Christopher Harrington, 39, is president and CEO of the nonprofit Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. He arrived in Saint Paul from Detroit in 2021, taking the helm as the center reopened with the financial impact of a global pandemic still echoing. Harrington said the most challenging — and rewarding — part of his job is connecting audiences more deeply to the arts.

After nearly a decade at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he worked to increase and diversify its audience, Harrington seeks to build up the Ordway's audience by strengthening the relevance of the arts in their lives.

For the last 23 years, Town Square Park has sat empty, hidden from passersby.

The glass panes are foggy and discolored. Tarps and buckets have been placed to catch leaks. The cacti, palm trees and spider plants were sold long ago, eventually replaced by unwanted vegetation that city inspectors warned could compromise the roof system.

"It was this lovely oasis in the middle of downtown," said Joe Spencer, president of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance. "Nobody even knows it's there anymore."

Saint Paul's Ordway Center has just the right tonic for the new American epidemic.

"The surgeon general is warning of a grave epidemic of loneliness," said Ordway President and CEO Chris Harrington. "We have the antidote with stories of perseverance, resilience and joy that we can all share together at the Ordway."

The performing arts center's 2024-25 lineup includes "The Little Mermaid" in the all-important holiday slot, a Motown musical and two shows that were recently turned into feature films.

Right now there are three options for a proposal to better connect West Seventh Street with MSP Airport and Mall of America. Two streetcar options would cost an estimated $2 billion. The third option is a bus rapid transit line with an estimated cost of $121 million.

The Riverview Corridor project would run from Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul and down West Seventh before continuing on existing Blue Line light rail tracks to get to MSP Airport and Mall of America.

Downtown resident and local historian Linda Kohl recently shared the interesting history of the Landmark Center, downtown's own castle. If you've ever been curious about the building's long history, and near mid-century demise, check out this story from the Ramsey County Historical Society.

The Class 2A quarterfinals begin this morning with Rochester Century/John Marshall facing Chanhassen followed by Cretin-Derham Hall against Centennial.