2013
oters Guide BEGINS ON PAGE 9
OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
October 28 - November 3, 2013
Vol. 40 No. 44 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
THE GAME CHANGERS Insight endorses Cherryhomes, Buckner, Warsame, Nix
Twin Cities excitingly finds itself at the crest of convergent streams of energies and ideas, histories and interests, and, visions and cultures all finding voice in next week’s general elections. The November 5th election emerges in the public mind of our communities like a precarious
precipice challenging those who would lead us, and the citizenry as a whole, to fiercely leap forward into a world and community that we must simultaneously envision and actualize. Insight endorses candidates that we feel are uniquely equipped for the challenges. They
are game changers. They are proven leaders in their professions and communities. They are progressive visionaries who welcome the daunting problems of creating livable communities. These are women and men who witness and celebrate the power of civic engagement. They
Profiles in excellence: Mahmoud El-Kati By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer I knew well before I sat down with Mahmoud El-Kati that this interview and the subsequent piece to come from it would be like no other I had written before. Normally, in a standard reporter’s notebook, an interview or press conference takes up just a few pages. For me, I can have notes from up to five or six stories in one notebook. With El-Kati – professor emeritus at St. Paul’s Macalester College – I needed the entire notebook, and we both agreed that this was just part one
Professor Mahmoud El-Kati
studiotobechi
Inside the White House The best summer of my life was working at the White House as an intern. I landed in Washington, D.C. in early June, excited but nervous about my first day of work. I was placed in the Office of Presidential Correspondence as a participant of the White House Internship Program (WHIP). WHIP is a highly selective opportunity, and typically receives several thousand applications every year from highly-qualified young servant leaders from all across
the nation. I was blessed to be chosen as one of 147 interns the White House invited onboard this summer. As an intern in the Office of Presidential Correspondence (OPC), I was among a large and friendly cohort of interns and staffers. The mission of the OPC is to listen and respond to the stories of the American people, and supply President Obama with a pulse of what is on the public’s mind. Each day, our office sends 10 letters to the Oval Office that were written by everyday citizens.
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Insight2Health Physical activity for a healthy weight
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Brandon Richardson Hill in front of the White House as a participant of the White House Internship Program.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has served the city for 12 years and whether you believe for better or worse, his successor faces some daunting issues ahead. With the election looming, and over 35 choices on the ballot, some of the candidates gathered in south Minneapolis to discuss a wide array of the city’s toughest issues. After a dysfunctional city convention in June, the Minneapolis DFL was unable to decide on an official endorsement for the mayoral race, so candidate alignments were self-identified. Simplify Government candidate Mark Anderson believes in cutting social services down to the bare basics. He argued that one of the best ways to fight gentrification trends in Minneapolis is to cut occupational and business licensing costs in order to make it easier for poor people to become entrepreneurs. Candidates where asked about the large amount of police misconduct settlements paid out by the city, and whether officers should be required to carry individual professional liability coverage, similar to malpractice insurance.
Aesthetically Speaking
Plan Your Career
Soul superstar Dwele comes to the Dakota
Coaching: The job interview tune-up
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a new element in the process, Insight News ranks former Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Andrew as a second-choice for voters.
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Minneapolis mayoral candidates debate tough issues By Lydia Schwartz
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By Brandon Hill
commit themselves to bringing all of us to the table of decision, acknowledging, defending, engaging and growing the power of the people. Insight News endorses former City Council President, Jackie Cherryhomes for Minneapolis Mayor. With ranked-choice voting
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Anderson responded that the idea requires more study. “I have doubts whether it could differentiate enough between good cops and bad cops,” said Anderson. The Civilian Review Authority oversees misconduct allegations and Anderson argued that it needs to be rethought and done right. “We need to add a level of professionalism to the police department,” said Anderson. He said having police officers wear on-body cameras would both protect the police from false allegations and hold them accountable. Anderson is also in favor of changing city ordinances to decrease the penalties for cannabis possession and its priority for law enforcement. DFL candidate Bob Fine has served as a Minneapolis Park Board Commissioner-AtLarge since 1998 and argued against the idea of police carrying liability insurance. “The City of Minneapolis is self-insured so they taxpayers would essentially be covering the cost. The problem is much deeper. It all has to do with police training. The Civilian Review Authority doesn’t have the teeth it needs to reprimand bad behavior,” said Fine.
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Education A unified district vision guides our new strategic planning process
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