‘Cover Stories’ Archives
To feast and to flourish
162 sheltered at Navigation Center, 119 placed in housing and over 100 sheltered by Camille Gage Editor”'s note: This article originally appeared as a blog post at www.franklinhiawathacamp.org. On Friday, Jan. 11, a feast was held at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. It had been three weeks to the day since the last residents of the Franklin Hiawatha encampment were moved to the new Minneapolis Navigation Center. It was, and remains, a time of cautious hope and pragmatic optimism. No one thought the move to the new Navigation Center would be easy. As winter approached, relocating residents as quickly as possible became the pressing goal, with the specter of 100+ tents flapping in the bitter wind and freezing temps bringing an intense urgency to the work. More time for setting up processes and systems would have been useful, but it was a luxury no one could afford. In the end the encampment was closed without protest or incident. Over the past four months [...]
MAIC nears modernization
by Lee Egerstrom Editor”'s note: Reprinted courtesy of The Circle. The Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC) launched a major fundraising drive in January for new roofing, other repairs, and to make improvements to help the center provide services for the community. Mary LaGarde, the MAIC”'s executive director, said in late December she was still assembling a committee of civic officials, American Indian leaders and other backers to conduct the drive. The center has secured $5.5 million of the $15.2 million project, LaGarde said. That includes $5 million provided by the Minnesota Legislature in the past year”'s State Bonding Bill and a $500,000 grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation. Most of the project involves modernizing equipment, such as electrical, heating and air conditioning, and repair or replacement of the leaking roof. The center, at 1530 E. Franklin Ave., was built in 1975 and shows the impact of more than 40 years of [...]
INSTRUMENT OF CHANGE
Outgoing Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin reflects on public service Tesha M. Christensen“I feel good looking around at all the things I helped do,” observed Hennepin County District 4 Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who left office in December 2018 after 28 years of service. “The county is a pretty amazing instrument and I”'ve put energy into making it an instrument of change.” by TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN EDITOR”'S NOTE: This is part one of a two-part series that originally appeared in the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger. When outgoing Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin drives through the district he”'s served for 28 years, he”'s proud of the work he”'s accomplished. “I feel good looking around at all the things I helped do,” observed McLaughlin, who lives in Standish-Ericsson a few blocks from the train station at 46th and Hiawatha. “The county is a pretty amazing [...]
