West 7th properties petition to join Downtown Improvement District

Commercial property owners along West 7th Street to Grand Avenue in downtown St. Paul have submitted petitions to City Council to join the St. Paul Downtown Improvement District (SPDID). Those properties include St. Paul institutions, Alina Health, Children’s Hospital, Hampton Inn and Suites, Maharajah’s, Patrick McGovern’s and Tom Reid’s.
     Participation in the district provides additional services to the neighborhood, from trash and graffiti cleanup to having Street Team ambassadors providing directions to visitors and being an extra set of eyes and ears for public safety. While the City Council will need several weeks to go through the process of amending the existing ordinance to expand the SPDID, some services have already begun in the area as of May 1, thanks to funds from Knight Foundation.
DFL endorses Jost for Ward 3 City Council seat
On Sunday, April 30, Saura Jost defeated Isaac Russell for the DFL endorsement at the Ward 3 convention for the seat being vacated by current Councilmember 
Chris Tolbert. 
Russell subsequently announced he intends to continue his campaign despite losing the endorsement. Ward 2 incumbent councilmember Rebecca Noecker was endorsed by the DFL earlier in March. All seven city council wards will be on the ballot in this November’s election.