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Making Minneapolis more accessible for people with disabilities
Guthrie Byard is taking on a new role to break barriers for people with disabilities in the city.
MINNEAPOLIS — The city of Minneapolis is investing in accessibility by hiring the first community specialist for people with disabilities.
Guthrie Byard joined the staff after working in the disability justice field for the last fifteen years. The city hopes Byard will use his knowledge to make the community more accessible and inclusive.
“This work is really both professional and personal for me,” Byard said. “I have a sister with a developmental disability, and growing up with her, I really realized that there needed to be a lot more advocacy with individuals with disabilities.”
Part of Byard’s job is to keep the city in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and identify and help remove barriers to ensure equal access to city programs, services and activities.
“With this role being full time, 100% focused on people with disabilities, [the job is] really looking for new avenues for inclusion, and for city officials to hear more about what is or isn’t working, what is or isn’t accessible or usable in the city so they’re making more informed decisions,” Byard said. “I think at the end of the day, that’s what’s really important for a transparent and accountable city government.”
Karen Moe, the Director of Neighborhood and Community Relations, has high hopes for Byard and his new role.
“I think Guthrie and others in our city are interested in actually looking at how we center people with disabilities first and foremost, and that means not just making accommodations afterward, but on the front end, asking ‘What are your hopes and dreams?’ or ‘What are the things you need in order to be able to access our city?'” Moe said.
Since this is a new position in the city, Byard said he aims to make the role a “conduit for individuals to be able to express their self-advocacy, regardless of their abilities.”
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John’s display draws hundreds of people every night.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — We’re all familiar with the lore of Santa’s elves.
But at the head of this workshop in St. Paul is John Pihaly. He has collected 30 Dayton’s Christmas Display Characters from 10 of the old shows and restored them to recreate those iconic scenes.
“My wife was quite shocked,” laughed Pihaly. “I brought home 24 characters originally, and had them all set up here in the garage. I said, Honey, look what I did!”
“I always laugh, and everyone always says, what did you contribute?” Lindsay, his wife, said. “And all I can say is, I lived with these elves for the past year, strewn throughout the house. That was my contribution!”
But lucky for John, Lindsay has warmed up to the animatronics and covered up porch which houses the displays.
“He wanted to bring the magic alive, not just for us, but for an entire community,” he said.
Pihaly had smaller displays with a handful of figures in 2020 and 2021, but for the past few years he has dedicated hours into this display. He has consulted other collectors, and even former Dayton employees on how to perfect the art of restoring the figures.
He also had to create all the sets from scratch.
“The stories we share are all very similar,” he said. “It was a magical place to go and be.”
Every night he gets asked if folks can donate to him and his work, but he directs them to fundraising efforts for Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army. He has a box for donations in his yard.
Hundreds of people visit his home at 1887 W Saunders Ave. in St. Paul every night. The display will be alive from 5 to 9 p.m. every evening until Christmas Day.
The National Retail Federation expects 157 million consumers to shop on the Saturday before Christmas.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — On the Saturday before Christmas, many admitting to procrastination dashed to find their last-minute gifts.
“This was the only day we had,” Carol Schindler said at the Mall of America.
Dave Lafond embraced the holiday hustle as a family tradition. “It’s fun and chaotic,” he said.
They’re two among the 157 millions consumers around the country expected to shop on this Saturday alone, according to the National Retail Federation.
“With a shortened window between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, consumers will be hitting stores and shopping online to get those final gifts and to take advantage of special promotions and deals,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said in a press release.
With four days left until Christmas, anything is possible if shoppers walk fast enough. Hundreds of gift-getters spirited fast passed Douglas Ness who stopped for a much-needed Cinnabon break.
“I’ve got all mine done,” he said. His granddaughter, meanwhile, had yet to complete her shopping.
Until his wife passed away three years ago, Ness said he would shop for the holidays with her. “One of the first things we did is get these Cinnabons over here.”
His holiday tradition continues with his granddaughter. The cinnamon treat comes with crossing presents off her Christmas list, finally.
The Minnesota State Patrol patrol says Jay Patrick Smith pulled over near Babcock Trail in Inver Grove Heights and was working on his truck when it fell on him.
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. — A truck driver is dead after being pinned under his semi alongside a busy Twin Cities interstate late Friday.
The Minnesota State Patrol website says 51-year-old Jay Patrick Smith had pulled his rig over on westbound I-494 near Babcock Trail in Inver Grove Heights just before 9:45 p.m. to work on it when the accident happened.
Smith was performing maintenance when the 2007 Freight Liner fell and pinned him underneath.
First responders lifted the truck and rushed Smith to Regions Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The State Patrol has not yet released the driver’s hometown.
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