New SUSA poll shows Dayton treading water

from LeftMN by Tony Petrangelo

While there does appear to have been some amount of erosion in Governor Mark Dayton’s approval ratings over the course of the year, it’s been just three points. Three points may be erosion or it may be random sampling variation. If you look at the rolling average graph of polling, you can see that Mark Dayton’s approvals took a hit during the session and then recovered almost back to previous levels after it.

Why my blood pressure is rising

from Minnesota Prairie Roots by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Craziness, I say. Pure craziness to spend that much money on health insurance premiums.

I plan to muddle through MNsure, the new online marketplace for health insurance. I bet that will be a barrel of fun.

Fasting from affliction: Reflecting on my eating disorder on Yom Kippur

from TCJewfolk by Shana Rosenthal

My hope for this Yom Kippur is that I, we as a people, can attempt to nourish our souls on this day instead. Can we fast from affliction so that we might halt the old revolving ideas and behaviors? Can we break the turnpikes that cease us from getting closer to God? I think this will be a hard and uncomfortable thing to do, but that usually tells me I’m a step in the right direction.

Food truck parks: Two birds, one stone

from streets.mn by Bill Lindeke

the main problem with the food truck craze is that the current sidewalk conditions along Marquette Avenue are borderline inhumane. Outside a few precious places, there are no parks, benches, tables, or shade anywhere in downtown Minneapolis. Just as people should never eat at their desks in a decent society, nobody should have to use a fork standing up.

But what can be done?

One owner, two addresses and three designs

from St. Paul by Bike by Wolfie Browender

“The neighbors in the neighborhood didn’t want the house moved in here because this was too exclusive of a  street to have a house from West Seventh Street … But ultimately the house came.”

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