‘Cover Stories’ Archives
Conversation with Kali Pliego, Crime Prevention Specialist Extraordinaire
By MARY ELLEN KALUZA and KALI PLIEGO I met Kali for the first time in 2020 after a series of break-ins. I didn’t know what to expect from a “Crime Prevention Specialist”. I was wary, having heard, “Why don’t you move?” too many times over the years. But Kali was kind, empathetic, helpful and enjoyable to talk with. She has also been a generous contributor to the alley in recent years in her position. I thought we all needed to know Kali better, hence this email interview. Credit: Katie Jennings Mary Ellen Kaluza: Your job title is Crime Prevention Specialist. Tell us what a Crime Prevention Specialist does?Kali Pliego: Crime Prevention Specialist is a public education role, with a focus of the education being how to not be a victim of crime. There are so many ways this is borne out through our work. The most common services are updating neighborhood groups on crime trends, giving personal safety presentations, conducting home or business security checks, etc. We [...]
City’s Health Department Awards First Round of Opioid Settlement Funding to Combat Crisis in Underserved Communities and Youth
Press Release March 12, 2024 (MINNEAPOLIS) – The City of Minneapolis is losing community members to the opioid epidemic at an alarming rate. To help combat this crisis, the City is expected to receive approximately $18M in opioid settlement funds over the next 18 years from national settlements reached with opioid distributors and manufacturers. The City has awarded the first round of opioid settlement money to community-based, culturally specific organizations combating the opioid crisis, with a focus on underserved communities and youth.The awardees of the Community Opioid Response & Engagement (CORE) funding will focus their work on treatment, long-term recovery, and prevention to reduce disparities in the number of overdose-related deaths and emergency room visits. Awardees The awardees represent the diverse needs of the Minneapolis population and will increase access to and options for opioid treatment. Their focus will carry out the outlined CORE funding [...]
Augsburg University to Sell East Franklin Avenue Property to Somali Museum of Minnesota
By AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY On March 7, Augsburg University and the Somali Museum of Minnesota announced an agreement for Augsburg to sell the former Bethany Lutheran Church property at 2511 East Franklin Avenue to the Somali Museum of Minnesota to develop into a permanent museum facility and cultural center.Since 2020, the University has worked with community-based developer Redesign (formerly Seward Redesign) to identify a financially sustainable, community-serving use for the property that contributes to the vitality of the East Franklin Avenue corridor. The church building and property were donated to Augsburg in May 2020 before the Bethany Lutheran congregation dissolved in September 2021. “We are so pleased to partner with the Somali Museum to advance their compelling vision to invest in a new museum site in the Seward neighborhood,” said Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow. “This project represents a unique opportunity to create an enduring, transformational impact along [...]
