Latest news with #AishaChughtai
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minneapolis leaders condemn council member's profane attack on Mayor Frey
The Brief Aisha Chughtai, the city council vice president, verbally attacked Mayor Jacob Frey during a campaign event in Minneapolis on Saturday. The video was posted on her Instagram account. Three of her colleagues condemned her remarks, calling them "outrageous" and "an extraordinary breach of decorum." MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis City Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai posted a video of herself on social media saying "F*** Jacob Frey," remarks her own colleagues characterized as "inflammatory" and "disrespectful." Council member's remarks about mayor draw backlash What we know During a campaign event at the Green Room in Minneapolis on Saturday night, Chughtai said, "F*** Jacob Frey. F*** fascism. F*** Donald Trump." Her remarks drew immediate cheers from the crowd. While expressing her support for State Sen. Omar Fateh, who is challenging Frey in November's mayoral election, she said, "We're going to transform this city." Chughtai is running for reelection to her council seat, which covers Whittier and South Uptown, among other neighborhoods. Chughtai's colleagues call remarks 'extraordinary breach of decorum' What they're saying In a joint statement on Tuesday, Council Members Linea Palmisano, Andrea Jenkins and Michael Rainville said: "The council vice president's outrageous remarks are an extraordinary breach of decorum. In our time on the city council, we have never seen a council member – much less council leadership – use such inflammatory and disrespectful rhetoric toward a sitting mayor. This is the kind of behavior from the council majority and council leadership that has made it even harder to work through our disagreements for the good of the city. "We understand that it is an election year and that the council vice president is supporting one of the mayor's opponents. That is no excuse for this behavior. She owes an immediate apology to the mayor, to the council colleagues she has been trusted to lead and to Minneapolis residents who deserve better from their leaders." Mayor's office says council majority doesn't share the same values The other side In an email on Tuesday, Ally Peters, a spokeswoman for Frey, said: "The mayor believes in collaboration and the importance of setting aside politics to find common ground. Unfortunately, it's clear that the city council majority doesn't share those same values. The mayor remains focused on working together to deliver for the people of Minneapolis." Chughtai did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Undoing health care for undocumented adults threatens Minnesota budget deal in session's final days
MINNEAPOLIS - Faith groups, unions and progressive elected officials are expected to flood the Minnesota Capitol on Friday to hold vigils and protest a budget deal that would revoke health care for undocumented adult immigrants. The issue is threatening to unravel a one-day-old state budget deal, with some DFL lawmakers in both the House and Senate saying they won't vote for a bill that strips away immigrants' access to health care. Those adults will lose access by Dec. 31, but the program will still cover children under 18 years old. Democrats passed the measure in 2023, when they narrowly controlled the Legislature and governor's office, but Republicans, who now hold a tie in the Minnesota House, pushed this session to undo the law. "It's despicable that State DFL leaders struck a deal with Republicans, who don't control any branch of State government, to betray core values held by DFLers," Minneapolis City Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai posted on social media. "It's unconscionable that our DFL leaders decided 20,000 Minnesotan immigrants are disposable in their $67 billion budget." Republicans pointed to surging enrollment since the program started in January, arguing costs could balloon at a time when the state is already facing a projected deficit. The Department of Human Services says only a fraction of undocumented individuals enrolled in the program have filed claims, costing the state $3.9 million since the start of the year. That's more than lawmakers expected, though not as much as Republicans claimed in their efforts to repeal it. Roughly a quarter of enrollees in the program are children, according to DHS. Gov. Tim Walz and top Democratic leaders announced a deal with Republicans in the House on Thursday to pass a $67 billion two-year budget that also addresses a projected $6 billion deficit in a future budget. Members of the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus protested the news conference where the deal was announced, banging on the doors to the governor's reception room chanting "don't kill immigrants!" Minnesota lawmakers have just a few days before a May 19 deadline to adjourn the regular legislative session. Top leaders have conceded a special session is likely needed to finish all of the work. Accusations from Republicans members are already flying that one progressive lawmaker, Senate Higher Education Chair Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, is refusing to hold meetings to finish work on the state budget over anger about the change. "Time will tell if Democrats are going to stop a state budget from happening until they get full health care for those here illegally," Rep. Marion Rarick, R-Maple Lake, posted on X. ------------ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A look at Minneapolis' plan to redevelop Lake Street Kmart, reconnecting Nicollet Ave.
The long-awaited plan for the New Nicollet Redevelopment project has been unveiled by the city of Minneapolis. The plan, unveiled Tuesday during a public event at Whittier International Elementary School, will redevelop the former home of Kmart along Lake Street and reconnect Nicollet Avenue, which was closed off in 1977 when the Kmart was constructed. The Development Framework includes a park, housing, space for small businesses, and more than 700 parking spaces across a 10-acre space that housed Kmart and its sprawling parking lot. The redevelopment, called "a generational investment" by City Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai, will take place across a lot that spans from the Midtown Greenway to Lake Street, and Blaisdell Avenue to 1st Avenue. 'Reconnecting Nicollet Ave. has been a decades-in-the-making vision, and we are going to get it done right,' said Mayor Jacob Frey. 'For far too long, this space has separated our communities rather than united them, and this community-driven process is bringing them back together.' The plan was constructed with input from thousands of community members who voiced opinions in 14 in-person and virtual events, as well as 2,245 survey responses and 520 in-person interactions, per the city. During the planning stages, the city says residents prioritized "enhanced public spaces," housing options for families of all income levels, and a new grocery store. The volunteer-run Good Grocer, which offered groceries in an area that had few, if any, options, was forced to close one block from this site in 2018 due to an Interstate 35W expansion project. It relocated to Nicollet Ave. and 27th St. in the Whittier neighborhood in 2021. "The New Nicollet Redevelopment is a testament to the power of inclusive, community-driven planning. Thanks to the dedication of our planning staff and the thousands of residents who shared their ideas, we are creating a vision that reflects the needs and aspirations of the people who live and work in this area,' said Community Planning and Economic Development Director Erik Hansen. Next up, the project will look to have the Development Framework approved by the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Frey. If approved, construction could begin later this year. Nicollet Ave. will not reopen to traffic for a few years, per Southwest Voices. The current plan would have the entire project completed by 2030. The first phase would begin with affordable housing at the project's southeast corner. Developers have been asked to include publicly accessible green space in their plans. Elsewhere, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board will develop indoor space in one of the mixed-use apartment buildings. It will also contribute to the development of a park during the project's second phase. Nicollet Avenue was cut off from Lake Street to 29th Street in 1977 to build the Kmart. Years later, city leaders agreed with residents that the development had negatively impacted surrounding neighborhoods. Following the Kmart's closure, the city bought the land in 2020. Three years later, the Kmart building was destroyed in a fire and subsequently demolished.
