Recent content from Susan Du
St. Paul, Minneapolis rank second and third nationwide for parks
The Trust for Public Land's annual ParkScore rankings looked at some 500 park systems across the United States.
State funding unlocks deal with Mpls. to sell Roof Depot site for urban farm
Legislative support brings a breakthrough for the East Phillips activists who opposed the city's plans to expand its public works campus on the site.
Some librarians urging Hennepin County officials to allow them to reverse drug overdoses on-site
County officials are reviewing protocols for all employees to carry and administer naloxone.
Minneapolis reaches $700K settlement with family detained after 2019 police shooting
Chiasher Vue's children said they were locked in squad cars and held at City Hall for hours after he was shot and killed by police.
Former Central Gym Park supervisor charged with embezzling Minneapolis Park Board funds
No revenue was reported by the park for several months, despite the gym being rented out for soccer.
Park Board to consider killing plan to make Greenway a regional trail
Scrapping the process prematurely would prevent the Midtown Greenway from obtaining regional trail status.
Minneapolis commissions environmental review in final stretch of 2040 Plan lawsuit
With the Supreme Court unwilling to review the city's objections to studying the potential harm of the 2040 Plan, Minneapolis has launched an environmental study.
O'Hara: Most causing trouble in Dinkytown were from suburbs
Police responded to 11 incidents last weekend involving the same crowd of young people, who threw rocks, fought and harassed people several nights in a row.
Taste of Minnesota will come to Minneapolis this summer
Nicollet Mall news conference Thursday will give details of traditional July 4th event
Phyllis Wheatley Community Center wins approval to reopen summer camp in Carver County
Residents of rural Watertown Township worked with the north Minneapolis nonprofit to resurrect the long-dormant Camp Katharine Parsons.
Park Board considers scaling back North Commons project as money runs short
Commissioners must decide whether to press forward with a $49 million rebuild of the park or scale back the project as money runs short.
Minneapolis aiming to ban new heavy industry, reducing neighborhood pollution
But existing operations would be allowed to stay under state law, frustrating some environmental activists.
Hennepin County aiming to end chronic homelessness by 2025
With the help of an external evaluator, the county will try to achieve "functional zero" — housing more people than become homeless.
Minneapolis willing to sell Roof Depot site to East Phillips activists for $16.7 million
A bill tabled in the House seeks $20 million for activists to develop an indoor urban farm on the site.
Minneapolis, St. Paul public housing evictions outpacing pre-pandemic rates
Most eviction filings are for falling behind on rent — some for less than $100.
Public housing tenant challenging MPHA's right to evict without a rental license
Stacey Marable's children were getting sick in public housing, then they were nearly evicted. She's fighting back.
Minneapolis city staff report recommends against adoption of rent control
Staff concluded that rent control could slow housing development and cost the city too much to enforce.
Minneapolis Park Board seeking city funding for parkways, stormwater management
City spending on parkway maintenance has been stagnant for 10 years.
As Minneapolis officials discussed homeless camp strategies, camp residents feared closure
Longtime occupants of an East Phillips camp got ready to find a new location Tuesday morning.
Plan to build triplexes in north Minneapolis runs into obstacles
North Side developers were forced to scale down plans.
120-year-old sewer pipe to blame for sinkhole in Uptown Minneapolis
The crater, roughly 10 feet deep and 5 feet wide, on Girard Avenue near 27th Street opened up on Easter Sunday.
Religious group sues Minneapolis to overturn law restricting protests against abortion clinics
Pro-Life Action Ministries of St. Paul says the ordinance infringes on its First Amendment rights.
North Minneapolis' Fire Station 14 launches drop-in center for people struggling with substance abuse
The Safe Station project intends to have a 24/7 open door for anyone struggling with drugs.
Minneapolis Park Board wants your stories to commemorate 140th birthday
Tuesday was 140 years to the day that Minneapolis voters chose to create a semiautonomous government to protect the city's green space for the public.
Racial justice advocates offer mixed reviews of Minneapolis policing agreement
They were still absorbing the ramifications of the 144-page document and asking: Did it go far enough?
Robert F. Hill, north Minneapolis youth coach, dies at 77
"Coach Bobby" was a North Commons coach, longtime youth worker and bus driver who committed his life to other people.
Park Board asks city for $6M annual injection to save Minneapolis parkways
At the current rate of $750,000 a year, the full parkway system will be undrivable in 15 years, according to the Park Board.
Temporary street patches costing Mpls. extra $1M in decade's worst pothole winter
Permanent fixes won't be possible until the asphalt plants open later this spring. Residents are urged to call 311 to report problem potholes.
Tiny Minneapolis park space that was long neglected to get skate park makeover
The "28th Street Tot Lot" in the Whittier neighborhood will enter the next phase of its life as a draw for skateboarders.
Innocence Project takes up case of man convicted in Mpls. flower shop killing
The 35-year-old Marvin Haynes was sentenced to life in prison as a teenager for the murder of Randy Sherer.
District court issues 11th-hour temporary injunction on Roof Depot demolition
The city of Minneapolis has been embroiled in a decade-long fight with environmental activists over plans to demolish a former warehouse to make way for a Public Works facility in the East Phillips neighborhood.
Twin Cities' unsheltered people batten down for snow, seek refuge in new warming hubs
St. Paul's new network of warming centers linked by shuttle transportation is being used heavily this snowy winter.
Activists occupy Minneapolis' Roof Depot site to stay demolition, but police move in
East Phillips neighborhood activists said direct action was a last resort in their opposition to the city's plans to build a new Public Works facility.
Parents of Minneapolis girls softball players prompt Title IX investigation
Complaint says lack of proper facilities undermines Minneapolis girls' statistics and their prospects for college athletic scholarships.
New homeless camp growing at planned Minneapolis affordable housing site
The owner of the former Casablanca Foods grocery store are asking for help housing an estimated 25 people staying in the icy parking lot.
City closing unlicensed Linden Hills sauna; owners fight law labeling them sexually oriented
Embrace North operated under the radar for a year and a half with some 900 members.
Minneapolis Park Board ramps up construction of tech labs in neighborhood parks
Latest Spark'd Studios was unveiled Thursday at Harrison Rec Center. Four more are in the works.
State preservation office nominates Hiawatha Golf Course for National Register
Noted for its history among Black golfers, Minneapolis course slated for major reconstruction.
Downtown Minneapolis riverfront land may soon return to tribal ownership
Friends of the Falls' new Native-majority board unveiled designs for a "land-back" project at Dakota sacred site.
Decades-vacant Minneapolis apartment building finally being rehabbed
HOPE Community and City of Lakes Community Land Trust are renovating a neighborhood eyesore into affordable condos.
Workers trying to find out how many are homeless in Hennepin County
There is a nationwide effort to capture the number of homeless Americans on the night of Jan. 25.
Did a famed parks leader import gray squirrels to Minneapolis — and have the red ones killed?
Gray squirrels were once a rare breed mostly found in forests. Now they are abundant in the city's parks.
MnDOT closes Cedar-Riverside homeless encampment in Mpls.
Occupants estimate there were roughly 200 people living at the Minneapolis tent city when it was closed Wednesday morning.
Minneapolis imposes lengthy conditions on troubled corporate landlord
Hedge fund-owned Front Yard Residential, managed locally by HavenBrook Homes, must submit to additional regulations to keep its rental licenses.
Minneapolis animal shelter overwhelmed with abandoned pets
The city pound has three staff members taking care of about 100 animals, seven days a week.
North Commons Park would get largest Minneapolis rec center in renovation
Park Board staff presented four concepts of increasing scope and budget in a first look at the largest neighborhood park project in Minneapolis history.
Cedar-Riverside apartment residents besieged by break-ins
Property management says they are struggling to get ahead of the nightly intrusions.
Residents of Mpls. homeless camp find agencies shifting responsibility
Even though city sidewalks and boulevards encompass the MnDOT property, city staffers put off supplying toilets because they wanted the state to assume the expense, a local legislator said.
Lawsuits heat up as Roof Depot demolition nears in Minneapolis
The city plans to tear down a disputed East Phillips warehouse early next year to make way for a Public Works facility, a plan opposed by neighborhood activists.
New vendors chosen for Lake Nokomis, Bde Maka Ska concessions
The Painted Turtle will offer beach fare at Nokomis. Lola on the Lake and Pimento Kitchen will serve the rebuilt Bde Maka Ska pavilion.
Boil water advisory lifted for north Minneapolis homes affected by water main break
About 80 households, a public housing building and businesses were affected.
Minnesota fans cheer on U.S. in World Cup knockout-round game
Dutch fans — though outnumbered — had the final laugh.
Gun violence in Minneapolis declines for second month
From Oct. 25 to Nov. 21, the city reported a 44% drop in gun-related calls for service compared withthe same period last year.
Minneapolis Park Board advances 2023 budget of $142 million
The spending plan aims to boost youth services and security for downtown Minneapolis parks.
Minneapolis neighborhood groups consider mergers to cope with diminishing city funds
For decades, a network of neighborhood organizations linked residents to the power of City Hall.
Marcy-Holmes neighborhood group seeks to rename park named for slavery advocate
19th-century statesman William Marcy's contemporaries called him a "doughface," a northerner with southern principles on slavery.
Minneapolis park workers accept contract, avert strike
In October, workers gave notice to strike over unresolved labor issues with the Park Board.
Minneapolis settles police contract negotiation lawsuit
The city will now have to provide the public notice of and access to contract negotiations with the Minneapolis Police Federation.
Phyllis Wheatley Community Center to revive decades-old summer nature camp for city kids
The north Minneapolis community center wants to reactivate a long-dormant camp in Carver County by its 100-year anniversary in 2024.
Two dozen formerly incarcerated men were moved out of transitional housing — and no one said why
Authorities allege criminal activity at Great River Landing, but the displaced men say they weren't given any specifics.
Frey issues executive order appointing Heather Johnston as first interim city operations officer
The executive position was created under the mayor's new government structure to oversee more than a dozen city departments and divisions.
In Minneapolis and St. Paul, two homeless encampment strategies
One city is fighting with activists; the other is de-escalating tensions.
Minneapolis park workers give 10-day strike notice
The union says they're understaffed and overworked.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoes City Council's encampment staff directions
The mayor asked the council to resubmit its request with different wording.
City of Minneapolis plans to buy George Floyd Square gas station
The Speedway, redubbed the "People's Way," has been the site of ongoing protests against police killings since Floyd's murder.
Mpls. attorneys: Council can't pause homeless camp action
Council members proposed a raft of changes to the city's response to homeless encampments.
Avivo Village celebrates moving 100 people from the streets to permanent housing
The first-in-Minneapolis tiny home shelter opened in 2020 in response to feedback from people who would rather live in tents than use traditional congregant shelter.
Minneapolis asks Appeals Court to reverse ruling that halted its 2040 Plan
Case raises question about whether development plan can be challenged under the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act.
Minneapolis outlines encampment strategy as protesters set up outside City Hall
Some of the people staying in tents in front of City Hall were recently pushed out of an encampment on the North Side.
Loring Park's centenarian bur oaks are dying
Many old trees in Minneapolis parks are showing signs of stress after two summers of drought.
Allina hospitals and clinics collecting 'Free Bikes 4 Kidz' on Saturday
The Minnesota-based nonprofit collects, repairs and distributes gently used bikes as far as Ukraine.
Minneapolis evicts more homeless encampments
The camp at 205 Girard Av. N. was located on city land and had been home to about 30 people.
Public pressing MnDOT to think outside the box in Interstate 94 review
Two nontraditional ideas lead discussion around MnDOT's Rethinking I-94 project.
