ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — Several city councils are voting on a light rail project that connects Minneapolis to parts of the north metro, including Crystal and Robbinsdale. 

The vote isn’t about whether to stop the Blue Line Extension light rail project, but whether councilors would approve parts of its proposed design plan. 

Crystal City Manager Adam Bell says the council agreed to delay the vote to October 1. 

In Robbinsdale, the council also voted to approve tabling the topic and create a special work session on October 1 to continue discussions.

Some residents in Robbinsdale, who oppose the project, say the plans don’t address public safety and displaces residents and businesses. 

“Noise, for one thing,” said Mona Grellson. She lives on Crystal Lake with her brother, Steve, and says a station would be built across the street from the home they’ve shared for 20 years. 

The 13 mile-long project has been in planning stages for 10 years. It would connect Minneapolis to north Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Crystal, and Brooklyn Park with about a dozen stops in between. 

“I don’t think we would move at this point, but I do know people that will and I know some people that already have,” said Mona. 

The four cities can vote to accept the proposals and if they don’t, must include specific amendments. If one or more cities disapprove, the agency in charge, The Metropolitan Council, will conduct further studies and hold more public hearings and can amend the plans. Ultimately, though, they aren’t required to do that. 

The Robbinsdale City Council listed several concerns in a letter to the Met Council that includes public safety and a lack of enforcement. Met Council is projecting 15,000 rides every day on the route. The councilors are also concerned about the size of a nearby park and ride. 

“We can still take those changes and try and find a solution that meets what’s needed to run an effective transit line, but also what the city is asking us to change,” said Nick Thompson, who leads Metro Transit’s Capital Program development.

He says the Blue Line is the state’s largest project and will people to the airport, Mall of America and health care.

“Those need faster service like light rail that can carry more people because the demand is higher,” said Thompson. 

The city councils have until October 10th to make any decisions on the design and then the Met Council has another 60 days to decide what changes it might make. The Blue Line is expected to be up and running by 2030.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Bloomington’s fourth annual pride celebration will be held this Sunday, and it comes shortly after organizers announced upcoming changes to their planning and financial structures.

Anita Smithson is chair of Bloomington’s Human Rights Commission and a proud member of the city’s LGBTQ+ community, 

“I am bisexual,” Smithson said. “I’m married to a man, so I have like a straight passing relationship, which makes it sometimes interesting. Most folks probably view me as an ally until they get to know that.”

She’s also one of five residents serving as a Pride board member. A team of five has always planned the festival, though participation has varied year-to-year. Smithson, however, has served every year and is the group’s communications director.

“All of those are volunteer roles,” she explained. “Many of those folks who are with us for the first festivals are with us as day-of volunteers, they just may not have the capacity to help with the year-round nonprofit organization.”

Bloomington’s inaugural Pride was only three years ago, in 2021. The city and its Human Rights Commission sponsored it.

“Our first event was relatively small but had significant protests at it,” Smithson recalled. “Same with our second annual event.”

This and last year, they turned to the Twin Cities Pride for help, as that nonprofit’s Minneapolis festivities have been around 52 years.

“I just want to thank Andi Otto and the team at Twin Cities Pride,”  Smithson said. “They have been tremendous mentors and partners for us.”

Smithson says, thanks to that mentorship, her small group has been able to make a big move.

“Yes, Bloomington Pride MN is now an official nonprofit,” she said.

It happened just last week, with Larkin Hoffman law firm filing the paperwork pro bono. While the nonprofit still plans to partner with Twin Cities Pride, Bloomington Pride MN will solely be responsible for the event moving forward – beginning with 2025 festivities. This involves scaling back the city’s financial contributions.

District III council member Lona Dallessandro is Bloomington’s first openly gay elected council member.

“A city-run event comes with a lot of baggage, if you will … taxpayer dollars and all that kind of thing, to just not knowing for sure if the community is really behind because it almost feels obligatory,” Dallessandro said, “and so what we really like about this program and the fact that they built a nonprofit is that … people are funding this work, they’re supporting this work, they’re volunteering for this work.”

While Pride is widely celebrated in June, Bloomington Pride will be this Sunday, Sept. 22 from 4 to 7 p.m. outside Bloomington Civic Plaza, where it has been held in previous years. The building is connected to Bloomington Police and City Hall.

“Queer people are part of the fabric of Bloomington,” Dallessandro said. “There’s also National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. Whether you’re celebrating in June or you’re celebrating in October or somewhere in between, there’s never a down time to get your rainbow on as far as I’m concerned.”

“It does help stretch it out and shows that Pride is all year long,” Smithson also said. “I love Twin Cities Pride. I love going to the festival. I love going to the parade. And also, our festival is a little smaller, a little bit more approachable, and a little bit more unique to Bloomington.”

Community organizations, businesses and places of worship have shown support for Pride over the years. 

“We have a great group of local churches that have formed a loose organization of their own called Lutherans For Love, who want to show that there’s a place in the church community for queer people and for the LGBT Plus community,” Smithson said. “We have local show choir students from one of the high schools in Bloomington who always wanna come and perform and are excited to be part of the festival.”

She also mentioned working with Hennepin County Library and Bloomington Oasis for Youth. This year, Kennedy High School Choirs, Boogie Wonderland Band, Artistry MN and the Power Drag Revue are set to perform. Food trucks and vendors will also be on site.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — You have likely heard the phrase ‘that’s how the game is played’ a time or two in your life. Well, in the world of private universities, high sticker prices and deep discounts are how the game is played.

“We decided to bring that down and quit playing the game,” Bethel University President Ross Allen said.

Starting in the Fall of 2025 the cost of tuition at Bethel University will be lowered to $25,990 a year, down from the current sticker price of $44,050.

Allen said the current sticker price is inflated by scholarships and discounts, so the tuition reduction next year will be less significant than most people realize.

“The new net price will be very close to what it was before,” Allen said. “The focus of this change is to really solve the lack of transparency with pricing.”

Allen said this trend of high prices and deep discounts started decades ago as a way for universities to charge higher-earning families more and lower-earning families less.

However, Allen argues the discounts are now out of control and some students don’t understand the price they pay is significantly lower than the advertised sticker price.

“There is just so much frustration from parents about the confusion and the complexity. What is the real price? There is a lack of transparency, and we decided to respond to that and just be clear,” Allen explained.

The National Association of College and University Business Officers released a study in May that showed the average tuition discount at private universities nationwide was around 56%.

Chris Wills from College Inside Track said that the discount rate means the actual price students pay is less than half of what universities advertise. 

“For the average American family this system is impossible to understand,” Wills said.  “What Bethel and others are doing is just being more transparent upfront about what the price actually is.”

Wills said the old pricing model was built around psychology and consumer behavior.

“The philosophy was that when something costs more people think it’s better, they value it more, and so people bought into that idea,” Wills explained. “People also really liked the idea of receiving large scholarships to go to school. It’s really fun for a parent to be able to tell your neighbors that your kid got a $20,000 scholarship.”

However, in recent years many private universities have seen lower enrollment as more students are debating whether a college degree is worth the investment.

Wills said a growing number of private universities are deciding to lower their advertised sticker price to be more competitive with public universities.

“Schools have to be doing what Bethel is doing to try and stay relevant in that environment, because it’s going to be very difficult for all the schools that we have to keep their doors open if they don’t make some changes,” Wills said.