UPDATED August 30, 2010, 2:29pm

By Gregory J. Scott

When it comes to selling muscle bikes, three decades is enough.

Downtown advertising agency Carmichael Lynch announced August 23 that it was resigning from its Harley-Davidson account, ending a relationship of 31 years with the iconic motorcycle brand.

In a prepared statement, Doug Spong, president of Carmichael Lynch, said, "Our agency leadership came to the consensus that we've taken the Harley-Davidson brand as far as we can. It's in our best interest to part ways."

Mark-Hans Richer, Harley’s CMO, said, "Our strategies have been moving away from a singular consumer target and a one-size-fits-all agency solution. Rather than accept this new reality, Carmichael Lynch chose a different path and we respect that."

The

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A rendering of the new FloCo Fusion Apartments.

By Gregory J. Scott

At Florence Court, new apartments up, courtyard stays

The mid-August groundbreaking came and went quietly for the FloCo Fusion Apartments, a chic rebranding of a ramshackle cluster of student housing near the University of Minnesota’s East Bank campus. Despite years of resistance from current residents, the new building is officially going up, fanfare or no.

Florence Court, as the community used to be called, is one of the oldest apartment buildings in the Midwest, dating back to 1886. The L-shaped structure sits at the intersection of 10th Avenue SE and University Avenue, but is tucked back from the street, hidden until recently behind a BP gas station. The 33-unit complex surrounds a leafy courtyard, which its residents — a colorful

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Jerry Fleischaker is one of six Minnesotans honored with the 2010 Virginia McKnight Binger Awards in Human Services.

By Sarah McKenzie

// Volunteer outreach worker Jerry Fleischaker honored with prestigious McKnight award //

After Jerry Fleischaker’s wife died of Alzheimer’s disease, he came across a newspaper article about St. Stephen’s Human Services’ work reaching out to homeless people with mental health issues.

The story inspired him to start volunteering for St. Stephen’s. Now the 79-year-old retired pharmaceutical sales representative volunteers full time for the Downtown-based organization.

“My wife died of Alzheimer’s in 2002. I saw the care she needed,” Fleischaker told Monica Nilsson, director of street outreach and community education for St. Stephen’s. “I was haunted by the thought that people might be

By jake weyer

// Whether to add a park north of Central Library will be part of the discussion, meant to produce a 15-year plan for Downtown //

It’s been nearly 15 years since Downtown business leaders got together with city staff and elected officials to hash out a long-term plan for the area.

Back in 1996, those stakeholders came up with Downtown 2010, a vision that included such grandiose plans as a new ballpark for the Minnesota Twins, a light rail line along Hiawatha Avenue, a new Central Library, completion of the Target Center and the development of the Downtown Improvement District — all realities today.

 “We’re standing now, planless,” said Sam Grabarski, president of the Downtown Council. “And a lot of good

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A bit of faint lettering on the statue has triggered a debate about the city’s public art policy — or lack thereof.

By Gregory J. Scott

// The Sid Hartman statue stirs debate about public memorials Downtown //

OK, no one disputes that the guy deserves a statue.

Sid Hartman, the nonagenarian sportswriter who has spent the last 65 years reporting for the Star Tribune and WCCO, is probably getting bronzed. The Department of Public Works is ironing out technical details for installing a metallic Sid replica, complete with TV reporter microphone and newspaper tucked under the arm, right outside of Target Center and a block from the Twins stadium, at the corner of 6th Street and 1st Avenue. The Public Works assessment is the final stage in a roughly six-week approval process to get the statue out into the public.

No one’s upset about that. As Nick Legeros, the artist who designed

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Band Box owner and chef Brad Ptacek inside the diner.

By Gregory J. Scott

For Elliot Park businesses, street improvements come with a price

True to its motto, Band Box Diner can turn “grease into a feast.” But the Elliot Park gem can’t make much out of the road construction that’s transformed its streetscape into a scarred industrial zone.

The throw-back diner is one of the businesses standing to benefit from a sweeping, 15-block reconstruction of Chicago Avenue South — if only it can survive through to the project’s completion.

“It’s kind of like, if you have a half hour for lunch, and then you get lost for 45 minutes, what are you gonna do?” says Brad Ptacek, who has operated the diner for the last 13 years.

Ptacek’s breakfast