Greta Kaul
@gretakaul.bsky.social
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🏙️Covering the Twin Cities built environment at the @StarTribune.bsky.social.
How's the way your city's built affecting your life?
Send tips: [email protected]
🏙️Covering the Twin Cities built environment at the @StarTribune.bsky.social.
How's the way your city's built affecting your life?
Send tips: [email protected]
Reposted by Greta Kaul
A few graphics showing how climate change is affecting the state. More in the story!
www.startribune.com/six-ways-min...
www.startribune.com/six-ways-min...
November 13, 2025 at 4:29 PM
A few graphics showing how climate change is affecting the state. More in the story!
www.startribune.com/six-ways-min...
www.startribune.com/six-ways-min...
Reposted by Greta Kaul
Cow Statue Downtown for Dairy Month (1939)
Source: Hennepin County Library
A 12-foot statue of Minnie J. the dairy cow, posing with a milk-bottle scepter atop a 6-foot pedestal with a sign recommending the use of more dairy products, will be moved to the corner of 7th Street and Nicollet ...
Source: Hennepin County Library
A 12-foot statue of Minnie J. the dairy cow, posing with a milk-bottle scepter atop a 6-foot pedestal with a sign recommending the use of more dairy products, will be moved to the corner of 7th Street and Nicollet ...
November 13, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Cow Statue Downtown for Dairy Month (1939)
Source: Hennepin County Library
A 12-foot statue of Minnie J. the dairy cow, posing with a milk-bottle scepter atop a 6-foot pedestal with a sign recommending the use of more dairy products, will be moved to the corner of 7th Street and Nicollet ...
Source: Hennepin County Library
A 12-foot statue of Minnie J. the dairy cow, posing with a milk-bottle scepter atop a 6-foot pedestal with a sign recommending the use of more dairy products, will be moved to the corner of 7th Street and Nicollet ...
Metro Transit boosts uniformed presence on light-rail trains. Safety issues, real or perceived, have proven to be a hurdle in drawing people back to public transit.
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
www.startribune.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Metro Transit boosts uniformed presence on light-rail trains. Safety issues, real or perceived, have proven to be a hurdle in drawing people back to public transit.
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
A remembrance of the West St. Paul Playland (outdoor McDonald's playspace?!) from the West St. Paul Reader:
weststpaulreader.com/2025/11/06/m...
weststpaulreader.com/2025/11/06/m...
McDonald’s Playland in West St. Paul
The McDonald’s playland came to West St. Paul in 1975, drawing children from all over the metro. The iconic playground created memories for a generation of children before disappearing by the…
weststpaulreader.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:30 PM
A remembrance of the West St. Paul Playland (outdoor McDonald's playspace?!) from the West St. Paul Reader:
weststpaulreader.com/2025/11/06/m...
weststpaulreader.com/2025/11/06/m...
This also went with the story. Me and now-Strib newsroom developer Tom Nehil in the newsroom, Nov. 10, 2021.
November 10, 2025 at 5:44 PM
This also went with the story. Me and now-Strib newsroom developer Tom Nehil in the newsroom, Nov. 10, 2021.
All my old MinnPost charts broke in a website changeover, but if you want to know if the gales of November really came early, here's the story for you from the archives:
www.minnpost.com/uncategorize...
www.minnpost.com/uncategorize...
What exactly are the gales of November? And is November 10 really ‘early’ for them? - MinnPost
Of course we’re writing about the Edmund Fitzgerald.
www.minnpost.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:18 PM
All my old MinnPost charts broke in a website changeover, but if you want to know if the gales of November really came early, here's the story for you from the archives:
www.minnpost.com/uncategorize...
www.minnpost.com/uncategorize...
Brb only using Great Lakes freighter dinnerware today and tomorrow.
November 9, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Brb only using Great Lakes freighter dinnerware today and tomorrow.
Reposted by Greta Kaul
This encapsulates something about the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It is author and former St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter Larry Millett, speaking on how far apart the Twin Cities were, psychologically and practically, pre-interstate.
November 9, 2025 at 4:20 PM
This encapsulates something about the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It is author and former St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter Larry Millett, speaking on how far apart the Twin Cities were, psychologically and practically, pre-interstate.
Photographer Alex Kormann and I went Up North last week to talk to people along Lake Superior about why "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" still resonates so much, especially this time of year.
www.startribune.com/50-years-lat...
www.startribune.com/50-years-lat...
‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’ song is a tribute to the shipwreck and Lake Superior
Sit on a barstool along Lake Superior in November, and you might well hear Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad written soon after the ship sank.
www.startribune.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Photographer Alex Kormann and I went Up North last week to talk to people along Lake Superior about why "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" still resonates so much, especially this time of year.
www.startribune.com/50-years-lat...
www.startribune.com/50-years-lat...
How'd St. Paul get mayor results so fast? And why did Minneapolitans have to wait another 12 hours to find out who won the mayor's race?
www.startribune.com/minneapolis-...
www.startribune.com/minneapolis-...
Why Minneapolis took longer to count ballots than St. Paul
Ramsey County switched to electronic ranked-choice tabulation software this year. In Minneapolis, coordination with the county and a city ordinance make the process lengthier.
www.startribune.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:35 PM
How'd St. Paul get mayor results so fast? And why did Minneapolitans have to wait another 12 hours to find out who won the mayor's race?
www.startribune.com/minneapolis-...
www.startribune.com/minneapolis-...
Her clinched a victory w/RCV tabulation after trailing Carter in first-round votes.
Fateh supporters in Minneapolis are hoping he can do the same. He's behind Frey by 10 pts in 1st round.
Just talked to a U of Chicago prof who says trailing candidate wins in ~1/10 RCV races.
Fateh supporters in Minneapolis are hoping he can do the same. He's behind Frey by 10 pts in 1st round.
Just talked to a U of Chicago prof who says trailing candidate wins in ~1/10 RCV races.
November 5, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Her clinched a victory w/RCV tabulation after trailing Carter in first-round votes.
Fateh supporters in Minneapolis are hoping he can do the same. He's behind Frey by 10 pts in 1st round.
Just talked to a U of Chicago prof who says trailing candidate wins in ~1/10 RCV races.
Fateh supporters in Minneapolis are hoping he can do the same. He's behind Frey by 10 pts in 1st round.
Just talked to a U of Chicago prof who says trailing candidate wins in ~1/10 RCV races.
How did Rep. Kaohly Her become St. Paul's next mayor?
With charts. (They let me do the nerd thing again.)
www.startribune.com/how-kaohly-h...
With charts. (They let me do the nerd thing again.)
www.startribune.com/how-kaohly-h...
How Kaohly Her became St. Paul’s next mayor
Her’s strongest support was in some of St. Paul’s highest-turnout wards. She trailed in first-choice votes but won after ranked-choice tabulation.
www.startribune.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:26 PM
How did Rep. Kaohly Her become St. Paul's next mayor?
With charts. (They let me do the nerd thing again.)
www.startribune.com/how-kaohly-h...
With charts. (They let me do the nerd thing again.)
www.startribune.com/how-kaohly-h...
I'm talking to voters in St. Paul today. Started at Linwood Rec.
For those who want to Kornacki along at home today/night, here are the results for 2017+2021 by ward, also has calculated share of vote for Carter in those races.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
For those who want to Kornacki along at home today/night, here are the results for 2017+2021 by ward, also has calculated share of vote for Carter in those races.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
November 4, 2025 at 3:39 PM
I'm talking to voters in St. Paul today. Started at Linwood Rec.
For those who want to Kornacki along at home today/night, here are the results for 2017+2021 by ward, also has calculated share of vote for Carter in those races.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
For those who want to Kornacki along at home today/night, here are the results for 2017+2021 by ward, also has calculated share of vote for Carter in those races.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Someone called Maplewood's shape a "leg and a lump" and now that's how I think of it. Glad to see the city is also using this nomenclature.
October 9, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Someone called Maplewood's shape a "leg and a lump" and now that's how I think of it. Glad to see the city is also using this nomenclature.
So. How are those of you using Kagi liking it?
SMDH Google, obviously Dolly the Sheep is not a mononym.
SMDH Google, obviously Dolly the Sheep is not a mononym.
October 7, 2025 at 10:12 PM
So. How are those of you using Kagi liking it?
SMDH Google, obviously Dolly the Sheep is not a mononym.
SMDH Google, obviously Dolly the Sheep is not a mononym.
Reposted by Greta Kaul
Serious crime is down on Metro Transit, but riders continue to report “quality of life” crime that makes some feel unsafe on light rail.
What a week’s worth of rider text messages reveals about Metro Transit’s problems
Serious crime is down on Metro Transit, but riders continue to report “quality of life” crime that makes some feel unsafe on light rail.
bit.ly
October 6, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Serious crime is down on Metro Transit, but riders continue to report “quality of life” crime that makes some feel unsafe on light rail.
Loved this piece by the great Yuqing Liu. For fall colors, yes, but also to understand what kind of trees we have in the Twin Cities and where:
www.startribune.com/find-the-bes...
www.startribune.com/find-the-bes...
The best fall color in the Twin Cities? We mapped 340,000 trees to find it
Minneapolis and St. Paul’s tree inventory shows where density and color collide.
www.startribune.com
October 6, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Loved this piece by the great Yuqing Liu. For fall colors, yes, but also to understand what kind of trees we have in the Twin Cities and where:
www.startribune.com/find-the-bes...
www.startribune.com/find-the-bes...
I ride light rail a lot and talk to transit riders a lot.
Conditions over the last several years have caused some riders to change how, when, if they ride.
As Metro Transit works to bring riders back, esp to light-rail, that perception remains an issue.
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
Conditions over the last several years have caused some riders to change how, when, if they ride.
As Metro Transit works to bring riders back, esp to light-rail, that perception remains an issue.
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
What a week’s worth of rider text messages reveals about Metro Transit’s problems
Serious crime is down on Metro Transit, but riders continue to report “quality of life” crime that makes some feel unsafe on light rail.
www.startribune.com
October 6, 2025 at 2:56 PM
I ride light rail a lot and talk to transit riders a lot.
Conditions over the last several years have caused some riders to change how, when, if they ride.
As Metro Transit works to bring riders back, esp to light-rail, that perception remains an issue.
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
Conditions over the last several years have caused some riders to change how, when, if they ride.
As Metro Transit works to bring riders back, esp to light-rail, that perception remains an issue.
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
A girl can dream about the Mississippi in the Twin Cities.
There is the matter of the Missisippi's scary currents, but in Zurich they have gated swimming areas that sort of mitigate that.
www.planetizen.com/news/2025/09...
There is the matter of the Missisippi's scary currents, but in Zurich they have gated swimming areas that sort of mitigate that.
www.planetizen.com/news/2025/09...
Chicago River Clean Enough for Swimming for the First Time in 98 Years
A historic two-mile river race through downtown highlighted the success of decades-long efforts to clean up the city’s river.
www.planetizen.com
September 24, 2025 at 3:46 PM
A girl can dream about the Mississippi in the Twin Cities.
There is the matter of the Missisippi's scary currents, but in Zurich they have gated swimming areas that sort of mitigate that.
www.planetizen.com/news/2025/09...
There is the matter of the Missisippi's scary currents, but in Zurich they have gated swimming areas that sort of mitigate that.
www.planetizen.com/news/2025/09...
Metro Transit is looking at turning the Purple Line BRT (proposed St. Paul -> Maplewood) into a more arterial affair, versus dedicated bus lanes in Maplewood after city council opposition. Still along White Bear Ave. Project update here:
www.metrotransit.org/purple-line-...
www.metrotransit.org/purple-line-...
Purple Line BRT Project
www.metrotransit.org
September 24, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Metro Transit is looking at turning the Purple Line BRT (proposed St. Paul -> Maplewood) into a more arterial affair, versus dedicated bus lanes in Maplewood after city council opposition. Still along White Bear Ave. Project update here:
www.metrotransit.org/purple-line-...
www.metrotransit.org/purple-line-...
Re: Northstar suspension. Metro Transit planning to run buses for parts of route, but bus plans don't address outside the 7co metro. The Sherburne Co. Board is discussing possible partnership w/Metro Transit to run buses to Big Lake.
Big Lake-St. Cloud still appears to be a ?
Big Lake-St. Cloud still appears to be a ?
September 16, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Re: Northstar suspension. Metro Transit planning to run buses for parts of route, but bus plans don't address outside the 7co metro. The Sherburne Co. Board is discussing possible partnership w/Metro Transit to run buses to Big Lake.
Big Lake-St. Cloud still appears to be a ?
Big Lake-St. Cloud still appears to be a ?
Anybody know what this building was originally? 301 Thomas Avenue North, near Utepils. Was it part of the Fruen Mill complex?
September 16, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Anybody know what this building was originally? 301 Thomas Avenue North, near Utepils. Was it part of the Fruen Mill complex?
St. Paul's Midway neighborhood has struggled to find its footing for decades, sometimes falling through the cracks of political boundaries.
Despite signs of progress, the Midway's struggles are as visible as ever. Neighborhood advocates say the city needs a plan.
www.startribune.com/st-paul-midw...
Despite signs of progress, the Midway's struggles are as visible as ever. Neighborhood advocates say the city needs a plan.
www.startribune.com/st-paul-midw...
St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood still struggles amid signs of promise
Development has been sporadic for the neighborhood along the Green Line, and residents are pushing city hall to fix longstanding problems.
www.startribune.com
September 15, 2025 at 2:48 PM
St. Paul's Midway neighborhood has struggled to find its footing for decades, sometimes falling through the cracks of political boundaries.
Despite signs of progress, the Midway's struggles are as visible as ever. Neighborhood advocates say the city needs a plan.
www.startribune.com/st-paul-midw...
Despite signs of progress, the Midway's struggles are as visible as ever. Neighborhood advocates say the city needs a plan.
www.startribune.com/st-paul-midw...
Interesting re: cities souring on one-ways.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
One-Way Streets Are the Wrong Way to Tame Downtown Traffic
In the 1950s, US traffic planners thought unidirectional arterials were better for moving cars through urban areas. Now many cities are having second thoughts.
www.bloomberg.com
September 4, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Interesting re: cities souring on one-ways.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Light-rail ridership dropped in July, new data from Metro Transit show.
Metro Transit told me and Karina Kuma last month it wasn't sure what causing this summer's dip. Our analysis found Metro Transit is struggling to recover ridership more than peers.
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
Metro Transit told me and Karina Kuma last month it wasn't sure what causing this summer's dip. Our analysis found Metro Transit is struggling to recover ridership more than peers.
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
Twin Cities transit ridership still struggling post-pandemic, lags behind most big cities
Ridership fell during the pandemic, and it’s still roughly half of what it once was in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. It’s bouncing back faster elsewhere.
www.startribune.com
September 3, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Light-rail ridership dropped in July, new data from Metro Transit show.
Metro Transit told me and Karina Kuma last month it wasn't sure what causing this summer's dip. Our analysis found Metro Transit is struggling to recover ridership more than peers.
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...
Metro Transit told me and Karina Kuma last month it wasn't sure what causing this summer's dip. Our analysis found Metro Transit is struggling to recover ridership more than peers.
www.startribune.com/metro-transi...