Recent content from Susan Du

Prince to be honored with commemorative street sign outside First Avenue
The sign will be unveiled June 7.

Three Mpls. department heads get nod; city coordinator decision postponed
While voting to delay the city coordinator appointment, council members acknowledged the position will likely cease to exist in a matter of months.

Two years later: 'I'm going to still be out here to honor George'
George Floyd's brother and his aunt came to the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue on Wednesday night, exactly two years after his killing, and quietly made official the name the intersection has carried almost ever since.

Minneapolis council committee forwards city coordinator appointment without recommendation
The full council could decide on Heather Johnston's nomination later this week. She's served as interim head of the department since August.

A better Lake Street? A daring hope for riot-torn corridor
Though state aid has been slow coming, Minneapolis' support for the riot-damaged cultural corridor keeps hope alive for a better future.

Minneapolis council members target 4 cultural corridors for American Rescue Plan funds
They withdrew a $200,000 bid to rebuild a police discipline database after staff said improvements are underway.

Park Board seeks land swap with U in quest to complete 150-year Grand Round mission
The St. Paul Grand Round, planned by the same 19th-century landscape architect behind the Minneapolis byway, is expected to be completed this year.

Hennepin Co., Mpls. shelters facing $13-million-a-year fiscal cliff
As federal pandemic relief funds run out, local governments must find another source of income to sustain improvements.

St. Paul parks rank No. 2 in the country; Minneapolis slips to 5th
Washington, D.C.'s formidable park system, which is brimming with sprawling federal parks, was No. 1 for the second consecutive year.

A look at the investigations into George Floyd's murder and following unrest
The murder of George Floyd and the unrest that followed prompted several investigations. The reviews ranged from how Minneapolis and Minnesota leaders responded in the…

Pop-up skate park on Bde Maka Ska draws windsurfers' ire
A temporary site for skaters planned for the north parking lot has drawn objections.

Minneapolis environmental groups launch citywide Litter League
Litter League will inject the spirit of friendly competition into a summer slate of trash picking and other environmental challenges.

Mpls. cautiously takes next steps for George Floyd Square
Nearly two years since the murder of George Floyd turned 38th Street and Chicago Avenue into a semi-autonomous protest zone, the city has started to figure out what's next for the complicated intersection of culture, business and historic trauma.

Park Board panel takes step to reverse post-George Floyd distancing from Mpls. police
In a 4-1 vote, the board's administration committee chose to reinstate the former relationship between park and city police. The measure still needs approval from the full board.

Building on Nokomis swampland will haunt Minneapolis in wetter future, report says
Record rainfall combined with the historic mistake of developing homes on peat deposits poses a threat to homes and public infrastructure, the paper finds.

Scientists to study polar swimmers who take dips in Harriet, Cedar ice holes
A group of Minneapolitans who jump in icy city lakes all winter long will contribute to metabolic and mental health research.

Inside the life of Amir Locke, whose death led to Minneapolis' no-knock warrant ban
Family members fear he will be defined by his death, shot by Minneapolis police. There was so much more to him, they say, and so much left to be done.

The future of Minneapolis' Hiawatha Golf Course remains up in the air
After eight years of intense back and forth, the Park Board's newest attempt to adopt a solution for the course's ecological woes has hit another wall.

Powderhorn residents intervene in popular neighbor's near eviction
The neighbors are determined to help Linda Taylor, 71, purchase the home she has rented the past 18 years.
Amir Locke shooting: A timeline
A breakdown of what happened in the days, hours and seconds leading to Amir Locke's shooting

Amir Locke, an aspiring rapper visiting his hometown when shot by police
Amir Locke, 22, was born Nov. 11, 1999, to Karen Wells and Andre Locke Sr. He was extremely close with his older brother Andre Locke…

Officials, activists renew calls for change after prosecutors decline to file charges in Locke's killing
Elected officials and activists are closely watching new no-knock warrant policies in Minneapolis and bills moving through the state Legislature.

Phillips neighbors pitch city-sanctioned homeless camps
As a dozen U.S. cities try out "safe outdoor spaces," some Minneapolis residents long for better managed camps in their community.

EPA upgrades Como toxic vapor site to federal Superfund
Induction to the National Priorities List could lead to permanent cleanup of the decades-old pollution.

Mpls. Park Board revives Hiawatha Golf Course redesign
Newly elected park commissioners are reversing course on the previous board's preservation of 18 holes at the Hiawatha Golf Course.

City crews clear North Loop homeless encampment in massive enforcement operation
At dawn, dozens of police squads, bike cops and a convoy of dump trucks barricaded the private encampment for blocks around before dismantling tents.

Minneapolis Mayor Frey vetoes new Roof Depot plan
The mayor said he would support giving East Phillips residents a chance to submit an urban farm proposal if they were held to certain conditions.

New Minneapolis City Council blocks development of public works water yard in East Phillips
The council directed staff to find $14 million in city funds to reimburse Water Funds already spent on the project.

Minneapolis, St. Paul no longer require masks in city-operated buildings
New case rates in Minneapolis are dropping rapidly.

Does Minneapolis need a supervised drug injection site? One neighborhood is studying the idea.
Southside Harm Reduction Services and the East Phillips Improvement Coalition plan to gather input.

Minneapolis, St. Paul parks extend recreation hours in case of teachers strike
The Minneapolis parks system is concentrating staff in 10 hubs throughout the city for students with nowhere else to go.

Minneapolis to revoke a landlord's rental license for the first time in three years
Midtown Phillips landlord Walter Bratton has been sued by tenants and neighbors alleging his building has been the site of drug dealing and gunfire.

Sign-up begins for Minneapolis park programs in a year of historic spending to counter youth violence
Minneapolis parks will receive a $2.6 million budget increase, starting this year, in perpetuity.

Park Board in bidding war with north Minneapolis developers to buy Northern Metals site
A group of Black developers propose affordable housing and a public riverwalk. The Park Board aims to build a riverfront trail on its own.

Community conversations kick off project to restore Native story of St. Anthony Falls
The federal government is relinquishing about 3 acres of central Mississippi riverfront property where Dakota people once held ceremonies and gave birth.

Neighbors pay respects to man found frozen in Minneapolis storm tunnel
Two boys found the body of Shane Phillip Bennett on Feb. 6.

Planned makeover of North Commons Park in Minneapolis aims for a 'youth sanctuary'
The project to upgrade the park is the Minneapolis Park Board's top legislative request.

Minneapolis board finds former Council Member Phillipe Cunningham violated ethics code
The city has no power to discipline Cunningham, who's no longer in office.

Love Minneapolis is poised to buy, redevelop Merwin Liquors site on North Side
The community development corporation will receive a $700,000 city loan to buy the crime-plagued property on West Broadway.

Mpls., St. Paul lift vaccine mandate for restaurants, bars
The move is effective immediately as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations rapidly decline. The mask mandate will remain in effect for businesses licensed by the cities.

Protest of police killing of Amir Locke draws hundreds to Mpls.
The city is once again mired in a bitter conversation about race, policing and no-knock warrants. The moment — the grieving, the outrage, the questions — exacerbated feelings of dread and exhaustion.

Mixed-status families keep hope alive amid narrowing window for immigration reform
Marriage doesn't offer citizenship if the spouses are unauthorized immigrants.

ACLU suit against Mpls. Park Board seeks to restrict homeless encampment sweeps
The American Civil Liberties Union says the way park police swept homeless encampments violated residents' constitutional rights.
![Marc and Diane Bock competed in an elimination round of pickleball in the age 60-64 age group Sunday at the National Senior Games. ] Aaron Lavinsky ¥](https://chorus.stimg.co/23215482/merlin_35694721.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Minneapolis Park Board will adjust park plans to sate pickleball craze
The fast-growing intergenerational sport is taking Minneapolis parks by storm.

Judge upholds Minneapolis' vaccine-or-test mandate
A group of restaurant and bar owners sued the city over its new rule that customers must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test in order to dine in.

Ethics complaint against ex-MPD Chief Arradondo dismissed
Mayor Jacob Frey issued Arradondo a letter of reprimand for misusing city resources over news conference before election.

Former Minneapolis City Council member accused of violating social media ethics rules
Phillipe Cunningham admitted to deleting a Facebook post and comment thread, but denies violating the ethics code.

Minneapolis Park Board declines to extend construction permit for Southwest Light Rail tunnel
A majority of commissioners at Wednesday's meeting asked the Metropolitan Council to compensate the Park Board for closing the Cedar Lake Parkway through the end of 2022.

Mpls., St. Paul restaurant mandates met with grim resolve
Starting Wednesday, the cities are requiring businesses seat only customers who are vaccinated or can show a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours.

Protesters thwart homeless encampment eviction in North Loop
City crews backed off after a confrontation at the encampment Tuesday.

Mpls. will launch guaranteed basic income pilot program
The city will use American Rescue Plan funds to support 200 families with its new guaranteed basic income pilot, an experiment in alleviating poverty by paying low-income households $500 per month for two years, no strings attached.

Q&A: Mayor Frey's priorities at the helm of a city on edge
Minneapolis' Jacob Frey was re-elected to his second term in November with more power than any of his predecessors to tackle a slew of overlapping problems.

Minneapolis clears homeless encampment at 26th and Bloomington
No elected officials showed up to defend residents, as they had earlier this week in the Near North neighborhood.
![A person builds a fire Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022 at a near Northside homeless encampment under an eviction notice in Minneapolis, Minn. ] DAVID JOLES •](https://chorus.stimg.co/23161236/merlin_66105687.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Five Minneapolis council members show up to defend Near North homeless encampment
The city notified the camp that it planned to clear it away Tuesday.

Public works employees — including Minneapolis snow plow drivers — accept contract, avert strike
Public works employees elected to authorize a strike in mid-December if they could not reach an agreement with the city.

Camden Farmers Market moving from Minneapolis to Robbinsdale
Chaz Sandifer's new market will be at Lakeview Terrace Park.

First futsal courts coming to south Minneapolis
The fast-paced game has seen a burst of interest in the Twin Cities.

Hennepin County proposes paved trail through Soo Line Community Garden for Midtown Greenway access
Hennepin County is designing a new disability access ramp to the Midtown Greenway in south Minneapolis, but the proposal would jeopardize an organic garden that feeds low-income residents.

Return-to-office date for city of Minneapolis staff pushed back to Feb. 14
The new date will coincide with the expiration of the city's latest public health emergency order.

Park Board releases concept for new northeast Minneapolis riverfront park
Graco Park will be the culmination of a 20-year vision, wracked by legal disputes, to develop parkland along an industrial stretch of the Mississippi River.

Minneapolis staff set to return to City Hall on Jan. 10 amid local public health emergency
The City Council and commissions will remain virtual due to contagious virus variants.

North Loop homeless encampment an experiment on private land
Developer Hamoudi Sabri calls the shots at the camp on his property

Frey vows to bolster police staffing, counter wave of youth-driven robberies, violence
Deputy Chief Amelia Huffman joined Frey at a Thursday news conference.

Concy Rajkumar, who left unrest in Sri Lanka and founded Montessori school, dies at 77
The lifelong educator and mother of former WCCO Radio host Roshini Rajkumar led her family out of Sri Lanka to the U.S.

Homeless community scrambles as city enforces northeast Minneapolis encampment closure
The two dozen people living in tents on a slice of city land knew they had to be out by Tuesday.
![The roof of the old Lake Harriet bathhouse and current Bread and Pickle cafe is in need of repair and seen Monday in Minneapolis. ]
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Reconstruction on the way for crumbling Lake Harriet Band Shell in Minneapolis
The Park Board estimates the job will cost more than $1 million.

Institutional real estate investors face pressure from U.S. Senate, Minneapolis inspectors
A reported buyer of Zillow's portfolio is Pretium Partners, which owns distressed rentals concentrated in north Minneapolis.

Women dominate new Minneapolis Park Board after high-turnover election
Two incumbents survived a high-interest election that yielded seven new faces for the Park Board.

A Minneapolis first: Candidates of color win a majority of City Council seats
The new council members offer an eclectic mix of perspectives.

Four Minneapolis council members who backed replacing police ousted, new progressives elected
Another four incumbents who supported the policing overhaul were re-elected.

Minneapolis Park Board election a referendum on expanding social agenda
Candidates' visions differ on how far the board's advocacy should reach.

Environmental justice group sues Minneapolis to halt Upper Harbor Terminal redevelopment
The city's analysis found the project would not harm wildlife.

Minneapolis public works employees accept new labor contract
Public Works employees have been negotiating for higher wages, respect.

At town hall, Omar boosts public safety amendment, blasts budget stalemate
The congresswoman weighed in on Minneapolis issues in her 8th town hall of the year.

Mpls. mayoral frontrunners face off on 'Almanac' debate
Challengers goaded incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey to show how he has improved the culture of the police department since George Floyd's murder and the subsequent unrest, which caused half a billion dollars of damage to businesses owned largely by people of color.