Senior homes struggle to contain COVID-19 PAGE A5 • Historic district proposed in Lynnhurst PAGE A6 • Steve Brandt on speed limits PAGE B7
May 14–27, 2020 Vol. 31, No. 10 southwestjournal.com
Shelters challenged; street life altered By Andrew Hazzard
Masked marriage
When officials first started asking people to “stay home” in March, the phrase hit a nerve with staff at Simpson Housing Services in Whittier. “The folks we serve don’t have a home to stay in,” executive director Steve Horsfield said. The coronavirus pandemic has upended life for an already unstable population of homeless residents in Minneapolis. With public spaces like libraries closed and Metro Transit no longer operating overnight service, people experiencing homelessness have fewer places to stay and practice good hygiene during the pandemic. SEE HOMELESS / PAGE A15
From Zoom weddings to backyard ceremonies, Southwest couples get creative By Becca Most
Around 5:30 a.m. on April 27, Hanna Zipes Basel began preparing for her wedding celebration alone. With her fiance, Mike, getting ready in the room next door, she carefully applied her makeup in a mirror and curled her blond hair before slipping into her wedding dress. After meeting in the hallway of their Kingfield home, the bride and groom began packing the back of their car with rose petals, flowers, masks and gloves. Their new foster puppy, Winston, sat in the back seat as the couple drove to the Lyndale Park Peace Garden to exchange their vows.
Mike and Hanna Basel were married in the Lyndale Park Peace Garden on April 25. Submitted photo
Minneapolis public health has partnered with the Park Board to place a portable toilet and handwashing station on The Mall in Uptown, where there is a small encampment of unsheltered people. Photo by Andrew Hazzard
SEE WEDDINGS / PAGE A14
The difficulty of finding closure Families, faith leaders and funeral directors seek new ways to deal with grief By Nate Gotlieb
It was a trying March for the family of Clint and Carolyn Schroeder, who spent decades as members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in East Harriet, raising their five children there and each serving as church council president. Clint died on March 12 at the age of 89, and then, less then two weeks later, Carolyn was hospitalized with COVID-19. Carolyn, 88, survived, but with the pandemic halting travel, the family has had to postpone Clint’s memorial service. Daughter Lisa Kennedy, who now lives in California, said the family wanted the service to be held at Bethlehem Lutheran, and given her father’s stature as a prominent tax
Clint Schroeder died on March 12 at the age of 89. His wife, Carolyn, who was hospitalized with COVID-19 but has recovered, and the rest of Schroeder’s family have had to grieve without gathering. Submitted photo
attorney known for innovations in the field of charitable estate planning, she expected lots of well-wishers. The need to delay the service, Kennedy said, has made grieving harder. “We haven’t had that closure,” she said. “We’re just so unsure of when that could ever happen.” For families like the Schroeders, the coronavirus has disrupted grieving norms and forced them to forgo large funerals and shared meals and to rely on technology like video conferencing or to wait indefinitely to celebrate their loved one’s life. SEE GRIEVING / PAGE A15
Weighing risks in parks
Climate change card game
Architectural bike tour of Southwest
Voices from the pandemic
PAGE A10
PAGE A12
PAGE B6
PAGE B10
A2 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 A3
By Andrew Hazzard / ahazzard@swjournal.com
LYNLAKE
Muddy Waters says goodbye After years as a Minneapolis coffee, drinking and dining destination, LynLake landmark Muddy Waters closed its doors for good on May 3. “We want to thank Minneapolis for loving us for so long,” proprietors Sarah Schrantz and Paddy Whelan wrote in a goodbye Facebook post. “We are heartbroken but resolute in the knowledge that Muddy Waters is not, and cannot, be a place. Muddy Waters is people. And these people? Still here.” Muddy Waters started at 24th & Lyndale, where it spent decades as a coffee shop, and made a major expansion in 2011, when the cafe relocated to 29th & Lyndale and evolved into a full bar and restaurant (though it retained robust coffee service). Its food menu was known for pizzas, tacos and Mexicali hotdogs. The restaurant had made adjustments during the statewide order banning dine-in service during the coronavirus pandemic, like adding a curbside window for people to collect to-go orders. In the days before abruptly announcing the closure, Muddy Waters had been active on social media promoting its to-go services. On May 2, the restaurant announced it would be permanently closing.
Muddy Waters, a LynLake institution that operated as a coffee shop, restaurant and bar, closed May 3. The restaurant had recently added a new to-go window (seen here) to serve customers during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo courtesy of Street Factory Media
“We will miss Muddys forever,” Schrantz and Whelan wrote. “It was a touchstone in all our lives, it changed us, changed our course, nurtured and reassembled us.”
FORGET FLAMES.
Go Green.
24TH & HENNEPIN
Pyramid Pizza stirs from Red’s Savoy’s sarcophagus A new pizzeria has risen from the tomb of Red’s Savoy at 24th & Hennepin. Pyramid Pizza & Grill, a new restaurant from owner Ahmed Abdin opened in late April for to-go orders and delivery. Opening in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic has meant no dine-in service for Pyramid, but Abdin said it felt good to be open and that customers from the neighborhood have been trickling in. The menu features a variety of specialty and build-your-own pizzas, sandwiches and salads. Sandwiches include Philly cheesesteaks, Italian beef, Polish sausage, gyro and catfish. Many of those toppings are also available on cheese fries and nachos at Pyramid. The menu offers burgers, combo
meals of fried fish and chicken, rice dinners and sambusas. Abdin said he recommends the steak burger. Abdin, a native of Egypt, said Pyramid Pizza is his first restaurant. He found the location shortly after Red’s Savoy closed in January. So far, business has been a bit slow for takeout, but he said it’s good to be open and to start establishing the restaurant in the neighborhood. Pyramid Pizza & Grill is open daily from 10 a.m. to midnight. Pyramid Pizza & Grill Where: 2329 Hennepin Ave. Info: pyramidpizzamn.com
We honor pre-plans and memberships from societies. For more info or to plan ahead, call 612-724-3621.
READY TO GO GREEN?
3131 Minnehaha Avenue S. Minneapolis, MN 55406
612.724.3621 BradshawFuneral.com
Creating new beginnings. Happy Spring!
Judy Shields: Passionate. Effective. Realtor.
952-221-1723
jshields@cbburnet.com Pyramid Pizza has opened in the former Red’s Savoy space at 24th & Hennepin. Photo by Andrew Hazzard Shields Judy SWJ 031920 6.indd 1
3/10/20 7:48 PM
A4 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
Clear Aligner Orthodontics Simple cases
Get the smile
LYNLAKE
as low as
you’ve always wanted!
Dr. Nelson is an Invisalign Preferred Provider.
It’s Greek to Me returns
$400
Complex cases $3800
• Free consultations • Free whitening included • Offering ClearCorrect, Exceed, and Invisalign
BEFORE
All cases are a flat fee and include retainers, impressions, and all office visits.
AFTER
BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT AT NICOLLETDENTAL.COM OR CALL 612-866-8550
CASEY NELSON, DDS
6101 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis nicolletdental.com • 612-866-8550 Nicollet Dental SWJ NR2 6.indd 1
12/7/18 10:02 AM
*On Settergren’s Referral List*
ROOFING • SIDING • GUTTERS
612-869-1177
Alison Peppler hands a to-go order to Evan Biller on the first day back in business at It’s Greek to Me in LynLake. Photos by Andrew Hazzard
Roofing • Siding Soffit • Fascia Gutters • Insulation
A Rating BBB Licensed • Bonded • Insured MN License #5276
Serving the Twin Cities since 1980
Topside SWJ 031920 6.indd 1
3/10/20 9:37 PM
Firewood & Accessories County Retaining Walls Concrete Steppers Sod, Topsoil, Mulches
Decorative Rock, Boulders, and Natural Stone Garden Chemicals Mowers, Trimmers
P: (612) 866-8771 5901 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis KliersNursery.com
Fresh Cut Sod Daily Rock, Black Dirt, Mulches Driveway class 5 Decorative Rock
PICKUP OR SAME DAY DELIVERY LARGE OR SMALL ORDERS
P: (612) 869-6992 5901 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis MagnusonSod.com
Keystone Retaining Walls Borgert Pavers Cement Block Decorative Rock Concrete Tools
Landscaping Tools Natural Stone Jackson Wheelbarrows Stihl Power Equipment MK Diamond Products
Diamond Blades Gilson Mixers Jackson Wheelbarrows Bartell Power Equipment Metabo Parts Drill Masonry Tools & Equipment LB White Geaters Husqvarna Concrete Saws CONCRETE STAMPS AVAILABLE FOR SALES AND RENTAL Plants, Shrubs, Trees Landscaping Hardware Yard Decor Garden Chemicals
We accept all major credit cards. Haag Companies SWJ 041620 6.indd 1
Seeds, Flowers, Perennials Firewood & Accessories Fresh Cut Sod Daily Top Soil, Mulches, Rocks
P: (612) 866-0430 313 West 61st St, Minneapolis LandscapeConcreteCenter.com
P: (612) 861-2268 6025 Pillsbury Ave, Minneapolis SchaferEquipmentCompany.com
P: (651) 454-5311 4381 Nicols Road, Eagan JerrysGardenPlace.com
Serving the metro area for generations. 3/27/20 4:06 PM
Days after one LynLake institution closed its doors, another has returned. It’s Greek to Me is back and open for takeout at its Lake & Lyndale location as of May 5, with the original ownership family again involved in the restaurant. “We’re trying to bring it back,” said Erik Johnson, who is working with Alkis and Gelli Arambadjis to restart the restaurant. It’s Greek to Me opened its doors in 1982 in LynLake under the direction of married couple Denise and Argyrios Arambadjis. The Arambadjis family ran the restaurant until 2016, when they sold it to Nicholas Karos, who closed the doors in September 2019. But the Arambadjis family continued to own the building, and now their relatives and Johnson are reviving the Greek eatery. “We’re really excited,” Johnson said. Gelli Arambadjis, Denise and Argyrios’ son, said the group felt the chance to reopen the family restaurant was a rare offering they couldn’t leave on the table. “It was just a good opportunity,” he said. The group wants to bring a more laid back, family vibe to It’s Greek to Me and has lowered the prices a bit from what the most recent owners had been charging. The plan had been to reopen in April, but the coronavirus pandemic interrupted those efforts. Still, the group wanted to get
started, Johnson said. For now, it is offering a limited menu that includes classics like gyro, spanakopita, Greek and politiki salads and a la carte meats. It is also offering a carry-out dinner for four. “We plan on adding to that as we go,” Johnson said. Opening during the pandemic is strange, they said. But the restaurant is looking at it like a prolonged soft opening, with a chance to let people know it’s back, get the menu down and adapt before the restaurant can fully open. The restaurant’s return comes two days after nearby coffee shop, bar and eatery Muddy Waters closed its doors for good. On the first day of business, many past regulars called in orders, elated that their go-to Greek place had returned. “I’m so happy you guys are open again,” Evan Biller said as he entered the restaurant May 5 to pick up his order. Biller, a LynLake resident, said It’s Greek to Me was a favorite for his household. Many other customers expressed similar relief. It’s Greek to Me will be open for takeout from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. It’s Greek to Me Where: 626 W. Lake St. Info: itsgreektomempls.com
It’s Greek to Me has returned to LynLake, with members of the original ownership family once again involved in running the restaurant.
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 A5
Senior homes struggle to contain COVID-19 By Zac Farber and Andrew Hazzard
In late April, when memory-care residents of the Walker Methodist Health Center in East Harriet started testing positive for COVID-19, the Minnesota Health Department (MDH) advised staff to leave all 30 of the secure unit’s residents in their private rooms instead of isolating positive patients in a separate wing of the facility. Given how many residents tested positive within a short time span, MDH determined that the unit’s more than 20 asymptomatic residents had all been exposed, Walker Methodist spokesperson Sarah Benbow said. By May 11, 29 of the 30 residents of the memory-care unit had tested positive for the virus, and 10 of those residents had died. (The 30th resident was awaiting their test result as of press time.) Both the vulnerability of residents in terms of age and pre-existing conditions and the close quarters in which they live make COVID-19 apt to ravage long-term care facilities. While less than 1% of Minnesotans live in long-term care facilities, they have seen 16% of Minneapolis’ confirmed cases of the virus and 85% of its confirmed virus-related deaths. Once the virus enters a facility, it can be difficult to contain. “The team implemented strict isolation procedures, but the virus is pervasive and even our best efforts weren’t able to stop it from spreading through the unit,” Benbow said. “Our team’s vigilance has kept it contained in the unit at this time.” The Centers for Disease Control asks facilities to consider “potential risks and benefits” before moving residents with confirmed COVID-19 out of a memory-care unit, noting that moving residents “may cause disorientation, anger, and agitation as well as increase risks for other safety concerns such as falls or wandering.” If residents elsewhere at Walker Methodist contract the virus, staff are planning to isolate them in a newly cleared COVID-19 wing that is waiting empty. The coronavirus outbreak has also worsened at the Jones-Harrison Residence. A total of 20 residents have tested positive in the CedarIsles-Dean facility’s nursing home as of May 11, including nine who have died. And the virus has now spread to the assisted living portion of the home, where four residents have tested positive, including one who has died. In all, 19 staff members of the facility have tested
positive. President Annette Greely said the virus is not confined to a single unit but has been “ping-ponging” through the facility. At Mount Olivet in Windom, there have been six COVID-19 related deaths and one other resident hospitalized as of May 12, all in the long-term care facility. Mount Olivet has had at least 14 confirmed cases in total; none have been in the independent living home.
Memory care Issues in memory-care units, like the outbreak at Walker Methodist, are not surprising to experts.
“There’s a whole host of instructions that are simply not realistic when you talk about people in advanced stages of dementia — social distancing, washing hands, and help with daily living, like bathing, toileting, feeding and medications,” said Eilon Caspi, a gerontologist and adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing. Nationwide, Caspi said, most nursing home residents and about half of assisted living residents have some form of cognitive impairment. It’s not uncommon for residents with dementia to wander into other residents’ bedrooms at all times of the day, he said. At Walker Methodist, staff have been monitoring the hallway of the memory-care unit 24/7 and trying to keep residents separated, but the nature of their needs and capabilities makes it a challenge to keep them safe. “Residents don’t understand why they have to stay in their rooms and why they can’t walk the halls,” Benbow said. “So our staff is very often reminding residents, ‘You have to go back to your room now, you have to go back to your room now.’” Greely said Jones-Harrison’s memory-care residents continually take their masks off and like to touch things throughout the building. “They’re tactile,” she said. “That’s why we’re constantly spraying with disinfectant and wiping stuff down.”
Staffing struggles
On April 7, Gov. Tim Walz’ office promised facility-wide testing at care sites with multiple cases. But so far that promise has gone unfulfilled, even as testing capacity has grown statewide. SEE SENIOR HOMES / PAGE A14
CHANCE ENCOUNTER
For 40 years Haven Housing has helped break the cycle of homelessness and despair for women and children. You can join us in our life changing work. Former residents of Haven Housing
When Cedar-Isles-Dean resident Georgianna Ludcke walked to the Jones-Harrison Residence on May 6 to bring her father, George Day, a six-pack of Coca-Cola, she thought maybe he’d waive to her from his third-floor window, as he often does. “I would just see a hand and he would see me, but it’s not the most satisfying thing in the world,” she said. Ludcke described the opportunity to see and talk to her father at close range as “thrilling.” Photo by Isaiah Rustad
Learn more at
www.havenhousing.org Haven Housing SWJ filler 6.indd 1
7/9/19 4:06 PM
Zenith Av
A6 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
66-house historic district proposed in Lynnhurst
W 36th St
France Ave S
By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@swjournal.com
yE
W 42nd St
The city is proposing to designate a cluster of 66 Lynnhurst houses on about five square blocks as a local historic district. Proposed historic district A city-funded study, completed this past Area of study winter, concluded that the houses merit W 42nd St designation because they are distinct and well-preserved examples of early 20th century upper-middle class development. The designation would prevent demoliW 43nd St tion of or significant exterior alteration to the homes without approval of the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). W 44th St The study looked at 216 houses in a Lake 15-square-block area east of Lake Harriet, Harriet narrowing in on a selection of homes on Fremont, Emerson and Dupont avenues W 45th St between 46th and 48th streets. A previous 2005 survey had labeled the larger area as potentially historically significant. City law required a formal study of the W 46th St area’s historical significance after the HPC denied a request in July 2019 to demolish a house on the 4600 block of Emerson Avenue. W 47th St The firm New History, which conducted the 2019 study, found that many properties in the area have been altered and lost any historic importance they might have once W 48th St had. But it concluded that all but two of the houses within the 66-house cluster look substantially similar to how they did when they were built. “The [proposed] district represents a remarkable concentration of houses from the first third of the 20th century with a high W 50th Stcommunity,” said Andrew, a businessman degree of historic integrity,” the firm wrote. The proposed historic district includes and former Hennepin County Board Lynnhurst’s first nine houses, which are member and mayoral candidate. located on the 4600 block of Fremont The Minneapolis Planning Commission Avenue and were built in 1893 in periodhas voted in favor of the proposed district, revival styles. and the state’s historic preservation office The original homeowners were initially has said it agrees with the city’s recommenisolated from other residential areas, and dation, according to historic preservation they shared resources such as a telephone supervisor Andrea Burke. and cows, which roamed nearby pastureThe HPC will hold a public hearing land and lived in a barn at 47th & Fremont. on the proposal on June 9, and the City Among those pioneers was Maude Council will also need to approve it before Armatage, after whom a Minneapolis it becomes official. neighborhood, park and school are named. It would be the city’s 19th historic The proposed district’s other 57 houses district and the ninth composed of residenW 54th St were built between 1905 and 1937, after the tial buildings. Other residential districts advent of the automobile made the area more include the city’s first privately developed accessible. Most of those were also built on racially integrated housing development large lots in period-revival styles and have and a cluster of Lowry Hill homes whose similar massing, scale and setbacks. construction was spurred at least in part by the expansion of the streetcar system. Har
riet
Pkw
St
Over 200,000 Minnesota children were living in food insecurity before the coronavirus pandemic. The need for nutritious has since skyrocketed. W 50thfood St You can help change the story of child hunger in our community.
Sheridan Story SWJ 6 filler.indd 1
Xerxes Ave S
France Ave S
www.thesheridanstory.org
W 54th St
5/12/20 10:50 AM
Colfax Ave S
Dupont Ave S
Emerson Ave S
Fremont Ave S
Girard Ave S
Logan Ave S
Join our fight against child hunger!
Penn Ave S
W 47th St
Humboldt Ave S
Lak e
4th W4
W36th St
Designation would prevent significant exterior alterations without approval of Heritage Preservation Commission
Xerxes Ave S
Zenith Ave S
W 38th St
St
H
eS
Ex ce ls
i
Bde Maka Ska
‘A lot of stature’
Mark Andrew, who owns a home in the proposed district, said he thinks designation would be a good thing for the neighborhood. “I think it just adds a lot of stature to the
Penn Ave S
W 58th St
Xerxes Ave S
Lake Pamela
France Ave S
W 58th St
Visit tinyurl.com/mpls-meetings to learn more about speaking at the June 9 meeting. Written comments can be directed to HPC clerk Rachel Blanford at rachel.blanford@minneapolismn.gov.
The James H. McClanahan (left) and John M. Ricket houses are on the 4600 block of Fremont Avenue. These photos were taken around 1920. Courtesy of Hennepin County Library
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 A7
District restructuring plan is approved
Team Larry Trusted for Twenty Years
By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@swjournal.com
The School Board has approved a multimillion-dollar restructuring plan over continued objections from parents who have pressed district officials on how the effort will alleviate budget challenges and stubborn racial achievement gaps. The Comprehensive District Design (CDD) plan, approved on a 6-3 vote May 12 during an online meeting, will redraw attendance zones and centralize magnet-school programming in buildings closer to Minneapolis’ geographic center. It will also cluster most high school career-technical education classes at Edison, North and Roosevelt high schools and reshape special education to focus more on providing services in neighborhood schools. KerryJo Felder (North), Bob Walser (Chain of Lakes and Downtown) and Ira Jourdain (Southwest) voted against the plan. District officials have said the plan will allow for streamlined busing routes, better integrated schools, healthier North Minneapolis enrollment, equitable access to magnet programs and potentially less teacher turnover. They said the transportation savings will allow for more programming investments and better options for students who receive special education services. Parents have said the plan doesn’t address academic shortcomings, and they urged the board to keep existing magnet programs and more of its grade K-8 schools and to avoid creating larger middle schools. Some vowed to leave the district. Many blasted the School Board for taking the vote during the coronavirus pandemic and requested a formal study of the plan’s effect on marginalized communities. “The wholesale destruction of what is currently working is not the way to restructure to achieve quality outcomes for all children in the district,” Minneapolis resident Julie Steinberg wrote in a public comment to the School Board. “This will result in enrollment declines which will snowball into even greater budget deficits.” Officials have said they may see enrollment declines in the early years but that they expect enrollment to stabilize or increase in the long term. They’ve also said that some of the district’s widely heralded programs aren’t serving students of color particularly well. The CDD has its roots in budgetary shortfalls announced in February 2017 and in fourth-year Superintendent Ed Graff ’s efforts to decrease 50-plus-point proficiency gaps in standardized test scores between white students and the district’s largest nonwhite racial groups. The first CDD draft, proposed in spring 2019, clustered schools and magnet programs in newly drawn zones but was criticized for
causing unnecessary disruption and not addressing segregation. The latest efforts began this past fall, when district leaders modeled out a communityschool map that aimed to balance enrollment and increase integration. District leaders tweaked the map throughout the winter, as they layered in new magnet programs and high school boundaries and looked for bus-route efficiencies. The final map, offered up in late March, has attendance zone boundaries that loosely adhere to official neighborhood boundaries, though a single school often covers multiple neighborhoods. Criticism of the plan has been most intense at South Minneapolis magnet schools, which will have new programming, boundaries and/or grade configurations. Fewer schools would meet the district’s limit for racial isolation, according to enrollment projections, but some of the elementary schools would be significantly smaller. Seven of the eight middle schools would become larger, and the district’s seven community high schools would each have an enrollment of at least 775. That includes North High School, where enrollment is projected to grow to 1,138 from 361. The building can hold more than 1,860 students but hasn’t had over 1,000 in years. Southwest High School’s enrollment is projected to decrease by about 700, as the school will no longer draw incoming freshmen living north of 36th Street unless they open enroll beginning in fall 2021. The plan will cost $2.8 million next school year, as the district prepares to fully implement it in fall 2021. The district projects that it will cost $11.5 million in 2021-22 and $10.7 million each year thereafter, most of which will be used in schools. It plans on paying for those costs through transportation savings and state funding that targets achievement gaps. The district is also proposing an additional $202 million in capital projects over five years to support the CDD. Over half of those funds would go toward upgrading North and outfitting it for career-technical education courses. The district estimates that the plan will bring it out of compliance with its policy to keep annual debt-service payments below 15% of operating revenues by the 2023-24 school year. School Board finance chair Kimberly Caprini (At-large) said she’s talked with chief financial officer Ibrahima Diop about ensuring the district stays in compliance with the policy. Boundary and program changes will be implemented in fall 2021. High school students who are already enrolled will not have to change schools.
SOUTHWEST MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOL STRUCTURES (STARTING FALL 2021) Community elementary (K-5)
Community middle (6-8)
High school (9-12)
Armatage
Anthony
Southwest
Kenny
Anwatin
North
Lake Harriet Lower (K-2) and Upper (3-5)
Justice Page
Washburn
Windom
Anderson
South
Bryn Mawr Kenwood
Colors indicate pathway of schools into which students will matriculate.
Barton Burroughs Lyndale Whittier
Magnet school Jefferson (K-8, no pathway high school) Data from Minneapolis Public Schools
Locally Owned, Community Focused
612-845-5273 | DianeandLarry.com | larry@larrylavercombe.com Lavercombe Larry SWJ 111419 6.indd 1
11/6/19 1:49 PM
PLEASE SUPPORT THE SOUTHWEST JOURNAL The Southwest Journal, like many news outlets, is facing unprecedented challenges. For the past three decades, we’ve delivered the paper free of charge because we believe everyone deserves access to professional, unbiased journalism. But with advertisers’ budgets being tightened amid the pandemic, our business model has been upended. We’re asking for your help.
Please consider supporting us with a donation in any amount you are able. VISIT SWJOURNAL.COM/DONATE If you have already donated, thank you from all of us at the Southwest Journal. We are truly grateful. Whether or not you are able to contribute personally, you can help in other ways: • Spread the word on social media and via email to friends and neighbors • Tell advertisers you saw their ad in the paper and patronize their businesses • Place an ad for your business or service by emailing sales@swjournal.com • Send your compliments, critiques or questions to feedback@swjournal.com
Thank you. We exist to serve our community and appreciate your support in any form. Support the SWJ SWJ 043020 6.indd 1
4/29/20 10:50 AM
A8 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
PUBLISHER Janis Hall jhall@swjournal.com CO-PUBLISHER & SALES MANAGER Terry Gahan tgahan@swjournal.com GENERAL MANAGER Zoe Gahan zgahan@swjournal.com EDITOR
Problemsolving front and center at MCAD Whittier’s arts college innovates during pandemic By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@swjournal.com
Zac Farber 612-436-4391 zfarber@swjournal.com STAFF WRITERS Nate Gotlieb ngotlieb@swjournal.com Andrew Hazzard ahazzard@swjournal.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Emily Bissen Michelle Bruch Emily Lund
Colleges across the U.S. have grappled with dramatic changes to their business models this spring, and that’s been no exception for Southwest Minneapolis’ lone college, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Whittier. The 721-student school, which has 14 undergraduate programs, three master’s degree programs and 541 full-time staffers, is no stranger to online education, having held its first online class in 1996. All students are equipped with the same laptops and software programs. While many classes easily adapted to online learning, some professors and teachers made significant adjustments, vice president of academic affairs Karen Wirth said. “We’re all doing this tremendous amount of problem-solving,” she said. The school’s 3D shop staff, for example, created
MCAD is preparing for a fall semester that could be delayed or include social distancing. Photo by Nate Gotlieb
videos showing students how to build sculptures from home. A graphic design professor connected students with “big-name” international designers for a senior project, Wirth said. MCAD is also offering graduating students two free continuing-education courses. Like other U.S. colleges, MCAD is preparing for a fall semester that could be delayed or include social distancing. Communications and marketing vice president Annie Gillette Cleveland said the priority is to have kids on campus. The school expects to receive about $800,000 from the federal stimulus bill, half of which will go to students. Wirth said the school has not tapped into its endowment, which stood at $55.6 million after 2017-18, to cover shortfalls. Cleveland declined to say whether MCAD faces a budget gap for the current school year, but she said the school is planning to ensure expenses and revenue matches next year. While MCAD’s financial statements from last school year aren’t readily available, previous year’s statements indicate that the school is
financially sound. Revenues outpaced expenses by $3.1 million in 2017-18, $1.6 million in 2016-17 and $1.9 million in 2015-16, and the endowment grew by $7.7 million between 2015-16 and 2017-18. MCAD has also extended its admissiondecision deadline to June 1 from May 1, though Cleveland said freshmen enrollment is “tracking to last year.” “Artists have a reputation to wait until the last second,” she said. “We know there’s going to be a big uptick at the end. There’s still a desire for these kids to go to college.” Like many colleges, MCAD has offered students the chance to take courses on a pass-fail basis this spring, though a lot of students stuck with the traditional grading scale, Wirth said. The school did not refund students for tuition but is refunding housing, student-activity fees and fees for classroom materials, meal plans and its nonprofit supplies store on a prorated basis. An emergency-assistance fund to cover student needs raised about $120,000 as of early May.
COVID-19 eventually passes, the pollution problem will still be waiting for us. Every day we are engulfed with concerns about COVID-19; however, as a community, we need to stay clear-minded. Remembering what we stand for is important to prevent large companies from exploiting our weaknesses for their own gains. We must not let this pandemic overshadow the issue of pollution and our duty to reduce the use of plastics.
traffic, with left-turn lanes at each intersection, and maybe limited parking for local businesses. Avoid making Nicollet a neighborhood “freeway” unsafe for pedestrians and bicyclists. Another would be to incorporate a local park and add housing, limiting height to 5-6 stories. Extend the atmosphere that exists on Eat Street and keep the neighborhood feel. I know our city is pushing density, but is a highrise with hundreds of people really conducive to a community/neighborhood atmosphere? No! Smaller (affordable!) housing units with balconies, interior courtyards for residents and a neighborhood park would be awesome. Please keep this conversation going. It warrants further consideration and is important to avoiding another catastrophic mistake that we’ve lived with for too long.
Sheila Regan EDITORIAL INTERN
Voices
Becca Most CREATIVE DIRECTOR Valerie Moe vmoe@swjournal.com DISTRIBUTION Marlo Johnson 612-436-4388 distribution@swjournal.com ADVERTISING sales@swjournal.com 612-436-4360 PRINTING APG
NEXT ISSUE DATE: May 28 News and ad deadline: May 20 32,000 copies of the Southwest Journal are distributed free of charge to homes and businesses in Southwest Minneapolis.
A duty to reduce plastic Even though the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in our community, we still must remember our obligations to ourselves, our neighbors and those to come. The article written by Nate Gotlieb in the April 16 issue, “Southwest Minneapolis environmental activists press on” (page A12), directed my focus to Theresa Carter’s efforts to ban or tax the use of plastic bags. As a University of Minnesota student still living near campus, I am in the area impacted the most by the coronavirus in Minnesota. I understand the fear our community faces when it comes to the COVID-19 infection rate and how it is transmitted. I was taken aback that the head of the Plastic Industry Association would use such fear to enhance their economic benefits by arguing that reusable bags carry COVID-19. Yes, reusable bags have the chance of carrying COVID-19, but so do plastic bags that have been touched by hundreds of customers when checking out. The pollution levels and concentration of microplastics in our environment are still rising. COVID-19 is not an excuse to neglect our prior duties, including caring for the environment by decreasing the use of plastics. When
Dani Leung Como
No neighborhood ‘freeway’ I read with interest Steve Brandt’s column “What do we lose by reopening Nicollet?” (April 30 issue, page A23) So many of us have been waiting for this day, and at the same time I agree that we — the city, the neighborhood, planners and citizens — should all take a step back and consider what would be the next step and what is the right direction. I’ve traveled that area by bicycle, via the Greenway, coming to street level “behind” Kmart, circling around on my way to the post office on 31st Street. It’s a desolate and chaotic ride — trash blowing around and autos and loud, huge buses rushing down 1st Avenue toward downtown — so I share Brandt’s concern about increased motorized traffic. One option would be to create a boulevard as along Lyndale, trees in the center, one lane of
Janet Dray Lowry Hill East
CLARIFICATION An article titled “Christian charity in the time of tuberculosis” on page A20 of the April 30 issue should have noted that Hennepin County’s sanatorium opened in 1916. The state passed a law allowing counties to fund sanatoria in 1909.
Southwest Journal 1115 Hennepin Ave, Mpls, MN 55403 phone: 612-825-9205 © 2020 Minnesota Premier Publications, Inc Subscriptions are $39 per year
PRINTED WITH SOY INK ON RECYCLED PAPER
Davis, Fran and Barb SWJ 051420 masthead banner.indd 1
5/8/20 12:14 PM
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 A9
Challenger Omar Fateh wins DFL endorsement District 62 incumbent state Sen. Jeff Hayden questions process
By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@swjournal.com
A 30-year-old self-described Democratic socialist is celebrating his DFL endorsement in a state Senate district that includes Whittier, Lyndale and Kingfield, but his incumbent opponent is urging the party to reconsider its support. University of Minnesota business analyst Omar Fateh earned 72% of 582 votes cast during the District 62 DFL convention, which was held remotely on May 7. Three-term incumbent Jeff Hayden earned 26% of votes. Fateh’s campaign said the endorsement shows District 62 wants more progressive representation. “I believe that the district is ready for a change,” he said. Hayden said he’s planning to appeal the endorsement and that he still plans to file for re-election. He said a significant portion of mailers his campaign sent delegates were returned, indicating that some delegates who cast votes might not live in the district. “I can’t abide to something that I don’t feel is fair,” he said. District 62 DFL chairwoman Brittany Matthews said delegate addresses were verified and that Hayden’s campaign had opportunities to seek further scrutiny of them. She said there were two voters out of 648 who did not get ballots but that the virtual convention was a success overall.
“Senate District 62 has been a really good picture of how to do this well,” she said. Fateh said he stands by the DFL process. A DFL party spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment, but party chairman Ken Martin told the Star Tribune that he wasn’t aware of any irregularities in District 62, which also includes eight neighborhoods east of Interstate 35W. Fateh and Hayden will square off in an Aug. 11 primary election to determine who will be the DFL nominee. The winner will almost certainly be elected in November, given the district’s strong liberal tilt. Hayden, one of four DFL assistant minority leaders, has been in the Legislature since 2009, first as a representative before winning a special Senate election in 2011. He said his skill set and experience with health and human services would be invaluable in upcoming legislative sessions in which the state could be looking at large budget deficits. “I’m really focused on getting things done,” he said. Fateh, a second-generation Somali immigrant, said he campaigned for the endorsement on issues like affordable housing, universal health care and a $15 minimum wage and that the pandemic has bolstered arguments in favor of these policies. Matthews said Fateh’s identification as
Omar Fateh, a second-generation Somali immigrant, is campaigning as a democratic socialist who will bring progressive change. Submitted photo
a democratic socialist is important for the district and that his platform is in line with the district’s beliefs. “I think he represents what we want to see,” she said. Two other DFL legislators who lost out on endorsements to progressive candidates
have also questioned the party’s endorsement process. That includes Rep. Raymond Dehn, who lost out on the endorsement to Esther Agbaje in District 59B, which includes a portion of Bryn Mawr. Local DFLers also endorsed candidates for state House and Minneapolis School Board this month. Nine-term incumbent Rep. Frank Hornstein, who chairs the Transportation Finance and Policy committee, handily defeated challenger Logan Coplan in District 61A, which includes all Southwest Minneapolis neighborhoods west of the Chain of Lakes and north of 36th Street, except Whittier. Christa Mims was endorsed in School Board District 4, which includes Whittier and the Lake of the Isles-adjacent neighborhoods. One-term incumbent Ira Jourdain was endorsed in District 6, which includes the nine Southwest Minneapolis neighborhoods south of 36th Street. And one-term incumbent KerryJo Felder was endorsed in District 2, which covers North Minneapolis. Eighth-year board member Kim Ellison was endorsed for the open citywide School Board seat. The filing period for the School Board and Legislative seats runs from May 19 to June 2. The state primary election will be Aug. 11, and the general election will be Nov. 3.
A10 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com By Andrew Hazzard
Weighing risks in parks — OUTDOOR TRANSMISSION RARE FOR COVID-19 — People gather at Lyndale Park near Lake Harriet on a warm day in late April. Photo by Andrew Hazzard
Made in Minneapolis and available at all area co-ops, Whole Foods Markets, Lunds & Byerly’s, Kowalski’s, Cub and other select retailers. Grill in place and be safe, and satisfied.
TRIPLECROWNBBQSAUCE.COM Acme Organics SWJ 043020 H12.indd 2
COMMITTED ADVOCACY FOR THE INJURED
4/23/20 11:04 AM
18 HOLES FULLY REMODELED
Representing clients with Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, and Workers’ Compensation claims throughout Minnesota.
MINI GOLF IN RICHFIELD
ice
Mini Golf
cream
Nets in tennis courts had been removed by May 1, basketball hoops had been blocked with plywood and playgrounds in the city’s parks had been marked closed with neon-orange signs. The outdoors is seen as a place of respite during the coronavirus pandemic, but it remains unclear how exactly people should exercise caution in the open air. Park Board Superintendent Al Bangoura said his staff has been adjusting permitted activities based on orders from Gov. Tim Walz, recommendations from city and state health officials, observations made by park staff and complaints heard from the public. “We have responded as the data has changed,” Bangoura told commissioners at a May 6 meeting. Several commissioners asked for specifics on what data park administrators are using and what benchmarks need to be seen to permit more activities, but with a new disease like COVID-19, Bangoura said, the Park Board is mostly relying on the advice of experts and other agencies. There are many unknowns surrounding the coronavirus, but outdoor transmission of the disease appears to be rare. “The primary concern with outdoor activities would be prolonged, close contact among a group of people, as in a basketball or soccer game,” Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) spokesperson Doug Schultz said. People could also be at risk, he said, if they touch a surface like playground equipment that an infected person recently touched. Right now, MDH doesn’t know of any cases believed to be contracted solely through outdoor transmission, though Schultz said making that determination would be “almost impossible.” Coronavirus is primarily spread through respiratory droplets expelled when people cough, sneeze or simply speak. How long you are near someone who is carrying the virus is key.
For a free initial consultation call: (612) 436-1810, or toll-free: (800) 279-6386.
PIzzA Jake R. Jagdfeld Attorney/Partner
Bike rental
SurreY rental
JOHNSON BECKER, PLLC
444 Cedar Street, Suite 1800, Saint Paul, MN 55101 johnsonbecker.com
(612) 861-9348 | 6335 Portland Ave S. Richfield, MN Wheel Fun Rentals MaltTMelt SWJ 051619 6.indd 1
4/3/19 10:04 AM
Johnson Becker SWJ 022020 4.indd 1
1/29/20 10:31 AM
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 A11
“It’s not so much the outdoors that should scare you but how much time you’re going to be spending with people,” said Kumi Smith, an assistant professor of epidemiology and community at the University of Minnesota. In general, walking, running or biking past others while outdoors is safe, Smith said. Outdoor air circulates much more than indoor air, which makes it harder for the virus to leap from one host to another. For prolonged contact or engagement, social distancing of at least 6 feet should be maintained, even outside, but Smith said people shouldn’t view everyone on the sidewalk as a potential threat. “There’s a little bit of over-cautiousness when it comes to avoiding strangers and under-cautiousness when it comes to family and friends,” Smith said. Meeting friends outside for a picnic is fine, but social distancing should be maintained, she said. Smith doesn’t wear a mask when walking or biking outdoors, but recommends wearing one inside grocery or retail stores, or for situations where you’ll be in conversation. A lot of it comes down to what people are comfortable with, Smith said. The main issue in the U.S. is a lack of sufficient testing, she said, which makes it hard to know just how many people are sick and makes it so people have to evaluate risk for themselves. Being outside is broadly considered good for physical and mental health, but if doing so causes someone stress, it might not be worth it. “I do think there is a benefit that should be weighed,” she said.
Different timelines
Across the country, state and city, park departments have taken various approaches to opening and closing spaces. In major cities like Chicago, playgrounds, basketball hoops and tennis nets have been down since
March and major park spaces have been closed. An April survey by the National Recreation and Park Association found that nationwide 96% of agencies had closed playgrounds, 88% had closed skateparks and 86% had closed sport fields and courts. The city’s Health Department recommended the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) close its basketball courts on April 10 due to concerns over social distancing. At the time, the Park Board was in the process of redeploying recreation center staff as “ambassadors” to discourage group play and promote social distancing and wanted to try outreach before closing amenities. “Despite our efforts at outreach and education, Minneapolis park users continued to congregate and not practice social distancing,” Bangoura said. On April 23, Minneapolis health officials requested the closure of group congregating points like basketball courts, tennis courts, skateparks and soccer and ball fields. The next day, the MPRB announced those amenities would close within a week. “I think the reason they put those measures in is to reduce the amount of crowding as weather gets better,” Smith said, adding she believes the measures are precautionary. Some Park Board commissioners have expressed concerns that the MPRB is permitting crowding of walkers, runners and bikers around the Chain of Lakes and other major destinations by opening parkway streets to pedestrians, but punishing those who use the parks to play court sports. “My concern is we are micromanaging one set of people,” Commissioner Kale Severson (District 2) said. Across the river in St. Paul, basketball courts and tennis nets were removed on April 8, much earlier than Minneapolis. On May 1, the day Minneapolis was completing its closure of basketball and tennis courts, St. Paul began reopening those areas. St. Paul is in the midst of a pilot program
A dancer keeps a social distance while enjoying the sun on April 22 in Kenwood Park. Photo by Isaiah Rustad
that has opened tennis and basketball courts at 15 parks across the city, according to recreation services manager Andy Rodriguez. In St. Paul, rec center staff are working to oversee play at those parks during the pilot program. Those workers are focusing on education, not enforcement, he said. The rules discourage doubles play and encourage constant ball-swapping for tennis players. Staff try to steer court users away from pickup games and toward shooting contests like H-O-R-S-E (one group changed it to C-O-V-I-D, Rodriguez said). Some scenarios have been difficult for staff to evaluate, Rodriguez said. One group of young men playing pickup basketball told park staff they were all either family or roommates, and
there’s no real way for workers to verify that. “It’s kind of an honor system,” Rodriguez said. Currently in Minneapolis, the plan is to reopen four basketball courts and four tennis areas around the city on May 18, the current end point of Gov. Tim Walz’s stayat-home order. Those courts will be open for time-scheduled play for members of the same household and will be overseen by a group of volunteers, Bangoura said. The plan is to add more courts across the city over time. Minneapolis and St. Paul park officials said they are in contact with each other on best practices. “At the end of the day, we’re aligned — just on different timelines,” Rodriguez said.
Apartment Living • Assisted Living • Dementia Care • Assisted Living Care Suites
Silvercrest Properties SWJ 043020 H2.indd 1
4/20/20 11:10 AM
A12 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@swjournal.com
Card game aims to make climate change accessible ‘Green House’ co-created by Lowry Hill consultant Grim climate change projections had made the topic intimidating for Alix Dvorak, a Lowry Hill consultant, and Adam Lupu, a business partner who lives in Tennessee. “Climate change to me had always been something to avoid because it was too much doom and gloom [and] too much focus on [the] problem,” Lupu said. But this year, Lupu and Dvorak said they may have found a way to make the topic more accessible and hopefully spur people into action. They’ve created a card game called
Dvorak brought the “Green House” game to Kenwood Park on May 11.
“Green House” in which players figuratively try to remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere through carbon-reducing actions, such as planting trees. They said they hope the game gives players ideas of ways they can work together on climate change before it’s too late. “We do have a path to victory,” Dvorak said, “but only if we actually play the solution.” Green House has its roots in Dvorak’s environmental advocacy. After leaving her job at Cargill in 2016, Dvorak started reading up on climate change, attending conferences, participating in trainings and helping climate-change organizations like Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light. “When I found solutions, I got really unblocked around climate change,” she said. “I got really excited about getting involved and seeing what we can build going forward.” Meanwhile, Dvorak connected with Lupu in April 2018 at a conference in St. Paul, and the duo decided to continue working together after completing a project in early 2019. Lupu, a former earth science teacher who has a master’s degree in learning sciences and creates games in his spare time, suggested that they make a climate-related game. He said games allow for teamwork and can
In Lowry Hill resident Alix Dvorak’s card game, players try to remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere through carbon-reducing actions like planting trees or recycling. Photos by Isaiah Rustad
help train people to respond to specific situations. “The next time they see something in the news, because they have played the game, the automatic response is now in there,” he said. Dvorak and Lupu started with a two-player format, but they eventually settled on a multiplayer game in which players work together toward eliminating emissions. Players must respond to climate changerelated events like hurricanes and wildfires by reducing emissions through actions like eating a plant-rich diet or making fuel from algae. They win by clearing all of the greenhouse gas tokens from the game. They lose if they run out of money or hope, both of which are measured in tokens, or they pollute the atmosphere too much or run out of time. Players can learn more about potential
greenhouse gas-reducing actions and the organizations connected to them through QR codes on the cards. Lupu and Dvorak said they hope the game will help people realize that there is a chance to limit global warming below levels that scientists say could have the most dire consequences. They said they envision the game being played in schools and congregations. Lupu said a dream would be to get an internationally recognized climate influencer like Al Gore or Greta Thunberg to play the online version they are developing. Green House was developed with the help of designers and consultants spread across the U.S. and Africa. A Kickstarter campaign to cover the first round of printing has raised over $15,000. Learn more at tinyurl.com/greenhousegame.
Green Dry Cleaning & Wet Cleaning
we are
open! 1934 Hennepin Avenue S, Mpls
1934 H E N N We E PI NareAVE .S SAN DW ICH EStue-fri 10-5 offering curbside takeout sat 9-4 M P L S, on M Nall55 4 0 3 butcher shop and pantry items as well as our full sandwich menu
closed sun-mon
DE LICAT ESSE N
Environmentally Friendly Family Owned & Operated Since 1950
Now taking orders online Available for curbside pickup or ship to your door! Edibles • Tinctures • Topicals Bath • Body • Beauty • Supplements Pet Tinctures & Treats
Colonial Cleaners, Inc. GARMENT CARE PROFESSIONAL
612.823.8095
Please visit LOWRYHILLMEATS.COM for current offerings and text us your order at 612.999.4200
$10 OFF
3701 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis www.colonialcleanersmn.com
4/2/20 CBD 1:44 Health PM SWJ 041620 H18.indd 1
by SW Journal Readers
SALES OR SERVICE OVER $50 WITH THIS AD.
4001 Bryant Ave S., MPLS 55409
4/8/20 12:15 Colonial PMCleaners SWJ 020917 H18.indd 1
VOTED BEST BIKE SHOP
Lowry Hill Meats SWJ 041620 H18.indd 1
Independent. Local. Welcoming. Expert Sales and Professional Service
Farmstead Bike Shop SWJ 090519 H12.indd 1
Support the Parks You Love
Looking for local fresh produce?
2/3/17 2:39 PM
www.peopleforparks.net or call 612-927-2750
612.824.9300 farmsteadbikeshop.com 8/26/19 5:03 PM
Providing Quality Mental Health Services for 35 Years
People for Parks SWJ 2017 filler VBC.indd 11/13/171 10:51 AM
Now offering therapy via TeleHealth! Flexible, Convenient, Secure
Check out weeds-greens.com for local baby greens, microgreens, herbs, edible flowers. Produced year-round in a controlled indoor environment and harvested fresh to order. Grown within the metro, you won’t find anything more fresh and local!
Free delivery on all orders over $20!
763.780.1520
www.fbta.biz Family Based Therapy Assoc SWJ 041620 H12.indd 1
• No Odor • Non Toxic • No Allergies • Gentle on All Fabrics • All Work Done on Premises
Weed’s Greens 701-429-0505 weedsgreens@yahoo.com
4/14/20 11:12 AM Collage Architects - Weeds Greens SWJ 043020 9.indd 1
4/27/20 1:06 PM
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 A13
By Andrew Hazzard / ahazzard@swjournal.com
Pedestrianized parkways extended
Park improvement plan altered
Full closures planned for Bde Maka Ska, Cedar Lake Parkway closures to vehicle traffic will be extended into the summer and will be expanded to full roadway closures along the Chain of Lakes to give residents more space to practice social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) voted May 6 to approve $250,000 in funding for a prolonged closure of parkway roads. The money will likely pay for closures lasting throughout the month of June, though the exact timeline remains unclear. Expenses from the closures come from signage rentals, but assistant superintendent Michael Schroeder said the MPRB would receive a discount for their prolonged use of the signs and that greater savings could be achieved by putting the contract up for a public bid. Commissioner Brad Bourn (District 6) made an amendment that would extend the closures until those dollars are spent, a variation from the original proposal that called for closures through June 7. “The intent of the amendment is to use the money as long as it would go” Bourn said. Parkway closures through May 6 have cost $106,419, according to a staff report, and the extension through June 7 would cost an additional $95,000. Exactly how long $250,000 will last is unknown, and both staff and commissioners discussed the potential of seeking financial help to pay for prolonging the closures once those funds expire. “As long as there’s guidance for social distancing, I think there is a need for us to provide additional space,” Park Board President Jono Cowgill said. The approved extension calls upon MRPB to try to be as cost efficient as possible, which means opting for full closures of certain parkways that only had one lane blocked to cars, including around Cedar Lake and Bde Maka Ska in Southwest. Full closures of those parkways, with the exception of small areas for residential access, began May 7,
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has adjusted its capital improvement program to focus on rehabilitation rather than new projects in parks due to the coronavirus pandemic. Park Board commissioners voted to rearrange planned improvements to rec centers by prioritizing smaller, rehabilitation-heavy projects in 2020 and putting off larger impact projects until 2021. “The idea here is to think about the projects we are able to do in the context of the pandemic, particularly with community engagement,” MPRB planning director Adam Arvidson said. The move will cause large projects planned for 2020 at parks like Whittier and Painter to be delayed until 2021. Many parks in Southwest that are due for funding under the Neighborhood Parks Plan dollars are awaiting the passage of the Southwest Service Area Master Plan, which has also been in a holding pattern during the pandemic. The Park Board is waiting to vote until a public hearing can be held. Residents can still view and comment on the plan at minneapolisparks.org/sw. The vote will mean more rehabilitation work like roof replacement and restroom renovations at rec centers and sidewalk fixes and ADA improvements in parks this summer and fall.
Parkways around the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis will remain closed to vehicle traffic well into June. A cost-saving measure calls for full closures of parkways around Bde Maka Ska and Cedar Lake. Photo by Andrew Hazzard
according to the MPRB. Cedar Lake Parkway is now fully closed to vehicles; plans to fully close Bde Maka Ska parkways remain in place but are awaiting local commissioner approval. Single-lane parkway closures are more expensive because of rental costs for delineator cones, with a staff report finding that switching to full closures could save about $20,000. Full closures will also be coming to most of West River Road and Lake Nokomis Parkway. When the initial parkway closures were announced, the intent was to make the change through Gov. Tim Walz’s first stayat-home order. As the extensions have gone longer than expected, the price tag has risen, but Schroeder said buying signage would be expensive and not worth the investment without prolonged use. “Unless we’re going to be using them
every day of the year, it doesn’t make much sense for us to be purchasing ourselves,” Schroeder said. Commissioner Chris Meyer (District 1) proposed an amendment to change the configuration of the parkway closures, putting pedestrians on the walking and biking paths and cyclists on the parkway roads. That motion failed, but several commissioners said they’ve heard complaints from some walkers about cyclists in the street, and complaints from cyclists about the configuration being counterintuitive. “The feedback I’ve gotten has been overwhelmingly negative about the distribution of space,” Meyer said. In Southwest Minneapolis, parkway closures to vehicles are in effect around Bde Maka Ska, Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles and Lake Harriet.
NOTED: The Minnesota Supreme
Court ruled the state’s Department of Resources had proper authority to change the name of Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska in a 5-2 split decision handed down on May 13, ending a legal battle over the name of the Southwest Minneapolis lake.
NOTED: Bread and Pickle at Lake
Harriet Pavilion and Sea Salt at Minnehaha Park will open for business on May 15, according to MPRB Superintendent Al Bangoura.
CARING FOR YOUR PETS SINCE 1973 Westgate Pet Clinic is one of only a handful of veterinary clinics in Minnesota to offer laparoscopic canine spay procedures.
Spreading Hope to Families of Micro-Preemie Babies, One Potato at a Time.
thepotatoheadproject.org
Call us today to learn more! WESTGATE PET CLINIC HAS 11 DOCTORS AND OVER 175 YEARS OF COMBINED EXPERIENCE!
F REE NAIL TRIM FOR NEW CLIENTS SCHEDULE A TOUR OR APPOINTMENT TODAY!
4345 FRANCE AVE. S. MINNEAPOLIS MONDAY–THURSDAY 7AM - 7PM FRIDAY 7AM - 6PM | SATURDAY 8AM - 5PM 612.925.1121 // WESTGATEPETCLINICMN.COM The Potato Head Project DTJ Filler 9.indd 2
12/27/17 1:16 PM
Westgate Pet Clinic SWJ 012320 9.indd 1
1/13/20 11:31 AM
A14 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
Kavita Kumar’s fiance, Saibu Sharma, pours champagne during their virtual Sangeet pre-wedding celebration on April 11. Submitted photo
FROM WEDDINGS / PAGE A1
Although this ceremony wasn’t in their original wedding plan, the Basels said they didn’t want to wait to get married. With a small group of close family and friends standing 6 feet apart, the two wed on a bridge in the park, receiving a handful of congratulatory hollers from pedestrians walking by. With many weddings in Southwest Minneapolis temporarily on hold due to social distancing measures, some couples are getting creative with the way they’re celebrating this important milestone. From virtual dance parties to Zoom weddings, many brides said they are planning to celebrate their wedding in some way now and host a larger party in the future. For Kavita Kumar and her fiance, Saibu Sharma, canceling their wedding was a big disappointment. The Kingfield couple had planned a two-day event complete with a DJ, coordinated dances, an ice cream truck and a full ceremony with 250 guests. But while the wedding is on hold, they didn’t want to postpone celebrating. On April 11 — the day their wedding would have been held at a venue near the Mississippi — Kumar’s doorbell rang from morning to night as friends dropped off gifts and well wishes. One friend brought flowers and another hand-delivered takeout from Spoon and Stable. In the evening, Kumar and Sharma hosted a Zoom dance party, with some attendees tuning in from the Netherlands and Nepal. Dressed in one of the outfits she was thinking of wearing to her original reception, Kumar gave a toast to her 100 virtual guests, and they all danced together to music picked out by their original DJ. “We were kind of joking that, ‘I think it might have been more fun than an actual wedding reception,’” Kumar said. “Given the stress that everyone’s been feeling I think it was a much-needed relief for everybody.” As per tradition with an Indian wedding ceremony, Kumar had planned to perform a coordinated dance with her sisters and cousins as part of a pre-wedding event at The Neu Neu in the North Loop. Despite
their change of plans, she said they still kept practicing the dance together via video chat — her sisters calling in from New York and Amsterdam. During the Zoom party, they all performed the dance together, each in their separate homes. For now, Kumar’s future wedding date keeps fluctuating. From April 11 it moved to July 4, before being pushed back to late August. The current date now rests in midOctober but is subject to change. Their plan is to get legally married with a small ceremony at the courthouse this summer or fall, waiting for an in-person celebration until their families are able to come.
Hard on the industry
For local wedding planners, florists and photographers, the indefinite postponement of weddings, especially big ones, comes at a price. Nathalie Johnson, owner of Chez Bloom in Kingfield, has lost around $85,000 due to wedding postponements since mid-March. Although she is still busy with Mother’s Day bouquets and daily flower deliveries, she said it’s been hard to adjust. Johnson has been issuing full refunds to her clients while keeping their original contracts intact. Because of her strong connection with her clients, Johnson said she’s confident most will still hire her for their wedding at some point in the future. With potentially fewer people wanting to travel to weddings for years to come, Johnson said local florists and other vendors worry about the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 on their businesses. “Right now, people are just kind of paralyzed,” she said. “I just don’t know when we’re going to book another 300-person wedding.” Alyssa Lund-Kyrola, a wedding photographer based in Lyndale, said she loves photographing people enjoying each other’s company. “[With] the couples whose weddings I work at, their biggest excitement and joy of getting married is bringing their communities together,” Lund-Kyrola said. “So it has been heartbreaking to see them grappling with how to adapt their plans to include their community but in different ways. They’re having to change plans they’ve made months or years in advance.”
Zoom wedding
From the get-go, we agreed that the No. 1 most important thing to us was that we were marrying each other. — Danica Gardiner
Fulton resident Danica Gardiner is in the middle of planning a Zoom wedding. Pending approval by the Minneapolis Park Board, Gardiner wants to celebrate her wedding in June in Theodore Wirth Regional Park. (Some of her backup plans include hosting it in a friend’s backyard or, if faced with bad weather, her own living room.) Due to the governor’s social distancing guidelines, couples originally had to cancel any outdoor weddings they had planned
Jason Kallsen from Twin Cities Wine Education leads a wine tasting during Danica Gardiner’s May 2 virtual bachelorette party. The party was organized as a surprise by one of Gardiner’s sisters and the group also played the newlywed game. Submitted photo
to have in a Minneapolis park. Now, the Park Board is starting to issue low-impact outdoor wedding permits that allow a couple to sign up for a one-hour time slot and hold their ceremony in any park with up to 10 attendees present. But the guest limit — and the fact that Gardiner and her fiance, Andrew Elvester, have older parents and many close friends working in health care — means many of their friends and family will need to attend the wedding remotely. After finding an online Zoom wedding planner based out of Denver, the couple plans to hold a virtual ceremony. Gardiner’s 6-year-old flower girl, Ruby, and 4-year-old ring bearer, River, live in Seattle but will be recorded walking down the “aisle” of their own backyard. Gardiner’s grandmother and Elvester’s sister also
plan to read poetry for the service. Although it was difficult coming to terms with the fact that her father would not be able to walk her down the aisle, Gardiner said she has tried to preserve as many wedding rituals as she can. Her husband won’t see her in her dress until the ceremony, and she was still able to have a virtual bachelorette party. The couple also plans to mail sparkling wine to all of their guests who will be tuning in so they can still make a virtual toast. “We will have a unique wedding, one that is apparently becoming the norm, but hopefully won’t be the norm forever,” Gardiner said with a laugh. “I’m excited more than anything. … From the get-go, we agreed that the No. 1 most important thing to us was that we were marrying each other.”
FROM SENIOR HOMES / PAGE A5
before the pandemic. Now with staff getting sick, there are serious shortages throughout the state. Much of that is due to systemic problems with the business model of highdemand, lower-pay work, Sundberg believes. “The only outcome is poorer care for residents,” she said.
The difficulty in obtaining testing for asymptomatic staff and residents can negate containment strategies. “It’s like fighting a wildfire blindfolded,” Caspi said. “You don’t really know who’s positive and who’s not.” At the Jones-Harrison Residence, where 19 staff members have tested positive, Greely said some staff are volunteering to work with COVID patients but others are hesitant to do so. “We’re making it, but we don’t have any cushion,” she said. “It’s all hands on deck.” Kristine Sundberg, executive director of Elder Voice Family Advocates, said staffing was a challenge in senior living facilities
MinnPost contributed reporting to this story. If you have a loved one at Walker Methodist or Jones-Harrison who has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and are willing to speak about the experience, please email editor@swjournal.com.
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 A15 FROM HOMELESS / PAGE A1
For shelters like Simpson, the coronavirus has drastically changed the model of service. In mid-March, before the governor’s stay-at-home order was issued, the shelter transitioned to a 24/7 operation. Typically, Simpson has people in the shelter from early evening to mid-morning and only offers 24-hour services during extremely cold days in the winter, Horsfield said. The shelter also usually has volunteer groups that prepare and serve daily meals to residents, but the groups can’t enter the building during the pandemic. “Having to do away with the volunteer program was a very significant culture shift,” Horsfield said. Now Simpson is getting catered meal services from Whittier’s Provision Community Cafe, Ebony Turner’s E.T. Delectables and St. Paul-based Corporate Caterers. All three have been good partners offering generous rates, Horsfield said. Simpson’s normal monthly operating costs are about $60,000 per month, but with 24/7 operation, catered meals and hazard pay for staff, that figure has jumped by more than 85%. The organization has seen a rise in donations during the pandemic, but it has had to alter plans for its annual Art for Shelter fundraiser, which will be held virtually this year with local artists donating several pieces for sale with proceeds going to the shelter starting May 13. The Hennepin County Board has spent about $2 million moving 287 vulnerable people from shelters and the street into motel spaces during the pandemic. In April, 27 Simpson residents moved into motels through the program, Horsfield said. While it is a relief to have some older and other vulnerable individuals in more secure housing, Horsfield said the fact that hundreds of sick and elderly people are unsheltered shows how deep the housing crisis is in the metro. “Those are the people for whom our community safety nets are failing,” he said. Simpson is currently serving about 40 people daily, a number the staff believes can be accommodated while maintaining proper social distancing and monitoring for symptoms. “Obviously, it’s not perfect,” Horsfield said. Simpson workers are still placing people in permanent housing, and Horsfield said the organization was able to place about one person per day in a stable home during the first month of the crisis.
FROM GRIEVING / PAGE A1
Faith leaders and funeral directors say it’s hard not being able to comfort bereaved families in ways they know best. “I think finding closure and solace and comfort in a time when there is no possibility of physical contact is just extremely difficult,” said the Rev. Beth Hoffman Faeth of Plymouth Congregational Church in Stevens Square. “When you lose someone you love, the world forever changes and is altered,” she said, “but when that happens in the midst of everything else being changed and different, it’s just really hard to know what feels OK.”
In-person restrictions
While funeral traditions had changed in recent years, with more families opting to delay memorial services, physical togetherness had remained a constant. Dan McGraw of Gill Brothers Funeral Chapels, which has a location in Windom, said many families are postponing funerals and memorial services. A few have held graveside funerals or memorial services from funeral homes, he said, but all have been with 10 people or fewer, per an executive order from Gov. Tim Walz. Families have been understanding about the restrictions but are still upset, said Chris Makowske, president of Lakewood Cemetery, where the number of burials between the start of the pandemic and
An encampment off Stevens Avenue in Whittier has not received any sanitation services during the shutdown and a grassroots effort to establish portable toilets and handwashing stations was blocked by city officials. Photo by Andrew Hazzard
He is concerned that the current pandemic is placing that already vulnerable group of recently housed people in a more precarious situation due to job losses. In addition to the shelter, Simpson continues to provide virtual social work to about 400 households of people who’ve been recently housed. Horsfield spoke at a virtual rally May 8 in support of a $500 million Homes for All bonding bill being proposed in the Legislature this session; the bill is currently working its way through the House of Representatives. “What’s really needed is housing,” he said. “We don’t have anywhere near what we need in terms of affordable housing to move people into.”
On the streets
Encampments of unsheltered people have begun to emerge again this spring across Minneapolis, most notably near the Sabo pedestrian bridge over Highway 55. But there are also encampments near the Midtown Greenway in Southwest, the largest of which has emerged on land controlled by the Minnesota Department of Transportation off Interstate 35W near 28th & Stevens. Other encampments are near the Uptown Transit Station on The Mall and in a wooded area near Lake of the Isles. One of Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency orders surrounding the pandemic initially forbade breaking up encampments but that order has since been lifted. The Minneapolis Health Department has established handwashing stations throughout the city and has partnered with the Park Board to leave some outdoor restrooms open during the pandemic. In Southwest, only
April 30 has decreased slightly. In the Jewish community, Hodroff-Epstein’s funeral homes have been filming the casket at the cemetery and rabbis have been conducting services remotely, said Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman of Temple Israel in East Isles. Synagogues have also held traditional shiva services, which happen in the week after the burial, via livestream instead of in person. Zimmerman said the first time she wasn’t able to be with a family when the funeral home came to pick up their relative was painful. But she also said bereaved families have found comfort in the digital services and have appreciated hearing stories of their loved ones during the shivas. “People are joining the funeral and shiva who normally wouldn’t,” she said. “There’s a healing in it that’s been really interesting that I would not have predicted.” Within the substantial immigrant community at Kingfield’s Incarnation Catholic Church, many families are already used to mourning from afar, said the Rev. Kevin McDonough. He’s holding a virtual mass each day and having parishioners call in with their prayers. The Rev. Mary Pechauer, co-lead pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran, has placed a greater emphasis on checking in with those in mourning. “There’s this holiness and sacredness about showing up for one another and being present for one another,” Pechauer said. “This pandemic has, I think, clarified that for us and then challenged us to reimagine how can we still show up for one another.”
Mueller Park in Lowry Hill East still has open bathrooms, though Whittier Park is also being considered. A new handwashing station and portable toilet was installed on The Mall in Uptown the week of May 9. Edwin Scherr, 40, a musician who also goes by Elijah the Profit, is unsheltered and has been staying around the Uptown area. The pandemic has made life more challenging for homeless people in and around Uptown, Sherr said, with fewer places like McDonald’s and the Walker Library open for people to use the restroom. The installation of the portable toilet and handwashing station on The Mall has helped, he said, but the overall access to good hygiene has decreased for unsheltered people during the pandemic. “If anyone is going to get it, we’re going to get it,” he said. In some ways, he thinks conditions have improved for unsheltered people because the public is more compassionate and law enforcement is trying to avoid sending people to jail for minor offenses. “We don’t get persecuted all day for being out here,” he said, explaining that he thinks most people would normally prefer just not to see homeless people. Right now, he said, he doesn’t have any prospects for stable housing. Finding work is already difficult for unsheltered people, Scherr said, and during the pandemic, with fewer jobs available, it’s been nearly impossible. He said most people on the street are good folks trying to survive and improve their situation. “Not everyone is a derelict person out here, some people really are trying to get back to a normal life,” he said.
Carolyn and Clint Schroeder were married 67 years. Submitted photo
‘A reason I’m still here’
While Clint Schroeder’s health had been declining in the years before his death, Kennedy said he had still been active and, on March 8, he had eaten a lobster dinner at Kincaid’s. The cause of his death is listed in state records as “natural causes,” Kennedy said. He wasn’t tested for COVID-19. Three days after the death, Kennedy flew to Minnesota to help her mother, who was grieving her husband of 67 years. Carolyn Schroeder fell sick shortly after Clint died, and she faltered in subsequent days before landing in the hospital. With her wishes clear that she did not want to be placed on a ventilator, her children opted for palliative care and prepared for a second major loss. They all said “goodbye,” Kennedy said, and told her it was all right to go. Instead, Schroeder got better. “We were quite surprised and happy when
Residents involved in the Whittier Community Care Group, a mutual aid program that began at the start of the pandemic, raised funds to install two portable toilets and a handwashing station to provide hygiene services to those living at the Stevens Avenue encampment. The group had hoped to bypass bureaucracy to provide basic services, but said they had their permit blocked by the city. The group saw the portable toilets, which cost about $145 per week each, as a simple way to provide assistance to those in need, and they solicited dozens of small donations to fund the initiative on social media. The city initially issued a permit for the portable toilets in error when an employee mistook the application for an internal request related to hygiene stations for unsheltered people and rescinded the permit after realizing it came from a private group, according to spokesperson Sarah McKenzie. Minneapolis does not typically issue permits for portable toilets in the public right-of-way, she said, but is currently assessing whether to change that policy to allow for this type of request. Park Board Commissioner Brad Bourn (District 6) asked about getting a sanitation station installed near the 28th & Stevens encampment on a call with Minneapolis officials during a May 6 meeting. That land, owned by MnDOT and a private company, is near the 28th Street Tot Lot Park, which is currently closed due to the Interstate 35W construction. Heidi Ritchie, a policy aide to Mayor Jacob Frey, said the city wanted to move forward with facilities for the area but has been working through paperwork issues. “There are a lot of complexities around that,” Ritchie said.
she just kept living,” Kennedy said. On March 27, she was one of the first eight patients transferred to St. Paul’s Bethesda Hospital, which has been dedicated to treating COVID-19 patients. On April 4, she was discharged. She’s continued to be on the mend at home, Kennedy said. For the two weeks after Schroeder’s positive test, Kennedy and her daughter, who lives in Minnesota, were forced to quarantine inside their parents’ apartment. Neither got sick, but Kennedy said that it was a difficult period. Her parents’ friends constantly called to offer condolences, but they didn’t know her mother was in the hospital, so she had to keep breaking the news. “Those two weeks were really, really hard,” she said. By early May, Kennedy was getting ready to return to California after nearly two months in Minnesota. She taught her mother to video chat on an iPad and said she was comfortable leaving, in part, because her mother has started talking to friends on the phone again. While the family waits for restrictions to be lifted, Kennedy said, Schroeder is planning to make the most of life after her surprising recovery. She wants to visit her daughter Barb, who lives in North Carolina, and she has started talking about a “new normal” and telling people, “There’s a reason I’m still here.” “There are things that I think she’s feeling good about living for,” Kennedy said.
612.888.8207
MCQBROS.COM
SUMMER COMFORT INSTALLS FOR OLD HOMES MADE EASY! DUCTLESS MINI-SPLITS SYSTEM INSTALL
HIGH VELOCITY SYSTEM INSTALL
FITS ANY HOME AND HIGH EFFICIENT
DISCREET, POWERFUL, AND FITS ANY HOME
EARLY BIRDS SAVE BIG!
EARLY BIRDS SAVE BIG!
*
* *If installed before May 31, 2019
*If installed before May 31, 2019
* *If installed before June 30, 2019
* *If installed before June 30, 2019
* *If installed before July 31, 2019
* *If installed before July 31, 2019
FREE SECOND OPINION . ESTIMATE MATCH . 612.888.8207
Southwest Journal May 14–27, 2020
Behind the
scene WALKER FILM CURATOR BROUGHT DOZENS OF ACCLAIMED DIRECTORS TO MUSEUM
Longtime curator Sheryl Mousley stepped down as head of the Walker Art Center’s film and video department in March. Photo by Bobby Rogers/Walker Art Center Below: A stack of film reels from the Walker's collection.
By Zac Farber
W
hen the legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog, who once ate a shoe onstage after losing a bet, came to Minneapolis in 1999, Sheryl Mousley picked him up from the airport in her car. “He was hungry and ready to go out to dinner right away,” said Mousley, who stepped down as head of the Walker Art Center’s film and video department this March after a two-decade career at the museum. Herzog and Mousley went into his hotel to drop off his bags, but when they emerged and walked toward Mousley’s car, they discovered they’d been double-parked. “The car was running and nobody was there, so I thought, ‘Well, we’ll just wait for a minute or two,’” Mousley said. But Herzog was not an easily daunted man. In the early ’80s he’d forced a film crew to drag a three-story, 320-ton steamship over a steep, muddy hill, and he wasn’t about to let a loutish Minnesota driver get in the way of his supper. Without hesitation, Mousley recalls, Herzog jumped into the car’s driver’s seat, stepped on the gas and wordlessly parked the vehicle halfway down the block. “We drove away and went to have dinner,” Mousley said. SEE MOUSLEY / PAGE B4
CLASSIC LINDEN HILLS HOME • $469,900
CUSTOM LINDEN HILLS HOME • $1,350,000
21/2 STORY + GUEST HOUSE • $699,000
SW DUPLEX • $649,900
Mint condition, 3 bed, 2 bath, gorgeous kitchen, 2-car garage. Near shops and Lakes.
Opportunity to build custom Linden Hills home with your dream and lifestyle in mind.
Completely renovated Diamond Lake Beauty with 5 Br’s, 3 Ba’s and a 1 Br 2 Ba Guest House.
SW Mpls Duplex Investment Opportunity 2 Blocks from Lake Harriet!
BILL MINGE • 612.759.7686 www.BillMinge.com
MATT LILL • 612.578.8200 www.MatthewLill.com
DAREN JENSEN • 612.720.6284 DarenJensen@EdinaRealty.com
MICHAEL KNAPP • 952.210.2929 MichaelKnapp.EdinaRealty.com
COME HOME TO SUNSET GABLES • $849,900
LARGE EDINA CONDO 2BD/2BA • $285,000
DIAMOND LAKE CRAFTSMAN • $375,000
GORGEOUS CREEK VIEWS! • $1,319,000
Classic architectural gem located in an ideal location — only a few blocks from 3 lakes.
ONE LEVEL condo at The Colony of Edina — beautiful fenced patio and private entrance!
Nicely updated, great bones with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2-car garage and bonus room.
This home features an expansive floor plan & stunning, high-end finishes throughout!
ALEX BOYLAN • 612.242.9318 AlexBoylan.net
KRISTI HEALY • 612.730.0870 EdinaRealty.com/Kristi-Healy-realtor
ANDREW J. OLIVE • 612.669.7452 AndrewOlive.EdinaRealty.com
STEPHANIE CHANDLER • 612.599.7107 StephanieChandlergroup.com
PEN
DIN
G
SOL
D
LINDEN HILLS • $490,000
TOP NOTCH LYNNHURST • $750,000
CHARMING AND CRISP • $500,000
REMODELED GEM BY THE LAKES • $899,000
Amazing Linden Hills Gem!
Totally renovated 4 Bedroom 4 Bath, Meticulous condition throughout, no detail overlooked.
3 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 2 Car Garage
Lovely finishes, spacious living spaces, great yard, 3 BR on one level, in 10/10 location!
MICHAEL KNAPP • 952.210.2929 MichaelKnapp.EdinaRealty.com
JULIE GLASS | MICHAEL KORBY 612.790.8166 • KorbyGlass.com
JULIE GLASS 612.790.8166 KorbyGlass.com
MICHAEL KORBY 612.281.0095 KorbyGlass.com
STEPHANIE CHANDLER • 612.599.7107 StephanieChandlergroup.com
SOL
D
NEAR LAKE HARRIET • $875,000
MODERN DREAM BUILD! • $1,475,000
STUNNING FULTON REMODEL • $650,000
PERFECT LINDEN HILLS HOME • $500,000
Spacious, elegant 4BR, 3 bath home only one house off the Lake on gorgeous .37 acre lot!
Stunning custom build by Urban Edge. Exquisite finishes throughout, close to the lakes!
This home has been completely renovated top to bottom including a second story addition.
Turn of the century home with character and fantastic updates. Unbeatable location!
BILL MINGE • 612.759.7686 www.BillMinge.com
STEPHANIE CHANDLER • 612.599.7107 StephanieChandlergroup.com
CHRIS FEHRING • 952.292.3073 www.ChrisFehring.com
CHARLY MARGGRAF • 612.702.3988 CharlyMarggraf.EdinaRealty.com
ER 50th & France Office SWJ 051420 FP.indd 1
5/11/20 5:34 PM
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 B3
Through the window By Zac Farber / Photos by Isaiah Rustad
The toll of the coronavirus pandemic has fallen hardest on the city’s elderly population. Clusters of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities account for nearly 1 in 5 known cases in Minneapolis and 85% of the city’s deaths. Assisted living facilities and nursing homes have been locked down by mayoral order, with residents asked to stay in their rooms much of the time and in-person visits from families prohibited. How do seniors feel about this new reality? We visited four residents of the Jones-Harrison senior home on Cedar Lake and asked them to share their stories.
GEORGE DAY, 93, a
long-term care resident, likes to tell and hear stories. Day was born in Superior, Nebraska — a tiny town known for its assortment of wellpreserved Victorian houses. His grandfather arrived in Superior in 1879, shortly after the town was founded. “He was an itinerant traveling dentist trained in Philadelphia,” Day says. “He found the early settlers’ oral hygiene not very attractive, so he went into business and was very successful in that.” Day became a literature professor and taught at the University of Northern Iowa for three decades. A fan of Willa Cather and Herman Melville, he’s been listening to the “Moby-Dick” audiobook during quarantine. “I’ve read and taught it many times, and now I will hear it for the first time,” he says. Day’s daughter, Georgianna, lives a half block from Jones-Harrison and has been bringing him ginger ale and Coca-Cola during the pandemic. “She can never come in to see me anymore,” he says. “Now we get together a little bit on Zoom, which I used to scoff at and now I love.”
ON THE PANDEMIC: “This is the most devastating atmosphere of my lifetime. I lived through the Dust Bowl, the Depression, World War II and Vietnam — but this affects everyone. No one is immune from it. The virus is no respecter of persons and everybody’s affected — physically, mentally, economically. It makes me realize how spoiled we’ve been.” WHAT HE’S HOLDING: “These are some cards from a former student [Robbie Steinbach], who’s an artist. She keeps in touch with me, and she claims she created these just for me. I’m not sure what this photograph is of, but I keep it at my desk. There are some nice words to me on the back.”
DOLLY HICKMAN,
89, a long-term care resident, says she’s lived in the neighborhood for more than 40 years. “It’s home no matter what,” she says. “It’s so convenient to everything. I lived by Lake & Hennepin, so I had all that shopping and fun things to do.” In her colorful life, she’s worked for City Pages and as a volunteer tour guide at the governor’s mansion. She once served as an extra on a movie in Mexico, and she’s still active in the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis. She’s been married twice — “I only had two, though you’d think I had a million,” she says — but enjoys the single life. “I kind of like to be on my own,” she says. “I think it is easier.” She’s wearing a tiara she was awarded at a Jones-Harrison party before the lockdown. “I got the crown because you can absolutely see that I’d be the queen anyway,” she says. “They do a lot of nice things here.”
ON THE PANDEMIC: “This will not last forever, we hope. I feel that some things are out of our hands; we have to do what they think is best for us. I don’t think it turned out the way [the politicians] hoped it would.” WHAT SHE’S HOLDING: “I brought a little glass lady who looks just exactly like my little girl, Pamela, when she was this age, with the same hairdo and everything else. It was a gift from someone in my family.”
ANNE KLEIN,
86, an assisted living tenant, fondly remembers her youth growing up in Kenwood by Lake of the Isles. “I was only a couple of blocks from the lake,” she says. “We’d use the lake by walking around it, by skating on it in the winter and by swimming in it. So it was a real benefit!” Her father was a figure skater and she taught Klein and her siblings the sport. “I’m the only one who stuck with it,” she says, and later she served on the board of the U.S. Figure Skating Association as vice president for the Midwest region. Klein also dabbled in theater and moved west with her husband before returning to Minnesota. “I had three children,” she says. “The boys both went out to Utah to ski and they never came home, but my daughter lives here.”
ON THE PANDEMIC: “I think the reason we survive so well here is because of the people who work here. I chose this place because I felt the people here really wanted to help, and I still feel that way. Someday we will get out. I am lucky because I am able to walk and so many people can’t. These long hallways are wonderful.” WHAT SHE’S HOLDING: “This was given to me in 2009 as a special recognition for those of us who had served on various skating committees for so many years. It was a thank you from the U.S. Figure Skating Association. It’s very nice and I love it.”
MARGARET LOWE, 91, an
assisted living tenant, was born in Minneapolis but spent more than six decades of her life in Alaska. She worked as a classroom special education teacher in Anchorage, and in the early 1960s she pushed for legislation mandating that students with mental disabilities be allowed in public schools. Lowe went on to play a formative role in building the state’s special needs programming and services, eventually serving as commissioner of Alaska’s Health and Social Services department. Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Ed Graff, who previously led the Anchorage school district, has called Lowe “the godmother of special education in Alaska.”
ON THE PANDEMIC: “We don’t see any people live. That’s certainly been a very big loss, and I feel it very strongly. I had a birthday about a week ago and I had a Zoom party with my children all over the United States. It was a nice substitute, but it certainly wasn’t like being in person with people.” WHAT SHE’S HOLDING: “About three years ago I was enrolled in an art class here at Jones-Harrison with Teresa Cox, and this is the collage I made. I was actually wearing jeans and a sweatshirt when this picture was taken. I had the opportunity to dress myself however I wanted and make up the type of creative scenery. It’s all done by cutting paper and glueing. Part of the background is cut out of pages from National Geographic. We had freedom, but we had to use a lot of color and shapes. I think it turned out to have a good sense of humor about it.”
B4 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com FROM MOUSLEY / PAGE B1
Throughout her 20-year career, Mousley and the Walker have brought to Minneapolis dozens of internationally recognized directors — including, most recently, Oscar winners Julia Reichert and Bong Joon Ho — for in-person conversations about their lives and work. “I invited Bong Joon Ho last August,” Mousley said. “Of course, we didn’t know he was going to be coming straight from Los Angeles with an Oscar in tow.” At the end of April, 60 onstage dialogues from the past 30 years were digitized and released on the Walker’s website — a career capstone for Mousley, who was responsible for persuading some of the biggest names in cinema to brave the Minnesota cold for an evening of candid conversation. “It’s like a treasure trove that we had in our archive, and now that we can open it up to the public, it’s thrilling,” Mousley said. While the timing of the resource’s unveiling during the pandemic was unintentional, she said it’s a great time to discover filmmakers and stream movies online. “These filmmakers from around the world approach cinema from different places — from more traditional feature films to experimental films to animators like the Quay brothers and artists like Julian Schnabel and Christian Marclay,” she said. “To have these voices in one place is like opening a big box where everyone is willing to talk to you.”
An early love of film
Mousley grew up in Thief River Falls, a small town in northwestern Minnesota. As a child, she’d frequent the town’s two movie theaters and, because of their proximity to the Canadian border, she could also watch programs from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. But her lifelong interest in film came from her mother, Verna, who Mousley said
When Sheryl Mousley invited Bong Joon Ho to talk at the Walker in the summer of 2019, she said she didn't know "he was going to be coming straight from Los Angeles with an Oscar in tow." Submitted photo
was “a serious home movie maker” armed with a Super 8 camera. “On Saturdays she’d set up her projector and screen and we’d all watch together,” said Mousley, the youngest of five. “We all participated; we were either in the films or helped to make them.” After graduating college in the early 1970s, Mousley worked at the Dakota County Development Learning Center (now known as Lifeworks). Tasked with helping young adults with autism improve their communication skills, she taught her students to tell their stories with Super 8 cameras. Interested in making a documentary about the program, Mousley moved to Film in the Cities (FITC), a now shuttered media
arts center in St. Paul, where she served as education director. After a stint at Independent Television Service, a Twin Citiesfocused arm of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, she joined the Walker in 1998.
30 years of dialogues
To get filmmakers to agree to participate in the Walker’s dialogue series, Mousley said she prefers to invite them in person whenever possible. That’s how she recruited Agnes Varda — the pioneering director who played a central role in the development of the French New Wave movement. Mousley said she tracked down Varda at
the New York Film Festival and, hearing that Varda was running late for her next appointment, offered to jump in a taxi with her. It happened to be Yom Kippur, and Mousley explained to Varda that it was the day when Jews atone for their sins. Mousley said Varda not only accepted her invitation to come to the Walker but also made an impromptu taxicab confession atoning for one of her misdeeds. Varda’s transgression? Mousley asked it not be published. When Varda arrived in Minneapolis in 2001, the director had just released “The Gleaners and I” and was scheduled to receive an award upon her return to Paris. But she needed a dress for the ceremony.
When Summer Hits, Math Skills Slip!
Now offering live, face-to-face, online learning with Mathnasium@home. Call for a FREE trial!
(763) 269-6969 Lynnhurst • 5315 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis • mathnasium.com/lynnhurst St. Louis Park-Edina • 5610 W 36th St, St. Louis Park • mathnasium.com/slp-edina SW Edina • 7104 Amundson Ave, Edina • mathnasium.com/swedina
Field Outdoor Spaces SWJ 051420 4.indd 1
5/1/20 11:45 AM
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 B5
In the days before the onstage conversation, Mousley and Varda went dress shopping at secondhand stores across the Twin Cities. “She was very dedicated to the idea of reuse and wanted to make sure that if she were to be onstage, she could be wearing something secondhand,” Mousley said. “She would try everything on, and I would try them on. We’d each get a dress, and then we’d go out to dinner wearing our recycled dresses.” Mousley took the dress out of her closet in 2018, gamely wearing it onstage to present a screening of one of Varda’s final features, “Faces Places,” in the Walker’s cinema.
Making film visible
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mousley’s 20-year career at the Walker ended quietly in March, without celebration or fanfare. The day she cleaned out her
THREE DECADES OF WALKER DIALOGUES Unable to open its doors for programming, The Walker Art Center has released its treasure trove of dialogues with artists over the past 30 years. With such luminaries as Bill T. Jones, Bong Joon Ho, Spike Lee, Lili Taylor, Robert Redford and others, the series offers hours of insightful discussion by artists and thinkers. Take a deeper look into what some of the great creatives of the past and present have thought about in recorded versions of this series. How to view: Walker Art Center website Info: tinyurl.com/film-dialogues
office, the museum announced it would be closing. The Walker has yet to name Mousley’s replacement. But the Walker’s newly released dialogue series offers a retrospective look not just at individual filmmakers’ contributions but also at the career of a curator who’s done more than any other person to shape the program. If you browse through the conversations on the Walker’s website, you’ll hear Herzog reading what has become known as the “Minnesota Declaration,” enumerating principles of truth and fact in documentary cinema, and Bong’s admission that he based the chemically-spawned fish monster in his movie “Host” on Steve Buscemi’s character in “Fargo.” As for her legacy? Mousley said that throughout her career she has endeavored to “make film visible.” She’s proud of her work launching the Bentson Mediatheque off of the Walker’s main lobby in 2015 as a public space accessible without paid admission. Mousley calls the 55-seat cinema “a jukebox”: visitors choose one of 300 films from the Walker’s collection and then sit back as it plays on the big screen. (Included are two short experimental pictures Mousley made in 1981.) “The door is open so you can select something to watch, and the door stays open so other people can join you, or they can wait until your selection is done to select something else,” Mousley said. What has retirement been like in a time of quarantine? Mousley said she thought “part of the fun of retirement would be getting to enjoy being at home, and I’m getting to do that.” She is also, of course, watching films — at least one each day. Zac Farber’s work-from-home office mate is a curator at the Walker Art Center.
Julia Reichert, director of “American Factory,” brought her Oscar to the Walker in February for a conversation with Eric Hynes. Submitted photo
WE ARE COMMUNITY.
That doesn’t stop because we don’t see each other every day in the gym. It keeps going strong, and in new ways. FREE Classes Online
Follow @TRUEGRITGYMCO
2800 Lyndale Ave S | 612-293-8093 | truegritsociety.com
MSP Film Society SWJ 051420 H12.indd 1
5/12/20 10:39 AM
10 % OFF
Any Purchase of $20 or More Not valid with other coupons, offers or specials. Expires 5/31/20
A WIDE SELECTION OF MEAT PRODUCTS WE ARE OPEN! We are following CDC guidelines for the health and safety of our valued customers and our employees. Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10 AM–7 PM Sunday: 10 AM–4 PM 3747 NICOLLET AVE. S • MPLS
612.823.4494 FinerMeatsAndEats.com Finer Meats SWJ 051420 6.indd 1
25 LB. Meat Pack • 4 lbs. Steaks — Assorted • 4 lbs. Roasts — Lean Chuck • 4 lbs. End Chops or Country Ribs or Beef Ribs • 5 lbs. Ground Beef • 1.5 lbs. Pan Sausage — Regular or Hot • 5 lbs. Chicken — Whole or Cut • 1.5 lbs. Monthly Special
Not valid with other coupons, offers or specials. Expires 5/31/20
50 LB. Meat Pack • 8 lbs. Steaks — Assorted • 8 lbs. Roasts — Lean Chuck • 5 lbs. End Chops or Country Ribs or Beef Ribs • 10 lbs. Ground Beef • 3 lbs. Pan Sausage — Regular or Hot • 10 lbs. Chicken — Whole or Cut • 3lbs. Monthly Special • 3 lbs. Wieners — Assorted Kinds
Not valid with other coupons, offers or specials. Expires 5/31/20
5/11/20 7:20 PM
True Grit Society SWJ 051420 H12.indd 1
5/5/20 5:29 PM
B6 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
Unsung Architecture
By Emily Bissen
An architectural bike tour of Southwest
G
etting outside for some air and sunshine this spring can be a refreshing remedy for restlessness, especially as we grow eager for meaningful connections amid social distancing. With seemingly endless trail systems and expanded pathways around the Twin Cities area, what better way to do this than around the Chain of Lakes? We’ve put together an online map (tinyurl.com/ bike-tour-sw) that offers a means to deepen our understanding of the area as we roll, stroll or ride our way around the lakes — providing some less obvious options to discover both on and off of the main thoroughfare. Finding the half dozen or so historic markers that dapple the shores of the lakes is something of a scavenger hunt. Many large rocks have plaques embedded into them that document significant moments in the lives of past generations. One of these boulders gently gestures toward the eastern hillside overlooking Bde Maka Ska to mark the construction site of the first Western dwelling in Minneapolis in 1834. In its current context, at the center of intersecting roadways on the north side of Lake of the Isles, Peavey Fountain is a more obvious monument, but its significance is easily overlooked. It was built in 1891 as a drinking fountain for horses, but it later paid tribute to horses that died during World War I. Along the southeastern portion of Bde Maka Ska, a beautiful ornamental railing outlines the lake edge, created in June 2019 by Sandy Spieler, Angela Two Stars and Mona Smith in memory of the Dakota who harvested and grew crops along the lake in the early 1800s. Less easily spotted are the flora and fauna imprinted into the sidewalk. Visible from nearly every part of Lake Harriet, the Bandshell is arguably the lake’s most recognizable landmark, but nearby, tucked amid mature trees, the unassuming historic men’s and women’s rest buildings can be found. The two separate shelters were designed by Harry Wild Jones, with compelling hexagonal shapes and unique features (including a fireplace, not likely found in the restrooms of today). Joining in the stories told by historic landmarks are voices of modern designs and inno-
vative materials, pulling us forward in time. Some stark in nature and some eloquent in contextual blending, nearly every imaginable approach to modernism can be discovered on the neighborhood blocks that stretch from Lowry Hill to Tangletown. Whether notable due to immaculately maintained landscapes that verge on becoming works of art themselves or the shiny steel cladding that reflects golden sunsets, venturing away from the oftencrowded lake trail is a rewarding journey. Slightly east of Cedar Lake, the Flatpak house by Lazor/Office is relatively easy to find amid the construction of the new lightrail line. It was built in 2005 as one of the first prefabricated systems for single-family homes in the Twin Cities to use wall panels constructed off site. Nowhaus, a Locus Architecture renovation, is more tucked away into the neighborhood on the south side of Cedar Lake. The translucent panels with reclaimed billboard-backed siding create a striking façade and first impression. Through closer investigation, one can identify what this billboard used to advertise in the subtle outline of imagery still visible, adding depth and intrigue to the design. On the northeastern hillside of Lake of the Isles, the award-winning Dayton House (designed by VJAA) seamlessly connects exterior and interior spaces, becoming something of a hybrid between an art pavilion and a modern residence. Although undetectable from the trail itself, the retaining walls that create courtyards buffering public views are visible from the neighborhood streets, beginning the blend between landscape and structure. There are infinite details, subtleties and carefully crafted landscapes worth noticing in between the highlights pointed out along the route. This spring and summer, make it your outdoor mission to identify the “unnoticed” and to imagine how design can bring us opportunities to engage with the world around us in new depth.
VIEW THE MAP |
GO TO TINYURL.COM/BIKE-TOUR-SW
What better way to explore architecture in Minneapolis than by bike? From historic residences to funky, modern homes, we’ve put together journeys to help you see your city in a new light. Pick your route and explore the sights.
Flatpak House
Nowhaus
Charles Stinson House
Email emily@locusarchitecture.com, and we’ll add your recommendations to the online map, sharing your discoveries and knowledge with others in the community.
Keljik’s Oriental Rug Cleaning — Selling & Servicing Oriental Rugs from All Over the World Since 1899 —
NEW FROM MANGO PRESS “A novel that will strike a chord with readers wrestling with substance abuse, the Catholic faith, or family trauma.” –Alison McGhee, author of Shadow Baby
Services Offered: Cleaning (heavy soil, pet odors, overdue cleaning) Appraisals • Dusting • Repairs Refringing • Serging • Hand Edging Reweaving & Retufting Color Touch-up • Pads KELJIKS.COM | 612.823.6338 4255 Bryant Avenue South, Minneapolis Keljiks SWJ 051420 6.indd 1
Rug Cleaning Special
JOHN ROSENGREN
20% OFF
SW MPLS RESIDENT PULITZER PRIZE NOMINEE
Rug Cleaning Bring in your rugs with this coupon to receive discount. Expires 6/21/20
AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE AND BOOKSHOP.ORG
JOHNROSENGREN.NET 5/1/20 11:48 AM
Rosengren John SWJ 051420 6.indd 1
5/8/20 9:48 AM
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 B7
Dateline Minneapolis
By Steve Brandt
Lucky timing on speed limits, but the test is yet to come
M
inneapolis and St. Paul lucked into extraordinarily good timing when they announced their new speed limits in mid-March. A state of emergency was being declared by the governor even as the state’s coronavirus caseload remained in single digits. That confluence of events allowed the cities to phase in their new limits just as commuter pressure eased almost overnight. Suddenly workers weren’t jamming the roads in a rush to arrive at work before the boss. Parents weren’t franticly pushing yellow lights to ransom their kids from day care or schlepping them to music lessons or sports practices. The changed circumstances gave motorists a chance to draw a collective deep breath just as the city was asking them to drive slower — 20 miles per hour on residential streets and 25 mph on most arterial and collector streets. I was out of state when the new restrictions were announced and hadn’t read the fine print by the time I returned. I was a mile or so into the city, cruising down Lake Street (which, it turns out, remains at a limit of 30) when I slowed to 25. I expected to be hurriedly passed by impatient drivers. But no. The next day, I drove Lyndale Avenue. I kept my speed at 25. Turns out that Lyndale is one of Southwest’s county roads, which means that its speed remains at 30, at least for now. After a few blocks of trailing me, one impatient driver
pulled into the left-turn lane to buzz by me at the next green light. But that’s been the exception in my experience. Instead of the honking and bumperriding I expected, drivers seem willing to accommodate those following the new limit, at least in Southwest. The lower speed limits represent a milestone for new urbanist thinking that gives foot and bike traffic priority over single-occupancy vehicles. That priority is embodied in the city’s Complete Streets plan, and also in its Vision Zero plan. The lower speed limits aim to save lives and reduce the severity of injuries. Available data confirms the lower the vehicle speed, the less likely a fatality. A vehicle takes 85 fewer feet to stop at 20 mph than 30. That’s about five car lengths. A person hit at 35 mph is three times as likely to be killed than at 25 mph. On the flip side, the new limits will put a dent in the city’s climate goals, with EPA data clearly showing slower urban speeds consume more fuel. The lower speed limit seems like the answer to prayers for those who have fought for safer traffic conditions on Lyndale Avenue. But the irony is that the new limits won’t apply on Lyndale, the Minneapolis street where tension between people and vehicles has reached an apotheosis. That’s because the city’s new limits don’t cover roads under county or state juris-
diction. In Southwest, that keeps the speed limit at 30 on most of Lake Street, Lagoon Avenue, Franklin Avenue, 46th Street east of Lyndale, 50th Street west of Lyndale, France Avenue, and Xerxes Avenue south of 50th Street. The speed limit also won’t decrease on the jointly owned 54th Street west of Xerxes unless Edina agrees. The city hasn’t initiated any requests to the county for a MnDOT study that would be required to change the limits for any county roads in the city; the county is only in the early phases of its own Toward Zero Deaths roadway safety planning. A speed of 25 can seem like a crawl at times, especially for a driver exiting the freeway. The perception of a crawl is exacerbated the wider the street and the less friction there is from parked cars and double-parked trucks. But it’s the default urban speed limit in Wisconsin and neighboring states. There’s some evidence in previous city studies that the impact of the new limits on most people’s speeds may be negligible. The median speed on residential streets, which are narrower and have more parked cars that make the street seem narrower, was measured at 22 mph, only 2 over the new limit. Only 5% of vehicles exceeded 30 mph. Drivers on arterial streets averaged 27 mph (30 on what the city has defined as its high-injury streets), but 15% were averaging 35 or higher.
The city’s 2017 evaluation of a test limit of 25 on a section of 15th Avenue SE in Dinkytown also found “no substantial impact” on vehicle speeds, while the number of crashes actually rose slightly. It’s possible that pre-existing traffic congestion is the main reason that speeds weren’t much affected there. But if that alone were the case, then we’d see an epidemic of drivers flying down streets depleted of traffic by stay-at-home restrictions. The new limits still aren’t fully in effect. The limits will change on individual arterial and collector streets when they’re posted. When all arterials get their new limits, signs announcing the new limits will be posted at key gateways on the city’s borders and at freeway exits, planned for the coming fall. That’s also when the new residential limits take effect. All this will be supplemented by changes in traffic signal timing to support the new speeds. So we won’t really know until normal traffic resumes whether the new limits are working, at least for our arterial streets. More schoolkids driving to school, more parents headed for work, more ferrying of kids to lessons and games, more suburbanites headed for downtown — all could test driver patience. But for now, let’s all remember to take a deep breath when we get behind the wheel.
TOP SHELF REAL ESTATE GREAT OPPORTUNITY IN EAST HARRIET FOR UNDER $350,000! 3 bedrooms up! Natural woodwork throughout!
Ted Bergstrom
We LOVE Referrals!
The Minnesota Real Estate Team RE/MAX Advantage Plus www.TedBergstrom.com
Ted Bergstrom • Realtor | 612-723-5444 | Ted@TedBergstrom.com Bergstrom Ted SWJ 051420 H12.indd 1
5/5/20 2:24 PM
LICENSE # 1095
Your Sign of Satisfaction
18 HOLES FULLY REMODELED MINI GOLF IN RICHFIELD
952-512-0110
roelofsremodeling.com
ice
Mini Golf
cream
PIzzA Bike rental Three generations of exceptional remodeling
SurreY rental
and renovating of homes around the Lakes area and Southwest Minneapolis.
(612) 861-9348 | 6335 Portland Ave S. Richfield, MN Roelofs Remodeling SWJ NR4 6.indd 1
12/27/18 11:47 AM
Wheel Fun Rentals MaltTMelt SWJ 051619 6.indd 1
4/3/19 10:04 AM
B8 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
By Emily Lund
Shop safely, farmers markets are essential
W
hat do we do when a global pandemic hits right before farmers market season? We innovate. On March 13, Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency across the state of Minnesota. At the time, many farmers markets were still operating indoor winter markets. At Neighborhood Roots (the nonprofit that runs Kingfield, Fulton and Nokomis farmers markets in South Minneapolis), we had our last winter market of the season scheduled the next day, March 14. An emergency board meeting took place via video conference to decide how to proceed. The volunteer board weighed the economic cost for vendors versus the
HOW TO SHOP AT THE FARMERS MARKET • Stay home if you or someone in your home is sick • Send one person per household • Wear a mask • Wash your hands frequently • Don’t mingle, be efficient • Let vendors serve you, don’t touch products you have not purchased • Leave your dog at home • Don’t eat or drink at the market (takeout only) • Order and pre-pay online (when possible)
public health risk of convening hundreds of customers from across the Twin Cities and dozens of farmers from rural areas inside a greenhouse at Bachman’s. We decided to cancel the market, despite the uncertainty and public disagreement over the seriousness of the novel virus. Market staff notified all the vendors, many of whom had already loaded their trucks full of valuable products for the market the next morning. While they were disappointed, they generally agreed with the decision. “I think you made the right decision, and I’m not an alarmist,” Patti Heimbold, the owner of Patti’s Mpls roasted nuts, wrote us. But the decision came with a cost, and managers and vendors now had to decide how to plan for the outdoor farmers market season during a crisis. Amid an atmosphere of confusion, vendors from across the state sent in requests and questions. “We’ve all likely been spreading this virus like crazy and don’t even know it,” Adrienne Logsdon of Kiss My Cabbage wrote us, wondering about the best way to create a pre-order system for customers. On March 16, bars and restaurants were shuttered. The stay-at-home order went into place on March 25. The Minnesota Farmers Market Association worked closely with the Department of Agriculture and the Governor’s Office to include farmers markets as essential services, in the same category as grocery stores. Mill City Farmers Market piloted a series of pre-orderonly pick-up farmers markets to close out their
Neighborhood Roots market manager Sarah Woutat sanitizes the plexiglass shield of the market’s info booth during the zero-contact farmers market held April 23 in the parking lot of Bachman’s on Lyndale. Submitted photo
winter market season. The St. Paul Farmers Market introduced safety precautions, like adding hand washing stations and extra tables in front of vendors to increase physical distance between customers and vendors. At Neighborhood Roots, we’ve helped vendors set up online stores and convened a zero-contact farmers market in the parking lot of Bachman’s on Lyndale. On April 23, more than 200 customers showed up to support their favorite vendors using this new market model. Considering the success of these preseason markets, many organizations decided to move forward with their outdoor season plans. Fortunately, the vendors and customers are ready to build a new way to buy local food. Markets will be open. Markets will be different. The Farmers Markets of Minneapolis
collaborative, a group of market managers and other community partners, created a set of guidelines for markets, vendors and shoppers to help ensure the health and safety of our broader community. Markets are changing their layout to facilitate physical distancing, requiring vendors to wear masks, suspending entertainment, encouraging contactless payments and prohibiting on-site food consumption. Don’t worry. Many of your favorite vendors will still have prepared food to-go! The Fulton Farmers Market will be open on Saturdays starting May 16 and the Kingfield market on Sundays starting May 17. To find your neighborhood market and learn more about our COVID-19 response, visit farmersmarketsofmpls.org.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Antacid brand named for the organ it soothes 5 “Same as always, bartender,” with “the”
Shout out for the senior members who have been with the Siren since the beginning of the restart process last year — Sonia Carroll, Annabelle Hendrickson, Jackalyn Wyrobek, Avery Taylor, and Eliza Brindley.
Cover photo for the spring publication of the Siren. Photograph by Isabella del Furia, ’21
Scan this code to check out the Siren online
10 Slow-cooked dish
stretch marks Jadyn Breitenbach
14 Cognac letters 15 Size above medium 16 Frosty coating
the tiger stripes left on the curves of human bodies read like a map to show you where somebody’s been.
17 *Where hockey punishments are served
shrinkingstomachs widening butts GROWING CHESTS stretching backs are just some of the places where you can find these curvy markings, each different than the one that came before. each another page to the story to how a body’s grown, into the body it has become.
20 Situation lacking clarity
the BILLBOARD hanging on 58th street, claims stripes are not a sight wanted to be seen, “Because they’re not in magazines, they should be scrubbed off with this cream!” but why should I hide that I’m a growing/changing being? caterpillars grow into butterflies. one seed turns into a ten foot tree. an egg hatches into a sea turtle. and I’m slowly turning into me. living beings grow bodies have been changing since the caveman time. tiger stripes are completely normal, and there is beauty in every last line.
19 Jason’s ship
21 Selling point 22 *Local retailer 25 Sharp-wittedness 29 Spanish painter Francisco 30 Part of “Hey Jude” that lasts nearly four minutes 31 Slavic prefix 33 Intel missions
61 WWII bomber __ Gay
36 *Insignificant amount
62 Lock openers
40 MSNBC rival
63 Putter’s target
41 Damp
64 Post-workout pains
18 Delicate fabric
44 Plays the role of
65 Norwegian capital
21 Words before wish or were
45 Amusing sketch 46 Bungle
23 “Snowy” heron
47 Boise’s state
24 Eddard Stark’s heir on “Game of Thrones”
48 Reef material
42 Info in a folder 43 Highlands native 44 In the arms of Morpheus 46 *Car rooftop attachment for a Schwinn
5/5/20 12:19 PM
1 Freq. sitcom rating 2 One logging on 3 “__ Lisa”
12 Raring to go 13 “Murder, She __”
25 “High Voltage” band 26 On-the-cob veggie
51 Febreze targets
4 Fix, vet-style
52 Like a very close relationship
5 “Avengers: Age of __” (2015)
57 Scarlett’s plantation
6 Ending with nay or sooth
31 Subway entrance
7 Citified
33 Texan’s neighbor
8 Gone by
34 Legendary soccer star
9 Evil Luthor
35 Ladder rung
10 Soda named for a
37 Apple desktops
58 Reinvigorates, as an economy ... or a hint to the beginnings of the answers to starred clues 60 Gab
Southwest High SWJ 051420 4.indd 1
DOWN
California mountain 11 Trunk of the body
Crossword Puzzle SWJ 051420 4.indd 1
27 Japanese noodle 28 Image in an atlas 32 “Say what?” sounds
38 Holiday carol 39 Calgary Stampeders’ org. 43 Swing one’s hips
49 Big name in copiers 50 Bracelet spot 53 Speedy shark 54 Greek god of war 55 Texter’s sign-off 56 Standard Oil brand 58 Mauna __ 59 Business mag Crossword answers on page B12
5/12/20 1:21 PM
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 B9
By Dr. Teresa Hershey
What to do with your pet during isolation
A
s the weeks tick on in isolation, our pets are a huge source of comfort for all of us. Luckily, we can still get outside and walk our dogs, but what can we do that’s different and fun with our cats? And how can we make the most of our extra time? Below are some training ideas and games and activities you might want to try with your dog or cat.
Dogs LEARN HOW TO TRIM TOENAILS. Some dogs don’t mind this procedure, but other dogs are so scared it can take weeks to months to desensitize them. If you have a fearful dog, it is extremely important that you don’t force a nail trim on your dog. To train a nervous dog to accept nail trimming, break down the process step-by-step, from first touching the paw to finally trimming one toenail. Give tasty rewards at each step and don’t advance until your dog is eating and appears physically comfortable with the step you are at. To watch a tutorial on nail trimming, go to tinyurl.com/nail-trim.
TEACH YOUR DOG TO HIDE AND GO SEEK. There are two forms of this fun game. One form is to hide and call your dog’s name and see how long it takes for him to find you in the house after one or two calls. Another form involves getting chased. To do this game, stare deeply into your dog’s eyes and then run into the other room. Most dogs will take the bait and run after you. The trick is to be able to hide before he catches you. Make sure to bring a treat to give your pooch after he finds you. If you play this game, make sure everyone is having fun. If your dog seems distressed with not being able to find you, or a small child is getting jumped on when chased, play other games.
HAVE A THUNDER PARTY. Thunderstorm anxiety is common in dogs. A thunder party is meant to help your dog associate good things with an impending storm. First, make a list of all of your dog’s favorite things (getting pet in front of the TV, ice cream, playing fetch, etc.). Then,
when you know a storm will be coming, prepare to spend time with your dog doing all of these things. Roll the ball in the house, walk from room to room serving her small dishes of ice cream, play the movie extra loud to help modulate the storm sounds. If you make a concerted effort to make storms fun, that can help reduce your dog’s anxiety.
some treats to have her follow you so you can go for a more formal walk.
Cats
BUILD A SUPER COOL CAT PLAYGROUND.
TEACH YOUR CAT TO WALK OUTSIDE ON A LEASH. Many cats love this. Cats should be walked on a harness, not a neck collar. Start by introducing the harness while the cat is in the house. Once she is comfortable with the harness, go to quiet areas outside and let her explore. You can bring
NOW OFFERING VIRTUAL APPOINTMENTS
PLAY DOMINOS WITH YOUR CAT. Set up the dominos, then put a small treat balanced on the first domino. When your cat goes for the treats, he’ll set off the domino chain. It's fun for both cat and human to watch!
Put in these internet search terms to get inspired: cat suspension bridge, outdoor cat enclosure, cat bookcase. Dr. Teresa Hershey is a veterinarian at Westgate Pet Clinic in Linden Hills. Email pet questions to drhershey@westgatepetclinicmn.com.
Gardening Angel Garden Design Residential & Commercial
Design • Install Maintain Margi MacMurdo gardeningangel612@gmail.com
612.206.7089 Pella Window & Door Showroom Plymouth | 952-915-6080 pella.com
Pella Windows SWJ 040220 9.indd 1
4/1/20 Gardening 2:23 AM Angel Garden Design SWJ 032218 9.indd 1
1/26/18 12:45 PM
B10 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
Voices from the pandemic
Stories of coronavirus in Minneapolis How do you tell the story of what it’s like to live through a pandemic? Throughout this crisis, the Southwest Journal is keeping in touch with a selection of local residents — the head of a senior home, a religious leader, a retired couple, a pair of small-business owners and a Hennepin County commissioner. All interviews are edited for length and clarity. Reporting for this project is by Zac Farber, Nate Gotlieb and Andrew Hazzard.
Annette Greely, Jones-Harrison president
“We get inundated with so much information. It’s kind of like one day milk’s good for you and the next day milk’s not.” TUESDAY, MAY 5 I’m holding up, but we feel stressed. [As of May 5, 18 Jones-Harrison residents had tested positive for COVID-19 and nine of those residents had died.] We have great staff, and they’re picking up as much as they can, but we have nine staff members who are out positive, and we have staff who are out on leave related to sick family members with COVID. The staff who’ve tested positive have to stay out 14 days. Some staff don’t want to work with COVID positive residents; that’s true across the industry. The whole industry is always tight on staffing, especially when the economy’s good. We’re not the first employer of choice (though we should be; it’s a great career). We’re making it, but we don’t have any cushion. It’s all hands on deck. We’ve got lots of people staying and picking up extra shifts and volunteering to work with COVID patients. Everybody is helping with spraying disinfectant on handrails and serving food. The physical therapy department can’t do as much as they used to, so they are helping serve meals, and if someone needs help with eating, they’ll sit and help with that. When we’re moving a positive resident to the COVID area, everybody goes up and helps with that move, bringing their clothes and personal belongings. We all wear personal protective equipment [PPE] and take precautions. We’re staffing the COVID unit with three shifts; each shift includes one nurse and two aides. Every time they go in and out, they have to put all their PPE on and then take it off. I just ordered 1,000 face shields. We only have a couple hundred staff and you can disinfect and reuse them. But that’s the only amount they’d let me order, so if anyone needs one, let me know! We have about 60 memory-care patients in a secure unit. For someone with memory loss or Alzheimer’s, their ability to process information is challenged. When they come out of their rooms, we try to get them to put a mask on, but then they take them off and
you’ve got to remind them to put their mask back on. And they’re tactile, too. They like to touch things. That’s why we’re constantly spraying with disinfectant and wiping stuff down. We’re having them eat in their rooms if they can, but some we need to spread out and have staff help. Everything we’re doing is kind of a challenge right now; we’re doing the best we can. We’ve had a few families take their loved ones out of the facility in the beginning, and we supported them and walked them through the decision. Families have been emailing me questions, and we’re glad that they do. I might not have all the answers because even the government doesn’t have all the answers. I just read an article that said there’s a new mutant coronavirus strain more contagious than the original version that came here. This is a continually evolving pandemic, and we’re all on the same learning curve. This isn’t like working with influenza or norovirus or things we’ve had many, many years of knowing how to deal with. We get inundated with so much information. It’s kind of like one day milk’s good for you and the next day milk’s not. It makes me sad to see the number of cases and deaths keep rising. It’s very hard. ... But people need to understand the nature of the health conditions of the people we work with. A few years ago I was at a facility in the suburbs and I had 10 people pass away in a month, and there was no COVID. Most people who have passed at JonesHarrison in recent weeks are COVID positive, but so many have pre-existing conditions that it is hard to say if that’s the cause of each death. No families have chosen yet to send [a sick resident] to the hospital. The one thing that’s been so awesome is that anytime we put out a call for donations — crossword puzzles or shirts or whatever — people have just risen to the occasion. They’ve sewn masks for us. They’ve ordered pizza. It means so much to make the staff feel supported. It’s heartwarming because we’re all a family. We had someone pass away over the weekend, and we had a nurse help them FaceTime with their family before they passed. All of us have the same goal: to take the best care of our residents that we can.
Marcia Zimmerman, rabbi, Temple Israel
“It’s amazing how sad you can become. You have to create something in the sense of loss.” TUESDAY, MAY 5 We are making a decision about our camp, Camp Teko, this week, based on recommendations from the American Camping Association. We know a lot of camps have announced they won’t be in session. We are very aware this summer will be very different from others. We are always planning ahead. Safety is most important. The reality here is that we are listening to the state and listening to professionals who know. Everybody is feeling anxious and a desire to get life back to normal, but we can’t do it until we do it safely. On Sunday about 250 households did a virtual tour of the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv. That was kind of an interesting engagement opportunity for people. We take groups to Israel every other year. We had a trip in June with families that we had to cancel. This was an opportunity for all
of us to travel together to see this amazing museum — seeing synagogues throughout time and the world and communities throughout the world. It really was a great experience. They were able to go with all of us. There were a lot of kids on there. It was a great multigenerational experience. It’s using the best resources at hand and actually being able to enhance the experience beyond what we could do physically with people. Those are the moments I want to capture. We often think about the things we are losing in this virtual world, but there are good things to capture. We’re inventing ways to reach people. Otherwise you can feel the sadness if you don’t figure out what that creativity can be. It’s amazing how sad you can become. You have to create something in the sense of loss. How else can we do this? What are the other possibilities we can create right now? I’ve talked to a lot of people for whom the financial piece is becoming a lot more real. That is both scary and sad. That has come into focus — what it means to be responsible for a nonprofit in the midst of this and taking care of people. It’s scary how people’s lives have been affected. I think it’s important for everyone to know if they can give, they should give. Institutions that have been here are going to need help as well to help people.
Arminta and Ron Miller, residents, Waters on 50th senior living community
“They had a limerick contest here, and I sent a couple in.” FRIDAY, MAY 8 Arminta: Today my grandson Payton graduated from college in Spokane, Washington. They showed us pictures through the TV so we could see the excitement. My grandson was wearing his cap, and it was nice to be included. They had a limerick contest here, and I sent a couple in that got published in the newsletter. I can read them, but they’re a little simplistic; some of the others were fancy. The Waters are under a strain, Shelter in place is a pain. Every day is the same But we’re playing the game, And the virus is bound to be slain. The other was about Ron: There was a resident named Ron Who longed to go hither and yon. But the Waters said no To travels to and fro, And even he couldn’t get himself gone. He was really wandering around, going crazy. I thought I’d just send that in as a gag. I didn’t think they’d print it — I think they did because they get a kick out of Ron. They planned a wonderful Mother’s Day for us. We’re going to have a nice brunch. They’re going to have a pastor from the Methodist church behind us who will bless the building from all four sides so we can watch from the balconies and the windows. Then they’ll have a gentleman named Todd Anderson come and impersonate Frank Sinatra. We’ll have to stay in our apartments, but we’ll be able to hear him. Evidently, he does Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Neil Diamond. My arthritis got really bad this week and I was a little depressed from it, but I’m hanging in there. Ron: We are walking the hallway each day at 10:30 at night. And Arminta and I have our own set of exercises that we do every day.
Arminta: He’s the slavedriver; he makes me do them. But I feel better after; it gets my blood circulating. The hardest one is the sit-to-stand, but I’m up to eight now. He can do 10, but I can only do eight. We’re going to get better if we keep doing them.
Tracey Schultz, science teacher, Clara Barton Open School
“These are young adults and we need to be honest with them.” MONDAY, MAY 4 The rule of thumb for middle schoolers now is about 30 minutes of each class per day. So that’s about 30 minutes of science. We are doing the most essential pieces of our curriculum right now, which are those pieces that are spelled out in the state standards. But we’re losing a lot of other content, and that’s hard. My lessons always have a component where the kids are watching a video I’ve made. There is still a science lesson, and it’s still taught by me, and it involves the student following the directions I lay out. It’s really deliberate and focused. [In addition to regular virtual questionand-answer times] I’ve started offering another live time on Google Meet. For half an hour, I teach the lesson and then the kids stay at the end to get their questions answered. I really specifically target kids who are not engaging. That just doesn’t leave me anything left between my planning and my grading. Back at school, our homeroom was a really important part of my day. That’s a piece I just haven’t been able to fit in. There’s a lot of really important rationale behind [the Minneapolis school district’s switch to a credit/no-credit grading system for grades 6-12 in fourth quarter, which was announced in late April]. I’m glad we have that credit option, because there are many kids that need it. But similarly, if things are really going well for you academically and if you have earned that A, I’m frustrated that what you’re going to see is a credit. If there were a way we could have credit/no credit but also a grade option, that would be great. What we’ve kind of said as a team is that we hope we can just continue to report grades on the site where students and parents can see the grades, so kids can see that up until the end. We’re making sure that the kids who we have engaged start to see evidence of that in their grade. It doesn’t mean you go from zero to an A, but we’re making sure that kids who are looking at a grading screen aren’t seeing zero. These are young adults and we need to be honest with them, because that’s what they demand and that’s what they deserve.
Jen and Marcus Wilson, co-owners, True Grit Society gym
“I don’t want us to have that crazy rush to open.” FRIDAY, MAY 8 Jen: Did I tell you I shaved my head? I’ve never been too attached to my hair. Over the years I’ve had 4-5 people be like “Jen, let’s shave our heads,” and I’m like, “You do it
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 B11
first” and then it doesn’t happen. Our mental health coach, Barbara, is also a mental health coach for Lifetime Fitness. The furloughed Lifetime employees have access to a mental health coach, and that’s Barbara. So she’s kind of on the frontlines as far as the emotional side of the pandemic. She’s been feeling it. So she texted me and was like “Jen, let’s shave our heads” and she did, so I did it. Well, Marcus actually did it. It all came off. It’s one of those things you see in a movie and you think it’s so easy. But you can’t just buzz it like you see on TV. How would I know that? Now it’s starting to grow out and feel fuzzy. I like the way it feels but it looks a mess. We had to have a very intentional discussion with our daughter about it. Things are OK. It’s been a weird week again. I feel like emotions are bubbling for people. I think people are really freaked out about, Are we opening, are we not opening? There was an article in Georgia about a business that only had two customers after opening. That’s been our concern the whole time, even if they say we can open up, what does that look like? Group classes really have no way to resume indoors, so for a gym that does group classes we are in a bad spot. We have a deck/patio we could use or maybe do classes in the parking lot. The word I’ve maintained is perspective. We would love to open. For us the focus will be on the safety of our members. As far as what that does to us financially, we aren’t even considering that. Going from day to day is very exhausting. I don’t want us to have that crazy rush to open. There’s a lot of stress and anxiety that goes into this whole thing. For our instructors, will they be available? It’s very stressful. We also have to ask ourselves what do we want to do? We don’t want to bring that back to our daughter. I think it’s getting to people, honestly. The problem is now there’s this confusing area where things are gray. We’ve seen some gyms
CURBSIDE SNAPSHOT |
doing outdoor group classes and it’s like, Can we do that? It’s not clear cut anymore. I was walking down Lyndale the other day and it was full of cars. At first, when this started, it was a ghost town. It’s just been a very odd week. I feel like I don’t do as much as usual, but by Friday I’m exhausted. Now I’m more tired than ever. Nothing is wrong, everything’s fine. Sachi is learning to roller skate, Marcus’ back is feeling better. But we can’t really make any decisions, everything is a holding pattern right now.
Marion Greene, board chair, Hennepin County
“A little furry friend was what we needed to get through this.” FRIDAY, MAY 8 The county board had a briefing on the CARES Act allocation to Hennepin County. We’ve established some guiding principles for that money, and one is we should get that money out of the door and spend it sooner rather than later. At our last board meeting we had the first recommendations of what to do with that money, and I think we’re going to continue to do that until we’re down to a level where we need to hold onto it for ongoing expenses. I think it will reimburse some of the hotel spaces we’re renting for people experiencing homelessness. There are ways we’re retrofitting our spaces to meet with residents publicly, things like that. One thing we are trying to do is figure out
how to respond in a meaningful way to longterm care facilities, because 85% of the deaths in Hennepin County are in long-term care facilities. We’re setting up a mobile testing unit through Hennepin Healthcare and also trying to offer public health expertise to those facilities, in case they want to work with somebody to figure out how to rearrange their space and do their business differently. We are trying to prepare for what publicfacing services will look like. One thing that has made Hennepin County successful in remote work is the federal and state government have given us a lot of waivers for things that normally are required to be done in person. Hennepin County and practically every other county in Minnesota are working together to say, “Let’s leave those waivers in place.” They have enabled efficiency and innovation and the kinds of improvements in government and customer service that are needed. We shouldn’t let those kinds of improvements be left only to the private sector. By the time I retire I don’t want Hennepin County to send any faxes. Relatedly, if people need to see us in person for a driver’s license, let’s enable appointments for in-person services. That could help speed interactions and decrease the number of people in the waiting room. We’ve been on again, off again with the thought of adopting a dog. As soon as the shutdown order came and we started working from home, we said, “Let’s get a dog.” We immediately discovered we were not the only people to have this great idea and realized a little furry friend was what we needed to get through this. I’m allergic to most dogs, so we had some requirements and they seemed to be fulfilled by little Indiana. That’s the name he had; he’s a little rescue poodle and apparently they rescued 50 dogs in the same group and they gave them state names. There’s some debate on his age. The first vet thought he was 4 but the first vet who really looked at
VISIT SWJOURNAL.COM/CURBSIDE-DIRECTORY TO USE OUR MAP
Our interactive online map looks to chronicle how Southwest Minneapolis is adapting to business at a distance. More than 900 local shops are now included. In addition to curbside pickup and delivery offerings, the map highlights extra ways to support each business and the causes they are supporting, like fundraisers for employees and treats for health care workers. Here’s a small sampling of what you can find on the map: Young Blood Coffee Roasters, a coffeehouse and sourdough bakery from Fargo, is taking pre-orders for pickup in LynLake. The Corner Balloon Shoppe is delivering gigantic balloon garlands in celebration of birthdays, bar mitzvahs and birth announcements. Wild Rumpus, now with contactless curbside pickup, offers a virtual PJ story time, in which staff wish their furry and feathered friends goodnight at the shop. Lake Harriet Florist, which has curbside pickup and delivery, installed a “Little Free Flower Shop” outside the store. Soo Visual Arts Center has partnered to organize the MN Art Mart, showcasing artists who rely on income from contract labor, traveling gigs and sales that are affected by COVID-19. Jinx Tea is delivering tea and mocktail growlers, and the cafe is serving mocktail Mojitos made with organic Qilan Oolong. moto-i’s OpenMic MPLS — now DystopianMic — is still happening every Tuesday night on Zoom; a recent week featured 30 performers from six time zones. New menus from restaurants including Lake & Irving (“It may be in a box, but we ain’t cuttin’ any corners!”) and Trio Plant-based, offering customizable burgers via DoorDash (“So we’re basically Vegan Five Guys”). Parbaked pizzas (partially cooked, finished at home) available from Pizzeria Lola and Red Wagon Pizza. Pizza kits and dough balls available from Broders’. Frozen pizzas available from Giordano’s and Mucci’s Italian. In addition to Zoom yoga and barre, Blooma is offering virtual group classes led by lactation counselors, designed to foster friendships among new moms. The Linden Hills and Lake Harriet House of Music is posting a song a day on social media, with sheet music available for download so students can play along to songs like “Cake by the Ocean,” “Radioactive,” “Try” and “Don’t Stop Believin’.” “You can feel like you’re part of the band!”
|
his teeth thought maybe a year-and-a-half. Just by virtue of his nature and playfulness, we think it’s closer to the younger side. I haven’t had a dog since I was growing up. We’re loving it so far. All the things are true, I think, in terms of the health benefits of having a pet. A nice benefit of a dog is we’re also walking. I feel as though it’s exactly as I hoped it would be. My feelings of restlessness kind of come and go. There’s a greater simplicity in life that I am appreciating. Yesterday my sisterin-law who lives in St. Paul came and visited us and she kept a safe distance, but it was so nice to have that face-to-face interaction.
ONGOING COVERAGE Keep reading local residents’ stories as the crisis evolves at tinyurl.com/ voices-from-the-pandemic. Annette Greely: tinyurl.com/vfp-annette-greely Marcia Zimmerman: tinyurl.com/vfp-marcia-zimmerman Arminta and Ron Miller: tinyurl.com/vfp-the-millers Tracey Schultz: tinyurl.com/vfp-tracey-schultz Jen and Marcus Wilson: tinyurl.com/vfp-the-wilsons Marion Greene: tinyurl.com/vfp-marion-greene Barb Joyce: tinyurl.com/vfp-barb-joyce Brenda Howard-Larson: tinyurl.com/vfp-brenda-howard-larson Peter Kumasaka: tinyurl.com/vfp-peter-kumasaka Jesse Vasquez: tinyurl.com/vfp-jesse-vasquez
BY MICHELLE BRUCH
B12 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
Stay In Guide.
Courtesy of Carolyn Brunelle
By Sheila Regan
Southwest Minneapolis, you are doing a great job! Yes, it is really tough to stay home. We all miss our friends. We miss going to concerts, we miss hugs, we miss going to plays, we miss all of it. Just keep reminding yourself that you are helping to slow the spread of the coronavirus by staying home if you’re able. In the meantime, here are a few items to keep you engaged and entertained.
CAROLYN BRUNELLE AND THOMAS PAQUETTE AT GROVELAND GALLERY While you can’t visit Groveland Gallery in person, your laptop or mobile device provides a portal to Minneapolis artist Carolyn Brunelle’s vivid paintings displayed in an online exhibition called “Transformations.” Brunelle’s career spans 30 years, and she’s exhibited her work in private and corporate settings. In her new body of work, Brunelle cloaks birds, dancers and other figures into lively abstract forms, using a technique of using layers and textures with paint. Also at Groveland, view the work of artist Thomas Paquette, who is originally from Minneapolis and now lives in Pennsylvania. Paquette’s moody landscapes capture the feeling of the outdoors and the emotions one has being in nature.
When: Through Sunday, May 31
How to view: Groveland Gallery website
Info: grovelandgallery.com
WE THE PEOPLE
LESLIE VINCENT: NEW ALBUM AND WEEKLY UKULELE SHOW
Catch up on local issues with former Minneapolis Public Schools board member Catherine Shreves, host of “We the People,” a podcast series produced by the League of Women Voters. The series began as a public access TV show and has now been converted into podcasts, with video editions as well. In the series, Shreves gets into the nitty gritty about policy with local leaders like Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Ed Graff, Karen Moe, from the city’s Neighborhood and Community Relations department, and John Gordon, from the Minnesota ACLU.
Leslie Vincent made her way to Minneapolis back in 2013, when she was hired by the National Theatre for Children. Living in the Whittier neighborhood at the time, she fell in love with the city, and decided to stay. Both an actor and a singer, Vincent has recently released a jazz album, called These Foolish Things, featuring her sparkling voice paired with a zippy band as accompaniment. It’s available on Soundcloud, where you can purchase your own copy. Vincent performs live once a week, a mix of original tunes and covers, with her trusty ukulele. She also takes requests.
When: 7 p.m. Mondays How to view: Facebook for Ukulele show, Soundcloud for the album Info: tinyurl.com/ukulele-show, tinyurl.com/vincent-album
THE BRAVE NEW WORKSHOP GOES VIRAL The world is upside down right now, and sometimes you just need to laugh. Thankfully, Brave New Workshop is bringing the laughs to you with its digital series, streamed from the performers’ own homes. Let the funny folks from Brave New Workshop relieve stress and give you a bit of entertainment.
When: Ongoing How to view: League of Women Voters Minneapolis website Info: lwvmpls.org/ we-the-people-program
When: 8 p.m. Saturdays How to view: Facebook, YouTube or BNW’s website Info: bravenewworkshop.com/theatre/viral
LEADING THE WAY TO HOPE
Swedish Motors
GIVE HELP 612.825.3333
TUBMAN.ORG
GET HELP 612.825.0000
Tubman helps people of all ages and genders facing relationship violence, sexual exploitation, addiction, mental health challenges, or other forms of trauma.
CROSSWORD ANSWERS
Tubman Center DTJ filler BCH.indd 1
8/22/17 12:08 PM
WE’RE STILL OPEN! AND WE’RE KEEPING OUR PAWS CLEAN Swedish Motors | swedishmotorsmn.com | 612.803.5661
Swedish Motors SWJ 041620 9.indd 1
4/15/20 11:53 Crossword AM Answers SWJ 051420 V12.indd 1
Crossword on page B8
5/12/20 Zawasky 1:22 PM Maggie SWJ 031920 9.indd 1
3/12/20 3:08 PM
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 B13
COVID CONFIDENTIAL
By Stewart Huntington
VIRTUAL THIRD THURSDAY: SELF-CARE In a time as stressful as a global pandemic, you really need to take steps for self-care. Luckily, the Funny Asian Women Kollective (FAWK) is here to help. For the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Virtual Third Thursday, the comedy group will be chatting about how humor, family and solidarity will help you get through this surreal time. FAWK takes a no-holds-barred approach to laughs, unafraid to take on political and social topics with a huge amount of heart.
When: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21 How to view: Zoom Info: new.artsmia.org/event/third-thursday-self-care
Classifieds LINE CLASSIFIEDS
CONCRETE, ASPHALT
Concrete, Brick & Stone Repair
BUSINESS SERVICES RENTAL PROPERTIES WANTED Time to sell? Cash buyer; no commissions. Call Lucas. 612-741-5112
CONCRETE & BRICK PAVING INC.
Concrete, Brick Pavers, Stone, Masonry, Foundations & More Commercial & Residential
Olson62@q.com • 40 Years Experience Olson Miles SWJ 031920 2cx1.indd 1
Small painting jobs wanted. Jim 612-202-5514
Custom Brick & Stone
3/17/20 11:17 AM
ADS 612.825.9205 SWJ 031920 1cx1.indd 3/16/20 1 2:47 PM apietigconcrete.comAll Done Contracting
EXTERIORS
Chimneys • Steps • Walkways Pavers • Fireplaces • Retaining Walls
Steps, sidewalks, patios, driveways, etc. Licensed, bonded, insured. Call Tom Seemon 612-721-2530.
A. Pietig Concrete SWJ 031920 1cx1.5.indd 1/27/201 2:51 PM
www.twincitiesmasonry.com
YOUR LAST ROOF.
Owner Operated • Bonded & Insured
ALEXANDER'S PAINTING
612.702.9210
High quality work at affordable rates. Full service interior/exterior. Free estimates. 651-246-2869; www.painteral.com
EVER.
Friendly Professional Service
BUILDING THE FUTURE RESTORING THE PAST
CB Concrete and Masonry LLC
Twin Cities Masonry SWJ 040617 2cx1.5.indd 1
LAWN SERVICE
A Greener Lawn Service provides weekly mowing, spring cleanup, and complete lawn care. Owner operator, 20 years in South Minneapolis. 612-554-4124.
4/1/19 5:28 PM
HIGH QUALITY CONCRETE SOLUTIONS Driveways, Walks, Patios, Slabs, Foundations & more! SINCE 1983
Adin Bailey
GARDENING
quarve.com • (763) 785-1472 Mn Bc 006016
651-583-4713 Adin_bly@yahoo.com
Would you like to have more beauty in your yard? We will restore or expand your existing gardens. Experienced gardeners. www.beautifulgardens.biz. Call Linda 612-598-3949
CBConcreteAndMasonry.com
Clean up, planting, seeding, weeding, raking with care. Barb at 612-819-3934.
Lifetime No Crack Guarantee
CB Concrete and Masonry SWJ 062719 2cx2.indd 2
BEAUTIFUL LAWN MOWING ALL SUMMER LONG Premier Lawn and Snow. Over 30 years experience. Call Dennis at (952) 545-8055.
GUTTER CLEANING Complete system flush, maintenance, repair and gutter guard installations. Handyman Services. John 612-802-7670, 612handyman@gmail.com
612.709.4980
WWW.SMITHCOLE.COM
Quarve Contracting SWJ 020917 1cx2.indd 2/6/172 Smith 2:32 PM Cole SWJ 031920 1cx2.indd 1 3/10/20 9:57 PM
Foley exteriors
YARD LADY / GARDENER
STUCCO
6/24/19 9:42 AM
Free Estimates • 612-331-6510 • www.FoleyExteriors.com
Mike Mohs Construction
Foley Exteriors SWJ 041513 2cx1.5.indd 2
Honesty & Integrity for Over 50 Years • Since 1963 Call Owner Scott Mohs
CONCRETE WORKS
MN License BC005456 4/8/13 4:36 PM
ROOFING – All Types GUTTERS FLAT ROOFING
Classifieds
– Rubber or Tin
612-861-HAGE HageConcrete.com
WINDOWS & SKYLIGHTS DECKS & PORCHES
612-701-2209 • mikemohsconstruction.com
SWJ 051420 Classifieds.indd 1 contractors SWJ 2016 2cx1 plumbing filler.indd 6
Gary 651-423-6666
“Repair Masters”
CONCRETE WORK
Tell them you saw their ad here!
Steps, Sidewalk, Slabs, Excavation, Foundation, Demolition, Bobcat, Dumptruck, Wet Basement
952.835.0393
PAINTER JIM
Local people. Local references.
Concrete & Masonry New or Repair
A.PIETIG
Miles Olson – 612-419-1056
HOME SERVICES
TO PLACE YOUR AD CALL 612.825.9205
5/12/20 12:57 PM 7/18/16 Hage 2:53 PM Concrete SWJ 032119 2cx3.indd 1
1/9/19 10:02 Mike Mohs AM Construction SWJ 050516 2cx2.indd 1
4/27/16 3:26 PM
B14 May 14–27, 2020 / southwestjournal.com
We know homes! Bungalows, Colonial, Craftsman, Mid-Century, Ramblers, Modern and more. 612-781-3333 • 2536 Marshall Street NE, Minneapolis Monday–Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 8am–4pm Siwek Lumber SWJ 110118 6cx2.indd 1
EXTERIORS
10/22/18 12:47 PM
FLOORING
TO PLACE YOUR AD CALL 612.825.9205
Serving the community for over 30 years Top quality at competitive prices FREE ESTIMATES Committed to customer service
Southwest Resident for Over 40 Years
• Installation • Restoration • Repairs • Buff & Coat
651-690-3956
Licensed Bonded Insured • Lic. RR 155317
Sanding • Refinishing • Repair Install • Recoat • FREE Estimates
*On Settergren’s Referral List*
FOR 40 YEARS
Pates Roofing SWJ 072717 2cx1.indd 1
MN7/21/17 # 5276 1:11 PM
10-time Angie’s List Super Service Award Winner
www.earlsfloorsanding.com
612.290.1533
LANDSCAPING
1/18/18 Harlan 8:45 AM Hardwood SWJ NR3 2cx2.indd 1
LAWN MOWING
Licensed • Bonded • Insured
HERE!
PREMIER LAWN & SNOW
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD COMPANY
952-545-8055
premierlawnandsnow.com
TREE TRIMMING • REMOVAL STUMP GRINDING
Place your Ad
all summer long
Call Dennis today!
2:57 PM
FREE ESTIMATES!
Get beautiful
Roofing • Siding • Gutters • Insulation
Rob.olson@topsideinc.net Topsideinc.net
www.harlanfloors.com • 612-251-4290 TO PLACE YOUR AD CALL 612.825.9205 4/23/14
Earls Floor Sanding SWJ 012518 2cx2.indd 2
Minneapolis, MN
“Our quality will floor you.”
Matthew Molinaro
612-825-9205
Minneapolis resident • Owner / operator Certified Arborist with 21 years experience licensed and insured
& Our Bucket Premier Lawn & Snow SWJClimbing 041620 1cx1.indd 4/14/20 4:36 2 Readers PM - Pruning Your Ad Here /Removals SWJ 20168/17/16 1cx 1 filler.indd 2:40 PM 4
A RATING
Phone: 612-869-1177
www.molinarotree.com
Expert High Risk & Crane Removals
TO PLACE AN AD IN THE SOUTHWEST Topside Inc SWJ 012320 2cx3.indd 1 1/20/20 JOURNAL CALL 612.825.9205
Pest & Disease Management
N TREEInc.
10:33 AM
ortheast
Your Local Contractor For Over 40 Years!
INSULATE AND SAVE! TM & © 2012 MGM.
1
7/12/18 1:35 PM
Questions about Emerald Ash Borer? We can help!
Certified Arborists (#MN-0354A & #MN-4089A)
as seen on
HGTV’s Curb Appeal
612-789-9255 northeasttree.net
Northeast Tree SWJ 011019 2x2.indd 1
MN- 4551 A
CONSULTATION • DESIGN • PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Trained & Courteous StaffMolinaro Tree SWJ 2cx1.5.indd
George & Lynn Welles
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL — INSURANCE CLAIMS WELCOME! — SERVING THE TWIN CITIES SINCE 1972
612-239-2508
1/7/19 12:08 PM
Lifetime Warranty
612.562.8746 • triolandscaping.com
Trio Landscaping SWJ 040220 2cx2.indd 1
3/24/20 11:37 AM
CALL US TODAY! FREE ESTIMATES FOR: Tree Trimming · Tree Removal Stump Grinding · Storm Damage
612-343-3301 · www.midwestplus.com Locally Owned • MN LIC# BC760140 • A+ Rating from BBB
MAINTENANCE
Midwest Exteriors SWJ 040220 2cx3.indd 1
Byron Electric
3/25/20 2:07 PM
Our specialty is your existing home!®
Residential & Commercial
FREE ESTIMATES
612-750-5724
Byron Electric SWJ 010920 2cx1.indd 1
TO PLACE YOUR AD CALL 612.825.9205
12/19/19 10:16 AM
Houle Insulation Inc.
CALL TODAY FOR A FREE ESTIMATE ON ATTIC INSULATION • BYPASS SEALING SIDEWALL INSULATION
www.houleinsulation.com
763-767-8412
Serving the Twin Cities since 1977
• Painting • Plaster repair • Ceramic tile • Light remodeling • All around repairs
MISCELLANEOUS
Houle Insulation SWJ 010107 2cx2.indd 1
612.706.8210
PG 3 ONLY
FULLY BONDED & INSURED 26 yrs. Fully Insured
Matt's Tree Service SWJ 091712 2cx2.indd 1
8/31/12 10:15 AM
Snow Plowing & Shoveling Cleanup / Dethatching Aeration / Seeding
Lawn Mowing Fertilizer & Weed Control Gutter Cleaning
Window Washing
612-345-9301 5/17/16 Peter 2:37 PM Doran SWJ 032119 2cx2.indd 3 TO PLACE
peterdoranlawn.com 3/8/19 YOUR AD CALL 612.825.9205
3:40 PM
BREAKING NEWS 8327 Little Circle Bloomington
Our Readers are YOUR clients
612.267.3285 That Handy Guy Greg SWJ 112819 1cx3.indd 11/19/19 16:00 PM
ADS 612.825.9205
Sales@southwestjournal.com 612-825-9205
SWJ 051420 Classifieds.indd 2
5/12/20 3:45 PM Our Reader - Your Clients SWJ 2016 8/29/16 1cx 1.5 filler.indd 11:11 AM4
southwestjournal.com / May 14–27, 2020 B15
PAINTING EXTERIOR • INTERIOR
Accredited BBB member, A+ rating
PLUMBING, HVAC
TO PLACE YOUR AD CALL 612.825.9205 Local services.
Local references.
Lic. #61664PM
Local expertise.
Our Contractors have local references
P r o M as t er P lum bing When in Disaster Think Pro Master!
612-804-3078
Licensed Bonded Insured Over 29 Years experience
LINDEN HILLS PAINTING Int/Ext • Paint Enamel • Stain • Cabinets Plaster repairs • Paper • Homes Condos • Decks • Fences
612.360.2019
Tool Icons - Spring SWJ 2013 2cx1 filler.indd 1
612-227-1844
Free Estimates
3:43 PM
Interior & Exterior Painting • Insurance Claims Wood Finishing • Exterior Wood Restoration Water Damage Repair • Patching • Enameling
• Interior/Exterior Painting Greco Painting SWJ 040518 1cx2.indd4/4/18 1 11:37 AM
• Wallpaper Stripping/Wall Repair • Wood Stripping, Refinishing & Cabinets • Plaster, Sheetrock, Texture Repair & Skim Coating • Ceiling Texturing & Texture Removal
PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM
3/29/13 10:35 Pro Master AM Plumbing SWJ 030520 1cx1.indd 2/28/20 1Hammer 2:21 PMGuy SWJ 2013 1cx1 filler.indd4/9/13 1 10:09 AM
FIVESTARPAINTING.com
grecopainting.com ADS 612.825.9205 FiveStarPainting SWJ 012419 1cx1.5.indd 4/5/19 1 info@grecopainting.com
(612) 827-6140 or (651) 699-6140
Call Jim!
promasterplumbing.com
TJK Plumbing SWJ 041819 2cx2.indd 1
MN Lic#: PC644042
WHOLE HOME CLIMATE CONTROL
612-850-0325
EK Johnson Construction
FREE SECOND OPINION ESTIMATE MATCH CALL 612.888.8207 TODAY!
TO PLACE 5/13/16 11:37 McQuillan AM Brothers SWJ 043020 2cx2.indd 1
7/18/16 Chileen 2:58 PMPainting SWJ 051916 2cx4.indd 1
MN Builder’s License BC583780
4/16/19 11:18 AM
612.888.8207
MCQBROS.COM
greg@chileen.com
Tell them you saw their ad here!
you dream it
763-425-9461
Family Owned for Over 60 Years
Local people. Local references. REMODELING
any plumbing or drain cleaning!
Insured | References
Classifieds 8/8/19 4:29 PM
contractors SWJ 2016 2cx1.5 filler.indd 6
$20 off
www. tjkplumbinginc .com
Experienced craftsmen (no subcontractors) working steady from start to finish. Neat and courteous; references and 2 year warranty. Liability Ins. and Workers Comp. for Your Protection.
Painting by Jerry Wind SWJ 082219 2cx1.5.indd 1
Mention this ad to receive
YOUR AD CALL 612.825.9205 4/21/20 10:36 AM
EPA License #NAT-86951-2
“timeless design, seamless remodeling”
612.332.8000 Kitchen | Bathroom | Interior Remodeling
we build it
ADDITIONS NEW CONSTRUCTION REMODEL
10% off labor on all projects
*
Living and Working in Southwest Minneapolis
bruce@knutson-architects.com
*Must sign in May or June. Some restrictions apply. Call today for your FREE consultation.Bruce Knutson Architects SWJ 090610 2cx1.indd 1
8/31/10 1:41 PM
Call Ethan Johnson, Owner
612-669-3486
Custom Design, Custom Remodel ekjohnsonconstruction.comJ3 Renovations and Design SWJ 043020 2cx1.5.indd 1 4/29/20 2:50 AM Attention to details, extraordinary design and service for your additions, kitchens, & bathrooms. Let us show you the way to something wonderful!
EK Johnson Construction SWJ 060216 2cx2.indd 1
License #: BC627160
5/31/16 4:49 PM
(651) 248-0252
bluejackbuilders.com
Bluejack Builders SWJ 040419 2cx1.indd 1
4/1/19 11:56 AM
Your Sign of Satisfaction
952-512-0110
LOCAL BUSINESSES
www.roelofsremodeling.com
ADVERTISE WITH US
Lic: BC637388 7/28/15 3:01 PM
Roelofs Remodeling SWJ 073015 2cx2.indd 2
Local Business 2cx1.5.indd 14
Design/Construction
Here’s
Specializing in Reproduction Kitchens & Baths
No project is too small for good design inspiredspacesmn.com 612.360.4180
ALL YOUR REMODELING PROJECTS!
Create • Collaborate Communicate 612-655-4961 hansonremodeling.com Lic #BC633225
Inspired Spaces SWJ 022714 2cx2.indd 1
9/6/17 1:07 PM
u: for yo can do e w t wha
2/17/14 Hanson 3:02 PMBuilding SWJ 061418 2cx2.indd 1
612-861-0188 www.SylvestreMN.com #BC001428
6/1/18 Sylvestre 1:05 PM SWJ 031920 2x3.indd 1
3/17/20 4:45 PM
2nd Stories • Additions • Kitchens • Basements Baths • Attic Rooms • Windows
Remodel • Design • Build
612.821.1100 or 651.690.3442 www.houseliftinc.com
612-924-9315
www.fusionhomeimprovement.com
License #BC378021
MN License #BC451256 SWJ 051420 Classifieds.indd 3 Fusion Home Improvement SWJ 021314 2cx3.indd 1
5/12/20 1:02 PM 1/31/14 10:44 AM
House Lift SWJ 041612 2cx3.indd 1
4/5/12 3:00 PM
Quality
CONSTRUCTION, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
& Trust. · CUSTOM CABINETRY · ADDITIONS & DORMERS · KITCHENS & BATHROOMS · WHOLE HOUSE RENOVATION · PORCHES & SUN-ROOMS · FINISHED BASEMENTS ·
612.821.1100 or 651.690.3442 www.houseliftinc.com House Lift Remodeler | 4330 Nicollet Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55409 | License # BC 378021 House Lift Remodeler SWJ 040419 FP.indd 1
3/22/19 3:32 PM