Controversy, business news in St. Louis Park gained views in 2022 | St. Louis Park

Readers took an interest in the announcement of former NBA player Royce White filing for office in a Republican primary amid an unsuccessful effort to take on U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.

White stirred controversy when he claimed to be fighting “an enemy” with a “globalist agenda,” but called the assertion that he used such terminology in an anti-Semitic way “completely ridiculous.”

A frequent guest on Steve Bannon’s “War Room Pandemic” podcast, White wrote a Substack post in which he said he would not refrain from vulgar language, referenced Jewish people in bold letters, responded to judgments against him relating to child support by saying that critics’ “demonic possession is on full display,” expounded extensively on his debt and indicated he would not extend “an olive branch of moderation” to Democrats, who he said may be traumatized by his comments.

“That’s just God working to rid you of the demons,” he concluded.

White became a first-round draft pick in the NBA in 2012 with the Houston Rockets and played for the Sacramento Kings in the 2013-14 season before leaving the league to play basketball in Canada.

His career as a political candidate lasted a significantly shorter period as he failed to win the Republican primary for the 5th Congressional District in August, losing by a significant margin to primary winner Cicely Davis. In the general election, Omar easily beat Davis. Omar took in more than 75% of the vote between the two remaining candidates.

While Omar cruised to victory in November, she only narrowly won her own primary. Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis councilmember and school board member who focused on public safety, won more than 48% of the DFL primary vote in August. Omar won the race, but barely topped 50% of the vote in the primary, defeating Samuels by fewer than 2,500 votes.

Tattoos and memories: the story of the empathy symbol

An article from 2021 still brought in the second-highest number of page views for St. Louis Park in 2022.

St. Louis Park resident Deb Ellsworth’s empathy symbol continued to gain attention and popularity.

In 1973, the Vietnam War was raging, and Ellsworth had become active in the anti-war movement.

While wearing the peace symbol in her dorm room at Gustavus Adolphus College and thinking about the movement, she said, “It just kind of flashed into my head. It was weird. It flashed into my head full-blown, though – that exact design.”

Like the peace symbol, the empathy symbol features an exterior circle, but the symbol includes two lines resembling arms or branches reaching out that are joined by a line.

Ellsworth’s friend who had been taking a jewelry-making class at the college created a piece featuring the symbol.

Although the Southern Poverty Law Center turned down her request to use it as a symbol, decades later technology has helped her spread her love of empathy.

“The internet came along, which who would have even thought of in 1973, and it just opened up the world to me,” Ellsworth said.

With her husband’s help, she created a Facebook page, @empathysymbol. The site documents the reach of the symbol, from T-shirts to a sculpture at Scotch College in Australia.

Unexpectedly for Ellsworth, she began to receive pictures through her website of the symbol appearing in tattoos.

“All around the world, people are wearing this symbol on their bodies – permanently,” Ellsworth said. “I wanted to spread the symbol worldwide.”

To that end, she decided to accept her niece’s encouragement and received a tattoo featuring her symbol on her arm when her niece visited.

While she chuckled that the symbol is her first and last tattoo, she said, “I figured if everybody else can do it, I certainly ought to do so.”

The symbol represents a sense of reaching and opening up to seek to understand the feelings and experiences of others, she indicated.

Neighbor Tamara Nugteren said “It’s amazing to me that Deb’s empathy symbol is as relevant now as it was when she created it. It obviously resonates with people still and it’s maybe even more important now as we try to bridge all that divides us. Politically, racially, generationally. It all requires empathy.”

Response to racial incident

An article by Sports Editor Jason Olson about the St. Louis Park School District’s response to a racist incident in which New Prague students reportedly made derogatory comments and sounds directed at the Orioles’ boys hockey team came in as the third most-read story of 2022.

A follow-up article about statements from New Prague leaders and the state high school league about the behavior became the eighth most-read story for St. Louis Park in 2022.

Other incidents involving the Trojans reportedly occurred in basketball games against Robbinsdale Cooper and Benilde-St. Margaret’s, a Catholic school in St. Louis Park.

St. Louis Park School District officials responded by removing the West Metro Conference banner representing New Prague from the St. Louis Park High School gym and declaring that the Orioles would no longer play New Prague during the spring of 2022.

St. Louis Park High School Activities Director Andy Ewald wrote that the Orioles would not compete directly with New Prague High School “as a result of a racist experience our boys hockey program was subjected to” during a game in February 2022. He said the other incidents of racism involving New Prague High School athletics involving other conference schools also influenced his decision.

Ewald wrote of the decision not to play New Prague: “It will continue until the harm that was caused is repaired and we are assured that any of our stakeholders, most importantly our students, will not be victimized by racism by any New Prague stakeholders in the future.”

In the letter to the New Prague activities director, Ewald wrote, “I will not stand for your community and students to have teachable moments at the expense of our students. Therefore, I will not tolerate or allow our students to further experience any racism while participating in athletics against New Prague High School.”

The Minnesota State High School League then released a memo saying that the league unequivocally condemned mistreatment on any basis, adding that harassment “is simply unacceptable in our schools.”

The memo, signed by 10 Minnesota educational associations, added that victims of racist words or action need support and announced an initiative to address behavior in schools.

The plan included creating a code of conduct for all schools, convening a student conference to raise awareness about student conduct and to provide resources for school leaders in addressing harmful behaviors while supporting impacted individuals.

League rules prohibit racial, sexual or religious harassment, with violations leading to the loss of student eligibility for extracurricular activities.

New Prague Superintendent Tim Dittberner apologized for the incidents. He said his district takes all reports of bullying and harassment seriously by investigating them and taking action when appropriate, but it needs to be proactive to prevent further incidents.

“Hate, disrespect and intimidation have no place within our schools. Every student should feel welcome,” Dittberner said. “We can’t sit still and complain, and we can’t make excuses. We simply must do better.”

During the summer of 2022, Ewald announced the St. Louis Park School District would resume playing games involving New Prague teams. Ewald said he believed New Prague leaders had taken concerns seriously.

Ewald said the New Prague banner would return to the St. Louis Park High School gymnasium as a result of actions taken in New Prague focused on equity and school climate.

Controversy continued to lead to clicks as readers checked out an article about an at-times chaotic hearing in which the St. Louis Park City Council approved a temporary mask mandate in early 2022.

Supporters of the mandate discussed personal impacts of COVID-19, such as deaths or severe illness from the virus impacting family members. However, a group of opponents – many who did not wear masks and several who also opposed vaccinations – dominated the podium, often cheering other speakers, sometimes refusing to abide by time limits, shouting over council members and leaving en masse when a majority on the council voiced support for the mandate.

As they left, shouts that included, “Shame on all of you,” “You’re destroying St. Louis Park, taking over every suburb” and “Nazis!” erupted in the Council Chambers.

Before the hearing, some councilmembers had expressed reservations about the mandate affecting many indoor gathering places open to the public. They voted unanimously for the measure after the often raucous public debate.

St. Louis Park officials kept to their intent to make the mandate temporary after a surge of the omicron variant, letting it lapse as scheduled in late February.

With hospital bed usage falling significantly in the weeks after the mandate, the council agreed to let it end.

Accusation of pulling a gun at Highway 169 entrance

An article about a felony charge against a St. Louis Park man accused of pulling a gun on an entrance ramp to Highway 169 gained page views in 2022.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged Joshua Matthew Goldman, 49, with threats of violence with reckless disregard for risk. He posted bail, set at $40,000, and was released from custody. The case is still unresolved, with court records listing a jury trial for the case scheduled to begin Jan. 9.

A court document provides the following account of the allegations against Goldman.

St. Louis Park Police responded to a report of a gun being pointed on Highway 169 the afternoon of May 19, 2022. A woman told police she had been waiting on the metered ramp to Highway 169 from 36th Street. In pulling into the left of two lanes to wait to enter the highway, she pulled alongside a black BMW driven by a man police alleged was Goldman.

Goldman allegedly yelled at the woman for crossing over a line. Moments later, Goldman allegedly pulled out a black handgun and raised it near his head, pointing upward, the court document states. He allegedly loaded a magazine into the gun, made eye contact with the woman, cocked the gun and stared at her aggressively.

The woman said she was terrified and thought she would die, the court document says. She called 911 as the BMW drove away. Police arrested Goldman after locating his BMW. He was allegedly in possession of a loaded firearm at the time of the arrest, the court document says.

Many internet users who visited the Sun Sailor’s website may have been eager to have a new option to access the web. They gathered online to research the efforts of US Internet to expand access to its high-speed, fiber-optic network in St. Louis Park.

In early 2022, the Minnetonka-based company announced a goal to provide access to its network to every property owner in St. Louis Park by the end of 2024.

The company has made some initial forays into St. Louis Park after building out a large network covering most of south Minneapolis and other segments of its urban neighbor.

As part of a 2017 deal with St. Louis Park, which included using space in three city buildings, the company first delivered service to Meadowbrook Manor (now Era on Excelsior) before moving on to other multifamily residential buildings and commercial properties.

The company began digging in its first predominantly single-family area in the city in the south Sorensen neighborhood in 2019. In late 2021, it purchased property on Gorham Avenue for a data center and central office for fiber distribution, allowing the company to pursue plans to add the service citywide.

US Internet CEO Travis Carter told the St. Louis Park City Council that the build-out is likely to attract attention, comparing the process with heavy equipment to the “circus coming to town.”

He said, “A lot of people have never seen construction of this magnitude in the past.”

The company runs the fiber through plastic pipes in the city’s right-of-way on each side of the street, making direct connections to individual properties only when owners sign up. A directional drill machine allows the company to run the fiber underground to the home.

A concrete box is placed at ground level about halfway through a block on each side of the street.

In apartment buildings, a landlord has to approve the direct connection for tenants to be able to access the service. The company does not charge for hookups to individual properties besides the typical monthly service fees.

St. Louis Park has been high on the company’s targets to build out because much of the city follows a grid pattern, many St. Louis Park residents are young people who use the internet heavily, and the city is between the company’s Minneapolis network and its Minnetonka headquarters.

Eventually, the company hopes to build a network throughout the interior of the Interstate 494 and Interstate 694 loop.

Home fiber-optic service begins at $60 per month for 500 Mbps with no contract required.

A map of the progress so far at usinternet.com shows that service is now available in a large section of St. Louis Park west of Highway 100. A large area west of the highway and south of County Road 25 is set to come online soon. Service is available in other pockets scattered in the city as well.

A 2021 story by Senior Editor Andy Rogers about a St. Louis Park YouTuber and TikToker gained views in 2022.

Rogers wrote, “Dealing in precious metals is one of the oldest professions in human history.

“Being a Tik Tok star is one of the newest.

“Evan Kail has forged the two with his new business SLP Gold & Silver, and his online persona Pawn Man.”

Kail’s reality show features unscripted negotiations and comments about rare coins and collectibles. He gained a start by working as an apprentice with a Minneapolis gold and silver dealer.

“I read everything I could before I started,” Kail said. “It was like a college class. I threw myself into this.”

After some forays into eBay and Instagram, Kail began making YouTube videos about his experiences with the gold and silver markets.

That led him to open a store at 4825 Minnetonka Blvd. in St. Louis Park.

“The first month, no one walked in the door, but online, I was busier than ever,” Kail told the Sun Sailor. “I soon had 100,000 followers on Tik Tok. Business is booming.”

A story by Sports Editor Jason Olson came in next on the most-read list. The article detailed St. Louis Park resident Kendall Hanley’s trip to Beijing to officiate women’s hockey during the Olympics.

Hanley said the opportunity is “an incredible honor. It’s a dream come true after starting down this path a little over 14 years ago with the end goal in sight and finally achieving this is very humbling. It’s incredible.”

Olson wrote, “Hanley has broken down numerous barriers for women in the officiating world, including the first female to work at a Robertson Cup Final, the North American Hockey League championship. In December, she became the first female to officiate a professional hockey game in Wisconsin. Hanley is part of the AHL’s first class of 10 females to work a match, which she did for the Milwaukee Admirals.

“She was also one of four female officials to work an NHL preseason tournament at the 2019 NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan.

“She joins an elite club as the fifth official from Minnesota to work women’s hockey at the Olympics.”

Asked about the possibility of a female official joining the NHL, Hanley said, “Time will tell when the right person will do it. I can’t wait for it to happen, when that door is opened.”

She also commented on Minnesota’s hockey community.

“Everyone is so collaborative,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of amazing people at the different levels of the game and I hope that if you are a player or not, I hope you will consider the important role of officiating as doors continue to open for females that otherwise wouldn’t have in the past.

“It really is incredible to see people excel at various levels.”

Another 2021 business story Rogers wrote rounded out the list of the 10 most-read stories involving St. Louis Park.

Co-founder Frank Donnelly said, “Hard kombucha is the next wave to hit. On the West Coast, it’s on tap in most establishments out there. It’s heading this way slowly.”

Co-founders Ryan Appleby and Nick Dubois joined Donnelly in creating the business, which makes kombucha in a warehouse in St. Louis Park. Beyond the business, all three have been involved with the same unit of the Minnesota Army National Guard.

“I think part of the reason we work so well is when (bad things) happen, we’ve learned to accept it and move on,” Appleby said. “We’re open to criticizing ideas. There’s no egos attached to it.”

While they began with 5-gallon jugs in a garage, they moved on to a warehouse in the same St. Louis Park business park that houses Copperwing Distillery and The Dampfwerk Distillery Cocktail Lounge.

They plan to open a taproom in Northeast Minneapolis in 2023.

More information is available at buchbev.netlify.app.