It’s that time of year again: An overview of festive shows, celebrations in Southwest and Downtown By Andrew Newman An overview of festive shows, celebrations in Southwest and Downtown It’s the holiday season again, and Minneapolis is bursting with opportunities for stressed families to take a festive break. From holiday mainstays like the Guthrie’s annual “A Christmas Carol” and the Target Holidazzle Parade to concerts by Lorie Line and Eartha Kitt, there’s something for everyone this season. Below are just a few of the holiday-themed events happening in November and December. If you’re in a museum mood, you can stop by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts or the Hennepin History Museum. If you’re up for some theatre, be sure to check out the Children’s Theatre annual holiday show. Orchestra Hall is offering plenty of holiday-themed music, and you can stop by the Christ Memorial Lutheran Church to do a good deed or two. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA), 2400 3rd Ave. S., will feature its 57th annual Holiday Traditions Celebration, which features displays of holiday customs from years past. Free tours of special period rooms decorated to reflect the holiday traditions of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries in England and the United States are available. Highlights include a feast in Tudor England and a 1770s Hanukkah celebration in Colonial America. The exhibit runs from Nov. 28 to Jan. 11. For more information on the tours, call 870-3131 or go to www.artsmia.org. Full Article

Places of worship in Southwest By Tim Connor ASSEMBLIES OF GOD  Bethel Assemblies of God 10 W. 57th St. Phone: 866-3227 BAHA’I Baha’i Center 3644 Chicago Ave. Phone: 823-3494 BAPTIST Bryant Avenue Baptist 5601 Bryant Ave. S. Phone: 866-2460 Calvary Baptist 2608 Blaisdell Ave. S. Phone: 872-7855 Grace-Trinity Community 1430 W. 28th St. Phone: 872-8266 Judson Memorial Baptist 4101 Harriet Ave. S. Phone: 822-0649 Full Article

Q&A with Park Board Superintendent Jon Gurban By Cristof Traudes In the face of a worldwide economic crisis and an ever-tightening budget, Jon Gurban talks planning, sustainability and survival Last October, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board adopted a comprehensive plan more than 40 years in the making, a document that would help guide and shape its next 14 years. A year later, as budgets have constricted, as the world economy has slid downward and as the city’s demographics have continued to shift, the Southwest Journal sat down with Superintendent Jon Gurban to discuss the plan’s impact and how it’s guided the park system so far. SWJ: It’s been a little over a year since the comprehensive plan was adopted. How’s the first year under its guidance gone? Gurban: I think we advanced the comp plan. I think our community engagement is really solid. Our empowerment to staff is really important. Understanding the demographics of our community — demographics is not a foreign word to our staff, particularly to our programming staff, who take a look at the immediate neighborhood and say, ‘Gee, maybe I ought to be trying this sort of program or communicate in this sort of fashion.’ SWJ: Is that new? Full Article

Wither Thou Goest, Send In Your Poems By Doug Wilhide So now is come our joyful feast, /Let every man be jolly; / Each room with ivy leaves is dressed, /And every post with holly. So begins "A Christmas Carol," written in 1622 by George Wither. Not THE "Christmas Carol," of course, but the holiday spirit is present. If the holiday spirit is present in you ... AND you write poetry ... now is the time to send me your best work. The deadline for our final Southwest Poetry Project of 2008 is Nov. 24. Send poems to wilhide@skypoint.com. We'll run a selection in the mid-December issue. Need more encouragement? Remember that we actually pay a few of the poets we publish each quarter. Not much, but it's enough for a decent bottle of holiday spirits in case yours need refreshing. George Wither has slipped from our general consciousness. Maybe it's because he was on the wrong side of history (a staunch Puritan, soldier, satirist and writer of religious tracks against Lust, Ambition, etc.). Or maybe it was because he tended to go on. And on. His Christmas Carol extends to three pages. Still, it ends well. And we can all join George in his final lines: Let all the streets with echoes ring; / Woods, and hills, and everything/ Bear witness we are merry. Full Article

Correction By Southwest Journal staff In our 2009 education guide, we neglected to include information for Lake Harriet United Methodist Preschool in our early childhood education options section. Here's an overview on the school: Lake Harriet United Methodist Preschool 4901 Chowen Ave. S.; 926-8043; www.lakeharrietumc.org Class size: 10 children in each of school's five classrooms School day: Tuesday–Thursday, (morning session 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.), (afternoon session 12:30–3 p.m.) Full Article

Goodbye, Joe By Glenn Miller In the long, surreal presidential campaign that just ended, we were introduced — and re-introduced — to several interesting characters. There was Sarah Palin, with her lipsticked pit bull, the reemergence of Soccer and Hockey Moms, and, perhaps most oddly, Joe the Plumber. Joe is one of those unfortunate American characters who gets swept up in a national moment, only to be tossed aside when that moment passes. Joe probably believed that he was being brought out onto stages during John McCain's final campaign appearances because people were truly interested in what he had to say. Unfortunately for Joe, he was as much a prop as those Styrofoam columns that stood behind Barack Obama during his convention acceptance speech. Props like that are often discarded. And when Joe — and, for that matter, Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin — spoke, their anger with people like me was quite evident, winks and smiles notwithstanding. They are angry with my level of education, and that I would rather read a book than watch a NASCAR race. They're mad that I find diversity and affirmative action positive developments for a community, rather than threatening. They don't understand why I feel a progressive tax is good policy. And they're certainly upset that I care enough about land stewardship that I would rather not drill, baby, drill, thanks just the same. All told, I — and so many of my hard-working neighbors in Southwest Minneapolis — represent what Sarah and Joe so dislike: the so-called elite. Even Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City — arguably one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world — hee-hawed his way through a keynote speech at the Republican convention, making fun of the educated, the elite, the cosmopolitans (his term) for being out of touch with real America. By intimation, if not definition, I and my like-minded neighbors, do not qualify as Real Americans. This comes as a shock to me. I grew up in what was, at that time, a very Republican neighborhood of Edina. I have strong memories of being a paperboy during the early '70s, reading front-page stories, as I went from door to door, of the unraveling of the Nixon administration during the Watergate hearings. Given the fact that this was the party of my parents, I had the naiveté of a 13-year-old that the press was reporting this story incorrectly. Nixon and friends would be exonerated. How could my parents' party be so wrong? Full Article

Q&A with author Jeff Blodgett: A look at the 'Wellstone Way' to win elections By Sarah McKenzie Jeff Blodgett and Bill Lofy of Wellstone Action — a national center for progressive leadership training — have teamed up on a new book, "Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way" to give people considering entering politics a resource for developing an effective campaign strategy. Blodgett will be appearing at Magers & Quinn in Uptown on Nov. 20 to promote the book. He recently spoke with the Southwest Journal about his new project. SWJ: What is the 'Wellstone Way'? Blodgett: It's a metaphor for running grassroots, people-based campaigns. The Wellstone Way is primarily an approach to politics that involves mobilizing people to help you win your elections. SWJ: Any examples of the 'Wellstone Way' during the recent election? Blodgett: I think the Obama presidential campaign took the Wellstone Way and made it their own and ran a grassroots campaign on a scale and scope that this country has never seen before. So that was really exciting. Full Article

Steph Smith knows something By Jim Walsh As a mother who spent the entirety of each one of her pregnancies flat on her back on doctor's-ordered bed rest, Steph Smith knows something about personal pain. "I think suffering changes you, if you have time to sit with it and ask for help and kind of be brought to your knees by it," says the 40-year-old mother of four. "When I'm pregnant, and my physical capacity is stripped from me, and I need to rely on my kids and husband and others to take care of me … all I have are my mind and my thoughts and my spirituality. What I've learned from those experiences is that that's the time when I'm the strongest." As a universal mother, Steph Smith knows something about universal pain. "Once you're a mother, all children could be your child," she says. "When you see children who are wandering the streets of Nairobi and they're 5 years old and they're carrying their 2-year-old brother on their back and there's no adult in sight and you wonder, 'Where are you going? Where did you come from?' "When you see other people's pain, you take that on. If you have a pulse. If your heart is beating, it affects you, right? So you go into these places where there's extreme poverty, and I mean poverty that we don't understand. I thought I got poverty. Not until I saw what I saw there." As a resident of South Minneapolis and all the luxuries it provides, Steph Smith knows something about perspective. Full Article

Development update for November 17 - 30 By Brian Voerding Download a PDF of the latest condo and apartment updates. Full Article

Hardware becomes art UPDATED November 20, 2008, 3:25pm By Michelle Bruch A lamp made out of a bathtub faucet and copper plumbing took first place in the inaugural art show at Frattalone’s Ace Hardware at 1804 Nicollet Ave. S. The chimp-like piece was entitled “Renovation Monkey #3,” and it joined other pieces of hardware converted into art in the hardware store’s art show.  Full Article

Minneapolis again No. 1 with National Night Out UPDATED November 18, 2008, 2:53pm By Cristof Traudes For the sixth time in eight years, Minneapolis’ National Night Out campaign was honored for being the best among the nation’s large cities. The night out is a nationally organized effort to promote neighborhoods and safety. Neighbors throw block parties to better get to know one another. This year’s Night Out, held Aug. 5, attracted more than 60,000 Minneapolis residents to 1,111 separate events. Minneapolis was honored as the top National Night Out organizer among cities with populations above 300,000. St. Paul was named No. 1 among the second-largest tier of cities. Texas was named the top state. Full Article

$750,000 grant awarded to MPS for arts education UPDATED November 17, 2008, 12:08pm By Dylan Thomas The Wallace Foundation awarded a $750,000 grant to Minneapolis Public Schools to improve arts education programming for students, the district reported Monday. The grant will fund development of model programs for arts education and the use of art in classroom learning, as well as teacher professional development in the arts. The district intended to use some of the funds to hire consultants who could plan for arts-related fundraising and spread the word about district arts programming. Full Article

More sexual assaults near the Chain of Lakes reported By Brian Voerding The man who sexually assaulted a Lake Harriet jogger last month is now suspected in at least two other similar incidents. Police initially believed the Oct. 25 assault — a man approached a woman running on the lake path near 44th and 45th streets, restrained her and reached between her legs, then fled when other joggers arrived — was an isolated case, both because of the time of day, 6:15 a.m., and the sexual intent. Then on Nov. 6 another woman was assaulted around 3:30 p.m. on Lake Harriet Parkway near Knox Avenue, according to Minneapolis police. The circumstances were similar, and the description of the assailant matched the previous incident. And a third woman recently reported to police that she was assaulted in early October while on a Lake of the Isles path around 10 a.m. Full Article

Green report By Steve Pease Green scenes in Linden Hills Al Gore would be proud. The star of “An Inconvenient Truth” may be the foremost celebrity in the world of environment-based independent filmmaking, but those who participated in Linden Hills Power & Light’s (LHP&L) first-ever Green Carpet Film Festival on Oct. 23 are certainly taking strides to follow in his small carbon footprints. The film festival’s 25 topical submissions focused on ways to live a more eco-friendly life. The neighborhood, which has already undertaken an organics compost pilot project and is eyeing the purchase of an anaerobic digester, can now add a film credit to its growing list of green activities. Submissions were between 30 seconds and two minutes. Three filmmakers received honorable mentions (and $150 each); three were deemed “runners up” ($300) and Laddie Messig’s silent film “Clown Goes Green” took home the $500 cash prize and a Golden Garby — LHP&L’s equivalent of an Oscar. In the Chaplin-esque film, Messig resolved to keep a red clown nose on until he meets his goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions under the Minnesota Energy Challenge. The Green Film Fest was funded in part by a Minneapolis Climate Change Initiative Grant, and may return in 2009, according to neighborhood coordinator Felicity Britton. Full Article

Parks update By Cristof Traudes Budget talk now, referendum talk for tomorrow With its finances continuing to tighten, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board leaders appear to be leaning toward proposing a referendum for next year’s ballot. Talk of such a move was mentioned several times as commissioners dove into Superintendent Jon Gurban’s proposed 2009 budget, a document that appears to be seen largely as a stop gap, one that focuses on keeping spending down while raising as few fees as possible. The budget comes on the heels of expectations that the world’s tough economic times will lead to more people choosing “staycations” over vacations. “While we’ll have a smaller budget, we’ll have increased use of our parks. It’s going to be a very difficult equation,” Gurban told commissioners. The budget doesn’t propose closing any of the park system’s recreation centers, and there are no fee raises similar to last year’s. The biggest increase is expected at parking meters and with parking tickets. Meanwhile, 15 unfilled staff positions will stay that way until at least halfway through 2009. That worried Vice President Mary Merrill Anderson, who said that decision only postpones inevitable problems. “We really do need to fill [those positions],” she said. Full Article

Biz buzz: What’s green for goober is good for the globe By Brian Voerding One morning on her way to work as a Montessori schoolteacher, Amee Whittaker passed a Nicollet Avenue storefront with a “For Rent” sign. A stream-of-consciousness revelation followed: “Gepetto and Pinocchio popped into my head, and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to have this little wooden toy shop in Minneapolis?’ Then a thought flowed into my head, ‘How would a business like that sustain itself?’ Then I thought, ‘What about sustainable toys?’” And Green Goober was born. Whittaker’s toy store at 5411 Nicollet Ave. S., which opened last month, sells a variety of toys made from wood, recycled milk jugs and other plastics, and an array of other sources. All toys are manufactured with sustainable processes and packaged using minimal materials. Whittaker knows toys.  She’s been a mom for over a decade and has worked as both a nanny and a preschool teacher. But when she decided to open her store, she didn’t want to stop at just understanding the final product. Whittaker spent two years researching toy manufa Full Article

City seeking neighbors help in dealing with blighted properties By Steve Pease Southwest has managed to stay comparatively clear of foreclosures, demolitions and the blight that has been rampant in North Minneapolis. So much so that a letter sent Sept. 17 to the city’s neighborhoods asking them to waive a 45-day review period before the city can take control of blighted properties had some questioning why the letter was even necessary. Elfric Porte, the city’s manager of single-family housing, said that the letter was sent to every neighborhood. Porte said that the 45-day waiting period can sometimes stifle the city’s chance to purchase homes because they may go up for auction in between monthly board meetings. He further argued that if the city purchases a blighted property (defined as a deteriorated single-family home valued at less that $150,000), it would have to answer to neighborhoods. Whereas other, possibly unscrupulous, agencies would not. Still, the city’s somewhat confusing letter raised questions. “Why would this trickle down to us?” asked Fulton Neighborhood Association (FNA) member Morgan Clawson at FNA’s Oct. 8 meeting. Southwest has relatively few problem properties compared to other parts of the city. Full Article

Transportation roundup By Steve Pease Lake Street reconstruction nears completion When Hennepin County crews painted the white stripes on West Lake Street Oct. 30, it marked an end to this year’s major reconstruction along the busy corridor. And business owners, no doubt, rejoiced. “They are very happy,” Project Manager Don Shaffer said of owners who have had to endure the four-year project. “Some businesses are coming back, but some didn’t make it so well.” As the bags are lifted from the parking meters and a few electrical loose ends are tied, only a final layer of 2-inch blacktop remains to be done — and that should be in place by mid-June 2009. Shaffer said that the road looks better, and all four lanes are now open, along with new light poles, signals, and curbs. While he said everyone seems to be happy with the way it looks, the reconstruction perhaps came at a more personal cost greater than the $25 million price tag. “Some businesses closed because they weren’t doing well before we got there,” Shaffer said. “But some [businesses failures] might have sped up once we got there.” Roadwork caused large stretches of Lake Street to be closed, two lanes at a time, during the reconstruction, which often limited vehicle access to businesses. Full Article

City seeking neighbors help in dealing with blighted properties By Steve Pease Southwest has managed to stay comparatively clear of foreclosures, demolitions and the blight that has been rampant in North Minneapolis. So much so that a letter sent Sept. 17 to the city’s neighborhoods asking them to waive a 45-day review period before the city can take control of blighted properties had some questioning why the letter was even necessary. Elfric Porte, the city’s manager of single-family housing, said that the letter was sent to every neighborhood. Porte said that the 45-day waiting period can sometimes stifle the city’s chance to purchase homes because they may go up for auction in between monthly board meetings. He further argued that if the city purchases a blighted property (defined as a deteriorated single-family home valued at less that $150,000), it would have to answer to neighborhoods. Whereas other, possibly unscrupulous, agencies would not. Still, the city’s somewhat confusing letter raised questions. “Why would this trickle down to us?” asked Fulton Neighborhood Association (FNA) member Morgan Clawson at FNA’s Oct. 8 meeting. Southwest has relatively few problem properties compared to other parts of the city. Full Article

Schools notebook By Dylan Thomas Washburn teacher recognized for mental health work TANGLETOWN — Washburn High School teacher Rod Martell was recognized for his innovative work with special education students by the Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health [MACMH]. A 28-year veteran special education teacher with Minneapolis Public Schools, Martell received the Outstanding Service Award for educators at an MACMH benefit in St. Paul Nov. 7. The award, which also has a category for physicians, recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of children’s mental health. “The award feels pretty good for me because I’m a licensed psychologist, also,” Martell said, noting that special education melds his previous career in psychology with his current work in education. About six years ago, Martell began asking his special education students to keep a journal. That was just one of the innovative teaching techniques that earned him the award. “I have kids write to me every single day, and I write back to them every single day,” Martell said. He said the process can be “exhausting,” but it helps him form closer relationships with his students. “It makes them feel like there’s one person in the school every single day they can talk to and connect to,” he said. “They tell me everything.” Full Article

District levy, school board to grow By Dylan Thomas New school board, new election process and new funds from referendum There was change in the air on election night, and at least a little bit of it touched Minneapolis Public Schools. Voters overwhelmingly approved a doubling of the district’s current property tax levy to $60 million a year for eight years, beginning next fall. By nearly as wide a margin, they approved a major change to the way school board members are elected. They also elected two new school board members — Carla Bates and Jill Davis — and returned incumbent Lydia Lee. Sharon Henry-Blyth, the board’s longest-serving member, failed to earn re-election. The impact of voter’s choices Nov. 4 will play out over the next two years and beyond. Funds from the new referendum become available in the 2009–2010 school year. Budgeting for that school year began this month and continues through February. Full Article Read more stories about: Election 2008

Tonight, they dance: Inside the GLBT country western dance scene By Brian Voerding Watch video about this story Cowboy boots click on faded linoleum as men file into the Lyndale Avenue VFW shortly before 9 p.m. on a Saturday in early November. Some sport full western regalia, from shiny-buttoned shirts to stiff-toed cowboy boots. Others wear T-shirts and tennis shoes. They pay the $10 admission, bring their red drink ticket to the bar and exchange it for beer or bottled water, then gather at folding tables arranged around the dance floor. They hug each other fiercely, wave, touch fingertips to hat brims. Harmonious chatter punctuated with laughter warms the room. The DJ turns a knob and the barnburner song playing through the speakers fades into a ballad. A country twang, the singer Jewel’s: The union we propose Is dangerous, I know Full Article

A creative outlet for lives in crisis: Kulture Klub Collaborative celebrates 15 years By Dylan Thomas THE WEDGE — Quendy Raymond was 18 years old and two months into her senior year of high school when her mother kicked her out of their home in Columbia Heights. Raymond was good student who held a part-time job. But at home she endured a physically and verbally abusive relationship with her mother, a single parent, she said. “For a while, I did the traditional homeless kid’s couch-hop,” she said. “… I didn’t know who to tell, and there was just a lot of shame.” Raymond eventually found her way to YouthLink, a drop-in center for homeless youth on the edge of Downtown, where she first learned about Kulture Klub Collaborative. Along with a few other key individuals and organizations, Kulture Klub was one of the things that got her where she is today: a Macalester College graduate leading Kaleidoscope Place, a St. Paul-based nonprofit. This month, Kulture Klub Collaborative celebrates 15 years of connecting homeless youth with art and artists. A gallery show at Soo Visual Arts Center, 2640 Lyndale Ave. S., will include contributions from Kulture Klub artists, as well as a history of the organization since its founding in 1992. Full Article Read more stories about: Lowry Hill East (The Wedge) neighborhood

A scrappy passion By Steve Pease In increasing numbers, scrapbookers have been quietly preserving their stories in creative ways. Kingfield’s Nancy Clauss said that despite the pastime’s growing popularity, not everyone wants to own up to being a scrapbooker. “There’s very much this aura that it’s only middle-aged white women with kids,” Clauss said, a 46-year-old mother of two. “Of course, that’s what I am.” Clauss said that while she’s not the lone scrapbooker in Southwest, it does sometimes feel that way. Clauss said that, today, the relationships she forges among the scrapbook community occur mainly online. In addition, she said most scrapbookers are found in suburban or rural areas, making interaction that much more difficult. Perhaps as a corollary, the abundance of Twin Cities scrapbooking supply stores has quickly dried up. Full Article

Flavor: Size matters By story By Andrew Newman and Emily Stickler Things are getting smaller. From iPods you can fit in the palm of your hand, cell phones you can clip on your ear, and burgers you can eat in two bites, mini is in. Mini burgers have grown in popularity over the past few years, going from Lunchable-sized novelties to restaurant mainstays. And for three Minneapolis bars and restaurants, mini burgers are a valued part of their menus. Full Article

Transitions: Ken Hunt By Brian Voerding & Robb Long Ken Hunt Full Article

Art beat: One flute, many voices By Dylan Thomas Flutist Linda Chatterton plays from her new album ‘Diverse Voices’ FULTON — For many classical musicians who spend their childhoods and young adult years mastering an instrument, the road from a conservatory or university leads directly to a seat in a professional orchestra. Flutist Linda Chatterton just never saw herself following that path. “I think I always wanted to do solo work,” Chatterton said. “It was mostly just the opportunity and the feeling of being able to communicate with the audience on a more intimate level, versus in the middle of an orchestra.” A two-time McKnight Foundation fellowship recipient, Chatterton tours as a solo recitalist and has performed with groups like the Minnesota Orchestra and Dale Warland Singers. Later this month, she will release her fifth album, “Diverse Voices: American Music for Flute,” in a free concert at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, just a few blocks from her Fulton neighborhood home. All in all, it seems like the solo path was the right choice. Full Article Read more stories about: Fulton neighborhood

A law firm learns to relax By Sarah McKenzie Imagine a law firm where attorneys have Zen bells on their desks that ring periodically throughout the day to remind them to pause for a moment and focus their attention on a painting hanging on their wall. The special painting of a scene in nature is designed to calm them down. Sounds like a novel concept, right? That was life for lawyers at the law firm Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg + Gotlieb earlier this year. The downtown Minneapolis firm worked with noted Southwest artist Joan Solomon and The Bruley Center, a functional-medicine, preventive health care and wellness clinic in Linden Hills, on a 10-week experiment designed to see how meditative art therapy would affect their stress levels. The results were striking. Of the 18 attorneys who participated in the study, 66 percent reported decreased stress levels. During this period, the firm also saw a 9 percent increase in revenue, and lawyers, legal staff, and clients said they felt they were better able to connect with one another on a personal level, according to study results compiled by the Rob and Mary Bruley of the Bruley Center. Full Article

A home away from home By Jake Weyer 1 Comment Some homeowners unable to sell have started listing their properties as vacation rentals; one is fighting the city, which likens her operation to a hotel Carolyn Moore put her home up for sale several times before she decided to move in with her ailing father. The market was worsening. The quaint, three-bedroom home at 48th & Bryant wouldn't sell. So, she decided to rent it to families vacationing in the area, a practice she grew fond of after renting a vacation home herself. She drafted a lease, listed her home online, and before long, started renting it to families visiting Minneapolis for a few days, weeks, or longer. Then the citations came: exceeding the maximum occupancy of a home, operating as a hotel or bed-and-breakfast, condemnation authorized, others. Moore is now in the middle of a lengthy appeal process with the city, and homeowners like her — those renting their houses short-term to avoid becoming another foreclosure statistic — are paying close attention.   Full Article

Neighborhood notebook By Brian Voerding and Dylan Thomas EAST HARRIET MAKING BANK ON ROSEFEST: East Harriet raised a little more than $3,700 at this year’s Rosefest celebration. That’s in contrast to losing around $500 in 2007, said board member Bruce Wadman, who called this year’s take “a nice, hefty profit.” This year’s financial boost came from stronger attendance and several sponsorships, he said. The money will go to East Harriet’s general fund and be available for future events and other initiatives. NRP UPDATE: Board chair Matt Perry updated members on the new advisory board and city department recently created to govern the NRP program. Perry has been working with chairs of other neighborhood organizations citywide to help define how the advisory board will function and how its eight representatives from neighborhoods will be elected. BREAKFAST AND BUDGETS: Councilmember Betsy Hodges invited board members and all East Harriet and Ward 13 residents to her monthly breakfast Nov. 19 at 8 a.m. at Pearson’s Restaurant (3808 W 50th St.), where she’ll discuss the city’s proposed 2009 budget and answer any questions. Full Article Read more stories about: Kenwood neighborhood, East Harriet neighborhood, East Calhoun neighborhood

Dashed dreams for hotel developers in Uptown By Brian Voerding A few years ago, a handful of developers had big dreams for building hotels in Southwest, largely concentrated in the Uptown area. A luxury hotel down the street from Calhoun Square. A boutique hotel a few blocks away. A hip hideaway along Nicollet Avenue. For the first time, Uptown and Southwest seemed poised to attract the kind of travelers who have long opted for downtown hotels and amenities. Then earlier this year, developers working in Southwest began stepping away from announced hotel developments. Today, there are no hotel developments left in the pipeline and no rumors of such a project in the works. Development has slowed to a crawl across the board, with increasingly poor market conditions largely to blame. But developers who considered but ultimately abandoned hotel plans say they were influenced by a variety of factors, which, when combined, suggest that maybe Southwest, with current infrastructure and development priorities, just isn’t fit for a hotel. Full Article

Crime reports By Emily Stickler Editor's note: Alleged crimes against persons (assault, rape, murder, etc.) will feature the + symbol. Note, this compilation of crime reports provides highlights of area criminal activity. It's not intended to be a comprehensive overview of Southwest crime. Armatage Oct. 28, 2:25 a.m., 5600 block of Xerxes Avenue South Two suspects broke into the Holiday station and stole two trays of lottery tickets. The suspects fled before police arrived. There is no description of the suspects. Full Article Read more stories about: Armatage neighborhood, East Calhoun neighborhood, Kingfield neighborhood, Lowry Hill East (The Wedge) neighborhood, Lynnhurst neighborhood, West Calhoun neighborhood

Developer has a new vision for a Lyn-Lake corner By Brian Voerding One of the busier property owners in the Lyn-Lake area is back at work with plans to build up a long-vacant corner. Julius De Roma, who owns the property on the northeast corner of Lyndale Avenue and 31st Street, plans to build a two-story building there with ground-floor retail and a single second-floor apartment. De Roma said he’s “gone back and forth on what to build there” since purchasing the property around a decade ago, and after discarding several options over the years, settled on the current structure. Right now there’s a parking lot and green space on the property. De Roma plans to build a 3,600-square-foot retail space with a 2,000-square-foot apartment above. He said he wants to market the apartment to somebody who’s looking for an upscale, large space but may not be interested in the condo- or apartment-buying markets. De Roma hasn’t lined up a retailer for the space, but said he’s already received several calls from interested business owners. He plans to confirm and announce a business sometime next year. De Roma said he isn’t intimidated by the effects Lake Street construction have had on the area, nor is he put off by the market conditions that have caused other developers to pull away from commercial construction. He figures the building is about the best investment he can make, both personally and for the character of the intersection. De Roma is a lifelong Minneapolis resident who runs a Lyn-Lake business called Hansa, which imports jewelry and other items. He owns the building adjacent to his new development, which currently houses Lava Lounge (3037 Lyndale Ave. S.), as well as buildings that house the Flanders Gallery (3012 Lyndale Ave. S.) and Buffalo Exchange (2727 Lyndale Ave. S.). Full Article

A fourth act for Cinema Revolution on Lyndale By Brian Voerding For John Koch, there’s no better way to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his Cinema Revolution video store than to simply throw open his new set of doors and welcome the customers who made the act possible. Earlier this year, Koch’s small store was languishing in its location — its fourth in Southwest since Koch launched the store in 2003, owing to landlord struggles and other issues — near Nicollet Avenue & 26th Street. Slow street traffic, stagnant membership, slipping profits. Not to say Koch was ready to call it quits. “My attitude toward this place is I won’t stop until I’m forced to stop,” he said. “Someone else is going to have to close it for me.” But he was stuck. Then this summer he found a new location, at 2431 Lyndale Ave. S., planted squarely in a stretch of businesses frequented by what he sees as his core demographic. Only problem was, he couldn’t come up with enough money for the move. In August he turned to his 7,000 members and asked for $5,000. He told them anything would help. He gave them one month. Full Article

Civic beat By Cristof Traudes NRP director running for mayor Should Mayor R.T. Rybak choose to run for a third term, he's got some early competition. Bob Miller, director of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) since the early 1990s, last week announced his bid for mayor of Minneapolis. According to a mass e-mail, Miller is running because the city's neighborhoods and residents are being ignored at the city government level. He also believes the city's finances need to be reexamined and more carefully managed, according to the flyer. Miller has been an outspoken critic of the city's new direction with NRP, which was approved by the City Council in September. It eliminates the current NRP body — which Miller heads — and replaces it with a department that answers directly to an assistant city coordinator. Full Article

City council actions By Cristof Traudes Bassett Creek Valley plans move ahead With a unanimous vote, the City Council granted Ryan Companies exclusive rights to purchase 56 acres of city land, allowing the developer to move ahead with its plans for a mixed residential-office site west of Downtown. The land currently is home to an impound lot and Linden Yards, a site for outdoor storage and concrete crushing. Ryan Companies plans to build almost 900 units of housing and more than 1.5 million square feet of office space that potentially could act as a corporation's headquarters. While the council's approval hinges on Ryan Companies making a $20,000 deposit to the city, no immediate changes are in store for the site. A preliminary timeline shows the developer not purchasing any of the land until 2010, and even then, a sale would only involve 10 acres. The rest of the land wouldn't become Ryan Companies' until at least five years later, after the first phase of construction is completed, according to city documents. How much each land purchase would cost has yet to be determined. Full Article

Election-Day breakdown: How Southwest voted By Jake Weyer & Cristof Traudes WARD 6 (precincts 1–4) PRESIDENT Barack Obama (DFL): 7,645 votes (89.24 percent) John McCain (R): 740 votes (8.64 percent) Full Article Read more stories about: Election 2008