Recent content from Emma Nelson
Brooklyn Park hires consultant to study policing
It is the latest in a series of steps toward police changes that the City Council started taking after George Floyd's killing.
St. Paul explores powering Como Zoo with geothermal energy
Como plan part of St. Paul's effort to bring city buildings to carbon neutrality by 2030
St. Paul Mayor Carter launches commission to rethink public safety
The panel will study how city staff could respond to low-priority 911 calls.
St. Paul will pay for public art along Wheelock Pkwy.
As many as six projects are eligible for $20K to $50K.
St. Paul considers redirecting lowest priority 911 calls
City Council likely to back commission that will reimagine public safety.
Why does St. Paul leave alley snowplowing to its residents?
In St. Paul, many residents have to band together to hire plow drivers during the winter.
St. Paul wants state to help pay for North End Community Center
High school youth will partner with city officials to lobby for funding.
St. Paul to open day shelter in W. 7th neighborhood
A St. Paul fire station in the West 7th neighborhood is slated to become a day shelter for people experiencing homelessness.Fire Station 51, at 296…
Updated Ayd Mill Road to reopen Saturday with new trail, lower speed limit
St. Paul's Ayd Mill Road will reopen to the public on Saturday, complete with a new trail and a lower speed limit.The 1.5-mile stretch of…
Longtime D'Amico server says she lost her job after raising safety concerns
The company says that it's regularly updating safety protocols and that a drop in business forced layoffs.
More trash means higher rates for St. Paul residents
Volume spurred higher rate, which is still lower than it was some years.
St. Paul tees up tax incentives for development around Allianz Field
Move allows St. Paul to incentivize development around stadium.
As winter approaches, Payne Avenue business owners are determined to hold on
The St. Paul neighborhood's renaissance is threatened, but owners are determined to hang in there.
St. Paul launches new COVID-19 grants for small businesses
St. Paul is using $3.5 million in federal CARES Act money to provide cash assistance to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a…
St. Paul, Duluth mayors lead widespread Biden endorsement from elected officials
The two were among 61 Minnesota elected officials supporting the Democratic presidential candidate.
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Black leaders in St. Paul object to reassignment of assistant fire chief
Gerone Hamilton has overseen the department's community relations since 2015.
Ramsey County considers turning Bethesda Hospital into homeless shelter
Ramsey County Manager Ryan O'Connor said the county has been in closed-door talks with Fairview for several weeks.
St. Paul stadium fund has become a lifeline for small businesses
A community benefit fund has helped shops and offices near Allianz Field survive.
Greg Theisen, musician, composer and educator, dies at 63
A fixture in the Twin Cities music and theater scene for decades, Theisen was a passionate and accomplished pianist, composer and educator.
St. Paul will cut down thousands of ash trees next year but can't afford replanting
Budget cuts will mean delaying planting new trees until 2022.
Chief: Budget cuts mean St. Paul police force will be smaller, less diverse
Chief Todd Axtell said 2021 budget cuts will mean canceling the police academy.
St. Paul will use CARES Act money for guaranteed income experiment
The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to allocate more than $290,000.
St. Paul property owners back downtown improvement district
Business property owners could start paying into the Improvement District as soon as January.
St. Paul clears homeless encampment on edge of downtown
Hope for site deemed unsafe is to move people indoors as some 117 sites remain.
McCollum: St. Paul guaranteed income program must comply with federal law
Mayor Melvin Carter said the guaranteed income program passes muster.
St. Paul parks expect budget cuts in 2021
St. Paul residents could see shorter recreation center hours, fewer aquatics and youth sports programs and reduced ice rink maintenance in 2021, as the Parks…
No injuries in officer-involved shooting in Beltrami County
The incident Friday followed an alleged carjacking, according to the Sheriff's Office.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter proposes a guaranteed income program
18-month experiment tests guaranteed income.
St. Paul libraries won't return to normal in 2021
Proposed budget cuts in 2021 will mean reduced hours systemwide.
St. Paul might test guaranteed monthly income
Mayor Melvin Carter says the pilot program would provide $500 a month for 18 months.
St. Paul looking at $20M deficit; no layoffs or levy increase proposed
Mayor Melvin Carter is proposing widespread cuts to avoid raising the property tax levy.
Citing safety, St. Paul will clear I-35E homeless encampment
Officials haven't yet notified occupants but say they'll be given time to move.
Pandemic throws wrench into St. Paul mayor's plan to curb gun violence
As violence in St. Paul eclipses last year's pace, some council members impatient for action, information.
St. Paul parks booster group gets an executive director
He leaves Park Square Theatre to head St. Paul Parks Conservancy.
Civil unrest damage in St. Paul totals $82 million
About 330 businesses sustained damage during the riots in May.
For St. Paul families, city help was welcome but short-lived
An emergency cash assistance program for families and businesses that lost income as a result of COVID-19 drew nearly 5,300 applications from families, less than a quarter of whom got a check.
Como Zoo will welcome visitors again — at a distance
Visitors with masks and reservations can visit the zoo starting Wednesday.
St. Paul chief: $9.2M cut requested by mayor will mean fewer cops
The proposed cut would mean eliminating jobs, Chief Todd Axtell said.
Park Board is taking first steps to downsize homeless camps
Crisis at Powderhorn Park spurs changes at homeless sites across Minneapolis.
As COVID crisis deepened, St. Paul Mayor Carter hired political director
Six-figure salary comes as budget shortfalls loom.
19-year-old dies in rollover crash in Clay County
He was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle and suffered fatal injuries, the State Patrol said.
Riot-damaged University Av. hopes to come back stronger
Some fear speculators will snap up vacant buildings and empty lots to gentrify University Avenue.
Minimum-wage workers get raises in Minneapolis, St. Paul
Business leaders say the added cost compounds COVID-19 losses.
They won St. Paul's emergency virus aid lottery. Then their businesses were hit in rioting.
Some St. Paul businesses that won lottery for COVID-19 grants fell victim to looters
Chief Axtell defends St. Paul police, calls for arbitration reform
St. Paul police chief pushes back on idea of dismantling department.
St. Paul City Council approves ban on conversion therapy for minors
The council heard unanimous support for the ban from advocates, mental health professionals and a survivor of conversion therapy.
For St. Paul mayor, killing brings questions and a reckoning
Mayor Melvin Carter has been pulled into a national conversation on policing and race. But he hasn't yet faced the pressure of his Minneapolis counterpart to dismantle the city's police department.
St. Paul's downtown improvement district will exclude largest property owner
St. Paul’s downtown booster group is asking commercial property owners to pay for neighborhood ambassadors, a new public safety communications center and other amenities, the…
St. Paul will offer amnesty to peaceful protesters
Those cited for property damage and other offenses may be offered alternatives to traditional prosecution.
St. Paul leaders show little appetite for abolishing police
Council members say they want to continue to invest in community-first public safety.
Edith Stodola, a nature lover who brought organic food to the masses, dies of COVID-19 at 103
To Edie Stodola, it wasn’t organic food — it was just food. It grew on the farm where she was raised and in the gardens…
'Flash looting,' more fires break out in St. Paul as unrest spreads
Looting and fires were reported on University Avenue in the Midway district. An East Side shopping mall also was hit.
Plans for emergency morgue worry St. Paul leaders
Facility would be in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods.
Supreme Court ruling keeps alive defamation suit against DFL lawmaker Lesch
The St. Paul city attorney's lawsuit against Rep. John Lesch will head back to district court.
St. Paul to require face masks inside businesses, city buildings
St. Paul will require people to wear face masks inside businesses and city buildings beginning June 1, and may penalize those who don't comply.Mayor Melvin…
Kim Bartmann repays employees' back wages, but organizing continues
Employees delivered a list of demands to Barbette restaurant on Wednesday.
Metro counties have spent roughly $5 million to rent hotel rooms as emergency shelters
Contracts and invoices obtained through public records requests show a county-by-county patchwork of efforts to find and pay for lodging, transportation, food and other services for hundreds of unsheltered people in the seven-county metro, all within a matter of weeks.
St. Paul's Boys Totem Town could house homeless people with COVID-19
Former St. Paul juvenile correction facility will be reopened if other beds fill.
Financing from St. Paul will give brewery entrepreneur a second chance
After liquidating a brewery in Faribault, Travis Temke plans to open in a historic firehouse St. Paul's West 7th area.
St. Paul cuts fines and fees in response to COVID-19
St. Paul is reducing business licensing fees, waiving vehicle towing charges and delaying street assessments until 2021 in an effort to provide financial relief to businesses and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minnesota candidates for office can help voters cast ballots, judge rules
It's a win for St. Paul City Council Member Dai Thao, who challenged a state law after facing criminal charges.
St. Paul's Ayd Mill Road will get a greenway in 2020
The $7.5 million project is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
More St. Paul families, businesses will get Bridge Fund grants
More than 5,200 families and 2,100 businesses applied for Bridge Fund grants between April 8 and April 19.
Minneapolis automates walk signals to protect pedestrians from coronavirus
The changes reduce the risk of picking up germs while waiting to cross city intersections.
Allianz Field 'urban village' in St. Paul to feature apartments, retail, parking
Port Authority applies for $2 million in grants to clean up contaminated soil.
Librarians recruited for mask making in St. Paul
In normal times, Colette Johnson spent her days at downtown St. Paul’s Central Library answering the reference phone line and helping patrons use the library…
St. Paul street work carries on amid COVID-19 pandemic
Residents fret about big assessments that will finance the projects.
Hennepin County Board tentatively approves two-month reprieve in property tax deadline
The Ramsey County Board is expected to take action next week on a similar proposal.
Minneapolis and St. Paul forced to table big projects
The big plans and sweeping policy changes will have to wait as the core cities adjust to the new virus reality.
St. Paul, Mpls. seek supplies to protect first responders
"Our supply needs are so staggering that right now, because we lack thermometer probe covers, our first responders are literally using Saran Wrap as a safe, but clearly problematic short-term solution, just so they can take patients' temperatures," Mayor Melvin Carter said.
St. Paul OKs $1,000 emergency grants for up to 1,000 families affected by COVID-19
Grants will also be available for up to 300 small businesses devastated by the economic shutdown.
Minnesota attorney general looking into Kim Bartmann's restaurant finances
Kim Bartmann said she is working to pay her employees what they're owed.
St. Paul City Council considers banning conversion therapy for minors
Ordinance would apply to minors, involve fines.
Workers at Kim Bartmann restaurants in Mpls. went unpaid after closures
Bartmann responded by saying she is doing everything she can to secure funding to pay her employees what they're due.
St. Paul's Grand Old Day canceled due to COVID-19
Event organizers say they're moving ahead with plans for 2021.
