Buzz

St. Paul is a finalist for the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge, rising above a pool of over 300 entries.

The competition is about inspiring “American cities to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life,” a prepared statement from the city reads.

The city's entry was an idea to make the city’s permit review and license process accessible online.

“Permit St. Paul,” as it’s called, aims to improve customer service and results and make government more transparent, while also keeping costs down, the statement reads.  

The city is up against 19 others across the country for the $5 million grand prize and $1 million runner-up awards.
 

The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) released its annual College Destination Index, and Minneapolis-St. Paul was ranked No. 6 for major metro areas, coming in behind cities like Boston, New York, and San Francisco.
 
The Index includes the top 75 towns and cities in the U.S., and uses factors culled from numerous governmental agencies, such as the Small Business Administration, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Census Bureau. The amalgamation of data provides a snapshot of each community's overall cultural and academic environment as well as employment landscape and quality of life.
 
In a press release about the results, AIER's Steven Cunningham noted, "The characteristics that make up a great college destination often make a location ideal for business, retirement, and tourism. A top AIER College Destinations Index ranking should be just as important to the town or city as it is to the schools located there and the families and students attending or considering them."

The popular St. Paul Farmers Market nabbed third place in a contest sponsored by American Farmland Trust, an organization focused on educating the public about the value and importance of preserving farmland.
 
The group collected votes from across the country, and separated farmers markets into categories by size. St. Paul is in the "large markets" category.
 
In another nod to Minnesota farmers, Hutchinson-based Loon Organics received honorable mention in the organization's Farmers Market Inspiration Award. Farmer Laura Frerichs was recognized for her essay, "My Love Letter to the Mill City Farmers Market." 

Airports across the country are expanding their amenities in an attempt to set themselves apart from rivals, notes USA Today in a recent article about airport perks.
 
The story cites a survey by Airports Council International-North America, which gathered information on 89 airports in the U.S. and Canada. The survey found that hubs are featuring services that range from pet hotels and hair salons to rocking chairs and live jazz.
 
Minneapolis St. Paul airport got a nod for its children's play areas, indoor walking path, and salon services. In the article, airport spokesman Patrick Hogan says, "We believe if people enjoy the airport they're more likely to make connections through [here] as opposed to Chicago or somewhere else. There's a competitive advantage to providing a good airport experience quite apart from revenues."
 

On its inaugural list of America's Best Hipster Neighborhoods, financial magazine Forbes chose Minneapolis' North Loop as one of its picks.
 
To define "hipster," the publication searched through data on more than 250 neighborhoods in the largest U.S. cities, and looked for factors like the number of coffee shops per capita, the diversity of food trucks and farmers markets, walkability, the percentage of residents who work in artistic occupations, and the number of bars and restaurants.
 
The North Loop, also known as the Warehouse District, was recognized as "hipster" for its large warehouse spaces that have been converted to apartments, boutiques, and restaurants. Forbes also added: "Bike trails, a park and an arts collective also boost the hipness quotient." The North Loop came in 12th out of 20 neighborhoods.
 
At the top of the Forbes list was Los Angeles' Silver Lake, San Francisco's Mission District, and Brooklyn's Williamsburg.

Recently, Outside magazine featured Minneapolis as a top biking city.

“Cold winters can’t cramp the style of Minneapolis cyclists. Quite the opposite, in fact. This tight-knit community of bicyclists is the envy of many in the North American cycling crowd,” it states.

The article cites places like One on One Bicycle Studio as gathering places for cyclists, along with Open Streets outdoor events that shut down certain intersections, celebrating the car-free lifestyle. The piece also calls attention to other bike-themed events, including brewery tours, bike messenger races, and more.

Dedicated bike lanes and trails throughout the city, along with a bike-sharing program, contribute to making the city ideal for cycling, says Outside.

On Oct. 24, the FBI recognized a nonprofit called Ka Joog, which works with local Somalis, for its community leadership efforts, according to the Pioneer Press.
 
A handful of years ago, young Somalis made headlines related to gang violence and “the news that dozens of young men were secretly recruited and returning to their war-torn homeland to fight alongside a terrorist group,” the story states.
 
Two young Somali men, Mohamed Farah and his brother, Abdifatah Farah, along with a number of their friends “vowed to do something to keep their peers from falling prey to gangs and radical teachings,” it goes on to say.
 
Ka Joog, which has been going since 2007, has created mentorship programs and other activities to give young Somalis access to education, music, and the arts,  “while speaking out against the violence and radicalization that has claimed too many of them in recent years.”
 
 

 

Harvard’s Ash Center, which gives out “Bright Awards” for innovative government initiatives, recently recognized a couple of St. Paul programs, according to Minnpost.

Of 600 entries, 111 programs were given awards.

St. Paul’s initiative, called “Replicating the Blueprint for Safety,” is a comprehensive interagency guide for dealing with domestic violence-related criminal cases. It stood out, as did the “Residential Life-Safety Inspection Program,” which is about keeping residential properties safe, the article states.  

Hennepin County’s “Results Only” program was also honored. The county has “increased employee productivity and morale, attracted quality applicants, and reduced costs,” through the program, which gives workers a significant amount of control over their work and evaluates them on clearly defined results, according to the article.

The Zillow Blog recently named Minneapolis as one of 20 top cities around the country for trick-or-treating.

Zillow’s survey determined where one can “get the best Halloween loot,” the article states.

Minneapolis came in 11th place, while San Francisco topped the list.

The rankings are based on median home value, walk score, population density, and crime--in short, where to get the most candy with the least amount of walking and safety risk.

Within Minneapolis, the neighborhoods of Fulton, Lynnhurst, Linden Hills, Tangletown, and Cedar-Isles-Dean provide the best experience, according to the survey.

Minnesota employers added 5,900 jobs in September, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
 
The agency said the unemployment rate dropped 0.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted 5.8 percent. The nation's unemployment rate for September is 7.8 percent.
 
"Minnesota has recovered nearly 90,000 jobs since hitting the low point of the recession three years ago last month,” said Blake Chaffee, DEED director of communications, in a press release about the September numbers. “The labor market has been steadily improving since then, but we still have more work to do.”

In an op-ed article, New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman recently attempted to create a food labeling system that would benefit consumers rather than food companies.
 
In developing the system, which he proposes to replace current nutrition labels on packaged foods, Bittman turned to St. Paul-based design firm Werner Design Werks. The firm helped him create a label that "can tell a story about the three key elements of any packaged food and can provide an overall traffic-light-style recommendation or warning."
 
Werner Design Werks' clear and straightforward label would be a large improvement over existing labeling, Bittman believes. He notes that such a shift would help to counter obesity, a problem that "all but the most cynical agree is closely related to consumption of junk food."

Political magazine In These Times noted the 10th anniversary of the death of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash on October 25, 2002.
 
The publication provides a profile of Wellstone and his work, with writer Peter Dreier first recalling that the senator's "fiery speeches and dogged campaigning for progressive reform earned him the title 'the conscience of the Senate.'"
 
The rest of the story details Wellstone's path from professor to politician, and all the controversy he encountered at each stop on his career trajectory. As well as a lengthy, comprehensive overview of Wellstone's major achievements, the profile is also a tribute to a politician whose life touched the lives of many others.

,Minnesota's startups had a strong third quarter, according to a recent report from the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. The publication noted that venture capital investment in the state showed a rebound over previous quarters, with med-tech firms leading the surge.
 
Companies that raised large rounds include Segetis Inc., a firm specializing in sustainable chemistry solutions, and Torax Medical Inc., a medical technology company focused on treatments for digestive, incontinence, and obesity disorders.
 
One down note in an otherwise sunny report: $20 million of the third quarter revenue was raised by Mainstay Medical Inc., a device firm that plans to move out of the Twin Cities. Since its funding was provided by an Irish venture capital firm, the company will be relocating to Dublin.

Several local breweries fared well at the recent Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal states that the festival is “considered one of the most prestigious worldwide competitions for brewers.”  

St. Paul’s Summit Brewing Co. received a silver medal in the Bohemian-Style Pilsener category for its Summit Pilsener, the Journal reports.

Fitger’s Brewhouse in Duluth, which is planning a Minneapolis location, achieved a bronze medal in the American-Style Sour Ale category, with its Fitger’s Framboise, and the Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery got a bronze medal in the Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition, according to the Journal.  

Active.com includes Minneapolis and St. Paul as number eight in its list of the top 10 running places across the country.

“Aside from ample places to train and races to run, spirited running communities add color and support the local traditions that make certain cities ideal for runners,” the website reads.

The website cites events and infrastructure such as the Twin Cities Marathon, “called the most beautiful urban marathon in the U.S.,” a 50-mile city trail system, and the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway, and its home to the elite distance running-focused Team USA, coached by Dennis Barker.

New York City was named as the top running destination.