The Midway Chamber of Commerce aims to “build a stronger Midway” in the work we do and support. And from our offices at the corner of Snelling and University in St. Paul, in the famous green-tiled Spruce Tree Centre, we have a birds-eye view of our community.

Across the street, work is underway to install a 33-foot-tall, 88-foot-wide loon sculpture — “The Calling,” created by renowned international artist Andy Scott. The piece is impressive in every way, in stature, in materials, in significance, and yes, in location — the corner of University and Snelling anchoring the corner of the United Village Development and in many ways the gateway to the Midway. In June, PK’s place, a state-of-the-art universally accessible play area, was opened to the public. Also in June, music lovers enjoyed the two-day Breakaway Festival. All of this is happening just outside the acclaimed Allianz Field, which routinely hosts sellouts for the Minnesota United FC and in May welcomed the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team to its pitch.

On a daily basis when I leave my office, I can see signs of progress that are palpable and tangible. There are trucks, fences, equipment and workers. Looking past the construction activity, you can see people enjoying the stadium and new playground.

While all this is happening now, there is even more expected next year. The plans for a hotel parking ramp, office building, restaurant pavilion and the public infrastructure to support it have all been approved.

There is no adequate way to convey the excitement, hope and opportunity this all represents. Facilities and features that will transform this prominent intersection, attract and welcome visitors to the Midway. Commerce and hospitality will help connect the development to the surrounding neighborhoods, elevating the Midway as a great place to live, work and play. Business and employment opportunities will soon become available as these plans move from the drawing board to reality.

Oftentimes, we have heard people groan about the slow pace in which this work occurred. Do we all wish the site had been developed sooner? Of course. But a pandemic and other factors delayed progress (anyone who follows developments or even store openings knows of the number of delays a project can incur). Will the final project have exactly what every member of the community wants? We know that’s impossible, but the development team has listened to the concerns of the neighborhood and in my opinion found uses that can be enjoyed by neighbors and visitors alike.

As someone who has been around this neighborhood since the 1990s, I can say large portions of this property sat under-utilized as we all wondered what would happen with the “bus barn site.” Now that construction is underway, I’m calling for an end to that tired backward storyline. The construction for the United Village site is happening. Public spaces are opening this year. The first vertical construction is set to follow next year.

This is not a vision or proposal. This is happening. It is happening now.

Another important story is that of investment. Led by Dr. Bill McGuire, a group of largely local investors is infusing over $200 million of private capital to bring these projects to reality. This infusion, combined with the construction of Allianz, represents over a half a billion dollars of state-of-the-art facilities for the Midway. The scale of these investments is beyond the level that communities position themselves against other markets to attract and support. This investment is coming to the Midway.

Another important story is that of location. The United Village site has been historically blighted. It also was the center of civil unrest and major damage in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd. It is industrially polluted and requires remediation. It sits prominently on a primary gateway to the Minnesota State Fair and on the Green Line LRT “mid-way” between the two downtowns. The location for this development is one that communities prioritize for revitalization, believing that success will have a catalytic impact beyond its immediate boundaries. The location for this development is the Midway.

Another important story is that of community. The United Village site sits on the border of the Hamline/Midway and Union Park neighborhoods. It is in the heart of the Midway commercial corridor, and many of the businesses are members of the organization that I have the privilege of leading. The community has high ambition and expectation for what this means to them. Although the overwhelming majority of investment has come from Dr. McGuire and the private sector, the community is committed as a stakeholder.

There is excitement about how the vitality generated will cascade down Snelling and University.

Occasionally, I get asked about what the future of the Midway will look like. Our neighborhood is always changing. In the nine years I have been at the Midway Chamber, we went from the new Green Line to the A-Line Bus Rapid Transit, Allianz Field, as well as several developments along and near University Avenue.

The future of the Midway is taking shape right before our eyes, and what we are seeing is so encouraging. The projects to date have been of the highest quality and represent great urban design. As a stakeholder and steward of the Midway, I have every reason to believe this progress will continue, and that what follows will be equally great. Join me in embracing both what is possible and what is actually happening right now. It is truly outstanding. The Midway deserves and will embrace this generational opportunity as we all make our community stronger.

Chad Kulas is executive director of the Midway Chamber of Commerce.

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FREEMAN NG: Introduces “Bridge Across the Sky,” his historical novel in verse about a Chinese teen who immigrates to the United States with his family and endures mistreatment at the Angel Island Immigration Station (in San Francisco Bay) while trying to navigate his own course in the new world. The author is a former Google software engineer who writes full time. Although he lived most of his life a 20-minute ferry ride from Angel Island, he never thought about the station and its history until he heard abut the poems written on its walls. (Read more at AuthorFreeman.com). He will also sign copies of “The Haunted States of America,” a middle-grade anthology of ghost stories. In conversation with Minnesota writer Sun Yung Shin. 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul. Free; registration required: redballoonbookshop.com/event.

DEBBIE RUSSELL: Signs copies of “Crossing Fifty-One.” 10-11a.m. Friday, Aug. 30, Lake Country Booksellers, 4766 Washington Square, White Bear Lake.

TOPAZ WINTERS: Celebrates the five-year anniversary and special-edition relaunch of her collection “Portrait of My Body as a Crime I’m Still Committing.” The author is a Singaporean-American poet and editor-in-chief of Half Mystic Press. Her work has been published in literary magazines and performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Centre for Fiction, and the Singapore Writers Festival. She lives in Singapore and New York. 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, SubText Bookstore, 6 W. Fifth St., St. Paul.

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First-time teachers and first-time voters gearing up for the 2024 election may have only ever been exposed to toxic polarization — it’s their norm.

But for those of us who’ve been in the classroom for decades, the landscape of teaching civics has changed dramatically. In the early 2000s, America was polarized, but teaching during a presidential campaign was thrilling.

Yet, with the rise of social media, misinformation, and disinformation, we fear that students this year will be denied the same opportunities to learn about democracy and acquire skills to constructively engage one another.

A typical classroom back then analyzed political cartoons and discussed candidates’ major policy stances. They listened to sound bytes, compared speech rhetoric and reviewed the election process, from super-delegates to the Electoral College.

In most classrooms, no one told these students what to think or who to vote for; helping prepare such a thoughtful, curious, and motivated generation of citizens to engage in the process was enough. It was nobody’s job to make them liberal or conservative.

By 2020, the classroom pulse could not have been more different. Teachers shared that they did not want to touch elections and electoral politics for fear of accusations of indoctrination, bias, or unsafe learning environments. Each day felt like navigating invisible landmines. Many avoided the election completely. Ignoring the topic was not only easier than dealing with an irate parent, hostile administration or divisive school board — it was a means of survival.

This was not a unique experience. A recent RAND study found that two-thirds of teachers are limiting instructional time on political and social issues, even in states that have not required it. That makes sense, given the increase in teacher firings over political concerns in the past four years.

If, in the words of Eric Liu, co-founder and CEO of Citizen University, “the road to democracy runs through the classroom,” it’s critical to at least discuss the political process. It’s more important than ever to prepare students for the public sphere, and in a non-politicized way.

What’s more, if we cannot practice the real skills of debate, discussion, analysis and critical thinking, will students learn to practice them in real life?

Political polarization is not new; toxic polarization is. Eighty-four percent of Americans say political debate has become less respectful lately. Growing numbers have negative or hostile attitudes toward the opposing political party, believing it “more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent than other Americans.”

The remedy — civil discourse — can be applied in the classroom and among the general public.

To begin, let’s stop defining civil discourse by where we see it lacking. Instead, we need a common language around what it means and its purpose. “Civil,” from the Latin civilis, means “relating to a society, pertaining to public life, relating to the civic order, befitting a citizen.” With such a definition, we’re reminded that it’s vital to a functioning democratic society, meant to benefit each citizen.

Second, we must come to terms with the fact that in a country of over 330 million people, we’re not all going to agree on even trivial things (say, ice cream flavors), let alone public policy or America’s future. And that’s normal.

Remember: civility is not about being passive or even polite. It’s not about agreeing for the sake of agreement. It’s merely the avenue to navigate daunting topics that might otherwise feel hopeless, curating citizenship in deeper, more tangible ways and reminding us that we have more in common than we realize.

Hence, to appreciate what we share, we must interact and practice civil conversations. What’s often lacking are the right skills.

Good conversations don’t result from countering every statement your counterpart makes. They occur when all participants feel heard. You can practice this with “reflective listening” — repeating what you think you heard. When your partner begins to appreciate that you’re trying to understand them (with or without agreement), you build trust.

Finally, be curious and authentic. When you’ve built respect and trust, you can truly be honest about your perspective. The process is simple, but not always easy. It requires practice and can be messy, but sometimes it needs to be messy to be authentic.

The more you listen, the more you’ll realize that contrary to the caricature of your fellow citizen presented on TV or social media, this person likely means well and is not an extremist.

In the classroom, civil discourse is simple: It looks like listening. Let’s start there and remember that it’s about our humanity, which is bigger than politics. Civil discourse is a mirror, reflecting our values back on ourselves. Little doses of courage make it possible.

And when we all feel like we’re walking on eggshells, a bit of courage will go a long way.

Former teacher Lindsey Galvao is the social studies curriculum specialist at GBH, a multiplatform creator for public media, and curriculum writer for the Civics Collection on PBS LearningMedia. Benjamin Klutsey is the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and has facilitated civil discourse-themed workshops around the country, as shown in the new documentary “Undivide US.” They wrote this column for Tribune News Service.

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Constellations, groups of stars that allegedly make pictures in the sky, have been dreamed up by humankind throughout the centuries. Depending on the culture, they can be all kinds of things. Constellations can represent people, monsters, gods, instruments, and much more. Almost 100 years ago, the International Astronomical Union developed a standard list of 88 constellations, most from Greek and Roman mythology tales. Eight of these constellations are birds. Aquila the Eagle is one of the best bird constellations, and in late August and early September, it flies high in the southern early evening sky.

The best way to find Aquila is to use the handy tool known as the “Summer Triangle,” which is a prominent asterism formed by the three bright stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Just look for the three brightest stars you can see high in the southeast sky in the early evening this time of year, and that’s it, the big triangle. Each of these stars is the brightest in their own three respective constellations.  The highest and brightest star is Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra the Harp. On the lower left is Deneb, the brightest star in the Cygnus the Swan. The star on the lower right of the Summer Triangle is Altair, the brightest shiner in Aquila the Eagle.

(Mike Lynch)

As you can see in the diagram, Altair is on the left-hand point of a large vertical diamond that, without too much imagination, outlines the wingspan of the heavenly eagle. Altair is at the heart of the eagle. To the right of the star on the right side of the diamond, you’ll see a faint line of stars that outline the tail of Aquila. The head of the eagle is on the left side of Altair, but you’ll have to rely totally on your imagination to see it. There are no real stars in that part of Aquila to help you.

Altair is the 12th-brightest star in the sky, and it’s relatively close, only 16 light-years or about 97 trillion miles away. Believe it or not, that’s much closer than most stars in the night sky. Because it’s so close, astronomers know quite a bit about it. Altair is almost 1.5 million miles in diameter, twice as large as our sun but cranking out a lot more light than our home star, more than 10 times as much.

The most fascinating discovery made about Altair is that it has a bulging waistline. The Palomar Observatory in California discovered that Altair’s diameter is more than 20% larger along its equator than from pole to pole. Further observations revealed that Altair is rapidly spinning on its axis at the rate of one full rotation in less than nine hours. By comparison, our sun takes more or less an entire month for one rotation. Like all other stars, Altair is a big ball of gas, so its rapid spinning and centrifugal force, the same force you feel on a fast merry-go-round, causes it to bulge out at its equator something fierce.

Wild Duck Cluster (Mike Lynch)

Scan your telescope all around Aquila, and you’ll find some lovely little star clusters of young stars, but the best eye candy through a small to moderately sized telescope is Messier object 11, otherwise known as M11, which is just off the tail of Aquila. M11, as it’s referred to, is technically in a small adjacent constellation called Scutum the Shield. M11 is a beautiful open cluster of almost 3000 stars, over 6,000 light-years, or a little over 35,000 trillion miles away! They’re estimated to be very young stars, around 220 million years old, making them infants as far as star lifetimes go. M11 is called the “Wild Duck Cluster” because many people see it as a flock of flying ducks. Crank up your imagination to see that image!

One of the leading Greek mythology stories about Aquila has the eagle as Zeus’s faithful pet. Zeus, of course, was the king of the gods of Mount Olympus. Aquila accomplished many missions for Zeus, including torturing enemies and delivering thunderbolts. The eagle’s main claim to fame was his capture of the Trojan shepherd boy Ganymede, son of King Tros, to become the cup-bearer of the gods on Olympus. Zeus wanted the finest young man he could find to become the bartender of the gods. He sent Aquila on a reconnaissance mission where he discovered Ganymede, plucked him up by the shoulders, and delivered him to Zeus. Ganymede proved worthy of his forced labor, and happy hour was great on Mount Olympus ever after. Zeus rewarded his faithful eagle by placing him among the stars as the constellation we now see high in the southeast sky.

Incidentally, it’s no coincidence that one of Jupiter’s largest moons is named Ganymede since Jupiter is the Roman name for Zeus. The planet Jupiter is available in the sky right now, but it doesn’t get high enough to see in the eastern sky until after midnight, but it’s worth the wait!

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and retired broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul. He is the author of “Stars: a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations,” published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and adventurepublications.net. Mike is available for private star parties. You can contact him at mikewlynch@comcast.net.

Skywatch programs

Friday, Aug. 30, 8:30-10:30 p.m., Lake Elmo Park Reserve, Lake Elmo. For information and reservations call 651-430-8370 or visit www.co.washington.mn.us/index.aspx?NID=532

Saturday, Aug. 31, 8:30-11 p.m., Forest History Center, Grand Rapids, Minn. For more information, call 218-327-4482 or visit www.mnhs.org/foresthistory?utm_source=extnet&utm_medium=yext