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| | | Where Will They Go? | As residents of the homeless encampment at Pig's Eye Park prepare for the city of St. Paul to clear out their camp tomorrow, Mayor Kaohly Her has been staying out of the public eye since reports of sexual harassment allegations against her broke last week. [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities] | | - Where will all the people go? The waitlist for long-term housing in St. Paul is well over 1,000 people long, and despite spending about $1 million to add 49 shelter beds, the city still doesn't have enough space for residents displaced by the encampment clearings. Rising Waters Mutual Aid co-founder Kat Hunter said shelters also aren't a good fit for many people and argues that it's more cost effective and impactful to invest in safety and quality of life improvements at encampments rather than clearing them. [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities]
- A statewide problem: Helping people find safe, long-term housing is a challenge that requires a lot of funding – which is not something St. Paul has as it faces down a $26 million budget deficit for 2027. Urbanist and MinnPost columnist Bill Lindeke argues that more people should be campaigning for statewide funding for homeless resources in our urban cores as people from all over the state come to use city resources to get back on their feet. [MinnPost]
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| What the Cities Are Talking About |
| Closing time: After years of complaints from nearby residents and a lengthy legal battle with state regulators, Northern Iron announced it will be closing its foundry on the east side of St. Paul by the end of 2026. On an episode of City Cast Twin Cities, environmental justice reporter Andrew Hazzard explained how pollutive facilities like this one still exist in many diverse neighborhoods as a legacy of racist zoning policies. [Sahan Journal] | | Would you live on top of a data center? Virginia-based data center developer Legacy Investing has signed a purchase agreement for the Star Tribune's old printing facility in the North Loop. Managing partner Daniel English says he is envisioning a mixed-use development for the site with housing and/or retail space available in addition to the data center. The acquisition is set to go through at the end of the year, depending on city approvals. Minneapolis currently has a moratorium on new data center development in place until November. [Star Tribune] | | Blame game: While the FBI still works to identify a culprit for recent cyber attacks on Minnesota water systems, some experts think the attacks may have come from Iran due to the country's history of attacking similar infrastructure. Without evidence, President Donald Trump said he thinks that Minnesota is behind the attacks. [MinnPost / MPR News] | |  | My cool boss Anna Weggel (left) performs at a 2023 Fringe Fest production of "Cat Confidential: The Secret Lives of the Mothers of Lions" with Mandi Verstegen (right). (Photo Courtesy of Brant Miller) |
| Get weird: Minnesota Fringe Festival kicks off this Thursday, and it's "a great gateway drug" to starting to see theater performances year-round. The shows are all 60 minutes or less, and they range from full professional productions to amateur puppet shows. Check out the schedule and pick a show that speaks to you! [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities] | | Deals on the table: Twenty-nine of the 38 people charged with conspiracy for their alleged roles in a January protest at Cities Church in St. Paul have been offered plea deals reducing their charges from felonies to misdemeanors. There are no reports of protesters accepting the deals. The offers come as federal prosecutors continue to struggle with cases against anti-ICE protesters, having dismissed most of the "assaulting or impeding federal agents" charges they have filed in Minnesota. [MPR News] |
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| | Tuesday, August 4 | | | Wednesday, August 5 | | | |
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Thank you to our new Neighbors Robert G., Jed L., and Elizabeth G. that have already signed up and claimed their pennants this week. Robert, Jed, and Elizabeth are supporting the work we do every day and getting tons of cool perks. Sign up today to be cool like them and get your own exclusive pennant! |
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