The Minneapolis Public School Board is meeting 6 p.m. Tonight's meeting focuses on a presentation on MPS enrollment declines and the impact on the budget. In its November 2021 forecast, MPS anticipated needing 134 fewer full-time teacher positions. Enrollment is even lower than expected, which means teacher numbers could decline even more. You can watch the presentation live (in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali).
Melissa Whitler will be live tweeting, as always.
Southwest High School Student Council President Emi Gacaj talked with us about how students were impacted by the omicron wave. I wrote a story about how Southwest students reacted initially to the omicron wave and how they supported each other with mask funding. Gacaj shared student survey results that reflect the anxiety students are feeling during the pandemic.
Charlie wrote up a story about Flock, a LGBTQ-owned and operated co-working space in a beautiful Whittier building. Charlie writes, "As the pandemic has created more remote work opportunities and fewer five-days-a-week-in-the-office jobs, Flock feels like the moment of transformation we’re living in is one it's well-positioned to meet."
LINK ROUNDUP 🔗
Minneapolis Public School food service workers with SEIU Local 284 announced they are voting to authorize a strike on March 2. Racket has a blurb about it.
KinhDo is struggling to stay in business. The multi-generation, family-owned business is behind on rent after a lack of business due to the pandemic. The grandson of the original owners has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his family's business. The Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association visited KinhDo last year and wrote about its familial history...ok, and why their egg rolls are so good.
Christo's is looking for community support as well. The restaurant had to suddenly shut down on Valentine's Day due to a power outage. The cause? A driver crashed into multiple utility poles. The owners are concerned about the long-term damage to their reputation and could use a morale boost.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES 💪
The City Council's Public and Government Oversight Committee is meeting today at 10 a.m. and the Committee of the Whole is meeting at 1:30 p.m. You can watch both meetings on City Council TV and recordings are uploaded to YouTube.
I am not allowed to have any more cats (self-directed), but I encourage you to review the pets available for adoption through Minneapolis Animal Care and Control. Currently the adoption fees are being waived! Here are the cats and here are the dogs. They are so cute. Adopt one.
Do people still bookmark webpages? If you do, star the COVID-19 community testing sites page. As the omicron wave subsides (knock on wood), the availability of community testing sites are shifting. Please check this website before you venture off to your favorite testing site (that's a sad but true statement).
OUT & ABOUT 🛵
It's singer-songwriter night at Icehouse with Eli Gardiner Band and Sarah Morris. Show starts at 8 p.m.
Let's get active! Help your neighbors shovel tonight. And check to make sure your block's curb cuts are cleared, too.
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