Midway Como Frogtown Monitor

Planning tool updated for Allianz Field site

Development around Allianz Field is anticipated to be scaled back from what was originally planned, according to an alternative urban areawide review or AUAR update completed late last year. … more

By Jane McClure | 1/17/23

Chocolat Céleste owner Mary Leonard adds a layer of chocolate to truffles at her Midway facility. Leonard battled breast cancer in 2020, but didn’t miss a day of work. She had chocolates to create, after all. Each chocolate is hand made with fresh whipping cream, small batch butter and the finest fair trade cocoas. The company that she started at age 46 was named after her beloved Bichon Frise. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

A sweet journey

Chocolat Céleste owner Mary Leonard didn’t take a day off work when she was being treated for breast cancer. Not even when she was dealing with severe radiation burns.It was her busy … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 1/16/23

Enchanted by the Mississippi

The research for Thomas Becknell’s recent book, “Enchantments of the Mississippi,” began years before he actually wrote the book. “At the outset, I must have read at least a … more

By Jan Willms | 1/16/23

Tips to help kids struggling with social media

Social media is a big part of young people’s lives. It has its benefits, and being able to keep in touch with friends and family remotely was one of the saving graces in the early stages of the … more

1/16/23

Como students from the Marine Corps JROTC serve the community at a Toys for Tots drive in December. (Photo by Sgt. Major James Kirkland)

Cadets sort, distribute toys

Como Park’s Marine Corps JROTC cadets continued their tradition of volunteering for Toys for Tots during the holiday season. Cadets collected, sorted and distributed brand new and unwrapped … more

By Eric Erickson, Social studies teacher | 1/16/23

Under the Hood columnist, Susan Schaefer, shares her spectacular view of the Mississippi River. (Photo by Susan Schaefer)

Gifts of season give reason to reflect

HyggeCertainly, the long, cold, dark Minnesota winters can spark a melancholia for some. Yet frigid temperatures and spare daytime hours can also create the mood to hibernate, as other creatures of … more

By Susan Schaefer | 1/16/23

New CEO named at Our Lady of Peace Hospice

Jeff Thorne took the helm at Our Lady of Peace Hospice and Home Health Care on Dec. 30, 2022, replacing Joe Stanislav who is retiring as CEO after 32 years of service. Thorne brings 25 years of … more

1/16/23

Then and now photos at Jan. 21 benefit

The community is invited to a “then and now” slide show about Frogtown and the Midway area at Half Time Rec (1013 Front St.) on Saturday, Jan. 21 from noon to 3 p.m. There will be … more

1/16/23

Plan it

WINTERRIESE CONCERT JAN. 22 Award-winning collaborators Justin Anthony Spenner (Baritone) and Caron Rose Schneider (Piano) will perform Franz Schubert’s beautiful, dramatic, and monumental song … more

1/16/23

Minnesota Tool Library moves Saint Paul branch

The Minnesota Tool Library is excited to share tools and trade skills in a new location for the 2023 lending season. In December volunteers were busy helping their local cooperative lending library … more

1/16/23

Tidbits

CORP HONORS MARK KOENIGThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, recently named Mark Koenig of St. Paul, Minnesota, as its 2022 hall of fame inductee. Over the course of his 41-year … more

1/16/23

Development update

Project at former school buildingA Merriam Park development project, which hit some delays, is moving ahead. The St. Paul Planning Commission Jan. 6 approved a conditional use permit and variances … more

By Jane McClure | 1/16/23

Hamline Midway Library wins one

The quest for a spot on the National Register of Historic Places for the Hamline Midway Branch Library moved one step ahead on Nov. 15, 2022. Minnesota’s State Historic Preservation Review … more

By Jane McClure | 12/13/22

Keystone food center gets $1.7 million boost

Construction on Keystone Community Services’ planned new food center gets underway in January, with a goal of opening the doors later in 2023. That’s welcome news to anyone who has relied … more

By Jane McClure | 12/13/22

Eugene Johnson and his children (Angelic, age eight, and Angelica, age nine) appreciate the experience they’ve had through Shop with Cops. Johnson told Midway Area Chamber of Commerce members about it during a fundraiser on Nov. 30, 2022. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Happy tidings from Shop With Cops

Last year, Christmas was looking pretty bleak for the Eugene Johnson family.Johnson fell off a second story building onto a fence, and was hospitalized for weeks. Then he spent time in a wheelchair. … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 12/13/22

LFL can’t go in boulevard

One of the six Little Free Libraries installed as part of the 2021 “Love Letters for the Midway” project isn’t feeling the love. Matthew and Jamie Wright’s quest to keep their … more

By Jane McClure | 12/12/22

Cheniqua Johnson announces candidacy

Cheniqua Johnson, lifelong Minnesotan, public servant, community leader, and proud first-generation homeowner in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood, hopes to continue serving Saint Paul residents … more

12/12/22

Luke Kabat is the assistant manager at Frattallone’s Como Avenue store, one of their many Twin Cities locations. Local stores carry items that can keep folks warmer this winter. (Photo by Susan Schaefer)

Warming up for winter

Ever been accused of having a thin skin? When it comes to maintaining proper body temperature, this old adage is no joke. As we age, our metabolic rate decreases and our skin literally thins. Often, … more

By Susan Schaefer | 12/12/22

Gita Ghei, a longtime volunteer in both Hamline-Midway and Frogtown, holds up a tree that has just been extracted from a gravel-filled nursery bed. Gravel bed-grown trees form dense clumps of roots that aid in transplantation. (Photo courtesy of Frogtown Green)

Free trees for Frogtown, Hamline-Midway residents

Frogtown GreenSince 2011, volunteers in the Frogtown neighborhood have been planting free trees in residents’ homes. Inspired by those efforts, and alarmed by recent declines in urban tree … more

By Mae Macfarlane | 12/12/22

The Irreducible Grace Foundation is now operating the Black Youth Healing Arts Center at the former St. Paul City School building. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)

Center for black youth opens

“Urban has become the new word for Black. Let us say Black Students.” - Lucky Rosenbloom “The bonds of our common humanity are stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and … more

By Melvin Giles peacebubbles@q.com | 12/12/22