[Mpls] This Week in The Minneapolis Observer

[Craig Cox]

T H E M I N N E A P O L I S O B S E R V E R
A Weekly Digest of All Things Minneapolitan
Vol. 1, No. 23
January 21, 2002

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THIS WEEK IN THE OBSERVER:
* Jesse's "Big Fix" Will Hit Parks Hard
* Longtime City Lobbying Firm Quits
* A Faustian Pact with MnDOT?
* Our Local Telephone Service is Getting Better--Really
* Finding a Place Where Teens Can Listen to Loud Music
* The New, Improved, Bulletproof Council Chambers
Plus: How to keep score at the Legislature, an eco-guide to change the world, Maya Lin comes downtown, and a basketball brawl at Williams Arena.

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JESSE'S BUDGET CUTS WILL HIT PARKS HARD
Everyone thought that the Minneapolis Park Board was going to be flush this year. Think again. After increasing property tax collections by $6.9 million, the Park Board is planning to make budget cuts as revenue is projected to be down $7.1 million. What happened to the money? Several things. But Don Siggelkow, assistant parks superintendent, places part of the blame on Gov. Jesse Ventura.

LONGTIME CITY LOBBYING FIRM QUITS
North State Advisors, since 1985 the city's lobbyist at the State Legislature, has cancelled its contract in an apparent response to Mayor Rybak's mandate to clean out City Hall.

A FAUSTIAN PACT WITH MNDOT?
A recent vote by a South Minneapolis task force to improve freeway access to the inner city may have unwittingly endorsed a state Department of Transportation plan to widen 35W, reports Anjula Razdan in the Southwest Journal (www.swjournal.com).

QWEST DODGES STATE REGULATORY FINES
Our local telephone monopoly improved its customer service enough last year to avoid up to $25 million in government-imposed penalties, according to Mark Reilly in City Business (twincities.bcentral.com).

PROMOTERS HOPING TO REVIVE LOCAL ALL-AGES SHOWS
Stung by the dearth of music venues for the under-21 crowd, three local music promoters are working to revive the once-lively all-ages scene, notes Erin Anderson in Pulse (www.pulsetc.com).

NEW STATEWIDE COALITION WILL ADDRESS CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
The Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild has scheduled a press conference Monday, January 21, to announce the formation of a new organization to monitor civil rights and civil liberties abuses in the wake of 9/11.

NEW DIRECTORY OFFERS TOOLS FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING
A small band of environmentally conscious activists has published the Twin Cities Green Guide, the first locally focused "Green Yellow Pages."

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Editor: Craig Cox
Associate Editor: Sharon Parker
Contributing writers: Nora Cox, Mark Engebretson, Tim Herwig, Leo Mezzrow, Sarah Wash
Occasional research assistance: Martin and Nora Cox
Online technical assistance: Christopher Pollard
Thanks to: Ray Marsall and Jeremy Wieland