AAPI Heritage Month event tries to envelop the decades
In 1992, Theater Mu was founded in St. Paul to tell stories from the heart of the Asian American experience, and now, we are in the middle of celebrating our 30th anniversary season. Four world …
Vote delayed on Doge Pizza request
Should a Hamline-Midway pizza restaurant be allowed to provide carryout and delivery service overnight until 6 a.m.? That’s a question the St. Paul Planning Commission’s Zoning Committee …
Applause Theater’s latest show, ‘Ending True’ opens May 18
Applause Theater explores the power of family stories in its latest show, “Ending True,” which runs May 18-21 at Dreamland Arts (677 Hamline Ave. N.). “The play is about the power …
Coffee shop focuses on building community
The space in the Griggs Midway Building used to house Lucy’s. Then it was Snack Chat. It had been empty for about four years when Ian Oundo looked at it. He had dreamed about opening a …
Plan it May 2023
2023 Qeej and Hmong Arts Festival JUNE 4 Attend an authentic celebration of Hmong culture at the Qeej and Hmong Arts Festival, taking place on June 4, 2023 at the historic Landmark Center in St. …
Celebrate Juneteenth in Rondo
Rondo Center of Diverse Expressions (RCODE) is pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Observance on Monday, June 19t, 2023, at the Rondo Commemorative Plaza, 820 Concordia Avenue. Activities …
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 …
Signs of spring
Frogtown Green Spring has definitely sprung! This year, Frogtowners are busier than ever, working to enhance our neighborhood’s natural environment. Check out this spring roundup of …
Intergenerational knowledge
“There is never a wrong time to do the right thing.” Author unknown “Although slavery may have been abolished, the crippling poison of racism still persists, and the struggle …
POLLS
Opinion

Celebrating teachers and learning

The month of May is the time to celebrate. There is an opportunity to honor teachers and recognize the importance of reading. We each can play a vital role in supporting our children’s …

Chamber directory

Rebuild, Repair, Recycle
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 …
Last year, Christmas was looking pretty bleak for the Eugene Johnson family.Johnson fell off a second story building onto a fence, and was hospitalized for weeks. Then he spent time in a wheelchair. …
By Patricia OhmansFrogtown GreenAre you concerned about news of bird die-offs, and even extinctions? Turn off the lights! That’s one of two simple things you can do, according to experts at the …
Aging Well
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 - …
HyggeCertainly, the long, cold, dark Minnesota winters can spark a melancholia for some. Yet frigid temperatures and spare daytime hours can also create the mood to hibernate, as other creatures of …
School & Sports
Como student learn about careers
Como students took advantage of the chance to visit with representatives from 30 different businesses, industries, and trade groups during school on Thursday, April 27. The fair featured many St. …
Educator advocates for smudging policy
“All Native American students should have the right to smudge,” said Como Park High School teacher Angelina Hernandez. “We need to expand policies to protect the rights of …
She helps students take risks, achieve goals
Sarah Ehlen, a math and science teacher at Prodeo Academy, finds joy in building connections with her students and watching them grow as learners. The veteran teacher believes it’s her job to …
‘Matilda, Jr.’ at Murray Middle School
After four years without a performance, the spring Musical Theater was back at Murray Middle School. The production of Matilda, Jr. was a huge success, according to organizers. Over 50 students were …
Como AP Government students visit D.C.
Fifteen seniors studying AP Government and AP Economics recently spent a week in Washington D.C. as part of the national Close Up program. Highlights included study visits to national monuments and …
Voices Against Violence
A SAFER APPROACH FOR CUSTODY CASES
Who’s right? Who’s wrong? And how does it affect the kids?Figuring out family dynamics in custody cases can be tricky, but the Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP) in St. Paul …
Emergency hotel stay project launches for victim-survivors of domestic violence
Estelle Brouwer, Executive Director of Women’s Advocates, announced today that starting in October they will be launching an emergency hotel stay project that provides short-term lodging for …
FAILED BY FAMILY COURT
Helpless and hopeless.That’s how Kelsey Kruse felt for years as she tried to co-parent with her ex and his wife, Brett and Sarah Hallow.And then one day, she got the call she was scared …
‘I RAN’
At 25, Sarah* doesn’t speak to her dad. And she points the finger squarely at him and how he treated her before and after her parents’ divorce.She knows that people often blame mom when a …
They took her children away
When Starr Jones* tells her story, people can’t believe this is happening in Minnesota. They can’t believe that the dad was investigated by child protection when their first daughter was …
Development
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 …
Hamline Midway Library design released
Designs for a new Hamline Midway Branch library have been unveiled, as efforts to save the existing building continue. Designs and floor plans for Hamline Midway, Hayden Heights and Riverview …
Sherburne Collective aims for deeply affordable housing
Developers of a changing and complex Frogtown affordable housing proposal have been given more time to put things together. The St. Paul City Council, acting as the Housing and Redevelopment …

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
Nearly 400 guests came out on March 3 to attend the Twin Cities premiere screenings of “Northern Nights, Starry Skies,” a documentary produced by PBS North and Hamline’s Center for …
No student internships at Hamline University will go unpaid, thanks to a combined $2.5 million in federal appropriations and donor gifts. A $1 million appropriation establishes Pipers to …
Few things would bring anyone out into a November snowstorm at 1 a.m., but on Nov. 16, more than a dozen Hamline forensic science students were called out to investigate a staged crime scene on …
Como
THANK YOU to everyone who showed up to last month’s Como Park Cleanup event. We counted 142 amazing volunteers, including 33 from the Twin Cities German Immersion School, that’s huge! …
D10 Como Park usually co-hosts the Como Park portion of the city’s Regional Parks Cleanup Day. When: Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 9-11:30 a.m. What: Individuals and groups of all ages come …
Winters can be frigid in Minnesota, but Karl Erickson, the woodworking program manager at Elpis Enterprises (2161 University Ave.) can find ways to make the cold weather both fun and a learning …
Frogtown
Sick of snow? Me, too. It’s frustrating to be stuck inside yet again in what feels like an endless series of “final” winter storms. But these last slushy days give us time to get …
“We all have angels guiding us… They look after us. They heal us, touch us, comfort us with invisible warm hands… What will bring their help? Asking. Giving thanks.” ~ Sophy …
Over the past few summers, you may have noticed an increase in blooming wildflower gardens in our neighborhoods. Have you wondered where people get some of the seeds they need to make those gardens …
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
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 …
Tiny spaces live large
Stephen Filing of Realty Group was looking to start a real estate business in 2014. He and his wife recently had a child and wanted to start something in the area. When Filing found the tiny office …
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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