Recent content from Susan Du
Teamsters, striking Minneapolis park workers to mark 90th anniversary of strike that led to the creation of the National Labor Relations Act
Event Saturday in Minnehaha Park will commemorate the 1934 Minneapolis truckers strike, a bloody, six-month clash that made the city a union town.
Striking workers shut down Minneapolis Park Board meeting with three-hour protest
A majority of commissioners chose not to discuss a resolution to settle contract negotiations between the Park Board and Laborers Local 363.
Minneapolis officials release options for redesign of George Floyd Square area
The city unveiled three street concepts and five ideas for the former gas station.
Judge dismisses ACLU-Minnesota's homeless encampment lawsuit
The four-year lawsuit represented formerly homeless people who had their belongings seized in 2020.
Uptown businesses organize against proposed medical respite homeless shelter
Lakeshore Care wants to bring a 24-bed center to the struggling Minneapolis business district for homeless people to stay temporarily as they recuperate after hospitalization.
Minneapolis park labor talks break down again over disagreement over wage facts
The Minneapolis park workers strike has persisted 15 days, leading to cancelled concerts and delayed storm cleanup.
Activists miss funding deadline for Roof Depot purchase in Mpls.
The city will start the process of terminating the purchase agreement on Tuesday, triggering a final 60-day period for the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute to come up with $5.7 million.
Minneapolis is on the leading edge of biochar, a carbon sequestering material full of promise and still under research
By this fall, Minneapolis aims to be one of the first American cities to produce a carbon-removing charcoal for construction, agriculture and potentially carbon banking.
Tensions rise between unions, restaurant owners over proposed labor standards board
As the City Council considers a proposed Labor Standards Board, there is a widening gap between what supporters and opponents think it will entail.
Dakota community leads reclamation of land near St. Anthony Falls for traditional use
Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, formerly Friends of the Falls, selected an Indigenous-led design team for a multiyear ecological restoration of 5 acres of federal land in downtown Minneapolis.
Minneapolis Park Board quickly reverses stance, welcoming striking workers back on Thursday
Minneapolis park workers with Laborers 363 are in the middle of a seven-day strike over stalled contract negotiations, leading to canceled summer concerts.
Monday night concert at Harriet Bandshell canceled due to park workers strike
Union musicians are calling off performances in support of the park workers strike.
Peace House, a decades-old south Minneapolis community center, facing volunteer shortage
Staffing needs have increased amid a decline in volunteers, sparking tension with neighbors and financially unmooring the organization.
Experts working to end homelessness in Minnesota say high court ruling will make jobs harder
In the most significant case on homelessness in 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Ninth Circuit Court ruling finding it cruel and unusual to criminalize homeless people for sleeping in public when there is no shelter available. The ruling has ramifications for Minnesotan cities trying to balance boundaries of behavior in public places and helping chronically homeless people find permanent homes.
Upper Harbor affordable housing project delayed, may need tweaking
Financing complications are pushing back the construction timeline of all affordable housing buildings planned for the Upper Harbor site in north Minneapolis, and developers say they may need to reimagine the plans.
Frey, legislators tout new law designed to end 2040 Plan lawsuit
A citizens' lawsuit seeking to force Minneapolis to conduct an environmental study on the plan continues for now.
First phase of $126 million V3 aquatic fitness center officially opens in north Minneapolis
The new center so far includes two pools, a fitness center and Soul Bowl restaurant.
Restaurateurs ask Minneapolis to drop plan to create Labor Standards Board
Minneapolis restaurant operators are ramping up their opposition to a proposed policy-recommending body that they fear could raise the cost of doing business.
Why did Minneapolis bury Bassett Creek?
The waterway was used as an industrial dumping ditch. Then city leaders tunneled it out of sight.
Turf fight over Minnehaha Academy athletic field plan sours neighborhood relations
Minnehaha Academy is asking the city for permission to build a new synthetic field with 80-feet-tall floodlights for night games and rentals. Direct neighbors say the school is sidelining their concerns.
Lease renewal prompts friction between Minneapolis Park Board and Boys and Girls Club
Lease renewal prompts friction between Minneapolis Park Board and Boys and Girls Club.
2 other officers who fired in Minneapolis shooting that killed officer ID'd
Two Minneapolis police who had each been on the job for a decade fired their weapons on Thursday, according to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The Dundry: A case study in how soaring security costs are threatening affordable housing
A deeply affordable apartment building near I-35 and I-94 was repeatedly broken into and set on fire before being razed in May, providing a case study in the challenges of sustaining older, deeply affordable housing.
Minneapolis' $18M crime prevention effort questioned after contracts unpaid
The city stopped paying violence interrupters with little explanation.
Minneapolis homelessness crisis keeps moving — to the same places
In his first mayoral campaign, Mayor Jacob Frey vowed to end homelessness in five years. It's proven to be one of the most intractable problems of his time in office.
Greenwashing or good stewardship? Minneapolis Park Board set to consider extending carbon offset program
As the board's partnership with Green Cities Accord enters its third year, energy companies are beginning to buy carbon offset credits generated from park trees to claim they're reducing emissions.
Is Minneapolis' bird-safe glass ordinance saving avian lives?
A city ordinance passed in 2016 requires new skyways to have bird-safe glass. A citizen science project is hitting the streets to test its efficacy.
Appeals court reverses 2040 Plan injunction; Minneapolis to revive stalled developments
Smart Growth Minneapolis has vowed to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court as the Legislature considers whether to intervene in an environmental lawsuit that has interrupted the construction of multifamily housing throughout the city.
New ownership, management coming to troubled Bii Di Gain senior apartments
Elders living in the Minneapolis housing complex have been protesting in recent months, accusing management of failing to perform maintenance.
InnerCity Tennis nominated to run health and wellness hub at north Minneapolis Upper Harbor development
Developer United Properties unveiled the nonprofit tennis organization as its preferred anchor tenant for a key parcel dedicated to health and wellness.
East Phillips urban farm pushing forward as funding uncertainty threatens Roof Depot sale
The East Phillips Neighborhood Institute is busy recruiting tenants to move into the Roof Depot warehouse in Minneapolis and shaping a community ownership model. But first it has to close on the building.
Star Wars superfans celebrate May 4th with ritual movie marathons, blue milk, costumes and community
The story has special meaning to those who relate to finding hope through darkness in their own lives.
Where to celebrate Star Wars Day (May the 4th) in Minneapolis and St. Paul
From stormtrooping for charity to block parties, break up the monotony of this gloomy spring with Star Wars events across the Twin Cities.
Help on the way for north Minneapolis neighborhood prone to extreme flooding
Several low-lying blocks of the Cleveland neighborhood have weathered excess storm water for decades. New flood modeling finally has identified the area as a priority for street and sewer improvements.
New director of Minneapolis Animal Care and Control is longtime abuse investigator Tony Schendel
Schendel will be in charge of navigating the city's animal control unit through challenges with overcrowding and an uptick in neglect cases.
Minneapolis to set up Lake Street Community Safety Center, and wants residents' help to define it
A temporary community safety center on the immigrant business corridor, followed by a permanent one coming to 2633 Minnehaha Av., aim to reinvigorate public safety in south Minneapolis.
Minneapolis City Council declines to endorse Frey's Third Precinct plan
Council members meeting as a committee did not lend their support to Mayor Jacob Frey's proposal to turn the burned-out police station into a voter center; the mayor says he'll move forward with plans anyway.
Single adults turned away from Hennepin emergency homeless shelters 4,000 times in 2023
Shelter beds were used more than 167,700 times during the same period.
Old newspaper boxes become life-savers as Twin Cities self-serve dispensaries
Jim Barrett and Andrew Kamin-Lyndgaard of Minneapolis created Little Free Libraries for naloxone and fentanyl testing strips as part of a growing effort to expand access to the overdose-reversing medicine.
With shortage of investigators, majority of Minneapolis arsons go unsolved
More than 200 fires were intentionally set in 2022 and 2023, but only a handful resulted in criminal charges.
Campus group accuses University of Minnesota of directing censorship against Palestinians
Magrath Library supervisors removed a book display that was curated by a student worker.
Minneapolis City Council votes to delay start of rideshare wage ordinance
The council voted unanimously Thursday to push the start date of a new policy to July 1, saying it will give new rideshare companies time to start up and fill gaps if Uber and Lyft leave the city.
Mpls. City Council may postpone start of Uber, Lyft pay ordinance
Council President Elliott Payne is willing to extend the start date for Minneapolis' new rideshare wage ordinance from May 1 to July 1; such a change will still require a full council vote.
Frey joins business, disability and senior advocates to urge reversal of Minneapolis' Uber, Lyft vote
The City Council is scheduled to take up the question of whether to reconsider the ordinance in its meeting Thursday; Uber and Lyft have said they'll leave if it goes into effect May 1.
Park Board workers say caring for Minneapolis parks isn't the job it used to be
As union negotiations intensify around the high cost of living, Park Board maintenance workers say love for parks is the only thing keeping them around.
Mpls. wants to turn burned Third Precinct into community space
After deciding police should not return to 3000 Minnehaha Av., city staff proposed the Lake Street building for the new home of Elections and Voter Services.
Drug use resource hub opens in north Minneapolis after state legalizes safe injection sites
Minnesota Overdose Awareness opened the center at 3859 Fremont Av. N. on Tuesday with the blessing of the Webber-Camden Neighborhood Organization.
Minneapolis says it will offer George Floyd Square vision by end of 2024
Another year of engagement around the intersection aims to define the city's role in future memorials, street design requirements and ownership of a former gas station-turned-protest space.
Pickleball craze breathes new life into old downtown Minneapolis office buildings
After a major tenant bailed, Mike Marinovich transformed the second floor of 1200 Washington Av. S. into the sound-proof Minneapolis Pickleball Club, and it's beckoning people back to the city.
City, parks and watershed district team up to repair Minnehaha Creek, clean up Lake Hiawatha
After a decade of work pairing creek improvements with redevelopment projects in the western suburbs, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is starting to focus on water problems in Minneapolis.
Tapping into neighborhood power to make maple syrup in a Minneapolis sugarbush
This winter was the first time the Park Board allowed the Urban Sap Tap project, a dedicated group of King Field hobby syrupers, to tap maples in King Park.
Minneapolis Park Board votes down ADA bikeway through Soo Line Garden
The Park Board owns the garden, where Hennepin County wants to pave a bike and pedestrian trail to the Midtown Greenway.
Attorney General's Office settles with landlord accused of neglecting north Minneapolis homes
HavenBrook Homes has agreed to pay $2.2 million in restitution, forgive $2 million of tenants' debt and attempt to sell its rental homes.
Camp Nenookaasi residents, city of Minneapolis clash in court over fate of homeless encampment
A U.S. District Court judge is again considering residents' plea for a restraining order against encampment closures by the city.
Charges: Bottineau Park employee stabbed teen inside northeast Minneapolis recreation center
The 53-year-old employee of the Minneapolis Park Board was charged with second degree assault with a dangerous weapon in the stabbing, which allegedly took place after he became upset with the teen for swearing.
Mpls. Park Board discloses more warm-winter ice rink expenses; cost per day tops $100K
Despite dogged efforts to keep Minneapolis parks' iconic neighborhood ice rinks frozen, an exceptionally warm winter wasted money, labor and water.
Community garden dispute could land before Minneapolis Park Board this month
Hennepin County wants to build an ADA-compliant bike ramp through a community garden; the gardeners want other locations considered.
Minneapolis City Council blocks November ballot question on voter referendum
Council Member Robin Wonsley had proposed changing the city charter to allow voters to create or repeal legislation, following the examples of St. Paul, Duluth, Brooklyn Park and Bloomington.
Weirdly warm winter cost Minneapolis parks $750,000 for one week of outdoor ice rinks
Some park commissioners and community groups want more consideration of climate data and changing climate patterns in planning for park ice rinks.
Minneapolis Parks Foundation aims to raise $20 million for North Commons Park
Renovating the flagship north Minneapolis neighborhood park is expected to cost $35 million.
Minneapolis could save 2040 Plan with environmental review. Here's why it isn't interested.
Rather than submit to environmental review, Minneapolis hopes to change state law to overcome the legal challenge that suspended its citywide development plan.
EPA: Only one house left to clean up at Minneapolis arsenic Superfund site
Chemical contamination of working-class south Minneapolis neighborhoods has taken decades to remediate.
Minneapolis awards $1M contract to house encampment residents
The city hired Helix to rapidly house people living in one of its largest homeless encampments, using strategies that differ from Hennepin County's approach.
Minneapolis Park Board explores building new bridge spanning the Mississippi River
Cyclists and park advocates have long pushed for a bridge to connect the north and northeast Minneapolis sections of the Great Northern Greenway trail.
Hennepin County property tax collections are lowest in decades
When large commercial properties fail to pay their taxes, ordinary residents have to make up the difference to fund city, school and park services.
Minneapolis man cited for home lumberyard fighting to legalize wood recycling model
Jeremy Marshik, owner of LumberStash, made a growing business of saving old wood from the landfill. But it's not legal.
Minneapolis picks independent evaluator for policing reforms
The city has entered a court-enforceable settlement agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and continues to negotiate a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Struggle with unlicensed north Minneapolis rental house highlights challenges for renters with limited options
The house at 5049 Vincent Av. N. has broken windows and mold on the walls, according to the city, and it can't legally collect rent.
U.S. Supreme Court will review homeless encampment case
Western cities overwhelmed with homelessness have asked the court to make it easier to break up encampments across the nation.
Organized labor, Minneapolis officials renew commitment to create a Labor Standards Board
The Service Employees International Union also released a report with recommendations to revitalize downtown from the perspective of workers.
Hospitality group launches campaign to oppose new regulations for Mpls. businesses
A Labor Standards Board that would recommend new laws across all industries may take shape this year.
Three groups vying to monitor Minneapolis' consent decrees flaunt their credentials
At two community events this week, three out-of-state police evaluation organizations presented themselves for community approval.
Minneapolis 'missing middle' housing developers suspended in legal limbo
A judge on Monday officially rejected the city's request to reinstate the 2040 Plan while its appeal pends.
U.S. Supreme Court could take up encampment case, with repercussions for Minnesota
Cities across the country are asking the court to review whether it is unconstitutional to criminalize homelessness.
Minneapolis' 'Nenookaasi' homeless encampment packs up — and moves three blocks south
The city of Minneapolis ordered its largest homeless camp to vacate a plot of land meant for a future art center by Thursday.
