News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Tuesday December 23rd 2025
Ideas and responses to The Alley transition
1. Sunday, July 22, 11-5pm, Open Streets
Come and talk to Alley volunteers as part of the Midtown Phillips Festival, 15th Ave. and E. Lake St. and/or at Friends of the Cemetery at the Lake Street Gate to Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery between Cedar Av. And 21st Av; both as part of Open Street Lake Street.
2. Thoughts about the transition from Alley reader and Phillips resident, Kelly Trius:
“I”'ve been an Alley reader and a resident for over a decade here and when I saw the last issue of The Alley, with its call for residential input, I started thinking.”
“I love the Alley, the fact that there is a neighborhood newspaper, that there are people distributing it. I would love it in any neighborhood, but I especially love it here. East Phillips is in so many ways a microcosm of the world. In these few square blocks people have gathered who know the meaning of the word ”˜Resilience”'. Every day here, we are literally healing the pain and repercussions of slavery and Jim Crow, genocide and boarding schools, colonialism and refugee camps by getting to know one another, supporting one another, valuing each other, empowering each other.… Read the rest “Ideas and responses to The Alley transition”
Movie Corner “I like you just the way you are.” “Won”'t You Be My Neighbor?””¦ Fred Rogers, 1928-2003
By HOWARD McQUITTER II
“Won”'t You Be My Neighbor?” is one the kindest titles given to any film. It is a benevolent, heartfelt, energetic portrayal of Fred Rogers, a man of exemplary status who revolutionized children”'s programs on television. Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister, took a route, not to a church pulpit, but to PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) with a new method of programming for children.
He brought children into his studio from different races and backgrounds engaging them by speaking in ways up to the time, circa 1968, unheard of on children”'s programs which usually concentrated on using cartoons and superheroes.
Soon, young and not so young were glued to TVs “Mister Roger”'s Neighborhood”, starting on February 19, 1968; eventually lasting 31 seasons and 912 episodes. He did not shy away from certain topics, such as producing a primetime special that spoke directly to children about Robert F. Kennedy”'s assassination.
It was a bold move by Rogers for that day when most programmers would have shied away from telling children about an assassination or any other such devastating event.
The documentary “Won”'t You Be My Neighbor?” at the 37th Mpls.-St. Paul International Film Festival began locally at the Uptown Theater on June 15, 2018.… Read the rest “Movie Corner “I like you just the way you are.” “Won”'t You Be My Neighbor?””¦ Fred Rogers, 1928-2003”
How green is your clean?
By EMILY WORMAN
This summer, the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) is partnering with Hope Community and the Lake Street Council on a project focused on improving air quality in Phillips. This project aims to reduce the environmental and public health risks associated with certain cleaners, by assessing the janitorial products used in housing complexes and local businesses and working to help them switch to cleaner products. MnTAP offers a variety of free services to interested businesses, including assessment of the safety of current cleaning products, education on safer products and recommendations for alternative products, and samples of new products. We are dedicated to making this project a success by working with you to find alternatives that are comparable in cost and effectiveness.
There are many benefits to switching to safer cleaning products:
- Improve air quality for customers and residents by limiting harsh chemicals and air pollutants.
- Protect employees from health risks such as respiratory system issues and aggravated asthma- that can come from exposure to unsafe chemicals.
- Limit loss of labor and reduce insurance and worker compensation costs through creating a safer work environment.
- Lower cleaning costs by replacing aerosols with reusable containers and reducing the cost of hazardous waste disposal.
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