The Minnesota gubernatorial election recount of 1962
An unusually close election in 1962 led to a recount in the race between Gov. Elmer L. Andersen and his challenger, Lt. Gov. Karl F. Rolvaag.
Iric Nathanson
Iric Nathanson writes about local history for a variety of Twin Cities publications. His most recent book is “Don Fraser: Minnesota’s Quiet Crusader.”
How a battle over daylight saving time once made Minnesota the laughingstock of the nation
Minneapolis and St. Paul created separate start dates for daylight saving time in 1965.
Twin Metals lease cancellation recalls earlier effort to preserve the BWCA
Nearly 50 years ago, a victory for environmental advocates roiled Minnesota politics during another midterm election year.
Greece, Nixon and the man who almost made Hubert Humphrey president
A new book details the life of journalist and activist Elias Demetracopoulos, who discovered that the Greek military dictatorship had secretly funneled over a half million dollars in illegal campaign contributions to the Nixon presidential campaign in 1968.
What (and who) is behind The Southwest Connector, Minneapolis’ newest community newspaper
Publisher Tesha Christensen believes there’s a potential market in covering neighborhoods previously served by the now defunct Southwest Journal.
Why it only took 120 years for Minneapolis to adopt a ‘strong mayor’ system
Kathy O’Brien, a leader of the pro-strong mayor organization Charter for Change, says the Minneapolis Charter Commission deserves much of the credit for the historic change.
Reviving Lake Street: Nonprofit community groups spearheading recovery
While the Lake Street Council continues to assist with recovery efforts throughout the Lake Street corridor, other nonprofit groups are focusing their work on key Lake Street intersections.
Remembering the Uptown Theatre’s early days
In 1916, In an effort to appeal to a middle-class audience that considered movie-going not quite respectable, the theater promised it would show “high class pictures at all times, including Metro, Fox, and Triangle productions.”
Stronger mayor? Reviving the charter wars in Minneapolis
A new charter plan, scheduled to come before the voters in November, would clarify the mayor’s role as the city’s chief executive and stipulate that City Council members would not be permitted to “usurp, invade or interfere with the mayor’s direction or supervision.”
Talk of overhauling Minneapolis city government recalls a 120-year history of debate
If the Charter Commission moves ahead with a plan to revamp the city’s “creaky” municipal structure, the plan could come before the voters at next November’s city election.
Minnesota helped build momentum for women’s suffrage
Here, ratification of the constitutional amendment occurred in September 1919.
Recurring debate: How the Minneapolis City Council’s public safety plan would alter the balance of power in City Hall
The move to shift the balance of power between the mayor and City Council threatens to reignite a conflict over the structure of municipal government that many thought had been settled more than 30 years ago.
Exploring the rich history of 27th and Lake
When Lake Street was a narrow dirt road beyond the Minneapolis city limits, a scattering of homes and businesses sprung up around a small industrial firm, Minneapolis Harvester Works, established at the intersection of Lake and Hiawatha in 1882.
A look back at the 1918 flu pandemic and its impact on Minnesota
In 1918, 125,000 cases of influenza were reported in Minnesota, causing 7,260 deaths.
Another Minnesotan at the political starting gate in Iowa: Mondale in 1984
“He had more people in more places across Iowa’s 99 counties than his competitors,” reported the Minneapolis Tribune’s Finlay Lewis. “His campaign is richer, better engineered, better manned, more imaginative by far than the effort of his nearest rival in the polls, Sen. John Glenn of Ohio.”
A look back at the Minnesota delegation in Clinton’s impeachment
In 1998, only two of Minnesota’s eight House members, the First District’s Gil Gutknecht and the Third District’s Jim Ramstad, were part of the House Republican majority that controlled the impeachment process.
‘It Can’t Happen Here’: Sinclair Lewis’ message reverberates
Lewis tells the story of Berzelius Windrip, known as Buzz, who is elected president in 1936 and transforms the United States into a totalitarian dictatorship.
How Minnesota Republicans came around on impeaching Nixon
The president’s fate was sealed when evidence convinced his fellow Republicans to abandon him.
Don Fraser’s most enduring legacy: his innate strength of character
At first he seemed self-effacing, almost to point of diffidence, but I soon learned that appearances were deceiving. Once I got to know him better, I discovered the strong will and the keen intelligence that he used to advance his policy and political concerns.
Putting Neighborhoods 2020 in context
Neighborhoods 2020 represents the most recent effort by city officials to rein in the independent neighborhood groups and make them more responsive to the will of City Hall.
