Archive for June, 2021
Kid’s Summer Stuff!
Fun Activities for Youth at Parks and Libraries in and around Phillips Neighborhood COMPILED By LINDSEY FENNER Minneapolis Parks (to register and find even more activities go to https:// apm.activecommunities.com/minneapolisparks/). Contact the park for sched- ule changes and availability. East Phillips Park, 2399 17th Avenue South. 612-370-4888 Jr. Naturalists: Drop-In Discovery, Tuesday 5-7PM, through August Join us for no-touch or easily sanitizable nature exploring ”” such as meeting live animals, dissecting an owl pellet, playing water quality mini-golf, planting seeds, and much more! No need to register, just stop on by for free family fun! Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Land Back Mask Making: July 26-30, 2PM-5PM Free, ages 10-14, register online. The Artist in Residence (AiR) program will focus on Land Back Face Mask Making: An activity designed to educate and to gain the knowledge to care for Grandmother Earth. Sculpture by [...]
Reflections From a Former COVID-19 Case Investigator
By LINDSEY FENNER After over a year working in public health as a pandemic responder, I am back doing my pre-pandemic work. And although this doesn”™t mean the pandemic is over, it does mean this column is at an end. I started writing it because I wanted people to have something to hold onto within the swirl of pandemic uncertainty and anxiety. I realized very quickly that no matter what my job description was on paper, what I was really doing was struggling with people through uncertainty. My job was to listen, to talk through complicated realities that didn”™t fit neatly into a box, to help people who were sick make decisions when there wasn”™t a clear correct choice. And now, after my job is over, what is there to say about what we have all been through together? We are all connected. Which is nothing new, but doing this work meant relearning that every single day. In my role doing case investigation/epidemiology we called people [...]
Transit Waves of the Future
METRO TRANSIT by JOHN CHARLES WILSON With the COVID emergency drawing to a close, and all the new transit coming to the Twin Cities in the near future, I decided it”™s time to write about exciting new concepts in transit that may benefit you someday. Bus Rapid Transit is making headway (pun intended for you transit insiders*) in South Minneapolis and the southern suburbs. The Orange Line is almost ready to start rolling down I-35W, the D Line is coming to Chicago Avenue next year, and the B Line is supposed to come to Lake Street in 2024, and may even have a dedicated bus lane. Another exciting new development for outer suburbs and small towns is called “microtransit”. Microtransit is a modernized version of dial-a-ride service; however, instead of having to call a day in advance, you now only need to use a smartphone app to order your custom ride, often only minutes before you need it. This will make the concept appealing to more people. In [...]
