from the strib archives: a 1978 Donald Black photo of Como zookeeper Joanne Fida, some cutie patooties, and most importantly, the coolest belt buckle I have ever seen.

Redevelopment at the Midway CVS site was not assured after the building was torn down, since the site was controlled by a nameless LLC in Spokane. Now, maybe something different?

“Every time we walk around the block, there’s a house missing." www.startribune.com/st-paul-tear...

I cover the St. Paul council and the difference in debates is striking. St. Paul had some tense moments on this, but a lot of public affirmations that CMs who disagreed had the same values. And in the end, two CMs who supported another version of this policy voted with the majority for a 7-0.

ICYMI: The St. Paul City Council voted to require federal immigration agents to show their faces on the job.

Sunday morning in my neighborhood, by me and Eleanor Hildebrandt. www.startribune.com/whittier-sou...

St. Paul's 2026 budget avoids cuts to the fire department and keeps library and rec center hours. The budget adds $5 million in subsidies to boost downtown, much of it for office-to-apartment conversions, and beefs up parking enforcement.

City Council members say St. Paul police officers’ conduct at the scene crossed a line, and on Wednesday they’re expected to call for an investigation.

Federal agents, protesters on scene at St. Paul paper distributor www.startribune.com/federal-agen...

Rep. Kaohly Her has upset St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter after reallocation of voters' other choices gave her more votes. Her will be St. Paul's first Hmong mayor, and the first woman mayor in

Kaohly Her has won the St. Paul mayor’s race in an historic upset. Here's our profile of Her from October: www.startribune.com/kaohly-her-s...

After St. Paul counted first-choice ballots, Mayor Melvin Carter had 27,261 first-choice votes to challenger state Rep. Kaohly Her's 25,658, but neither achieved the threshold to win the election outright. www.startribune.com/election-min...

The school district pitched a $37.2-million-a-year tax increase to stabilize finances, while the city sought to levy fines against those who break laws.

The question of how to move forward on Summit has become one of just a handful of policies where the leading candidates, Mayor Melvin Carter and state Rep. Kaohly Her, truly differ.

The long and winding history of Pedro Park parallels the story of downtown St. Paul. www.startribune.com/how-one-park...

Molly Coleman won in Ward 4 in St. Paul, and it was not particularly close. In a speech last night, Coleman had high praise for Mayor Melvin Carter, headed into his own election this fall—potentially his toughest race since 2017. www.startribune.com/st-paul-cole...

One St. Paulite's take on the closing Cub Foods: “They are just tearing up the poor Midway." Cub says it's investing...in Burnsville. www.startribune.com/st-paul-cub-...

Wrote about Summit Ave bike lane controversy, but this is less a story of bikes vs trees than a story of residents who have lost trust in city officials. www.startribune.com/st-paul-summ...

is the dog park the new village green? exhibit b: www.startribune.com/st-paul-high...

Dog owners, active Boomers and millennials who aren't *quite* ready to retire to the suburbs: this is Highland Bridge, a master-planned neighborhood on the site of the old Ford plant in St. Paul. www.startribune.com/st-paul-high...

Road construction threatened businesses on St. Paul's East Side. They got organized, and got help. And (this part may be a subtweet) they did it without trying to stop the project. www.startribune.com/st-paul-arca...

Even without rent control, Highland Bridge developer says they can't finance construction unless its tax bills are lowered. “Time and time again, this site comes forward asking for changes and tweaks and exceptions," said one St. Paul city council member. www.startribune.com/st-paul-high...

Today's (maybe?) the day? Amid pressure from developers and the mayor's office, St. Paul City Council to vote on exempting new construction from rent control, forever. But: two amendments could push things back another week. www.startribune.com/st-paul-rent...

Looking at the headlines about Melvin Carter’s state of the city address and I think each outlet chose two different items to highlight in their headlines. Mine: www.startribune.com/st-paul-mayo...

Prominent advertising available in St. Paul www.startribune.com/xcel-energy-...

Work on St. Paul's Arcade Street started just a week ago, but businesses have already seen customers get discouraged and go elsewhere. Some business owners are hoping for help from the state (it's a state highway project) while others are just hoping. www.startribune.com/arcade-stree...

Context for the averted trash “crisis” in St. Paul www.startribune.com/carter-calls...

St. Paul will start its new citywide garbage service on Tuesday, but Mayor Melvin Carter has declared a state of emergency to make it happen.

Downtown St. Paul Lunds to close, and with it, a chapter in city-directed development www.startribune.com/lunds-and-by...

those who know me irl are tired of hearing about how 3,600 instances of sidewalk poop were cleaned up in St. Paul last year but I'm done talking about it (for now) www.startribune.com/see-somethin...

St. Paul and Minneapolis join lawsuit against Trump executive order that would strip funding from sanctuary cities. Mayor Melvin Carter: “City employees will not be deputized, will not be commandeered to enforcing federal policy. It’s never been our job.” www.startribune.com/st-paul-trum...

St. Paul City Council deadlocked on a developer’s request to build lower density at the Ford plant site/Highland Bridge neighborhood, blocking the variance request for now. www.startribune.com/highland-for...

It's been two years since a developer pitched 200 affordable apartments at the old Hamm's brewery, and almost 30 years since the brewery closed. www.startribune.com/will-develop...

A copper statue of a young F. Scott Fitzgerald typically greets visitors to a former school he attended in St. Paul. Now it’s missing.

Star Tribune 9/13/2002: St. Paul agreed to place a 5-foot granite Hamm's bear in a city park. People, where is this bear?

St. Paul residents say the city should have changed zoning for an industrial parcel near West 7th like it changed zoning at Ford site and West Side Flats. “The city dropped the ball, and never re-zoned properly to make these plans come to life.” www.startribune.com/st-paul-tras...

Put a finger down if you’ve contrived a story so you could drive a Zamboni www.startribune.com/edina-zambon...

St. Paul has laws against things like wage theft and negligent landlords, but limited enforcement tools. A vote by the City Council today could start to change that. www.startribune.com/st-paul-fine...

“Everybody’s goal here is to have a forever home. But how can you get a forever home when they put so much stress and expectations and rules on us?” www.startribune.com/st-paul-tear...

Hamline-Midway library construction is set to start this year, but the price went up while the project was tied up in court. www.startribune.com/hamline-midw...

@josieagrove.bsky.social on a potential fix for St. Paul's beloved -- and in need of some love -- Walnut Street steps. www.startribune.com/st-paule-wal...

A big smile, a snowblower and a tricycle built a community in St. Paul’s West 7th neighborhood. www.startribune.com/carl-bentson...

The other vacant Kmart, now also slated for redevelopment www.startribune.com/st-paul-kmar... fun fact I learned while reporting this: kmart and sears were owned by the same private equity co when they decided to close both the university sears and this kmart in the north end of St. Paul in 2019.

St. Paul’s council backs lower levy than the mayor wanted, and tied some funding to getting regular reports about police OT. www.startribune.com/st-paul-city...

Sen. Matt Klein, DFL-Mendota Heights, wants to slow down the "revolving door" of former legislators turning lobbyist.

When the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was directed by Hieronymus Bosch

“You have the one name for my generation and generations younger than me that is synonymous with war,” Omar said of Cheney. “It does say something about where your priorities are even if those are not your priorities.”

First story in outdoors is up! Looked into why the guardrails along the Mendota Bridge are so low, turns out they were lowered to their original 1926 height (3.5 feet). Heard it's pretty nerve wracking to cross while biking tho! www.startribune.com/someone-coul...

Really pleased with my Bluesky feed so far, because it’s all reposts of and posts about the CC-owners-want-to-sell story. www.startribune.com/cc-club-dive...

Field trip to Shakopee this afternoon www.startribune.com/scott-county...