Thursday, May 17, 2012
Minneapolis' Peavey Plaza controversy puts spotlight on modern concrete parks.
Updated below. A simmering controversy over plans to demolish and re-build Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis hit the New York Times Thursday and is drawing attention to concrete-and-water city parks—like Fridley's City Plaza Park. City Plaza Park (next to Fridley City Hall) and Peavey Plaza (next to Orchestra Hall) are similar in several ways. Both use concrete steps to go vertical—the Minneapolis park dips below street level while the Fridley park goes up. And the original water features at both have seen better days—in Minneapolis, the problem is pump failures; in Fridley, budget constraints have kept City Plaza Park dry. What do you think of City Plaza Park? Have you been there when water flowed? Have you spent time there lately? …
45.084808
-93.263263
City Plaza Park
6431 University Ave NE, Fridley, MN
/articles/poll-what-do-you-make-of-fridley-s-city-plaza-park
1799612
/locations/7045204
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Turning Mississippi River water into Minneapolis tap water is a science.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, March 7
The massive City of Minneapolis water works facility in Fridley's southwest corner will continue to be under the microscopes of University of Minnesota researchers trying to improve the taste and odor of water drawn from the Mississippi River in Fridley. That's according to an article report Tuesday in the Minnesota Daily that said a city committee approved a $170,000 contract renewal. The researchers are comparing two methods of filtration, the Daily said: powder-activated carbon and granular-activated carbon. Fridley Patch took a camera to the plant for a video post last week about what goes on inside. The City of Minneapolis facility in Fridley also supplies several suburbs, but Fridley and Columbia Heights have their own water systems…
45.0464
-93.275089
4300 E River Rd, Fridley, MN
/articles/scholars-strive-to-make-water-delicious-at-plant-in-fridley
/locations/6537983
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday is the Columbia Heights High School student's funeral; here is a look back at last Sunday's candlelight vigil.
Here are scenes from the candlelight vigil in memory of Chris Hanson last Sunday at Northeast Park in Minneapolis. His funeral is taking place Thursday in Columbia Heights. For a short video from the vigil, click here. At least two trains went past the site where Hanson died during the vigil—the first slowing as mourners moved off the tracks where a crosses were set up and flowers and stuffed animals left. Fillmore Street NE was lined with tow company vehicles flashing their lights in honor of the event. About 400–500 people attended the vigil, which took place in the softball fields between Fillmore Street NE and the tracks. After a heartfelt prayer was offered (see video), bunches of white balloons were released into the evening sky. A …
45.00171
-93.24227
Fillmore St NE & 14th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN
/articles/photos-chris-hanson-vigil-at-northeast-park-in-minneapolis
/locations/6438789
Monday, February 20, 2012
Prayer at candlelight vigil at Northeast Park for 15-year-old who had been hopping trains.
Part of the prayer at the vigil in memory of Columbia Heights High School student Chris Hanson, who was killed on Thursday near railroad tracks in Minneapolis.
45.00171
-93.24227
NE Fillmore St & 14th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN
/articles/photos-video-hundreds-mourn-chhs-student-chris-hanson-near-where-he-died
/locations/6412297
Friday, February 17, 2012
Candlelight memorials for Chris Hanson will take place in NE Mpls. and Columbia Heights
Update (1 p.m. Sunday): See "7:30 p.m. Saturday" update below for information on the vigil for Chris Hanson on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 6:30 p.m. in Minneapolis. See "5:15 p.m. Saturday" update below for information on the Feb. 26 vigil in Columbia Heights. A memorial fund has been established in the name of Christopher Curtis Hanson, according to family friend Mindy Hoffman. Starting Tuesday, any Wells Fargo bank will accept donations to the fund. An article on the front page of the Sunday Star Tribune describes how Hanson's mother, Melissa Standal, learned of his death near railroad tracks in Minneapolis, as well as other details: A sophomore at Columbia Heights High School, Chris was on the track, swim and baseball teams. He dreamed of …
45.00171
-93.24227
14th Ave NE & Fillmore St NE, Minneapolis, MN
/articles/police-boy-15-found-dead-in-ne-mpls-was-columbia-heights-high-school-student
/locations/6409372
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tuesday's chemical reaction was contained to a building 1/2 mile south of Fridley.
Update (4 p.m. Wednesday): The City of Minneapolis water plant where a chemical accident took place Tuesday was the site of an emergency drill last May that simulated a chlorine spill outside of the building. Here is more about that drill, via Minneapolis spokesman Matt Liable (skip down to the next Update section to read about Tuesday's accident): We simulated a full scale chlorine release and response at the Columbia Heights facility on 5/3/11. The scenario for the drill was that a chlorine tank fell while unloading it from the delivery vehicle. We simulated a scenario that fuseable plug on the tank cracked on impact and the tank started to leak. In the scenario, one of the City employees was overcome by the chlorine, and the driver and…
45.04995
-93.236769
4500 Reservoir Blvd, Columbia Heights, MN
/articles/hazmat-incident-hydrochloric-acid-overheats-at-water-plant-in-columbia-heights
/locations/6387558
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Secret Stash Records wins praise for reissue of Mickey Murray music.
Eric Foss and Cory Wong's Secret Stash Records hasn't been much of a secret lately. The boyhood pals from Fridley, who co-founded Secret Stash in Minneapolis in 2009, have made headlines in the past week for their vinyl reissue of People Are Together, a forgotten '60s soul classic by Mickey Murray, who performed at the record release party last Saturday. Breathing new life into old LPs is what it's all about for the old Fridley friends, according to City Pages: There are vinyl fanatics, and then there are Secret Stash Records founders Eric Foss and Cory Wong. The two have turned their passion for all things vinyl into a living, leaving behind rather unsatisfying work for other labels to found their own in Minneapolis in 2009. Secret Stash…
44.94837
-93.288232
711 W Lake St, Minneapolis, MN
/articles/old-fridley-friends-record-business-puts-out-classic
/locations/6242019
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Deputies and police removed protesters' tents Thursday.
OccupyMN demonstrators in Minneapolis had another round of confrontations with authorities Thursday, as deputies and police officers removed tents they had set up outside the Hennepin County Government Center and then Minneapolis City Hall. The county action took place in the early hours of the morning. Minneapolis police arrested two people about four hours later, at about 8:30 a.m. OccupyMN won the right to affix signs to government property but not to have tents in court ruling on a suit (see PDF) filed by the American Civil Liberties Union-Minnesota. The showdown was in some ways a repeat of Oct. 15-16, when protesters installed both home-made and manufactured tents, only to have deputies remove them after dark. Videos: Dan Feidt …
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Kimberia Sherva wrote an open letter to the young men involved.
Kimberia Sherva is the Fridley resident who was an organizer of SlutWalk Minneapolis, a march against sexual violence and in support of the victims of sexual violence. As a survivor of rape/molestation she felt the need to reach out to the young men involved in the Penn State fiasco. The following is from the SlutWalk Minneapolis blog. One word has been changed so as not to offend sensibilities. The original can be found here. I know I’m going to cry as I write this but that’s OK. There have been plenty of reactions to the whole Penn State fiasco. But for me, as a survivor, my first thought wasn’t of the Head Coach or the University President or anyone else. My first thought was of the young gentlemen, the eight boys, who were survivors…
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Francisco German Hernandez, Jr., was 21.
On Tuesday morning, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the victim of a fatal Sunday morning shooting as Fridley resident Francisco German Hernandez, Jr., 21. Hernandez lived in the 5400 block of W. Brenner Pass, the medical examiner's office said in a press release. He died of multiple gunshot wounds at an apartment building in the 3000 block of Pleasant Avenue S. in Minneapolis. The medical examiner ruled Hernandez's death a homicide. Minneapolis police said in a statement Sunday that they had arrested a suspect with non-life-threatening stab wounds shortly after finding Hernandez dead at the scene shortly after 6:30 a.m. Sunday. They are investigating. Police found Hernandez dead at the scene of a party with 10 adults and …
45.066013
-93.229856
5403 W Brenner Pass, Fridley, MN
/articles/fridley-father-dead-from-sunday-shooting-at-minneapolis-party
/locations/5713894
44.948339
-93.283029
3000 Pleasant Ave, Minneapolis, MN
/articles/fridley-father-dead-from-sunday-shooting-at-minneapolis-party
/locations/5713895
Chris Steller
4:23 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
... and this year 49er Days is at Moon Plaza, LJ! Thanks for your perspective of 10 years. I agree Fridley has a lot of parks, from tiny to big. There's a park system map at this city web page that shows them all: http://ci.fridley.mn.us/parks-trails more ›