Rebuild Repair Recycle | Midway Como Frogtown Monitor

Shavek McKee, District 10 Executive Director

New vice chair, sub-district 1 member on board

A special election to fill two District 10 board vacancies was held in July. Como community members elevated sitting Sub-District 4 board member Benjamin Kowalsky-Grahek to the Vice Chair seat and … more

8/12/21

Community members officially cut the ribbon to open Midway Peace Park on June 15, 2021.

Students, residents at Skyline Tower made their vision happen

Located in the Midway Area, Midway Peace Park (416 N Griggs St.) is the newest completed component of the city of Saint Paul’s vision to create vibrant outdoor gathering spaces that strengthen … more

7/23/21

Miriam Friesen (pictured left) and Trudy Dunham (pictured right), co-creators of Replant Minnehaha Trees. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Replant Minnehaha Avenue Trees

Trudy Dunham and Miriam Friesen are on a mission: they want to replace the nearly 100 ash trees removed from the Hamline Midway neighborhood faster than city officials are proposing. Last month, the … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 7/23/21

A mural adjacent to the Lily Pad garden on the southwest corner of Dale St. and Lafond Ave. celebrates neighborhood pride. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Creating green space in heart of city

The Lily Pad is an emerging community garden and gathering space on the southwest corner of Dale Street and Lafond Avenue in the Frogtown neighborhood. The Hmong Funeral Home occupied that space from … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 6/9/21

Volunteers assist staff at the ReStore locations. (Photo submitted)

Do-It-Yourselfers love ReStore

Local Do-It-Yourselfers head to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore at 510 County Road D West or 2700 Minnehaha Ave. to get inspired.The outlet sells new and like-new furniture, appliances and building … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 6/9/21

Marvin Roger Anderson at the Rondo Commemorative Plaza (on the corner of St. Anthony and Fisk avenues). (Photos by Margie O’Loughlin)

Connecting past, present, future

ReConnect Rondo (RCR) is leading the effort to revitalize St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood. The non-profit organization and its partners propose building a community land bridge that would cap … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 5/12/21

MEET AUTHOR Tasoulla Hadjiyanni - “I was 10 years old when Turkey invaded the Cyprus and my family joined the thousands of refugees around the world, losing everything we had ever known. Losing my house and home ruptured my way of being. I embarked on a new life as a 10-year old child of war, rootless, fearful, and apprehensive, with a gap in my heart that could not be closed. “To counteract my sense of loss, I turned to my schoolwork – education, my parents told me, is something no one can ever take away from you. Before completing high school, I was awarded an AMIDEAST scholarship to study architecture in the U.S., a diplomatic effort on the part of the U.S. to assist refugees in Cyprus rebuild their lives. Little did I know that I would meet my husband a few months before graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and move to Minnesota. ‘My experiences as a refugee and a member of the Greek diaspora propelled me to connect with others who experienced displacement and injustice as part of my healing process. I was struggling with not knowing how to mend my broken self and worst of all, being pregnant at the time, I did not know how to create a sense of home for my daughter and my family. ‘In collecting the stories of refugees, immigrants and minorities both in Cyprus and Minnesota what struck me was recognizing that the effects of losing one’s cultural connections and sense of continuity carried forward for generations. I, therefore, used my platform to advocate for designs and policies that recognize home as a right and contribute to creating communities in which everyone can thrive.”

Thriving places, thriving lives

How does the design of your house or apartment help you live a healthy and connected life? Minneapolis resident Tasoulla Hadjiyanni has been studying this through her work as Northrop Professor of … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 4/14/21

This biomass illustration, which compares 2019 (left) with 2020, shows the improvement in eliminating curly-leaf pondweed (which is red). (Courtesy of Capitol Region Watershed District)

Proof: Como Lake water quality getting better

The herbicide that Capitol Region Watershed District used in 2020 to battle invasive curly-leaf pondweed in Como Lake, and the alum it used to battle excessive phosphorus, both are showing amazing … more

By Michael Kuchta | 4/14/21

Over 500 people marched along the Mississippi River on March 11 to protest Enbridge drilling their tar sands Line 3 pipeline under the headwaters of the Mississippi. It was part of the largest ever grassroots multi-faith day of action to lift up bold climate demands in over 40 countries. (Photos by Margie O’Loughlin)

Line 3 threatens Mississippi River

Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light held a rally on March 11 to protest the Enbridge Energy Line 3 Pipeline Replacement Program. A spokesperson for the group said, “Construction of the tar … more

4/14/21

Cardboard placed in recycling bins is picked up by Eureka Recycling and sorted at their NE Minneapolis facility. It ends up here at WestRock in the Midway neighborhood, where it is remade into one of two types of recycled paper. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Understanding the life cycle of recycled cardboard

For people who care about conserving resources, recycling is a given. But what really happens to all the cardboard and paper dumped in curbside recycling bins? Mike Gunderson is general manager of … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 4/14/21

MN350 member Jean Comstock spoke at a Day of Action event last fall at Xcel Headquarters in Downtown Minneapolis. The deadline for filing public comment in the “Energy We Can’t Afford” campaign is April 12. (Photos courtesy of MN350)

‘Energy we can’t afford’

MN350 wants people to question whether natural gas is really clean-burning, safe and abundant energy, and they are fighting Xcel’s proposed new billion dollar fossil gas power plant in Becker, … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 3/10/21

Neighbors go solar together

For home and business owners in the Twin Cities metro area who have been considering installing solar panels, there are two affordable reasons to go solar now. Solar United Neighbors is a national … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 2/11/21

‘Energy we can’t afford’

MN350 wants people to question whether natural gas is really clean-burning, safe and abundant energy, and they are fighting Xcel’s proposed new billion dollar fossil gas power plant in Becker, … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 2/10/21

Erin Pavlica’s daughter in 2013, riding the used upholstered horse that became the inspiration for the Midway-Frogtown Exchange. The group offers a place for Midway and Frogtown neighbors to buy, share and barter. (Photo submitted)

Midway-Frogtown Exchange helps reduce waste, foster connections

Eight years ago, environmental activist Erin Pavlica was looking for a used, rideable stuffed horse for her young daughter’s Christmas present. These toys are expensive, and Pavlica had no … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 1/14/21

“Comets are amazing night sky objects to observe. They are relatively rare, and absolutely striking. Comet Neowise, pictured here, was the brightest comet seen from Earth in the last 20 years.” (Photo submitted by Mike Shaw)

In search of dark skies

Between the months of March-September on a clear, moonless night, it’s easy to find astrophotographer Mike Shaw. He will be in his car heading north.In August 2019, he was doing just that. … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 12/9/20

Frogtown Green volunteers planted the chestnut seedings around the perimeter of Frogtown Green’s Our Village Community Garden at Pierce Butler and Milton avenues. (Photo submitted)

Chestnut trees planted in Frogtown garden

By Rennie Gaither The legendary chestnut tree, once dominant in the ancient forests from Connecticut to eastern China and Japan, stands firmly among the pantheon of classic American trees. This … more

By Rennie Gaither | 12/9/20

Artist Suyao Tian with a basket of her Modern Cover mittens. She said, “Hands for me have always had a very special meaning. They symbolize universal friendliness, helpfulness, and connection.” (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Hamline-Midway artist driven to ‘Do the most good’ with design

When Hamline-Midway artist Suyao Tian thinks back on her childhood, she remembers the freezing cold of winter. Tian grew up in a province of Northern China, near the border with Tibet. Her city, … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 11/11/20

Reinventing farming in the city

Coleen Gregor (left) and Joan James (right) with one of their signature garden beds. The co-owners of “A Backyard Farm” are dedicated to growing healthy food in the city. … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 9/18/20 | 1 comment

Explore a Frogtown Pollinator Garden

Take a self-guided tour of Monarch City Flowers, butterflies, and bees: oh my! For a fun ending to a warm August, visit Monarch City and take a self-guided tour. Butterflies and bees love this … more

9/18/20