News | Midway Como Frogtown Monitor

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN What happens if Interstate 94 is removed between St. Paul and Minneapolis?Our Streets Minneapolis is leading the conversation to rethink I-94 and consider various … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 8/12/22

Citizens rally outside the Hamline Midway Library to express support for saving the historic building on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (Photo submitted)

No recommendation on historic status

The Hamline Midway Branch Library’s nomination for the National Register of Historic Places moves on with no recommendation from the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). After … more

By JANE McCLURE | 8/12/22

The site of the Midway shopping center (above) is empty on the east side of Allianz Field, while The Pitch and the Pivot, two six-story, multi-use buildings, have risen on the west side. The nearby sites where Big Top Liquor and DTLR Sports Dome were formerly located also remain vacant and covered by grass. CVS closed its location on the corner of Snelling and University. The locally-owned Lloyd’s Pharmacy rebuilt at its former location at 720 Snelling Ave. N. (Photos by Tesha M. Christensen)

Perspectives on University Ave.

How have businesses in the Midway weathered the dual challenges of the pandemic and racial unrest? Hear from two local leaders, one from the art community and the other from the business … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 7/13/22

Neighbor Sylvie Wolfson is pictured reading with George.

Midway signs inspire children’s book

By JAN WILLMS When children’s book author Ioana Stoian started taking her two and a half-year-old son, George, on walks to the Hamline-Midway Library, he would stop and point at the … more

7/13/22

City’s new deeply affordable housing to open in Midway

A unique and historic University Avenue building will become the Twelve22 University apartment building, as part of a larger effort to provide very low-income housing. The St. Paul City Council … more

By JANE McCLURE | 7/13/22

Winston Smith’s brother Kidale Smith (center) speaks as Winston’s mother, Tijuana Wilson (left) and sister, Tamara Wilson (right) stand by his side. (Photo by Jill Boogren)

Family, friends seek answers in Winston Smith killing

One year after law enforcement officers killed 32-year-old father and comedian Winston “Boogie” Smith Jr. at the top of an Uptown parking ramp, his family, friends and community members … more

By JILL BOOGREN | 6/26/22

The city plans to demolish the historic Hamline Midway Library and build a new one, as shown by this rendering.

Hamline-Midway library to be demolished

By Jane McClure The Hamline Midway Library will be demolished and replaced with a new structure for $5.8 million. St. Paul Public Library administration announced the decision May 26, 2022. Social … more

By Jane McClure | 6/26/22

Como resident Charlotte Tracy (above) is a part of the city’s only professional ballet company and school, the Ballet Co.Laboratory, as are her sisters, Isabelle and Hazel. (Photo by Alexis Lund)

Sisters who dance

As the school year draws to a close, most high school students are focused on final exams, proms, and preparations for graduation. Como resident Charlotte Tracy, a trainee dancer with Ballet … more

6/26/22

Angela Harrelson calls the shift that has taken place since the death of her nephew, George ‘Perry’ Floyd, “the Great Awakening.” (Photo by Jill Boogren)

A voice for justice

Becoming an activist in a worldwide movement for racial justice was beyond anything Angela Harrelson would have imagined for her life. But the murder of her nephew, George Perry Floyd, Jr. – or … more

By JILL BOOGREN | 6/26/22

Community split on library

By JANE McCLURE A decision on the future of the Hamline Midway Branch Library will be announced by St. Paul Public Library administration this month. If recent community forums and surveys are any … more

By JANE McCLURE | 5/11/22

Jason Espinoza spray-paints a catalytic converter during an event on May 4 at Allianz Field. In the first four months of this year, over 1,204 catalytic converters have been reported stolen in St. Paul. Auto salvage companies are on the alert and will refuse to buy painted converters.

FIGHT AGAINST CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFTS

On Wednesday, May 4, 2022 members of the Saint Paul Police Department, headed by Sr. Commander K. Hallstrom, organized three lines in Allianz Field’s parking lot to help fight the rash of … more

By Terry Faust | 5/11/22

Autumn holds her new baby sister, Delylah. (Photo courtesy of Kelsey Kruse)

FAILED BY FAMILY COURT

Helpless and hopeless.That’s how Kelsey Kruse felt for years as she tried to co-parent with her ex and his wife, Brett and Sarah Hallow.And then one day, she got the call she was scared … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 5/11/22

Brittany Seaver holds her newly born infant. She used the doula services in 2011 when the program was quite new, and is now a doula herself. “You have no choice of where you go or how much medical care you receive. You feel like you are not heard or respected,” said Seaver. (Photo submitted)

THE PRISON DOULA PROJECT:

Giving birth to a child can be both a wonderful and challenging experience. But when you are incarcerated, the challenges can be even greater.Acknowledging this fact and trying to provide a more … more

By JAN WILLMS | 4/16/22

Questions roil around redistricting process

St. Paul’s new ward boundaries are in place for the 2023 city council elections, with charter commission approval in March. But do those boundaries create opportunities for BIPOC office seekers … more

By JANE McCLURE | 4/16/22

What do you think?

Building design concepts and “design direction” for the Hamline Midway Branch Library are the focus of an open house 3-5 p.m. Saturday, April 23 at the library at 1558 W. Minnehaha Ave. … more

By JANE McCLURE | 4/16/22 | 1 comment

A SHOE STORY

Gene Hartsock is stepping away from a cobbler’s life. Gene’s Hartland Shoe & Boot Repair winds down operations this month, after having a Midway presence since 1989.“I want to … more

By JANE McCLURE | 4/16/22

CO-STRUGGLING

The past year has been less challenging for Dr. Jason Sole and his abolitionist work, in spite of the ongoing pandemic and the social unrest across much of the country.The Hamline adjunct professor, … more

By JAN WILLMS | 3/17/22

View of Katherine Kierland Herberger Gallery / Community Commons / Gallery 110 with objects installed for the exhibition "Racism as a Public Health Crisis: Youth and Professional Artists Respond" at Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Exploring ‘Racism as a Public Health Crisis’

As an art teacher at St. Paul’s Como Park High School, Sydney Willcox seeks to connect student creations with their own lived experiences.A recent collaboration with local artists allowed that … more

By ERIC ERICKSON | 3/17/22

TEENS PROTEST

Teens from across the Twin Cities walked out of class on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, and gathered at Central High School in St. Paul to protest the use of no-knock warrants and stand up to police violence … more

by TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 3/17/22