News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Sunday December 21st 2025
“Returning”
By PATRICK CABELLO HANSEL
Author”™s note: this story picks up years after the saga of “Searching,” serialized in 34 issues of “the alley” from March 2009 through June 2012. In that story, we met Luz and Angel, two 19 year olds running from their past and searching for their future, along with a score of beautiful and strange neighbors.
Angel woke up with a start. He didn”™t know what time it was, and for a moment, he didn”™t know where he was. He had fallen asleep on the couch at 8 am, after helping Luz get Angelito dressed, fed and out the door to Hi-5 at Andersen School, and getting Lupita off to day care. He kissed Luz goodbye, ate the last of Lupita”™s oatmeal, took a sip of lukewarm coffee and flopped on the couch.
He had done a double shift at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, 3 pm to 11 pm, 11 pm to 7 am. He hated crossing the nurse”™s picket line, and he was angry at the supervisors who had filled in during the strike. The regular nurses, some of whom he saw this morning on the corner of Stewart Park with their picket signs, treated Angel and other orderlies, indeed the whole staff, as colleagues.… Read the rest ““Returning””
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Transit: When Will Normalcy Return?
By JOHN CHARLES WILSON
Note: This column was written between the times Governor Walz announced the lifting of the Stay at Home order and the change taking effect.
Metro Transit has decided to continue running a Saturday schedule on weekdays and not running buses or light rail late at night, even after the Stay at Home order is lifted, and the restriction to “essential trips only” is still in place. Even though it will be legal to go out for any purpose, you are still not supposed to ride transit unless it is necessary. The only change is that wearing face masks will be required on Metro Transit as of 18 May. However, there will be no enforcement of this rule unless non-compliance becomes a major problem.
It remains to be seen whether the schedule change which normally takes place in June will happen this year. With Metro Transit running a limited schedule anyways, they might decide there is no point to it.
The transit situation everywhere is dire. It is expected that many “choice” riders (people who use transit by choice rather than being “transit dependent”) won”™t be coming back to the bus or train for a long time after the coronavirus crisis is over.… Read the rest “Transit: When Will Normalcy Return?”