Recent content from James Walsh
St. Paul Summit Hill homeowners give glimpses inside their distinctive homes
The Summit Hill and Ramsey Hill house tours, which were started in 1972, are combining this year to add oomph. We asked some homeowners why they invite the public in.
Lake Phalen Rowing is training winners in the East Metro
The small but mighty program, now training on Lake Gervais, is turning teenage rowers into champions.
The State Fair's last two church dining halls find ways to survive and thrive
In 1903, there were 89 such dining halls, which were seen as more wholesome than hot dog stands. (Less fried stuff on a stick then.)
Meet the successful chef opening a new eatery at St. Paul's Union Depot
1881 by Lake Elmo Inn is the latest restaurant to make a go of the Depot.
George Latimer, St. Paul's longest-serving mayor, dies at 89
Latimer, who served as mayor from 1976 to 1990, was an unparalleled champion and cheerleader of the capital city.
Trio of artists gathers 39 years later to restore West Side mural in St. Paul
"Hunger Has No Color" was painted in St. Paul in 1985 to raise awareness in the community.
Leather works with coffee — and doughnuts? St. Paul neighbors say, 'Yes!'
A Kickstarter campaign started to bring new life to the former Josephs Market site on the West Side of St. Paul.
Meet the former St. Paul mayor working to make homeownership affordable for families
Habitat for Humanity is building 147 homes at the Heights, its largest project in the Twin Cities.
Homeless camp off Bruce Vento trail forcing advocates to explore new approaches
Officials say its many Hmong residents resist shelters, want to stick together.
Meet the St. Paul writer and artist working to translate American Sign Language into a written medium
Adrean Clark plans to pursue a Ph.D. with her 2024 Bush fellowship.
St. Paul ordered to pay damages for failing to give bike trail information to lawsuit opponent
The city violated the Data Practices Act 14 times, a Ramsey County judge found.
Meet the St. Paul woman wants to help Latine families navigate cancer care
Mari Avaloz was her sister's caregiver and wants to replicate an Arizona program, but for Latine families struggling with cancer care.
Meet the St. Paul mental health practitioner hoping to inspire other Black professionals to join the field
2024 Bush fellow Kasim Abdur Razzaq wants to inspire a cadre of Black practitioners to treat trauma in a culturally specific way.
St. Thomas will appeal ruling on planned arena in St. Paul, resumes construction
In a statement, the university say appeals court's concerns "can be remedied."
Black Lives Matter activist will use fellowship to explore history, leadership, organic farming
As a Bush Foundation fellow, Trahern Crews sees the connection between community action and growing food.
Meet the women who launched the St. Paul library's Laser Loons
How an effort to get library cards into the hands of more St. Paul residents took off.
Appeals court orders new environmental assessment for St. Thomas arena in St. Paul
Neighbors argued the city and university didn't do enough to study the arena's impact.
New inclusive St. Paul playground allows children of all abilities to play
Advocates hope P.K.'s Place, next to St. Paul's Allianz Field, is sign of things to come.
Meet the guy who brought Alary's Bar back to life in downtown St. Paul
A Bears bar. A cop bar. Bill Collins returns Alary's to its old ways ... mostly.
Families uprooted from St. Paul's West Side seek redress from the government
From 1961 to 1964, the flood-prone neighborhood was razed for an industrial park. Now community members are calling for action.
St. Paul signs new trash deal with single hauler
After years of garbage angst, the new citywide system is set to start in April 2025.
Get to know the St. Paul museum dedicated to preserving Minnesota's railroad history
Josh Hoaby, executive director of the Minnesota Transportation Museum, connects the state's railroad past with its present.
After COVID stopped downtown St. Paul employer blood drives, residents rolled up their sleeves
The monthly blood drives at Union Depot have fostered a sense of community for downtown neighbors who noticed that the pandemic had slowed the flow of donations.
Meet the St. Paul women empowering women to battle blazes
The three firefighters are working to build strength and confidence in female recruits.
Mali Center hopes to create collaborative space for business owners of color
Tyrone Minor hopes center recreates Rondo's old spirit of cooperation.
A Minnesota man dreamed of being published. After his suicide at age 20, his parents made his dream come true.
"The Hub" was one of three novels that Aaron Lemke wrote.
Meet the woman working to create a Rondo renaissance in St. Paul
The head of Rondo Community Land Trust sees Selby Avenue becoming a Black economic and cultural corridor.
Meet the woman working to make St. Paul more magnetic
As president and CEO of Visit St. Paul, Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson sees the fun in the less-glitzy of the Twin Cities.
St. Paul restaurant owner Brian Ingram withdraws charity's nonprofit status after state warnings
Ingram said the decision to dissolve the nonprofit was in the works before the attorney general's letters.
Meet the man who resuscitated St. Paul's Grand Old Day street festival
Chris Jensen, a mortgage specialist, wanted "to bring some joy back to St. Paul." The festival attracted an estimated 200,000 visitors last year.
Old guard of St. Paul's historic W. 7th neighborhood seeks to connect with newer residents
Oldest neighborhood in city becoming younger, wealthier and less connected to bedrock organizations.
Irish pub? Sushi bar? Meet the Grand Avenue chef who can do it all
Noe Frausto ran Saji-Ya for years. Then the bosses asked him to add Emmett's. No problem, he says.
St. Paul Taiko group beating the drum for state support so they won't be noisy neighbors
The group's Senate ally says bonding money is not likely this year. But TaikoArts Midwest says they'll keep fundraising for their new North End location.
Walker West Music Academy taking over Selby Avenue JazzFest
School's faculty and students also taking on bigger roles as performers.
Meet the woman working to keep German language and culture relevant to new generations
Jeana Anderson has led St. Paul's Germanic-American Institute for 18 years.
Macalester College chooses new mascot. It's a cow.
The St. Paul college is retiring 'Mac the Scot' and — after voting among students, alumni and others — replacing him with a Highland Cow.
Meet the affordable housing champion fighting for St. Paul's West Side
Monica Bravo knows something about housing insecurity. Now, the head of the West Side Community Organization is studying the displacement of families in the 1960s.
St. Paul neighbors working to upend St. Thomas arena construction
Opponents fear snarled traffic, air quality issues from thousands of cars.
Concerns about historic preservation delay wheelchair ramps at Como Park Conservatory
Work on the ramps now is expected to begin this summer at the popular St. Paul attraction.
Lack of volunteers forcing longtime Golden Valley Braille service to close
Volunteer Braille Services, a 56-year-old nonprofit based in Golden Valley that transcribes written materials into Braille, will close May 31.
Meet the West Sider taking the helm at Neighborhood House, helping new arrivals find a better life
Since arriving from Iowa in 1990, Janet Gracia has dedicated herself to St. Paul's West Side.
This St. Paul native now goes by Kandi Krush, and she body-slams her opponents in the ring
After stints as a swimmer, actor and boxer, Amberley Shaw has found a home in women's professional wrestling.
Meet the woman bringing (tiny) trains back to Union Depot
Choo Choo Bob's returns to St. Paul with a May 3 grand opening.
Summer camp at St. Paul airport seeks to inspire future first responders
The free First Responders day camp, which runs from June 24-28, still has openings, organizers say.
![Grand Ave. looking west from Saint Albans St. was clogged with pedestrians enjoying Grand Old Day Sunday afternoon. ] JEFF WHEELER • jeff.wheeler](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/XHTWGMKIVO2QSXYZDBBETWXQXM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
After years of uncertainty, Grand Old Day is making a repeat appearance in 2024
First financial struggles, then the pandemic, cast the future of the long-running St. Paul festival in doubt. Supporters say that's not the case anymore.
Group pushes replacing Interstate 94 with thoroughfare between Minneapolis, St. Paul
Our Streets Minneapolis says replacing freeway will be better for cities' health, economy and environment.
Meet the St. Paul manufacturer who helps disabled golfers get on their feet and hit the links
"People say, 'Man, this is going to change my life.'"
Meet the couple who put the Irish on St. Paul's Grand Avenue
The owners of Irish on Grand in St. Paul, Maeve O'Mara and Liam O'Neill, preserve capital city's emerald ties.
Leader of young artist program sees a statewide appeal
The Emerging Young Artists program pairs students with resident artists in east metro schools.
April festival at St. Paul Union Depot is second act for the Wrights
The founders of the Selby Avenue Jazz Festival are taking their show downtown.
Meet the woman who founded a theater group to tell Native American stories to Native American audiences
Rhiana Yazzie founded the New Native Theatre in 2009.
Still waiting on big solar, but St. Paul's Highland Bridge embracing green all over
Plans for a massive solar array at the Highland Park site are under environmental review, officials say. The development is moving ahead with other projects.
Fallout from saga of trapped reporter: St. Paul City Hall starts to get more accessible
Two disabled parking spaces were installed Tuesday. More changes are promised.
Meet the state's top student journalist, who first learned English from sci-fi books and Duolingo
Rita Li was 9 when she arrived from China. At 18, she's in the running to be named the nation's top journalism student.
St. Paul's Midway neighborhood still waiting for renaissance around Allianz Field
A playground and sculpture garden are coming to United Village soon. Excitement over the site's potential has been tempered by frustration over pushed-out and scaled-back plans.
He and his wheelchair were trapped in St. Paul City Hall. The city says it's sorry.
Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act isn't the same as actually being accessible.
Meet the Ordway boss working to keep the arts relevant and vital to the Twin Cities
Christopher Harrington said arts organizations must better connect with people.
As a young prof teaching night school, he launched the Mitchell law review. He's still at it, 50 years later.
Mike Steenson helped start the school's law review in 1974, when some wondered if busy night students could pull it off.
To parents' dismay, St. Kate's day care center to close after a 93-year run
Some question whether alternatives to closure were explored.
St. Paul commits nearly $32M in tax subsidies for affordable housing in 'Heights'
Without the public support, housing developers say building the income-restricted units would be impossible.
Underground explorer finds evidence of an ancient glacial lake in St. Paul's Highland Park
St. Paul native digs into city's prehistoric past by splashing around in caves, hiking through ravines and sloshing in sewers.
Meet the folks working to make Minnesota more accessible — more than 30 years after the ADA
Executive Director David Dively, Operations and Program Director Linda Gremillion and ADA Director David Fenley say there is much still to be done.
Meet the St. Paul kid who rediscovered the joy of hamming it up after 55
Before Theatre 55, Brian Driscoll hadn't been on stage since high school.
Meet the Winter Carnival ice-carver who wields a chainsaw in public
John Njoes loves the temporary nature of his medium. It's even more temporary this year.
Carol Carey fought the wrecking ball in St. Paul. She won, a hundred times.
Carey, longtime director of Historic St. Paul, is retiring after 20 years of saving history.
Meet the St. Paul Winter Carnival's 'coy' new Klondike Kate
Jody Vander Hart of Vadnais Heights fulfilled a childhood dream by being named Klondike Kate.
Making sweet music: Walker West and Ujamaa Place team up to teach, digital-wise
St. Paul community-based organizations seek to give young Black men more ways to succeed.
After more than a half century, St. Paul woman recovers her brother's long-lost sled
He likely left the sled on the snowy hills at the Town and Country Club decades ago.
Meet the St. Paul car guy who followed his father's repair footsteps
Raks Pham keeps Tuan Auto Repair customers smiling.
Meet the St. Paul bakers who opened a walk-up window in Merriam Park
Vikings & Goddesses has been offering goodies through a walk-up window for a few months now.
A snowless winter takes its toll on Minnesota's way of life
With only a fraction so far of a typical snowfall, annual winter events are being canceled or adjusted — and that means less social interaction.
Meet the St. Paul woman coaching companies to address racism and bias
Seena Hodges says "woke" means empathy and an openness to other experiences.
New year brings in two new millionaires, courtesy of Minnesota Lottery
Two tickets scored prizes of $1 million, lottery officials said.
Early morning shooting is St. Paul's first homicide of 2024
Police were looking Monday for leads.
As St. Paul prepares for a new City Council, three veteran council members look back
Advice from Brendmoen, Tolbert and Prince as they leave City Hall: work hard and stay humble.
