NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES | Mount Como Has it: Snow!
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Mount Como, the steep hill in Como Park where snowboarding and ski lessons take place every winter, is as white as a snow-capped Alpine mountain.
FREE SPEECH ZONE | OUR CLASS at Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company: A Class Act Leads to Massacre!
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When Poland is invaded by the Russians and then the Germans, pre-existing fears are heightened, extreme paranoia grows, and allegiances are misaligned over and over. In one small town, friends turn on friends, neighbors are pitted against neighbors, and school- yard bullying escalates into a horrific and unbelievable massacre.
NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES | Ready to Trade in Falling Leaves for Snow? Como Ski and Snowboard Programs Open for Registration
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The city budget, much like the weather, seems unpredictable in these days of challenges and changes.
Mussels, beer and pot brownies – Dutch cuisine at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall
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Well, cuisine isn’t exactly the right word, but the new Amsterdam Bar & Hall in downtown St. Paul does have a nice selection of Dutch broodjes (sandwiches) and appetizers, as well as Dutch and Belgian beers. It also offers its own version of one culinary specialty that the coffeehouses of Amsterdam are famous for: pot brownies.
FREE SPEECH ZONE | Minnesota Legislature Plays Prince John
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In the story of Robin Hood, Prince John’s “tax collectors” extract revenue from the poor and provide nothing in return. There is no appeal, no recourse. In Minnesota, the State legislature is playing the same role as Prince John when it extracts taxes from the citizens of Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth and leaves a set of emasculated mayors and city administrators who are limited by law to do no more than to come before the legislature, hat-in-hand, to plead on behalf of their constituents.Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. Continue Reading
NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES | Taking Spring Cleaning Outside: St. Paul’s Citywide Spring Cleanup
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It’s been a long winter, but the snow is finally disappearing.
The New Normal in the Neighborhoods: Q&A with St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman
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St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman has a lot on his plate right now. Republicans are pushing for state budget cuts in local government aid to cities, which could drastically affect St. Paul. The debate in the legislature rages as communities on the ground continue to deal with the recession, which hit some St. Continue Reading
FREE SPEECH ZONE | Singing “This Land is Your Land” at the Minnesota State Capitol
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It was cold, but my heart was warm after the the rally on Saturday, February 26 in support of our Union friends in Wisconsin. Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. Continue Reading
NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES | Rince na Chroi Irish Dance Saturday February 19
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St. Patrick’s Day is approaching. I can almost hear the pipes calling and the dancers clogging.
FREE SPEECH ZONE | The Coming Senior Housing Crunch is a Solvable Crisis
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With the recent release of the US Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey and results from the 2010 count imminent, we are poised to gain insight into how the demographics of our cities and neighborhoods are changing. However, there is one demographic trend this data will likely show that should come as no surprise: seniors are making up a growing percentage of Minnesota’s population. Unlike many societal shifts, this is a change that researchers have seen coming for quite some time. With each passing life phase, this population cohort has left their mark on the landscape. We built additional schools in the 1950s and 1960s to educate them. We constructed additional houses and roads to reach them as they started families in the 1970s and 1980s. Now, we must build once again as more and more of this generation transitions from work to retirement. Chief among the concerns within the growing ranks of seniors is finding housing that both supports an independent lifestyle and is affordable on a fixed income. While there are certainly new developments being created for those with ample financial resources, recently released data suggests that there is demand for a greater breadth of housing options. Five year estimates from 2005 to 2009 released by the US Census Bureau indicates that the rising cost of rental housing is a source of financial strain for many seniors across the state. An analysis of this data performed by the Minnesota Housing Partnership shows that in 39 counties a majority of households headed by renters age 65 or older are spending 30 percent or more of their household income on housing. Paying thirty percent of household income or more toward housing is the threshold used by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for defining a significant rent burden. Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. Continue Reading