🏛️ St. Paul gives tenants more time to pay

A Tale of Two Eviction Policies

Right now, St. Paul landlords can file an eviction after a tenant fails to pay rent for 14 days. Thanks to a measure recently passed unanimously by St. Paul's City Council, the pre-eviction notice period will be extended to 60 days starting May 14. The aim is to give tenants more time to catch up on rent, as many St. Paul residents are still feeling the economic impacts of Operation Metro Surge. [Sahan Journal]

• Other rent relief in St. Paul: The city will be reopening its emergency rental assistance program next week, with $2.5 million available for tenants seeking relief. Applications will be open on the first and second days of each month starting in April, and assistance will be awarded via a lottery process. [City of St. Paul / Sahan Journal]
• What about Minneapolis? Earlier this month, the Minneapolis City Council voted 7-5 to extend the pre-eviction notice period to 60 days, but the measure was vetoed by Mayor Jacob Frey, who offered $1 million in direct rental assistance instead. The council failed to meet the nine-vote minimum to override the veto yesterday morning. [CBS News / MinnPost]

Still in detention: University of Minnesota student Edwin Toalombo is still in an ICE detention facility in El Paso after being detained with his father in Richfield on Jan. 11. Toalombo came to the United States in 2020 with a goal of becoming fluent in English and attending the U. Now, his future in the U.S. and his ability to continue his studies are uncertain as his removal proceedings continue. [Minnesota Daily]

AI in the grocery aisle: DFL lawmakers and union leaders are pushing legislation that would ban retailers from using AI-powered tools to charge folks different prices for the same goods. The proposal targets surveillance pricing, which uses personal data to adjust prices, as well as electronic shelf labels that can update prices in real time. Real-time surveillance pricing hasn't been deployed widely in stores yet, but critics argue it could eliminate jobs and result in higher prices for consumers as technology progresses. [Star Tribune]

One cool lady: Elvera Neuman, also known as "Peps" or "The Blanket Lady," has been a major source of enthusiasm for University of Minnesota basketball fans for years. She was also instrumental in paving the way for women's basketball – creating one of the first high school girls' leagues in Minnesota while she was still a student in the late 1950s and founding a professional team called the Arkansas Gems, where she was the star player. [MPR]

Settlement reached: The city of St. Paul reached a $9.5 million settlement with the family of a teenager who was shot in the head and critically injured by city employee Exavir Binford at a rec center in 2023. The teenager's family alleged that St. Paul hired Binford, knowing that he had a history of violent conduct and threats toward minors. A spokesperson from the city said that the settlement "fully and finally resolves the lawsuit." [MPR]

Affordable housing: On this week's episode of our new national podcast Your City Could Be Better, City Cast Austin host Nikki DaVaughn talks about how Austin is successfully building more affordable housing than other cities (but still not enough). [Your City Could Be Better]

Friday, Mar 27

• 🖤 Pop Punk Prom from Quarter Life Crisis | First Ave
• 🪕 Pert Near Sandstone | Turf Club
• 💦 612 Sauna Co-Op | Lake Nokomis
• 🖼️ After Hours: Christine Sun Kim | Walker
• 🎭 It’s Like An Amazing Time to Be Alive Right Now | Playwrights’ Center
• 🎺 Jake Baldwin | Jazz Central Studios
• 🪈 SPCO Schubert’s 2nd Symphony | Ordway
• 🧠 Ladybrain “Our Favorite Sketches” | Bryant Lake Bowl

Saturday, Mar 28

• 💿 Jenny Klukken Album Release | Art House North
• 🛼 Minnesota Roller Derby | Roy Wilkins
• 🎤 Emmy Woods with Taylor James Donskey | Aster Cafe
• ✈️ Mind Enterprises | Amsterdam Bar and Hall
• 🏁 Pintwood Derby | Fulton Brewing
• 🎭 Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope | Penumbra
• 🇮🇴 A Very British Whodunnit Last Orders at the Teabridge Taproom | Brit’s Pub
• 🎵 The Suicide Commandos | First Ave

Sunday, Mar 29

• 🎻 Laurels String Quartet feat. Dave Pirner | Berlin
• 🇮🇪 Sunday Trad Session | The Dubliner Pub
• 🩷 Pinksqueeze with Doll Chaser and Kyrie Nova & the Defiant | Pilllar Forum
• 🪇 Afrodisia with Obi Original | Icehouse
• 🧘Yoga | Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative
• ✍️ Four Thriller Writers | Once Upon a Crime
• 🥳 Queerdo | Black Hart
• ✒️ Poet-O-Rama | Strange Loop Laboratory

• Wage Theft Investigator at City of Minneapolis | $67k – $93k per year
• Political Director at COPAL | $80k – $85k per year
• Executive Director at Housing Justice Center | $125k – $135k per year
• Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Organizational Effectiveness at Mitchell Hamline School of Law | $140k – $215k per year
• Donor Engagement Officer at Center for Victims of Torture | $74k – $85k per year