Bryn Mawr
Everything we’re covering across Bryn Mawr — news, crime, events and civic life.
City
$269,580 in Small-Business Grants Land in Ward 7
Five neighborhood and business groups in and around Ward 7 collected grants from the $1 million the city awarded to 34 community organizations on April 30 to help commercial districts recover from Operation Metro Surge.
Crime
A Resident's Guide to Filing a Useful Police Report
A tight time window, a block-level location, a list of what was taken and any serial numbers are what separate a useful property-crime report from a dead end.
Neighborhood
How to Get Involved: A Neighbor's Guide to Showing Up
The lowest-commitment way to get involved on Lowry Hill is a Saturday morning: the neighborhood association's monthly Service Saturdays meet at Sebastian Joe's, 1007 W. Franklin Ave., on the third Saturday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for a walking litter and storm-drain cleanup, with no sign-up required.
Neighborhood
Big Hill Books and the Case for a Walkable District
Big Hill Books, the general-interest bookstore Beth Thompson opened at 405 Penn Ave. S. in July 2023, has become a fixture of Bryn Mawr's small business district.
City
Renters' Rights Forum and a School-Safety Panel Anchor Spring Community Conversations
Ward 7's spring community-conversations series ran a renters'-rights forum at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church on March 28 and helped convene a regional school-safety panel March 5 featuring researchers from Hamline University's Violence Prevention Project.
Opinion
Opinion: Neighborhood Associations Need New Blood
Neighborhood associations like LHENA depend on a thin layer of long-serving volunteers, and too few newcomers are stepping up to replace them.
Neighborhood
MPS Warns of Layoffs Amid $75 Million Budget Gap
Minneapolis Public Schools cut about 400 positions, including roughly 116 teachers, to close a $75 million shortfall in its 2025-26 budget.
Neighborhood
Bryn Mawr's Civic Calendar Knits a Small Neighborhood Together
Bryn Mawr, a neighborhood of about 2,768 people, runs a full year of neighborhood events through its volunteer-led association, from a December street festival to a summer ice cream social.
Events
Winter Party Doubles as a Food-Shelf Drive in a Hard Season
Neighbors brought donations along with their skates.
City
New Ward 7 Office Opens Its Doors: How to Reach Your Council Member
Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer, sworn in to the Ward 7 seat on Jan. 5, 2026, now runs the office that handles constituent casework for Lowry Hill, the Wedge, East Isles, Cedar-Isles-Dean, Bryn Mawr, Kenwood and part of downtown.
Neighborhood
Profile: Bryn Mawr's Unofficial Event Engine
The Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Association runs a year-round calendar of volunteer-staffed events, from its summer Ice Cream Social to a neighborhood garage sale that dates to the 1970s.
City
From Park Board to City Council: Shaffer's Cross-Government Path
Elizabeth Shaffer reached the Ward 7 City Council seat after serving as a Minneapolis park commissioner, a move between two separately elected governments that share the same neighborhoods.
City
Elizabeth Shaffer Takes Ward 7 Seat, Bringing Lowry Hill a New Voice at City Hall
Elizabeth Shaffer, a former Park Board commissioner, was sworn in as Ward 7 council member on Jan. 5 after unseating one-term incumbent Katie Cashman in the city's most expensive council race.
Events
New Year's Eve Skate Planned for Lake of the Isles
Three neighborhood associations team up for a free, family-friendly evening on the ice — weather permitting.
City
Two Levies, One Tax Bill: Making Sense of Your 2026 Property Taxes
Two separate levies — the City of Minneapolis budget and the Park Board's 6.11% increase — land on the same 2026 Hennepin County property-tax statement.
Neighborhood
Winter Saturnalia Warms Bryn Mawr's Coldest Months
Bryn Mawr's Saturnalia, the neighborhood's December winter festival, drew residents to Penn Avenue South for music, crafts and bonfires.
City
How the Levy Landed: Comparing Frey's Ask to the Final Number
Mayor Jacob Frey asked for a 7.8% levy increase in August; the City Council adopted 8% in December.
City
Council Passes $2 Billion 2026 Budget After Weeks of Negotiation
The Minneapolis City Council adopted a roughly $2 billion 2026 budget on Dec. 9, 2025, on an 11-0-0-2 vote.
City
Three Public Hearings Shaped the Park Board's Budget Before It Passed
The Minneapolis Park Board adopted a $160 million 2026 budget on Dec. 9, 2025, after two public hearings that let residents weigh in on the plan and its tax levy.
City
Park Board Adopts 2026 Budget Focused on Caring for Aging Park Assets
The Park Board adopted its 2026 budget in December, built on a property-tax levy of $95,524,537 and focused on caring for aging park assets.
City
Nearly 40 Amendments: How the Council Reshaped the Mayor's Budget
The City Council amended Mayor Jacob Frey's 2026 budget before adopting it, and rejected his proposed cuts to the mayor's own office.
City
Police Pay and the Budget: The Double-Overtime Question
Mayor Jacob Frey moved to end "double-time" police overtime in 2026, a change the city says will save about $3.64 million a year and help hold down the property-tax levy.
City
Council Vice President Helps Broker the 2026 Budget Deal
Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai and Mayor Jacob Frey jointly announced the 2026 budget agreement that held the city's property-tax levy flat.
City
Park Levy vs. City Levy: Why Lowry Hill Homeowners Pay Two Bills
The independently elected Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board levies property taxes separately from the city, so homeowners pay toward two budgets on one statement.
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