It is with great sadness that NCR joins staff in the City’s Development Finance Division (DFD) in mourning the sudden passing on Sep. 30 of NRP/Finance Specialist Judy Duffey. Judy grew up in North Minneapolis and worked for the City for nearly 35 years. She began as a loan officer for the Minneapolis Community Development Agency (MCDA) and transferred to DFD 15 years ago, where she expertly tracked millions of dollars.

Neighborhood organizations knew Judy as the manager of their Community Participation Program (CPP) contracts, helping organizations understand payment requests and ensuring that organizations were paid promptly. We miss Judy terribly and honor her memory.

The City of Minneapolis invites you to join in on the #WeAreMpls campaign to amplify positive and welcoming messages about our city and the many cultures and communities that make us stronger.

The City has reached out to all of our networks, including boards and commissions, neighborhood organizations and community partners to participate.

Sharing resources

We encourage you to share your photos and stories on social media with the hashtag #WeAreMpls, follow the City of Minneapolis on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

• WeAreMpls webpage with resources
• WeAreMpls slideshow with stories
• WeAreMpls downloadable poster
• WeAreMpls downloadable sign for print
• Facebook profile photo frame

On Oct. 8, Mayor Frey, Council Member Cano and leaders from the Minneapolis Police Department joined NCR's Latino community specialist, Mariano Espinoza, on his Latino Heritage Month special radio program Somos Minneapolis. Mariano also hosts a regular biweekly radio program with City news in Spanish on La Raza 95.7 FM called Mi Ciudad. The next episode will be on Nov. 12 from 3-4 p.m. Read more about the City of Minneapolis news radio programs here...

The Neighborhood and Community Relations Department (NCR) will begin inviting exhibitors, presenters and discussion leaders soon. You can sign up to receive a notification by leaving your email address here, or sign up for general conference updates here.

Share the conference with others

You can help spread the word about the Community Connections Conference on social media in multiple languages. 

• English
• Español
• Soomaaliga
• Hmoob

This year's conference is on Feb. 1, 2020 in the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Celebrate los Días de los Muertos by remembering the life and lucha of Mexican revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata. El Caudillo del Sur, as he was named for leading the fight for Mexican Indigenous rights and land reform, was born in the state of Morelos, Mexico. Now, 100 years after his death, Minneapolis and Morelos are coming together to honor Zapata’s legacy. Bring your family, friends and students to uplift our collective stories of struggle, triumph and resistance during el Día de los Muertos.

The events are free and open to the public Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Weisman Art Museum.

Day of the Dead events

• 3 p.m. Interactive art activity
• 4 p.m. Film “The Last Zapatistas, Forgotten Heroes”
• 5:15 p.m. Post-film community conversation and reception
• Weisman Art Museum, 333 E. River Parkway

Find more information about los Días de los Muertos events on multiple days here.

Neighborhood organization staff and volunteers, community partners and City staff are invited to join NCR's community engagement team for the final Community Connections learning labs of 2019. The current series began in September and ends on Nov. 12.

The material covered in these learning labs includes:

• Historical events and how they impact communities today.
• Effective communication tools and names of media outlets.
• Major community events, holidays and festivals, etc.
• You can view the learning lab schedule and register here.

Find more information about the Community Connections learning lab series and sign up to get notifications when new classes are announced at Minneapolismn.gov/ncr/learninglabs.

The City of Minneapolis has drafted frequently asked questions (FAQs) about wage theft and rules for implementing the Minnneapolis Wage Theft Ordinance documents to provide general guidance to employers and employees about their rights and responsibilities under the City’s wage theft prevention ordinance. The FAQs and rules are now available for public review and comment through Dec. 31.

Public comments about the clarity and substance of information in the FAQs and rules documents can be submitted online. Feedback can also be submitted in person at Minneapolis City Hall, Room 239, 350 S. Fifth St.

For more information about the wage theft prevention ordinance, visit the City’s website, email wagetheft@minneapolismn.gov or call 311.

Budget hearings

There are three upcoming public hearings for people to share thoughts on Mayor Jacob Frey’s recommended 2020 City budget.

Hearing Dates:

• 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, City Council Chamber, Room 317, City Hall
• 6:05 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, City Council Chamber, Room 317, City Hall
• 6:05 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, City Council Chamber, Room 317, City Hall
• Comments can also be submitted online.

Visit the City’s budget website to learn more about the budget and key dates and watch a video about how to participate in the budget process. You can also watch budget hearings on Minneapolis City Council TV. Tune to SD channel 14 or HD channel 799 on Comcast or SD channel 8001 or HD channel 8501 on CenturyLink. You can also watch archived meetings on the City of Minneapolis YouTube channel.

Last spring, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency installed new air quality monitoring sensors at 44 sites in neighborhoods around Minneapolis and Saint Paul. One of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s goals is to improve air quality in urban population centers.

You can see results of the monitoring so far here.

This fall Minnesota Pollution Control Agency staff are presenting informational meetings about the project and what the sensors have been seeing so far. The next meeting is scheduled for:

• 6:30-7:45 p.m. Nov. 14 at Powderhorn Recreation Center, 3400 15th Ave. S.

If your home was built before 1978, you may be eligible for free home lead tests and grants to fix lead paint hazards.

It’s important to test young children for lead poisoning at every annual checkup. Sixty-six percent of children with elevated blood lead levels at age 2 did not have elevated blood lead levels at age 1.

Find more information about protecting children from lead poisoning here or call Fardowza Omar at 612-673-2584.

Crews are preparing to sweep streets across Minneapolis before winter to keep leaves and debris out of the storm drains and from ending up in our lakes and rivers. To see when your street will be swept, check the street sweeping schedule lookup on the City of Minneapolis website.

Watch this video about fall street sweeping, and watch for temporary "no parking" signs posted at least one day before street sweeping.

Anyone who parks on the street will need to follow posted parking rules or their cars may be ticketed and towed.

• English: See how and why Minneapolis sweeps streets and what you can do to help keep streets and waterways clean in this video.
• Spanish: En este video vea por qué la Ciudad de Minneapolis limpia las calles y qué puede hacer usted para ayudar a mantener limpias las calles y vías fluviales.
• Somali: Ka daawo fiidyowga taxanaha… ee Minneapolis ee loo yaqaan “Ma Ogtahay” siyaabaha iyo sababaha minneapolis jidadka ay u xaaqido oo ogow sidii aad uga caawin lahayd ilaalinta nadaafada jidadka iyo biyo mareenada.
• Hmong: Yog xav paub ntxiv, sais nroog Minneapolis cov tshooj xov xwm hu, “Koj pos paub.”