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 www.mplsobserver.com Vol. 2, No. 23 January 20, 2003
This is a preview issue of The Observer. To subscribe to the full-meal deal ($12/yr.), just hit "reply" and state your intention, and we'll set you up. Thanks. ********************************************************** THIS WEEK IN THE OBSERVER: * Remembering Melissa--Sort of * Cable Transfer Imminent * City 'Stings' Hurting Business, Say Bar Owners * Beyond Foster Care * Reaching for the Stars Plus: Sex (offenders) in the city, Third Ward reticence, fed up with the feds, yearning for yellow, and two cheers for the free market. ********************************************************** REMEMBERING MELISSA--SORT OF When police officer Jerry Haaf was gunned down in the Pizza Shack on Lake Street in 1992, it took less than a month for the City Council to approve a suitable memorial--the Jerry Haaf Parking Ramp near City Hall. More than five months have passed since officer Melissa Schmidt was killed in the line of duty, and the city is just getting around to the matter of a remembrance. "I was disappointed it has taken this long," 10th Ward Council Member Dan Niziolek told Scott Russell in the Southwest Journal (http://www.swjournal.com). "I don't know why it fell through the cracks. It is now moving forward." Niziolek is part of a five-member group created last month by Police Chief Robert Olson to determine an appropriate memorial for the slain officer, a process that already has been thrown off balance by some not-entirely-welcomed suggestions. The CARAG neighborhood last August passed a motion asking the city to name the City Hall LRT stop in Schmidt's honor, an idea squashed by the state Department of Transportation. Later, Second Ward Council Member Paul Zerby suggested renaming the Fifth Police Precinct or the Downtown Command after Schmidt, calling it "an absolutely appropriate memorial." Olson was less enthused, however, saying it was "a bit unusual" to name a police precinct after a person. Olson said he'd like to come up with a recommendation for the City Council to consider by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority will dedicate their own memorial--a plaque that will hang in the headquarters of the police unit working in public housing at 2123 16th Avenue S.--on January 30. CABLE TRANSFER IMMINENT The City Council last week approved the transfer of the city's cable franchise from Time CITY 'STINGS' HURTING BUSINESS, SAY BAR OWNERS Undercover operations designed to prevent underage drinking is keeping teens out of local bars, but it's beginning to annoy the people pouring the drinks. ********************************************************** The Minneapolis Observer is published 48 times/year by Independent Media, L.L.C. �2003 Independent Media, 4152 Snelling Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55406; www.mplsobserver.com. No part of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Independent Media. Subscriptions: $12/yr. To unsubscribe, send us an e-mail ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and we'll get you off the list and refund the unused portion of your subscription. Editor: Craig Cox Deputy Assistant Senior Executive Editor: Sharon Parker Contributing writers: Chris Dodge, Leo Mezzrow Equine consultant and coffee shop correspondent: Nora Cox Perspective: Martin Cox Thanks to: Burl Gilyard, David Jensen, Allie Shah, Adam Shinbrot ******************************************************* Fight media consolidation! Support the independent press! Pick up your neighborhood newspaper! ******************************************************* _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
