Last night, as I was putting together a new edition of Voices of Southwest, I stumbled upon a newsletter we sent out in January. It was like a time capsule. We were excited that the sun was setting at 5 p.m.--we had made it through the darkest of days. We let people know Cedar Lake Parkway would be closing temporarily in early February. Minneapolis education support professionals were marching for higher wages (this was months before the 3-week strike).
In our newsletter today, we included a link to a 16-month old profile of Dawanna Witt that we also linked to in January. News archives tell us a lot about how we are progressing as a city and we are grateful to be one of the newest news organizations in the city, adding to that soon-to-be history.
If you haven't become a member of Southwest Voices yet, now is a great time to do so. Our reporting is supported by readers like you.
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Voices of Southwest is a monthly feature where we publish basically all of the comments we get from you, our readers. This month we received comments about Melanie's story on life after being carjacked and how we calculated data from a city presentation on gun violence (plus more!). Check out all the comments here.
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Monday Meeting Review
If you are looking for summaries of any civic meeting, check out the Minneapolis Documenters website. They also have a meeting calendar.
Minneapolis City Council and committees
The Business, Inspections, Housing & Zoning Committee meets Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. On the agenda is approving an application by Simpson Housing Services to use the Zion Lutheran Church building at 128 33rd St. W. for an emergency shelter for up to 70 people until Oct. 1, 2027.
The Public Works & Infrastructure Committee meets Thursday at 1:30 p.m. No agenda published yet.
You can access the meetings on City Council TV or the City's YouTube channel. The public is allowed to attend meetings in-person at City Hall in room 317.
Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education
The school board's Committee of the Whole meets on Tuesday at 6 p.m. to talk about the topic "Systems and Structures: Creating the Foundation."
You can stream the meeting here, attend the meeting at the John B. Davis Center, or watch the recorded meeting that will be posted here.
Met Council
The Met Council meets on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
You can access Met Council meetings through the agendas, which include a live YouTube link to the meeting.
Hennepin County
The Public Works Committee, Law, Safety and Justice Committee, Health and Human Services Committee, and the Administration, Libraries and Budget Committee all meet tomorrow.
You can access Hennepin County meetings online here.
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
There are currently no meetings schedules for this week.
You can watch the livestream and recordings of the meetings here or attend in person at the Mary Merrill Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Headquarters.
LINK ROUNDUP 🔗
There was a fire at the old Rudolph's Bar-B-Que Restaurant building on Lyndale and Franklin Aves. No one was hurt (Bring Me The News)
If you were wondering why Iron Door was closed on a Friday night, their kitchen was having issues. They re-opened on Saturday without a hitch. (Facebook)
Thanks to a policy that Councilmember Andrew Johnson helped write, city employees will begin receiving three months of paid leave following the birth or adoption of a child. According to the Star Tribune, that is quadruple the amount the city was previously providing. (Star Tribune)
Drool with jealousy over a limited run glass from TILT Pinball Bar that is already sold-out. Or swing into the bar and get a "pinball wizard" glass that is still available. (TILT/Instagram)
Convos around The Convention Grill keep popping up online. It has been closed for awhile, the other restaurants the group owns are up and running, and so people are like, Hello? Can we get some burgers and fries? The Convention Grill posted in June and acknowledged that it is still closed and but the owner plans to reopen. That's all we got for now. Send us tips if you hear anything. (Nextdoor/Facebook)
From the archives: Check out a profile on Dawanna Witt from April 2021 when she was a Hennepin County Sheriff's Office administrator. She is now running for Hennepin County Sheriff in the November 8 general election. (Star Tribune)
COMMUNITY RESOURCES ✊
On August 20, Metro Transit's quarterly transit updates went info effect. Check out the list of impacted routes to make sure your bus is still going to pick you up (of course it is).
Fill out this survey about your East Harriet Neighborhood and get added to a gift card raffle from Brasa, Tenant, Famrstead Bikes, Our Kitchen, or Khâluna.
OUT & ABOUT 🎨
Go to Bebe Zito and try out their new THC-infused ice cream.
No Limits the B-sides Band is playing 70s, 80s, and today's music at Lake Harriet Bandshell at 7:00 p.m.
Magers & Quinn Bookstore present "Do The Work: An Antiracist Activity Book by W. Kamau Bell + Kate Schatz," tonight at Parkway Theater. The event features local writer Sun Yung Shin. "Overwhelmed by racial injustice? Outraged by the news? Find yourself asking, “What can I doooo?” DO THE WORK!"
