Author Archive
SPORTS TALK: March 2010
By Ray Jay and Young Dex Sunday January 22, 2010, 9:28 P.M., The strings on my heart are being pulled with such force, that I felt compelled to immediately begin writing the March edition of Sports Talk. What I and Dex had just witnessed in the NFC Championship game, our Minnesota Vikings vs. The New Orleans Saints, was nothing short of a triple dosage of DISGUST. Mind you, I go back to the days of the Purple People Eaters, if you know what I mean? Disgust 1: Our Vikings had, in the past three hours, turned the ball over 5 times; two of those took place in that area of almost guaranteed scoring, deemed the red zone, which resulted in a forfeiture of at least six points, as the Vikings went on to lose this game. A game the Vikings seemed to not want to win and a game the Saints seemed to not be able to win! Disgust 2: Million dollar quarterback, Brett Favre”'s, decision to throw the ball, instead of running through a hole so large, that even I could have limped through it [...]
1st Anniversary of the Backyard Initiative
Update on the Backyard Initiative By Janice Barbee, Cultural Wellness Center 1st Anniversary of the Backyard Initiative Community residents celebrated the first year of the BYI at the Cultural Wellness Center (CWC) on January 30th. Atum Azzahir, CWC Executive Director and facilitator of BYI community meetings, reviewed the progress that has been made: A community-authored definition of health A set of guiding principles for BYI work in the community An understanding of community dynamics before and after engagement Attention paid to the history and culture of the people in the Backyard The formation and development of Citizen Health Action Teams that have been working on designing projects to improve health The work of the Assessment and Analysis Teams that has transformed conventional assessment into a community-owned process, and The concept of a Community Commission on Health was developed and the formation of the Commission was approved by community [...]
High Voltage Lines Public Meeting Feb. 10 “Draft” Environmental Impact Statement is Released
by Midtown Greenway Coalition The Minnesota Department of Commerce released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on January 8, 2010 regarding Xcel Energy”'s proposed high voltage transmission lines and two new substations along the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis. The 463-page document will inform proceedings by an Administrative Law Judge and the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regarding a route permit for the transmission lines. The Midtown Greenway Coalition is pleased that an underground route, as compared to an overhead route on 70 to 115-foot-tall towers, was identified as a potential mitigation measure for impacts related to land use, structures, safety and health, recreation and tourism, aesthetics, utilities systems, and transportation. On the other hand, these potential mitigation strategies are not stated in the form of recommendations and many steps remain before a route is determined. Furthermore, a route now under consideration is underneath [...]
