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Lilligren asks police to look into "illegal campaign activities"
UPDATED November 18, 2009, 5:16pm
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By Dylan Thomas
City Council Member Robert Lilligren said Wednesday he asked Minneapolis Police to investigate “illegal campaign activities” that targeted him prior to his re-election Nov. 3. In an email to supporters, Lilligren [Ward 6] said both the distribution of postcards attacking him and the alleged theft of some of his campaign materials were crimes. Police had begun a criminal investigation, he said. “These tactics of fear and intimidation we saw this year must not be allowed to infect other Minnesota elections,” he said in the email. The anti-Lilligren postcard showed up in some 6th Ward residents’ mailboxes Oct. 23, less than two weeks before Election Day. It claimed the council member was “against all immigrants, minorities and women in the 6th Ward.” The postcard also claimed Lilligren was guilty of drinking and driving, that he attended meetings intoxicated and that he was under investigation and could be indicted of unspecified crimes. The postcard was credited to Citizens for the Sixth Ward, but that group was not a registered political action committee. Lilligren acknowledged an April 2005 arrest for driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent, above the then-legal limit of .10 percent. He pled guilty and said last month nothing like it had happened since. Asked in October about the other claims, Lilligren said they were so “outrageous” he would not “dignify them with a response.” In his email message, Lilligren said “thousands of pieces” of his own campaign literature were stolen the night before the election. He reported both the postcard and the stolen campaign literature to police. “I hope the people who did these things are identified and successfully prosecuted,” he wrote in the email. On Election Day, Lilligren won in the first round, receiving 1,020 of 1,930 votes, or 52.3 percent of all votes cast.
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Community divided on dog park proposal
By Jake Weyer
Emotions soared at a racially split meeting about whether to build an off-leash area for dogs at Martin Luther King Park in Kingfield.
KINGFIELD — A tense, culturally divisive meeting about whether to add an off-leash area for dogs at Martin Luther King Park has prompted the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to step back and take a fresh look at alternative options for a dog park in Southwest.
More than 100 people attended the Park Board-hosted meeting Sept. 2 at King Park and dozens lined up at a microphone to offer their thoughts on the issue to the group, which included City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden (8th Ward), Park Board staff and several commissioners. With a handful of exceptions, the speakers were racially split on whether to add the dog park.
Supporters, almost all of them white, wanted the added amenity to socialize and exercise their pets, build community and reduce crime. Opponents, nearly all of them black, viewed Martin Luther King Park as sacred ground, a memorial to a great civil rights leader and a family park that is no place for dogs, which during King’s time were commonly used to attack civil rights marchers.
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Neighborhood notebook
By Dylan Thomas and Nick Halter
Linden Hills9/11 Tribute preparing for year nineIt’s been nearly nine years since the 9/11 attacks, and the Linden Hills community is once again doing its part to keep the events of that day on the minds and hearts of Twin Cities’ residents. For the ninth consecutive year, Bob Bayers, owner of Bayers Do It Best Hardware, is producing the “9-11 Tribute: Our Community Remembers” memorial concert at the Lake Harriet Band Shell. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11. “We are not letting people forget,” said Bayers, who wants people to remember 9/11 the way the previous generation remembers Pearl Harbor. The 90-minute program features a 58-person chorus and a 64-person
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Watching out for the homeless
By Sarah McKenzie
Volunteer outreach worker Jerry Fleischaker honored with prestigious McKnight awardAfter Jerry Fleischaker’s wife died of Alzheimer’s disease, he came across a newspaper article about St. Stephen’s Human Services’ work reaching out to homeless people with mental health issues. The story inspired him to start volunteering for St. Stephen’s. Now the 79-year-old retired pharmaceutical sales representative volunteers full time for the downtown-based organization. “My wife died of Alzheimer’s in 2002. I saw the care she needed,” Fleischaker told Monica Nilsson, director of street outreach and community education for St. Stephen’s. “I was haunted by the thought that people might be out
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Peace through meditation
By Brent Renneke
Outside the door, about 50 pairs of shoes ranging from high-heels to flip-flops piled up against the wall. Inside, barefooted people filled up every seat in the spacious Uptown building. They were all there for one purpose — finding peace in life through meditation. The meeting at 3115 Hennepin Ave. S. was one of many around the world that were part of Tergar International, a Minneapolis-based network of meditation centers that spans four continents. Under the teachings of an internationally known Tibetan Buddhist, the members of Tergar are learning the value of mediation in everyday life.Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche started Tergar International a year ago, so his followers could come together and further their practice in his teachings through guided
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Chief Supreme
By Gregory J. Scott
Lorie Gildea is in charge of a $300 million, 315-judge court system. And she lives in your neighborhood.“I love my neighbors!” Lorie Gildea didn’t flinch when we asked her about Lowry Hill. The Southwest neighborhood, overwhelming liberal, is one of the bluest regions in an already blue state. A quick scan of the 2008 election results shows that 80 percent of voters in the area backed Obama. A solid 68 percent wanted Al Franken as senator, and 76 percent helped push U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison toward reelection. Meanwhile, Gildea, a judge, had just wrapped up a two-year appointment to the Minnesota Supreme Court (she was elected to a second, six-year term that same year). The guy who appointed her? Republican Gov. Tim
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Parks update // Park Board talks docks
By Jake Weyer
Park Board talks docksDuring a lively discussion following the regular Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board meeting Aug. 18, the board’s recreation committee discussed the possibility of reintroducing swim docks and relaxing beach rules. Staff gave a presentation about current beach rules, lifeguard duties and dock options, which included a comparison to neighboring cities. At-Large Commissioner Bob Fine and Commissioner Brad Bourn (District 6) have been the drivers of the idea of bringing back swim docks and relaxing beach rules as a way to revive the city’s beach attendance. They found plenty of agreement at the meeting. “I’m very much in favor of relaxing the rules and encouraging more and more people to come
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Green digest // Greener district
By Dylan Thomas
New school year, greener districtFor Minneapolis Public Schools, the benefits of a greener district are many. The district’s efforts to reduce energy consumption and increase recycling rates are a good cause for a collective pat on the back that also generate much-needed cost savings. But they may have educational value in the classroom, too. Meredith Fox, special assistant to Chief of Policy and Operations Steve Liss, told the School Board in a presentation this summer the new “green reports” that will soon generate regular energy use, recycling and waste reports for each school site in the district could find their way into the curriculum. Science classes, for example, could use the information to calculate the carbon
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Park Board looks to make $50,000 from donated artwork
By Jake Weyer
A statue set donated in 1955 for placement in the Rose Garden has been in storage ever sinceFive little-known sculptures tucked away since a family donated them to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board more than a half-century ago might soon see the light of day. The cash-strapped board has been looking into a variety of new ways, large and small, to boost its revenue and earlier this summer discussed the possibility of selling the Greek-themed marble artwork set for $50,000. The income would be put toward maintaining the park’s existing artwork. Iron-ore entrepreneur Russell M. Bennett commissioned the works — a sculpted table and the busts of two Pan characters and two satyrs — in 1913. Local sculptor Charles Brioschi
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Schools notebook // Go-To cards
By Dylan Thomas
Go-To cards go to high school studentsMinneapolis Public Schools purchased 1,280 Go-To Card transit passes to distribute to high school students who lost district-provided transportation this fall, Metro Transit spokesman Bob Gibbons said in August. “Our enemy is the single-occupant car, and we appreciate the opportunity to capture these young people when they’re in high school because then we have the potential of having them be lifelong riders,” Gibbons said. He said the cards cost $172 per semester, putting the cost to the district at about $220,000. The district’s total spending on transportation topped $28 million in the 2009–2010 school year. The Changing School Options cost-saving
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Crime reports
By Nick Halter
Editor’s note: Alleged crimes against persons (assault, murder, robbery) will feature the + symbol. Note, this compilation of crime reports provides highlights of area criminal activity. It’s not intended to be a comprehensive overview of Southwest crime.
ECCOAug. 18, 8:30 p.m., 3120 Hennepin Ave. S. A man parked his car at 8:30 p.m. and went to a friend’s nearby residence. At 6 a.m. the next morning he discovered that someone had smashed his passenger-side window and took his backpack. Aug. 18, 10 p.m., 3008 Hennepin Ave. S. A man parked his car at 9:30 p.m. in front of North Face while he went to Aura Restaurant and Bar. When he returned at 10:30 p.m. he
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Architect suggested for new Walker Library
By Jake Weyer
County commissioners will vote this month on a selection committee’s top pickDesign work for a new Walker Library on the existing Uptown site will begin in earnest this fall following the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners’ approval of an architect for the project. The county’s Designer Selection Committee recommended a firm earlier this summer after reviewing 21 proposals. The name won’t be released until Sept. 14, when a board committee reviews the suggestion. The full county board is scheduled to vote on the matter Sept. 21. If the architect is approved, the board will direct staff to negotiate a contract, said County Commissioner Gail Dorfman, whose represents the area. Then the firm will begin drawing up plans
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Kingfield youth working on event to unite community
By Katherine Lymn
KINGFIELD — A diverse group of Kingfield neighborhood youth is breaking barriers and battling bigotry with a program to unite the community. Participants range in age from 13 to 18 and have been meeting biweekly since June to work on what will be the culmination of the program: a culture clash event in October. “One of the things that this group is doing, that I think is historical work, [is] they are trying to figure out how they bring teenagers and other young people together from different socio-economic backgrounds,” said Kyle Rucker, executive director of nonprofit youth organization Project Footsteps, which is leading the effort. “They talk about the dividing lines.” Rucker said he got lucky with the socio-economic
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Biz buzz // Studiiyo 23
By Nick Halter
Urban fashion store and art gallery opens on HennepinWith rare Michael Jordan sneakers dating back to 1985, local art work, a DJ table and pinewood floors, Moh Habib on Aug. 21 unveiled Studiiyo 23, an urban fashion store and art gallery at 2319 Hennepin Ave. Everything about Studiiyo 23, from the name to the design to the merchandise, is a reflection of Habib, a 34-year-old world traveler who spent his high school and college years in Minnesota. “In those travels — I’ve been to 30 countries and 169 cities so far — I picked up the best of what I like from all those spots, and what I did was try to merge everything I love in life into one space,” he said. Habib has spent the last eight years
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Harriet concession contract nears approval
By jake weyer
The board will decide this month whether to approve local restaurateur Kim Bartmann’s concept, Bread & PickleAfter more than a year of community review and a selection process that narrowed a field of nearly a dozen applicants, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is scheduled to vote this month on a new Lake Harriet concession contract. Staff recommended local restaurateur Kim Bartmann’s concept, Bread & Pickle, based on the suggestion of a community group that reviewed and interviewed the applicants. That group was made up of former members of a Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) the Park Board assembled last year after public outcry over a proposed concession change that would have required a new building. The CAC examined
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Superintendent’s top priority: academics
By Dylan Thomas
Bernadeia Johnson talks about her approach to the district’s top jobSpeaking one week before school bells rang in the start of another year, new Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson was clear on her top priority for the next nine months: academics. That may not be a surprising stance for a schools superintendent, especially one who previously served as the district’s chief academic officer. But Johnson also oversees business functions of an organization with a $680 million budget and 5,600 employees; one facing a projected $19 million shortfall in 2010–2011 and a teachers contract in arbitration; and a district whose reorganization last year shuttered schools and limited bus transportation for students.
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