It looks like the University of Minnesota is going to get its own bike commuter store. With as many bikes as I see day in and day out, it really only makes sense. According to Bicycle Retailer:

“Located in a former transit waiting area in the university’s Oak Street parking ramp, the Hub store will be part of a facility designed to make it safer and easier for students, faculty, university employees and area residents to commute by bike. The Bike Center will provide commuters with bike lockers, restrooms and showers and conference rooms for meetings and educational programs. The Hub Co-Op bike commuter store and the U of M Bike Center are scheduled to open in Spring 2010.
Catering exclusively to the needs of commuters, the Hub’s 700-square-foot store will offer repair services and essential products like gloves, helmets, tubes, tires, bike locks, lighting systems, racks, panniers and bags. Due to space limitations, the shop will not carry bikes. The store will also offer bike repair classes for commuters.”

The University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Program in Hennepin County is looking for a few good gardeners!  They are looking for Hennepin County residents with a variety of gardening experiences; previous volunteer experience; good communication skills, including public speaking and leadership skills.  More information can be found on their website — www.hcmg.umn.edu.  

Terry Straub
Program Coordinator
University of Minnesota Extension
Hennepin County Master Gardener Program
479 Prairie Center Drive
Eden Prairie, MN   55344-5378
P:  612.596.2130
F:  952.828.7280
Preferred E-mail at:  strau097@umn.edu
Hennepin County Master Gardener Hotline:  612.596.2118

Become a Master Gardener!  Applications are now on-line at www.hcmg.umn.edu.

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”  Marcus Tullius Cicero

Lazy Lightning and commentors discuss replacing vs renovating the currently-condemned Meadow Lake Bridge which carried bikers across the Minnesota River between Bloomington and Burnsville.

Cam Gordon (Mpls 2nd Ward city council member) has the deets on this year’s National Night Out.

TC Biz Journal‘s 2008 Women In Business Honorees.

TC Biz Journal reports what downtown MNspeakers have known for weeks and that is that a SoupMan (of Seinfeld fame) is now open in the Minneapolis Skyway.

The great people of the Tale of Two Cities LiveJournal community discuss Minnesota’s representation in that CNNmoney list of Best Small Cities to Live. “[Y]ou’ll see most of what got Plymouth into the #1 spot isn’t even located in Plymouth.” MNspeakers discuss as well.

Mary Lahammer on Jesse’s non-announcement on Larry King Live. He did, in fact, talk to someone in the local media. Sort of.

MinnPost runs a University of Minnesota eNews report on a study confirming what people who use Facebook and Myspace already know, which is that kids learn technology skills and share/collaborate on creative efforts through social media. New news: the digital divide is perhaps not as big as we think it is. “The students participating in the University of Minnesota study were from families whose incomes were at or below the county median income (at or below $25,000) and were taking part in an after-school program, Admission Possible, aimed at improving college access for low-income youth.”

MnIndy: “Local immigration attorneys and advocates say Postville raid reflected ‘a complete lack of due process'”

NRP is sending a delegation to the 2008 Bank of the West Neighborhood Summit in Omaha. (Bank of the West is an actual bank.) “The Summit will be an opportunity to learn from residents of Des Moines, Omaha, Wichita and Kansas City what they are doing around key issues, share ideas, network, tour Omaha, and have fun!” 31 Minneapolitans attended last year. Apply to attend by August 1.

saintpaulitan visits the friendly neighborhood geodesic dome house.

vita.mn‘s guide to all the drag shows in Minneapolis and St Paul. That’s not very many, but then, how many drag shows do you need? Feel free to edit the list.

TC Biz Journal says, in the wake of the dented nose cone issue, MSP is some new runway status lights at some yet to be determined time between now and 2011. The $400 million tab is to be picked up by the FAA.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8bgY8nvdn4[/youtube]
Created by/for the College of Liberal Arts at the U of M.

• June 1: The Minnesota Historical Society is holding a state-wide open house (i.e., free admission) at all of their parks and historic sites. There are eight such sites in the metro: Mill City Museum, the State Capitol, Fort Snelling, Sibley House, Minnehaha Depot, Alexander Ramsey House, Minnesota History Center, James J. Hill House.
• Starting in November, Alaska Airlines will offer roundtrip service from MSP to Seattle. That’s a new carrier at MSP. They’re offering a special introductory rate of $139 (one-way) between MSP and SEA so if you wanted to do that fly out, drive back (or vice versa) thing, here’s a good chance.
• Chuck Olsen has Atmosphere on Conan.
• “Sharp increase in anti-LGBT violence in Minnesota.”
• “Minnesota Nice? Fuck That.” Verbal assault at the Holiday Station. What a douche!
• The University of Minnesota has entered their solar-powered vehicle, Centaurus, in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge. (And I’ll just point out that my alma mater, the University of Michigan, has won four of the eight races.)
• MinnPost has video of the Minneapolis Art on Wheels project. Super cool! Commenter suggests projecting on the side of the Xcel Energy Center during the RNC.
• “Good to the last drip: Minneapolis to spend $180,000 to market its (wait for this) tap water.”
• The Walker, mnartists.org, and The Unconvention are sponsoring a competition for artist-designed political yard signs called My Yard Our Message.
• Memorial Day Weekend is the time for the Northstar Classic Softball Tournament. There are all sorts of activities surrounding this giant gay softball tournament.
• That Lunds that has been under construction for three years at 12th & Hennepin could end up two blocks up the road, and bigger.

Lastly, because I can’t let it go, you need to look directly at the Taylor Carik = Bon Iver photo.

Image courtesy of mthomps00. Okay, I’m done with that.

The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is holding it’s Auxiliary Spring Plant Sale this weekend. Hours are 9am-3pm Saturday, May 10, and 10am-3pm Sunday, May 11.

On sale for the first time ever will be three new rose bush varieties named after the Scandinavian caricatures Sven, Ole, and Lena.

According to [Arboretum Director of Operations Peter] Moe, Ole is a pale pink rose and Lena is a frilly pink and white flower, while Sven features fragrant mauve-to-violet-colored blooms.

That sounds much more enjoyable than an actual Sven and Ole joke.