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Skywatch: Best constellation of autumn? A horse, of course

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:03:58 GMT

One of the classic constellations of autumn is Pegasus, the flying horse soaring above the southeastern horizon in the evening sky. It’s by far the largest celestial horse we see in our night sky. The traditional interpretation of Pegasus is a horse flying upside down with puny little wings. If you can see it that way, more power to you. Over the years though, I’ve strayed from that view of Pegasus, and I’d like to share it with you. My view of Pegasus also involves borrowing part of the adjacent constellation Andromeda the Princess.The way I see Pegasus is a right-side-up majestic flying horse with a huge wingspan, rescuing the lovely Princess Andromeda from a gigantic, ravenous sea monster. If I could personally show you Pegasus, I guarantee you’d be convinced. My view of Pegasus right matches the flying red horse you see portrayed at Mobil service stations. I realize this talk of changing the interpretation of Pegasus and Andromeda is blasphemy to purists, but p...

Mitra Jalali: Essential city services are the vehicle to deliver on our bold vision for St. Paul

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:03:58 GMT

I first ran for the Saint Paul City Council because I believe that when our communities are at the table, change is possible. This is the same conviction that I stand with today, and what drove so many candidates to run this year.This year we have an incredible opportunity as a city to elect experienced, community-centered leadership that will deliver on a bold vision for Saint Paul. We are united by a policy vision to lift up everyone in the city and its diverse working families from all neighborhoods. These leaders are committed to a bold shared vision for our city: acting on the climate crisis through modernizing our streets; upholding new housing options and renter protections for people facing displacement; investing in our local businesses and workers’ rights for a fair economy; and a community safety vision that funds people’s needs for greater stability.Despite this, conservative special interest groups are aggressively spending nearly a quarter-million dollars to convince y...

Jane Prince: St. Paul’s sales-tax initiative? It’s bait and switch

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:03:58 GMT

While there is little doubt that St. Paul is facing a serious deterioration of streets, bridges and parks in Minnesota’s capital city, the campaign in support of the proposed 1% sales tax increase on Tuesday’s ballot fails to tell whole story of how the sales tax will be spent.Indeed, the tax increase will help restore 46.3 miles of 24 arterial/collector streets over the next 20 years and allocate approximately $100 million for badly needed deferred maintenance throughout our parks system. But it will also be used to make way for the highly controversial Summit Avenue bike trail and is proposed to fund several “mega” projects, worthy of any mayor’s legacy.These include the Downtown River Balcony (in concert with the County’s proposed $788 million River’s Edge luxury development); the Mississippi River Learning Center at Crosby Park; and a “multipurpose, multi-sport, multi-use” regional athletic complex in St. Paul’s north end, ironically on the site of the failed Arlington Spo...

Readers and writers: It’s all books for kids and all from Minnesota creators

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:03:58 GMT

It’s an all-kids day, from science and mythology for middle-grade readers to a Hmong folktale and a board book about how to get rid of the “wiggles,” all from Minnesota authors/illustrators.“We, the Curious Ones”: by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Hari & Deepti ($18.99)We chantin temples,in sweat lodges,in churches,in shrines,celebrating our lives,honoring our dead.We love our stories.We live in our stories.(Courtesy of Candlewick Press)From the beginning of human history we have told stories across cultures about our origins, our relationship to our fellow beings and the universe. As we learn more through the millenia, the stories change. Marion Dane Bauer, dean of Minnesota children’s book authors, lyrically blends science and story in her beautifully illustrated new book.“Story encompasses everything from folk tales to scripture to twenty-first century novels,” she writes in her Afterword to this book aimed at readers 6 and o...

At Marine Mills Folk School, a new executive director hopes to expand the craft of community-building

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:03:58 GMT

As a step toward growth, the Marine Mills Folk School has named a new executive director.Kate Seitz, who currently manages the school’s communications and marketing in a part-time capacity, took over this month as the leader of the craft education nonprofit in Marine on St. Croix. Her director position is also part-time, so Seitz, 44, will continue the communications role, too.Marine Mills Folk School began in 2018 and offers a variety of accessible classes for adults in traditional crafts and artisan skills including knitting, woodworking, baking and soap-making. Information about specific classes, most of which require no previous experience, can be found online at marinemillsfolkschool.org.The school was founded by Robin Brooksbank, a longtime Marine resident and former city council member. She stepped down as executive director this fall. Now, with Seitz running the day-to-day, the goal is that Brooksbank can continue leading the organization’s board in longer-term strateg...

Blons, Bates: St. Paul sales tax paves the way to a better future for all of us

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:03:58 GMT

Whether we are white, Black or brown, all of us deserve bold public leadership to continue the work to make Saint Paul the most livable city it can be for all its residents. We have a historic election in front of us where we could have a city council that’s rooted in community-driven leadership, working with residents to realize a vision of a multi-racial democracy and caring economy. As clergy and residents of Saint Paul, this vision is what we believe Jesus meant when he said to love your neighbor.One element in realizing this vision is a ballot initiative asking Saint Paul voters to support a 1% sales tax increase to fund much-needed road repairs, improvements to our parks and bridges. If you have driven around St. Paul lately, you know how badly we need this additional funding. My (Adam’s) old car won’t survive another season of potholes like we had this past year.The new sales tax will make it so that all who live and come to our city to work and play contribute an addit...

Pioneer Press readers explore gorgeous, opulent French Riviera

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:03:58 GMT

I always thought there were two types of overseas vacations: An adventure, or a beach vacation.In the former, which I prefer, you get to know a place and its history, preferably on foot. In the latter, you relax on a beach, drink vacation drinks and float in the ocean.I’m here to tell you that it’s possible to have both — which I discovered recently on a trip to the French Riviera with more than 30 Pioneer Press readers.Our tour group stayed in Nice, France, for the entirety of the trip, with short motorcoach trips to other places in the region. There was plenty of history, culinary adventures and walking — but also a gorgeous beach on the impossibly blue Mediterranean Sea (the region is known as Côte d’Azur, or blue coast, in French) and lots of free time to enjoy it.Here’s what we did during the tour, which took place in mid-October.ArrivalPlace Massena in Nice, France. (Courtesy of Mick Richards)After a long flight that was delayed slightly, we had just a few mi...

Stillwater area residents trying – again – for indoor pool and community center

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:03:58 GMT

Dianne Polasik has been advocating for an indoor pool and community center in the Stillwater area for more than 40 years.She’s hoping this time, the fifth time, will be the charm.Dianne Polasik, president of the board of the Valley Community Center, which is exploring options for a community center and indoor pool in the Stillwater area. (Courtesy of Valley Community Center)Polasik is president of the board of the Valley Community Center, a nonprofit organization exploring options for a community center in the Stillwater Area Public School District. The group recently hired Colorado-based Ballard*King & Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in, among other things, creating feasibility studies for recreational and sports facilities, to conduct a survey of more than 1,300 residents of the area.Nearly 90 percent of the respondents support an indoor pool. “Spoiler alert: everybody wants a pool,” Polasik said. “Since we don’t have a pool, we have to go to other community poo...

Literary pick for Nov. 5

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:03:58 GMT

By the time you finish reading “Driving Dad Home,” you will have experienced a wide range of emotions, from laughter to sympathy for author John Halter, who had the unenviable task of driving Russ, his 96-year-old father, from his trailer park in Phoenix to a memory-care facility in La Crosse, Wis.Russ Halter is a complicated man, loving his children and first wife but with a volatile temper. Russ and son John had a rocky relationship beginning with John’s teen years, when he was always mad at his dad and his dad was mad at him. Yet, Russ later called his son every Sunday night to complain about his second wife, a bedridden alcoholic dying of kidney disease. John and his siblings knew it was time to bring their dad back to the MidwestWith the help of a social worker they mapped out an elaborate plan for getting their stubborn father into the car for the three-day drive to La Crosse. The early chapters read like a novel as John tries to coax his dad into the car. So...

Literary calendar for week of Nov. 5

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:03:58 GMT

Elizabeth Acevedo (Courtesy of the author)ELIZABETH ACEVEDO: Dominican-American author and spoken word artist best known for her young adult novel-in-verse “The Poet X,” winner of a National Book Award, discusses “Family Love,” her first novel for adults about a woman who can predict, to the day, when someone will die. In MELSA metro libraries Club Book. Free. 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9. Virtual/streaming at facebook.com/ClubBook.MATTHEW BATT: Discusses his memoir “The Last Supper Club: A Waiter’s Requiem,” about being a waiter at Surly’s fine-dining Minneapolis restaurant, The Brewer’s Table, a job he took during his college teaching sabbatical. 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.ANDREA BEATY: Bestselling author reads her newest Questions picture book, “Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year,” featuring a teacher who is all about kindness, learning to face your fears and the influen...