MINNEAPOLIS — The only thing better than live music is a concert with a good cause. 

You can jam out to country artist Brad Paisley while raising money for research and education at the Heart360 Concert for Heart Research. The fundraiser will take place at the Armory in Minneapolis on Nov. 2. 

Proceeds will go toward the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, which aims to reduce heart and vascular diseases across the world. 

Brad Paisley is known for Grammy-winning songs such as “Throttleneck” and “Letter to Me.” Tickets range from $50 to $175 and can be purchased at this link on Ticketmaster. 

You can also support Heart360’s mission by donating money or purchasing auction items. The auction is live at this link and includes a guitar signed by Brad Paisley and a variety of quality experiences. 

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The Mall of America is hosting Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead festival this upcoming weekend.

The Minnesota Latino Museum will host the celebration of culture and creativity in the mall’s atrium from Friday, Nov. 1, to Sunday, Nov. 3, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Experience the traditions of the Day of the Dead through an altar installation by Minnesota artisan Margarita Sandoval, hands-on workshops and live music.

Jay Hughes and Nick Robbins joined KARE 11 News at Noon to discuss the event.

MINNEAPOLIS — The City of Minneapolis unveiled its new recommended street design for George Floyd Square for the first time to more than 100 community members.

City leaders showcased their concept to over 100 community members at Calvary Lutheran Church Tuesday night.

They said the area needed to be re-envisioned to honor Floyd’s memory through three projects: streets (right-of-way), Peoples’ Way and memorials.

“The murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 fundamentally changed the intersection of 38th and Chicago now known as George Floyd Square,” said Alexander Kado, senior project manager with the City of Minneapolis who is responsible for managing city-led efforts at George Floyd Square.

Through talking with thousands of people, Kado said they came up with three values that will guide all decisions at the square: repair, honor and center.

“The first one is repairing the harm this community has experienced through the murder of George Floyd. The second one is centering the needs of the community, and the third one is honoring George Floyd Square as an active and scared memorial place,” he said.

The city council will look at the final draft on Nov. 12, the climate infrastructure committee will review it on Nov. 21. If it passes, the city plans to start construction in 2025, after the fifth anniversary of Floyd’s death.

They don’t have a final estimate on the project but have already allocated over $5 million in the capital program. Officials estimate construction will take at least two construction seasons.

City officials said they have invested over $5 million into the area since Floyd’s death and will continue to invest even after the project is complete.

“It’s an opportunity to really reimagine what the streets can look like,” said Public Works transportation planning manager Nathan Koster. Prior to Floyd’s murder, he said that the Public Works Department was planning to improve 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.

They plan to reconstruct 38th Street from Park Avenue to 10th Avenue and Chicago Avenue from 37th Street to 39th Street in 2025.

He said 38th Street and Chicago Avenue are more than 60 years old and are no longer meeting the needs of the community. He said they used community ideas as a starting point which led them to consider three concepts: one that was open to traffic, one that prioritized transit and one that was closed to traffic.

Koster said they settled on what they’re calling a “flexible open” design that will allow them to shut the street down when necessary. He said they’ll integrate a lot of traffic calming and will add a bikeway network.

He said they have six priorities they plan to address, including environmental disparities, storm water runoff, improving access and reducing barriers to high quality transit, creating welcoming and flexible spaces for community, preserving space for art and memorials and ensuring access to businesses and residents in the area.

“There’ll be a new street, a new sidewalk that will be ADA accessible with green space, accommodating the arts, memorial active space that’s there for gatherings. But it’s also an opportunity to look at all the stuff underneath the street. This is an opportunity to not only replace really old infrastructure, but also an opportunity to remediate some of the lead pipes in the area that provide water to people in homes,” Koster said.

Koster said the traffic circle will be a key part of the design, constructing it into a raised intersection to better connect it to the memorial and the Peoples’ Way.

“One of the main themes that we heard amongst many was really trying to make this a pedestrian-friendly, pedestrian-forward space,” Koster said.

He said they are planning to restore Route 5 and the Metro Transit D line. Koster said this area is one of the region’s highest ridership lines.

The Peoples’ Way is the old gas station that sits at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. The city purchased the property in June 2023.

Erik Hansen, director of community planning and economic development for the City of Minneapolis, said they are still looking to find a community partner to take over the property. He said requests for proposals are due Nov. 22 and the city plans to select the new community owner by spring 2025.

By the end of 2025, Hansen said he hopes to have a development concept for the site.

The city plans to preserve current memorial sites at the square, even during construction.

Mary Altman, public arts administrator for the City of Minneapolis, said the site where Floyd was killed will be preserved in a new right-of-way design developed by the Floyd family and Rise and Remember.

She said “Mourning Passage” will also be preserved. Every year, community members paint the names of people who have died at the hands of police. 

Altman said the city plans to keep the traffic circle in the middle of the intersection with the large fist sculpture and medians where smaller fist sculptures are located. The city hasn’t developed a preservation plan, and Altman said city officials plan to speak with the artists before proceeding. 

The Say Their Names Cemetery will remain the same, according to Altman. 

For more information on the site and project, click here.