Weary of trash, citizens concerned about parking lots around Allianz Field
Requests to continue use of two interim parking lots west of Allianz Field and add a third new interim lot northwest of the soccer stadium go to the St. Paul City Council for a public hearing at 3:30 …
Gentry Academy hires Como High graduate Kyle Follmer to lead boys’ hockey team
Gentry Academy in Vadnais Heights has hired Kyle Follmer as the school’s new boys’ hockey coach. Follmer, who played high school hockey at St. Paul Como Park, before playing junior and …
Rain Taxi Book Fair returns Oct. 14 
Rain Taxi Book Fair returns Oct. 14  Rain Taxi presents its 23rd Annual Twin Cities book Festival Saturday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the state fairgrounds with special …
Commusication celebrates 10 years 
ComMUSICation (CMC), a nonprofit organization providing equitable access to music programs for youth in Saint Paul, marked its 10th anniversary by hosting a concert on May 21 at the Ordway Concert …
Join other seniors
JOIN OTHER SENIORS Our programs for seniors are welcoming and informal, you may join any Ame. There is no fee for classes; donations are always welcome. To register, please call or email: Hamline …
Niger’s Coup – China, Russia, Climate, and Nukes on Sept. 27
World Without Genocide will host a webinar on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023: Niger’s Coup – China, Russia, Climate, and Nukes. On July 26, a military junta in Niger deposed Niger’s …
Lyngblomsten opens new senior living community, first time in over a century
Lyngblomsten, a Minnesota nonprofit senior services organization, announces the opening of its new continuum-of-care campus in Lino Lakes, Minn. The community welcomed its first residents to the …
St. Paul author’s book helps children process grief
St. Paul author Jean Havlina-Madsen has devoted her life to helping and educating others. After years of working in pediatrics, she entered the hospice field and became involved in grief education …
Friends for a NonViolent World, PEACE WALK Sept. 30
Activist, professor, community organizer, and author George Lakey is visiting the Twin Cities in September for his international book tour. From his first arrest in the Civil Rights era to his most …
POLLS
Opinion

After Kansas newspaper raid: good people showing up

If you’re reading this right now, we have won. Every week, our newspapers struggles to cover local issues. We are limited by staffing, time and newsprint space, and we struggle to pay bills to …

Chamber directory

Rebuild, Repair, Recycle
    Ways to add housing density throughout St. Paul, without dramatically changing community character, are goals for zoning amendments going to the St. Paul City Council for a …
Home improvement work in neighborhoods along Green Line light rail and an array of city programs are among those recommended for funding in 2024-2025. New playground equipment at Hancock Recreation …
Project at former school building A Merriam Park development project, which hit some delays, is moving ahead. The St. Paul Planning Commission Jan. 6 approved a conditional use permit and variances …
Aging Well
Thirty-five years ago, at Thanksgiving, I moved to Minnesota from my Philadelphia home. I relocated back to my hometown in time for Passover and Easter. In November 1988, the Twin Cities were cold …
Some time ago, after suffering the shocking and unexpected loss of my still young husband, Martijn, while we were living in Europe, I experienced what is called traumatic grief. In addition to a year …
• Chair Yoga (Thursday 10:30 a.m.) and Arthritis-Friendly Exercise (Tuesday and Thursday 1:30 p.m.) meet until March 9. Join any time, in-person and on Zoom.• Solo Seniors Resource Group - …
School & Sports
Living the dream with hope and purpose
Aug. 28, 2023, marked the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. On Aug. 28, 1963, thousands gathered to lift their voices for justice. They envisioned a society where the …
Summer highlights, fall preview
Summer break came and went quickly! Hundreds of students stayed connected to Como through unique experiences ranging from educational trips out of state to athletic team trainings on campus. Some …
A road trip through America’s Deep South
One car, three teachers, seven days, 10 states, and 2,850 miles. In late July, we journeyed through the Deep South as curious learners with goals of connecting places with the content of our courses. …
Nonprofit pushes to keep state science fair, science bowls going
“Minnesota may not have a State Science Fair or State Science Bowls going forward. We just lost a 25-year sponsor who covered a third of our Science Fair budget. So now we’ve got six …
Cougar spring sports highlights
The high school sports season that began with practices in early March concluded with state tournaments in mid-June. For hundreds of student athletes who wore a Como Park Cougar uniform, their spring …
Voices Against Violence
CAUGHT BETWEEN
She lived in Minnesota for only five months and her daughter was born in Iowa, but Dani* has been dragged into family court in Minnesota nearly every one of the past 11 years by her ex-boyfriend. …
Barricaded siblings turn to TikTok while defying court order to return to father they say abused them
Two siblings in Utah have barricaded themselves in a bedroom at their mother’s home in defiance of a judge’s order to return to the custody of their father, despite state child welfare …
Colorado becomes the first state to limit court use of family reunification camps
A bill signed into law this week in Colorado prohibits family courts from ordering children to participate in reunification programs that isolate them from a trusted caregiver. Many of these programs …
A court ordered siblings to a reunification camp with their estranged father. The children say it was abusive.
One Thursday afternoon in December, a father and two of his estranged children boarded a flight from Salt Lake City to Texas, beginning an effort to repair their fractured relationship. A family …
Judge pauses order to return siblings to father they say abused them
After two months barricaded in a bedroom to defy a court order directing them to be returned to the custody of their father, who they say abused them, Utah siblings Ty and Brynlee Larson emerged …
Development
Will ground break soon for United Villages?
Long-awaited redevelopment of the area around Allianz Field could get underway soon. Getting shovels in the ground requires several steps, which are under review by Hamline Midway Coalition and Union …
Development Update
Snelling building gets new lease on life The long-awaited rehabilitation of a Snelling Avenue building can move ahead, following the July 12, 2023, St. Paul City Council approval of the project. …
Streetwear at University and Dale
By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN Urban29 lost its space at 804 E. Lake in Minneapolis when the building burned after the murder of George Floyd. Owner Joyce Sanders of Longfellow opened a pop-up location …
Judge allows new Taco Bell
A new Taco Bell restaurant is going up at 565 N. Snelling Ave., thanks to a successful court challenge by owner Border Foods. Neighbors were surprised that the longtime location was fenced off and …
One latte at a time
Frogtown has a coffee shop again.Over three years of planning culminated with the official opening of Flava Coffee and Cafe on Aug. 27, 2022 in the newly built Neighborhood Development Center at the …

20 AWARDS EARNED IN 2023

TMC Publication's three newspapers earned a total of 20 awards at this year's Better Newspaper Contest through the Minnesota Newspaper Association. Congrats to the winners! NEWS1) First Place, Sports …
Hamline-Midway
University Avenue has always been a hot spot for enjoying a diverse cuisine. And the restaurant industry is always changing; on one hand we don’t like seeing our favorite places close but there …
Doge Pizza will not be able to stay open overnight, the St. Paul Planning Commission decided May 26. The commission on an 8-4 vote rejected Doge’s request to change its nonconforming use for …
Summer is upon us. Delight in the chance to leave home without mittens. Most of the activities listed below are free. ST. PAUL PRIDE FESTIVAL The new St. Paul Pride Festival in Rice Park …
Como
Como residents are dismantling racial covenants and preserving untold stories through Know Your Como, a transformative neighborhood history project. Thomas Frankson, a prominent figure in the …
JROTC cadet scholarships Through a unique high school experience that included a year of distance learning beginning in the spring of their freshman year, and masking requirements for nearly a year …
Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) announces that a new East African Elementary Magnet School will open in September 2023. The PreK-5 school is being designed in collaboration with members of the East …
Frogtown
Wendell O Ward (a longtime Frogtowner known to his fans as “WOW”) is generally a happy guy. But this year a little patch of dirt, just about 40 feet square, has made him even happier. …
This month’s Frogtown Green column has a guest writer – Aaron Backs, a sustainability project coordinator with CERTs, a state-wide clean energy partnership. Aaron walks through a …
NEW SKATE PARK The City of Saint Paul has a new seasonal skate park at Dayton’s Bluff Recreation Center. This project was started when recreation center staff noticed the tennis courts …
Uprising & Unrest
Breathing new life into 27th and Lake
The 27th Avenue block between Lake and 31st Street bustled with community life. The block included a Latino night club, a popular Indian-Bangladeshi restaurant, and a community organization serving …
Learn to listen
Dr. Remi Douah is a listening presence at the “Say Their Names” Cemetery near George Floyd Square, just off East 37th Street between Chicago and Columbus avenues. He spends hours there …
Billboards at George floyd square show connection, unity
Two new artist-created billboards are up on the rooftops at George Floyd Square. Part of the Social Justice Billboard Project, “La Conneccion,” by Maria Cristina “Tina” …
Ribbon cut at Lloyd’s Pharmacy
Lloyd’s Pharmacy owner Jim Stage (back center) and his family officially cut the ribbon of their rebuilt pharmacy on Aug. 5, 2021. Celebrating with them were Mayor Melvin Carter (far left), …
Through Their Eyes
Origin of Racism
By JAN WILLMSFloyd Williams describes himself as a student of life, a revolutionary on many different levels: mentally, spiritually and socially. “I am definitely a person who is about my …
Help kids through trauma
Telling his own children about George Floyd’s death was one of hardest things Rev. Ronald Bell ever did Reverend Dr. Ronald Bell Jr. with his wife, Dr. Eboni Bell, and his two sons. Bell encouraged …
How to shrink the racial divide?
A conversation with the Truce Center’s Miki Lewis Miki Lewis is the founder and director of the Truce Center in St. Paul. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)[/caption] By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN The first …
Through East African eyes
Unrest painful reminder of violence immigrants left behind Youth & Family Circle Eexecutive Director Mahmud Kanyare helps during a food give-away for hundreds of East African families at the …
HOME & GARDEN
Chat with local gardener, plant sale organizer
The 4th Annual Plant Sale to Benefit the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center Food Shelf wil be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1138 Churchill St. Veggies, annuals and perennial …
Free trees for Frogtown, Hamline-Midway residents
Frogtown GreenSince 2011, volunteers in the Frogtown neighborhood have been planting free trees in residents’ homes. Inspired by those efforts, and alarmed by recent declines in urban tree …
NO MOW MAY
Let’s face it – your lawn, with all the mowing, raking, fertilizing, weeding, chemical treatment and watering it requires – is pretty much useless. At least that’s what a lot …
The clown colored house on the hill
Perched on a hill overlooking the Como Park Golf Course is a two-story vivid spruce green and fuchsia pink cube made of steel and glass. Situated on a bend in Lexington Ave, it’s impossible to …
Home renovations to age in place
At age 69, I was a “silver sneaker” poster child – fit and healthy, living on my own, fiercely independent and proud of it. Ironically, my main fitness exercise, avid fast walking …
George Floyd Square
GFS: Sowing seeds of solidarity
The little white house at 4600 Columbus Ave. S. is a typical south Minneapolis home. It has a garden out back and another out front, where every year in mid-July the Black-eyed Susans bloom. Its …
REMEMBERING GEORGE FLOYD
People gathered May 25-28, 2022 to commemorate the 2nd angelversary of George Floyd’s death. Others lost to police violence were remembered, and their families, who continue to push for change, …
A voice for justice
Becoming an activist in a worldwide movement for racial justice was beyond anything Angela Harrelson would have imagined for her life. But the murder of her nephew, George Perry Floyd, Jr. – or …
Did Minneapolis mislead, downplay public input on 38th & Chicago survey?
Since late 2020 Mayor Jacob Frey has made known his intent to reopen the intersection at 38th St. E and Chicago Ave. S. When interim design surveys were returned in spring 2021, he and city leaders …
The People's Closet makes fashion, political statement
Sometimes a revolutionary act is quiet, unseen. Sometimes it’s loud and worn on a shirtsleeve. At The People’s Closet at George Floyd Square, it’s a little bit of both.Born out of …
ELECTION RESULTS
WHAT THEY LIKE ABOUT THE MONITOR

We support the neighborhood by advertising in the Monitor

Supporting the Monitor is one of many ways for us to support our neighborhood. Our local newspaper allows families in the neighborhood to learn of Career Pathways Secondary School and our individualized learning paths for students in grades 6-12. We want our neighbors to know who we are as a school and why we are special. Our families are happy and kids stay with us. We want each student to feel wanted and known. The Hamline Midway neighborhood is part of our school's identity. Career Pathways recently invested $2,000,000 in remodeling our facilities as a commitment to the Hamline Midway neighborhood. We’re proud to be a part of it and represented in the Monitor. ~ Liz Lonetti of Career Pathways

Informative and interesting

Thank you for providing a great local paper serving Frogtown and adjacent neighborhoods. Your reporting and other content is always informative and/or interesting. Kudos on your excellent design/layout, as well. 

Paul Wehrwein, Frogtown

REVIEW

"Saint Paul Urban Tennis had a great experience working with Denis Woulfe, and we will definitely be doing business with your company again!"

We read it cover to cover

We just want to say thank you for providing such a wonderful community resource. We look forward to recieving the Monitor, and read it cover to cover every month. It is always chock full of interesting and informative articles. Thanks for turning this into our favorite paper!

Peace, Catrina & Serrily, Como

Newspaper connects us

Many thanks for all your work to get local stories and events out to our communities! I moved to the Como neighborhood in 2021 as a new homeowner during the pandemic, and I’ve felt so much more connected by having this awesome resource.

I always start reading with the intent to skim, but end up making it through the entire paper each time! The stories of connection and joy, coverage of Como HS, latest update on the historic library debate, and Mr. Giles’ column always leaves me feeling hopeful. As a public health worker during this time, it gives me relief to see the ads for vaccination, fact-based information about COVID-19, and the highlights of cultural wellness initiatives.

Thank you for all that you do!

Warmly,
Emily Regan

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La Oficina del Defensor aboga por condiciones seguras y humanas para todos los inmigrantes detenidos
(la Oficina del Defensor de Inmigrantes Detenidos) - La Oficina del Defensor de Inmigrantes Detenidos (OIDO) está aquí para ayudar a la comunidad de inmigrantes detenidos. La OIDO, una oficina …
Ombudsman Office Champions Safe and Humane Immigration Detention Conditions for All
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Cyberattacks on local governments are on the rise, highlighting a need for enhanced security
What would a cyberattack on your local government look like? Drata analyzed threat trends to break down the growing issue.
25 metros where renters are the most overextended
Belong examined Census Bureau data to see which metros have renters who are putting the largest share of their income toward rent.