Minneapolis, MN

Homeowners uncover trove of long-lost love letters during renovation project

Published

6 months ago

February 11, 2024

Homeowners uncover trove of long-lost love letters during renovation project

MINNEAPOLIS — Ahead of Valentine’s Day comes a love story for the ages. It was lost for decades but unearthed when a young couple decided to give their Minneapolis home a facelift.

“To us, it’s kind of cool to see a little bit of the past,” said homeowner Matt Tessmer.

There’s a saying that, if the walls could talk, they would have many interesting stories to tell. For Matt and Carrie Tessmer, those walls with words to share could be found upstairs.

READ MORE: Letters of Love: Nonprofit provides emotional support for children in hospitals

“It’s truly a mystery how any of this stuff made it into our wall,” Carrie Tessmer laughed.

It all started back in November 2020 when they decided to renovate their relic of a restroom inside their more than a century-old home. It was that process of peeling back layers and layers of paint and plaster just behind the toilet that revealed treasures from lifetimes before.

“Take some rubble, put it to the side and there’d be more stuff after,” said Matt Tessmer. “It is trash to those people, but to us it’s kind of cool to see a little bit of the past.”

Inside were numerous toiletries once manufactured down the street.

“There were a lot of Minneapolis brands in here,” said Carrie Tessmer. “Some of the medicine they used, all the razor blades [and] rose water and glycerin.”

There was even makeup and an old bottle of shoe polish. But perhaps the most interesting find hidden in their bathroom wall had nothing to do with the bathroom at all.

“I’m like, ‘Am I reading this correctly?’” Carrie Tessmer questioned.

They found love letters from not only one, but two budding romances — to Hazel and Pauline.

“Oh my God,” Carrie Tessmer said. “Honestly, I didn’t know what to think.”

Each note made the same request asking both Hazel and Pauline to a dance while declaring their undying devotion.

“‘I hope you still love me. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX,’” Carrie Tessmer read from the note.

Matt and Carrie Tessmer

The letters were then signed with affection from someone named “John B.,” who also went by the name “Lolly.”

“We have zero clue who this John B., this ‘Lolly’ person is,” Carrie Tessmer said.

Neither note was dated, so perhaps they were written at different times or perhaps written by a young Casanova pining for attention.

“Upon reading some of them we realized it was actually probably more likely a kid like between the ages of 13 – 18,” said Carrie Tessmer. “They were talking about first lunch, ‘I have study hall this period.’”

Lessons of love learned at a young age that maybe were never meant to go beyond the bathroom’s four walls, but are now sparking the need to know more.

“I would love to know the story behind it and also why the letters did not get delivered and why they ended up in our bathroom wall,” said Carrie Tessmer.

After some research, the Tessmers found a John Pavlo who would have matched the original deed to their home. He and his family lived in their house from the 1920s through the 1950s. He also had a son named John.

“John Joseph Pavlo would have been about 17 at the time when he lived in this house with his family,” said Carrie Tessmer.

There was also John Book, who was born in the 1930s. He bought the house decades later as an adult. The Tessmers also found some of his old homework in their attic.

“It’s even more of a mystery because we don’t know if it was written by John Pavlo as a 17-year-old in the ’20s, or if it was written by John Book when he was a kid and he just threw it in the walls when he bought the house in the ’60s,” Carrie Tessmer said.

It’s a story in which the ending has yet to be written, or is maybe just still waiting to be uncovered.

“Whatever project we have next I’m sure we’ll find something,” the Tessmer laughed.

The Tessmers said they’re still not giving up trying to figure out who “John B.” is. They also added that, before they closed up their bathroom wall during their renovations, they put a picture of themselves with a note about who they are for future homeowners to find.

Pauleen Le

Pauleen is a journalist with a passion for telling stories. Nothing makes her happier than talking to ordinary extraordinary people, and using beautiful pictures and solid writing to share their amazing stories with the world.

Source link

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis City Council introduces new safety plan with alternatives to police response

Published

7 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Minneapolis City Council introduces new safety plan with alternatives to police response

Minneapolis leaders lay out new safety plan

The new plan folds in efforts already underway like the behavioral response team which is sent on some crisis calls where police are not necessary, or a new traffic control unit that is staffed by people who are not sworn officers. But the real purpose of the Safe and Thriving Communities plan is to offer a sort of road map to public safety.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis City Council members are asking the public for feedback on a new public safety model that they hope will restore trust in public safety services.

Officials say the Public Safety Beyond Policing Action Plan is based on an outline of a community safety system that will include “preventative, restorative and response services beyond policing.”

What we know

City leaders say they are moving to codify the Public Safety Beyond Policing Action Plan after the Minneapolis Safe and Thriving Communities Blueprint that was announced last year.

READ MORE: Minneapolis leaders lay out a new plan for community safety

The first draft of the Public Safety Beyond Policing Action Plan was presented earlier this week. City officials say public comment and feedback on the 10-year plan will be taken for 45 days.

An overview and briefing detailing the progress of the Safe and Thriving Communities Report was presented during Wednesday’s Public Health and Safety Committee (PHS).

Public engagement and comment sessions will also be held in front of the PHS committee before the final adoption of the plan, which is expected to happen in the fall of 2024.

What they’re saying

Minneapolis officials say “there has been little or unclear movement on implementation by the administration” since the last city-wide community safety plan last year.

A news release announcing the latest policing plan said there are concerns over a “lack of seriousness” about the city implementing a new comprehensive safety system.

Vice Chair of the Public Health and Safety Committee and City Council Member Robin Wonsley said the following in the same news release: “Council is serious about realizing the comprehensive public safety system that our residents have asked for since May 2020. We can have a city where there are a multitude of preventive, responsive, and restorative services to meet our public safety needs efficiently and equitably. The Safe and Thriving Communities Report and the Public Safety Beyond Policing Action Plan includes a clear ten-year guide to make this vision a reality.”

Public Health and Safety Chair and City Council Member Chavez said “Ward 9 is home to one of the most diverse communities in the whole state and residents are deeply engaged in leading on public safety work. Residents are tired of empty promises and slow progress when it comes to their safety needs. The time to act is now and the Council is ready to continue to lead on keeping all of us safe.”

Minneapolis City Council President Elliot Paynes released a statement saying “This is the City Council flexing our oversight responsibility. The administration put forward a plan with the Safe and Thriving Communities report and we are making sure the promise of this plan is fulfilled with transparency and with the input of our community at the center of it.”

Background

This is the latest development after the Safe and Thriving Communities plan was announced last year. Advocates say it took a “holistic approach” to public safety.

That plan came after the development of a plan was requested by Mayor Jacob Frey in 2021.

City officials say they are currently in phase one of implementing the Safe and Thriving Communities plan.

The Minneapolis City Council also approved a new police contract earlier this month that includes a nearly 22% pay raise for officers over the next three years.

Source link

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis park board, striking workers reach tentative deal

Published

14 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Minneapolis park board, striking workers reach tentative deal – CBS Minnesota

Watch CBS News

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and its workers have reached a tentative agreement after a three-week strike, according to LIUNA Local 363.

Source link

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis crisis response team handles thousands of calls once routed to police

Published

21 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Minneapolis crisis response team handles thousands of calls once routed to police

Riding along with the Minneapolis crisis response team

The Minneapolis crisis response team, formed as an alternative to police after the murder of George Floyd, has responded to more than 20,000 calls. FOX 9 Investigator, Nathan O’Neal, has the story.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minneapolis crisis response team, which was formed as an alternative to police after the murder of George Floyd, has responded to more than 20,000 calls since it was formed – handling calls ranging from mental health to homelessness and addiction.

Why it matters

The Minneapolis Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) team was formed in 2021 and was cited as a critical tool for police reform by the Department of Justice.

The DOJ called the Minneapolis crisis team a “compassionate alternative response” after investigating the Minneapolis Police Department.

“We have entirely revamped our safety system,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “When we get a difficult call in right now, it’s not just about sending officers with a gun to this particular problem.”

How it helps

On a recent day in July, the FOX 9 Investigators joined the crisis response team in Minneapolis. The team responded to welfare checks and mentally distressed residents all over the city.

“It’s really powerful to be able to listen to what the person is going through because what I see as a crisis is completely different from what they’re going through,” said behavior crisis responder Elias Rosas-Lee.

During one call, the team aided a woman in distress who had not eaten nor taken her medication in a few days. The team helped stabilize the woman, who had a known mental health history, and contacted her social worker.

“We can’t save anybody, they have to save themselves,” said behavioral crisis responder David Ruth. “But what we could do is give them the proper resources and hope.”

How it’s going

The service was launched in 2021 and is free to the public. It was expanded to a 24/7 service last year.

“All over the country folks are calling for an alternative response,” said Keara Nadeau-Grandy, director of clinical operations at Canopy Roots, which operates the crisis team.

The BCR team is unarmed and responds to calls that have been screened to ensure there is no violence involved.

“Everybody always thinks about the situations where law enforcement has been involved – and it has not turned out very well, “said Nadeau-Grandy. “We hope that we can reduce those incidents.

Source link