Get Out Guide.
Elbow room? Not much. Soul? Plenty.
A man for all seasons
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February 21–March 6, 2019 Vol. 30, No. 4 southwestjournal.com
Klobuchar is in Third-term U.S. Senator launches her campaign from Boom Island
By Dylan Thomas dthomas@southwestjournal.com
The snow piled up as Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced her entry into the 2020 presidential race (top). Uptown residents Katie Schmieg Miller and Chris Miller (left) came to Boom Island Park with their dog, Luna. Joe Hesla (above) carried a Green New Deal sign at the rally. He said Klobuchar was “too middle-ofthe-road” to win his support. Photos by Dylan Thomas
Genealogy enters the DNA of police work DNA brings charges in Whittier, Lyndale cold cases
SEE KLOBUCHAR / PAGE A14
Historic fountain in line for major neighborhood donation Neighborhood association votes to amend NRP plan
By Michelle Bruch
Cold cases from the early ’90s in Whittier and Lyndale suddenly saw murder charges over the last three months. In the 1993 Lyndale case, investigators sent crime scene DNA to a genealogist to find suspects, then trailed a suspect to a hockey game and picked his napkin out of the trash to test his DNA. In the Whittier case, a suspect first interviewed in 1991 was told that additional DNA testing further linked him to the apartment crime scene. His
Pledging to steer the country away from turmoil and confront its challenges head-on if elected, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar launched her bid for the presidency in a spirited and snow-covered Feb. 10 rally at Boom Island Park. “Today, on this snowy day on this island, we say enough is enough,” Klobuchar said as fluff y snowflakes settled on her head and shoulders. “Our nation must be governed not from chaos but from opportunity, not by wallowing over what’s wrong but by marching inexorably toward what’s right.” A crowd of hundreds responded with cheers and the muffled sound of gloved hands clapping as the former Hennepin County attorney and first woman elected to the Senate from Minnesota made her official entry into the 2020 race.
alleged response: “My DNA is there, I did it.” DNA provides key evidence in a wide range of cases. In the past four weeks, for example, police warrants for DNA swabs in Minneapolis included a suspected arson at a downtown apartment, a road rage call that led to drugs and a gun, a sexual assault of a 14-year-old youth and a garage burglary linked to other thefts through DNA on a spray can and an abandoned flashlight. SEE COLD CASES / PAGE A12
By Andrew Hazzard / ahazzard@southwestjournal.com
The Lowry Hill Neighborhood Association voted Feb. 5 to put about $300,000 toward repairing an historic fountain at a local park. The successful vote to modify its cityapproved neighborhood plan will redirect $297,425 toward reconstructing the Seven Pools Fountain at Thomas Lowry
Park, located in a triangle created by Douglas, Colfax and Mt. Curve avenues. That amount includes about $225,000 that was previously loaned to affordable housing projects; the rules of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program allow SEE LOWRY HILL FOUNTAIN / PAGE A10
A2 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
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Zettas sandwiches are served on freshly cooked flatbreads and based with homemade ricotta cheese. Photos by Andrew Hazzard
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office building across from a cell phone shop. Customers can watch their sandwich be prepared and scarf it down on the small counter that lines the room. The business is green friendly, too. Everything they wrap the sandwiches in is recyclable or compostable. Hoffman, who grew up in the neighborhood and has lived back in the area for about 13 years, said it’s thrilling to be part of the local food scene. “We also wanted to bring back some of the older Eat Street,” he said.
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A4 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
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Popular community café Studio 2 announced it is closing shop at 46th & Bryant in the wake of co-owner David Hussman’s death. “Studio 2 Café is closed indefinitely to allow our family space and time to grieve the passing of our beloved David,” read a sign posted on the door in February. “Thank you for your patronage and friendships. We are honored to have gotten to know you, to have served you as our guests and to have the opportunity to build community in our little part of the world.”
Hussman, who co-founded the café with Andrien Thomas in 2014, died Aug. 18 from lung cancer. He was 56. In addition to co-owning Studio 2, Hussman was the founder of DevJam, a tech company and was a guitarist in ’80s metal band Slave Raider. Studio 2 was known for hosting hacka-thons, community jam sessions and a number of neighborhood events.
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Community hub Studio 2 Café has closed at 46th & Bryant. Photo by Andrew Hazzard
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Beans from local subscription-service roasters SK Coffee are now available at a local grocer. SK Coffee is now for sale at the Wedge Community Co-op, the first regular on-theshelf home for their roasts outside of the internet and local farmers markets. While the company is keeping its focus on its subscription service model, selling at the Wedge will allow them to meet customers where they shop. “They are highly influential and have an extraordinary reputation in our community,” SK Coffee co-founder Sam Kjellberg said. The proximity to their roastery, a space at 2940 Harriet Ave. they share with Salty Tart Bakery, makes it a convenient arrangement between local shops. SK Coffee breaks their roasts into four categories: bold, sweet, smooth and unique, Kjellberg said. The Wedge Co-op is currently selling SK’s Costa Rican (bold), Ethiopian (sweet) and
Congolese (smooth) blends. SK Coffee will continue to sell those three categories at the Wedge but will switch out the country of origin for those categories on a regular basis. He hopes customers will come to trust them to provide enjoyable coffees of each category. “We’re trying to empower and elevate the in-home coffee experience,” Kjellberg said. Part of that empowerment is letting people figure out how much they like the coffee before committing to a week’s supply. SK Coffee will be selling both 4-ounce and 12-ounce bags at the Wedge. Kjellberg said they are excited about being on the shelf at the Wedge and hope to partner with other co-ops in the area. In addition to selling online and at Wedge, SK Coffee sells at farmers markets, including Linden Hills Farmers Market year-round and East Isles Farmers Market in the summer.
SK Coffee began in-store sales at the Wedge Community Co-op in February. Submitted photo
southwestjournal.com / February 21–March 6, 2019 A5
LORING PARK
New chef takes helm at 4 Bells Scott Pampuch, newly named executive chef at 4 Bells in Loring Park. Submitted photo
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Scott Pampuch, a Minneapolis chef known for founding Corner Table and advocating for sustainable food, has joined 4 Bells in Loring Park as executive chef. Pampuch has been a fixture of the Twin Cities culinary landscape in the 21st Century. Most recently he was the chef at McKinney Roe, which originally opened in East Town in late 2016. Before that, he brought high-quality meat to brewery scene at the Fulton Taproom Kitchen. His relationship Chef Tommy Begnaud at partner restaurant Butcher & the Boar goes back many years, he said, and a shared philosophy brought them together when McKinney Roe decided to transition from fine dining to causal Irish pub. At 4 Bells, Pampuch is hoping to sharpen the focus on Southern flavors and seafood and hopes to solidify the identity of the restaurant. He said 4 Bells will continue to celebrate culinary themes of the Mississippi River from
Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico and create an atmosphere that is relaxed while still being a destination for important celebrations. He said there’s room to use the different spaces at 4 Bells such as a potential tasting menu for guests sitting at the counter near the kitchen. “We want to have fun but still be able to elevate the cuisine,” he said. A long-standing infatuation with New Orleans has him thinking of adding more Southern dishes and a Big Easy style brunch option to the menu. “I wouldn’t be surprised if something like that reared its crazy head,” he said. A longtime advocate of working with local farmers, something he said is now the norm in Twin Cities dining, Pampuch was contacted by multiple food producers when he joined 4 Bells in early February. He said finding the farmers and the local ingredients that make the most sense with the focus of the restaurant.
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Lucky Oven Bakery shuts down A Southwest bakery known for its breads, tarts and caramel rolls has closed. Lucky Oven Bakery at 54th & Penn shut its doors in February, according to a sign posted on the front door. “We are sad to announce that we have had to close our doors,” the sign read. “We have loved serving this community and we are grateful to have been a part of this great neighborhood.” Lucky Oven opened in November 2017. Owner Kristy Dirk decorated the space with 52 Easy-Bake Ovens she’d collected over the years. She started her own bakery after producing pastries at nearby Red Wagon Pizza and Salty Tart.
Lucky Oven Bakery has closed at 54th & Penn. Photo by Andrew Hazzard
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A6 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
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By Dylan Thomas / dthomas@southwestjournal.com
Filings preview arguments in Noor trial
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Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor leaving the courthouse after an appearance in May. Noor was escorted by defense attorneys Peter Wold, left, and Tom Plunkett, right. File photo
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A surge of mid-February court filings previewed some of the arguments prosecutors and the defense team for Mohamed Noor intend to deploy in court when the former Minneapolis police officer stands trial for murder in April. Noor faces murder and manslaughter charges in the July 2017 on-duty shooting of Fulton neighborhood resident Justine Damond, also known as Justine Ruszczyk. The trial before Hennepin County District Court Judge Kathryn L. Quaintance is scheduled to begin April 1. Defense attorneys and prosecutors from the Hennepin County Attorney’s office wrangled over what evidence could be used during the trial — including Noor’s pre-employment psychological evaluation — and the potential testimony of expert witnesses for both sides. Also debated in the filings were the instructions to be given members of the jury, who will have to decide if Noor acted reasonably when he used deadly force against Damond, a 40-year-old native of Australia living in Minneapolis with her fiancé. The incident that prompted the trial took place shortly before midnight on July 15, 2017, when Noor and his partner, Officer Matthew Harrity, responded to a 911 call placed by Damond, who reported what sounded like a possible sexual assault near her home. At the time of the shooting, Noor and Harrity were parked in the alley behind Damond’s 51st & Washburn home with their headlights off. Harrity was behind the wheel of their police SUV. Although Noor never agreed to speak with investigators about the incident, Harrity said they were “spooked” by a sound as Damond approached. Noor reached across his partner to fire at Damond out the driver’s side window, striking her in the torso. She died at the scene. Noor was fired from the department after charges of third-degree murder and seconddegree manslaughter were announced in March 2018. Prosecutors added a third charge, seconddegree murder, in December. Noor’s defense attorneys asked Quaintance to sever the most serious charge their client faces from the two other charges so that they would not have to “defend against multiple theories of prosecution” during the trial. They argued the tactics used to defend Noor against one count could unfairly be used against him on another. Noor’s defense attorneys objected to prosecutors’ plan to submit evidence from a May 2017 traffic stop in which Noor un-holstered his weapon and pointed it at the driver. Noor and his partner maintained they suspected the driver of trying to hide contraband
because of his erratic movements, but ultimately the driver was released after being ticketed for failing to signal. Defense attorneys also objected to potential testimony that a police sergeant suggested Noor find a safe place to stay until media coverage of the shooting settled down, arguing it was “not relevant and highly prejudicial” and that many people expressed concern for the safety of Noor and his family after the shooting. Noor’s defense attorney’s told Quaintance the use of a “fly through” illustration of the scene of the shooting would prejudice the jury by creating an “unrealistic picture of what was visible” on the night of the shooting. They also asked that prosecutors share the “spark of life” evidence they plan to submit during trial, evidence that will be used to give the jury a sense of Damond’s life and personality. They requested that Quaintance raise the number of pre-emptory challenges allowed during jury selection to 15 from five, giving the defense team more opportunities to reject potential jurors. They also requested for all jurors to be shown a video on unconscious biases, including those related to race, sex, cultural or religious differences; Noor is Somali-American. Filings by prosecutors indicate they plan to submit evidence from another call Noor and Harrity responded to near Damond’s home less than two hours before the shooting. At about 9:15 p.m. that night, a 911 caller requested a welfare check on an elderly woman who appeared confused and was walking with packed bags toward a bus stop at 48th & Xerxes. The pair of officers responded but didn’t locate her. In a memorandum filed in the case, prosecutors argue the call is “intrinsically linked” with events later in the night — that two calls to the same area regarding women potentially in distress discredit defense arguments that Noor, when he fired his weapon, acted appropriately in response to his perception of a real threat. Prosecutors plan to argue he was reckless. Although he has invoked his Fifth Amendment right to silence, Noor apparently gave his version of events in late December to defense investigator William O’Keefe and Emanuel Kapelsohn, who appears on the list of expert witnesses submitted by the defense. Prosecutors asked Quaintance not to allow either to discuss Noor’s story until after Noor testifies. Prosecutors also objected to the use of Kapelsohn, a firearms instructor who is frequently called upon to testify in defense of SEE NOOR / PAGE A7
southwestjournal.com / February 21–March 6, 2019 A7
Nice Ride to deploy e-bikes in spring Nice Ride Minnesota users will be able to rent electric bikes starting this spring, the company running the system announced Feb. 7. The ride-sharing company Lyft said it plans to roll out 500 e-bikes when it deploys the Nice Ride fleet in April, plus an additional 1,300 e-bikes by mid-season. The 1,800 e-bikes will complement the new “dockless” blue bikes unveiled this past fall. Unlike the familiar green Nice Ride bicycles, the blue bikes don’t have to start and end every ride at a docking station. The e-bike motors will have a top speed of around 15–18 miles per hour, according to Bill Dossett, executive director of the nonprofit Nice Ride Minnesota, which ran the namesake system through last summer. Users will check them out from and return them to docking stations located around Minneapolis. “People who are already using the system may like this even better,” Dossett said. “We believe there will be more people who haven’t been using bikeshare who may want to when they can get where they’re going without showing up sweaty.” Lyft has introduced e-bikes in three U.S. cities, and the company says it has received positive responses. It said in a presentation in February that e-bikes get roughly twice as much usage as pedal bikes and up to 15 trips per day in certain markets.
The new e-bikes will be black, setting them apart from Nice Ride’s original green bikes and the blue dockless bikes. Dossett said Lyft would track how much Nice Ride patrons are using the e-bikes and swap out their batteries accordingly. Lyft will also be adding 47 physical docking stations to Minneapolis, including 20 in Phillips, Cedar-Riverside and North Minneapolis. It plans on ensuring there are at least two stations in each of the 11 Minneapolis communities. The company will also be launching a new reduced-fare membership program with online sign-up and verification through assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. An annual Nice Ride membership will remain at $75 for 2019, and a monthly membership will remain at $18. Those memberships allow for unlimited 60-minute rides for their respective time period. A Nice Ride day pass, which allows for unlimited 30-minute rides, will remain at $6 for 2019. Single rides will be $2 per halfhour. All rides cost an additional $2 per halfhour beyond their respective time periods. Lyft will also charge a $1 fee to unlock the e-bikes, though it will waive that fee for reduced-fare members. — Nate Gotlieb
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law enforcement officers facing trial after an on-duty shooting. They argued Kapelsohn shouldn’t be allowed to testify because he has never actually worked as a police officer and lacks “practical knowledge” of a working officer’s perspective, adding that his past testimony has focused on the subjective experience the officer on trial, not the objective standard of a what a “reasonable” officer would do in a similar scenario, potentially misleading jurors about which standard to apply. Kapelsohn, who studied law, is described as “an active reserve deputy sheriff ” on the website of his company, The Peregrine Corportation. Defense attorneys also plan to call as an expert witness Matthew Guller, a managing partner at The Institute for Forensic Pscychology, a New Jersey firm that provides psychological evaluation services for police agencies. Noor’s defense attorneys meanwhile objected to the use of potential expert witness for the
prosecution Dr. Tricia Lynn Aiken, a psychologist who was asked to review Noor’s preemployment personality evaluation. She is one of 29 expert witnesses on a list submitted by prosecutors. Defense attorneys had previously argued that the test use by the Minneapolis Police Department is outdated and has a known racial bias. Obtained by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on a search warrant, the test results indicated Noor was “likely to be asocial and socially introverted” and that his lack of interest in interacting with others was “very uncommon” among police officer candidates. Also filed in February was a questionnaire that will be used to evaluate potential jurors. In addition to questions about jurors’ personal lives, education and occupation, questions cover military service, the use of firearms, whether another person has ever died as a result of the potential juror’s conduct and perceptions of Somali-Americans. Sylvestre Remodeling SWJ 022119 6.indd 1
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A8 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
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By Jim Walsh
Straight outta Fulton: Vicky Emerson and ‘The Reckoning’ crew
M
onday morning was a busy one for Vicky Emerson. Sitting with two open laptops and her guitar and piano nearby in the Fulton-neighborhood home she shares with her husband and two children, Emerson spent much of the morning monitoring activity on the release of her music video for her new tune “The Reckoning” — an elegant call-toarms for women in the face of a newly emboldened global strain of sexism. “It’s been going bonkers,” said Emerson. “[The music blog] Americana U.K. put it out early this morning here, and it’s been getting tons of shares on Facebook, which has been awesome, and I’ve put it out on Instagram, and that’s kind of been motoring, and others have shared clips on Instagram, and the Women’s March just tweeted about it, and Americana Highways blog is doing the U.S. premiere. “It’s getting out there, and that’s great. The purpose of the video, or the theme of the video, is women supporting other women, but we also need men as allies. I know a lot of great men and they are a little bit like, when you clue them in on [institutional sexism and misogyny], ‘Oh …’ So I think it’s our job as women to educate and keep the conversation going. We have to.” The timing of “The Reckoning” may seem to be uncannily perfect, but sexism and misogyny have long been part of the music industry. It’s also been given new acceptability with Trump in the White House, but with the #MeToo movement and recent cases of R. Kelly and Ryan Adams being held accountable for their actions, Emerson believes the time is ripe for long overdue change. “I think women have to step up, otherwise we’re just going to get run over,” she said. “Also, I think that I’m at an age where I’m just fed up, and I don’t care, and I’m not going to step to the side, and I’m not going to be quiet, and I’m not going to hold my tongue, and I’m going to speak out now. I look back even 10 years ago and I wonder: Would I have had the strength to do that? I don’t know.” Emerson knows firsthand what it’s like to write, record, tour and promote herself as an independent female artist — and she also knows why the NBC News headline over the weekend implored, “After Ryan Adams allegations, will music industry finally face a #MeToo reckoning?” “Certainly I’ve had my share of #MeToo moments,” Emerson said. “I remember my first gig, I was in my 20s, and I would play background piano at a golf course in St. Paul. The owner, who was 20 or 25 years older than me, emailed me after the first gig and wanted to take me out on his boat and he promised to be a perfect gentleman. Sure. I didn’t have a boyfriend at the time, but I said I did and he just kept emailing me. He was so persistent. It was so gross. That’s just one of so many. There’s also just now, being a woman at a crazy bar after a show, trying to figure out how to leave and get safely to your car.” In the music business, examples of sexism can be seen at awards shows, in media coverage and
Vicky Emerson in her Fulton neighborhood home: “I’m not going to hold my tongue, and I’m going to speak out now.” Submitted photo
on country radio charts, which have received criticism in recent years for favoring cookiecutter cowboy hat-wearing males over original females with something to say. “The country radio thing is insane,” said Emerson. “I remember growing up and hearing lots of women on the radio — women to look up to and to aspire to as a little kid. And now you turn on the radio and it’s all men for an hour.” Co-penned with fellow singer-songwriter/ musician Graham Bramblett, “The Reckoning” is a moody anthem for our times that doesn’t preach or hit the listener over the head with a message. “We wrote it right here,” said Emerson, sitting in her sun-drenched living room. “I was just getting over pneumonia, and I was supposed to go to the Folk Alliance conference in Kansas City, and I got so sick and I just stayed home. Graham texted me and said, ‘Wanna write? I know you’re home.’ So he came over and we sat and complained about politics and [vented] our disgust with what’s going on in Washington, and that’s how the song started. I had the chorus (‘I hear the hive a-buzzing/I feel the storm rolling in’) and the melody, and we wanted to keep it kind of ambiguous. It’s not a political song, but it has a strong message.” The song appears on Emerson’s new album, “Steady Heart,” and features fellow singer-songwriter/musician Kari Arnett on backup vocals. For the Jeremy Krzmarzick-directed video, Emerson recruited fellow singer-songwriter/ musician friends Jillian Rae, Annie Fitzgerald and Sarah Morris (Emerson’s partner in the folk-rock duo The Home Fires) to collaborate with dancers choreographed by Heather Corndorf and Katie Cannon and real-time painting from artist Genevieve Fabiola (the video can be seen at bit.ly/2U6Bpu4 and is currently streaming all over the world).
“My kids are watching me,” said Emerson, when asked about the source of her courage to sing and speak up about injustice. “They’re young. They’re 8 and 5, and they watch me. I want them to be like, ‘Yeah. That’s my mom. She tells the truth. She says how she feels, and she’s honest and she’s kind. I’m teaching them. I have a boy and a girl, both equally important to set those examples for them about being positive and strong. Also, I was married right out of college and my first husband was an abusive alcoholic. I was married for a short time, I came out of it, I literally had to rebuild myself and my life, and it was a definite choice to be like, ‘I’m never going back there.’” At a time when female political leaders and candidates are making a new welcome noise as lawmakers, Emerson has tapped into a similar wave, one that bodes well for the future of all musicians and music lovers. “Lately, a lot of my conversations with friends have drifted into inequality: how to make things happen, how to help each other,” she said. “Because I really do believe if we come together instead of tear each other down, we come together as a stronger voice, as a unified message, and I think it packs a bigger punch. “You could go a lot of different routes [as a songwriter]. You could go a more negative route, but instead I wanted to bring strength and grace and beauty and incredible women, because visually it’s just stunning. I can whine about country playlists all day long, and that’s never going to change anything. But if you send a message this way, an enlightening message, something powerful … there’s a chance.” Jim Walsh lives and grew up in South Minneapolis. He can be reached at jimwalsh086@gmail.com.
southwestjournal.com / February 21–March 6, 2019 A9
Voices
Alzheimer’s disease
Single-use polystyrene In January, Berkeley, California approved a 25-cent fee for disposable cups. While it is an important step in preventing waste from killing wildlife, I believe that Minnesota, with help from environmental advocacy organization Environment Minnesota, can take a stronger stance in preventing harmful plastic pollution. Polystyrene, or what is commonly known as Styrofoam, is a plastic compound that does not biodegrade. Currently, Americans dispose of 70 million foam cups every day, and every year 14 million tons of foam is manufactured worldwide. What’s more alarming is that polystyrene is not biodegradable, so every single piece of foam that we have ever created is still out there. By banning unnecessary items like foam cups or foam takeout containers and replacing them with a biodegradable alternative, we will dramatically reduce our plastic waste, protecting our lakes, rivers, beautiful state parks and the wildlife that reside there. Minnesota has always been full of passionate people who care about the environment. It’s about time that we take action on a state level and ban single-use polystyrene. Emily Mares Como
The Alzheimer’s Association estimates there are more than 5 million Americans, including 94,000 Minnesotans, living with Alzheimer’s disease and more than 16 million Alzheimer’s caregivers. As an Alzheimer’s Ambassador, it is my honor to represent them. Congress just passed the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act with a strong bipartisan vote. The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act will allow our nation to address Alzheimer’s as the urgent public health crisis it has become. I hope Rep. Ilhan Omar will continue to work with her colleagues in Congress to address Alzheimer’s as a public health crisis that must be addressed, not just from a funding standpoint but also from a caregiver standpoint. In a story all too familiar in the fight against Alzheimer’s, during the years we were losing my grandfather, I also felt we were losing my aunt, uncle, dad and grandmother — the caregivers. My family was fortunate to find help. Many aren’t, especially those in our most vulnerable communities. Every 65 seconds someone develops Alzheimer’s disease, which is why Congress must remain committed to action on this devastating disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2018 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, by 2050 the total cost of care for Alzheimer’s is projected to increase to more than $1.1 trillion. The report also revealed that Alzheimer’srelated costs have soared to $277 billion in the last year, including $186 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid. Aside from the immeasurable human toll, these are numbers that our national budget cannot withstand. By applying a public health approach to reduce risk, detect early symptoms and advance
care, we can change the trajectory of Alzheimer’s disease and all those families affected by it. To learn more about Alzheimer’s and how you can join the fight to end Alzheimer’s visit alz.org. James Sorbel Stevens Square (The writer volunteers as a Congressional Ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Association.)
Ranked-choice voting In late January, I was shocked to see someone as (refreshingly) bland as Howard Schultz could be accused of “reckless idiocy” by The New York Times’ Michelle Goldberg. He is being charged with splitting the anti-Trump vote should he run for president as an independent, which is in all truth a fair assessment. However, as Goldberg admits, “America’s two-party system, unfortunate as it is, is an inevitable result of the winner-take-all nature of our elections.” Because of this twoparty system, Schultz would be “reckless” to draw votes away from Trump’s opponent. Goldberg goes on to say that ranked choice voting (along with other measures) “could potentially break the two-party stranglehold on our politics” (emphasis added). Isn’t it time the people, for whom the Constitution and government officials exist, to stop this madness? Say what you want about Schultz (e.g. he’s narcissistic, out-oftouch, elitist), but since when should the American public feel terror over the freedom of an individual to run for public office? Such sentiment screams of a failure in our current electoral system on a national level. Thankfully, ranked choice voting serves as a promising solution. Already we’ve seen very
successful elections held in Minneapolis and St. Paul using RCV, and Maine has successfully used it at the state level in federal elections (as Goldberg points out in her column). RCV allows individuals the right to voice their preferences in elections to the fullest by ranking candidates from most to least desired. Votes are distributed in a way that maximizes voter preferences until a single candidate holds a true majority of the votes. There are no more “spoilers” or “vote-splitting” with RCV. The time is now to end the stranglehold by the Democratic and Republican parties. I am calling on all Minnesotans to advocate for RCV’s expansion across the state and one day across the country. Cody Tucholke Linden Hills
CORRECTIONS: A story on page A1 of the Feb. 7–20 issue (“Night and day”) misidentified who is leasing former North Face storefront on Hennepin Avenue. The space is being leased by Cushman & Wakefield. The Feb. 7–20 Green Digest column misstated the size agricultural homesteads must reach to qualify for special tax benefits; it is at least 10 contiguous acres. The story also misquoted Twin Cities Agricultural Land Trust Chair Valentine Cadieux, who referred to Southeast Asian farmers in a comment regarding farms on the urban periphery.
A10 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
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neighborhood organizations to spend repaid loans on their own priorities. About 2,100 notices of the plan modification vote were mailed to Lowry Hill residents three weeks before the meeting, LHNA Board President Michael Cockson said. Those notices prompted 29 residents to attend the Feb. 5 meeting, where they voted 27–2 in favor of amending the plan. “This is an important asset to the neighborhood,” Cockson said. The total cost of completely repairing the fountain, which was envisioned by Theodore Wirth and completed in 1925, is expected to be about $600,000. The remaining funds have not yet been raised. “We are at the very, very beginning of this,” Cockson said.
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In 2008, the LHNA loaned out $225,000 in NRP dollars to affordable housing projects being built by Aeon at Franklin & Portland, according to Jack Whitehurst, a neighborhood specialist with the City of Minneapolis. Those funds were repaid in 2012. After allocating the program income to the fountain, LHNA is left with about $94,500 in NRP funds that must be spent on housing, Whitehurst said. Whitehurst said because the LHNA plan had previously been reviewed and approved, the NRP Policy Board is not required to act on the modification. The city’s Neighborhood and Community Relations Department could request a review by the policy board but hasn’t done so at this time. The neighborhood has previously invested heavily in Thomas Lowry Park, which was acquired by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board in 1922 after a proposal for a 13-story apartment building on the site was rejected. This won’t be the first time NRP dollars have been allocated to renovating the park. In 1994, $300,000 in NRP funds was dedicated to fountain upgrades, improving paths and sidewalks, adding lighting and a sprinkler system. When Park Board budget cuts in 2003 led to the water being shut off in the pools, neighbors raised $8,500 to keep water flowing during the
summer, according to a history compiled by the Friends of Thomas Lowry Park. In 2010, $11,000 in NRP dollars was used to put in new planting boxes and irrigation systems.
Park Board approval Elizabeth Shaffer, president of Friends of Thomas Lowry Park, said they want to preserve the fountain feature even if it means significant fundraising. Shaffer noted the park was toward the bottom of the equity matrix MPRB uses to prioritize funding. The group hired a landscape architect to bid out the project and found that renovating the fountain would cost about $450,000, while replacing it entirely would cost just under $600,000. She said she’s hopeful Park Board commissioners will see the neighborhood’s commitment as a positive when they eventually seek approval. Any changes to the fountain would need MPRB approval. Like all neighborhood parks in the city, Thomas Lowry Park is currently being reimagined. The MPRB Southwest Area Master Plan has two concepts for the park: one calls for restoring the Seven Pools and the other calls for getting rid of the pools altogether, making the space a natural play area. “Obviously, we would hate to see Theodore Wirth’s design filled in, but we understand that it’s an unique feature,” Shaffer said. MPRB Assistant Superintendent Michael Schroeder said he felt grateful that a neighborhood organization would step forward to help preserve and maintain the unique pools. “It’s great for us,” Schroeder said. The Seven Pools Fountain at Thomas Lowry Park, like all pools in the system, is difficult to maintain. In this case, the fountain is old and has been patched up a number of times. Schroeder said because of rules requiring MPRB to find the lowest-cost bid for a project, the neighborhood association’s commitment could give them more latitude in finding the right contractor. “That would help us a lot,” he said. Other neighborhood associations have come forward with funding for local parks, he said, and similar projects. In Loring Park, the neighborhood association has contributed to the maintenance of the Berger Fountain.
southwestjournal.com / February 21–March 6, 2019 A11
News
Developer finalizing East Calhoun Parkway plans A developer is solidifying plans for an apartment and condo building East Calhoun Parkway near the northeast shore of Bde Maka Ska. Plans call for a four-story building 13 apartments, three top-floor condos and an 18-stall underground parking garage at 3017, 3021 and 3025 E. Calhoun Parkway. The fourth floor would be set back from the building exterior, according to the plans. The plans for the fourth floor may change, pending discussion with the East Calhoun Community Organization, according to property owner Basir Tareen. The rental units will be a mixture of onebedroom, one-bedroom-plus-den and twobedroom apartments, said Scott England, principal at DJR Architecture, which is working on the project along with Tareen and Reuter Walton. The condos don’t have a defined number of bedrooms and could be customized to meet the needs of the owners, he said. The new building would be set back from the street 26–36 feet and would incorporate a series of retaining walls designed to retain natural grade on the sloping site, according to a preliminary city staff report. The project site is currently occupied by two single-family homes and one triplex, which would be demolished. Two of the three parcels in the project site are zoned R3 multiple-family
district and a third is zoned R2B two-family district. The site is also part of a shoreland overlay district, requiring a conditional use permit to build over 2.5 stories. The development team is petitioning to rezone the R2B parcel as R3. The team is also seeking several variances for the project and a conditional-use permit to increase the maximum building height. Tareen wrote in an email that the team had initially considered an assisted-living building but said that would have required a higherdensity zoning district, R4, for the site. He wrote that city staff and the East Calhoun Community Organization were not in favor of such a change. He wrote that an ECCO committee participated in development meetings with his team and provided input that was “invaluable” in helping shape the proposal. He said his team is excited to take a formal proposal to the Minneapolis City Planning Commission after twoplus years of working on it. Tareen said he’s hoping to present the project to Planning Commission on March 11. Construction could start this summer, and the construction period would likely be 10–12 months, England said. — Nate Gotlieb
A developer has proposed a 16-unit building along East Calhoun Parkway across from Bde Maka Ska. Rendering courtesy DJR Architecture
Hundreds turn out for Kingfield Empty Bowls About 450 neighbors and people from the broader community shared soup and conversation Feb. 7 at the Kingfield Neighborhood Association’s annual Empty Bowls event. Over 70 volunteers helped during the event, which took place at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center. Proceeds from the event were set to go toward Nicollet Square, a permanent housing facility for people ages 16–21 who have experienced homelessness or aged out of the foster care system. The 42-unit facility is located at 37th & Nicollet. Local restaurants, including Butter Bakery Cafe, Blackbird, Cafe Ena, Clancey’s Meats & Fish, Nighthawks Diner + Bar and Victor’s 1959 Café, donated soup for the event. Other sponsors included Curran’s, Seward Community Co-op, Gigi’s Café, Kyatchi, Lake Country School, The Lowbrow, Five Watt Coffee, Patisserie 46, Powderhorn Empty Bowls and Sun Street Breads. — Nate Gotlieb
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A12 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com FROM COLD CASES / PAGE A1 Dr. Christine Clouser is a forensic scientist in the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office crime lab. Photo by Michelle Bruch
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said investigators use DNA evidence to both convict and clear suspects. “Because if we don’t have a match, we don’t have a case,” he said at a recent press conference.
Lesson from the Golden State Freeman charged Isanti resident Jerry Arnold Westrom, 52, in the 1993 murder of Jeanie Childs on the 3100 block of Pillsbury Avenue South. According to the complaint, an unknown DNA sample recovered from the scene was entered into commercial genealogy websites to develop suspects. Investigators trailed Westrom to a hockey game and watched him order a hot dog and wipe his mouth with a napkin, which they retrieved from the trash for testing, Freeman said. After Westrom was taken into custody, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reportedly determined his DNA matched samples found on the crime scene’s comforter and bathroom towel. Westrom denied ever being at the apartment, said he didn’t recognize Childs and said he didn’t know why his DNA would be at the scene, according to the complaint. Freeman said the strategy is inspired by the investigation of the Golden State Killer, in which the alleged serial offender’s profile was uploaded to the genealogy website GEDmatch. “We all learned quite a bit from the Golden State Killer,” said Freeman, who added he’s discussed the case with the district attorney in Ventura County. “I said, ‘You know, I bet we’ve got some cases back home we could use this on.’ Well, we just found one.” In the California case, a genealogy search found the suspect’s closest relatives were third cousins, investigator Paul Holes said in an interview with KTVU. Starting with shared ancestors born in the early 1800s, they combed through the family lineage, looking for men born at the right time with the right build with a presence in California. Then they went into traditional inves-
tigatory mode, interviewing acquaintances and quietly lifting DNA samples from the suspect’s trash can and car door handle. In the 44 years and thousand tips prior to the genealogy search, they “weren’t even close” to the suspect, Holes said. Then the genealogy search took just four months, he said. “I believe that if we had not employed this genetic genealogy tool, it’s entirely possible this case would have gone unsolved,” he told KTVU.
In the lab Testing DNA samples from the trash is not unusual here, said staff at the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab at 6th & Park. Minneapolis contracts with the BCA for its DNA testing, and Hennepin County receives about 2,000 requests annually from surrounding cities. Both labs are accredited. Investigators can run unidentified DNA samples through CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System that contains more than 13 million federal, state and local profiles. In Minnesota, DNA from convicted felony offenders joins the database, according to the BCA. Much of the DNA testing at the Hennepin County lab relates to property crimes, which are traditionally hard to solve, said Jim Liberty, the lab’s forensic science supervisor. “We have an incredibly high solve rate when we have DNA evidence. Eighty percent of the property crime samples we get in that are
unknown, we eventually get a hit to a CODIS individual,” he said. The county’s technology has advanced to detect about 10 DNA cells — in a drop of blood there are millions of cells, Liberty said. Testing equipment has become sensitive enough to track DNA traveling between people, as through shaking hands. Anything in contact with the mouth provides a particularly good sample, such as food, a drink bottle or a cigarette butt. Investigators can use surveillance video to note items a suspect has touched, then go in for a DNA sample. “Human beings constantly are shedding their DNA into the environment. All the time, everywhere, everybody,” Liberty said, adding that some shed more than others, perhaps due to touching the mouth or sloughing more skin cells.
Advances The lab can almost always recover DNA on guns, Liberty said. Guns are probably their No. 1 growing item of evidence, but they’re among the most complex DNA mixes to decipher, he said. “DNA persists for a relatively long time, so whoever handled that gun at any time in the past may still have their DNA on there,” Liberty said. “And guns usually are handled by many, many people, so guns are problematic because they have so much DNA.” The lab is currently adding new robotic equipment to further automate the work,
and the lab uses a new workflow to speed up processing of sexual assault kits. More detailed and automated sequencing technology is “right at the doorstep,” Liberty said, which will identify hundreds of thousands of genetic variations, rather than the blocks of DNA identified today. At the state BCA, lab technicians can analyze mitochondrial DNA in old and degraded samples, which is useful in cases with unidentified remains. While DNA can quickly degrade outside in sunlight, it can remain stable for long periods when stored in dry, cool conditions, Liberty said.
Civil liberties concerns Some raise concerns about the use of DNA evidence. The American Civil Liberties Union has advocated for privacy in genetic information, opposing states that share the DNA of people arrested but not yet convicted. The National Institute of Justice suggests that defense attorneys weigh alternative explanations for DNA at a scene, such as prior contact, transfer by touch or lab contamination, according to a 2012 report. Attorney Thomas Kelly is representing Donald Clifton Jenkins, Jr., who is charged in the 1991 murder of Belinda Thompson at the 2800 block of Grand Avenue South. “DNA has been as useful for the defendants as it has been for the prosecuting authorities,” Kelly said. “The science seems to be very close to being impeccable and reliable, and it’s been accepted in all courts. … It’s far better than, for example, the polygraph.” Lyndale neighborhood resident Luther Krueger recalled that 1993 was a pivotal year for volunteer crime prevention efforts, although he doesn’t remember the homicide in Lyndale that year. “Regrettably back then more than one homicide a year wasn’t uncommon,” he said in an email. “… With a case like this the community learns how much technology has improved, and I’d expect fewer cases will go cold for so long in this era.”
southwestjournal.com / February 21–March 6, 2019 A13
News By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@southwestjournal.com
District, Graff reach extension terms Minneapolis Public Schools and Superintendent Ed Graff have agreed to terms on a contract extension, School Board Chairman Nelson Inz announced at the Feb. 12 board meeting. The contract’s approval is pending a School Board vote in March. The new three-year contract would pay Graff $230,000 annually and would allow him to cash out 10 vacation days annually instead of five, General Counsel Amy Moore said. Graff would also be able to cash out unused sick leave, Moore said. The contract does not include language from the current agreement related to relocation, transition and licensure, Moore said. Graff started with MPS in July 2016 after over 20 years with the Anchorage,
Alaska, school district, including three as superintendent. He’s prioritized literacy, social-emotional learning, equity and student supports during his two-and-a-half years with MPS, installing a new elementary literacy curriculum and reorganizing the district’s central office, among other efforts. Graff ’s current contract includes a $225,000 annual base salary, 35 days of paid vacation and 12 paid sick days. The contract gives the School Board discretion to increase Graff ’s base salary contract based on his performance, though it has not done so to date. Inz’s announcement came about four months after the board gave Graff high marks in a 2017-18 performance review. A majority of board members found that
Graff met at least 80 percent of the “implementation steps” for five goals in the evaluation tool, according to a public evaluation summary. A majority of Ed Graff. members provided positive comments about a sixth goal, the operations of the district, the summary said. Inz said Feb. 12 that he appreciated Graff ’s patience as the board worked through a new contract. He said the district is in a completely different place than it was three years ago,
noting past questions about the budget and the district’s future. Inz said he hoped the board approves the contract. Graff said after the meeting he was pleased to be able to continue the work the district is doing. A $230,000 base salary appears comparable to superintendents in surrounding districts. St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Joe Gothard has a base salary of $232,000, and Edina Public Schools Superintendent John Schultz has a base salary of $223,300 for 2018-19. When she resigned in December 2014, former MPS Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson had a base salary of $190,000 and was eligible for up to $40,000 in annual performance bonuses.
Page art class designs murals for school
Students in Elissa Cedarleaf Dahl’s art class designed four murals, including the one pictured above, to hang outside the school. Submitted image
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A Justice Page Middle School art class has designed a series of murals to hang outside of the school. The murals feature images of students, symbols representing the community and pictures of the school’s namesake, former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and Minnesota Vikings star Alan Page. Two will hang on the building along 49th Street and another two will hang along the building’s 50th Street facade. Art teacher Elissa Cedarleaf Dahl said the yearlong mural project gives students an opportunity to become better artists, make something for the school and collaborate with one another. She said the murals will show the pride around the school’s name. Cedarleaf Dahl received a $10,000 grant from the Minneapolis Educator Leadership Awards for the project. She said the Tangletown Neighborhood Association has agreed to use funds from the Rename Ramsey campaign
for the project. (The school formerly was named after Minnesota’s second governor, Alexander Ramsey.) About 160 students will work to create the murals over the next three months, she said. Artist Greta McLain and GoodSpace Murals will help install the murals this summer. Cedarleaf Dahl and her class gathered feedback on the mural designs during a Feb. 7 information session with parents and community members. Among those in attendance was Alan Page, whom Cedarleaf Dahl praised for his support of the school. Page and his late wife, Diane, have been involved the last two years in mural projects, Cedarleaf Dahl said. She said she looks to Page, a noted collector, for a “keen eye” on art, design and historical perspectives. Students in Cedarleaf Dahl’s class said they’ve learned through the project about working together and how murals can tell stories without words. Eighth-
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grader Addy Frye said they’ve learned how it’s important to showcase the school to the outside community, and eighth-grader Zoe Lewandowski said they want to showcase how their school is a welcoming place. “We welcome everyone into our community, and we just wanted people to know that,” seventh-grader Jama Ahmed added. Parent Kate Quinlan-Laird, president of the school’s PTA, said she appreciates how much effort the kids put into the details on the murals. Other parents at the Feb. 7 session said they liked the murals’ vibrant colors and patterns and how they felt inclusive for a lot of people. “It’s pretty, but it makes you think, too,” one parent said.
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A14 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com FROM KLOBUCHAR / PAGE A1 Hundreds of Klobuchar supporters streamed into Boom Island Park for the campaign launch event. While the podium was positioned to give cameras a skyline view, the snow created a backdrop of white. Photos by Dylan Thomas
“As your president, I will look you in the eye, I will tell you what I think, I will focus on getting things done. That’s what I’ve done my whole life,” she said. “And no matter what, I’ll lead from the heart.” Klobuchar said she would confront the “insidious forces” pouring dark money into politics and acting to restrict voting rights. She said she would forge a path through the obstacles to American progress, tackling the challenges posed by climate change, rising healthcare costs and data-mining tech companies. “It is time to organize, time to galvanize, time to take back our democracy. It’s time, America,” she said, standing in front of a Minneapolis skyline obscured by snow. Her pitch to voters included retraining workers, investing in green jobs and infrastructure, closing tax loopholes that benefit only the wealthy, lowering prescription drug prices and reforming the criminal justice system. She said the United States must “stand strong and consistently with (its) allies” and pledged to respect the country’s front-line troops, diplomats and intelligence officers. “They deserve better than foreign policy by tweet,” she said, one of several references in the roughly 20-minute speech to President Donald Trump.
Grit and toughness Deriding the “shutdowns and the showdowns … the gridlock and the grandstanding” of the last two years, Klobuchar joined a crowd of Democratic hopefuls aiming to challenge Trump in 2020. They include Senate colleagues Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Corey Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, as well as U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who served as U.S. secretary of housing and urban development under President Barack Obama. “I don’t have a political machine. I don’t come from money. But what I do have is this: I have grit,” Klobuchar said. A parade of local Democratic officials emphasized that grit as they took turns at the podium in the lead-up Klobuchar’s speech. That included a trio of Minnesota mayors: Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, Johnathan Judd of Moorhead and Duluth Mayor Emily Larson, who described the weather conditions — temperatures in the teens under falling snow — as “a perfect Duluth day.” Frey described Klobuchar as hardworking, honest and optimistic. “She looks you in the eye and she tells the truth,” he said. Gov. Tim Walz said Klobuchar would be a tough contender in a presidential campaign, citing her large margins of victory in all three of her Senate campaigns. She won re-election to a third term last fall after taking more than 60 percent of the vote in the general election, defeating Republican Jim Newberger by 24 points. Walz predicted Klobuchar would have broad appeal, citing his own experience with close elections in the state’s 1st Congressional
District, which went for Trump in 2016 after narrowly favoring Obama in 2012. Walz, a DFLer, was replaced by Republican Jim Hagedorn in Congress. “We’ve got the opportunity to replace chaos with courage,” he said. U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said the rest of the nation got a glimpse of Klobuchar’s toughness during last year’s confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Klobuchar, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed Kavanaugh on his history with drinking, sparking a contentious exchange for which Kavanaugh later apologized. The committee was examining accusations of sexual assault dating back to Kavanaugh’s high school years, and the nominee was accused of being less than truthful about his use of alcohol in high school and college. The incident was later the subject of a “Saturday Night Live” parody in which Klobuchar was played by comedian Rachel Dratch. Klobuchar’s pointed questioning of Kavanaugh caught the attention of Nathan Grumdahl, who rode his bike through the snow to attend the Boom Island Park rally. A registered nurse who works in the Minneapolis school district, Grumdahl said he was a sexual assault survivor and found Klobuchar’s performance during the hearings “really powerful.” “She’s an amazing force in Minnesota politics and now national politics even more,” he said, describing Klobuchar as thoughtful and persevering. While still undecided on which candidate he’ll support in 2020, Grumdahl said he had backed Klobuchar in all of her previous campaigns and felt it was time for a woman to serve in the nation’s highest elected office.
Nathan Grumdahl said he found Klobuchar’s performance during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh “really powerful.”
As your president, I will look you in the eye, I will tell you what I think, I will focus on getting things done. That’s what I’ve done my whole life. And no matter what, I’ll lead from the heart. — Sen. Amy Klobuchar
they were looking for candidates to address student debt and healthcare. Duggan said he would like Klobuchar to support the Green New Deal platform being pushed by some progressive Democrats, a mix of proposals to quickly act on climate change while also improving the nation’s infrastructure. Klobuchar is a co-sponsor of a Green New Deal resolution in the Senate and in her speech at Boom Island Park said she would proposed “sweeping legislation to invest in green jobs and infrastructure” within the first 100 days of being elected president. She also pledged to rejoin international climate agreements aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting the warming of the planet.
Management style
Politics
Uptown residents Katie Schmieg Miller and Chris Miller, who attended the rally with their dog, Luna, described Klobuchar as hardworking and focused on results. While excited to have a Minnesotan in the race, they’re keeping their options open for 2020. Asked whom else they liked in the Democratic field, Schmieg Miller mentioned Warren and Miller mentioned Democratic Congressman Beto O’Rourke, who drew national attention in an unsuccessful bid to unseat Texas Sen. Ted Cruz last year. O’Rourke has not yet announced a run for president. They had heard reports that Klobuchar was a tough boss, but suspected accusations she was hard on her staff may have been tainted by sexism. “What’s Trump’s turnover since he’s been in charge?” Miller asked. A spate of new stories published just before Klobuchar’s announcement quoted disgruntled former staffers, often anonymously, as well as other employees who expressed their support for their boss. Shortly after leaving the podium, Klobuchar responded to a question about her management style. “Yes I can be tough, and yes I can push people. I know that,” she said. “But in the end, there are so many great stories of our staff that have been with me for years, who have gone on to do incredible things. “And I have, I’d say, high expectations for myself. I have high expectations for the people that work for me. But I have high expectations for this country.” Matt Duggan and Julia Sieling, another pair who traveled from Uptown to Boom Island Park for the rally, were also skeptical of how Klobuchar’s management style had been depicted in the press. “If it was a man, this conversation wouldn’t be happening,” Duggan said. Duggan and Sieling, who were undecided about who they plan to support in 2020, said
Joe Hesla, a teacher in the St. Paul school district who lives in South Minneapolis, was among a group of activists who showed up to the rally carrying Green New Deal signs. Along with economic justice, he said climate change was one of the top issues going into 2020. “It’s serious (stuff) we’re dealing with and there’s no time to (fool) around anymore,” he said, using stronger language. Hesla, who identifies as a socialist, said he sometimes supported Democrats but would probably not back Klobuchar. “I think she’s too middle-of-the-road for me,” he said. Politically, Klobuchar is a more moderate politician than some of the other Democrats already in the presidential race, ranking as the 66th most conservative member of the Senate on a list compiled by GovTrack, an independent website that monitors Congress. That places her ideologically to the right of Harris, Gillibrand and Booker. That might appeal to voters like Joe McCulley and Josh Panos of the Phillips neighborhood, self-professed “political junkies” who showed up at the rally just to take in the spectacle of a presidential campaign launch. Panos said Klobuchar’s strong history of bipartisanship could be an asset. While he views climate change as an “existential threat,” he also considers himself a pragmatist. “As much as the Green New Deal sounds great, I don’t know if it will work now,” he said. McCulley, an Army veteran, said his top priority was countering the global rise of authoritarianism and “repairing” the nation’s foreign policy in the wake of the Trump administration. Panos expressed doubt that Klobuchar would make it very far in the contest, and said he was keeping an eye on O’Rourke, Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet entered the 2020 race. “The biggest thing is showing the world we are not Donald Trump,” he said.
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A16 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
By Mira Klein
A youth-led climate movement Urgent and unabashedly progressive climate politics have come to Minnesota — or at least they’ve finally made it into the chambers of the Minnesota State Capitol. Just a few days after the outline for a federal Green New Deal was unveiled on the national stage, spearheaded by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and the star power of Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-NY), on Feb. 11 a broad coalition of climate justice organizers led by the youth of Minnesota Can’t Wait launched their own Minnesota version. Sponsored by Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL), the Minnesota Green New Deal is the first state-based legislative effort to take on the grand vision a Green New Deal platform proposes: nothing short of a complete reimagining of the entire economic, social and political system. Minnesota Can’t Wait is a statewide climate justice organization driven by and amplifying the voices of high school organizers. These youth activists — and some even younger counterparts — have led everything from bill-writing to social media engagement to organizational outreach. When the bill was officially launched through an afternoon of chanting, speeches and banners in the Capitol rotunda, these youth organizers were clearly running the show. But it would be misguided to think the students stand alone. To watch the launch of the Minnesota Green New Deal unfold is to witness some expert coalition-building. The forces behind the bill — with the youth of MN Can’t Wait always at the helm — are a complex and interconnected network of national environmental organizations, high
school activists, boundary-pushing scientists, grassroots collectives and local political leaders. At every turn these coalition partners, particularly those from larger, more institutionalized organizations, have actively followed the leadership of youth organizers. It’s apparent in the way the text of the Minnesota Green New Deal came to fruition. During Environmental Initiative’s legislative preview back in January, Hornstein reflected on one of the first meetings with MN Can’t Wait that focused on the content of the bill. He suggested the bill could call for entirely renewable energy by 2045, a goal closely aligned with an existing 100 percent renewable energy bill making its way through the state legislature. “They looked at me they said, ‘2045? Are you kidding? We have to do that by 2030. That’s what the science is telling us!’” Hornstein recalled. 2030 is the benchmark that made it into the bill. Gabriel Kaplan, a sophomore at St. Louis Park High School and an activist with MN Can’t Wait, was at that meeting. “He made it very clear that he will follow the student lead,” Kaplan said. “He doesn’t talk over us.” They also appreciated the muffins Hornstein contributed to sugar-boost their early-morning policy discussion, Kaplan added. According to Kaplan, MN Can’t Wait activists see a statewide bill as complementary and not a replacement for similar national efforts. The Minnesota proposal calls for “acting as a model for other states and the Federal Government to bring about additional Green New Deal legislation.”
And national Green New Deal supporters are taking note. This includes Ocasio-Cortez, who, as Kaplan pointed out, retweeted a post from MN Can’t Wait to her three million-plus followers. That type of exposure has contributed to an explosion of youth interest and participation in MN Can’t Wait over the past few months. Back in August, the number of active members hovered around 10; six months later there are dozens of students directly involved in MN Can’t Wait’s day-to-day organizing and an even larger network of youth supporters through schools and social media. As a result, the youth have had to overhaul their internal infrastructure in order to make room for swelling interest. This is a flexibility rarely exhibited by more institutional non-profit organizations, a nimbleness that is emboldened by leaders who are not constrained by bureaucratic process. “We’ve worked a lot on making sure conversations, positions and teams were open to everyone,” said Henri Nguyen, a junior at Southwest High School. This flexibility also reflects MN Can’t Wait’s commitment to an inclusive process, exhibiting a sophisticated understanding of institutional oppression and intersectional organizing tactics. Tonio Alarcon-Borges, another youth organizer and a senior at the School of Environmental Studies, reiterated the importance of making sure to use this public platform to be as inclusive as possible. “Even within our meetings, we are passing the microphone around,” he said. And importantly, this intersectional approach
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is featured front and center in the text of the bill itself, stating that “the Plan for a Minnesota Green New Deal shall recognize that a statewide, industrial, economic mobilization of this scope and scale is a historic opportunity to address poverty and inequity in Minnesota and make prosperity, wealth, and economic security accessible to everyone participating in the transformation.” This includes, among other priorities, creating a public bank, protecting tribal sovereignty, enforcing labor regulations and taking leadership from front-line communities who have been disproportionately affected by climate change and fossil fuel infrastructure. To Sarah Goodspeed, the youth and policy manager with Climate Generation, the bill’s commitment to understanding climate crisis within the context of power and privilege is a function of the youth-led nature of this effort. “We see in the younger generation that they have a stronger intuition around what intersectional organizing looks like,” Goodspeed said. “[They] have been really explicit about centering the voices most vulnerable to climate change.” As of the bill’s launch, Hornstein was backed by at least four other state representatives who have signaled their support. But much like its national counterpart, a Minnesota Green New Deal has a long road ahead before becoming reality. Addressing the crowd with words from Frederick Douglas, Hornstein said: “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” As the crowd dissipated from the Capitol rotunda, Alarcon-Borges was still riding high on a wave of positive energy. “I am very hyped,” he said. “I’m at 200 percent.”
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southwestjournal.com / February 21–March 6, 2019 A17
By Andrew Hazzard / ahazzard@southwestjournal.com
May 1 deadline to resolve Commons park management A Hennepin County District Court Judge has set a deadline for the city and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to determine the future management status of a park adjacent to U.S. Bank Stadium. A Feb. 5 order from Judge Bruce Peterson gave the city until May 1 to turn the 4.2-acre Commons over to the Park Board, which is charged with managing parks within Minneapolis. “He’s basically given us 90 days to figure the situation out with the city,” Park Board attorney Brian Rice told commissioners on Feb. 6. City Attorney Susan Segal said the case likely would move to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. “We expect there will be a joint appeal of the district court order by the Park Board and the city,” Segal said. Park Board President Brad Bourn said Feb. 6 they would discuss the ruling and take action at a future meeting. John Hayden, who with former City Council Member Paul Ostrow filed the suit in Nov. 2017 on grounds that the city violated its charter by operating a park, said the judge’s rulings show the law is clear and continued appeals from the city don’t serve public interest. “If they want to keep going, we can keep going,” Hayden said. The management of the Commons has been debated since U.S. Bank Stadium was approved by the state legislature in 2012. In 2013, Ryan Companies entered into a use agreement for the Commons with
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The Commons park adjacent to U.S. Bank Stadium is currently managed by the city, but a judge’s ruling requires a new management plan by May 1. File photo
the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority that allowed MSFA and the Minnesota Vikings football team to use the space for game days and other events and created an understanding that Ryan Companies would later turn the space over to the city or its “designee.” In 2014, the Park Board adopted a resolution declaring the Commons did not “truly qualify as a public park”. In 2017, the city conveyed the Commons to the Park Board. The Park Board immediately leased the Commons back to the city, which runs the park via the nonprofit Green Minneapolis. Funding for the park is gathered from Green Minneapolis, Ryan Companies, the Vikings and parking ramp revenue. In 2018, the city contributed $750,000 of downtown asset funds to the Commons. The Park Board has approved the use of park
dedication fees in the area to be spent on improvements at the Commons. Hayden said he believes the Park Board would have a good legal standing to not abide by the land use agreement, and he said he hopes they push for a new arrangement with the MSFA and the Vikings. “What needs to happen, more than anything, is the Park Board needs to renegotiate it,” he said. The Park Board and city argue the agreement does not violate the charter and is similar to MPRB’s arrangements with organizations like The Loppet Foundation. The judge’s order will require a new management plan come May 1 regardless of the appeal process. Park Board Assistant Superintendent Michael Schroeder said the MPRB is preparing to take over management and operations at that time.
The final concepts for the 43 neighborhood parks in Southwest are nearing completion after another round of public open houses ended in mid-February. The Southwest Area Master Plan, part of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s effort to update neighborhood parks across the city, will not be finalized until this summer. The most recent series of open houses featured two concepts for each park and offered a closer look about how the parks will look in the next 20 years. Some major themes in the plans include adding places for skateboarding, nature-play areas, multi-use courts and fields and more native plants. Current concepts offer eight possible new places to skate in Southwest, from smaller skate spots at Whittier Park and Smith Triangle to full-on skate parks at Pershing Park and Waveland Triangle. Nature-play areas, designed to allow children to play on elements like logs and rocks, are included in concepts for 18 parks. There are 22 parks that have concepts calling for more spaces for native plants. MPRB staff and consultants will review comments from open houses and online surveys, and a community advisory committee will make further recommendations. Final concepts will then be posted for a 45-day public comment period before a public hearing and final approval from commissioners, expected to take place this summer. Project concepts can be viewed and commented on at minneapolisparks.org.
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southwestjournal.com / February 21–March 6, 2019 A19
Dateline Minneapolis
By Steve Brandt
Love light
A
ll Joe Wehri wants is to bring his adopted city a little joy. His home-crafted effort has succeeded so well that it’s become a traffic-stopper on West 36th Street, just east of Bde Maka Ska. Wehri is the 35-year-old behind the “I MPLS” lighted sign that adorns his side yard just off Humboldt Avenue South. That’s where Wehri shares a Craftsman-Tudor style home with husband Nathan Soland and Maddie, their Bernese mountain dog. Wehri’s painstaking creation is rooted in his affection for the city in which he’s lived for 13 years and in a desire to bring light in darkness. “It’s a way to celebrate winter. I love giving people joy in the darkest time of the year,” he said. He moved to Minneapolis fresh out of college to go to work at Target Corporation headquarters downtown. His work there involves training bosses to become better managers.
I just have so much love for the city. It’s brought me so much. — Joe Wehri
He also met Soland here. They bought their East Calhoun house three years ago, attracted by its landscaping and the proximity to the lake, where Wehri runs three seasons of the year. “I just have so much love for the city,” he said. “It’s brought me so much.” His lit expression of that love is his second such marriage of sign and affection. As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, where he majored in biopsychology and cognitive science, the northwest Ohioan crafted a large lit “M.” He hung it from his dorm window and then later at a rented house. Wehri took pains to craft his Minneapolis sign in the fall of 2017. First, he outlined on paper the 2-foot-high serif block letters that comprise it. Then he took to his neighborhood’s Nextdoor network to beg any wire coat hangers that his neighbors could spare. Bending the stiff wires to conform to the stencil he’d created was a painstaking task. He employed a pair of pliers but the work still took a toll. “My hands ended up being bruised,” he recalled. He then crafted a clever method to make sure each letter blazed with light, red for the heart and white for the letters. Each string of 50–100 lights was wrapped around its coat hanger template to make a greater density of lights. They were fastened in place with about a thousand ornament hooks that he’d straightened. They held all
Joe Wehri’s homemade sign shines on West 36th Street just east of Bde Maka Ska. Photo by Andrew Hazzard
of the lights aligned in the same direction. Last winter’s maiden expression of his love for his city was short-circuited after a month when squirrels gnawed through the wiring. This winter’s sign is farther from the trees they inhabit and uses better-quality lights. This winter, he suspended the letters by the hooks of coat hangers. He hung them from picture-hanging wire that was suspended between steel U-posts that he’d driven into the ground before it froze. The result literally stops traffic. Fortunately, there’s a parking lane adjacent to the sign. The pair get a good glimpse of spectators from their dining room window and the sink where they do dishes. Both look out over 36th and Lakewood Cemetery. Passersby snap photos of the sign and themselves. Some even took pre-holiday family photos.
Moments in Minneapolis
The cemetery’s residents don’t object. “I wanted it so bright that people stop. It just brings me such joy,” Wehri said. He posted a photo of the sign on Nextdoor, thanking those who donated coat hangers. In response, dozens of neighbors thanked him for the display. Meet Minneapolis, the convention and visitor bureau, saw his Instagram post and asked if it could repost it. The sign went on the day before Thanksgiving and Wehri expects to keep it lit through the Ides of March. It’s all a labor of love, Wehri said. “I love what the city stands for,” he said. “It’s progressive.” Steve Brandt retired from a 40-year career at the Star Tribune in 2016. He lives in Kingfield.
By Karen Cooper
House on the beautiful hill Image from the collection of the Hennepin History Museum
I
n 1926, Frank Chatfield built the fine house at 5013 Belmont Ave. in Minneapolis’s Tangletown neighborhood. It cost $10,000. Over the next 90 years, this “executive residence” was sold at least seven times. The real estate listings provide a historical peek into the families and their times, a look at what was considered important. Chatfield was a vice president at Munsin-
gwear, but perhaps had quit school after 6th grade. In 1943, Confer Realty listed the house. It was “not just another house.” It had metal casement windows, copper screens and a thoroughly waterproofed basement. In 1945, it was supposedly “architect-designed” and listed for $16,500. Alvin J. and Agnes Cron bought the house in 1946. A. J. spent 46 years as a manager at
National Cash Register. He should be remembered for getting out and selling bonds to finance the new Met Stadium out in Bloomington. Agnes advertised for a housekeeper and “plain cook” (no laundry) in 1947. By 1960, William F. Seidl bought “the English Colonial” in the “$27,000 bracket.” There were two garages and a dishwasher. Seidl was a third-generation grain exchange member
who grew up in Southwest Minneapolis. In 1981, real estate agents touted the great advantages of “English Stucco” and — were you waiting for it? — all the natural woodwork. Tax and finance man Duane Suess owned the house for a few years, paying $132,000. For sale again in February 1984, the house featured a hand-carved hutch and mantle and leaded windows. Asking price was $155,000. In April of 1984, the mantle had become “European-carved,” and the asking price was up to $169,500. In a 1986 advertisement, the house had “live-in quarters on the lower level” — perhaps first used by Agnes Cron’s housekeeper. The asking price went up to $189,500. The house sold to Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. for $168,500 in Nov. 1986. The asking price was $289,900 in Dec. 1993. The house had three garage spaces. Maybe the Scherer brothers rebuilt Frank Chatfield’s garage at the back of the lot. Belmont — the “beautiful hill” — is near the corner of 50th & Nicollet. From atop that hill, businessmen could see downtown from their quiet homes near Minnehaha Creek. The further we get from the builder and original owner, the less is remembered. More grandeur gets invented for real estate ads. But this was always a fine home for a businessman and a family. Is your Southwest home pictured in Hennepin History Museum’s photo collection online at Hennepin County Library? If so, and you’d like your house to be featured in a house history, email Karen Cooper at yf@urbancreek.com.
Southwest Journal February 21–March 6, 2019
CRAIG HARRIS: A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS photos and text by Susan Schaefer Above: A digital drawing created by Craig Harris’ wife, Candy Kuehn. The couple met in 1988 in San Francisco. Submitted image
A man of wit and learning With no hyperbole, Robert Whittington’s 1520 description of his contemporary, Sir Thomas More, famously fits Craig Harris, a multimedia tour de force who could wear the mantle of Minneapolis Arts Laureate if one existed. Harris “is a man of an angel’s wit and singular learning. I know not his fellow. For where is the man of that gentleness, lowliness and affability? And, as time requireth, a man of marvelous mirth and pastimes, and sometime of as sad gravity. A man for all seasons.” Such a man indeed is Harris: brilliant musician, composer, performer, inventor, arts administrator, husband, father, friend and activist — as prone to an expansive smile as to a deeply furrowed brow. An artist of Harris’ caliber often focuses on a solo artistic career, but that is antithetical to his steadfast community activist and collaborative principles. Part of what fuels Harris’ right brain creative virtuosity are his astounding left brain logic and strategic abilities, which he has plied generously to support numerous local, national and international cultural institutions. One such is the Off Leash Area dance theater company and their newly opened Nokomis neighborhood venue, Art Box. Harris has been deeply involved with co-artistic directors Jennifer Ilse and Paul Herwig for many years. Recently, Harris wrote and performed the music for their shows “AfterWind,” “Dancing on the Belly of the Beast” and “The Time Is,” a solo show by Isle to be performed this summer at the Art Box as part of the Right Here Showcase.
SEE CRAIG HARRIS / PAGE B8
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f you live near 48th & Chicago, count yourself lucky: You’ve got a head start on the rest of us. You’re set to grab one of the (very) few seats in the hole in the culinary wall called Elbow Room, of which there’s not much. A lively takeout trade on Super Bowl Sunday, the night of my visit, underscores what I’m about to demonstrate: that this tiny enterprise — born of a food truck — offers some of the very best in Southern soul food in the metro. Its formal name is R.A. MacSammy’s Elbow Room, christened for that iconic pasta profile that’s the base of chef-owner Kevin Huyck’s signature dish, mac and cheese. A single portion ($8, with add-in ingredients extra) could feed a Winnebago full of kids, with plenty left over for the dude at the wheel. That adult would be wise to opt for inclusion of the pulled pork or smoked brisket, both the Real Deal. Foodies can summon flavor enhancers that range from caramelized onions to Brussels sprouts, roasted garlic to blue cheese. But you won’t need any extras from the dairy, for it comes with a six-cheese medley (none of which, thankfully, is American) already in a clingy but not overbearing sauce. Or choose the rotating special version, on this visit featuring Mexican street corn, red peppers, jalapenos, cilantro-lime crema and cotija cheese. But wait, as they say in late-night TV commercials, there’s more! And that “more” is worth the drive, starting with the chicken biscuit sandwich. Nine dollars brings you an ample, fullbodied, buttermilk-tenderized biscuit clasping crispy slaw, icebox pickle rounds and a friedchicken thigh that almost got me to weeping. It’s Nashville-good, that’s what; moist and tender as all get-out beneath its crispy skin, dipped in flour, then milk, then flour again before hitting the fryer. Choose Minnesota mild or Tennessee hot, which is definitely the way to go and won’t dissolve your tongue. There’s also a brisket and a pulled pork sammy, grilled pimiento cheese (I’ll be back for this one) and a tempeh po’boy. Plus, what used to be a Kentucky hot brown turkey sandwich, “but customers weren’t familiar with that, so it didn’t sell and we changed it to a smoked turkey version,” said the owner’s daughter, who doubles as baker (more on that later) and chef hospitality agent. Well, a hot brown is worth the drive to Kentucky, so our loss. Instead, turn your gaze to the menu above the order counter to discover that heavenly form of dining called meat and three. You probably know the drill: Choose your meat and three sides to go with it, as featured in classic cafeteria lines south of the Mason Dixon line. We opted for the pulled pork — a mountain of fork-tender, juicy (but a bit salty) meat to savor with those hard-to-choose-between sides. The coleslaw proved perky and spared of overdressing, a nice palate cleanser. Seared Brussels sprouts were so tasty that even my companion, who’d never allowed one to enter her mouth before, admitted it was edible. (More than that, actually — downright delicious.) So were the collard greens, perhaps the best version in my memory: not overpowered by salty bacon but rather simmered with a bit of bacon fat, along with chicken broth, onions and more, elevating them to veggie hall of fame. And the grits! True South, creamy and fulltextured. (You can also order a side of that mac and cheese as one of your three.) Everything is made in-house, and that includes the desserts, which should be required eating before they let you out the door. We had to try the gooey butter cake, a treat I’ve never found outside St. Louis, where street fights occur over whose version is best. It’s a sorta coffee cake-cake, gooey as promised with cream cheese filling. Big enough to share with that Winnebago load, also. But other temptations arose on the menu board: a nanner pudding, with from-scratch vanilla pudding enhancing vanilla wafers, sliced bananas and whipped cream. Also a couple of fruit cobblers and cookies ($2–$4.50). There is one downside: no beer. Nor sweet tea. But canned beverages galore, and sweet service to make up for that loss, and a whole lot more.
B4 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
An ice skating phenomenon By Patricia Hoolihan
Having lived near Lake of the Isles for over 30 years, I can tell you that never have there been so many people out skating as there were in January. But then, I don’t recall a time when the entire lake, in fact all the city lakes, were so accessible for so many days running. And so smooth — mostly! The warming house on Isles had record attendance. Skate sharpeners were deluged daily with rusty blades. I first discovered this ice-skating phenomenon on New Year’s afternoon. The warming house on Isles was open. I laced up my skates and headed out beyond the flooded rink to see how it was. A little rough at first but then huge extended patches of smooth gliding — out in the open, out around the islands, over to the Icecropolis at the north end, ready and waiting for the Luminary Loppet celebration. The tall, statuesque cylinders called out to be skated around in their circular formation. And in the days to come it was clear many were drawn to the same pattern: Multiple rings of blade imprints wove around each ice tube, creating circles upon circles and endless figure eights. Skating the entire lake is so exhilarating; the sheer expansiveness of lake and sky, the gentle sound of the silver blades gliding across ice, weave together a sense of otherworldliness. It’s magic. A unique and rare opportunity to move through heart-expanding beauty. That first day there were patches of snow to skate around, creating a skating labyrinth meditation. I imagined skating through Georgia O’Keefe’s painting, “The Clouds,” only on ice instead of in the sky. At the end of my skate, there was a warming house full of happy people. I left that day knowing the new year was off to a joyful beginning. In the next few days the temps warmed and there was rain. Every time I drove by the lake I wondered what these conditions would do to it. But then, the refreeze. And, incredibly, the rain and thaw had created a natural flooding of the ice. It was even smoother than before. And was so for weeks! This was true for all of the city lakes and
beyond. After the rain-thaw-refreeze there were no longer snow patches to skate around. Still a few rough places, but wonderfully smooth sections too. I skated out way beyond the limitations of any rink! One skates over nature’s art beneath one’s blades. Areas of black ice are both thrilling and terrifying. It’s just a bottomless black; you can’t see where the ice begins or ends. Then, many areas of small or large bubbles, white with air, caught within the dark mystery. They remind me of planets, suspended in time. Occasionally there are large swaths of white ice, as in Milky Way Galaxy white. Star patterns are scattered across the ice surface, dark holes with tendrils reaching out toward the white ice. Long cracks make the ice depth more visible and are a hazard to be vigilantly observed. If your blade finds a crack — danger! But there are also cracks that have been melted and frozen and smoothed over. Skate-able, they create a visual fault line, a long thin seam of dark ice, a ribbon of black, sandwiched between expanses of white ice. And if the ice starts talking to you, then the on-the-edge (pun intended) nature of this experience increases exponentially. Rumbles beneath ice, sudden and inexplicable snaps and crackles are part of this stark winter landscape. One day I skated in need of solace. Disheartening news had arrived that morning about the dear nephew who is struggling with stage 4 cancer. Later that day I heard the sad news of the difficult death of a beloved daughter from a good friend. Skating into such open arms of beauty helped soften the day’s sadness. In a desire to share this incredible and rare experience, I started getting people to skate with me. My sister, whom I grew up skating with in northern Minnesota (full confession: we were high school hockey cheerleaders together) came in from her western suburb for a glorious sunlit midday skate. We glided side by side as we caught up on family news. Next day my friend Angie and I traversed the canal from Isles to Cedar. The canal was solid but a bit strewn with leaves, which slows the skates
down. It was well travelled that day, a Saturday. A family passed us — two kids being pulled on a sled, everyone clearly having a good time. The trip through the canal was so worth it; Cedar Lake, less populated than Isles, opened itself to us in wondrous ways. Huge expanses of smooth ice and of beautiful images beneath our glides. One day in the warming house I found out that a young man, who was mentioning his frozen laces, had gone through the ice on the canal between Isles and Bde Maka Ska. I know at some point that canal eventually freezes, but he looked wet and cold and of course he was lucky: He had returned to tell the tale. So heading that direction was clearly not an option. Not yet. One day just before sunset I decided to try Bde Maka Ska. I sat on the edge of a rock, laced up and headed out. Perhaps it was the particulars of the day, but it struck me as even better than Isles or Cedar, both of which had been fantastic. Bde Maka Ska felt huge to me, and as I moved in from the edges the middle of the lake offered long expanses of smooth going. Much more black ice than I had seen on the other two lakes. Sunset colors in the sky were reflected across the ice and across the city skyscrapers so visible in the distance, gorgeous shades of indigo and smoky pink everywhere I turned. The three-quarters moon was high in the sky. Unbelievably quiet. There were only three of us skating at that moment on the entire lake. Finding such mystical beauty and serenity in the middle of the city surprises and delights me every time. Other years I have found this same quality out on the lakes on cross country skis and snow. The part of me that loves skiing was saddened (and disturbed) by the lack of snow in January. But it is clear that a gift of this winter was accessible lake ice. It’s so rare, especially for it to last so long. We were lucky enough to still have great ice conditions on Sunday, Jan. 22, the day of the super blood wolf moon. That is a lot of energy swirling around in the sky. I am an avid full moonrise viewer, so I already am of the opinion that Bde Maka Ska is the best lake for viewing the moonrise. I often am watching from shore, but to be able to be out in the middle for this occasion was a real treat! Also, the sky was cloudless, a minor miracle. I managed to talk my husband and a couple of friends into joining me. Two of us on skates, myself and Angie, and two in boots, my husband Chris and Beth. Moonrise in Minneapolis was scheduled for 4:40 p.m., and we were at the lake’s edge right about then. Fingers get a little cold lacing up those skates out in the wind, so we were efficient. At least it was above zero; the temp was hovering about 8 and the wind was moderate.
One lone photographer was set up with his tripod out in the middle. He agreed the moon would be visible within minutes, and we sort of estimated from where on the horizon it would emerge. I took off skating on my own, because I love getting out in the middle and I love exploring the black ice. Before long I could see the hint of pale white through the trees, so pale it was almost translucent. In those first moments it seemed like one might be able to see all the way through the moon to the sky. The diameter was huge. The blood moon refers to the eclipse, which happened later in the evening, turning the moon a blood-orange color. January is also the month the moon is closest to the earth in its trajectory. Historically, the January full moon is also called the wolf moon. It looked enormous. My skates and I began gliding back to my friends in case they hadn’t spotted the magic yet, or in case it wasn’t visible yet from where they were standing. But then I heard them howling, as we had talked about doing, so I knew they had seen it. Someone further down the lake joined in. There were a few people out skating, a handful here or there but really not many. After a howlinghuddle, Angie and I skated out again to the middle and Chris, in his boots, moved cautiously from snow patch to snow patch. The moon! It was definitely at its hugest when it was closest to the horizon, but as it climbed the sky, its beauty deepened even as it appeared smaller in size. First the moon caught and reflected the glorious colors of the sunset, so a pale, pearlescent white became tinted with a soft sheen of a pinkish indigo, a hint of orange. As the moon glided further above, even as we glided across the ice, its whiteness became a luminous orb, outlined by darkening, smoky blue-gray skies. One wanted to skate toward it forever. We took a few pics, skated in circles, circled back to Chris who in his boots was mostly trying to navigate across snow and not ice. And before long we decided cold fingers and toes would bring an end to this magical outing. It was hard to leave. We kept turning around for one last look. There’s a longing the moon inspires — its light so gentle, so reflective. Its beauty in the winter sky hangs there, a movement so subtle, almost imperceptible, as it draws its circle around us. But then open smooth ice inspires a similar longing to reach beyond the usual perimeters. The conditions and weather keep surprising us. If you didn’t get out in January there’s a chance such conditions could reappear this year, or perhaps not for years to come. But when it does happen, I hope you find those skates, get in line at the sharpener and soar on your silver wings!
The skaters skim over the frozen river. / And the grinding click of their skates as they impinge upon the surface, / Is like the brushing together of thin wing-tips of silver. — From “The Skaters” by John Gould Fletcher
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B6 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
By Emily Lund
A cure for the winter blues
E
ven with piles of snow on the ground, you can still directly support farmers and enjoy local produce. Neighborhood Roots, the nonprofit that brings you the Kingfield, Fulton and Nokomis farmers markets, hosts its next Winter Market Saturday, Feb. 23 at Bachman’s on Lyndale. Grab your friends and family to enjoy local food and live music in a bright and cozy greenhouse. If you’re suffering from Seasonal Affective Order like so many of us, take a few hours to soak up a good dose of natural sunlight at the market this weekend. The early bird gets the produce. It’s important to come early because fresh, Minnesotagrown products go fast this time of year. To score precious products like microgreens and mushrooms, make sure to show up at 9 a.m. when the Winter Market opens. Not only can you stock up on the most highly sought-after products, you can enjoy breakfast cooked up by Claire at Oh Crepe! Claire started vending at Fulton Farmers Market last year, slinging made-to-order French crepes. Her business started with two ingredients: a small dream and big passion. Support her dream and enjoy a delicious breakfast by picking up one of her amazing savory crepes at the market. Add a cup of coffee from Cafe Palmira and you’re set for an amazing Saturday morning. While coffee beans are not local to Minnesota, you can still buy direct from the farmer at the Neighborhood Roots Winter Market.
Did you know that all their coffee comes from their family farm in Guatemala? You may recognize the Palacios family from Kingfield Farmers Market. The Palacios family farm utilizes traditional cultivation methods to promote biodiversity and prevent further deforestation in an area known for growing the best arabica coffee in the world. Carlos Palacios made Minnesota his second home after marrying the love his life, Katie Anfinson, who grew up in the city of Benson a couple hours west of the Twin Cities. Support this Minnesota family (and their international love story) by buying a few pounds of their locally roasted coffee beans. Nothing like a little greenery to cure the winter blues. Not only can you go home from the Winter Market with a houseplant, you can get bags and bags of freshly grown salad! The Momanyi family of Dawn 2 Dusk Farm is bringing fresh greens to the market by growing indoors this winter. They are currently growing a mix of salad greens, which were dubbed “(expletive deleted) lovely” by a fellow farmer with a highly developed palate and a very colorful vocabulary. Moses Momanyi is not only supporting local food by farming, he serves on the Slow Food Minnesota board of directors. The Slow Food mission is to foster equitable access to good, clean, fair food for farmers, consumers and everyone in-between. Stop by their stand to learn more about their products and how to get involved in the slow food movement.
Pick up produce, meat and fibers from Whetstone Farm at the Feb. 23 Neighborhood Roots Winter Market. Photo by Emily Lund
There’s a fungus among us at the Winter Market. Cherry Tree House Mushrooms is selling an exciting array of products. Their fresh and dried mushrooms, including reishi and shiitake mushrooms, are grown in western Wisconsin. Brew some homemade reishi tea, which is widely considered to support immune health, to get through these cold weeks. Intrigued? You can even sign up to learn to grow your own shiitake or oyster mush-
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rooms with their log kits and workshops. Ask them for more info at the market. To learn more about Neighborhood Roots and our vendors, visit our website at neighborhoodrootsmn.org or follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Better yet, sign up for our newsletter or stop by our info table at the Winter Market on Feb. 23. See you there!
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Mill City Cooks
Recipes and food news from the Mill City Farmers Market
A day in the life of a Minnesota cheesemaker
Blue cheese walnut butter sauce Recipe courtesy of Brenda Langton, founder of the Mill City Museum and owner of Spoonriver. This sauce is great on grass-fed beef, grilled chicken, roasted vegetables and even bread. Makes ½ cup. Ingredients 1 ½ Tablespoons walnuts ½ cup unsalted butter, softened 3 ounces blue cheese from Shepherd’s Way Farm, softened 1 green onion, sliced ¼ teaspoon salt Pinch of freshly ground pepper
J
odi Ohlsen Read has a short commute, but still a much longer day than most of us. Starting at 6 a.m., Jodi takes a short walk from her farmhouse to her dairy, where she is cheesemaker and owner of Shepherd’s Way Farm with her husband Steven. Jodi spends the day here, making small-batch sheep’s milk cheeses until 4 p.m. “on a good day.” At a recent on-farm cheese-making class on a snowy February Sunday, several of us urbanites were able to tour Jodi’s space and learn what goes into this process. During the milking season, Jodi starts her day heating and renneting milk from the farm’s 230 ewes early in the morning. Renneting involves adding small amounts of natural enzymes to milk to separate the solids from the liquids. Next, she heads inside for coffee as her 3,000 pounds of milk separate into curds and whey. Then comes the creative part — stirring, cutting, pressing, washing and aging — the things, in addition to milk and other ingredients, that differentiate a crumbly cheese (Big Woods Blue) from a hard one (Fresiago) or a gooey one (Shepherd’s Hope). Her day is also full of lots of cleaning and record keeping, as many food business owners are too familiar with. When we visited, the sheep were lambing, so the farm was taking a break from milking and
cheesemaking. However, there really is no such thing as a break on a farm — especially a dairy farm. Jodi has been spending her time fixing equipment with her sons and doing maintenance and repairs in the dairy buildings. Over the past 20 years, Jodi has been able to perfect this routine. Jodi and Steven established Shepherd’s Way Farms in Carver County in 1994 with a small flock of 50 sheep. In 1998, after losing a major buyer, the Reads suddenly had a surplus of milk and decided to give cheese-making a try. Despite being one of the only sheep’s milk cheese makers in the U.S. at that time, and with help from University of Minnesota researchers, their cheese making effort was a success! In 2001, the couple relocated their farm to a spot near Northfield, where it is today. Shepherd’s Way Farm’s award-winning cheeses can be found all over the country, including at the at the Mill City Farmers Market, where they have been vending since the market was founded in 2006. Find details about their cheese CSA and cheese-making classes and taste their delicious cheeses at Mill City’s indoor Winter Market 10 a.m. –1 p.m. Feb. 23 inside the Mill City Museum. Learn more at millcityfarmersmarket.org. — Jenny Heck
Shepherd’s Way Farm produces an array of sheep’s milk cheeses. Submitted photo
Method In a small, dry skillet toast the walnuts on medium-high heat for 3–5 minutes, tossing frequently. Let cool. Chop the walnuts. Combine walnuts, butter, bleu cheese, green onion, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well.
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B8 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com FROM CRAIG HARRIS / PAGE B1
Harris’ collaborations run the gamut from artistic to logistic. As executive director of Ballet of the Dolls and initiator of the Ritz Theater renovation, Harris is credited for pioneering the transformation of the surrounding Sheridan neighborhood into a cultural mini-mecca. His work as interim director of Seward Neighborhood’s Playwright Center, and more recently for such regional arts organizations as Open Eye Figure Theater, Marcy Arts Partnership and Caponi Art Park, encompass the full spectrum of his talents — from strategic planning and executive administration to performing and composing. “My work is highly collaborative,” states Harris, “bringing many artists together to realize my own multimedia performances, as well as collaborating with many other artists on their projects, such as Ballet of the Dolls, Katha Dance Theater” and Minneapolis favorite, Kira Obolensky. His collaboration with Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theater to create the immersive visual design for their Cowles Center show “Garden of Names” drew rave reviews. Harris, along with his wife, multimedia textile artist, costumer and photographic illustrator Candy Kuehn, literally build community with their creativity. Frequent collaborators, Harris and Kuehn have raised two daughters in Marcy Holmes, where they are heralded as fierce champions of social justice and civil rights causes. Their artistry and activism extend into the greater metro area as well, and the HarrisKuehn household is a welcoming multigenerational gathering place, typically offering a groaning board of delectables to accompany the inevitable sparked discussions.
A performance revolutionary Harris’ musical roots power his civic sensibilities. “From an early age music has been the conduit for me to engage with the world — interpreting what I see and feel,” he stresses. In his late teens he began envisioning and creating dramatic works that programmatically
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placed the individual in relation to society to explore issues of self-meaning, responsibility and accountability. Rather than relying on established theater settings, in recent years he has developed a portable touring infrastructure condensing his well-known multimedia productions to accommodate smaller scale alternative environments. Last October he did just this, piloting his show “SenseAbility” at a new South Minneapolis venue, Squirrel Haus Arts, in conjunction with Art to Change the World’s event, See. Say. DO! “SenseAbility” is a one-person show where Harris sometimes wears the cloak of the Prophet Elijah, voicing “in-character” perspectives mingled with his own tales of recent explorations in Palestine. This show clearly articulated Harris’ mandate that the arts “engage society to raise the profile of critical issues that affect our future locally and globally.” While context and content partially explain Harris’ revolutionary musicality, his pioneering of technology and musical notation also plays a significant role. Raised in Rochester, New York, home of Eastman School of Music and the Rochester Philharmonic, Harris sipped from the frothy brew of late ’50s and ’60s musical influences — classical, popular standards, Broadway musicals, jazz and the emerging world of rock. Schooled as a child in classical piano and music theory classes in Eastman School of Music Community Education program, his first appearance at age 5 on Eastman’s Kilbourn Hall stage was in a rhythm class performance. A key influence in pointing young Harris toward popular music and improvisation was a talented pianist, Werner Bernstein, who had escaped Nazi Germany during the war. A former medical doctor whose license was not recognized in the states, Bernstein performed at local music clubs and became Harris’ musical improvisational technique teacher. “This early training had great impact, remaining a constant thread throughout my career,” Harris reminisces.
Craig Harris. Photos by Susan Schaefer
That “other” Bernstein was also a formidable inspiration. Harris’ colorful Uncle Richard, now an octogenarian still going strong as a New York City actor and man-about-town, exposed the teenager to rehearsals and concerts of the New York Philharmonic, with the likes of Leonard Bernstein and Pierre Boulez conducting. He and Uncle Richard would frequent wild multimedia happenings and intimate late-night jazz clubs where they were close enough to smell the smoke and whiskey rising off the jazz greats jamming almost within reach. Harris’ musical trajectory, like his talent, is prodigious. By 18 he had made a key decision about whether to follow classical or jazz music training. Having exercised his chops in rock bands as an early teen, later moving towards jazz, specifically bebop, Harris then discovered abstract improvisational forms that blended elements of “free” jazz with the experimental compositional techniques found in the music of modern classical composers. “I decided to strengthen my formal classical training in composition so I could bring a solid
foundation in both the techniques and history of music to whatever I decided to do,” he explains. So he moved to Canada to attend the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, then returned to obtain his graduate degree at Eastman School of Music nine years later. It was there and then that Harris entered the budding musical realm of computer-assisted music and composition. Nothing was the same thereafter. “It was an emerging field that required the combined, ongoing effort of musicians, engineers, psychoacousticians, theoreticians and many others to create viable new instruments and musical resources,” he clarifies. During this phase Harris morphed from purely musical to multi-dimensional — multitasking to compose and create new music, all the while integrating new sounds with traditional music instruments. To accomplish this he also had to develop new tools for contemporary music analysis, forging new techniques for sound sampling and processing, integrating software systems that were then only available for use on mini-computers in formal institutional settings onto the new world of personal computers.
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Needing to find kindred spirits in this quest for new and evolving artforms, Harris joined the International Computer Music Association, where he worked with key leaders in the field to foster communication, research and resource sharing and collaboration through publishing, strategic partnerships and music festivals and conferences. Always at the forefront of several creative waves, including computer music development and the electronic arts evolution, Harris also joined and contributed to the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology. Harris wryly notes that now, in 2019, the computer-based instruments and resources are significantly better than they were back when he first entered this arena, but are far from his vision. “It was a humbling experience to realize that my involvement in this process was contributing in a small way to something that would only be realized decades after I leave the planet,” he muses.
Harris performing “GONE” at the Owatonna Arts Center.
Love, actually Harris met his wife Candy Kuehn in 1988 when they were both living in San Francisco. She was an independent artist primarily working in wearable art, and he was deeply involved in the hotbed of the emerging electronic arts world. They intersected at a holiday party. It was an intense encounter that looms legendarily in their now 30-year partnership. “We had a three-hour, one-on-one exchange followed shortly thereafter by a four-day first date, and have been together ever since,” Harris smiles broadly. “On our first date she told me about the two girls we were going to have — not as a premonition but as a fact told to me in advance of what then unfolded!” Kuehn was a Minneapolis native, and with the economic downturn of the early ’90s it made sense to relocate back home to friends, family and affordability with those two growing daughters, Maya and Lea. Harris loved living in San Francisco, yet found the cultural infrastructure supporting the arts in Minnesota to be top-notch. He notes that the metro area “benefits from a cultural ecology that includes small, midsized and large arts organizations; musicians working in many genres; dance and theater artists; a philanthropic infrastructure unlike most places in the United States; and an audience that attends a range of work from the popular and traditional to the experimental and innovative.”
Harris performing in his oneperson show, “SenseAbility.”
Untethered Harris launched his four-concert series of solo keyboard-based performances on Feb. 12, revisiting and revitalizing music he’s created for dance and theater shows throughout his career and presenting new compositions still in development. The inaugural concert included his keyboard suite, “GONE,” an “emotion gallery” originally created for Off Leash Area, and “ON THE HILL,” an abstract improvisation based on Rita Dove’s poem, “The Hill Has Something to Say.”
“Untether,” the series theme, represents both the artist and audience being “released from tether” to explore musical and emotional terrain together in non-traditional and unexpected ways. The series is a rare opportunity to experience his music in concert form. The remaining concerts take place on May 14, Sept. 10 and Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. at Homewood Studios, 2400 Plymouth Ave. N. Mark your calendars in order to experience a performer always ahead of his time but very much in season.
THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE CREATIVE ARTS IN MINNEAPOLIS ASTONISHES. Estimated at $5 billion in sales, or 9.2 times that of Minneapolis’ sports sector according to the recently updated 2018 Creative Vitality Index, an economic measure used by the city, it has earned our region a lofty place as a national creative mecca. Behind such stunning statistics toil humans whose creativity and innovation fuel this so-called creative class, dubbed by author Richard Florida. Frequently laboring for the sheer love of their craft, many visual and performing artists, directors, inventors and innovators produce from an inner creative core more likely fueled by passion than personal gain. These makers are marked by an almost holy drive to create — and when their artistry and intent collide, it often yields something extraordinary in its wake.
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B10 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
Get Out Guide. By Sheila Regan
‘THE MONICA MEDITATIONS’ AND ‘BRANDI ALEXANDER’ Solo performers Paige Collette and Tatiana Pavela share a double bill of one-woman shows that mix serious subjects and comedy with a feminist bent. In “The Monica Mediations,” Paige Collette channels Monica Lewinsky in an endearing, funny and thought-provoking piece, while Tatiana Pavela’s “Brandi Alexander,” shows what happens when a standup comic faces the man who assaulted her — before she opens for his act. Be prepared to ride waves of emotions, both laughter and tragedy, with this show.
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28; 10 p.m. Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2 Where: The Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St. Cost: $10–$15 Info: bryantlakebowl.com
‘HOW TO BECOME LOST’
DYKES DO DRAG
Artist Leslie Barlow makes her first foray as a curator with “How to Become Lost,” a new exhibit at a gallery called Waiting Room. The show features artists that use their work as a means of healing. Can art be therapeutic? Can it provide an escape from one’s troubles, or a way to deal them in some way? Find out through these new pieces by Sayge Carroll, Meg Murphy, Lamar Peterson, Jacob Aaron Schroeder and Maggie Thompson.
For 20 years, Dykes Do Drag has been a celebratory gathering featuring drag, burlesque, dance, music and a lot more. Featuring the talents of people of all genders, cultures, races and orientations, the lively show produced by Heather Spear, The Gentleman King, has grown and pushed the boundaries of gender expression and performance since its inception. Mostly, it’s just a lot of sexy and edgy fun, so come have a drink and toast this long-standing cabaret night in hopes they will make it another 20 years.
When: Through April 20. Opening reception 7 p.m.–9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21. Where: Waiting Room, 7141 France Ave. S. Cost: Free Info: waitingroomart.org
When: 10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, and Friday, Feb. 22; 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Where: Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St. Cost: $18 ($14–$18 in advance) Info: bryantlakebowl.com
‘THE BODY IN SOVIET ART’ A new exhibition at The Museum of Russian Art takes a look at depictions of the human form through paintings created between the 1950s and 1970s. The exhibition is drawn from the collection of Raymond and Susan Johnson, which the museum says is the largest privately owned collection of Russian Realist paintings outside of the former Soviet Union. The show will reflect on the unique emphasis of the working body in mid-century Soviet paintings.
When: Through Sept. 1. Opening reception 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Where: The Museum of Russian Art, 5500 Stevens Ave. S. Cost: $10 Info: tmora.org
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southwestjournal.com / February 21–March 6, 2019 B11
IT’S BEEN 60 YEARS SINCE THE CUBAN REVOLUTION AND 10 YEARS SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE MINNESOTA CUBAN FESTIVAL, A SERIES OF FILMS THAT BRING CUBA’S RICH CULTURE TO THE TWIN CITIES. CO-PRESENTED WITH THE FILM SOCIETY OF MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL, THE MINNESOTA CUBA COMMITTEE AND THE CUBAN FILM INSTITUTE (ICAIC), THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL FEATURES DOCUMENTARIES, DARK COMEDIES AND FICTIONALIZED HISTORIES, AND IT INVESTIGATES ISSUES SUCH AS THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE REVOLUTION AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
‘THE FORBIDDEN SHORE’
‘THE GOOD DEMONS (LOS BUENOS DEMONIOS)’
‘CUBAN WOMEN IN REVOLUTION’
Documentarian Ron Chapman shows footage of over 40 performances by Cuban artists — both in concert halls and on street corners — in this film that explores the way Cuban music is intertwined with its culture and politics.
Cuban director Gerardo Chijona tells the story of a taxi driver named Tito, who leads a double life in this darkly comic film.
Women from all walks of life were interviewed over a 15-year period for this documentary that tracks the role of women in Cuba’s development.
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28
When: 6:30 p.m. March 4–5
‘SERGIO AND SERGEI’
‘GHOST TOWN TO HAVANA’
‘THE RETURN (EL REGRESO)’
This historical fiction piece imagines a conversation between a Cuban amateur radio operator and Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who was forced to stay in orbit after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1992.
Two youth baseball coaches — one in Oakland, the other in Havana — meet on video and decide to have their teams play against each other in Cuba.
Popular television actress Blanca Rosa Blanco reprises her role as a police officer in this feature film that marks her directorial debut.
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 28
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 21
CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Sources of nuclear energy 6 Wolf call 10 Banned pollutants, briefly 14 Exodus mount 15 Author Wiesel 16 “I smell trouble” 17 Tavern mug 18 Get off the lawn, as leaves 19 Noncurrent currency of Italy 20 Tricolor flier in Dublin 23 Longtime forensic drama 25 The first “T” in TNT 26 Bitcoin, notably 27 Quality sound reproduction 31 Prefix with violet
56 Erode
32 Shipshape
59 Blue dye
33 Mineral hardness scale
60 Storm-producing weather systems
34 “The game is __”: Sherlock Holmes
61 Wharton’s Ethan
36 “Alas!” 40 Waves to ride on 41 Hit that barely gets over the infield
62 Must have 63 Crafter’s website 64 Brown-toned photo
DOWN
42 “And suppose my answer is no?”
1 Stubborn animal
46 Panini cheese 48 “Alice” diner owner
3 20% expressed as a fraction
49 “That’s all __ wrote”
4 Snail or junk follower
50 “What’s your hurry?” ... and a literal hint to what’s hiding in 20-, 27- and 42-Across
5 “New York, New York” crooner 6 Valiant
54 Stereo preceder
8 User-edited site
55 Length times width
9 Eyed wolfishly
2 Chickadee relative
7 Disney snowman
Crossword Puzzle SWJ 022119 4.indd 1
10 Don, as boots 11 China’s __ Kai-shek 12 Carried 13 Shielded from the sun 21 College sr.’s exam 22 Send out 23 Buddy 24 Grain storage area 28 Tax-collecting agcy. 29 Like most light switches 30 Classic roadster 34 Used car lot event 35 The “F” in TGIF: Abbr. 36 Furry sitcom ET 37 Landing site for Santa’s sleigh 38 Dance in a pit 39 Olympic fencing event
40 Wise one 41 Opinions 42 Dog at a cookout 43 Ramis of “Ghostbusters” 44 “Doesn’t bother me at all” 45 NFL official 46 “Oh, no, bro!” 47 Dazzled 51 Relaxed running pace 52 Fells with an ax 53 Steak order 57 Mate, across the Channel 58 Tazo product
Crossword answers on page B12
2/8/19 9:50 AM
Southwest High School SWJ 022119 4.indd 1
2/18/19 11:48 AM
B12 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
By Meleah Maynard
Ways to make winter a tad less horrible
I
don’t want to sound too dramatic or anything, but winter in Minnesota kind of makes me want to die. Every year. Year after year. Yes, yes, I know all about winter sports. I’m not sporty in good weather. The thing is, my husband is from here, and like so many native Minnesotans I know, he wants to stay. So, at least for now, I’m trying to make the best of it and not be too much of a giant pill. Paging through seed and plant catalogs while planning for spring helps. And growing a few things under lights in the basement cheers me up even more. That’s why, even if winter doesn’t make you feel like putting your head in the oven, I’d still recommend setting up a little bit of growing space if you can. Sure, the gross, smelly cat box is just a few steps away from my basement potting area. But it’s still really nice to go down there and tend a few growing green things when everything outside is so blindingly white. Lately, I’ve been planting different types of microgreens and harvesting them to put on salads and sandwiches and in soups. You’ve probably seen microgreens in grocery stores and on restaurant menus. Delicious and nutritious, they cost a zillion dollars if you buy them pre-packaged. But you can easily grow them at home yourself. All you have to do is get some salad, vegetable, herb and/or edible flower seeds (I really like basil, broccoli, radish, arugula, cabbage and sunflower seed microgreens) and plant them in potting soil in just about any shallow container.
Meleah’s basement growing space by the cat box. Submitted photo
Keep your seeds watered but not soggy, and let them grow under lights or in a sunny window. In about two to three weeks, your tasty greens will be ready to harvest, which you can easily do by snipping them off just above the soil line. Sound fun, or at least like something that might help you keep your wits about you
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during these cold months? Great! Then I’d recommend checking out the Sprout People website (sproutpeople.org). There you’ll find much more detailed information about growing microgreens and sprouts. They also sell a fantastic variety of organic seeds, and they offer recipes too, so you’ll have some ideas for how to
Meleah Maynard is a Minneapolis-based writer and editor who blogs at Livin’ Thing, livinthing.com.
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use all those greens once you’ve grown them. In addition to microgreens, I’ve got a few varieties of lettuce coming up downstairs. I don’t wait until they mature. Instead, I like using the “cut and come again” method where you harvest the young leaves two, three and sometimes even four times before the plants run out of steam and need to go in the compost bin. If want to try this, I’d recommend looking for seeds on the Renee’s Garden website, reneesgarden.com. They’ve got a wide variety of lettuce blends, many of their heirlooms. I plant Renee’s lettuce mixes outside in pots all summer, so we always have fresh greens on hand —unless the critters get to them first. Soon I’ll be starting some herbs, greens and flowers to transplant outdoors in the spring. On my list for sure this year are blue flax and scarlet flax as well as orange-red Mexican Torch (Tithonia rotundifolia) sunflowers. Butterflies love Mexican Torch, which grow to about 5 feet tall and bloom all season. I get most of my seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com), one of my favorite seed sellers because they are devoted to growing organically and promoting and preserving rare and heirloom varieties. They also have the most beautiful catalog you will EVER see. I save mine from year to year just to look at the pictures again and again, reminding myself that spring will come. Spring will come.
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CROSSWORD ANSWERS
Crossword on page B11
Crossword Answers SWJ 022119 V12.indd 1
www. RAMacSammys .com
2/8/19 9:50 AM
2/19/19 10:44 AM
southwestjournal.com / February 21–March 6, 2019 B13
By Dr. Catherine Hageman
The senior pet-friendly home
I
t can be distressing to see aging change our furry family members. They experience many of the same issues we do: arthritis pain, a decline in mobility, visual difficulties and cognitive changes. But there are simple changes you can make at home and in your routine to help your senior friend. If you suspect you’re seeing age-related problems in your pet, always check with your veterinarian first. Sometimes, signs of slowing down or behavioral problems are actually symptoms of an underlying medical or musculoskeletal issue that can be corrected or at least supported. Our pets may show pain through changes in behavior, including disengaging socially from the rest of the family, eating less, decreasing physical activity, panting or vocalizing frequently and house soiling. A thorough physical exam may reveal an unexpected finding, such as visual decline, fractured or infected teeth or even an ear or urinary infection. Endocrine and metabolic diseases — such as diabetes or thyroid or kidney disease — can also cause similar behavioral changes.
Aging joints If your pet is diagnosed with osteoarthritis, your vet can also help guide you through the many options for medications, supplements and diets that decrease pain and improve mobility. At home, the two most important (and inexpensive) things you can do for your arthritic pet are weight control and regular, low-impact exercise. • Any extra weight your pet carries will exacerbate the discomfort and progression of degenerative joint changes. Ask your vet for help in assessing your pet’s body condition score. Generally, you should be able to feel the ribs easily as you run your hand along the sides of the chest. Also, you should see a “waist” or “tuck” just behind the rib cage. You can find multiple online body condition scoring charts that are helpful as well. • Low-impact activities such as walking or swimming can be very helpful in maintaining muscle and flexibility. Increased physical activity can also provide great mental stimulation. If your pet is very out of shape, start slow — short, frequent sessions will be better tolerated, help condition muscles and gradually build stamina. And, of course,
if your pet is in too much pain to walk very far, check with your veterinarian about safe activity and additional supportive ideas such as passive range of motion exercises. Since most cats don’t go for walks outside, they can be encouraged to exercise inside using food or toys that lure them into walking more. Rather than just filling your cat’s bowl every day, put small amounts of food in many different areas, avoiding stairs if they’re too difficult for your cat. Try some of the ideas from foodpuzzlesforcats.com, but only do this if your cat is eating well. For dogs, a walk or gentle play session a couple hours before bedtime, followed by another short outing just before bed, can help with poor sleep patterns. These activities may also reduce the need to urinate or defecate in the middle of the night. Many older dogs find it difficult to completely empty their bowels in one outing, as they can’t maintain the awkward squatting posture long enough. Shorter and more frequent trips outside can reduce indoor accidents.
Around the house Here are some other supportive changes you can make within your household: • Place non-slip mats and rugs along the paths your pet travels in the house, on slippery steps and in the food and water bowl areas. They may not fit your décor as much as you’d like, but weaker pets can slip easily on hardwood and tile floors. They’ll also walk less in general if their footing feels unsafe. For dogs with neck or back pain, elevating food and water bowls can be helpful as well. • Use baby gates to decrease stair access and, where possible, setting up your pet’s feeding and toileting areas on a single level. We all have our “supervisor” pet who follows us everywhere we go in the house, but going up and down stairs frequently can be hard on your elderly friend. • Optimize the litter box for your elderly cat. Offer low-sided litter boxes and additional boxes on multiple levels of the house. Also, make sure the litter isn’t too deep for your cat to easily move around in; older cats often prefer less than 1–2 inches of litter. Please
see additional litter box tips in the “Feline Inappropriate Elimination” article on our Westgate Pet Clinic website. • Offer orthopedic beds with washable covers and, depending upon the pet and the season, either pet-safe heated beds or cooling pads. Some pets enjoy cold pack therapy over sore joints. Use common sense: If it’s not too hot or cold for your skin to remain in contact with, it’s likely safe for your pet. But it’s important that your pet has the ability to move away from the heating or cooling source when they choose. • Place nightlights in dark hallways, by stairs and near the litter box. This can help reduce anxiety, nighttime vocalization and accidents outside the box. • Using a specially made harness to help support larger dogs on stairs, while getting in and out of cars and in other similar situations. It’s important that the harness be comfortable for the pet, doesn’t create any pressure sores and that it distributes forces in a way that reduces strain on you and on your dog’s back. Your veterinarian can help in assessing the appropriate fit and form for your pet. Ramps and steps can also be made or purchased for use with cars, stairs or even to reach your bed or couch.
Hair and nail care Even grooming can play a role in maintaining your senior pet’s quality of life.
Nails may need more frequent trimming when your pet is walking less. Very long nails can be uncomfortable, get caught in fabric and make a pet’s footing even worse. Fur mats can also occur more frequently due to changes in the coat and skin health, as well as less ability to self-groom due to poor flexibility. When a professional groomer is needed, look for one known to be especially good with senior pets, who are often more anxious and less able to stand for long periods.
Stability Finally, keep in mind that change can be harder on senior pets. Moving food and water bowls or furniture, leaving clutter on the floor that they have to maneuver around, having lots of guests or frequently changing schedules can cause confusion, stress and anxiety. In a busy household, try to provide a quiet area with soothing music or white noise as a senior refuge, and maintain a regular feeding and elimination schedule if you can. Take a walk through your home and try to see it through your aging friend’s eyes. Thoughtful assessment and minor adjustments can help make your senior pet’s golden years as comfortable, peaceful and enjoyable as possible. Dr. Catherine Hageman is a veterinarian at Westgate Pet Clinic in Linden Hills. Email pet questions to drhershey@westgatepetclinicmn.com.
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B14 February 21–March 6, 2019 / southwestjournal.com
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