By: Cody Nelson

University of Minnesota officials are experimenting with a roundabout at one of the most traveled intersections on campus.

Parking and Transportation Services installed a temporary roundabout at the intersection of Pillsbury Drive and Pleasant Street on Wednesday. PTS officials are monitoring the intersection to test the effectiveness of a permanent roundabout when busses go back to Washington Avenue after Central Corridor light rail construction is complete.

University Services Vice President Pam Wheelock urged travelers to “slow down and use caution” during the test, which will last until August 21, in an email sent to students, faculty and staff on Monday.

PTS assistant director Sandy Cullen, one of the first officials to suggest the roundabout, said an all-way stop directed traffic at the intersection before light rail construction. The roundabout is one of several options PTS is considering for when the buses reroute.

Cameras were installed a week before the roundabout was put in place to monitor the intersection and give an estimate of average traffic delays, which will be compared with delays during the test.

PTS officials will also periodically monitor the intersection in person, Cullen said, and evaluate potential safety issues.

Cullen said she’s heard of roundabouts being used successfully on other college campuses, but none with traffic levels as high as the intersection being tested at the University.

For more on student, faculty and staff reactions to the roundabout, pick up Wednesday’s Minnesota Daily.

By: Kia Farhang

An unknown suspect stole a University of Minnesota student’s car from outside his Southeast Como home sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, even though the student had both copies of his car keys.

Minneapolis police public information officer Cyndi Barrington said she doesn’t know how a suspect could steal a car without the keys.

Journalism sophomore Ken Gonzales said he left his house on 21st Avenue Southeast Wednesday afternoon to visit a friend on campus when he noticed his car wasn’t on the street.

“I just thought it was towed,” Gonzales said, so he called an impound lot his car had been towed to in the past.

After several calls to the impound lot, Gonzales determined his car had been stolen.

“I started freaking out,” he said. Gonzales said he’s unsure how the suspect would have taken his car.

“I have both keys on me,” he said. “The doors were locked.”

Minneapolis police have recorded 10 other stolen vehicles in the Southeast Como neighborhood so far this year.

Homeless man assaulted near TCF Bank Stadium

A homeless man was assaulted near the East Bank campus early Wednesday morning.

The victim, 27, told his friend Jeremy Duncan five men jumped him near TCF Bank Stadium, Duncan said.

“His face was all swollen and his eyes were bleeding,” Duncan said. “He was really messed up.”

The victim went to the Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment.

Barrington said police don’t yet have any suspect information.

Duncan said he thinks his friend was targeted because he’s homeless.

“I know him,” he said, “he’s not the type to start anything with anybody.”

In the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, which includes the University, police have recorded six other assaults so far this year.

Trespassing at Fairview

University police arrested a woman Wednesday and banned her from the University Medical Center, Fairview after she violated hospital staff’s earlier trespass warnings, according to a police report.

Hospital security had detained the woman, 41, by the time police arrived. Security told police the woman had been warned not to enter the building two weeks ago.

Police arrested the woman because she had a warrant out for theft. She’s banned from the hospital for a year.

By: Kia Farhang

An unknown suspect stole a University of Minnesota student’s car from outside his Southeast Como home sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, even though the student had both copies of his car keys.

Minneapolis police public information officer Cyndi Barrington said she doesn’t know how a suspect could steal a car without the keys.

Journalism sophomore Ken Gonzales said he left his house on 21st Avenue Southeast Wednesday afternoon to visit a friend on campus when he noticed his car wasn’t on the street.

“I just thought it was towed,” Gonzales said, so he called an impound lot his car had been towed to in the past.

After several calls to the impound lot, Gonzales determined his car had been stolen.

“I started freaking out,” he said. Gonzales said he’s unsure how the suspect would have taken his car.

“I have both keys on me,” he said. “The doors were locked.”

Minneapolis police have recorded 10 other stolen vehicles in the Southeast Como neighborhood so far this year.

Homeless man assaulted near TCF Bank Stadium

A homeless man was assaulted near the East Bank campus early Wednesday morning.

The victim, 27, told his friend Jeremy Duncan five men jumped him near TCF Bank Stadium, Duncan said.

“His face was all swollen and his eyes were bleeding,” Duncan said. “He was really messed up.”

The victim went to the Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment.

Barrington said police don’t yet have any suspect information.

Duncan said he thinks his friend was targeted because he’s homeless.

“I know him,” he said, “he’s not the type to start anything with anybody.”

In the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, which includes the University, police have recorded six other assaults so far this year.

Trespassing at Fairview

University police arrested a woman Wednesday and banned her from the University Medical Center, Fairview after she violated hospital staff’s earlier trespass warnings, according to a police report.

Hospital security had detained the woman, 41, by the time police arrived. Security told police the woman had been warned not to enter the building two weeks ago.

Police arrested the woman because she had a warrant out for theft. She’s banned from the hospital for a year.

By: Kia Farhang

A man was arrested for allegedly breaking into a University of Minnesota student’s garage early Sunday morning, according to a Minneapolis police report.

Chemistry graduate student Deirdre Manion-Fischer said her roommate woke up to the sound of glass breaking in their duplex on Fifth Street Southeast. She looked outside and saw a group of people trying to open the garage door.

“We’re not really clear on the number of people,” Manion-Fischer said. Her roommate then called the police.

Minneapolis police Sgt. Bill Palmer said two suspects were at the scene when police arrived. They ran away, but police later found one of them hiding underneath a car across the street.

“We were just in the living room waiting while this was happening,” Manion-Fischer said.

Nothing was stolen from the garage. Manion-Fischer said the suspects tried to take her bike but abandoned it when police arrived.

“I was quite upset,” she said.

In the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, which includes the University, police have recorded 47 burglaries so far this year.

Urination on Dinkytown Wine and Spirits

University police cited a man for urinating on the outside of Dinkytown Wine and Spirits early Saturday morning.

Pedestrians on the street and sidewalk could see the man, according to the police report, and an officer saw a “large puddle of urine” on the pavement.

University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said crimes like this are fairly common around bar close.

Theft from St. Paul parking lot

Someone broke a man’s car window and stole his laptop while the car was parked in a University lot on the St. Paul campus Thursday evening, according to a police report.

The man is not affiliated with the University. Miner said thefts from St. Paul parking lots aren’t as common as other parts of campus.

Break-ins like this usually occur in the afternoon or early evenings, Miner said.

“Typically,” he said, “thieves like that don’t necessarily get up early.”

Public consumption on Cedar Avenue South

University police arrested a man on Cedar Avenue South for drinking in public and obstructing the legal process on Thursday, according to a police report.

An officer saw the man drinking a beer on the sidewalk and asked him if he had any identification on him. The man said no and tried to hide the beer.

When the officer tried to bring the man, 43, to his squad car, the man tried to pull away while shouting obscenities at the officer.

The man repeatedly spat on the back seat of the police car on the way to jail, according to the report.

By: Kia Farhang

A man was arrested for allegedly breaking into a University of Minnesota student’s garage early Sunday morning, according to a Minneapolis police report.

Chemistry graduate student Deirdre Manion-Fischer said her roommate woke up to the sound of glass breaking in their duplex on Fifth Street Southeast. She looked outside and saw a group of people trying to open the garage door.

“We’re not really clear on the number of people,” Manion-Fischer said. Her roommate then called the police.

Minneapolis police Sgt. Bill Palmer said two suspects were at the scene when police arrived. They ran away, but police later found one of them hiding underneath a car across the street.

“We were just in the living room waiting while this was happening,” Manion-Fischer said.

Nothing was stolen from the garage. Manion-Fischer said the suspects tried to take her bike but abandoned it when police arrived.

“I was quite upset,” she said.

In the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, which includes the University, police have recorded 47 burglaries so far this year.

Urination on Dinkytown Wine and Spirits

University police cited a man for urinating on the outside of Dinkytown Wine and Spirits early Saturday morning.

Pedestrians on the street and sidewalk could see the man, according to the police report, and an officer saw a “large puddle of urine” on the pavement.

University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said crimes like this are fairly common around bar close.

Theft from St. Paul parking lot

Someone broke a man’s car window and stole his laptop while the car was parked in a University lot on the St. Paul campus Thursday evening, according to a police report.

The man is not affiliated with the University. Miner said thefts from St. Paul parking lots aren’t as common as other parts of campus.

Break-ins like this usually occur in the afternoon or early evenings, Miner said.

“Typically,” he said, “thieves like that don’t necessarily get up early.”

Public consumption on Cedar Avenue South

University police arrested a man on Cedar Avenue South for drinking in public and obstructing the legal process on Thursday, according to a police report.

An officer saw the man drinking a beer on the sidewalk and asked him if he had any identification on him. The man said no and tried to hide the beer.

When the officer tried to bring the man, 43, to his squad car, the man tried to pull away while shouting obscenities at the officer.

The man repeatedly spat on the back seat of the police car on the way to jail, according to the report.

By: Cody Nelson

With much attention focused on the Democratic City Council candidates, Diane Hofstede and Jacob Frey, a third candidate is carving her own niche in Ward 3.

Kristina Gronquist, the Green Party-endorsed candidate, is running a quiet but steady campaign, focusing on issues like Dinkytown development and police profiling.

The University of Minnesota graduate and lifelong Minneapolis resident currently lives in the northeast part of the city with her 22-year-old daughter and 94-year-old father, where she balances running a campaign and working full time at the East Side Food Cooperative.

In some ways, Gronquist’s Green Party affiliation makes campaigning more difficult.

The party wants to “take the money out of politics,” Gronquist said, so candidates can only accept up to $300 from individuals and can’t take any money from corporations.

Ward 3 is traditionally a Democratic-favoring area, but Gronquist believes her involvement and name recognition give her a shot at winning.

“It’s a track record of activism, and that counts for something,” she said.

University political science professor Larry Jacobs said Minneapolis and Duluth are both “hot spots” for third party candidates.

“Minneapolis is ground zero for third party politics, and if the Green Party can win anywhere in Minnesota, it’s in Minneapolis or Duluth,” he said “I wouldn’t rule her out.”

Gronquist says the Green Party is a “natural fit” for students because it’s progressive and environmentally conscious.

“It’s a party that’s about the future,” she said. “I don’t know why any student wouldn’t vote Green.”

Gronquist isn’t the only Green Party-endorsed candidate running for City Council. The party has endorsed four other candidates, including Ward 2 incumbent Cam Gordon, who represents the east side of the University campus.

The resources available to DFL-endorsed candidate Frey are important, Jacobs said, but third party candidates have a chance at winning.

“In general, it’s an uphill battle,” he said. “But it’s not out of the question.”

A new take on housing

Gronquist’s perspective as a University graduate makes her no stranger to Dinkytown.

With Dinkytown’s recent development boom, Gronquist said the area needs to have a balance between old and new.

“Dinkytown can’t stay frozen,” she said, adding that she understands development is important for increasing the tax base.

Gronquist said she worries about a “glut” of single-use development around the University that could replace Dinkytown’s charm and history.

“Obviously it’s not local businesses that are being supported in this process,” she said.

To increase the amount of affordable housing in University-area neighborhoods and elsewhere in Minneapolis, Gronquist wants to make carriage houses legal again in the city.

Carriage houses, also known as coach houses, are smaller houses on the same property as a larger house, typically made from converted garages or sheds.

“They can be quite charming,” Gronquist said.

Minneapolis currently outlaws them, but Gronquist said the city is considering her proposal to change that.

Gronquist said she also wants to research the area’s housing needs to understand how to best serve residents.

A change in focus

Gronquist ran for City Council Ward 1 twice in the 1980s, campaigning largely on tenants’ rights issues.

This time around, her problems with the new Vikings stadium approval process were a primary catalyst in deciding to run.

She called the stadium “unnecessary” and said it should have been put to a vote so citizens could’ve approved its building and funding methods.

“I can’t think of anything less sustainable than blowing up a big concrete stadium,” she said.

But on May 10, her platform shifted when her friend Terrance Franklin was shot and killed by Minneapolis police.

Gronquist believes Franklin’s death is an instance of police misconduct and racial profiling, issues on which she is now focusing her campaign.

“The police should have never ever let it escalate to that point,” she said. “They can take terrorists alive … they couldn’t take Terrance alive.”

She said the African American community in Minneapolis feels “under siege.” If elected, Gronquist wants to set up an independent investigative board to look into controversial cases like Franklin’s death.

“We can’t have the police investigating themselves,” she said.

The Police Officers Federation has endorsed incumbent Hofstede, and Gronquist said this is part of the problem, adding that she thinks the endorsement quiets Hofstede on issues of police misconduct.

Gronquist has organized protests with the Justice for Terrance Franklin campaign.

“Terrance is still gone, he’s still gone,” she said. “And the police officers aren’t held accountable.”

For more on what students think of Gronquist’s campaign, pick up Wednesday’s Minnesota Daily. 

By: Cody Nelson

With much attention focused on the Democratic City Council candidates, Diane Hofstede and Jacob Frey, a third candidate is carving her own niche in Ward 3.

Kristina Gronquist, the Green Party-endorsed candidate, is running a quiet but steady campaign, focusing on issues like Dinkytown development and police profiling.

The University of Minnesota graduate and lifelong Minneapolis resident currently lives in the northeast part of the city with her 22-year-old daughter and 94-year-old father, where she balances running a campaign and working full time at the East Side Food Cooperative.

In some ways, Gronquist’s Green Party affiliation makes campaigning more difficult.

The party wants to “take the money out of politics,” Gronquist said, so candidates can only accept up to $300 from individuals and can’t take any money from corporations.

Ward 3 is traditionally a Democratic-favoring area, but Gronquist believes her involvement and name recognition give her a shot at winning.

“It’s a track record of activism, and that counts for something,” she said.

University political science professor Larry Jacobs said Minneapolis and Duluth are both “hot spots” for third party candidates.

“Minneapolis is ground zero for third party politics, and if the Green Party can win anywhere in Minnesota, it’s in Minneapolis or Duluth,” he said “I wouldn’t rule her out.”

Gronquist says the Green Party is a “natural fit” for students because it’s progressive and environmentally conscious.

“It’s a party that’s about the future,” she said. “I don’t know why any student wouldn’t vote Green.”

Gronquist isn’t the only Green Party-endorsed candidate running for City Council. The party has endorsed four other candidates, including Ward 2 incumbent Cam Gordon, who represents the east side of the University campus.

The resources available to DFL-endorsed candidate Frey are important, Jacobs said, but third party candidates have a chance at winning.

“In general, it’s an uphill battle,” he said. “But it’s not out of the question.”

A new take on housing

Gronquist’s perspective as a University graduate makes her no stranger to Dinkytown.

With Dinkytown’s recent development boom, Gronquist said the area needs to have a balance between old and new.

“Dinkytown can’t stay frozen,” she said, adding that she understands development is important for increasing the tax base.

Gronquist said she worries about a “glut” of single-use development around the University that could replace Dinkytown’s charm and history.

“Obviously it’s not local businesses that are being supported in this process,” she said.

To increase the amount of affordable housing in University-area neighborhoods and elsewhere in Minneapolis, Gronquist wants to make carriage houses legal again in the city.

Carriage houses, also known as coach houses, are smaller houses on the same property as a larger house, typically made from converted garages or sheds.

“They can be quite charming,” Gronquist said.

Minneapolis currently outlaws them, but Gronquist said the city is considering her proposal to change that.

Gronquist said she also wants to research the area’s housing needs to understand how to best serve residents.

A change in focus

Gronquist ran for City Council Ward 1 twice in the 1980s, campaigning largely on tenants’ rights issues.

This time around, her problems with the new Vikings stadium approval process were a primary catalyst in deciding to run.

She called the stadium “unnecessary” and said it should have been put to a vote so citizens could’ve approved its building and funding methods.

“I can’t think of anything less sustainable than blowing up a big concrete stadium,” she said.

But on May 10, her platform shifted when her friend Terrance Franklin was shot and killed by Minneapolis police.

Gronquist believes Franklin’s death is an instance of police misconduct and racial profiling, issues on which she is now focusing her campaign.

“The police should have never ever let it escalate to that point,” she said. “They can take terrorists alive … they couldn’t take Terrance alive.”

She said the African American community in Minneapolis feels “under siege.” If elected, Gronquist wants to set up an independent investigative board to look into controversial cases like Franklin’s death.

“We can’t have the police investigating themselves,” she said.

The Police Officers Federation has endorsed incumbent Hofstede, and Gronquist said this is part of the problem, adding that she thinks the endorsement quiets Hofstede on issues of police misconduct.

Gronquist has organized protests with the Justice for Terrance Franklin campaign.

“Terrance is still gone, he’s still gone,” she said. “And the police officers aren’t held accountable.”

For more on what students think of Gronquist’s campaign, pick up Wednesday’s Minnesota Daily. 

By: Kia Farhang

Three thefts occurred on the University of Minnesota East Bank campus Wednesday.

All of the victims left their belongings unattended, according to police reports. University Police currently don’t have any information on the suspects.

A man left his cellphone, driver’s license and credit card on the bleachers in the University Aquatic Center around 10:30 a.m., according to a police report. He came back 30 minutes later and saw they were gone.

Around the same time, a staff member at the Phillips Wangensteen Building had her credit card and about $75 in cash stolen from her unlocked office, another report said.

That night, a student staying in Comstock Hall accidentally left his room unlocked for about an hour while he went on a walk. Someone came into his room and stole his backpack and laptop, according to another police report.

University police don’t believe the thefts are related, said Deputy Chief Chuck Miner.

Assault at McDonald’s

An unknown suspect punched a man in the face and knocked his tooth out at the Dinkytown McDonald’s early Thursday morning.

In the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, which includes Dinkytown, police have recorded six other assaults so far this year.

St. Paul College junior Dalton Kite brought two of his friends to the restaurant early Thursday morning after a 21st birthday celebration. He left them in the car and went inside.

Kite came back outside about five minutes later. His friends were sitting on the ground, and two men were trying to take pictures with them.

The men didn’t say why they wanted pictures with Kite’s friends and wouldn’t leave when he asked them to.

Kite stepped between the two groups to keep his friends from being photographed and one of the men punched him in the face.

“I just stood in the way,” Kite said. “Next thing I know, I’m on the ground.”

Police arrived at the scene and took Kite to the hospital, where staff managed to put his tooth back in place. Kite said a police officer got milk from McDonald’s to put his tooth in and preserve it.

He said his friends were grateful for his interference.

“They were sitting in the hospital room with me for the whole four hours,” Kite said.

By: Kia Farhang

Three thefts occurred on the University of Minnesota East Bank campus Wednesday.

All of the victims left their belongings unattended, according to police reports. University Police currently don’t have any information on the suspects.

A man left his cellphone, driver’s license and credit card on the bleachers in the University Aquatic Center around 10:30 a.m., according to a police report. He came back 30 minutes later and saw they were gone.

Around the same time, a staff member at the Phillips Wangensteen Building had her credit card and about $75 in cash stolen from her unlocked office, another report said.

That night, a student staying in Comstock Hall accidentally left his room unlocked for about an hour while he went on a walk. Someone came into his room and stole his backpack and laptop, according to another police report.

University police don’t believe the thefts are related, said Deputy Chief Chuck Miner.

Assault at McDonald’s

An unknown suspect punched a man in the face and knocked his tooth out at the Dinkytown McDonald’s early Thursday morning.

In the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, which includes Dinkytown, police have recorded six other assaults so far this year.

St. Paul College junior Dalton Kite brought two of his friends to the restaurant early Thursday morning after a 21st birthday celebration. He left them in the car and went inside.

Kite came back outside about five minutes later. His friends were sitting on the ground, and two men were trying to take pictures with them.

The men didn’t say why they wanted pictures with Kite’s friends and wouldn’t leave when he asked them to.

Kite stepped between the two groups to keep his friends from being photographed and one of the men punched him in the face.

“I just stood in the way,” Kite said. “Next thing I know, I’m on the ground.”

Police arrived at the scene and took Kite to the hospital, where staff managed to put his tooth back in place. Kite said a police officer got milk from McDonald’s to put his tooth in and preserve it.

He said his friends were grateful for his interference.

“They were sitting in the hospital room with me for the whole four hours,” Kite said.

By: Elizabeth Ryan

The University of Minnesota Physicians group is opening a research and development lab near downtown Minneapolis later this summer.

The Mill City Innovation and Collaboration Center will develop new technologies to make general patient care easier.

Community health providers see more patients per year than the total number of specialty treatments, which is why the Mill City ICC will focus on improving the way patients receive primary care.

In an average community of 1,000 people, about 300 will come down with an illness in a given month, said Dr. Kevin Peterson, director of the University’s Center of Excellence in Primary Care. About eight of those people will be hospitalized, but fewer than one will go to the University’s hospital.

“And yet, almost all of our money [for research at the University] is spent on that one patient rather than back out in the community,” he said.

Peterson said prescription checkups could be an example of the everyday doctor’s appointments the center could help eliminate.

“You’re doing fine … on a medicine, and pretty soon you have to take off a couple hours from work to go see a doctor,” he said. “He looks at you and says, ‘You’re doing good,’ and pats you on the shoulder … and refills your prescription.”

Instead of going into a doctor’s office, all the tests a doctor might have run could be done at home with technology from the Mill City ICC.

“It’s really an unnecessary visit,” Peterson said. “We can do all of that at home.”

The center will be located in the University’s Mill City Clinic, and new technologies will be tested and applied without moving to another location. The center aims to make primary care a more rewarding experience, said Dr. Jon Hallberg, director of the clinic.

“We think that research ought to be done in the place where it will be applied,” Peterson said.

For more on University and business partnerships, pick up Wednesday’s Minnesota Daily.