July 2026
“The Mud Is Ready!”The Ambassador of Mud and Good Cheer
For three decades, Steve Vasseur kept the mud pit at Hidden Beach ready and made a generation feel welcome. As the Mud Man enters hospice, neighbors reflect on a legacy of playfulness and community.
Neighbor Is a Verb Here, Unless We Disagree
The Twin Cities just earned a Profile in Courage Award for standing up for immigrant neighbors. One night at a Lyndale Avenue construction meeting left me wondering whether that neighborliness comes with conditions.
Letters to the Editor
Our goal is to offer readers diverse perspectives on newsworthy events or issues of broad public concern to the Hill & Lake community. Our copy limit is 300 words (750 words for a commentary or as space permits), and we reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. We do not publish submissions from anonymous sources; all contributor identities must be verified.
Demystifying Hennepin County: What Commissioners Actually Do
Commissioner seats are on the ballot this fall. Here is how Hennepin County’s $3.15 billion government works, and why it so often pays for things it cannot control.
The Milfoil Returns. So Do the Questions.
The milfoil is thick. Algae collects along the shoreline. Boaters, paddlers, anglers and trail users wonder why the problem on Lake of the Isles never seems to go away. Some members of the Hill and Lake Press community have been seeking solutions from Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for more than 17 years.
Leashed, Not Banished: Inside the Vote to End Off-Leash Play on a Sacred Site
The Park Board is ending a three-decade-old off-leash dog park on land sacred to the Dakota. Dogs are still welcome on a leash, and the two commissioners who represent Hill & Lake readers split over how it was done.
A New Generation Revisits Socialism
From rising rents to widening wealth gaps, younger Minnesotans are reconsidering old ideas, while older generations and moderate liberals question whether socialism’s promises can withstand history
The Bike I’m Too Afraid to Park
An East Isles resident found the perfect city bike — then let fear of theft keep it parked. He’s not the only Minneapolis rider whose enthusiasm for cycling has been chilled.
Compassion and Accountability Can Bring Uptown Back
The president of the Uptown Association argues the commerial district’s comeback lies in filling its storefronts — pairing compassion with accountability — not in fining the owners fighting hardest to bring it back.
Can This Marriage Be Saved? City Hall Sure Hopes So…
Minneapolis is paying a consulting firm $1.4 million to coach a feuding mayor and City Council toward civility. It’s a galling sum — but if the therapy takes, it may be money well spent.
