Credit Michael Bloomberg, in part, for bringing Elliott Payne to where he is today and why he decided to run for Minneapolis First Ward City Council. The former New York Mayor funded the first Innovation Team at the Minneapolis City Coordinator’s office. Now city-funded in-house, the group of full time staff and Payne as consultant has been responsible, among other things, for a portal and information sets that make it easier for entrepreneurs to navigate city regulations.

Waite Park resident Tulley Kline has declared his candidacy for the Minneapolis City Council, eyeing the First Ward seat held by Kevin Reich since 2009.

A 40-foot-tall woman walks through a canyon of buildings in Moira Villiard’s video collage Madweyaashkaa: Waves Can Be Heard, this year’s Illuminate the Lock installation at the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, presented February 18 - 20.

Minneapolis and Columbia Heights meet at 37th Avenue Northeast and the road marks part of the county line between Hennepin and Anoka counties. And a stretch of the street, from Central Avenue to Stinson Boulevard, is “celebrating” its sixtieth birthday. There’s consensus among planners of both municipalities (the cities each own half) that the venerable roadway has its best years behind it.

To the hobo community, riders of the rails, she’s Minneapolis Jewel, a bit of a celeb, five times elected their queen at the annual convention in Britt, Iowa over a span of 40 years. The book, “Wisdom and Nonsense – My Adventures as a Train Rider and Hobo Queen” explains a lot about hobo culture. The hobo code of ethics includes not getting stupid drunk or abusing handouts, and not causing trouble in train yards, so as to not prejudice the public against future hobos who will need help more than you do.

Through the joint efforts of Minnesota Climate Action (MCA), Second Chance Recycling (a host site), Renewable Energy Partners (a development firm), S3 Solar Service Solutions (a solar tech installment company), and US Bank (funding), a community solar array, or “solar garden,” is coming to Minneapolis’ First Ward by March.

Each school year, Edison High School teacher David Salzer challenges his three sections of students to understand the workings of the US government through practical applications. When some students proposed adding water-filling stations to relieve the congestion at the sole second-floor station, Salzer got them to treat the problem the way Congress would do it: propose a bill and turn it into law.

When I walk across Lowry, I mostly use the two signaled intersections at Hayes and Stinson Parkway which are six blocks apart. Attempting to cross at the intersections between them is harrowing. It is difficult to judge approaching vehicles often going above the 30 mph speed limit. The wide street right-of-way (two lanes and two underutilized parking lanes) encourages a false sense of safety for drivers. It contributes to them not seeing pedestrians waiting at Lowry intersections or walking across. Drivers typically don’t acknowledge a pedestrian continuing to approach them with no change in speed.

A pair of makeshift memorials are attached to signposts at the corners of Lowry Avenue and Garfield and Arthur Streets NE. The neon-dyed chrysanthemums are frozen, heads down. A deflated mylar balloon reads, “We’ll miss you.” “You” is Craig Sulem, who was killed when he stepped off the curb and was struck by an SUV the afternoon of Jan. 12. Friends, neighbors and coworkers placed the memorials to honor a man his brother Kent calls a “gentle giant.”

The clinical trial “Teen Cove,” led in Minnesota by Clinical Research Institute, offered 200 of the 3,000 nationwide spots to Minnesota adolescents who were interested in the study. The study does not guarantee that a participant receives the vaccine, but is a chance to see the impact of the Moderna vaccine on adolescents between the ages of 12-17 in a randomized study over the course of 13 months. Each participant has six in-person visits and 11 follow-up phone calls, and is asked to keep a journal about how they physically feel during the study period. A cash incentive is given to each participant at the end of the study, depending on the level of study participation and follow-through. Participants must meet certain health-related criteria and pass several assessments before starting the vaccine trial process.