As he prepares to leave office tomorrow, Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak, held one last news conference and offered a tribute to a lost friend. Rybak on Monday proposed a new pedestrian walkway that will connect downtown Minneapolis with Cedar Riverside, and said it will be named for Hussein Samatar, the first Somali-American in Minnesota Read more →
MPR News Notes on the news from the Twin Cities
Archives for December 2013

Electric model trains and those fascinated by them have taken over the Saint Paul RiverCentre this weekend for the largest event ever hosted by local train store Choo Choo Bob’s. The store, whose owner also started a children’s TV show with the same name, has held events for the past few years in Eagan Read more →
Both Minneapolis and St. Paul declared snow emergencies Christmas day. Parking restrictions will take effect beginning at 9 p.m. in both cities. Via City of Minneapolis: Dec. 25, 2013 (MINNEAPOLIS) Minneapolis officials have declared a Snow Emergency beginning today, Dec. 25, 2013. City crews have been plowing and treating streets to keep them drivable. Now Read more →
Closed-door meetings about the Southwest light rail project route continue, as Gov. Mark Dayton met with mayors, county commissioners and legislators Monday about freight rail and environmental studies currently underway and upcoming public hearings. Since October, Dayton has been holding meetings about the controversial options of routing light rail through the scenic Kenilworth Corridor in Read more →
Man shot by ex-girlfriend’s dad acquitted Read more →
A judge delivers a lesson to a young father guilty of theft. Read more →

Ford Motor Co. has decided some architectural elements of its Twin Cities Assembly Plant are worth saving. Ford says it will preserve parts of the building’s facade, including its fluted columns, red tile roof and a frieze that reads “excellence is never granted to man but as the reward of labor.” In a letter to Read more →

It opens next year. But Nick Wormley of St. Paul couldn’t wait that long. Fascinated by the route of the new Central Corridor Light Rail Transit, or “Green Line,” he walked for nearly nine hours straight with a camera and tripod to make a moving time-lapse tour video of the route, showing what travel on Read more →

Hundreds of people crowded the First Avenue rock club last night to say goodbye to outgoing Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak. True to form, the 58-year-old mayor concluded his remarks by diving into the audience. His last full day as mayor is Jan. 1, after which Rybak will become the executive director of the education reform Read more →
Treadle Yard Goods in St. Paul has notified customers it will close within the next six months if it can’t find a new owner. The fabric store, which has stood on the corner of Grand and Hamline since 1976, has been searching for a buyer since the spring. “While several individuals have expressed interest and Read more →