Rebuild Repair Recycle | Midway Como Frogtown Monitor

Anna Lovat, Como Park Senior High School student

When I say I love insects, I’m normally met with a blank stare. Or worst case – a shudder. It’s not a very popular take, but with insect populations drastically declining across the … more

By Anna Lovat | 4/14/22

A family group participates in the 2021 parks cleanup event at Frogtown Park & Farm. (Photo courtesy of Frogtown Green)

Who cares about litter?

Have you noticed those people with blue and purple bags, picking up litter at the park on a Saturday in April? Are those litter-removers actually doing anything to help the environment, or are they … more

By PATRICIA OHMANS | 4/14/22

Volunteer Gail Frethem plays with Basswood at the Feline Rescue shelter, located at 593 Fairview Ave N. The organization is always lookng for help at its shelter and to foster cats. (Photo by Penny Fuller)

Felines find ‘furever’ homes

Longtime Feline Rescue volunteer Nancy Miller writes monthly newsletters and works as a shift lead. “I love this work because I see first-hand the difference that volunteering makes in the … more

By Penny Fuller | 3/17/22

Both retail stores carry three main brands of computers: Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo. Large quantities of computers are sold to schools and non-profits, but community members are welcome to shop too. Wil James is the store manager of the St. Paul store.

Tech Dump recycles almost anything with a cord or battery

The non-profit electronics recycler Tech Dump just celebrated its 10th anniversary. With retail outlets now in St. Paul and Golden Valley, they provide an affordable, reliable source of refurbished … more

By Margie O’Loughlin | 2/10/22

Kevin Smoky Day, Ojibwe language instructor at Takoda Prep High School, led the evening prayer. He said, “When students ask me how to say a prayer in Ojibwe, I tell them it’s simple. You only need these words, ‘Thank you, Creator.’” (Photo by Margie and Pat O’Loughlin)

Urban Indigenous Legacy Initiative unveiled

Many buildings that serve Native Americans across the Twin Cities are outdated and dilapidated, making it even tougher to help those in need, according to Dr. Joe Hobot, president and CEO of the … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 1/11/22

RETHINK owner Kristen McCoy in an upcycled denim blazer. She explained, “To upcycle is to add value to something in the processing. We’re able to take a worn garment and turn it into something new. We take jeans that are no longer wearable and cut them into denim squares. The result is a reversible blazer that still has a lot of wear. It’s on sale at the shop, and is size fluid (small to large). (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

RETHINK upcycles old clothes with style

Artist and business founder Kristen McCoy has been rethinking the future of fashion for years. Along with her staff at RETHINK Tailoring & Sewing Lounge (3449 Bloomington Ave. S.), she offers an … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 12/11/21

The HiBAR team at their workplace in the St. Paul Midway neighborhood. HiBAR launched in late 2018, and is already on the shelves in more than 10,000 stores across the country. Founder Nora Scharper said, “The world needs one or two brands that can popularize the idea and practice of being plastic-free, and we intend to be one of them.” (Top photos submitted, bottom photo at right by Margie O'Loughlin)

HiBAR co-founders drawn together by sense of purpose

By now, everyone has seen images of plastic-strewn beaches around the world. Half a billion shampoo and conditioner bottles get tossed out every year in this country alone. Nora Schaper and her three … more

By Margie O’Loughlin | 11/12/21

Segundo Velasquez, co-founder of Mano a Mano. (Photo by Margie O'Loughlin)

Non-profit sends medical supplies to Bolivia – and shares surplus at home

Joan and Segundo Velasquez founded Mano a Mano in 1994 with the goal of saving surplus medical supplies from the landfill in Minnesota and shipping them to Bolivia, where those supplies were … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 10/17/21

Treaties not Tar Sands

On Aug. 25, several hundred protestors gathered at the MLK Recreation Center in St. Paul. Since Aug. 7, a group of water protectors have been traveling on foot 256 miles from Line 3's upstream … more

9/16/21

Maggie Barnick, a natural resources tech with Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, ready to steward near the Historic Street Car Station at Como Regional Park. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Volunteers pitch in as Como Park Stewards

For over 100 years, Como Regional Park has been meeting the recreational needs of residents of Saint Paul and surrounding communities. There really is something for everyone at the park with Como … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 9/16/21

Ryan Companies Parks and Public Spaces project manager Mac Pegovac and Bob Fossum of CRWD check out the progress of the storm water management at the heart of the redevelopment project at the former Ford Assembly Plant property. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Reviving upper Hidden Falls Creek

This summer, workers are building a channel and bridge that will connect a recreated upper Hidden Falls Creek with the lower falls at East River Parkway and Magoffin Avenue.It’s part of the … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 8/12/21

Shavek McKee, District 10 Executive Director

New vice chair, sub-district 1 member on board

A special election to fill two District 10 board vacancies was held in July. Como community members elevated sitting Sub-District 4 board member Benjamin Kowalsky-Grahek to the Vice Chair seat and … more

8/12/21

Community members officially cut the ribbon to open Midway Peace Park on June 15, 2021.

Students, residents at Skyline Tower made their vision happen

Located in the Midway Area, Midway Peace Park (416 N Griggs St.) is the newest completed component of the city of Saint Paul’s vision to create vibrant outdoor gathering spaces that strengthen … more

7/23/21

Miriam Friesen (pictured left) and Trudy Dunham (pictured right), co-creators of Replant Minnehaha Trees. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Replant Minnehaha Avenue Trees

Trudy Dunham and Miriam Friesen are on a mission: they want to replace the nearly 100 ash trees removed from the Hamline Midway neighborhood faster than city officials are proposing. Last month, the … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 7/23/21

A mural adjacent to the Lily Pad garden on the southwest corner of Dale St. and Lafond Ave. celebrates neighborhood pride. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Creating green space in heart of city

The Lily Pad is an emerging community garden and gathering space on the southwest corner of Dale Street and Lafond Avenue in the Frogtown neighborhood. The Hmong Funeral Home occupied that space from … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 6/9/21

Volunteers assist staff at the ReStore locations. (Photo submitted)

Do-It-Yourselfers love ReStore

Local Do-It-Yourselfers head to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore at 510 County Road D West or 2700 Minnehaha Ave. to get inspired.The outlet sells new and like-new furniture, appliances and building … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 6/9/21

Marvin Roger Anderson at the Rondo Commemorative Plaza (on the corner of St. Anthony and Fisk avenues). (Photos by Margie O’Loughlin)

Connecting past, present, future

ReConnect Rondo (RCR) is leading the effort to revitalize St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood. The non-profit organization and its partners propose building a community land bridge that would cap … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 5/12/21

MEET AUTHOR Tasoulla Hadjiyanni - “I was 10 years old when Turkey invaded the Cyprus and my family joined the thousands of refugees around the world, losing everything we had ever known. Losing my house and home ruptured my way of being. I embarked on a new life as a 10-year old child of war, rootless, fearful, and apprehensive, with a gap in my heart that could not be closed. “To counteract my sense of loss, I turned to my schoolwork – education, my parents told me, is something no one can ever take away from you. Before completing high school, I was awarded an AMIDEAST scholarship to study architecture in the U.S., a diplomatic effort on the part of the U.S. to assist refugees in Cyprus rebuild their lives. Little did I know that I would meet my husband a few months before graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and move to Minnesota. ‘My experiences as a refugee and a member of the Greek diaspora propelled me to connect with others who experienced displacement and injustice as part of my healing process. I was struggling with not knowing how to mend my broken self and worst of all, being pregnant at the time, I did not know how to create a sense of home for my daughter and my family. ‘In collecting the stories of refugees, immigrants and minorities both in Cyprus and Minnesota what struck me was recognizing that the effects of losing one’s cultural connections and sense of continuity carried forward for generations. I, therefore, used my platform to advocate for designs and policies that recognize home as a right and contribute to creating communities in which everyone can thrive.”

Thriving places, thriving lives

How does the design of your house or apartment help you live a healthy and connected life? Minneapolis resident Tasoulla Hadjiyanni has been studying this through her work as Northrop Professor of … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 4/14/21

This biomass illustration, which compares 2019 (left) with 2020, shows the improvement in eliminating curly-leaf pondweed (which is red). (Courtesy of Capitol Region Watershed District)

Proof: Como Lake water quality getting better

The herbicide that Capitol Region Watershed District used in 2020 to battle invasive curly-leaf pondweed in Como Lake, and the alum it used to battle excessive phosphorus, both are showing amazing … more

By Michael Kuchta | 4/14/21

Over 500 people marched along the Mississippi River on March 11 to protest Enbridge drilling their tar sands Line 3 pipeline under the headwaters of the Mississippi. It was part of the largest ever grassroots multi-faith day of action to lift up bold climate demands in over 40 countries. (Photos by Margie O’Loughlin)

Line 3 threatens Mississippi River

Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light held a rally on March 11 to protest the Enbridge Energy Line 3 Pipeline Replacement Program. A spokesperson for the group said, “Construction of the tar … more

4/14/21