On this day in music, March 27, 1987, Irish rockers U2 shot the video for their single “Where The Streets Have No Name” on a liquor store roof in downtown Los Angeles. Mirroring The Beatles’ rooftop concert nearly 20 years earlier, the event attracted thousands of spectators to the corner of Seventh and Main Street and brought traffic to a standstill. Despite police interference (as documented in the visual), the shoot was allowed to continue. The video eventually earned the group a Grammy Award.
In 2008, X Factor winner Leona Lewis’ second single, “Bleeding Love,” reached the summit of the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first British woman to reach No.1 on the American charts since Kim Wilde in 1987. The song debuted at No.1 in the UK chart, staying there for seven weeks.
In 2020, the influential Jamaican reggae vocalist and songwriter Bob Andy died of cancer, aged 75. He is best remembered for his partnership with singer Marcia Griffiths – as Bob & Marcia – which resulted in a Top 10 UK reggae version of Nina Simone’s “Young, Gifted & Black” in 1970.
In 2012, David Bowie‘s landmark album The Rise Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars was celebrated with a blue plaque in central London. It was unveiled by Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp at Heddon Street, the location where the album’s iconic cover photo was taken.
In 2000, 57-year-old singer, songwriter, poet, and actor, Ian Dury, died. The British artist was best known as the leader of Ian Dury & The Blockheads, who topped the UK pop charts in 1978 with “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick.”
In 1965, The Supremes topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the fourth time with “Stop! In The Name Of Love.” In 2004, the Holland-Dozier-Holland song was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll” list.
BORN ON MARCH 27
1939: Bo Winberg (The Spotnicks)
1950: Tony Banks (Genesis)
1957: Billy MacKenzie (Associates)
1959: Andrew Farriss (INXS)
1965: Johnny April (Staind)
1970: Mariah Carey
1975: Fergie (Black Eyed Peas)
1988: Jessie J
1990: Kimbra
The Litchfield School District is in the midst of spring break this week. When students and staff return to school on Monday, they will be celebrating Paraprofessionals Week, and athletes will soon be having their spring opening games and meets.
Superintendent Susan Burris says the weather has been great for the athletes for their practices this spring. She says the School Board will be meeting next on April 7th as there wasn’t going to be a quorum for the previously scheduled April 14th meeting.
Burris says during the March 10th meeting, the Board approved about a half-million-dollars-worth of reductions to the next budget. She says the School District had received some federal funding in the past few years and that would be ending this year so they needed to make some reductions in order to maintain a healthy fund balance.
Burris says the Board had a work session on March 10th with 3 consultants who provided information about developing a strategic plan. She says they’re hoping to put a strategic plan together next year with feedback from stakeholders in the District and determine priorities for the next five years.
On Tuesday evening at 6:21, an Olivia Police officer initiated a traffic stop near Highway 212 and 14th Street in Olivia which was prompted by a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed – westbound on Highway 212. The vehicle had passed another vehicle in a non-designated passing area within the Olivia city limits.
The vehicle pulled over for the officer, but then the driver fled at a high speed – westbound on Highway 212. Other law enforcement agencies were called for assistance. The vehicle continued west of Olivia reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, and in the process forced a deputy off of the roadway and into a ditch. A Renville County Sheriff’s deputy successfully deployed a tire deflation device causing several tires on the vehicle to deflate.
The vehicle eventually came to a stop near Highway 212 and County Road 1. The driver was arrested on felony charges without incident and was transported to the Renville County Jail where she is awaiting arraignment.
A new website is now available for whistleblowers to confidentially report suspected fraud, waste and abuse within Minnesota’s state government. State Representative Scott Van Binsbergen of Montevideo says the launch of MNFraud.com is just one way House Republicans are working to root out tax dollar improprieties running rampant in Minnesota programs, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Van Binsbergen says one of the top priorities this session is cracking down on the fraud, waste and abuse that has seeped into our state programs, and this website brings government back to the people, empowering them to serve the watchdog role. He says if they see something, they now have a place to register their concerns for further investigation.
Van Binsbergen says the new website will act as a central platform for Minnesotans to report concerns about suspected or observed improprieties in state program services. Submitted information will be initially assessed and directed to the appropriate authorities for further investigation and follow-up. The information, including the identities of whistleblowers, is secure and protected, similar to a secure-payment processing.
Van Binsbergen says Minnesota has faced widespread fraud issues in several state-run programs, with hundreds of millions of dollars misused or stolen through fraudulent claims and mismanagement. He says scandals related to Feeding Our Future, childcare assistance, medical aid, and welfare programs all continue to make headlines.
Van Binsbergen says the common thread is a need for stronger safeguards, transparency, and accountability in managing taxpayer-funded programs. He says Minnesotans work hard for their money and our government owes it to them to be good stewards of the tax dollars that are collected, and citizen participation is the key to ensuring accountability and this website is a good step forward in that regard. He says he hopes people will take advantage of this new tool if they see tax-dollar misuse or encounter a scenario where they suspect it is happening.
On a corner in the center of St. Cloud, next to a former Wells Fargo bank, Abdikadir Bashir can view bustling cultural malls in three directions.
There’s a restaurant, a cafe, retail shops, a halal market, a health clinic — all started by East African immigrants who now call St. Cloud home.
This busy hub is the heart of the recently arrived immigrant community in St. Cloud. Bashir, executive director of the Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization, said it challenges stereotypes of immigrants as a drain on the community.
“This neighborhood is a testament to the contrary — that immigrants come here and do make the new communities better, economically, socially and culturally,” Bashir said. “And that’s what we also intend to continue.”
St. Cloud-based CAIRO provides services and support to immigrants and refugees, including education, health programs and workforce training. Those efforts have expanded to include helping address the shortage of housing in St. Cloud, one of multiple local efforts led by people of color.
CAIRO bought the nearly 4-acre property on 33rd Avenue and Third Street North last year. It plans a mixed-use development with commercial, office and event space, and 70 rental apartments.
“We came to realize that housing anchors everything,” Bashir said. “It is the foundation to human development. It is the foundation to community progress. Without a roof over your head, children will not be able to go to school. You will not be healthy. You will not be prospering economically.”
The project is named Iskufilan Village. The Somali word means sufficient, whole or complete.
Its supporters envision a thriving community hub that fosters a sense of belonging, with local businesses and essential services conveniently close by.
Most of the 70 apartments will have three or four bedrooms. Bashir said that space is crucial for larger immigrant families that often include six or more people, compared to the U.S. average of 2.5.
“We hear of moms that tend to hide their pregnancies, sometimes out of fear of growing out of their current apartment, or getting kicked out by a landlord,” he said. “I have heard stories of a family living in two adjacent apartments because one apartment is not (large) enough for them.”
The housing will be open to anyone, not restricted to immigrants or any certain demographics.
Bashir said the project is driven by a belief in East African culture of a collective responsibility to solve problems.
“It is led by the community,” he said. “It’s coming from the community, because we have that lived experience.”
At least 10 percent of the units will be designated as affordable, and the rest targeted toward middle-income working residents. Nearly half of St. Cloud’s renters are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
CAIRO is putting together the private financing for the project. They're also asking the Legislature for $5 million in state funds.
At a recent Senate housing committee meeting, Farhiya Iman spoke in favor of the project. She’s an educator and social worker who’s lived in St. Cloud for 20 years.
Iman said she frequently sees families working full time, but still unable to find affordable housing.
“Housing isn’t just about walls and roof. It’s about stability. It’s about dignity. It’s about opportunity,” she said. “And for far too many families in St. Cloud, that opportunity does not exist.”
St. Cloud’s need for apartments is just the start. A recent study estimated the city needs 17,000 new housing units over the next 15 years.
Mayor Jake Anderson, who took office in January, said the city also needs single-family homes, senior housing and low-income housing.
Without adequate housing, it’s difficult for the city to attract new businesses, and it risks losing workers and talent to other places, Anderson said.
“If you’re not adding housing and then families are beginning to expand, they’re going to move,” he said. “So you may see migration out of the city to either other cities in the region or other regional centers.”
Another St. Cloud group wants to make the dream of home ownership a reality for more people.
Dreamliner Estates LLC was founded by three community leaders of color who come from different professional backgrounds: public transit, community engagement and finance.
“We see the struggles when it comes to underrepresented communities, people of color and we see the struggles, how hard it is for them to even attain housing,” said co-founder Ryan Daniel, who is also CEO of St. Cloud Metro Bus, the city’s transit service.
Owning a home is important for families to build generational wealth, Daniel said. But statistically, home ownership rates in St. Cloud are lower for people of color.
Daniel’s partners are Eunice Adjei and Emmanuel Oppong. The siblings are originally from Ghana, West Africa, and have both lived in St. Cloud for more than a decade.
Adjei is director of multicultural services for St. Cloud Financial Credit Union. She said the application process often deters people in underserved communities from buying a home.
“We really want to make sure that they understand all the rules when it comes to housing, so that that wouldn’t deter them from being part of the solution,” Adjei said.
Dreamliner Estates secured a $3.4 million state grant from Minnesota Housing for the first phase. Daniel said they hope to complete four homes on St. Cloud’s south side by the end of the year. Eventually, they plan to build a total of 34 homes.
The plan calls for twin homes, each with four bedrooms, to accommodate large families or several generations living together, which is common in collectivist cultures.
“Some demographics prefer to have not just Mom, Dad and kids,” said Oppong, who also serves as the city’s community engagement director. “They want to have Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandad, nephews and cousins all living closely.”
An Islamic prohibition on paying or earning interest can make it challenging for Muslims to buy a home. Adjei said St. Cloud Financial Credit Union, Stearns Bank and other area lending institutions currently provide or plan to offer Sharia-compliant alternatives to traditional mortgages.
Both organizations say they know their projects are only a first step toward meeting the community's housing shortage.
“Like they say, a journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step,” Bashir said. “This is that one step.”