Thursday, May 2, 2013
April's business news includes a continuing foreclosure fight, new bars and restaurants, flat home sales, a new HCMC clinic, business awards and a new bakery.
Editor’s Note: The following is a collection of business related articles that appeared on the following Patch sites in April 2013: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. Edina Municipal Liquor Stores Among Most Profitable in Minnesota The City of Edina's three municipal liquor stores brought in $1.445 million in net income during fiscal year 2011. How About a Brewpub in Hopkins? They currently aren’t allowed in the community, but inquiries have prompted the City Council to discuss whether to change that. Sammy's, Version 2.0, Ready for Dog Days of Summer Sammy's Speed Dog—a gourmet hot dog diner—…
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Marchers took a letter from the embattled Golden Valley homeowner to mortgage lender Fannie Mae, says blogger Becky Dernbach.
Friday, April 5, 2013
The hip hop artist, who rallied to defend Golden Valley resident Rose McGee, attacked banks for foreclosing on homeowners like McGee.
Occupy Homes Minnesota last week premiered rapper Brother Ali’s latest music video—a defense of people who face bank foreclosures including Golden Valley resident Rose McGee, whom Brother Ali rallied to help. Wednesday, McGee's latest court hearing ended without a settlement between her and the compaines holding her mortgage. "Work Everyday" shows people protesting against foreclosures in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It concludes with video of Brother Ali, whose full name is Ali Douglas Newman, being arrested—likely from an incident in which he was one of 13 people arrested protesting at a home on the 4000 block of Cedar Avenue in south Minneapolis. The video, from the album Mourning In America and Dreaming In Color, also takes on Wisconsin …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
According to Golden Valley Patch blogger Becky Dernbach, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) joined rally.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Tuesday’s court hearing didn’t lead to any loan modification agreement that would stop foreclosure the Golden Valley resident’s home.
Golden Valley homeowner Rose McGee did not reach a settlement with her mortgage companies during a Hennepin County Court hearing Tuesday, KARE 11 reported. McGee lost her job and has not made a mortgage payment for more than a year. She’s since been trying to work with Citimortgage and Fannie Mae to modify her loan terms and has filed a lawsuit to keep them from foreclosing on her home. Her lawyer told the judge that the mortgage companies didn’t follow the procedures required under Minnesota law. The mortgage companies say she wants to live in the home for free. Click here to read the full story.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley) introduced a landmark bill for Minnesota that could help homeowners who are battling foreclosure. Lawmakers want more information before moving forward.
As one of his first tasks as a lawmaker, Representative Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley) introduced a bill that, if it passes, will help those facing foreclosure proceedings. In conjunction with State Reps. Karen Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) and Raymond Dehn (DFL-Minneapolis), Freiberg introduced the new piece of legislation on Jan. 16 and said that it will prohibit dual tracking, a controversial practice used by mortgage lenders during foreclosure proceedings. While the bill was well received, lawmakers say they need more information before moving the bill forward. The bill, which would be the first of its kind in Minnesota, has several intentions: Currently, there is federal legislation in the works aimed at untangling the foreclosure …
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Minneapolis rabbi to testify, impacted Golden Valley resident Rose McGee among those attending.
Wednesday morning, State Reps. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley), Karen Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) and Raymond Dehn (DFL-Minneapolis) introduced new legislation to end a controversial practice used by mortgage lenders during foreclosure proceedings. Southwest Minneapolis rabbi Michael Adam Latz of the Shir Tikvahsynagogue will be among the testifiers, according to a post on his Facebook page. A copy of Latz's testimony is posted above as a PDF. "Our protest is to demand that those of our friends and our neighbors, our congregants and our family members who work hard and play by the rules don’t have the rules changed along the way so the banks are favored at the expense of our homes and our communities, because this is not what democracy looks…
Golden Valley resident Rose McGee attended and spoke at the press conference where the legislation was unveiled.
On Wednesday, Jan. 16, Golden Valley resident Rose McGee was again at the State Capitol. But this time, she wasn’t protesting Citimortgage or Fannie Mae. She wasn't holding a sign urging mortgage giants to put an end to foreclosures and evictions. Instead, McGee was at the Capitol to witness the introduction of a piece of legislation that may change her life, and the lives of others like her, forever. Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley), along with Rep. Karen Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) and State Rep. Raymond Dehn (DFL-Minneapolis) unveiled the legislation at an 11 a.m. press conference Wednesday. McGee’s attorneys from Drewes Law Firm, and members of the Northside Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), Jewish Community Action (JCA), …
Friday, January 11, 2013
Rose McGee said that new CitiMortgage and Fannie Mae attorneys want to work with her on a mortgage modification plan.
“Ma’am, are you aware that your house has been sold?” Over the phone. That’s how Golden Valley resident Rose McGee learned that her home was sold at a sheriff’s sale. After losing her job in 2011, and falling behind on her mortgage payments, McGee says that she was working with CitiMortgage to get on a modification plan when she realized that she might lose her home for good, a house that’s full of 20 years of love and memories. In the early 1990s, Rose McGee, and her then-husband Bill, bought a home together in Golden Valley. The couple wanted space for their four children, and a place to make memories together. “It’s spacious and has nice qualities,” McGee said of her house, “but, it’s nothing fancy.” Over the last 20 years, and …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Golden Valley resident Rose McGee will try to save her home and avoid eviction during a court hearing on Jan. 10.
If you don’t know who Rose McGee is, chances are you will soon know her story. McGee, a long-time Golden Valley resident, is one of many Americans who is facing foreclosure and home eviction. According to Occupy Homes MN--an organization working to stop foreclosures and evictions--in 2011, McGee lost her job and started to fall behind on her mortgage payments. In a YouTube video published last November, McGee explains that after enrolling in a mortgage modification program, Citibank sold her home without notice. “Rose has been a wonderful member of our community for decades and we’d like to keep it that way,” Mayor Shep Harris said in the video, “and we appreciate the community rallying around her and supporting her.” On Saturday, Jan. 5…
Helen J Bassett
7:46 am on Thursday, January 17, 2013
We're proud of Mrs. McGee for the dignity and focus she demonstrated throughout this situation, and for the concern she has shown, not just for herself, but for others finding themselves in a similar situation! We're also proud of our State Representative Mr. Freiberg! Thank you both. more ›