Midway Como Frogtown Monitor

St. Paul COAST Unit members include (left to right) officer Lori Goulet, social worker Sally Vanerstrom, and officer Jen Hale. They respond to mental health calls, as well other crises. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Police officers, social workers ride together on crisis calls

While communities everywhere are calling for a changed model of policing, a small unit within the Saint Paul Police Department has been taking a different approach for almost three years. In March of … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 1/14/21

Looking back to move forward

As a young child, Denise Pike experienced an attempted cross-burning on the front lawn of her family’s home in St. Louis Park. Her own family was multi-racial, and they shared the duplex with a … more

By CHLOE PETERS | 12/9/20

TIF district moving ahead around Allianz Field

A new tax increment financing (TIF) district for the Snelling-Midway redevelopment site is moving ahead, with hopes it will spur affordable housing and redevelopment by Allianz Field. On Nov. 3, the … more

By JANE McCLURE | 11/11/20

Modern-day abolitionist

Hamline University adjunct criminal justice professor Jason Sole calls himself a survivor of the War on Drugs. He went from being a soldier on the streets to being a scholar, and … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 9/18/20

City ‘desperately’ needs help from other levels of government, says CM Jalali

About 330 St. Paul businesses sustained $73 million in property damage and $8.8 million in lost inventory and other assets during the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd. St. … more

By JANE McCLURE | 9/18/20

A Prayer for White America

By REV. DR. RON BELL, ronaldbelljr@gmail.com Dr. Ronald Bell When morning comes and the lingering stench of teargas burning wood and burned rubber fills the air Will you remember … more

By REV. DR. RON BELL, ronaldbelljr@gmail.com | 9/18/20

Lloyd’s Pharmacy reopens down the block after fire

Owner and pharmacist Jim Stage stands in front of the temporary location for Lloyd’s Pharmacy at 694 Snelling. (Photos by Tesha M. Christensen)[/caption] Six weeks after … more

by Tesha M. Christensen | 8/18/20

Will they find new locations in the Midway?

Fire destroyed the Foot Locker at the Midway Center on May 28, 2020. The leases for the stores there have been terminated prior to redevelopment. Some are looking for new … more

By JANE MCCLURE | 8/18/20

Springboard for the Arts springs back

Executive director Laura Zabel stands outside the new headquarters for Springboard for the Arts in Frogtown. A second renovation is in progress, following extensive property … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 8/18/20

What if I need to...

Capturing moments By Abha Karnick South Minneapolis writer and photographer, Abha Karnick They look at the combination, never verbally questioning. But they don’t have to – … more

By Abha Karnick South Minneapolis writer and photographer, | 8/18/20

She gets people talking

Shanene Herbert of Healing Justice St. Paul engages youth through power of words Shanene Herbert at the “Youth Will Rise” March on July 3, 2020 on the University of Minnesota Campus. Over 100 … more

By Margie O’Loughlin | 7/15/20

Help kids through trauma

Telling his own children about George Floyd’s death was one of hardest things Rev. Ronald Bell ever did Reverend Dr. Ronald Bell Jr. with his wife, Dr. Eboni Bell, and his two sons. Bell encouraged … more

By CHLOE PETER | 7/15/20

Maxfield students, teachers wrestle with COVID-19, George Floyd’s murder

I Am Somebody Maxfield Elementary School Principal Ryan Vernosh had just four days to lead Maxfield into a completely different learning environment. AT RIGHT The poem ‘I Am Somebody’ is said … more

By CHLOE PETER | 7/15/20

Midway YMCA: community response hub

Senior checks, healthy meals, implicit bias trainings and more offered for free; childcare and fitness options available Children enrolled in school-aged childcare at the Midway YMCA enjoy swimming … more

By Margie O’Loughlin | 7/15/20

Uncertain futures

Firefighters were still working at the back of the Sports Dome on Friday, May 29. Over 170 businesses were damaged in the Midway following the murder of George Floyd. (Photos by Tesha … more

By JANE McCLURE | 7/15/20

Will Midway Center be demolished?

City’s first step preserves use of TIF for redevelopment By JANE McCLURE Tenants at the Midway Center, damaged by fire and vandalism on May 28, are being forced to move out. Their leases have been … more

By JANE McCLURE | 7/15/20

We can feel both-and: Support protests and grieve loss of local businesses

Have a little grace Amy Pass There was a saying that was repeated so often when I was in graduate school that we all used to groan when our professors would say it. It was a deceptively simple … more

By Amy Pass | 7/15/20

I can't breathe

South Minneapolis writer and photographer, Abha Karnick I watched his last breath. Millions of people soon would as well. I can’t breathe. He was murdered on my block next … more

By Abha Karnick | 7/15/20

Q&A with Otis Zanders of Ujamaa Place

Otis Zanders of Ujaama Place Otis Zanders has had enough. “As the CEO of an organization that serves the most marginalized population in society, African American men, aged 18-30, … more

By Elena Vaughn | 6/25/20

Ron Johnson remembers Lloyd’s

Ron Johnson was working at Target when he heard Lloyd’s Pharmacy was for sale in 1974. He headed to the longtime pharmacy at Snelling and Minnehaha to meet Lloyd Jensen, the 25-year … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 6/9/20