McDonald’s teardown makes room for new hotel, restaurants
Midway Center McDonald’s is no more, torn down Jan. 13, 2025. That makes way for redevelopment along University Avenue and inside the United Village site bounded by Pascal Street and St. …
Our Streets, district councils push for at-grade options
Frustration is growing over the Rethinking I-94 project proposal to drop two at-grade options. The Rethinking I-94 Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) Jan. 17 discussed recommendations to eliminate …
Tips for promoting representation in books from Isaiah Allen
1. Create your own stories together as a family and community: Representation starts with storytelling. Writing and sharing your experiences, culture, or perspective ensures authenticity. Stories …
Two communities working together
Hamline Elementary, a community school in the heart of the Hamline Midway neighborhood, and Hamline University, Minnesota’s first university have a unique and long-standing partnership. Almost …
There's a summer camp for every kid
Summer camp season will be here before parents know it. While children anxiously await the last day of school, adults know that it can be challenging to keep kids occupied and mentally stimulated …
Minnesota nights getting warmer
The Twin Cities Meteorological Society’s 4th Annual Minnesota State of the Climate event, held at the Anpétu Téca Education Center in Roseville, had a special focus on …
Chamber directory

Opinion
The values of the Midway
Someone recently asked me to describe the Midway Chamber. I gave some of the usual fact – founded in 1919, around 330 members, mission is to “build a stronger Midway.” But I also …
Minnesotans demand equal rights
On Tuesday, Jan. 14 amid a tectonic start to Minnesota Legislature 2025-26 Session, one bright spot emerged: a resounding collective voice for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) echoed throughout the …
Claiming the story: Why representation needs more than a supporting role
Books inspire our youth to dream big. The kind of dreams that are bold, audacious, and transformative. These dreams ignite a passion for hard work and the courage to embark on leadership journeys …
Calling out the powerful, thinking about change
“When your rage is choking you, it is best to say nothing.” Octavia Butler “Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to …
Let’s dream for the future
As someone who loves the Midway, I don’t love seeing vacant lots. I cringe when I see the boarded-up windows of the CVS, and the trash floating around the old funeral home parking lot – …
Rebuild, Repair, Recycle
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) recommendations headed to the Rethinking I-94 project policy advisory committee on Jan. 17 are provoking debate. Recommendations to set aside at-grade …
Happy New Year! The winter solstice, harbinger of the beginning of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere and sunlight curmudgeon, has passed. It’s a good thing we have such Grand …
Allianz Field opened its doors in 2019. Since then, both soccer supporters and Minnesota United FC have organized neighborhood cleanups around the Hamline-Midway neighborhood. The longest-running of …
Living 50+
Live On Minnesota is working to become the first provider of Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) in the state of Minnesota. Also known as “human composting,” NOR is the safe and peaceful …
Rob McHattie tries to have as many people as possible stop and smell the roses that he grows.  The St. Paul gardener has raised tea roses for many years, and he shares the blooms with …
“What do you do when your car is stolen?” Milan Mockovak, 93, wrote in his story, “Life As We Know It.”  “A published story was on my bucket list,” he …
GOOD NEIGHBOR
School & Sports
Wrestling revival at Como Park
The second semester of the school year commenced the week of Jan. 27. While full-year courses continue, the new semester ushers in a fresh grading period. Semester-long courses mean that student …
Learning center not a secret anymore
There is not an interest in the East Side Learning Center (ESLC) being the best-kept secret anymore. This belief was recently shared by Karmit Bulman, the new director of the center, located at …
Kaleidoscope Learning offers third space for winter play
The first five years of a child’s life can be a lost opportunity for learning because most community services, like kindergarten, don’t start until age five, said Como resident Julia …
A volunteer’s viewpoint
Saint Anthony Park resident Nancy Hauser lives a long way from her grandchildren, who are on the East Coast, and she does not often get to see them. So volunteering with the East Side Learning Center …
Concluding 2024, kicking off 2025
WINTER ONE ACT PLAY “The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet” was performed three times in the Como Auditorium during December. The play was directed by choir teacher Huy Tran and …
Voices Against Violence
An ‘oppressive’ experience:’ 57 hearings, 80 court orders and 12 parenting time schedules
What do you do when 11 judges and referees, 20 therapists, 12 mediators, two parenting consultants (with 37 directives), one custody evaluator, and one guardian ad litem haven’t been able to …
Violence Free Minnesota issues statement on Burnsville Police and EMT domestic violence homicides
Violence Free Minnesota issued the following statement on Tuesday, Feb. 20 to call attention to the full circumstances around Shannon Cortez Gooden's murder of two police officers and an EMT in …
Domestic abuse victim jailed
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a Minnesota judge ordered a victim to jail for not forcing her daughter to see her father. Dani* was ordered to serve 30 days in jail on Oct. 2, 2023 or …
From their Standpoint
Thi Synavone came to the U.S. in 1979 as a Laotian refugee. After living in many states, her family settled in Minnesota in 1988. Synavone said that growing up, domestic and sexual violence was never …
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. …
Development
ReConnect Rondo receives $2 million to advance Rondo Community Land Bridge Project
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded ReConnect Rondo $2 million in federal funding to support the completion of …
Will shelter guests be safe?
The move of 25 overnight shelter beds from downtown St. Paul to Central Baptist Church, 420 N. Roy St., takes effect Nov. 12, 2024. Central Baptist, which has operated different shelter programs for …
Midway Y daycare center grows
The Midway YMCA will double its child care capacity to about 280 children per day, with a new facility planned northeast of the main building. The St. Paul Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) approved …
Intersection of ideas on Interstate 94
As MnDOT evaluates its upcoming Interstate 94 project, community members are talking about how they live, work and play along the corridor, and what they envision for the next 50 years. It’s …
Hotel plans feel cut off from neighborhood, say community groups
Plans for a hotel and attached parking ramp at the United Village development could be headed to the St. Paul Planning Commission as soon as March 15. The complicated project design requires a …

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
Following the termination of St. Paul resident Brandon Long, the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA) in Minneapolis has appointed Amy Arcand as interim executive director. Upon being told of …
Dr. Mayme Hostetter, a founding leader and current president of the Relay Graduate School of Education in New York City, was introduced as the 22nd president of Hamline University at a campus …
The long fight to renovate and save the historic Hamline Midway Branch Library came to an end Oct. 31, 2024 as Ramsey County District Court Judge Stephen Smith ruled that a new library project can …
Como
Como’s new 3DE (three-dimensional education) program for all freshmen has successfully launched. A culminating event took place in November with a field trip downtown to St. Paul City Hall and …
The Cougar boys produced the most successful season in program history, punctuated by a fourth-place finish in the state meet on Nov. 2, 2024. The team qualified for state by winning the Section 4AA …
On Sept. 13 2024, the Kathy and Dick Dumas Tennis Courts were officially renamed. Construction of eight brand-new tennis courts at Como Park High School was completed in late August thanks to a …
Frogtown
It’s February, and as of the time of this writing the snowfall total for the winter of 2024-25 is 69% lower than the historical average. Sad news for many winter sports aficionados, yet a boon …
November has arrived! Temps have fallen. The 2024 presidential election has concluded. Please don’t mind the rash of autumn lovers, like myself, prowling city streets, relishing sounds, smells, …
The Minnesota State Fair conjures up scenes of copious crowds, generator-humming eateries, and layering heat. Add to that a palpable ocean of sensory stimulation, spectacle, and awe. Aptly nicknamed …
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 …
HOME & GARDEN
Hayes Window expands into new location, offers storm windows
Lost your storm windows over the years? Have windows you can’t open anymore because they were painted shut? Does the glass rattle in the wind? These problems don’t mean that you need to …
A watershed moment
What is a watershed? What is our local watershed called? Where does it begin and end?  What is the largest watershed in the U.S.? According to board chair of the League of …
Recycle your left-over paint with PaintCare
Did you know there’s an option for recycling leftover paint in Minnesota? That’s right, recycling, not just disposing of leftover paint. Since 2014, the non-profit PaintCare has been …
Events - Apr 2024
MASTER GARDENER PLANT SALE MAY 18 Ramsey County Master Gardeners will host their annual plant sale May 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Aldrich Arena, 1850 White Bear Ave N, Maplewood. This new …
Local landlord is crazy about green
Not every landlord inveighs against fossil fuels, but then again, Dale Howey isn’t your average landlord.  As the owner, manager and environmental cheerleader-in-chief of Green Rock …
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 …
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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