This column is in response to an April 30, 2015 Star Tribune story “Behind bars, a news camera ban in Minnesota.” I don’t know if you have any interest in hearing an inmate’s perspective on this new policy [banning news cameras from prisons], but staying quiet seems like a bad idea. I am an inmate […]
MSR News Online
Reach the MSR staff at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.
Posted inBulletin
MSR Top Five Happenings: Open Streets, Wilder Block Party & more!
A snapshot of upcoming events around town Heritage Blues Orchestra Feat. Deva Mahal A band full of gritty low-down country and urban blues with the bold brass of New Orleans Sept. 15 | 7 pm Dakota Jazz Club 1010 Nicollet Ave., Mpls. More info: www.dakotacooks.com Tech N9ne Sept. 16 | 6 pm The Calm Before […]
Posted inGo Green
Taking care of our trees
The emerald ash borer and options for managing ash trees Trees are important in our community as they provide numerous benefits. Trees improve our air and water, improve our health, reduce urban heat, provide wildlife habitat, save energy, and increase property values. The biggest current threat to our tree canopy is the emerald ash borer, […]
Posted inUncategorized
MSR Top Five | Selby Jazz Fest, Sister Spokesman, Open Streets: West Broadway & more!
A snapshot of upcoming events around town MPLS – Live On the Drive 2016 (At Open Streets Broadway) An annual Northside summer concert series Sept. 10 | 1-3 pm Outdoors near the Capri Theater 34th Ave., N. in Mpls. More info: http://liveonthedrive.org Sister Spokesman: Alzheimer’s Awareness Join us to learn how to recognize the […]
Posted inArts + Culture
Africa may become the next China
Traditionally, Africans remained offline and uninvolved in the digital world. This has made it virtually impossible for many companies to directly communicate with African markets. Consequently, companies have avoided the continent altogether. With the proliferation of smartphones, Africans have suddenly become accessible via the Internet. With Facebook opening up its first office on the continent […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Now is the time for adolescents’ vaccinations
Minnesota health officials remind parents to make sure adolescents are up to date on their immunizations as they head back to school. Adolescents need certain vaccines because some of the vaccines they received in childhood wear off, and they are exposed to new diseases as they get older. Adolescents should get four vaccines: Tdap, HPV, […]
Posted inEducation
Easing the back-to-school transition
Going back to school can be exciting, but also nerve wracking for children and their parents. Here are a few suggestions to make the transition back to school easier on your family. Often having a plan and knowing what to expect can reduce everyone’s stress level. You know your child the best, so please tailor […]
Posted inBulletin
MSR Top Five Happenings: Back in the Day Southside, Debbie Duncan & more!
A snapshot of upcoming events around town Back in the Day Southside Back in the Day Southside celebrates past, present and future, with emphasis on community, unity and love for people in and from our neighborhood. Sept. 3 | 11 am — 6 pm Phelps Park 701 East 39th St., Mpls. More info: @BackInTheDaySouthside on […]
Posted inOpinion
Trump challenges — can Democrats respond?
Donald Trump spoke truth when he asked Blacks in Milwaukee, Friday, August 19, 2016, what has the Democratic Party done for Blacks, and then appealed to the Black vote by asking, “What the hell have you got to lose?” These are great questions offering a challenge to Black America. The answer to “lose” for both […]
Posted inOpinion
Hey Donald, when was America great?
Our American exceptionalism allows us to shimmer too fully in our greatness. We are the biggest and the baddest. We are the best armed and the most influential. We win the most Olympic medals, and we have the most nuclear weapons. We are so great that we wave our flags and shout out, “U.S.A.! U.S.A.! […]
Posted inOpinion
The sickness that separates us
A biweekly column in which various contributors from both sides of prison walls explore common ground for effecting change. On a recent Sunday morning I was called down for an unexpected visit. It was my mom, truly the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. We caught up on the most recent happenings and shared some […]
Posted inGo Green
Clean water education grants available
Project pre-proposals due September 14 Have a creative idea for teaching people about keeping our lakes, streams and wetlands clean? Apply for a grant from the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD). The MCWD is now accepting proposals for grants of up to $15,000 from the Cynthia Krieg Watershed Stewardship Fund. The grants assist local community […]
Posted inPhoto Galleries
PHOTO | MN State Fair Fun
On August 26, Minnesota State Fair attendees dressed in purple and danced to Prince music for “Unite in Purple” — a day set aside to tribute the late Prince. From cover bands to purple root beer floats, the fairgrounds celebrated Minnesota’s favorite son. Below, attendees dance to Prince outside of the KMOJ tent.
Posted inBulletin
$10,000 reward offered in fatal shooting of grandmother in North Mpls
The Minneapolis Police Department and CrimeStoppers of Minnesota have joined forces to announce a reward up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in connection with the fatal shooting of Birdell Beatrice Beeks. According to police, Beeks was an innocent bystander struck by a stray bullet May 26 while sitting in a vehicle on 21st Ave. North and Penn Ave. North […]
Posted inNews
2016 Minnesota State Fair: new food, attractions and purple fun
Believe it or not, the Great Minnesota Get-Together is upon us again! From Thursday, Aug. 25 through Labor Day, Sept. 5, featuring dozens of new attractions, exhibits, entertainment and more. Thirty-two new foods will make their debut this year, including Gumbo Frites, Candied Bacon Donut Siders, Barbecued Shrimp Taco, and Cajun Peel-N-Eat Shrimp, to name a […]
Posted inBulletin
Prince’s Paisley Park set to open for public tours this fall
The family of late Minnesota musical icon Prince, and Estate special administrator Bremer Trust, announced today that Paisley Park, Prince’s private estate and production complex in Chanhassen, Minnesota, will open for daily public tours starting October 6, 2016. According to the family, opening Paisley Park for public tours was Prince’s long-term vision for the property. “Opening […]
Posted inOpinion
Who decides when war is just?
We can all agree that the British soldiers who were killed by the colonist in the “Revolutionary War” were not evil men. They simply worked for and represented the foreign government that was treating the colonist unjustly. We can also agree that the 140 humans Chris Kyle, The American Sniper gunned down, men of military […]
Posted inOpinion
Mike Baker out after 2016 season
In the Park Board’s latest letter to the editor of this paper, July 28, 2016, it again purposefully misleads. Ironically, in so doing, it affirms the accurateness of my June 2, July 7 and August 25 columns about Mike Baker and his departure from the Theodore Wirth golf complex. Let’s review the time line: August […]
Posted inBulletin
City hosting gun buyback in partnership with Pillsbury United Communities
Decommissioned weapons will be used for art project The City of Minneapolis is partnering with Pillsbury United Communities on a gun buyback at two Minneapolis fire stations Saturday, Aug. 27—an initiative that will decommission the weapons for a community-wide art project examining the impact of gun violence. People can drop off guns anonymously at Fire […]