News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Saturday December 27th 2025
A New Column: PUBLIC TRANSIT
By JOHN CHARLES WILSON
Hello, People of the Phillips Community! My name is John Charles Wilson and I have been graciously invited by the Editor of The Alley Newspaper to write a monthly column on the subject of public transit.
I grew up in St. Paul, near the present-day Rondo Library, in the 1970s and 1980s. I have always loved buses and collected bus schedules as a hobby. When I was a teenager, I spent my money mostly on bus rides. I wanted to ride every route but there were some routes where it wasn”'t possible without spending the night at the end of the line. Fortunately, there are way fewer routes like that now than then, as many suburbs have attained all-day service.
My historical knowledge of the twin Cities transit system informs my opinions about how it can be made better. I”'ve always wanted to put my opinions to good use, and had my life gone differently I would probably have become a Transit Information Specialist, or better yet, a planner with Metro Transit. Back when the system was called MTC, I dreamed of a gubernatorial appointment as a Metropolitan Transit Commissioner, but I now realize the Commission, and now the Met Council, don”'t have the day-to-day authority over routes and schedules—the planners do.… Read the rest “A New Column: PUBLIC TRANSIT”
Cross-Cultural Urban garden unites neighbors and a business in a healthy mission impacting climate change
From left are Gandhi Mahal Interfaith Garden partners last summer: Ruhel Islam, owner and executive chef at Gandhi Mahal Restaurant; Claire Baglien, Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light office manager; Ritchie Robertson Two Bulls, arts therapist for Minnesota Indian Women”'s Resource Center; and the Rev. Robert Two Bulls of First Nations Kitchen and All Saints Episcopal Indian Mission.
By Marilyn Moyer, Guest Columnist
In a backyard garden tucked into the Corcoran neighborhood, far more is flourishing than tomatoes, eggplant and squash. Here, people whose roots lie worlds apart are working together to strengthen the health of their community, while doing their part to address climate change.
The Gandhi Mahal Interfaith Garden is a unique collaboration between a Bangladeshi Indian restaurant, a Native American ministry and a non-profit working to address climate justice with faith communities across the state.
On May 12, these unlikely partners launched their urban garden”'s second season. Dozens of volunteers turned out to prepare the soil and plant the seeds that will grow into a wide variety of fresh vegetables. Those include foods that are traditional staples in Bangladeshi cooking ”“ such as spicy Asian chilies and cilantro ”“ as well as those culturally connected to Native Americans, such as certain varieties of squash and beans.… Read the rest “Cross-Cultural Urban garden unites neighbors and a business in a healthy mission impacting climate change”
Corrine Zala, longtime Phillips Resident, Housing Facilitator and Coach, Comedienne, Cook, and Preservationist
Corrine Zala, b. February 14, 1955 died April 26th, 2017 pictured here with “Les Walstein, my very best friend.”
BY SUE HUNTER WEIR, JANA METGE, DONNA NESTEA, and David PIEHL
Corrine Zala. A name known by so many families in this neighborhood. We met Corrine because she sold us our homes, many our first homes. She negotiated through the stacks of paperwork which none of us understood. For years she ran the ”˜Neighbors Helping Neighbors”' program out of Abbott Northwestern Hospital – a grant program for down payment assistance and for home improvements. Abbott Northwestern, being a partner and helping the Neighborhood which surrounds it.
Corrine knew that some of her first-time home buyers needed support not only to guide them through the process of purchasing a home but to help them maintain the properties that they had worked so hard to own. Long after the papers were signed and the deals were sealed she visited her clients to make sure that they had everything they needed to keep their homes in good shape.
Then there was saving our homes from MCDA tearing them down. Corrine was known to block bulldozers from demolishing perfectly structurally sound homes. This activism led to many policy changes.… Read the rest “Corrine Zala, longtime Phillips Resident, Housing Facilitator and Coach, Comedienne, Cook, and Preservationist”
Keep citizen journalism alive!
