Buzz

Twin Cities Daily Planet reporter Sheila Regan gave the new network of free wi-fi hotspots in Minneapolis a test drive and in doing so noticed one shortcoming at several locations: no place to sit. Once she got seated and connected, however, she liked using the service:

"... I quite enjoyed checking my email in the sun, despite the funny looks I got from people as they walked by me.

"I spoke to City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden about the free hotspots and she said they were still a work in progress. 'We're still working out the kinks,' she said.

"Glidden said she had reservations about the rule that people have to have a credit card to log into the network. The reason for that rule, she said, is because of Homeland Security regulations.  Still, she and other lawmakers are trying to make the system 'fair and equitable.'  She also said one of the goals is to provide a 'fun service' where people can get online while enjoying the outdoors."

Read the full article here.

Only three weeks after the opening of a new Apple Store where the Uptown Bar once stood, there are signs that the nightclub, a longtime fixture of the local music scene, may soon resurface in the vacant Lyndale Theater building, according to Finance and Commerce:

"Jeffery Herman, president of the Minneapolis-based retail real estate firm Urban Anthology, is representing the Uptown Bar. Herman confirmed the deal, but would not go into details.

"'We do have a deal,' Herman said. 'I just can't comment on the timing.'

"The former Uptown Bar & Caf�, which traced its history to the 1930s, closed in early November 2009. The old bar was razed and replaced by a new location for the Apple Store, which opened on the site at 3018 Hennepin Ave. last month.

"The deal is likely to be contingent on sorting out a key issue: the operators of a revived Uptown Bar would need to secure a new liquor license from the city of Minneapolis."

Read the full article here.

 

Are revived art galleries a sign of emerging from the recession? The Soo Visual Arts Center, hit hard by the economic downturn, is back, reports the Southwest Journal:

"The smell of fresh paint was in the air in June as Greenberg, standing in the new SooVAC space, ticked off all the changes since the gallery closed temporarily in March: an expanded, more deeply involved board of directors; a new gallery manager to ease Greenberg's workload; a new resolve to build gallery membership and community ties; and the spinning-off of SooVAC's shop into a new, independent entity.

"Manufactory is planned to open soon in the former space of design boutique ROBOTlove that relocated in the spring to Northeast. Greenberg said her collaboration with collectible toy-maker Erin Currie and her husband, Dave, will operate like an 'old-school cobbler,' with goods for sale in front and the artists who make them at work in the back of the store.

"Marketing agency Zeus Jones will occupy the third and final space in Greenberg's building, setting up a confluence of creative energy near the Lyndale Avenue and West 26th Street intersection. Rob White, co-founder of the growing firm currently headquartered in the Uptown Row building, said 'artistic karma' drew them to the site."

Read the full article here.

Medgadget editor Dan Buckland recently paid a visit to Medtronic headquarters, where he met with the company's VP of Medicine and Technology, Dr. Stephen Oesterle, for a talk about where the company and industry is heading.

The company spends about $1.7 billion a year on research and development. As a result, it's planning to release 60 new products next year. It also invests in several smaller companies that are working on products that are interesting or complimentary to its portfolio.

"In interviewing Dr. Oesterle about the future of medical devices, two main themes emerged. He believes that minimally invasive is the future for most surgeries and that everything in the body is electrically active, and hence able to be modulated. He also sees Medtronic as a company that specializes in delivery and implantation. Delivery refers to delivery of both drugs and electricity."

Read the entire post here.

Downtown Minneapolis is seeing more resident families with children, reports the Star Tribune. They lobbied for a new playground that will be built along the Mississippi riverfront. It seems to signal a generational shift in attitudes about work, home and family:

"Many millennials and younger Gen-Xers say their American dream is not a big house and yard in the suburbs. It's walking to work, no lawn mowing, more family play time and culture at their doorsteps.

"'I'm seeing a changing of the guard from baby boom empty nesters looking for a retirement place to young couples and families,' said Cynthia Froid, a real estate agent who has even included a crib in one of her for-sale units. 'People want to live closer to where they're working and being entertained. You just want a little bit more of a village and not have to get in your car for everything.'"

Read the full article here.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press lists 15 places to get gourmet food in Lowertown, with map. Some are here; others are coming. A sample entry:

"VINES AND STEINS, 266 E. Seventh St. Opening September 2010. For his latest project, Bulldog owner Matt Lokowich is doing an upscale deli and liquor shop, complete with walk-in cooler and 1,000 kinds of beer."

Read the full article here.

In the 1930s, Larpenteur Avenue on St. Paul's northern border was the favored getaway route for bank robbers seeking sanctuary in the Saintly City. Now a different kind of conspiracy--crop mobs of urbanites looking for a chance to dig in the dirt--is finding what it needs along the same road, on the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus. The Twin Cities Daily Planet explains:

"Though sustainable small-scale farming may be seen as a return to low-tech methods of growing food, Anderson is organizing Crop Mobs using very contemporary mediums. One third of Saturday's volunteers signed up through his Fair Food Fight  website or follow his Twitter feed, Anderson said, another third came through the Twin Cities Crop Mob page on Facebook, and the rest were students.

"Fair Food Fight started as an online blog and conversation sponsored by Equal Exchange, an employee owned cooperative committed to fair trade relationships with farmers for crops like coffee and chocolate. River Cook, an Equal Exchange sales representative who participated Saturday, said that Fair Food Fight and the Crop Mobs are 'our way of making a local connection to the work we've done internationally.'

"After cleaning up, the Cornercopia Crop Mob air-dried while eating lunch donated by the University of Minnesota's Campus Club in a classroom. The mostly urban twenty- and thirty-something volunteers filled up tables and talked with those around them. Conversations ranged from the mainstreaming of organic products to farming experiences and plans to attend future Crop Mobs."

Read the full article here.

Eureka Recycling is trying something new this summer: compost pickup service in the Mac-Groveland neighborhood, via bicycle. If the pilot project goes citywide, St. Paul will be a pioneer nationally, reports Living Green Twin Cities:

"As part of the pilot project, composting will be done via a drop-off location, a recycling truck, and a bicycle pulling a trailer, each of which will be measured for effectiveness and maximum waste reduction. So far, no city has offered a zero-emissions bicycle pick-up plan for composting. If St. Paul initiates it citywide, it will be the first time a major metro area has implemented and offered organics pick-up on bicycle.

"While it might seem small in scope, the real benefits are the long-term plans that will sprout from the study. According to the press release, Eureka Recycling will use data and information on waste reduction and management culled from the Mac-Groveland project to develop a long-term composting plan for the city as well as uses for the finished compost."

Read the full article here.

Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi paid a visit to St. Paul's Union Depot, soon to be revived as a regional transit hub with $85 million in federal funds towards the $240 million project. She saw the future of transportation in the old building, according to the Star Tribune:

"Once the center of railroad activity in St. Paul, the mostly dormant building is expected to be on one end of a high-speed rail line that would link Chicago and the Twin Cities. It will also be home to the planned light-rail line between Minneapolis and St. Paul. The $237 million renovation project is slated to begin this fall and be completed in late 2012.

"The federal government has allocated about $85 million for the effort, $35 million of which came from the stimulus bill. Ramsey County has proffered about $42 million, and planners still need to fill a funding gap of about $100 million.

"'This is the future,' Pelosi told a crowd of reporters and local officials. 'And I think that this is a lot of money, but a small price to pay for taking this region into the future.'"

Read the full article here.

A new ideal of urban loft-living is overtaking the decades-old dream of a house in the suburbs, according to a housing expert who addressed a gathering of local developers in Minneapolis last week. MinnPost reports that Urban Land Institute researcher John McIlwain sees a strong future for cities that can supply environmentally sustainable housing:

"McIlwain, a senior fellow at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C., and author of a research paper titled 'Housing in America: The Next Decade,' predicted that many central cities will experience strong demand for housing, with the strongest markets 'in places that provide a vibrant 24/7 lifestyle.' He also said that shortly after the end of the decade, virtually all new homes will produce most if not all of the energy they use, and the 'net-zero-energy' home will be the standard."

"As sprawling suburban development comes to an end, home ownership will decline to more historical levels and rental market will grow. People seeking an urban lifestyle but not in a 'big city' will look to live in suburban town centers that have emerged around the country."

Read the rest of the article here.

General Mills has patented a method for processing foods with less trans fat.

The company was awarded a U.S. patent last week on a technique for thickening or hardening fats and oils in a way that minimizes the amount of trans fatty acids, which have emerged as a health concern in recent years as studies have linked them to high cholesterol and heart disease.

Bloomberg reports that the technique produces an ingredient that contains less than 40 percent trans fat, and yet it maintains the same texture as ingredients with higher trans fat alternatives.

Read the Bloomberg article here and see the patent here.

"Back home, they would shoot me in the head for doing this to hummus," Holy Land CEO Majdi Wadi tells the New York Times.

In Wadi's home country of Jordan, hummus is strictly a puree of chickpeas, sesame paste and garlic. Here in northeast Minneapolis, though, Holy Land is finding success with its expanding line of flavored hummus.

They introduced jalape�o hummus in 2000. The most recent addition is guacamole-flavored hummus, and later this month it will introduce a peanut butter variety.

"I'm making this an American product," says Wadi.

Read the New York Times article here.

Silent Power is getting press for its role in a Sacramento-area smart-grid project.

Earth2Tech reports that Silent Power's OnDemand system will be installed at about 15 houses in suburban Sacramento as part of a stimulus-funded smart-grid pilot project.

The Baxter, MN company, which we recently wrote about, makes technology that helps maximize the value of solar electricity panels by storing power until it's needed.

"This is a very consumer-friendly-type solution," CEO Todd Headlee tells the blog, explaining that the system can also serve as a backup during power outages.

Read the Earth2Tech blog post here and our previous report on Silent Power here.

Forbes' advice for smart, ambitious college graduates this spring:

Consider moving to Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The Twin Cities rank third on the magazine's 2010 list of "America's Best Cities for Young Professionals." The region is one of three, including Houston and Washington, D.C., where the editors say new college grads have the best chance of getting a strong start on their career.

Minneapolis-St. Paul offer the best career prospects in the Midwest, the magazine writes. It's a good destination for young professionals because of its low unemployment rate, reasonable cost of living and "robust" business environment.

Read the entire Forbes article here.

Visions of the Central Corridor between Minneapolis and St. Paul as a transit-focused business district are clashing with an unnamed big-box home-improvement retailer's desire to have a sign high above I-94, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports:

"[Shopping center representative Paula] Maccabee said the retailer needs a sign 60 feet high so it's easily seen from I-94. That's only a foot higher than a Target sign just down the street, but that shouldn't mean anything, opponents say. Nor, they said, should Maccabee's argument that the store will employ residents, offer an alternative to the city's only other large home-improvement store--nearby Menards--or increase the tax base.

"'There are conditions that have to be met to grant a variance, and providing jobs is not one of them,' city council President Kathy Lantry said."

Read the entire article here.