Hello Dishers! Did you miss me? (Likely not, but that's OK.)
I've been in the Netherlands soaking up temperatures that were a tad warmer than Minnesota's, world-class museums, stroopwafels, daffodils (see above), so-so beer (leave that to the Belgians) and, of course, the fabulous, world-class bike infrastructure. Dishers, as your transportation reporter for the past decade, it completely blew my mind.
The Dutch government has consistently invested in bike infrastructure since the 1920s and it shows. I saw all types of bikes and every kind of human on them, including many, many older people. It's not an investment that seems particularly valued in the United States, even though the Twin Cities is one of the most bike-friendly urban areas in the country. Please do email me if you'd like to further discuss at janet.moore@startribune.com.
Speaking of bikes, our Bob Timmons has the latest on the state's e-bike rebate program, which experienced a bumpy start when it was rolled out last year.
On to the news of the day: Now that Gov. Tim Walz has ordered much of the state's workforce to report to the office at least 50% of their scheduled workdays beginning June 1, the discussion is whether the missive will help revive downtown St. Paul.
St. Paul's Downtown Alliance estimates there are about 20,000 government jobs in ZIP codes encompassing downtown, the Capitol complex and the West 7th area, based on U.S. Census data. Those jobs, most of them with the state, make up roughly one-third of the area’s workforce. The state leases office space in a number of downtown buildings.
While the influx will certainly help the city's struggling small businesses, some say more needs to be done to integrate office buildings in the city's core with housing and entertainment. Katie Galioto and Josie Albertson-Grove have the story here.
Our columnist Jennifer Brooks has some thoughts about forcing people to work in the office. Remember, this is OPINION, folks. Read it here.
On a somewhat similar note related to reviving cities post-pandemic, Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert said in his state of the city address Tuesday that Duluth must embrace its downtown as a residential hub. But first, people must feel safe and the city itself needs to be cleaned up. Jana Hollingsworth has the story here.