Read more stories about: Republican National Convention

Read more stories about: Republican National Convention

A South High junior’s research project that included an interview with former Vice President Walter Mondale won her first place at the National History Day competition in June.

Sade Ogundiran’s exhibit was titled “We Will No Longer Accept Compromise: Fannie Lou Hamer, the Voice that Inspired Freedom Summer.” Her project covered the civil rights leader’s role in forcing the Democratic Party to seat integrated delegations after the 1964 national convention.

The competition took place June 15–19 at the University of Maryland, and the top prize included a trophy and a cash award of $1,000.

Students in grades six–12 participated in the competition. Eleven entries from Minnesota won national honors, including an entry by Gary Waelho
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Daytime roadway closing under I-35W overpass

TANGLETOWN — Minnehaha Parkway will close during daytime hours Wednesday and Thursday where it runs under Interstate 35W, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) reported Monday.

The road closure will run 6 a.m.–6 p.m. both days, allowing construction crews to work on the I-35W bridge over the parkway. The work is part of the ongoing Crosstown reconstruction project involving work on I-35W and Highway 62.

At least one pedestrian or bike path under the bridge will remain open during construction, MnDOT reported.

A look at Linden Hills’ first home built with LEED in mind

LINDEN HILLS — Green isn’t just for the suburbs anymore.

In January, Minnetonka unveiled the Live Green, Live Smart Sustainable House, a project that showed off a new phase in environmentally friendly building — a LEED-certified home.

It was an “ooh” and “aah” moment. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has been around for years, but it had focused primarily on rewarding commercial developments for sustainable building practices. The U.S. Green Building Council now has started rewarding green homes, too.

The Kingfield community tries to move forward after the bewildering murder of a mother and her son.

KINGFIELD — Children played and neighbors chatted in their front yards as cars slowed and bicyclists paused near a cluster of deflated balloons, wilted flowers and an orange Teddy Bear outside a duplex draped with police tape.  

Laying in the makeshift memorial outside 3639 1st Ave. was a torn and weathered flyer advertising a vigil held several days earlier for Katricia Daniels and her 10-year-old son Robert Shepard, who were found brutally murdered in the house June 12.

Read more stories about: Republican National Convention

Stevens Square aims to grow retail and office space

STEVENS SQUARE — Community leaders and property owners in Stevens Square have what they say is a powerful new tool to promote redevelopment of their section of Nicollet Avenue.

A marketing study completed in June highlights the potential for new residential and commercial development on Nicollet Avenue between Interstate 94 and Franklin Avenue in the next five years and beyond. The study arrived just as most of the major property owners along that three-block stretch agreed to work together to attract developers.

Read more stories about: Bryn Mawr neighborhood

Read more stories about: Republican National Convention

Exterior

A main factor in LEED building is using sustainable, long-lasting materials. At the Br’er Abbott house, it starts outside. The majority of its exterior is made up of some form of steel. Its color comes from sustainable treatments — such as staining — so no painting or finishing will have to be done in the future. The deck fits the sustainability bill, too: Its expected lifespan is about
50 years.

Highpoint exhibition highlights Jerome Residency recipients

THE WEDGE — Maybe it’s the vats of acid or the huge metal presses or the danger posed to upholstery by all those cans of ink, but you don’t see too many spare bedrooms converted into printmaking studios.

(Basements, sure, but you don’t want that stuff anywhere near the couch.)

Shawn Allison

What better way to spend a nice summer evening than on a rooftop of one of the city’s hottest nightspots with your friends, a cold drink in hand and a breathtaking view of the skyline as your backdrop? There are several restaurants worth checking out in Downtown and Southwest. Here’s an overview of a handful of rooftop venues.

“It hit me in January,” says Julie Neubauer, a project manager living in Circle Pines. “It began with headaches, and being tired, and problems I didn’t have when I was younger.” The 47-year-old mother of three decided those problems were a sign that changes needed to be made. She eliminated caffeine and carbohydrates from her diet, upgraded her vitamins, and mapped out a near-religious workout regimen. The payoff? Eight inches melted off her midsection; she’s continuously dropping dress sizes; and sleeping through the night is the norm, not a novelty.

Read more stories about: Armatage neighborhood

Believe it or not, Dulono’s Pizza at 607 W. Lake St. could be the oldest bluegrass venue in the country.

The restaurant has been around since 1957, serving up Sicilian-style pies and frosty schooners of beer in a laid-back setting that feels like a cross between a VFW and a bowling alley bar.

Bluegrass bands play every Friday and Saturday nights from 8 p.m. to midnight, and motorcyclists congregate there on the first Thursday of every month. Staff can’t quite remember when bikers first settled on the spot, but talent booker Alan Jesperson can tell you exactly when the bluegrass bands arrived.

24th & HENNEPIN

Twin Cities Green, the go-to store for eco-friendly household items at 2405 Hennepin Ave. S., is expanding its inventory.

Its owners, Ryan and Tina North, on June 28 closed their original South Minneapolis shop, Re Gifts. All of its stock will now be sold at Twin Cities Green, including its wider collection of jewelry, handbags and purses.

Re Gift’s closing, Ryan North said, was not due to poor business. Rather, it’s more personal: He and his wife personally run both stores, leaving them little downtime to raise their 8-year-old son.

The closing also is environmentally motivated.

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Businesses facing tough times due to I-35W construction

When Terre Thomas saw road construction start at the Lyndale Avenue and Lake Street intersection about a year ago, she said she was mortified — concerned for the livelihood of businesses that had construction at their doors.

Today, her own business, Fairy Godmother, is sandwiched between the I-35W and Lyndale Avenue construction projects, and Thomas is planning a crusade to garner support for area businesses in the same situation. 

The construction on I-35W has closed both the 46th and 50th street bridges, severely re-routed traffic, and hit some businesses hard in the Kingfield neighborhood and surrounding areas.

Sales at the Bruegger’s Bagels on the
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