Minneapolis, MN
Election Day 2023 preview: Minneapolis, St. Paul councils up for election
(FOX 9) – We are just days away from the Election Day 2023 in Minnesota.
On Tuesday, voters will go to the polls to decide on some important races. Being an off-year, there are no federal or statewide races this cycle. But, in Minneapolis and St. Paul, every city council seat is up to voters.
In Minneapolis, all 13 wards are up for election with more than three dozen candidates vying for a seat. Only Robin Wonsley in Ward 2 is running unopposed this cycle – though she does face a write-in challenge. You can click here for a list of candidates up for election this Tuesday.
In St. Paul, all seven wards there are also up for election. The city will have at least four new council members next year, with Council President Amy Brendmoen and council members Christ Tolbert and Jane Prince declining to run for re-election. Interim Ward 1 council member Russel Balenger, who replaced Dai Thao after his resignation last year, is also not on the ballot. Balenger had agreed not to run for re-election when he was chosen for the interim gig.
St. Paul voters will also have the opportunity to vote on a sales tax increase that would go to help the city pay for street repairs in the city. A 2019 report laid out the bleak state of the city’s roads. Last year, officials estimated the 1 percent sales tax increase would generate nearly $1 billion over 20 years. Making the expensive and difficult road repair project more feasible.
Along with council races and the ballot measures, school board races are up. To see what races are on your ballot, you can click here.
Minneapolis, MN
MPD 3rd Precinct: 'Democracy center’ business, organization wanted
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Following months of discussion over what to do with the site of the former Minneapolis Police Department Third Precinct, city officials are now looking for “businesses, organizations, or teams” interested in running a new “democracy center” at 3000 Minnehaha Avenue South.
Third Precinct site
Background: The former police precinct was destroyed in the riots sparked by the death of George Floyd in May 2020. The burned building has sat empty at the corner of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue for the past four years.
Since then, the city has debated what to do with the location.
Democracy center
What officials are saying: In an announcement on Monday, city officials say they are seeking a suitor that will, “take a community-focused approach to developing, programming, managing, and using about 8,000 square feet… for the purposes of the democracy center.”
The city says it looks to move forward with a mixed-use democracy center that would house elections and voter services. It would also include a ground-floor space for “community use.”
Community engagement
By the numbers: The city has previously conducted open houses, curated conversations and shared online surveys – the results of which it says showed 63% in support and 17% opposed of the idea.
What’s next?
Look ahead: The city is hoping to finalize design plans in the coming weeks and start renovations in 2025 with hopes of the democracy center opening sometime in 2026.
The Source: Previous FOX 9 reporting and an update provided by the City of Minneapolis.
Minneapolis, MN
1 year later: Family urges killer of 16-year-old shot days before last Christmas to come forward
Isayah Coburn was fatally shot on Dec. 23 of last year in south Minneapolis — just days after his 16th birthday.
“He had an old spirit,” said Dawn Williams about her son.
Isayah’s murder remains unsolved one year later.
“It’s not just another teen who died; it’s somebody’s son, it’s somebody’s brother, somebody’s friend,” said Jamila Troop, Isayah’s older sister. “He means a whole lot to us.”
Gunfire broke out on Dec. 23, 2023, on East Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis.
Isayah was shot and died, and a woman was also shot but survived.
In the same area, just 24 hours before, two other people were shot, according to police.
The family said Isayah was walking to get pizza.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS asked Minneapolis Police multiple questions about the teen’s case — including what could have sparked the gunfire.
A police spokesperson only said in an email that the investigation is open and that no arrests have been made.
Isayah’s family holds onto hope someone will step forward with a clue in his murder.
“Tell the truth, you can’t keep running from it, keep hiding from it, tell the truth,” Williams said.
As the family waits for a break in the case, Williams says she must remain strong while feeling the pain of losing a child.
“I’m the matriarch; I have to set an example for the other kids and other people who look up to me,” Williams said. “If I fall off, they will fall off too… I can’t fall off.”
If you have that tip in the case, remember you can remain anonymous by connecting to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota.
Minneapolis, MN
Vanessa Dayton wanted to build a house in the Bryn Mawr woods. Then the neighbors found out.
Dayton has stopped people to let them know when they’re trespassing, and most are polite, but Griswold Holmberg said one “kind of came after her with a chain saw.”
“She doesn’t yell, but she says, ‘You’re trespassing,’” Griswold Holmberg said.
Brooks said the “rubble-strewn vacant land” went unsold for a couple of years because it had no street access and no city utilities, so the owner would have to invest in bringing water and sewer service to the property.
It’s not unusual for a neighborhood to take ownership of vacant lots or parcels and make them their own, Brooks said.
“It’s pretty classic and sometimes comical, and in this case, it’s hard to understand why it’s contentious,” he said. “Bryn Mawr is a community that loves organic things and taking care of the land and environmental issues, and that’s her entire passion, so hard to understand why they haven’t embraced that.”
Dayton built something similar outside of Boulder, Colo.: She bought a 2-acre parcel, built an urban garden and opened it to locals.
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