Why I Stood on a Chair and Shouted at the Riverview Corridor Open House
Way back in 2013, I was walking around the St. Paul downtown skyway looking for some lunch. During my walk,
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Columns
Cultivating Creativity: How Minnesota’s 2023 Legislature is Investing in the Arts
Minnesota’s vibrant arts scene is a cornerstone of our St. Paul identity. From the Ordway Center for the Arts to Teatro del Pueblo, and Penumbra Theater, our state fosters artistic expression across all disciplines. However, ensuring this creativity thrives requires ongoing support. The 2023 Minnesota Legislature took significant steps to prioritize programs and legislation that cultivate sustainability in the arts for Minnesotans of all ages.
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Keeping Fear in Its Place
Our response was instinctive, as if our bodies made decisions without consulting our minds. The huge bear on the other side of the glass lunged toward us and in unison we all quickly stepped back. We were at Como Zoo.
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Expanding CHIPS to protect our youth
District Perspectives Senate District 65 Think of a 12-year-old child: A sixth or seventh grade student, taking their first steps
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Range Anxiety and the Green Book
When it comes to electric vehicles, range anxiety is a thing. “Will we make it to our destination?” being the central question driving the anxiety. In late January we leased an electric car from Hyundai. Our Ioniq 5 has a range of 266 miles, which is quite sufficient for traveling anywhere in the Metro region. Our goal, however, was St. Augustine, Florida to visit family. Would we make it the entire way, finding charging stations when needed or would we find ourselves stranded along the road in Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky or one of the other states through which we had to travel?
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Harnessing the Power of Spring: Exercising Outdoors
As the seasons shift and the chill of winter gives way to the warmth of spring, there’s a sense of renewal in the air. With the sun shining bright and nature coming back to life, what better time to get back to that exercise routine, or to continue your current one, by taking it outdoors. Embracing exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and outdoor workouts not only offer a refreshing change of scenery, but also bring health benefits for both the body and mind.
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Year of Wonders is an enthralling story of death and happiness in during the Plague
This book encapsulates what it meant to be a woman during the Plague and explores themes of death, self-discovery and what it means to be truly happy. This one took me a while to read, especially because of the flowery language and sometimes slow-developing storyline, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was sad to finish it.
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Piano lessons – finale
Ever since the first piano – outside – the UFM clinic column in December’s “Community Reporter,” letters have been pouring in. Well, three. One congratulatory, one asking about a “rash down there” and one cease and desist note begging for a “column about anything other than another piano.”
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Housing, Economic Growth and More – The Year Ahead for the St. Paul HRA
I’m honored to have been chosen by my colleagues to chair the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA). The HRA is responsible for much of the work I believe is critical to building a fair and just community – creating more affordable housing and keeping our small businesses strong. To make sure people at all income levels can afford to live in St. Paul, we need many more affordable homes of many more types and sizes in all of our neighborhoods. To keep our neighborhoods strong, we need to support the small businesses that are at the heart of them.
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