News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Saturday December 20th 2025
Transit: Wish the 53 ran all day?
By JOHN CHARLES WILSON
Route 53 is one of the nicest bus routes in the Phillips neighborhood. While the 27 and 39 also deserve honorable mention, they are barely known by most people.However, almost everyone loves the 53.What”'s not to love? It runs down Lake Street like the 21, but only stops at intersections with other bus routes, rather than at every stop. In Phillips, the stops are: Hiawatha, Cedar, Bloomington, Chicago, 4th Avenue South, and I-35W. Unfortunately, the 53 runs only at rush hour, eastbound in the morning and westbound in the afternoon. There was a time about 10 years ago, when it ran more often and in both directions in both the morning and afternoon.
Do you ever wish Route 53 ran all day? Are you tired of being stuck on a slow 21 for most of your forays onto Lake Street? Well, there”'s good news. In a few years, Route 53 will be replaced by the B Line, a Bus Rapid Transit line similar to the A Line on Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul. The B Line will have a similar stop pattern to the 53, with off-board payment and traffic signal priority like the light rail. This will make it even faster.… Read the rest “Transit: Wish the 53 ran all day?”
Month of May: a mix of old and new events
Tales from
Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery
By Sue Hunter Weir
165th in a Series
It seemed like spring would never come, but here we are at last. And that means that there will be a lot of wonderful events happening in the cemetery.
One of the most important is the 151st Memorial Day observance on Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m. This year”'s keynote speaker is Lt. Col. Lori Allert, U.S. Army Nurse. Students from the Minnesota Transition Charter School will read General Logan”'s Orders and the Gettysburg Address. American Legion Post 1 will provide the Firing Team, and the Seward Community Concert Band will provide the music. Please join us for this moving tribute to veterans dating back to the War of 1812.
At 1 p.m. on the 27th, there will be a seated history talk followed by an optional tour. If you”'ve always meant to stop in and visit the cemetery but never quite made it, this is a perfect chance to do just that. All Memorial Day events are free.
And spring just wouldn”'t be spring if we didn”'t show a Buster Keaton silent film. This year”'s film is regarded as one of Keaton”'s best””Sherlock Jr.… Read the rest “Month of May: a mix of old and new events”
Movie corner Bold whodunit from Denmark
By HOWARD McQUITTER II
oldschoolmovies.wordpress.com
howardmcquitter68@gmail.com
“The Purity of Vengeance” (2019) ***** 5 of 5 stars
 This month I”'m attending the 38th Minneapolis- St. Paul International Film Festival for about the 14th year (not necessarily in consecutive order) and for the third year (consecutively) as press (once I did press back in the days of Oak Street Cinema).
This year the festival has brought to the Twin Cities more than 250 films from 75 countries.
One of the films that catches my eye is a brilliant thriller/crime/ drama from Denmark called “The Purity of Vengeance” directed by Christopher Boe. Simply put, the film is as bold as it is smart marked by whodunit and why. To date, “The Purity of Vengeance” is the highest- grossing film in Denmark, but unlike so many American films of similar genre that put too much heat in the violence blocking out any feasible plot(s) the movie just blossoms.
To get a feel of director Christopher Boe”'s riveting story one first must see homicide detective Carl Morck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) sitting in his office mopping over his confinement to the cold case division for some indiscreet act. His partner Syrian émigré Assad (Fares Fares) vis transferred to another division as he”'s been promoted.… Read the rest “Movie corner Bold whodunit from Denmark”
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