The 2026 primary elections were held on August 12, 2026. Positions in Northeast, Columbia Heights, Hilltop and St. Anthony were on the ballot. The general election will be on Nov. 3 of this year.

John Derus III, a longtime political and civic-minded Minneapolitan, passed away in his cabin on July 23. Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church was filled to capacity on Aug. 5 with family and friends.

Clare Housing, 929 Central Ave. NE, marked nearly 40 years of housing Minnesotans living with HIV with a ribbon cutting at their newly renovated Clare Northeast Apartments. The renovation was done in partnership with Cinnaire, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, Minnesota Housing and the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation.

Urban exploration is not new. Some trace it back to the 18th century, when explorers would break into the Paris Catacombs. In recent years, the internet has helped urban exploration, or “urbex,” become a global phenomenon.

Neighbors gathered for National Night Out, an annual get-together held on the first Tuesday of each August. The event, which started in 1984, now spans all 50 states, ranging from cookouts to city-wide festivals. 

Farm stands are hardly an uncommon sight to Columbia Heights residents. But the market in the Columbia Heights Public Schools Family Center is a bit different: It’s run by elementary school students and high schoolers.

At a Lower Northeast Neighborhood Association meeting last year, Seth Stattmiller learned the name of the building on 948 18th Ave. NE. Now he and his wife, Elizabeth Richardson, have bought the John Cook House with intentions of restoring the historic landmark. In doing so, they hope to  create a community hub for the neighborhood.