When we don’t know until the day of whether we will work, it throws our families into chaos.”Fair Scheduling Legislation sponsored by Rep. Rena Moran, DFL-St. Paul, would:Require employers to give employees 21 days’ notice of their work schedule.Provide compensation for workers if their shift is cancelled within 24 hours.Guarantee adequate daily rest by requiring at least 11 hours between work shifts unless the employee agrees.Thousands of Minnesotans, many of them in the retail and service industries, would benefit if the legislation is passed, according to the coalition of worker advocacy groups, social justice organizations, labor unions and workers that supports the bill.“Unpredictable hours make economic mobility and achieving the American Dream even harder, especially if you’re already struggling to get by,” said Bree Halverson, state director of Working America Minnesota. “Minnesota families need 21st-century scheduling policies that keep up with the changing nature of today’s workplace.”Researchers from the University of Chicago recently found 41 percent of hourly workers learn their schedules less than a week in advance. Continue Reading

Downtown East Commons is a Blank Slate, Except for the Vikings. And the Traffic.

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[You can see the original post here: http://streets.mn/2015/02/27/downtown-east-commons-is-a-blank-slate-except-for-the-vikings-and-the-traffic/]On Tuesday night, a healthy crowd of local downtown residents and other interested parties gathered in the rustic lobby of the Mill City Museum for the first of several public meetings about the forthcoming Downtown East Commons park. It was a fun atmosphere, with the palpable enthusiasm that comes with the chance to shape big changes in the place where you live. There were also cookies.There were two purposes to the meeting. The first was to give locals the chance to hear from the landscape architecture firm chosen by the city, Hargreaves Associates. The presentation given by Hargreaves’ President Mary Margaret Jones was well received, and it’s clear that the city has made an able hire. Continue Reading

TASTE OF WEST BROADWAY: Celebrating Northside business in style

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The West Broadway Business and Area Coalition is setting out to prove that its business district has everything one needs to throw a spectacular party. For the upcoming Taste of West Broadway fundraiser on Thursday, February 26th, food will be prepared and served by eight local chefs from Avenue Eatery, K’s Deli, Cookie Cart, WholeSoul, Pimento Kitchen, Louisiana Purchase Seafood, Broadway Pub and Grille and Breaking Bread Cafe. Event patrons will have the pleasure of enjoying a wine tasting hosted by Cliff ‘n Norm’s, Merwin Liquors and Broadway Liquor Outlet. Boom Island Brewing will serve beer samples and its nearby taproom will host the event’s After Party.Hopewell Music Cooperative North’s string quartet will perform, and an artist from the Capri Theater’s Legends series. Silent Auction items include Cookies for a Year from Cookie Cart, visual art, a backyard BBQ for 8 from a local grill master, as well as concert tickets and other eclectic pieces.The WBC chose the Mpls Photo Center, located just off West Broadway on North 2nd St, in one of the most beautiful historic buildings in all of Minneapolis. Mpls Photo Center has stunning views of downtown and guests can peruse two photography exhibits, Rock and Roll and Vivian Maier.”We are excited to host this unique experience for the community, exhibiting many of the great food and cultural offerings on the avenue. Continue Reading

Hennepin, Ramsey counties excluded from plan to redirect funds for roads

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The House’s rural-urban divide took a big city vs. suburban turn Wednesday with the House Transportation Policy and Finance Committee giving its OK to a bill that would reallocate millions of dollars in sales tax revenue to all but the state’s two most populous counties. HF710, sponsored by Rep. Jon Koznick (R-Lakeville), would move $32 million in sales tax collected on motor vehicle leases from the General Fund and put it toward Greater Minnesota transit and to the County State-Aid Highway Fund for use on metro area roads — except in Hennepin and Ramsey counties.Suburban residents have been “paying more than their fair share” toward metropolitan transportation projects, Koznick said, many of them in the state’s two counties that are home to Minneapolis and St. Paul.Redirecting proceeds from the motor vehicle lease sales tax, he continued, would provide more funding for suburban transportation infrastructure and rural transit needs “without higher taxes or higher fees.”Current state law dictates the first $32 million of revenues collected from the tax each year are deposited in the General Fund. The remainder is split evenly between the County State-Aid Highway Fund and the Greater Minnesota transit account.Approved by the committee and sent to the House Taxes Committee, Koznick’s bill would split those reallocated funds evenly between rural transit and county state-aid highways in the Twin Cities’ “collar counties.”There is no Senate companion.Some members took exception to the exclusion of the state’s most populous counties, with Rep. Clark Johnson (DFL-North Mankato) saying the move pitted one part of the state against another for much-needed transportation funding. Rep. Ron Erhardt (DFL-Edina), whose district lies entirely within Hennepin County, said much of the leased vehicle sales tax revenue is generated in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. To exclude them from the reallocated tax revenue, he said, “That’s baloney.”“You say, ‘We’ve been paying for it,’” Erhardt told Koznick. Continue Reading

Broad coalition ramps up pressure for action on transportation

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 Concerned that state lawmakers won’t act to address Minnesota’s transportation needs, advocates delivered thousands of signatures to the state Capitol Feb. 12, after hearing a call to action from Governor Mark Dayton.“The real question comes down to: What kind of Minnesota do we want in 10 years?” Dayton asked a packed room where members of The Transportation Alliance and MoveMn had gathered for Transportation Day. The groups include labor unions, businesses, local governments and community organizations from across the state.“If you’re willing to accept things getting worse in 10 years . . . Continue Reading