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Insight News • September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026 • Page 1
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September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026
Vol. 53 No. 37 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
‘Chaz Millionaire’ Charles Dillon remembered for more than four decades of music, radio and community
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harles Dillon, the longtime Twin Cities broadcaster known to generations of listeners as “Chaz Millionaire” and “Mr. 612,” died at age 61. His death was announced Aug. 23. He leaves a legacy that stretched across more than four decades of radio, music, cultural preservation and community service. Dillon became part of the Twin Cities airwaves as a young man. He joined KMOJ 89.9 FM in 1981 and remained closely identified with “The People's Station” throughout his career. He hosted “Jazz Reflections” on KMOJ and later “Flyte 612” on KRSM, using radio not simply to play records but to introduce audiences to musicians, filmmakers and other artists. His daughter, Marria “Marz” Lovejoy, told MPR News that her father began DJing at 14. “He always loved music,” she said. “He was so committed.”
That commitment made Dillon a familiar voice within Black public media in Minneapolis. MPR News reported that he documented conversations with local artists on cassette tapes and worked with young people in media, photography and music. His broadcasting connected music with conversation, neighborhood life and the work of artists whose stories did not always reach larger commercial platforms. KMOJ General Manager Freddie Bell remembered Dillon's service to the station and community. “Thank you for blessing our airwaves with the beautiful sounds of jazz and for the years of dedication, love, and service you gave to our community and to The People's Station,” Bell wrote. He said the music, memories and impact Dillon left behind would continue to play on. KRSM, where Dillon hosted his Saturday morning show, called him a radio legend and said there would never be another like “our brother
Chaz.”
Lovejoy's remembrance placed that public legacy alongside a deeply personal one. “Charlie touched thousands of hearts and healed thousands more through his music, his generosity, and his unwavering commitment to community,” she wrote in a social media tribute. “He lived a rich, exciting, purpose-filled life and had a way of spreading joy wherever he went.” MPR News reported that Lovejoy remembered her father as someone who stopped to talk with people who needed help and treated them with dignity. Musicians and cultural workers also described Dillon's place in Twin Cities music history. Chadwick “Niles” Phillips, founder of the Avant Garde music and entertainment production company, called him “a fixture in the Twin Cities music scene dating back to the early years of local hip-hop,
and a dedicated North Minneapolis community advocate.” Phillips credited Dillon with helping preserve local musical history and uplifting the city's culture. Saxophonist and keyboardist Jason Peterson DeLaire wrote that Dillon's commitment to the Minneapolis Sound and his love of community would never be replaced. Dillon's family is seeking to extend that work to another generation through the Chaz Vision Media Legacy Fund, organized by Lovejoy. She describes the fund as “a lasting tribute to his love of music, media, storytelling, and community.” It is intended to support young people pursuing pathways in music, media and creative arts, opening doors to the mentorship and resources Dillon believed in. Contributions are being collected through a GoFundMe campaign, “Honoring Chaz Millionaire's Legacy in Music and Media,” which
had raised $17,252, about 95 percent of its goal, as of Sept. 10. A public Celebration of Life is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, 511 Groveland Ave. in Minneapolis. Arrival begins at 1 p.m., with the service at 2 p.m. A repass will follow at 4 p.m. at PICA Head Start–Fraser, 700 N. Humboldt Ave. in Minneapolis. Service details were confirmed by Dillon's mother, Alyce Dillon. The family is encouraging those attending to wear or accent their attire with any shade of blue, Dillon's favorite color. The Sept. 19 gathering will give family, listeners, artists and community members an opportunity to honor a broadcaster whose work crossed stations, genres and generations. Insight News plans follow-up coverage in its Sept. 21 edition, including reflections from the Celebration of Life.
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Insight News • September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026 • Page 3
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Vol. 53 No. 37 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Credit: KSTP-TV/Facebook
Heritage Park housing crisis puts promises, ownership and accountability to the test Editor
By Al McFarlane Heritage Park's deteriorating housing has become a test of whether Minneapolis can protect the families living there while honoring the promises made when the community was rebuilt a generation ago. In an interview I recorded Sept. 3 for my show, The Conversation with Al McFarlane, Ward 5 Council Member Pearll Warren and Minneapolis NAACP Vice President Thomas Berry described a housing emergency and called for relocation, accountability and a different model of ownership for what comes next.
"The conditions that exist at Heritage Park are extremely uninhabitable," Warren said. She said the development has more than 3,700 failing windows and that its roofs have failed, with more than 37 showing visible exterior deterioration. Building envelopes need repair extensive enough, she said, to require interiors to be gutted to the studs. Over the past winter, Warren said, 168 HVAC units were replaced because of a lack of heat, which froze pipes and brought more water into the buildings. Warren said 211 families, 686 people in all, were living at Heritage Park when we spoke. "Thankfully, we were able to, on the city side of things, move the $2.5 million to aid in relocation of assistance," Warren said. She said she pushed
the city to make sure residents, and the community organizations already supporting them — she named the NAACP, Zurah, NorthPoint and the UBLA — had a place in the relocation plan. She described the bind as protecting families from unsafe housing without displacing them and without squandering the money a rebuild will need. "We don't want to hustle backwards and we don't want to dry up and misuse the funding sources that could be made available for a mature developer to take on the redevelopment of Heritage Park that is going to provide the housing needs that our community has," Warren said. For Warren, the present crisis cannot be separated from what stood on the land before. She lived there as a child, in the projects that preceded Heritage Park, and spent
time at KMOJ, where her mother was a DJ, when the station broadcast from the old complex. She remembers the brown brick buildings with concrete floors and walls. Some 700 of those units were torn down, Warren said, for conditions similar to what residents face today. Residents of those projects sued the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and the City of Minneapolis over what Warren called deplorable conditions. The Hollman consent decree that settled the case, she said, provided $118 million to lay the foundation for what became Heritage Park. The promise, she said, was larger than new buildings. Warren described commitments to sustainable housing, to additional affordable housing across the North Side, to a com-
HERITAGE PARK 10
Chocolate Milk Club works to reclaim breastfeeding as a cultural practice Music carried across Lorraine Smaller Park in North Minneapolis on Saturday, Aug. 22, as families gathered for the Chocolate Milk Club’s ninth annual Chocolate Milk Day, held in honor of Black Breastfeeding Week. For Dr. LaVonne Moore, founder of the Chocolate Milk Club, the gathering was about more than breastfeeding education. It was about restoring a practice she sees as part of the community’s cultural inheritance. “So our mission is to reclaim breastfeeding as a cultural practice,” Moore said. Moore, a nurse mid-
wife and lactation consultant, said the Chocolate Milk Club supports and educates Black families around breastfeeding. August is National Breastfeeding Month, she said, and its last week is Black Breastfeeding Week. Chocolate Milk Day recognizes families who are breastfeeding now as well as women who breastfed years or decades ago. “We want to honor and recognize you because breastfeeding is really important,” she said. The setting carried its own history. Moore said she grew up playing in the park, formerly Farwell Park, because it sits by her grandmother’s
Reconnecting the Northside to the river: Upper Harbor Park prepares for grand opening After more than a decade of planning, community engagement, and construction, Upper Harbor Park is officially opening the riverfront to North Minneapolis. The community is invited to celebrate the transformation of the former 53-acre industrial shipping terminal into a 20-acre regional park destina-
tion at the Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 19. Located at North Dowling Avenue and West River Road North, the new park restores public riverfront access with nearly a mile of parkway and multi-use trails, restored natural habitat, public gathering spaces, and green infrastruc-
house. “I am an original North Sider,” she said. The celebration brought that work into a public neighborhood space with live music, food, ice cream, raffles, T-shirts, diapers and wipes for families. Traiveon Dunlap, who led the band on the bandstand, is originally from Houston, Texas, and has lived here about half his life. He said he stepped into the local music scene after graduating from Perpich Center for the Arts, and that performing in community allows musicians to directly reach the people their music is meant to serve. The mission,
By Gwen McKinney For much of her childhood, Rosalyn Coates endured severe asthma. Confined to limited physical activity, she had to swap galloping with neighborhood kids for a seat on the porch. But never alone, Coates, called “Roz” by friends, always invited her trusty companion: a good book. “All I could do is sit my buns still and read.” So began the literary journey for Coates, 71, a retired attorney and **Oracle Set Book Club** member who helped incorporate the group’s nonprofit foundation, which has awarded annual scholarships to Washington, D.C., school students since 1999. Touted as the oldest continuously operating Black women’s literary circle in Washington, D.C., Oracle Set was launched in 1966 by Claudette Franklin, a passionate literacy advocate who assembled the original 15 members and remained active until her death in 1996. Two founding members, Bernadette Derr and Maggalean Westin, remain active six decades later. Today, members range in age from mid-30s to 80 and are capped at 18 members.
Like most Black women reading circles, they traverse genres and hold rotating meetings at members’ homes, with good food and fellowship always on the menu. A slice of joy and community, Oracle Set inspires self-determination, says Coates. “More than coming together to read, we affirm who we are through _what_ we read. We don’t wait for _The New York Times_ best sellers list to tell us what to choose. Our group opens us, not just to reading, but to the world that books inhabit.” That same premise — radical and pioneering for their time — was embraced by one of the first recorded Black women’s reading groups. **The Female Literary Association**, founded by educator **Sara Mapps Douglas** in 1831, was based in Philadelphia and composed of “free” literate Black women. Mostly leaders in the anti-slavery and suffrage movements, they were avid readers, writers and activists. They shared their own essays with the reading circle and delved into scripture, poetry and abolitionist journals. As the 19th century progressed into
LITERARY 12
How anti‑bribery laws apply to Trump’s promise of $5,000 payments if Republicans keep control of Congress
Credit: Official White House Photo by Molly Riley
Donald Trump
CHOCOLATE MILK 10
ture.1
For decades, the former industrial shipping site was largely inaccessible to the public. The site has now been transformed into a space dedicated to people, wildlife, and community health. At the heart of the park is a five-acre central gathering area designed to connect visitors directly to the water. The northern section of Upper Harbor Park is tailored for active gathering, events, and recreation, while the southern section transitions into a quieter landscape of gardens, green infrastructure, learning spac-
Booked and unbound: The legacy of Black women’s literary circles
Credit: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Upper Harbor Park
OPENING 10
At City Hall
Council sets hearings on a robotaxi ordinance that would keep a paid driver in every seat, and closes two George Floyd Square fights
PAGE 5
By Austin Sarat William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College In his keynote address to the Republican midterm convention on Sept. 9, 2026, President Donald Trump promised that if Republicans retain control of Congress in November, he would authorize a US$5,000 payment to every American adult. Trump’s offer seems to run afoul of federal laws, which make it a crime to pay for votes. After Trump’s speech, political commentator Sam Stein posted on X: “trump openly bribing people to vote for republicans. $5k per person
if republicans hold the house and the senate?” Stein was not alone in referencing bribery. Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, issued the following statement after Trump’s speech: “Trump knows he can’t do this, and yet he’s attempting to bribe voters with the false promise of cash to help his party win an election.” But as a scholar of political and legal rhetoric, I think it’s worth further examining what the president said and whether his promise violated any law.
An American tradition
Paying voters to support a particular candidate, or promising government jobs in exchange
LAWS 10
Sports
NFL: NFC preview the Rams will NOT make the Super Bowl
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Page 4 • September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026 • Insight News
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Commentary In Black sorority life, the word Soror carries more than kinship Columnist
By Haley Taylor Schlitz, Esq. Someone called out, “Soror.” I turned without thinking. In Black sorority life, “Soror” is how we call one another sister. But the word carries more than kinship. It carries recognition, history and the quiet assurance that, even among strangers, you are not entirely unknown. The woman did not need to know my name. I did not need to know hers. She called out, and somehow I understood that I belonged in the word. Around us at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Greek Picnic were different colors and Greek letters. Music played. Members stepped and strolled. Old friends embraced. Women and men who had carried their letters for decades stood beside people still relatively new to theirs. To someone passing by, it might have looked like a very good party. It was. But standing inside it, I kept thinking about everything that had to be built for this joy to exist. I am a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated, one of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities collectively known as the Divine Nine. My mother is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho. So is my younger sister, Hana. For years, I thought of that mostly as a family connection. My mother belonged to this sisterhood before her daughters did. Hana and I later chose it for ourselves. This year, I began to understand that inheritance differently. Earlier this summer, Hana and I got into a car in Minnesota and drove to Chicago for their Greek Weekend. For hours, it was just the two of us, real sisters who had also become Sorors, traveling because an organization founded long before either of us was born had given us another reason to be together. We talked. We laughed. We made the kind of memory adulthood can make increasingly difficult to find time for. What stayed with me afterward was something simple. Our mother had given us an introduction to this sisterhood. But the road trip belonged to us. We were not merely preserving one of her traditions. We were making our own lives inside it. That thought returned to me in Minneapolis because Black history is so often told through what Black people survived.
Image created with AI
There are obvious reasons for that. Slavery. Segregation. Disenfranchisement. Violence. Exclusion from universities, professions and institutions that advertised American opportunity while denying Black Americans full access to it. But survival is not the whole history. There is also the history of what Black people built. The Divine Nine belong to that story. So Black Americans created institutions of their own. They built networks of scholarship, leadership, service and advocacy. They created places where Black achievement was expected rather than treated as exceptional. They formed relationships intended to last beyond graduation and, in many cases, for a lifetime. More than a century later, we are still walking into what they built. That is the part Greek letters cannot explain by themselves. The stepping, strolling, colors, calls and hand signs are the most visible expressions of Black Greek culture. But underneath them are mentorship, friendship, service and the relief of being around people who understand parts of your experience before you have to explain them. That is part of what “Soror” carries for me. A dictionary definition can tell you it means a sorority sister. It cannot quite explain why you turn when a woman you have never met calls it across a crowd. At the picnic, I watched that kind of recognition everywhere. There were hugs between people who had not seen
one another in some time. A song would begin and suddenly a group was moving together. Members of different organizations teased one another, greeted one another and danced together. Before the picnic, I asked Michelle Benson, vice president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council of Minneapolis-Saint Paul and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, what she sees when members of the Divine Nine gather. Her answer was immediate. “I see joy.” So did I. But people do not sustain institutions for more than a century only because they remember the pain that once made those institutions necessary. They return because somebody built a place worth returning to. A place to serve. A place to laugh. A place to be challenged. A place to be known. Greek Weekend included a school-supply drive, worship and fellowship, but also dancing, stepping and the kind of laughter that asks nothing more of you than to enjoy the people around you. The joy was not separate from the work. It was part of what generations of work had made possible. But belonging to these organizations is not only about what they give us. When I asked Benson what one generation passes to another, she answered with another simple word: “Expectations.” Expectations to be excellent. To be accountable. To
show up. To help others. To “lift as you climb.” That word stayed with me because it made me reconsider what it means to inherit something. Inheritance can sound passive. Something existed before you, then eventually it becomes yours. But the most meaningful inheritances come with instructions. My mother could show Hana and me what Sigma Gamma Rho meant in her life. She could allow us to grow up near a tradition of sisterhood, service and responsibility. She could make the doorway visible. She could not make us walk through it. Hana and I had to choose that. And choosing the letters was only the beginning. For much of my membership, I think I understood Sigma Gamma Rho primarily as an organization I had joined, a sisterhood I belonged to. Standing at that picnic, I began to understand the relationship in the other direction. The organization belonged partly to me now, too. Not in the sense of possession, but responsibility. There were women around me who had worn their letters longer than I had been alive. Someone had taught them the traditions. Someone had mentored them. Someone had expected something of them. Now people of my generation are moving toward the middle of that chain. That realization is both beautiful and demanding. The America Hana and I entered as Sigma Gamma Rhos is profoundly different
Raymond Jones sentenced to 128 months
Credit: Ben Hovland | MPR News
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty
A Hennepin County judge sentenced 66-year-old Raymond Jones to 128 months in prison for the Nov. 5, 2025, killing of Desirae Argueta-Joj. Jones waived his right to a jury trial, choosing to have a judge decide the case. Evidence presented in court showed that Ms. Argueta-Joj died from a single gunshot fired at contact range into her heart following a dispute over $30. Hennepin County Attorney’s Office prosecutors sought a conviction for second-degree intentional murder and argued for a 180-month sentence, the highest presumptive term. The judge found Jones not guilty of intentional second-degree murder and guilty of second-degree unintentional
murder, imposing the lowest presumptive sentence of 128 months. "My thoughts are with Ms. Argueta-Joj’s loved ones. She should still be alive," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. "Mr. Jones is a 66-year-old man who does not take responsibility for his actions. Because of a dispute over $30, he fired his gun at contact range into Ms. Argueta-Joj’s heart. He should have been convicted of second-degree intentional murder. The facts of this case make the verdict, the sentence, and the ways in which blame was apportioned to the victim in court minimize Mr. Jones’ culpability for his actions."
from the America our founders confronted. Black women now enter universities, professions and positions of authority that earlier generations were systematically denied. But access to other institutions has not eliminated the need for institutions that help us find one another within them.
And there is still something powerful about being recognized before you have introduced yourself. At the picnic, I stepped with my Sorors. For a few minutes, I stopped analyzing the history beneath what we were doing. I was simply inside it. Maybe that is the gift of a living tradition. You do not have to spend every moment carrying its history consciously. Sometimes you get to dance inside what other people sacrificed to build. Sometimes two sisters get to drive to Chicago and create memories their mother could never have scripted for them. Sometimes you look around and realize that what you thought you had inherited as a member, you will eventually be responsible for leaving behind as an elder. My mother once stood closer to where Hana and I stand now. My sister and I are making our own memories inside something that mattered to her first. And somewhere ahead of us are women we have not met yet who may one day receive whatever our generation decides these letters will mean. That afternoon, someone called out: “Soror.” I turned. A woman I had never met called me sister, and in that one word I could hear my mother, my sister, and generations of Black women who had made room for us before we ever arrived.
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Insight News • September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026 • Page 5
At City Hall Minneapolis council members report Warren invites Ward 5 to Sept. 16 meeting on proposed 2027 budget
Ward 5 Council Member Pearll Warren will hold a community meeting on Minneapolis' proposed 2027 budget Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 5:30 p.m. at Urban League Twin Cities, 2100 Plymouth Ave. N. One section of her newsletter lists the date as Tuesday; Sept. 16 falls on a Wednesday. The meeting will cover the proposed 2027 levy increase, the city's fund-balance situation and highlights from the 2027 budget presentation, with time for questions and input. Warren said the budget and property taxes are the issues her office hears about most. Warren also reported that the city's national search for its next police chief is moving forward. Candidates are being reviewed and vetted, with interviews and selection of finalists next. The city expects to identify a preferred candidate in October, followed by background review, nomination and City Council confirmation. In the Harrison neighborhood, CenterPoint Energy crews are finishing natural-gas pipe installation on 5th Avenue North between Sheridan Avenue North and Oliver Avenue North. Gas-main work on Newton and Morgan avenues North, between 4th Avenue North and South Frontage Road, was scheduled to begin the week of Sept. 14.
Shaffer plans Loring Park safety meeting after Shoreline Plaza shooting
Ward 7 Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer said she is planning a public safety meeting focused on the Loring Park neighborhood within the next couple of
weeks, in response to the shooting at Shoreline Plaza. She said the event will feature a panel including law enforcement and community members, with details to come. Shaffer opened her Sept. 11 newsletter by marking the 25th anniversary of the 2001 attacks and connecting the bravery of first responders that day to the response at Shoreline Plaza, where she said Minneapolis police officers risked their lives to save others. Separately, the last community listening session on the search for a new police chief, for residents of the Fifth Precinct, is set for Monday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. at Mt. Olivet Lutheran. Shaffer said it is free and open to residents of any precinct. The Ward 7 office has also posted a video library on its city webpage, including a February panel of Ward 7 public-school leaders and parents on the impact of Operation Metro Surge and a March community conversation on renters' rights.
Stevenson flags budget shortfalls, praises Prospect Park natural-gas cut
Minneapolis' budget season opened with the first presentation and hearing on the mayor's proposed 2027-2028 budget at the Board of Estimate and Taxation, Ward 8 Council Member Soren Stevenson reported in his Sept. 11 update. Stevenson said significant shortfalls are driving a proposed 11.3% property-tax increase and 100 cuts to city positions. He named his priorities as the housing and homelessness crisis, the city's climate goals and affordability,
Jason Chavez
Pearll Warren
Elizabeth Shaffer
Soren Stevenson
and said he expects to develop amendments as department presentations continue. The council's Climate and Infrastructure Committee also heard from Mary Britton, leader of the 25x25 campaign, a Prospect Park initiative to reduce residential natural-gas use. Stevenson said the effort cut home natural-gas use in the neighborhood by 12% during a period when citywide use did not measurably decrease, the equivalent, he wrote, of more than 102 homes leaving natural gas entirely or 108 gas-burning cars permanently retired, on a budget of about $300 a year. Stevenson will hold monthly office hours Friday, Sept. 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bitchota Coffee, 3740 Chicago Ave.
Osman and Aurin Chowdhury. The ordinance would regulate commercial autonomous vehicles such as Waymo, Tesla and Zoox. Companies would need a city license, every robotaxi would need a licensed human safety monitor in the driver's seat paid at least the legal minimum rates, and remote operation would be prohibited. If passed, it would take effect in October 2027. Chavez said it would protect more than 10,000 rideshare drivers, most of them workers of color and immigrants. The council has set public hearings for Sept. 22 and 29, with a potential vote Oct. 1. Chavez listed ATU Local 1005, the Minnesota Uber Lyft Drivers Association, Our Streets, SEIU Local 26 and Teamsters Joint Council 32 as supporters. The ordinance remains a proposal. Chavez is also bringing forward a resolution with Wonsley calling on the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and the University of Minnesota Department of Public Safety to end
their contracts for Flock Safety license-plate-reader cameras; the city itself does not operate Flock cameras, he noted. He cited a July Star Tribune investigation reporting that federal immigration-enforcement agencies had means of accessing Flock data, and named eight Minnesota jurisdictions, including Saint Paul and Brooklyn Park, that have ended or paused Flock use. The resolution goes to the council's Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee Sept. 23.
Hall Rotunda, 350 S. Fifth St., with cultural performances, breakfast and the reading of an honorary resolution. • The Community Commission on Police Oversight will hold a special meeting and public hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at 250 S. Fourth St., Room 350. Council newsletters said topics will range from domestic-violence response to the selection of the new police chief, and residents can give input on Minneapolis Police Department policies and practices. • A runway at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is closed through about Oct. 17 for electrical and lighting upgrades, sending more flights to the other three runways; residents may notice temporary changes in operations or noise. Questions go to the airport at 612-726-9411. • The Family Gathering Concert Series opened Saturday, Sept. 12, with a free morning program at The Hook and Ladder, 3010 Minnehaha Ave.
Chavez co-authors robotaxi ordinance, takes Flock resolution to committee
Ward 9 Council Member Jason Chavez is co-authoring the proposed "Workers Drive Minneapolis" ordinance with Council Members Robin Wonsley, Jamal
Early voting, Latinx Heritage Month and police oversight hearing on the city calendar
• Minneapolis voters can begin casting general-election ballots Friday, Sept. 18, at the city's Early Vote Center. Election Day is Nov. 3. • The Minneapolis City Council, the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department and the SOMOS Employee Resource Group will host the 2026 Latinx Heritage Month Celebration from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, in the City
Council sets hearings on a robotaxi ordinance that would keep a paid driver in every seat, and closes two George Floyd Square fights The Minneapolis City Council will hold public hearings Sept. 22 and Sept. 29 on an ordinance that would require every commercial autonomous vehicle operating in the city to carry a licensed human in the driver’s seat, with a potential council vote Oct. 1, KSTP reported Sept. 10. If the council and the mayor approve it, the ordinance would take effect in October 2027. The proposal, titled Workers Drive Minneapolis, was drafted by Council Members Robin Wonsley, Jamal Osman, Jason Chavez and Aurin Chowdhury. It would require companies such as Waymo, Tesla and Zoox to obtain a city license before operating commercial autonomous vehicles, and to place a human safety monitor holding a valid driver’s license in the driver’s seat, paid at least the minimum wage. Waymo is already testing its cars on Minneapolis streets. For now, MPR News reported, the cars carry no passengers and always have a driver in the front seat; the company wants to scale up to rides with no driver at all. Minnesota has no specific regulations for autonomous vehicles. Legislators considered rules this year and passed none. The four authors framed the ordinance around the people who drive for a living. “Unless the City takes immediate action, thousands of rideshare drivers and their families could begin to lose income to big tech companies and their commercial AVs, which unlike rideshare companies are not currently regulated by the City,” their statement said. “Workers Drive Minneapolis is about public safety and protecting immigrant workers from losing their jobs to automation,” Wonsley said. Council members say the measure would protect more than 10,000 rideshare drivers,
concerns, current options aren’t enough.” Lane said Minnesota chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the National Federation of the Blind and other advocacy groups support bringing Waymo to the city, and that the company remains committed to working with officials on “a path forward that offers Minnesotans the option to choose fully autonomous transportation.” Insight News did not interview rideshare drivers for this report. Their voices will be part of our coverage of the Sept. 22 hearing.
George Floyd Square: no bill for the neighbors
George Floyd Memorial
Credit: Evan Frost | MPR News
Aurin Chowdhury
Robin Wonsley
Jamal Osman
most of them workers of color and immigrants. The state’s own research supports that description. A March 2024 study by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, drawing on 2022 trip data and 2017–21 census data, found the majority of Minnesota rideshare drivers are male immigrants and predominantly Black or African
American — 60 percent Black and 61 percent foreign-born by census count, with drivers most likely to have come from Somalia, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia and Liberia. The study counted just over 10,300 active drivers statewide at the end of 2022 and estimated the number may have reached 12,000 or more by early 2024.
Waymo calls the proposal a ban. “The proposed framework is a de facto ban on autonomous vehicles,” Adam Lane, the company’s state and local public policy manager, said in a statement published by KSTP. “With nearly 500 Minnesotans killed in crashes in 2024 and women and people with disabilities facing persistent safety
On June 11 the council voted unanimously to waive the special assessment the city had planned to levy on property owners around 38th Street and Chicago Avenue — about $630,000 of the $15 million street reconstruction that began the week before. City policy charges owners adjacent to any street project a share of the cost; here, residents and business owners argued, the project is not a typical one. “This project has been billed for so long as something that the city was doing for the community, and you can’t do something for the community and then charge them for it,” said Council Member Soren Stevenson, who represents the area, according to MPR News. Lachelle Cunningham, owner of City Food Studio on Chicago Avenue, put it more sharply at the council’s public hearing. “For years, this community has experienced extraction,” she said. “The residents and businesses that stayed are now being asked to shoulder another financial burden. That feels less like investment and more like another form of extraction.” Council Member Linea Palmisano supported the
waiver but warned it was a onetime solution: “Street assessments are laid out in ordinance, and they’re reflective of a direct benefit to the property.” Stevenson said he is in talks with Mayor Jacob Frey to cover the cost from city funds in next year’s budget.
People’s Way: back to the drawing board
The same day, the council voted 10-2-1 to reject the city administration’s recommendation to give the Minnesota Agape Movement exclusive development rights to the People’s Way, the former Speedway station the city owns at the intersection. Council Members LaTrisha Vetaw and Michael Rainville voted against the denial; Council Member Pearll Warren abstained. A city survey had found a majority of neighborhood residents preferred a competing proposal from Rise and Remember. “This process has been so extremely painful for everyone involved,” Stevenson said. “This vote to deny the recommendation is painful as well, but it is also the right thing to do.” Wonsley was blunter, KSTP reported: “The city absolutely fumbled this process from start to finish.” Vetaw said she was disappointed. “I thought this would be an amazing thing for us to come together on.” City planning staff told the council the vote likely means an indefinite delay. The mayor’s office said in a statement that “voting down Agape and returning to the drawing board is the Council’s prerogative,” and that Frey is coordinating with Chavez and Stevenson on a path forward. Three votes, one question: who pays when the city changes the ground under people’s feet, and who is at the table when it does. The robotaxi hearings open Sept. 22.
Page 6 • September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026 • Insight News
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INSIGHT NEWS The Roster rail STATEWIDE U.S. Senator: Peggy Flanagan (DFL) · Michele Tafoya (R) · Marisa Simonetti (IND) · Rebecca Whiting (LIB) Governor
&
Lt.
Governor:
Amy
Klobuchar and Ben Schierer (DFL) · Lisa Demuth and Ryan Wilson (R) · Steven Young and Jane Kirby (GP) Attorney General: Keith Ellison (DFL) · Ronald J. Schutz (R) Secretary of State: Steve Simon (DFL) · Tad Jude (R) · Seth Kuhl-Stennes (GP) · George "Chip" Tangen (LIB) State Auditor: Zack Filipovich (DFL) · Scott Jensen (R) · Jay Reeves (FI)
U.S. HOUSE CD3: Kelly Morrison (DFL) · Tyler Bass (R) CD4: Betty McCollum (DFL) · Paul Wikstrom (R) CD5: Ilhan Omar (DFL) · John Nagel (R) · DeVelle L. Jackson (IND)
Amy Klobuchar
Lisa Demuth
Peggy Flanagan
LOWER COSTS FOR MINNESOTANS Klobuchar's first-listed priority is the cost of living. Her campaign says she would work to bring down what Minnesotans pay for housing, child care and health care — building more homes, supporting first-time buyers and renters, and working with providers, employers and schools to widen child care access. She points to her record against pharmaceutical companies on drug prices, and would hold down utility bills by modernizing the power grid. “As governor, Amy Klobuchar will work to lower costs that have been going through the roof across the country — essentials like housing, child care, and health care.”
TAXES AND AFFORDABILITY Demuth's first-listed priority is taxes and affordability, which she names as her top priority as governor. She would cut income taxes for families by lowering the two lowest brackets, roll back car tab fee increases she attributes to Democrats, and end state taxation of Social Security benefits for seniors. She would also require budget surpluses to be returned to taxpayers, arguing a surplus is not an excuse for government to spend more. “I will also push to require that state surplus dollars be returned to the taxpayers who paid them, because a budget surplus should not be an excuse for politicians to spend more money.”
ENDING CORRUPTION Flanagan's first-listed priority is ending corruption in Washington. Her campaign argues the system is rigged so that the interests funding campaigns and hiring lobbyists get a government that works for them, and calls cronyism a problem in both parties. She refuses corporate PAC money, and would ban it in elections, require full disclosure of donors and reverse Citizens United. She also backs barring members of Congress from trading stocks. “Our system is rigged so that special interests who fund campaigns and hire legions of lobbyists ensure the government only works for them.”
Michele Tafoya
Steve Simon
Tad Jude
STOP THE FRAUD Tafoya's first-listed priority is fraud. Her campaign says status quo politicians let criminals steal billions from Minnesota taxpayers rather than ask questions that might have seemed politically incorrect. She calls for a national anti-fraud agenda: deporting any non-citizen convicted of fraud, through a bill she says she would lead with Senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and John Cornyn; new mandatory minimum sentences; and stripping federal funds from states refusing anti-fraud controls. “The status quo politicians let criminals steal billions of dollars of Minnesota taxpayers' hardearned money.”
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY Simon's first-listed priority is defending democracy. His campaign says protecting the freedom to vote for every eligible Minnesotan is his top priority, and describes an election system he calls fair, accurate, honest and secure. It credits him with a lead role in reforms making voting more accessible for seniors and students, and with resisting federal efforts to impose new voting restrictions and to obtain personal information about Minnesota voters. “He has pushed back successfully against efforts by the federal government to impose harsh new voting restrictions – and to capture sensitive personal information on Minnesota voters.”
ELECTIONS YOU CAN TRUST Jude's campaign leads with elections Minnesotans can trust. His homepage says voters deserve elections that are free, fair and secure, and sets out what he calls his SAVE Minnesota Plan: requiring photo ID to vote, ensuring only U.S. citizens vote, working with local, state and federal partners to clean up voter rolls, bringing back the traditional state flag by public vote, and preventing fraud in public programs. He also pledges responsive business-filing services. “It's time to make Minnesota's elections the gold standard in the nation by delivering the accessibility, accuracy, and accountability voters deserve.”
STATE SENATE SD34: John Hoffman (DFL) · Karen Attia (R) SD36: Heather Gustafson (DFL) · Heidi Heino (R) SD37: Kristy Janigo (DFL) · Brady Hoag (R) SD38: Susan Pha (DFL) · Brad Olson (R) SD39: Mary K Kunesh (DFL) · Pam Wolf (R) · Ngone Saliou Niang (GP) SD40: John Marty (DFL) · Rachel Japuntich (R) SD42: Bonnie Westlin (DFL) · Kevin Peterson (R) SD43:
Mike
Freiberg
(DFL)
—
unopposed SD44: Sam Rosemark (DFL) · James Tacheny (R) SD45: Ann Johnson Stewart (DFL) · Shannon Bruce (R) SD46: Ron Latz (DFL) · Kayla Wright (R) SD49: Krish Subrahmanian (DFL) · Dustin R. DuFault (R) · Kris Babler (IND) SD50: Karla Hult (DFL) · Owen Michaelson (R) SD51: Simon Trautmann Cordova (DFL) · Juline Birgersson (R) SD59: Bobby Joe Champion (DFL) — unopposed SD60: Doron Clark (DFL) · Abigail Wolters (R) SD61: Scott Dibble (DFL) — unopposed SD62: Omar Fateh (DFL) — unopposed SD63: Zaynab Mohamed (DFL) · Diane Napper (R) SD64: Erin Murphy (DFL) · Robert Bushard (R) SD65: Robyn Gulley (DFL) · Rocco (R) SD66: Clare Oumou Verbeten (DFL) · Kathleen Bart (R) SD67: Foung Hawj (DFL) · Toby Hesselgrave (R)
Zack Filipovich
Scott Jensen
TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY Filipovich's first-listed priority is transparency and accountability. His campaign argues Minnesotans need to know the local dollars paying for teachers, public works and fire and safety departments will be there when needed. A Certified Management Accountant, and by his campaign's account the only accountant in the race, he would hold people and organizations accountable by building staff capacity, strengthening relationships with local governments, and identifying new guardrails. “We need to know the local dollars paying for teachers, public works, and safety and fire departments will be there when we need them.”
STOP FRAUD Jensen's first-listed priority is stopping fraud. His campaign says the auditor should go on offense, providing oversight that prevents fraud rather than reacting to it. His list also covers holding fraudulent businesses and agencies accountable, instituting internal controls to validate service providers, verifying that recipients of taxpayer dollars stay in compliance, and conducting random unannounced audits. He promises transparency on the solvency of public pension plans. “It is critical to have an executive branch of government that operates lawfully, efficiently and transparently.”
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Insight News • September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026 • Page 7
VOTERS GUIDE The Roster rail STATE HOUSE 34A: Jason Heaser (DFL) · Danny Nadeau (R) 34B: Xp Lee (DFL) · Ruth Bittner (R) 36A: Jim DeMay (DFL) · Sebastian Stoss (R) 36B: Brion Curran (DFL) · Patty Bradway (R) 37A: Darci Smith (DFL) · Tom McKee (R) 37B: Kristin Bahner (DFL) · Luke Doerer (R) 38A: Huldah Momanyi-Hiltsley (DFL) ·
Keith Ellison
Ronald J. Schutz
Kelly Morrison
AFFORDING YOUR LIFE Ellison's first-listed priority is the cost of living. His campaign says that as attorney general he has taken on insulin makers, hedge fund landlords and meatpackers he accuses of illegally driving up the price of medicine, housing and groceries. It frames the office as the people's lawyer, and claims more than 350 fraud convictions since he took office — one every eight days. “As our Attorney General, Keith has taken on price-gouging insulin makers, hedge fund landlords, and price-fixing meatpackers who were illegally driving up prices for medicine, housing, and groceries.”
FIGHTING FRAUD Schutz's first-listed priority is fighting fraud. His campaign says a culture of fraud has taken hold in state government at a cost of billions to taxpayers, and accuses the current attorney general of being willfully blind to it. He points to the Feeding Our Future case and to fraud scandals involving autism services, housing stabilization and Medicaid, and pledges to stop fraud before it starts. “A massive culture of fraud has taken hold and infested our one-party controlled state government that has cost Minnesota taxpayers Billions of dollars.”
LOWERING THE COST OF HEALTH CARE Morrison's first-listed priority is the cost of health care. Her campaign says that as a practicing physician she has watched costs climb every year, and points to her work in the Minnesota Legislature taking on pharmaceutical companies — including legislation capping the price of insulin at thirty-five dollars a month, down from six hundred. It also credits her with extending Medicaid coverage for new mothers from 60 days to 12 months. “As a practicing physician, Kelly has seen firsthand the out-of-control health care costs that rise every year.”
Charlie Kistler (R) 38B: Samantha Vang (DFL) · Robert Marvin (R) 39A: Aaron Klemz (DFL) · Andy Macko (R) 39B: Amada Marquez Simula (DFL) · KT Jacobs (R) 40A: Aisha Elmquist (DFL) · Luis Withrow (R) 40B: David Gottfried (DFL) · Allen Shen (R) 42A: Ned Carroll (DFL) · Kathy Burkett (R) 42B: Ginny Klevorn (DFL) — unopposed 43A: Kyrstin Schuette (DFL) · Todd Hesemann (R) 43B: Jess Lewis (DFL) — unopposed 44A: Peter M Fischer (DFL) · Justin Middaugh (R) 44B: Leon M. Lillie (DFL) · TJ Hawthorne (IND) 45A: Tracey Breazeale (DFL) · Andrew Myers (R) 45B: Patty Acomb (DFL) · Thomas Bergerson (R) 46A: Larry Kraft (DFL) · Karl Olson (R) 46B: Cheryl Youakim (DFL) · Kim Rich (R) 49A: Alex Falconer (DFL) · Jeff Houdek (R) 49B: Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (DFL) · Wendy Cregg (R)
Tyler Bass
Betty McCollum
Paul Wikstrom
50A: Julie Greene (DFL) · Chris Wedum (R) 50B: Steve Elkins (DFL) — unopposed
SECOND AMENDMENT Bass's campaign leads its issues list with gun rights. His homepage says he holds a permit to carry, has taken gun safety courses, and would never vote to ban the AR-15, restrict magazine capacity or add new requirements for law-abiding gun owners. The list continues with immigration — securing the border and deporting every person here illegally — H-1B visa reform, property taxes, health insurance and party accountability. “I will never vote to ban the AR-15, restrict magazine capacity, or add new hoops for law-abiding gun owners.”
PROTECTING THE BOUNDARY WATERS McCollum's campaign site carries no issues page; its About page names her the leading advocate in Congress for permanently protecting Minnesota's Boundary Waters from copper mining, through a bill she introduced. It also cites legislation to restore the Mississippi River and describes her Appropriations Committee seat — ranking Democrat on the Defense Subcommittee and Minnesota's only appropriator — as the post from which she secures federal funding for jobs and infrastructure. “Betty is the leading advocate in Congress for permanently protecting Minnesota's Boundary Waters from sulfide-ore copper mining through her introduction of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act.”
STOP THE FRAUD Wikstrom's first-listed priority is stopping fraud. His homepage plan calls for mandatory audits of all major federal spending, fraud-prevention measures as a condition of any appropriation, and accountability for perpetrators in both the public and private sectors, and links to what he calls a seven-point solution. An engineer, he says his 2024 challenge to a DFL legislative candidate's residency flipped the Minnesota House and created its fraud and oversight committee. “Demand Accountability – fraud will not stop until perpetrators in both the public and private sector are held accountable.”
51A: Michael Howard (DFL) · Frank Pafko (R) 51B: Nathan Coulter (DFL) · Jim Lund (R) 59A: Fue Lee (DFL) — unopposed 59B: Esther Agbaje (DFL) · Kenneth Smoron (R) 60A: Sydney Jordan (DFL) · John Holmberg (R) 60B: Mohamud Noor (DFL) — unopposed 61A: Katie Jones (DFL) — unopposed 61B: Jamie Long (DFL) — unopposed 62A: Aisha Gomez (DFL) — unopposed 62B: Anquam Mahamoud (DFL) · Bob Sullentrop (R) 63A: Samantha Sencer-Mura (DFL) · Kyle Bragg (R) 63B: Emma Greenman (DFL) · Nicholas Peters (R) 64A: Meg Luger-Nikolai (DFL) — unopposed 64B: Dave Pinto (DFL) — unopposed 65A:
Samakab
Hussein
(DFL)
—
Ellefson
(DFL)
—
unopposed 65B:
Sebastian
unopposed 66A: Leigh Finke (DFL) · Mark Born (R) 66B: Athena Hollins (DFL) · Mary O'Neal (R) 67A: Liz Lee (DFL) · Jennifer McPherson (R)
Ilhan Omar
John Nagel
FIGHT FOR LGBTQIA+ RIGHTS Omar's first-listed priority on her Vision page is LGBTQIA+ rights. Her campaign says the community's struggle did not end with same-sex marriage, that queer people are disproportionately affected by gaps in housing, education and health care and by violence and workplace discrimination, and that transgender children have been made scapegoats. She would pass national anti-bullying legislation, ban conversion therapy, protect gender-affirming care and strengthen the Equality Act, which she co-sponsored. “I will fight in Congress to uplift the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially when that intersects with other marginalized identities.”
LOWER COSTS, LESS WASTE Nagel's first-listed issue is costs and waste. His campaign says Washington's spending is driving up prices on everything and that government is too big, too wasteful and too intrusive; he would cut taxes, fight inflation, eliminate fraud and waste and restore accountability. A 30-year State Patrol veteran who retired as a field lieutenant, he lists standing with law enforcement and border security next. “I will cut taxes, fight inflation, eliminate fraud and waste, and restore accountability in Washington.”
67B: Jay Xiong (DFL) — unopposed
COUNTY, SCHOOL BOARD & JUDICIAL Not in this edition — these rows begin Sept. 21. Full roster at insightnews.com.
Page 8 • September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026 • Insight News
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Sports
NFL: NFC preview the Rams will NOT make the Super Bowl
Credit:Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
By Itoro N. Umontuen NNPA The NFC will be compelling this season as its storylines are seemingly endless: quarter-
backs must prove themselves, teams are rebuilding, and, in the case of the Dallas Cowboys, breaking their conference championship drought. Let’s get into the preview!
NFC East Champion: Philadelphia Eagles NFC North Champion: Detroit Lions NFC South Champion: Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFC West Champion:
Los Angeles Rams Wild Cards: Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears Philly and the high expectations As much slander as Jalen Hurts receives from social media, sports talk radio, and the newspapers, he is the most consistent quarterback in the NFC East. However, the offense did not look its best compared to its Super Bowl LIX run. First and foremost, Sean Mannion became their offensive coordinator after Kevin Patullo was dismissed. Wide receiver AJ Brown was cast aside, and draft pick Makai Lemon arrived along with Dontayvion Wicks. The loss of Reed Blankenship will be huge, but Andrew Mukuba, Kelee Ringo, and Jihaad Campbell have got to step up. In the end, head coach Nick Sirianni will likely calm everyone down, keep everything the main thing, and Philly will win the division.
The Lions will Roar Again
The Detroit Lions won nine games last year, and it was widely considered a down year, not because they didn’t meet expectations. It was because they were measured against what they were last year. Yes, Jared Goff threw for more than 4,000 yards. Yes, Jahmyr Gibbs had a stellar season. The key for the Lions will be their offensive line. They added Blake Miller, and the glaring question will be whether the offensive line will gel and protect Goff. If there are no injuries, the Lions will be exciting to watch this season.
Bounce back season for the Bucs?
Quarterback Baker Mayfield got paid – handsomely – $165 million to stay in Tampa Bay! Defensive tackle Vita Vea also wanted to leave, yet the Bucs found a way to pay him too! However, head coach Todd Bowles somehow stayed away
from the hot seat despite finishing the season with an 8-9 record. They’ve got playmakers in wide receivers Emeka Egbuka, Jalin McMillan, and a returning Chris Godwin. What will be the Bucs’ primary issue? Todd Bowles. Can he maximize the talent he has on his defense? Tampa is the NFC South’s premier team with the premier roster. They have to prove it.
The Land of Stars
This year’s Los Angeles Rams are the epitome of the axiom, “championship or bust.” They’ve got the consummate professional in Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Kyren Williams is a more than capable running back. They’ve got Myles Garrett, Davante Adams, Puka Nacua, and Aaron Donald coming out of retirement. They added Pro Bowl cornerbacks Jaylin Watson and Trent Mc-
RAMS
9
Baltimore Ravens will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl By Itoro N. Umontuen NNPA Even though two games were played, the first NFL Sunday of the 2026 campaign is upon us. Happy NFL Sunday to those who celebrate! There are teams that have made huge changes with Super Bowl aspirations. Meanwhile, other teams are retooling their rosters. Let’s take a preview into the 2026 NFL Season!
Division Winners Credit:Shawn Hubbard/Baltimore Ravens Photos
AFC EAST – Buffalo Bills
AFC NORTH – Baltimore Ravens AFC SOUTH – Houston Texans AFC WEST – Denver Broncos Wild Cards — Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs AFC Champion – Baltimore Ravens The Buffalo Bills are a team that longingly desires a trip to the Super Bowl. After a crushing loss to the Denver Broncos, they fired head coach Sean McDermott and elevated offensive coordinator Joe Brady
B L A N CO & R E P OSA D O 75 0 M L 8 8 P R O O F | 4 4 % A BV 1 0 0 % P U R O D E AG AV E D O U B L E D I ST I L L E D 5 0 % S M O K E D A N D 5 0 % ST E A M E D D I S C OV E R M O R E AT F O R YO U M A S E S P I R I T U !
R E V E L S P I R I T S .C O M
to the top spot. They acquired wide receiver DJ Moore in the hopes of solving their issue of lacking a number one receiver. Bradley Chubb, 30, became the latest veteran edge rusher signed who has discovered the fountain of youth. C.J. Gardner-Johnson gave the Bills a dependable safety alongside Cole Bishop. The key for the Bills this year is Josh Allen not turning the ball over and shrinking in key moments during the playoffs. In the loss to the Broncos,
RAVENS
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Insight News • September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026 • Page 9
Making the Fed more accountable to Congress and the public may be just what it needs to fend off Trump’s threats to its independence By Simon Bowmaker Distinguished Clinical Professor of Economics, New York University Paul Wachtel Emeritus Professor of Economics, New York University The Federal Reserve – one of the world’s most powerful institutions – affects the U.S. economy in a way that no other part of government can. Interest rates, inflation and bank regulation are all shaped by Fed policy and impact the everyday financial life of Americans, whether they realize it or not. Its decisions can influence everything from the cost of a mortgage to business hiring and the pace of economic growth. As a result, Fed critics on both the left and the right have long asked whether the Fed is adequately accountable. On one hand, Fed independence from political meddling has traditionally been considered key to its ability to control inflation. On the other, the Fed’s expanded activities since the 2008 financial crisis – more private-sector lending and large-scale purchases of government securities – have spurred calls for Congress to do more to ensure Fed policymakers are held accountable. Complicating matters further is President Donald Trump, who has aggressively and consistently pressured the Fed to cut interest rates. He’s also still trying to oust one Fed governor, Lisa Cook, despite losing his case to do just that before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Rams From 8 Duffie to the secondary. However, Matthew Stafford’s back is
Ravens From 8 Allen threw two interceptions.
Super Bowl or Bust
The Baltimore Ravens have been invigorated by management’s decision to jettison former head coach John Harbaugh. Baltimore has hired Jesse Minter, the former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator, replacing Harbaugh after eighteen years. Minter brought quarterback coach Declan Doyle from the Chicago
These are just some of the challenges facing new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh as he delivers his first keynote speech at the storied annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which brings together global leaders from finance, economics and policymaking. Although no policy moves are made at the conference, Jackson Hole gives policymakers an opportunity to compare notes and debate ideas privately in a convivial atmosphere. As scholars of central banking and finance, we know that to many Americans, the Fed is a big black box. And even as it has taken steps toward transparency, its decisions remain largely inscrutable and seemingly unaccountable. We believe that a more accountable Fed may ultimately be a more defensibly independent one. But the challenge is defining what this accountability means. While independence allows central bankers to make decisions without short-term political interference from presidents wanting to juice the economy, credible external scrutiny helps provide the democratic legitimacy for that independence.
Banking Agency Audit Act, which gave the Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog, the authority to audit the Fed for the first time. Tellingly, the law had one crucial carve-out: The monetary-policy deliberations and transactions of its policymaking committee remained exempt to ensure that short-term interest rate decisions wouldn’t be derailed by political influence. Despite those changes, the Fed remains an outlier among federal entities in several key respects. It’s self-financing thanks to the capital put up by member banks, so its budget is independent from congressional appropriations. Its governors serve 14-year terms and can be removed only “for cause,” a far higher bar than the “at-will” standard that Trump has used to shape the federal bureaucracy to his liking. And the Fed’s inspector general is appointed by the Fed chair, not lawmakers or the president, so the person is part of the institution he or she oversees. Some critics have summarized this regime as “undersight” rather than oversight.
An independent outlier
The debate over Fed accountability has taken on a new dimension since the 2008 financial crisis, which catalyzed a historic expansion of its activities. That included the Fed’s extensive use of its emergency lending powers to inject liquidity into the economy and its creation of special lending facilities to assist selected markets and institutions. The Fed also purchased trillions of dollars worth of bonds during the crisis. The
The debate over Fed accountability played out in Congress in 1978, at a time when the U.S. economy was struggling under record high inflation and slow growth, or stagflation. That year, Congress passed the Humphrey-Hawkins Act, which required the Fed chair to report to Congress twice a year – a formal and recurring channel of oversight that hadn’t existed before. That same year saw the passage of the Federal something to watch as the season goes along. He is the glue to the entire operation. In 2025, Stafford dealt with an aggravated disc heading into the season.
Full Division Predictions Bears to serve as his offensive coordinator. He frequently has one-on-one time with star quarterback Lamar Jackson during training camp. Lamar has taken to Doyle’s hard coaching style and the belief that he must go through his progressions before making plays with his feet. The major key for the Ravens’ success is Jackson’s health, and the defense must become formidable again. Adding pass rusher Trey Hendrickson could pay dividends.
Houston has the defense and what else?
Quarterback CJ Stroud has to
Growth through crisis
aim was to lower longer-term interest rates by raising the demand and price of bonds, which move in the opposite direction as yields. This policy, known as quantitative easing, vastly expanded the Fed’s bond holdings and was used again during the COVID-19 pandemic to stimulate the economy. At its peak in March 2022, the Fed’s balance sheet was almost US$9 trillion – about 10 times larger than in 2007 and larger relative to GDP than it had been anytime since World War II. While the Fed’s balance sheet has declined to about $6.7 trillion as of August 2026, it remains about seven times bigger than its pre-financial crisis peak. The Fed isn’t just significantly bigger; some of its crisis interventions have blurred the traditional boundary between monetary and fiscal policy. Those include buying trillions of dollars in mortgage-backed securities to lower mortgage rates, supporting selected credit markets and assuming certain financial risks. Taking such actions on an enormous scale can affect the distribution of wealth and the protection of specific sectors – tasks that would normally fall to lawmakers. Soon after the 2008 crisis, some economists began to argue that decisions with such major consequences deserved greater scrutiny. Those included Warsh, who said in 2010 that the Fed’s bond-buying spree offered only short-term relief while opening up longer-term economic risks.
When scrutiny is due
As we see it, accountability can mean different things. One is transparency about how decisions are made
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants NFC North: Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings NFC South: Tampa
Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints
take the next step in his development if the Houston Texans are going to be a real Super Bowl contender. What is clear, if Stroud has a great season, he will most certainly cash in north of potentially $60 million because he’s eligible for a contract extension. However, if he throws for less than 4,000 yards and Houston does not win a playoff game, Stroud’s future in H-Town will likely be in doubt. The Texans defense plays with an aggression and mean streak that hasn’t been seen since the Legion of Boom and the 2000s Ravens defenses. Danielle Hunter and Will An-
derson Jr. are the best defensive ends in the NFL. They added Reed Blankenship, joining Calen Bullock in the back end of the secondary.
NFC West: Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals
The Broncos are nearly complete
Lastly, the Denver Broncos would have played in Super Bowl LX had starting quarterback Bo Nix not gotten injured with a fractured ankle in the AFC Championship game. In the divisional round, Nix threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills. Nix benefits from an offensive line that is cohesive
and who makes them. Another is retrospective evaluation of whether policies worked, what risks they created and what they ultimately cost. Or it can mean something broader still – how elected lawmakers can conduct oversight of an appropriately independent institution. The difficult question is how far each form of accountability can go without compromising the independence the Fed needs to make monetary policy. On one side are critics like Andrew Levin, a former senior Fed staffer. In a 2016 paper written for the Fed Up coalition, an activist group, he argued that the Fed’s governance structure “no longer ensures that the Fed serves the public interest.” He recommended fixes such as shorter and stricter term limits for Fed officials; a more transparent process for appointing the regional Fed presidents; and regular General Accountability Office reviews of the Fed’s policies and operations. Levin explained to one of us in an interview for a forthcoming book, “Fed Reckoning,” that he believes comprehensive GAO audits would have flagged trade-offs about Fed decisions such as bond buying. But he believes this isn’t just about the need for greater transparency over Fed decisions. It’s for independent retrospective scrutiny of their consequences. On the other side are economists, like former Fed Vice Chair Donald Kohn, who are more cautious. As he explained to Bowmaker in an interview, external evaluations won’t necessarily threaten Fed independence as long as they’re not used to justify political interference in monetary policy.
NFC Champions
This year’s NFC Champion will be the Philadelphia Eagles. Yes, the Rams have the most talent. However, Jalen Hurts is unflappable under pressure, has the and elite. They’re able to run the ball when necessary, deploy the screen game, and keep Nix clean. The fact that the Broncos do not have key playmakers beyond Courtland Sutton at wide receiver is a concern. Marvin Mims will have to step up in this area.
Full Division Predictions
AFC East: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins AFC North: Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns AFC South: Houston
Kohn’s concern is narrower and more specific. Past “audit the Fed” proposals in Congress would have given the GAO access to confidential information before the standard five-year lag on policymakers’ transcripts. And that, he argues, could compromise the free flow of debate within the committee.
A new mandate for a new chair?
Having just started in the Fed’s top job, Warsh has already tried to shake up some of the central bank’s procedures and set up five task forces due to report at year’s end, including one on how the Fed communicates. That review, we believe, opens a window to think more broadly about accountability, not as the enemy of Fed independence, but as one of its supports. In an interview for “Fed Reckoning” before he became chair, Warsh named public accountability as one of four objectives of Fed transparency. He argued that the Fed’s recorded and published policy decisions “should ensure accountability for the decisions made by appointed officials.” That’s accountability in its first sense – a clear record of who voted which way and why. Warsh is unlikely to reveal his approach before the task forces report but at Jackson Hole the whole world will be looking for hints regarding his plans to reshape the Fed. Disclosure statement The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. championship pedigree, and this offense has Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, and tight end Dallas Goedert. If the offense is functional and they get the most out of Saquon, the Eagles will fly to SoFi Stadium on Valentine’s Day 2027. Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans AFC West: Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders
AFC Champions
This year’s AFC Champion will be the Baltimore Ravens. The vibes in Charm City point to a win-now team. If Lamar Jackson stays healthy, Derrick Henry keeps churning out key yards, and the defense regains its intimidating edge, the Ravens will be bound for Southern California.
Page 10 • September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026 • Insight News
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St. Paul reins in high-tech policing, stripping flock cameras and blocking federal drone grant St. Paul will take down its two city-owned Flock Safety license-plate cameras, and the City Council has declined to expand the police department’s drone program — two decisions in two weeks that put the city on the side of residents who told the council they no longer trust the tools. On Aug. 26 the council voted 7-0 for a resolution asking the mayor’s administration and Ramsey County to end their use of Flock cameras, according to the Pioneer Press. The resolution is nonbinding: the council can ask other bodies to act but cannot order them to. “It’s our understand-
ing our St. Paul employees have used this technology responsibly, but our public trust in these tools has eroded, and I’m very concerned about it,” Council Member Saura Jost, who sponsored the resolution with Council President Rebecca Noecker, said before the vote, KSTP reported. That evening Mayor Kaohly Her and Police Chief Axel Henry issued a joint statement announcing the removal. “We understand and share the concerns raised by our community about other jurisdictions accessing data during Operation Metro Surge,” they said. “We are also encouraging the Minne-
sota State Legislature to create a statewide standard that creates a balance between privacy and public safety needs. In the interim, the two cameras owned by the City of Saint Paul will be removed.” Noecker said, and St. Paul police confirmed, that some Minnesota agencies with access to St. Paul’s camera data had shared it with federal agencies without the city’s knowledge; police have since restricted access to the seven-county metro. “Since then, things have been tightened up to keep that from happening,” Noecker told KSTP. “But that just goes to show how easy it is.”
The city’s two cameras are the minority of the Flock cameras inside St. Paul. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher operates the rest — 10 by KSTP’s count, nine by the Pioneer Press’s — and he is keeping them. “I’m all for safeguards, and we have put several safeguards,” Fletcher told KSTP. “But no, we’re going to continue to use the technology, and I’m confident our Ramsey County Board will see the positives.” Fletcher said the cameras are used mostly for alerts on stolen vehicles, that no outside agency can now search the county’s data directly, and that the county reviews all searches
every two weeks. Two weeks later, on Sept. 9, the council declined to authorize a police application for a U.S. Department of Justice grant of up to $200,000 that would have added three docked drones for 2027–28. There was no vote. The item was withdrawn, Noecker said, “because this council does not support an expansion of our drone program until a number of questions and concerns are addressed, and we will not be authorizing this grant application,” the Pioneer Press reported.
The council had received 37 public comments against the grant and four in favor. St. Paul police have used drones since 2023 and since May 30 have launched them from the rooftops of three city buildings to reach a scene ahead of officers. The department said the current program continues unchanged. Noecker said afterward that residents have raised “legitimate questions and concerns” about where drone data is stored and under what conditions the drones fly, and that expanding the program before those are answered “just felt inappropriate at this time.” Insight News did not interview St. Paul residents for this report; the council record and local broadcast and print reporting are its sources, and the primary council documents were not independently opened.
Heritage Park
lic-resource projects in North Minneapolis. "We as a community — and excuse me, as Black folks — have to stop settling," Warren said. "We have to know how to actualize the value of who we are as a people and believe it, stand for it, and don't settle for anything less." Berry came at the crisis from the NAACP's housing work. "Housing is quintessential to our being here in America as Black folk," Berry said. "And we can't allow people to play with housing." Berry said MPHA was supposed to be the referee between McCormack Baron Salazar, HUD and the residents, and failed at it, including on inspections. He said the agency told its board, at a meeting he attended, that residents were being helped and that only ten wanted to relocate. "I think Abdi has been lying to his board," Berry said of MPHA Executive Director Abdi Warsame. That is Berry's allegation. Insight News has not independently established what MPHA's leadership told its board. Insight News has asked Warsame to respond to Berry's
statements and awaits his reply. Berry also described a woman who left Heritage Park because of mold, mice and unhealthy conditions, moved into public housing in South Minneapolis, and had her child bitten by a rat there. His immediate priority is relocation. "I need to get all 212 families over at Heritage moved ASAP," Berry said. Warren put the count at 211. I asked Berry whether all of Heritage Park's residents need to leave. He answered: "They all need to get out. Everybody's got to go. Everything is compromised." Berry said residents had reported cancer, respiratory illness and concerns about radon exposure. Those are his account of what residents told him, not findings Insight News has verified. He said the NAACP was "working on" a class-action lawsuit. He gave no filing, court or counsel. Berry also disputed the money. Warren had said the development was meant to be a $225 million project that never reached that mark. "They didn't spend $225 million on Heritage Park.
They did not. They could not have," Berry said. "I can tell you why I know: because the shingles on the roof weren't even nailed down." His larger argument was ownership. "Black folks need to own that property," Berry said. "It needs not to be a discussion about who owns it. We need to own it." Warren put ownership and accountability at the center of the same lesson. She tied the deterioration at Heritage Park to a longer pattern of underinvestment in North Minneapolis and argued that residents must insist on oversight, records and enforceable commitments rather than promises. Her position is rooted in who she is. "I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors, both living and those resting," Warren said. She spoke of her father, a proud Muslim man; her late mother, Dr. Elder Yvette House, a proud Christian woman; her grandmother of Haitian descent, who came out of Shaw, Mississippi; her children and grandchildren; her predecessors; and the elders of the community.
"And where my hand stops, another person's hand grabs the baton and continues on," Warren said. "And I stand on the shoulders of my community elders who are the libraries, who are the stories, who are the foundation to the fabric that has continuously kept us together. And I'm just a part of the thread." "One of the most challenging things about this work that I've been doing," she said, "is helping the residents of Heritage Park understand how valuable they are, how much they are loved, what they mean to this community, that they deserve to be treated with righteousness." She was explicit about whom she serves from City Hall. "I am Blackity Black, Black, Black," Warren said. "And I am concerned with the issues that impact Black folks here in North Minneapolis." That does not mean excluding anyone, she said, but it begins with "respect, love, and appreciation for who I am first." Her invitation to people who want to help Heritage Park's residents was direct. "You don't need a
contract. All you need is a heart and a pulse," Warren said. "All you have to have is a desire to really help people." Pray if that is what you can do, she said; donate, give legal services, work with the organizations already on the ground — and be honest about your reach, so that help does not become harm. Berry's closing appeal carried the same demand. "My last words for us is get involved," Berry said. "We have to take this Heritage situation serious. There's not a fight in this country that does not have an attachment to housing. Housing is important for our people." Heritage Park is more than a dispute over windows, roofs and furnaces. In Warren's and Berry's telling, the immediate obligation is to get families out of unsafe homes. The larger question is whether the rebuilding that follows can deliver safe housing while keeping community power, accountability and ownership in the hands of the people the Hollman decree was meant to serve — and whether Minneapolis will apply that lesson before another generation pays for promises left unkept.
an earlier generation of breastfeeding advocacy. Moore presented this year’s Rhonda Spears-White Award to doula and educator Rhonda Fellows. Moore described Spears-White as the first Black woman in the community to educate community-wide on breastfeeding, the advocate who started the work. “I came behind her and continued the work,” Moore said. Fellows was recognized for supporting, advocating and educating around breastfeeding, birth and prenatal
care. Moore described her as a mentor and trainer with her own practice and her own educational curriculum. Fellows received her certificate on the day; the crystal award that accompanies it had not yet arrived. Asked to say a few words, Fellows answered, “Absolutely not.” That presentation drew a visible line across generations: Spears-White’s advocacy, Moore’s continuation of the work through the Chocolate Milk Club, and Fellows' work with families today. The park itself carries
that line. Lorraine Smaller, for whom it was renamed, was one of the giants of this community — a fearless force for community development, for children and for families, and for claiming this space as sacred space for children, families and community. Chocolate Milk Day in that park pays homage to her. Moore said this was the program’s ninth year and, as the event closed, thanked Insight News for being there, saying it was the first time the program had received news coverage.
For families needing support beyond the annual celebration, the Chocolate Milk Club’s work continues throughout the year.
The Chocolate Milk Club holds a monthly breastfeeding support group called The Letdown, with food, fellowship, breastfeeding support and a massage therapist “to let you relax and let down so that milk will flow,” Moore said.
During fall hours, The Letdown meets at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at Northside Healing Center, 2100 Emerson Ave. N., behind U.S. Bank in North Minneapolis. The club’s Sister Friend program can organize support at home for families having trouble, and the club has supplies for those who need them. Find the Chocolate Milk Club group on Facebook, or search online for Chocolate Milk Club and Chosen Vessels Midwifery Services, which are also on Instagram.
an interactive water feature—to manage runoff and support the Mississippi River corridor. Upper Harbor Park forms part of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board's (MPRB) Above the Falls Regional Park and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, establishing a crucial link in broader efforts to build
an accessible riverfront along North Minneapolis.A Vision Built Through Partnership and Investment The realization of Upper Harbor Park stems from years of collaboration among the MPRB, the City of Minneapolis, the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization
(MWMO), United Properties, Port of Minneapolis/First Avenue/Minnesota Orchestra, elected leaders, state legislators, and North Minneapolis residents and community partners. The initiative represents significant public investment, backed by a $15 million state bond shared between
the City of Minneapolis and MPRB, as well as $10 million from the MWMO toward a district stormwater system serving the entire Upper Harbor site. Grand Opening Event Details Event: Upper Harbor Park Grand Opening Celebration Date: Saturday, Sep-
tember 19 Location: Upper Harbor Park (North Dowling Ave. & West River Road North) Project Manager: Julie Aldrich (612-230-6453 jaldrich@minneapolisparks.org) Park Info: 612-2306400 info@minneapolisparks. org
ple who voted in the Supreme Court election” to encourage them to vote. In July 2026, the Wisconsin Elections Commission found enough evidence to refer citizen complaints about Musk’s behavior to a district attorney, “which can choose,” as the AP notes, “to bring criminal charges over violating the state law against election bribery.” A month later, a state prosecutor said he could not prove Musk’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and would not bring charges.
whoever solicits, accepts, or receives any such expenditure in consideration of his vote or the withholding of his vote; Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned … or both.” The second prohibits offering government benefits “to any person as consideration, favor, or reward for any political activity or for the support of or opposition to any candidate or any political party in connection with any … election to any political office.” Both provisions focus on the use of money or the promise of benefits to get individuals to vote in a particular way. But Trump did not make his offer to any particular voter or set of voters. And, unlike Musk, he was acting as a public figure. The president’s promise was directed to all voters, not just to those who vote Republican. John Day, a former federal prosecutor, compared Trump’s “dividend” to a pledge to deliver a tax break. “A promise to lower taxes also gives voters a financial reason to support a candidate, but that does not,
by itself, make the promise a bribe,” Day told The New York Times.
were different from “corrupting private agreements and solicitations historically recognized as unprotected by the First Amendment.” The Hartlage decision remains the applicable precedent today. A year after the court’s decision, however, legal scholars Peter Aranson and Kenneth Shepsle argued that the Supreme Court decision countered several lower court decisions that had treated promises of the kind the high court approved “as analogous to bribes, which would turn the citizenry’s attention away from ‘proper’ public policy issues.” Trump may view the question of whether Republicans retain control of Congress as just such an issue.
question of whether it is bribery, vote buying or a legitimate political promise. It’s worth focusing attention on the virtues and vices of the transactional approach to politics, what it does to the character of U.S. political life and to the way Americans see the world. One of Trump’s critics, the former presidential speechwriter Peter Wehner, describes what he calls “the great civic danger posed by Donald Trump” this way: “that the habits of his heart become the habits of our hearts: that his code of conduct becomes ours.” Whether or not he is right, Wehner points Americans to a domain beyond law as the right place to assess the president’s promise of a “Trump Dividend.” Disclosure statement Austin Sarat does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
From 3 munity with no lines of segregation by income, and to a return for the residents who had been displaced. "And now we see that promise broken," Warren said. "Now we see that promise deteriorating and not living up to what was committed to the community at that time." That history shapes her argument about what has to change. "What did we learn from this 440-unit complex of Heritage Park?" she asked. "What did we learn? Not having control of the land, of the development, not having the oversight, not having the receipts, not having the autonomy to being able to say who's doing what when." The question reaches past Heritage Park. I asked Warren whether the lessons of this development should govern how community ownership, oversight and economic participation are built into the Upper Harbor Terminal and other pub-
Chocolate Milk From 3 he said, is “to be a light, to be a beacon of joy.” “Be that pocket of joy,” Dunlap told the crowd from the stage. “Crack a smile, give a hug, show love, y’all. Because we need it in these times for sure.” The afternoon also connected the current work to
Opening From 3 es, and natural areas. Restored shorelines and native plantings work alongside extensive stormwater systems—including
Laws From 3 for votes, has a long history in the United States. It was a staple of machine politics in big cities starting in the late 19th century. The political scholar Simeon Nichter argues that it would be better to describe these practices as examples of “turnout buying.” He notes that “observers in various U.S. cities have complained that some politicians use ‘street money’ – small, unreported cash payments ostensibly used for legal get-out-the-vote efforts such as canvassing and transporting voters – as direct payments for turnout.” What Nichter describes has made a comeback in our era. Recall Elon Musk’s effort to ensure a Republican victory in a 2025 state Supreme Court election in Wisconsin. He spent millions in that effort and, as The Associated Press reported, offered “$1 million to peo-
Federal law
Because state and federal laws differ, we can’t extrapolate from the Wisconsin decision to Trump’s $5,000 promise. Two provisions of federal law relating to vote buying were adopted by Congress and became law in 1948. Both treated that practice as a form of election interference. The first reads as follows: “Whoever makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate; and
Supreme Court precedent
In 1982, in Brown v. Hartlage, the Supreme Court weighed in on the legality of political figures promising financial benefits to voters. It found nothing wrong with the practice so long as the benefit was not offered as a quid pro quo to a particular voter. Writing for a unanimous court, Justice William Brennan said that a political candidate “no less than any other person, has a First Amendment right to engage in the discussion of public issues and vigorously and tirelessly to advocate his own election and the election of other candidates.” In his view, that right includes making statements about financial gains voters might receive if a candidate or a party wins an election, as long as they were “made openly and were subject to the criticism of his political opponent and to the scrutiny of the voters.” Such statements, Brennan added,
Drones: not now
How to connect with the Chocolate Milk Club
Beyond legality
Whatever Trump’s view, commentators have observed that in Trump’s world, relationships are transactional. It is the deal that counts, not the values it promotes or undermines. So, the importance of Trump’s cash offer goes beyond the legal
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MINNEAPOLIS — NEAR NORTH
MINNEAPOLIS — NEAR NORTH
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Harrison Center
Amstor Food Mart
DOWNTOWN
Summit Academy
Village Social Services
818 Dunwoody Blvd
Park Plaza Apts
Crystal Beauty Salon
10th & Marquette
525 Humboldt Ave
1100 W Broadway
Glenwood Market
YMCA
Penn-Wood Market
W Broadway & Fermont Ave
501 Irving Ave
935 Olson Memorial Hwy
1821 Glenwood Ave 2125 Glenwood Ave
Fleetwood Gross & Deli 2007 Glenwood Ave
Milda's Café 1720 Glenwood Ave
So Low Food
3111 Emerson Ave N
E & L Food
1122 Lowry Ave
Metro Check Cashing 2211 Lowry Ave
Lowry & Penn Market 2211 Lowry Ave
True Vine - New Bethel 2639 Thomas
Great Is Thy Faithfullnes 2901 Emerson Ave
The Purpose
3001 Russell Ave
New Salem Missionary Baptist 2507 Bryant
Proverbs Christian 2114 Lowry
Penn Gas Stop 2606 Penn Ave
All Washed Up Laundromat 3008 Penn Ave
Wally's 1840 Penn Ave
GV Apartments (two bldgs)
Golden Avalley Rd & Penn Ave
Thor Building 3 racks Plymouth & Penn
Minneapolis Urban League 2200 Plymouth Avenue
Comcast Don’t drop 801 Plymouth Ave
NCDC
1000 Plymouth Ave
Micky's Liqour
1104 Plymouth Ave
Karate School/Energy Company 1200 Plymouth Ave
UROC 2001 Plymouth Ave
NRRC
1303 Golden Valley
North Community M B 3951 5th Ave S.
Turning Point
1500 Golden Valley Rd
North Commons 2801 James Ave
North Star School 2410 Girard Ave
Wayman AME Church 1221 7th Ave
Zion Baptist
621 Elwood Ave
Shiloh Temple 1201 Broadway Ave
New Rewsurrection MB 1301 N. 10th St.
United Faith 1156 Aldrich
Spirit of The Lord 1001 Penn Ave
High Praise 1200 N. 7th At
Hospitality House 1220 Logan Ave
Greater Mt. Nebo 1530 Russell
North Community M B 1832 Penn Ave
DTLR 509 W Broadway Ave
Boost Mobile
523 W Broadway Ave
7 Mile Discount
611 W Broadway Ave
Winner Gas
626 W Broadway Ave
Cub Food 701 W Broadway Ave
Elizabeth Hall Elen School 1101 Aldrich Ave
Afrocetric Educational 1501 Aldrich Ave
Merwin Liquor
700 Broadway Ave
US Bank 1030 Broadway Ave
50+
COVERAGE AREAS
1604 W Broadway 1007 W Broadway
1711 W Broadway
Olympic Café
2117 W Broadway
Broadway Liquor Outlet 2201 W Broadway
Sanctuary Covenant 2018 Aldrich
Minneapolis Central 1922 4 th Ave
Greater Mt. Vernon 1800 Dupont
The Movement 1801 James
Griot Ministry 1601 Penn
NuWay MB 1530 Russell
Redeemer Lutheran 1800 Glenwood
Glendale Seventh 1138 Glenwood
United Christian Church 4300 Queen Ave
North United
4350 Fremont Ave
Watchmen Outreach 4150 Dupont
New Oil Christian 4050 Upton
New Mount Calvary 3859 Fremont
Liberty Community 3700 Bryant
Christian Restoration 4350 Fremont Ave
North Market
44th Ave & Humboldt Ave
Fremont Market 3558 Fremont Ave
Camden Market
42nd Ave & Fremont Ave
Super - USA
3807 Fremont Ave
Pump & Munch
45th Ave & Lyndale Ave
Clark Gas 41th Ave & Lyndale Ave
Fremont Clinic
3300 Fremont Ave
Northside Food Market 3559 N Lyndale Ave
Lowry Food Market 628 Lowry Ave
Star Food Market 818 Lowry Ave
Felowship Missionary Church 3355 4th St
Good News 3400 4th St
Northside Oriental Grocery 3201 Penn Ave
Quick Stop 3601 Penn Ave
Union Liquor 3219 Penn Ave
Spirit of Truth 3254 Penn Ave
New Covenant MB
1115 30th Avenue North
Holland Highrise
MINNEAPOLIS — DOWNTOWN & UPTOWN
Dunwoody College
MINNEAPOLIS — SOUTH POWDERHORN
UNIVERSITY AVENUE
Sabathani Center
3440 University Ave
McDonald Liquors
2389 University Av
Outdoor Stand 7th & Nicollet 7th & Nicollet
Outdoor Stand 1st St & 2nd Ave S 1st St & 2nd Ave S
Outdoor Stand N. 1st St & 4th Ave N. 1st St & 4th Ave
Harbor Lights
310 38th St
5010 S. 34th St
2199 University Ave
S. 34th St
Amoco Gas
3900 10th Ave S
4454 Chicago Ave
1225 8th St KENWOOD
825 Summit Ave S
Cup Foods
1600 Chicago Ave
3729 Chicago Ave
Black Heart Bar Cub Food
LA Fitness
1370 University Ave
Project For Pride In Living
Pillsbury House
1182 University
Walgreens
Chicago Ave
3240 W. Lake St
Laundratmat
Hennepin Liquor
Chicago Ave
1200 W. Lake St
Saigon Uptown Restaurant 30 Lyndale Ave S
Gaffrey Deli & Sub
Wield Shop Chicago Ave
3008 Lyndale Ave S
Subway
Walgreens Lunds & Berlys Henepin Liquor Speedway Gas
2200 Lyndale Ave
2525 E. Franklyn Ave
Holiday Gas
LONGFELLOW
Long Fellow Market
LAKE STREET
3815 E. Lake St
Chicago Liquors
East Lake Liquor 3916 E. Lake St
Speedway Gas
920 E. Lake St
4320 E. Lake St
Bryant & Lake Bowl
Recovery Center
810 W. Lake St
3400 S. 34th Ave
Speedway Gas
HD Coin Laundry
801 E. Lake St
3225 E. Lake St
Speedway Gas
Hennep Library 2727 E. Lake St
Maytag Laundry 5747 E. 34th Ave S HIAWATHA
Walgreens
Street Box Selby & Western
Mississippi Market 622 Selby Ave
E & J Cleaners 642 Selby Ave
Selby Wine & Spirits 778 Selby Ave
Scoops Ice Cream 920 Selby
Carolyn Flowers 921 Selby
Golden Thyme Coffee Café 934 Selby Av
GRAND AVENUE
Kowalski's Market 1261 Grand Ave
Walgreens
734 Grand Ave
Perrier Liquor 666 Grand Ave
Mobil Gas
236 Grand Ave RICE STREET
Merwin Liquors 1700 Rice St.
W. 78th St Nicollet Ave
Holiday Gas
Tobacco Shop
Prime Market & Deli
2409 E. Franklyn Ave
Cub Foods
Merwns Liquor
8348 Lyndale Ave S
Holiday Gas
86th Lyndale Ave S
Mahiripiri Gallery
Emmanuel Church
9001 Penn Ave S & W. 90th St
6030 Xerxes Ave
AM Food & Tobacco
8936 Lyndale Ave S
Speedway
1814 Nicollet Ave
5100 James Ave
One Touch Beauty Salon 7710 Brooklyn Ste 202
Twin Cities Rise
1011 Broadway Ave
Axis Medical Center 1801 Nicollet Ave
Cub Food
980 Payne Ave
3245 County 10 Rd.
CVS
Outdoor News Rack
810 Maryland Ave
Xerxes & Bass Lake Rd
Walgreens
African A to Z Mart 6930 Brooklyn Blvd.
1180 Arcade St.
M & H Gas
Brooklyn Center Liquor
721 Arcade St
1350A Shingle Creek Crossing
Liquor Ware House
Holiday
854 E 7th St.
5710 Xerxes Avenue N
Speedway
RICHFIELD
846 Johnson Pkwy
Cub Food East Side Liquor
1361 Maryland Ave
Sana's Market
1541 Maryland Ave
Jimmy's Food
532 White Bear Ave
Holiday 1770 White Bear Ave
SAINT PAUL
1750 White Bear Ave
Holiday
D & L Foods
Capitol liquor
Liquor Barrel
Cedar & 5th
161 Victoria
7848 Portland Ave S
Otto's Liquors 7850 Portland Ave S
6601 Penn Ave S
CVS 6540 Penn Ave S EDINA
50th France Ave
Edina Liquors Walgreen's
1201 Larpenteur Ave
Big Bottle Liquors
1149 Larpenteur Ave
Grand Ave & Snelling Ave
Noble Laundromat
Beauty Paradise
100 Larpenteur
Grand Ave & Hamline Ave
9056 Lyndale Ave S
Super Casa
6755 York Ave
BP Gas
MGM Liquor
7846 Portland Ave S
Outdoor Box
CVS
Cub Food
Upper Guts Barber Shop
France Ave
301 Mississippi St.
Merwin Liquors
7836 Portland Ave S
Speedway Gas
626 Larpentuer
El Gordo
TBS Mart Foods
BP Gas
Cedar & 6th
LARPENTEUR AVENUE
6000 Portland
7940 Penn Ave S
urban Lights
Outdoor News Box
531 Rice
Speedway Gas
Walgreen's
Snap Market
629 Rice St.
6444 Lyndale Ave S
7845 Portland Ave S
2197 Old Hudson
Outdoor News Box
957 Rice St.
7700 Lyndale Ave S
Walgreens
275 White Bear
Big Discount Liquors 945 Rice St.
Richfield Liquor Richfield Liquor
1177 Clarence St
1559 Larpenteur Ave
9001 Lyndale Ave S
1812 Nicollet Ave
5801 Brooklyn Blvd
Payne Ave Wine & Spirits
Speedway
1196 Rice St.
6044 Brooklyn Blvd
CVS
Cub Food
The Hillock Apt
696 Rice Street
3301 Hiawatha
6930 Brooklyn Blvd
296 E 7th St
MGM Liquor
Moto Market
African Deli
Speedway
Nanny's Jamaican Kitchen
Clinton Laundry Mat
1700 Rice St.
Dragon Star Super Market BROOKLYN CENTER
500 E 7th St
Speedway
46th St Hiawatha Ave
2001 Central Ave NE
Pilgrim Rest Church
Brooklyn Blvd & Starlite Ctr 8020 Brooklyn Blvd
633 W 7th St
Walgreens
1908 4th Ave S
Metro by T-Mobile
Cub Food
B P Gas
University & Rice
137 Maryland Ave
9200 West Broadway
6390 Brooklyn Blvd
8401 Lyndale Ave S
1901 57th Ave N
913B Payne
Holiday
2455 Hennepin Ave S
2501 E. 22nd St
Ebenezer Church
SELBY AVENUE
City Gyro
Brookdale Christian Center
9200 West Broadway
EAST SIDE
Walgreens
8421 Lyndale Ave S
6321 Zane Ave
Ebenezer Church
2057 Marshall Ave
1734 W 7th St
Nomadic Oasis Barber
2124 E. Franklyn Ave
7710 Brooklyn Ste 100
Amoco Gas
6930 Brooklyn Blvd
Minnoco Gas
Fast N Fresh Deli
Family Dentistry
2027 Marshall Ave
Speedway
Uptown Ballons
Holiday Gas
71st & Brooklyn Blvd
Marshall Liquor
Outdoor News Box
1625 Rice St.
4801 63rd Ave
Outdoor News Rack
981 Marshall Ave
Speedway
3541 Cedar Ave S
2622 Franklyn Ave
Welcome Ave & Brooklyn Blvd
1445 W 7th St
438 University Ave
Speedway Gas
Unity Temple
Outdoor News Rack
Book of Acts Church International COGIC
6930 Brooklyn Blvd
2501 Hennepin Ave S
Zipps Liquor
9401 Zane Ave
585 Fuller Ave
Speedway
BLOOMINGTON AVE
2951 Central Ave NE
Hy Vee Gas
Wolter Bros Liquor
Subway
Franklin Ave
9300 Zane Ave
Camphor Memorial United Methodist
Cooper's Food
Check Cash
Liferack Resources
Speedway
Unidale Mall
4440 Snelling Ave S
2329 Central Ave NE
8517 Zane Ave
KFAL Radio
3333 Cedar Ave S
Franklin Ave
Super - USA
451 W Central Ave
Tin Cup liquors
2000 S. 4th Ave & Franklyn
Wells Fargo Bank
5200 85th Ave
B.C. Liquor
Winner Gas
Health Center
Brooklyn Park City Hall
Mount Olivet Baptist Church
Boost Mobil
Walgreens
1815 Central Ave NE
7700 Brooklyn Blvd
1125 W 7th St
The Uptown Diner
Franklin Ave
678 Aurora Ave
Gentlemen's Cuts
Ele. Fetus
Senior High-Rise
St Albans Church of God in Christ
Hook Fish-chicken
1717 Washington Ave NE 2610 Central Ave NE
983 Central Ave. W
Walgreens
440 University Ave
317 E. 38th St
1902 Clinton Ave
New Birth Missionary Baptist
5716 Brookdale Dr
SEWARD
2404 Hennepin Ave S
Grace Temple Church
732 West Central Ave
The Gold Key Liquor Store
Speedway
Seward Co-op
1905 3rd Ave S
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665 W 7th St
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Page 12 • September 14, 2026 - September 20, 2026 • Insight News
Literary From 3 post-slavery emancipation, mutual aid for southern sisters and their kin was a hallmark activity of these literary circles, often called women’s clubs. Black women’s literary clubs would blossom over the decades that followed, taking root in Detroit, New York, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Washington, D.C. Kathy Freeman says those bold intentions of ancestors dating back two centuries remain in our bones. Leader of A Gathering of Women Readers in Philadelphia, she says Black women have instinctively embraced the causes of family, community and the world. “For women who look like me, book clubs are built upon collective actions. While everyone isn’t left-leaning, we are all humanists.” Black women’s literary circles rebuke patriarchy, Freeman asserts. “Though we are the backbone of every movement we support – the church, civil rights, Black liberation – we usually go unrecognized. But in our book clubs everyone has a voice.” Freeman’s group has supported medical drives for Cuba, clothing drives for Senegal, local book drives and summer camp for the city’s unhoused population. They host guest speakers from Philly and beyond. One, a few years before the assaults in Gaza, was Palestinian-American activist/author Susan Abulhawa. Freeman, 69, a “happily retired” program analyst for the Philadelphia Health Department, started the reading group eight years ago. They gather quarterly, 13 strong, with two books for discussion and always open with wellness check-ins. Most active in-person clubs skew older. However, the mix is intergenerational and convened online, by sororities, churches, social clubs and even celebrities (Oprah Book Club). Monique Greenwood, Co-founder of**Go On Girl Book Club** (GOGBC), points to the sense of belonging that book clubs invoke. She remembers 1991, when her two friends, Tracy Mitchell-Brown and Lynda Johnson, were engrossed in chats about a book they were both coincidentally reading, _No Easy Place to Be,_ a debut novel by Steven Corbin about the Harlem Renaissance. “I was feeling very left out…and wanted to be part of what seemed like a really important fellowship.” From there, the trio planted the seeds of Go On Girl Book Club. Greenwood, 67, former editor-in-chief of _Essence_ and now owner of Akwaaba Bed and Breakfast Inns, anchored the first group in New York City. “We were casually structured, guided by some important criteria. Our membership was capped at 12 to coincide with the months we would meet.” “Reading and reflection of the books served merely as a jumping-off point to share and exchange ideas; to hear each other’s voices,” Greenwood offered. As members relocated, some carried the model with them, starting new chapters in other cities. Today, one of the
nation’s largest in-person literary circles, Go On Girl claims 51 chapters and more than 500 members across the country. They hold an annual conference, distribute merchandise, and in 1999, wrote the book on book clubs. The _Go On Girl! Book Club Guide for Reading Groups_, authored by the three founders, is a roadmap for starting, structuring and sustaining a successful literary circle, featuring reading lists, author chats and discussion questions. Joyce Ferguson-Fleming and her D.C.based Sister Girls Book Club recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. Ferguson-Fleming, 77, a voracious lifelong reader, was filling a void left by her daughter’s departure for college. She was not necessarily looking for new friends, but instead was mission-driven to assemble like-minded Black women. “The goal was simple — a book club where everyone was invested in reading. We didn’t come together as best friends, but as book lovers.” Founder Ferguson-Fleming was joined for an interview with original members Lisa Griffith and Shelly Jackson. Griffith, 71, said the idea of a book club was kicked around for at least two years. “One day Joyce set a date and time, and we started with eight members.” Over the 25 years, members have come and gone, but most have been with the book club for 15 years or more. Said Jackson, “Joyce actually used our workplace — the DC Municipal Court — as her recruitment ground.” Jackson, 64, a probation officer, said members included attorneys, administrators, clerks, and social workers. “We were all open to wide genres and themes, different perspectives, honest discussions. … No one judging you.” “We feed each other,” adds Griffith, a retired court reporter. “We lay out food, ideas, and nourish each other emotionally and spiritually…We go places I wouldn’t go on my own. Through Sister Girls, I am exposed.” Over the decades they’ve enjoyed field trips, celebrated milestone birthdays, mourned the passing of members’ loved ones and cheered the birth of grandbabies. “We’ve grown from a reading circle to a sisterhood,” confides Ferguson-Fleming. The legions of Black women book club members tell a bigger story in data released by Pew Research Center in 2014 exploring reading habits of Americans. Pew found that women across races and socioeconomic statuses read considerably more than their male counterparts. But Black women, especially college-educated, read the most, surpassing _all_ demographic groups in consumption of every book format — bound, audiobooks and e-books. Curtis Bunn, a retired journalist and author of 14 books, attests to the Pew findings. “Black women absorb passion more than any other demographic group.” Even before his 1999 debut novel _Baggage Check_ hit #1 on the _Essence_ Book List, Bunn embraced the wordof-mouth magic of Black women readers and embarked on
speaking tours to book clubs across the country. “I always left those book clubs feeling uplifted. It was like going to church,” recalls Bunn, 65. “You get feedback that makes you a better writer.” That feeling of being “immersed in a sustained happy hour” convinced Bunn to launch **The National Book Club Conference** in 2003. Nicknamed “Literary Bliss Weekend,” he marked the 22nd anniversary this year. Held in Atlanta and attended by some 400 primarily Black women (95%), conferees pay $350 for a series of general sessions, an awards event and breakout workshops attended by prominent authors and public luminaries. “During the first conference I was in tears most of the weekend,” Bunn remembers. “The camaraderie, energy and joy made everyone feel they were where they were supposed to be. It’s more than meeting the author and other book club members. It’s an immersive experience!” As technology changed how readers connect, Black women’s literary communities expanded beyond
KEITH ELLISON for Attor n e y G e n e ral
STEVE SIMON
for Se c re tar y of State
insightnews.com in-person living rooms. Glory Edim, 44, targeted a massive online community, appealing to younger Black women with **Well-Read Black Girl** in 2015. The online platform and book club, fueled by social media, claims more than 400,000 followers dedicated to celebrating the works of Black women authors. Well-Read also sponsors local in-person chapters across the country., hosting book festivals, a podcast and author conversations. An _Essence_ article about Well-Read Black Girl inspired Kodee Brown, 35, to start a group in Greenville, South Carolina, in 2019. Working with an independent bookstore as the bookseller and venue host, Brown put out the call for members. Surprisingly, many showed up, including several White women. “Our invitation emphasized everyone was welcome. but we were clear our focus was on Black women authors and the Black experience,” explains Brown. “Some of the White women came genuinely to connect as allies, others out of curiosity.” Eventually, when
membership was capped at 15, about three White women remained. At times, Brown believed the racial mix made conversations challenging and members often censored themselves. During her facilitation of the group, she worked hard to create a safe space. The Greenville group, composed mostly of Black women, continues. After two years in leadership, Brown relocated to Charleston and stepped down, responding to the busy demands of her nursing career, an advanced degree and eventually motherhood. Now the mom of 4-year-old twins, Brown says she has passed on the passion for books to her girls. “From the time they were infants, we read to them. They could read before they could walk.” “The book club was a time of joy,” Brown recalls. “I gained friends who have remained steadfast to this day. In those book groups we could hear each other.” Being seen and heard is Marcie Thomas’ preoccupation. Founder of the**Brown Girl Collective**(BGC), she sponsors virtual book clubs, wellness sessions and author
chats, a path that began in 2009, first focusing on research about Black women who were often ignored and invisible. The pandemic accelerated the possibilities of virtual gathering, allowing literary communities to reach women well beyond their immediate neighborhoods. And Thomas, 59, saw an opportunity to stoke her passion for reading. “Because I’ve always enjoyed reading, it spurred me to start a virtual book club.” With Black women readers top of mind, Thomas has targeted nonfiction authors, novelists, poets, filmmakers and other content producers. What began as a monthly virtual event in 2020 has expanded to twice a week, featuring the Monday book club and Wednesday _Live Well Sister_. “No matter how old we are,” says Thomas, “there’s a little brown girl that lives within all of us.” Across nearly two centuries, Black women have gathered in parlors and living rooms, from bookstores, conference halls and digital screens. The books bring them into the space. What they build together keeps them coming back.
AMY KLOBUCHAR
PEGGY FLANAGAN
for G over no r
fo r U.S . S en a t e
BEN SCHIERER
ZACK FILIPOVICH
for L i e u t en a n t G ove r no r
fo r S t a t e A udi t o r
OFFICIAL 2026 GENERAL ELECTION SAMPLE BALLOT V O T E B Y N O V E M B E R 3 R D | I W I L LV O T E . C O M
PAID FOR BY THE MINNESOTA DEMOCRATIC-FARMER-LABOR PARTY (DFL.ORG), AND AUTHORIZED BY PEGGY FLANAGAN FOR MINNESOTA.