Winter Keefer

Minneapolis

Metro Reporter at MinnPost

@MinnPost reporter. Michigander from the UP➡️Kzoo➡️Flint➡️Minneapolis. Opinions are my own.

Articles

St. Paul mayor’s veto timing prevents a City Council override again

6 days ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

For the second time in five months, the St. Paul City Council was unable to take an override vote on a veto issued by Mayor Melvin Carter due to a timing snafu. On Tuesday, Carter vetoed the council’s move to block trash services company FCC Environmental from using and developing a site at 560 Randolph Ave. In a four-page letter written to the council, Carter said he vetoed because he said the council’s actions went against state law.
Minneapolis City Council to take key vote on former Third Precinct

1 week ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

Like the future of George Floyd Square in south Minneapolis, discussion over possible uses of the city’s former Third Precinct Police Station has been contentious over the past year. Unlike the site of Floyd’s murder, however, the footprint of the former Third Precinct at 3000 Minnehaha Ave. includes a large city-owned building. The City Council decided in 2023 that police would not return to the location, but the city still wants to use this building for city operations.
Housing issues motivate interim St. Paul council member Privratsky

1 week ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

After the St. Paul City Council reached a stalemate in a contentious debate over who should fill former council President Mitra Jalali’s seat on an interim basis, Mayor Melvin Carter ultimately appointed one of the top two candidates council members had considered. Newly installed interim Ward 4 council member Matt Privratsky is joining the fray as the council faces decisions about major issues in St. Paul, including rent control and tenant protections.
Rent control is on the St. Paul City Council's agenda once again

2 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

St. Paul’s rent control debate is back this week as the City Council considers further loosening the controversial policy. Community members will have a chance to weigh in on both rent control and tenant protection ordinances during the Wednesday council meeting.
Did Wisconsin inspire the Minnesota Vikings' logo and colors?

2 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

While one theory traces the Vikings’ name and colors to Wisconsin, it’s not the definitive explanation. The Vikings’ original helmet, uniform and logo were designed by Los Angeles cartoonist Karl Hubenthal in 1961. According to notes and drawings saved by Hubenthal’s family after his death in 1997, the Vikings’ first general manager, Bert Rose, instructed Hubenthal to use the colors purple and gold because those were the colors of Rose’s college alma mater, the University of Washington.
St. Paul City Council votes fail over Ward 4 appointment

3 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

It’s hard to tell whether water is boiling when staring at a pot with a lid on it — until it boils over, that is. That analogy came to mind Wednesday, when a St. Paul City Council vote to replace former council President Mitra Jalali ended in a stalemate. Because the council failed to come to an agreement on this interim replacement before its deadline, the appointment will now go to the mayor.
Does Minnesota have more than 10,000 lakes?

3 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

Despite the nickname “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” Minnesota has more than this number. Since the 1990s, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has operated a database tracking the number of lakes in the state. According to that database, there are 11,842 in Minnesota. This places Minnesota in the No. 3 slot for states with the most lakes in the country, following Alaska and Wisconsin.
It’s still unclear if trash will be picked up in St. Paul beginning April 1

4 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

With five days left before St Paul is slated to fully launch its first single-carrier municipal waste pickup, it remains to be seen if City Council action blocking FCC Environmental’s use and development of land at 540 Randolph Ave. will plunge the city “into crisis” or not, as the mayor claimed a week ago.
Why the downward north Minneapolis gun violence trends matter

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

Shooting incidents in north Minneapolis in 2024 were the lowest they’ve been in more than a decade, and community members hope these numbers will curb a negative perception among outsiders of North and its crime rates. According to recently released crime data from the city of Minneapolis, there were 132 gunshot wound victims in north Minneapolis in 2024, a decrease of 20% compared to the year prior.
Why Minnesota jails can’t legally hold people for an ICE detainer

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

Minnesota law prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from holding people under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers. This point was highlighted recently after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit March 5 on behalf of plaintiff Maikol Javier Suarez Varela, who is suing the Carver County Sheriff and a sheriff’s deputy for allegedly breaching his Fourth Amendment rights.