💘 February rundown

🎉 Sunday marks the two-year anniversary of Longfellow Whatever.

As the world's most prestigious media outfits have turned their attention to our city and neighborhood over the past two months, they've been rightfully surprised by — and rightfully marveled at — the level of civic energy and general do-gooderness on display from everyday residents. As someone fortunate enough to have the occasion to marvel at these same people year-round, it came as less of a surprise to me. Getting to tell the stories of the many people doing many interesting things in our immediate vicinity is a great personal and professional honor, and I'm looking forward to another year of doing so.

Last year I received a lot of useful feedback via a brief (seriously, brief!) survey, so I'm running that back again. If you have a few minutes, please consider weighing in.

Otherwise, consider a spin through the archives if you're newer, a fleece-lined beanie or free yard sign if you want to rep the brand, and, most of all, accept my hearty thanks for being part of the project.

💸 The Greater Longfellow Neighbor Relief Fund has eclipsed $150,000 in donations, and says it has so far distributed about $83,000 of that. The group recently increased its fundraising goal to $250,000, which it says will support neighborhood families as they recover from the economic fallout of Operation Metro Surge. Learn more or donate here.

• Read more: Anatomy of a neighborhood aid fund (Feb. 2026)

🚊 The planned reconstruction of the Lake Street light rail station has been pushed back at least a year, and will cost about 70 percent more to design than originally budgeted, according to a MinnPost report. Metro Transit planned to rebuild the busy, but degrading, station over the course of the next year, but didn't receive any bids for the proposed $3.4 million design contract. Now, they're preparing to reissue the call for bids, and, if they have any takers, won't start until next year at the earliest. They expect the station will close for about 18 months once construction begins.

• Read more: A look at plans for the Lake Street LRT station overhaul (Feb. 2025)

🏅 A bit of a reach, but a neighborhood Olympics angle nonetheless: On Saturday the U.S. men's hockey team won its first gold medal since the famed 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team. That team's youngest player was 19-year-old Mike Ramsey, a long-haired defenseman born and raised at 43rd and 43rd, just south of Hiawatha School.