‘Cover Stories’ Archives
Introducing Emmett!
Emmett Bostic. Photo: Indigo Davitt-Liu By MARY ELLEN KALUZA and EMMETT BOSTIC Emmett was recommended for a young artist interview by Steve Dreyer, alley board member and Ventura Village page contributor. Emmett’s name might be familiar to readers - his byline has appeared on the Ventura Village page multiple times as an intern journalist with KRSM Radio, which broadcasts from Waite House Community Center. How old are you? Where did you grow up?Almost 19. I grew up between Otsego and Minneapolis. I’ve lived in every part of Minneapolis but spent most of my years in North and Northeast. What high school did you go to?FAIR High School for Arts Why did you choose that school?It was advertised as very inclusive - and it was. I like the arts. Some of my friends also went there. What was your academic focus?I was really into math. I like algebra. I took PSEO in high school. I didn’t like English, but I like writing essays. I’m more of an informational writer. I [...]
Hospitals Ignore Nurses’ Pleas for Security after Strike
By A MINNESOTA NURSE After September’s state-wide nursing strike Minnesota hospitals are still unwilling to have a reasonable discussion about nurses’ labor contract. Nurses are baffled about why hospitals are not playing ball after eight months of negotiations. Since the pandemic began, hospitals have seen a massive influx of violence, including several instances of visitors bringing firearms onto hospital floors. Nurses are concerned for their safety and the safety of their patients, but hospitals refuse to do things like add metal detectors. Metal detectors are found in many schools and grocery stores around the state. Should your hospital be less secure than your Cub? From the start, hospitals have said that they respect their nurses. They were cheerleaders during the pandemic, but when the dust cleared and nurses began demanding better working conditions, they said we were asking for too much. These are the same nurses who risked—and sometimes lost—their lives [...]
Nurses Go on Three-day Strike at Abbott Northwestern and Childrens Hospital
The picket line turned the corner at 26th Street and 10th Avenue and proceeded all the way to Chicago Avenue. Photo: Peter Molenaar By LINDSEY FENNER Over 15,000 nurses represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) went on a three-day unfair labor practices strike from September 12 to 14 at sixteen hospitals around the Twin Cities and Northern Minnesota, including two in the Phillips neighborhood. The union believes this was the largest strike of private-sector nurses in U.S. history. Nurses cited safety and short staffing as their main concerns. Picket lines at Abbott Northwestern and Children’s Hospital were a sea of support for striking nurses, with a solidarity rally organized by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa at Abbott Northwestern on Wednesday, September 14. Abbott Mental Health and Central Lab workers represented by SEIU have also been in contract negotiations with many of the same workplace concerns as nurses. The nurses’ union and hospitals have [...]
