News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Friday September 4th 2026
Allina Health: Good Neighbor is More Than Glitz and Glamor
By LINDSEY FENNER
I was disappointed to read such a glowing article on the completion of the hospital campus renovation at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in the August issue of the alley. Although I know there are countless workers at Abbott who care deeply about their patients and their neighbors, I question whether Allina Health, who runs Abbott Northwestern, has that same committed care for the Phillips Community
-That shiny new Central Utility Plant? Allina violated environmental laws when it started construction on the utility plant without an air emissions permit, and then lied to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency about it. After my reporting in the September 2022 issue of the alley, Allina had to halt construction and they were fined $50,000.
-Union workers at Allina Health are always speaking out about the working conditions they endure, and their concerns about staffing levels and patient care. There are worker strikes against Allina almost every year. Hospice Nurses most recently went on a one-day Unfair Labor Practices strike this past July. Did you know Allina hospice nurses don’t get overtime pay?
-Allina Health is in the process of being acquired by California health giant Sutter Health, over the concerns and objections of community and union workers.… Read the rest “Allina Health: Good Neighbor is More Than Glitz and Glamor”
The Odyssey
from the series Movie Corner…
5/5 Stars
Universal Pictures 2026
Adventure/Dark Fantasy/Adventure Hero
By HOWARD MCQUITTER
I anticipate a Christopher Nolan Film (Memento, The Dark Knight,
Interstellar, Oppenheimer, The Prestige, Insomnia, et cetera) will be memorable.
The Odyssey is no exception. Nolan avoids using Computer Graphic Imaging
(CGI); applauded by many who are fans of his work.
It is Nolan’s version of the ancient Odyssey story that is estimated to be
about 2,700 years old and written by the Greek poet Homer sometime between
the 8th or 9th century BCE (Before Common Era). Some modern historians
believe the long oral story may have been by more than one person. Be that as it
may, Nolan makes The Odyssey a most passionate, riveting film, larger than life,
an extraordinary adventure journey, a cinematic wonder, and all done on 70mm
entirely in IMAX.
Odysseus is a war-torn warrior, away from his wife Penelope and son
Telemachus for 10 years. He hasn’t seen his son since he was an infant. That
absence from his family comes at the end of the Trojan War. All together he has
been gone 20 years from his home in Ithaca. Odysseus’ journey back home is
treacherous: fighting enemy soldiers, nearly being swallowed in a sink hole,
facing near death for him, and his men from the Cyclops and more challenges.… Read the rest “The Odyssey”
Keep citizen journalism alive!
A letter to the Phillips Community
Goodbye and gratitude from outgoing PWNO director J Randolph
By J RANDOLPH
Hello friends, neighbors, and colleagues:
It is with bittersweet feelings that I let you all know that, by the time this is published, I will have stepped down as the Phillips West Neighborhood Organization’s executive director. As some may know, I have been accepted to a masters program in urban planning at Queen’s University Belfast in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and I will be moving across the Atlantic at the end of this month to begin this next chapter of my life.
With my departure, you may all need new contacts for the organization.
● General inquiries/default contact: info@phillipswest.org
● PWNO phone number (text or call): (612) 424-0786
● Programming, events, communications, and partnerships: Ella
Kampelman, Community Organizer (ella@phillipswest.org)
● Housing programming/resources, renter rights, and environmental
housing upgrades: Hannah Jerrie, Housing Organizer
(housing@phillipswest.org)
● Leadership, organizational support, board elections, staffing, contracts,
fundraising, and general administration: PWNO Board of Directors
(board@phillipswest.org) and Becky Gazca, Board Chair
(becky@phillipswest.org)
● Phillips Community Oral History Project: Ella Kampelman, Community
Organizer (ella@phillipswest.org) and Susan Gust, Alley Communications
If you’re unsure who to connect with in the future, email the info@phillipswest.org account; one way or another, you’ll get routed to who you need.… Read the rest “A letter to the Phillips Community”