| |
|
|
photo by dylan thomas
Veteran Twin Cities musicians Robb Schwartz, left, and John Hile were collaborators on “Dying to Make It,” an original rock opera based on Schwartz’s concept.
By Dylan Thomas
Rock opera years in the making debuts in February
WINDOM — The story of Paul Lyme was written, for the most part, in John Hile’s basement on a quiet, bungalow-lined street in Windom, just a stone’s throw away from Oak Hill Cemetery — which is appropriate since, when the story opens, Lyme is dead.
You can’t miss Hile’s house, not at night when the green bulb blazing above his front door lights up the street like someone left the lid up on the Xerox machine. If power failed at the airport, jet pilots could look for Hile’s house, bank west and touch down without a problem.
On Wednesday nights, the light guides a group of veteran Twin Cities musicians down to MonkeyTown Studios (Hile’s basement)
Full Article
|
|
Review of Linden Corner project postponed again
UPDATED January 24, 2012, 10:31am
By Drew Kerr
LINDEN HILLS — The Minneapolis Planning Commission will wait until their Feb. 6 meeting to take up the Linden Corner project. The Planning Commission was slated to take up the proposal for the first time on Jan. 9, but decided to delay action until their meeting on Monday after the city received a citizen’s petition calling for further review of the planned five-story mixed-use building. But the Planning Commission decided to delay a discussion on the project again because it remains unclear if further environmental review will be needed. The city’s Zoning and Planning Committee voted on Jan. 19 to reject the petitioners request for further environmental review, but the decision must be affirmed by the City Council,
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Parks update // Park Board eyeing more land along upper riverfront
By Nick Halter
Minneapolis Park Board members are giving staff more tools to acquire land along the river north of downtown, including money and bargaining directives. On Jan. 4, the Park Board approved a measure that allows staff to enter into non-binding letters of intent with property owners. Attorney Brian Rice told commissioners that there have been properties on the market but staff needs a strategy for acquiring them. “In your last two budgets, you’ve appropriated funds to do land acquisitions, particularly in the Above the Falls master plan,” he said. “There have been some properties that are on the market or could become on the market.” Rice was alluding to $1 million the Park Board has budgeted for riverfront development in
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Green digest // Power lines won’t overhang Greenway
By Dylan Thomas
Xcel Energy must bury two new high-voltage transmission lines under East 28th Street instead of stringing them above the Midtown Greenway as the utility originally proposed. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s Jan. 12 ruling on Xcel Energy’s Hiawatha Transmission Project ended more than two years’ worth of debate over where the lines should run and whether they were even needed. The Commission also granted Xcel a Certificate of Need for the project, determining Xcel’s arguments for the need to improve the Midtown area’s electrical infrastructure were valid. Xcel cited population growth and successful urban revitalization projects as two main factors driving increased electricity demand in the area. The utility first proposed
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Biz buzz // George and the Dragon coming to 50th and Bryant
By Southwest journal staff
50th & BRYANT — Classic English-style pub George and the Dragon has been revealed as the new business at 50th & Bryant, the location that was home to businesses such as Heidi’s and Patina before a destructive 2010 fire.
The new pub is the brainchild of Fred Navarro, a local veteran restaurant manager, and his wife Stacy Navarro. Fred Navarro managed multiple restaurants at the Mall of America through the Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants company, and his wife is handling much of the behind-the-scenes work.
Navarro said that his decision to go out on his own has much more to do with wanting to be a part of his community than a lifelong dream to run his own restaurant. The restaurant is six blocks away from his house and only three blocks f
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Civic beat // Amid overtime troubles, Fire Chief retires
By Nick Halter
Minneapolis Fire Chief Alex Jackson is retiring after three years on the job. Jackson is a 30-year veteran of the Fire Department and the first African American fire chief in Minneapolis. His last day will be Feb. 29. Rybak has nominated John Fruetel to replace Jackson. Fruetel served 31 years as a Minneapolis firefighter and most recently served as the city’s emergency preparedness training manager. In a news release, Rybak said he was disappointed Jackson made the decision to retire. Jackson, however, was facing grilling by the City Council over his department’s overtime budget. Fire Department numbers show that the city was on pace to dole out $1 million in overtime in 2011. The numbers also showed that firefighters were much
Full Article
|
|
|
|
City hall update // Cabs forced to accept credit cards
By Nick Halter
Taxicab drivers in Minneapolis will be forced to accept credit cards, but they won’t have any way to pass costly fees onto their customers. On an 11–2 vote, the City Council voted that by June 1, every cab operating in Minneapolis must have a credit card machine installed and its driver cannot turn down passengers wishing to use plastic. Council Member Gary Schiff authored the ordinance, saying it puts Minneapolis in line with other big cities and serves both residents and visitors who might find themselves in a pinch when looking for transportation but have no cash. But taxicab drivers say they’re being forced into public service at their own cost. The city regulates how much they can charge for a fare using a taxicab cost index
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Schools notebook // Tragic hockey injury inspires change
By Dylan Thomas
A movement to limit dangerous hits in youth hockey games quickly gained momentum following the devastating injury that left ECCO resident and Benilde-St. Margaret’s sophomore Jack Jablonski paralyzed. Jablonski sustained a serious spinal cord injury when he was checked into the boards from behind during a Dec. 30 junior varsity match against Wayzata. Within just a few weeks, youth hockey teams across Minnesota and even outside the state were pledging to prevent dangerous hits, and the Minnesota State High School League also took action to increase the penalties for risky contact during games. Steve Jecha, executive director of the Minneapolis Hockey Association, said his email inbox and voicemail were overwhelmed in the days after the association introduced Jack
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Stumping for Obama and running a city
By Nick Halter
When Mayor R.T. Rybak was selected as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee in September, he said his new gig would be a hobby. Some people fish and play golf, he said, but his pastime would be helping re-elect President Barack Obama. A look at his schedule spanning six weeks in December and January reveals that Rybak still spends most of his working days doing the city’s business, but he has also spent a sizeable chunk of his time in Iowa and New Hampshire acting as an Obama surrogate during the Republican primary race. From Dec. 1 through Jan. 10, Rybak spent 17 days working on city business. Depending on how you look at it, there were 20 or 25 regular working days during that time span. Rybak’s office says 20, because the City Council is
Full Article
|
|
|
|
A perfect neighborhood
By Sarah McKenzie
Veteran developer Ray Harris imagines what an ideal community would look like in his new book, ‘Welcome to Wynott’Change is inevitable, but if Ray Harris had his way we would do a much better job at managing change in our communities for the greater good. In his new book, Harris has created a mythical utopia called Wynott — a place where people live and work in smart and sustainable ways. They walk more, drive less and spend more time with one another socializing in common spaces. Harris, 82, is a long-time resident of downtown Minneapolis and developer behind Calhoun Square, Greenway Gables and the Loring Park dog park. The impetus for “Welcome to Wynott” came when Harris’ children urged him
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Planning Commission postpones decision on Linden Corner project
By Drew Kerr
LINDEN HILLS — A controversial condominium project planned for the Linden Hills neighborhood is getting closer scrutiny as the developer attempts to win city approval for the five-story building. The latest hiccup for Linden Corner — the mixed-use building proposed for the corner of 43rd and Upton Avenue — came at a Jan. 9 meeting of the Minneapolis Planning Commission at which residents hoped to speak out about the project before city officials for the first time. Commission members opted to put the conversation on hold until Jan. 23 after receiving a petition signed by 108 residents urging them to wait on a recommendation to the city council until the neighborhood group had an opportunity to weigh and more environmental reviews were completed.
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Southwest gets its ‘Tommy’
By Dylan Thomas
Rock opera years in the making debuts in February
WINDOM — The story of Paul Lyme was written, for the most part, in John Hile’s basement on a quiet, bungalow-lined street in Windom, just a stone’s throw away from Oak Hill Cemetery — which is appropriate since, when the story opens, Lyme is dead.
You can’t miss Hile’s house, not at night when the green bulb blazing above his front door lights up the street like someone left the lid up on the Xerox machine. If power failed at the airport, jet pilots could look for Hile’s house, bank west and touch down without a problem.
On Wednesday nights, the light guides a group of veteran Twin Cities musicians down to MonkeyTown Studios (Hile’s basement)
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Neighborhood notebook
By Drew Kerr, Jeremy Zoss and Dylan Thomas
WHITTIERSpringHouse Ministry Center opensA homecoming more than five years in the making, Salem English Lutheran has returned to its newly renovated church building at 610 W. 28th St., now called SpringHouse Ministry Center, a space it will share with two other small, progressive Protestant congregations. First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Lyndale United Church of Christ will join Salem in hosting an open house 1 p.m.–4 p.m. Feb. 4. A formal dedication of the building will take place during a special worship service March 25. Rev. Jen Nagel of Salem said the building now houses three separate sanctuaries that will be shared by the three congregations, each of which attracts about 60–70 people
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Art Beat // Between Heaven and Earth
By Dylan Thomas
Deciphering Nicholas Harper’s haunting portraitsWalk across the creaking wood floors of Nicholas Harpers’ Rogue Buddha Gallery in Northeast and you’ll find, behind a door in the back, a cluttered office where Harper does most of his painting. In the winter, Harper keeps warm with a natural gas-fired heater about the size of a mini-refrigerator that hangs from the office’s ceiling. On a recent visit, the heater’s blue flames glinted off a small, unfinished canvas covered in gold leaf. The painting was one of Harper’s attempts to incorporate the symbolism and techniques of religious iconography into his paintings, the results of which can be seen at Gallery 360 through mid-February. An artist known for his
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Flavor // Something’s gone awry
By Carla Waldemar
The menorah shining on the back bar at Rye was a good sign for those of us praying for, at last, a good Jewish deli. But the miracle those candles represent didn’t make it to the table. In fact, on the new deli’s already-revised menu, the notable icons of European Jewish tradition — tsimmes, kasha, kishka — have been dropped. Looks like bubbe’s left the kitchen. And, just as flu season approaches, taken back her recipe for chicken soup. Rye’s version features a modestly tasty broth dotted with a few root veggies (but no bird). Add noodles if you wish (they’re not house-made) or, for a few dollars more, a couple of kreplach — the Old Country’s version of ravioli. These slim pasta pockets hold bits of ground beef. Or go for
Full Article
|
|
|
|
The Weekend Tourist // Heat, humidity, and mist: the Como Conservatory
By Linda Koutsky
Brrrrr. … Even though we haven’t had piles of snow like last year, this time of year even diehard Minnesotans need relief. My friends and co-workers have fled to San Diego, Sanibel Island, and vast stretches of sandy beach in Mexico. I’m here to stay; I installed a new full-spectrum light bulb and plan on making the best of it. So this weekend, the best of it included a visit to the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in St. Paul’s Como Park. Like many of us who grew up in the Twin Cities I went there for the first time in about fourth grade. On that field trip I remember being enthralled with the millions of panes of glass overhead and a bright green, spindly papyrus plant growing in a shallow pool. The papyrus is gone, but the conservatory is still a
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Focus // Snow or no snow, here comes the Loppet
By Dylan Thomas
The City of Lakes Loppet marks 10 years
What does it take to make John Munger nervous? On the record, at least, the executive director of the City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation seemed to take the wimpy winter of 2012 in stride — even as the clock ticked down to the City of Lakes Loppet’s 10th anniversary, even as the mercury crept ever upward in the first 10 days of January. Was Munger worried? “My worry will start in two weeks,” he replied, coolly. “At that point, if the forecast is no snow and warm weather, then we would start making different plans. “These things happen,” he continued. “It’s the way winters work.” That was Munger’s position with
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Wild city // That love thing
By mary jean port
My husband and I are in a January funk. I get critical and peevish, he gets defensive, and we are off and running. One of the benefits of being together for 16 years, though, is that we know the drill. We can catch ourselves and talk about what is beneath our crabbiness, rather than taking it out on each other. If we aren’t too tired or stressed. If. Back when we were dating we were invited to a dinner party, and one of the couples told a hilarious, digressive story about a fight they had had driving home in a snowstorm. I felt jealous of their fondness for each other, even given their differences, and their freedom to be passionate and difficult. I went home and went to bed. Around midnight I called my husband-to-be on the phone, waking him. “
Full Article
|
|
|
|
A pledge to end homelessness
By Cathy ten Broeke
The New Year’s Resolution of The Office to End Homelessness: In 2012, we resolve to end homelessness for the 190 seniors (62 and older) who slept in shelters or on the streets in 2011, develop an even stronger collaboration to ensure children and youth who are homeless have the support they need to succeed, kick off the Downtown Business Community’s goal of ending street homelessness with a significant reduction in street homelessness and panhandling downtown, and continue to gather new partners and resources to this collective work.
I come into this New Year with great enthusiasm and energy for our initiative to end homelessness. People not directly involved with the initiative often remark that they can’t understand my optimism in these times o
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Letters to the editor
By Southwest Journal Readers
Support for Linden Corner My name is Maggie Koerth-Baker. I’ve lived at 50th and Xerxes for six years. Professionally, I’m a science journalist who just spent the last two years writing a book about the future of energy in the United States. Called “Before the Lights Go Out,” it will be published in April by Wiley and Sons. My husband, Christopher Baker, is an engineer who works on making buildings more energy efficient. Sustainability is very important to us. That’s why we support the development of Linden Corners as a multi-story building with both residences and commercial space. Evidence shows that infill projects like this are key to building more sustainable communities that reduce energy use and incre
Full Article
|
|
|
|
Year of the Empath
By jim Walsh
Much has been made of how new media and technology has muted our ability to connect in a real way, but I was grateful to have Facebook deliver the sad news of the deaths of Marv Davidov and Daniel Levy over the weekend. The old man and young man didn’t know each other, but within hours of their passing both touched, yanked and brought hearts together in a real way, as if we were all sitting shiva together in a massive mourning room that spanned the globe. Davidov was the 80-year-old peace activist who passed away after a life’s work of fighting the good fight against war and corporate greed. Levy was the 21-year-old son of Honeydogs bandleader and songwriter Adam Levy, who took his life after his too-short time on earth working as an artist and painter. The outpourin
Full Article
|
|
|
|
The case for Linden Corner
By Mark Dwyer
You’ve likely heard of Linden Corner — our proposed redevelopment in Linden Hills. We’d like to share why we feel this project will be a great fit for the neighborhood and the city. Since its beginnings as the final stop on the streetcar line from downtown, the Linden Hills business district has evolved into a fun destination for visitors and area residents alike. The success of the district is important to the health of the neighborhood. Because most Linden Hills businesses receive more than half of their sales from visitors, we are motivated to ensure this business node remains a welcoming and inclusive place. The northwest corner of 43rd & Upton offers an important opportunity to rejuvenate the business district with a mix of new housin
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
