The PiPress notes that Tim Walz was shamelessly partisan about the Rushford-Lewiston game last night:
Like any shrewd politician, U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, whose district was decimated by the floods, does not favor one constituency over another. But impartiality went out the window this season considering Rushford is at risk of becoming a ghost town.
"I'm pretty blatantly biased in hoping Rushford repeats, because to win this again is going to be a big deal for folks who are steeling themselves for a long fight," Walz said.
Rushford-Peterson High School, built in 1905 in the heart of downtown, had basement flooding and damage to an adjacent playground. However, classes are set to start as scheduled on Tuesday. Bottled water, paper plates and plastic flatware will be used in the cafeteria until utility officials declare the water supply free of E. coli bacteria. But at least the toilets flush.
Next week, Rushford has its opportunity to shine at home under the Friday night lights, as Wabasha-Kellogg visits the field near Rush Creek that was completely under water 12 days ago.
"We need a home football game in the worst way," said Rushford-Peterson athletics director Bradley Johnson.
The Rushford Tri-County Record is publishing online again. This week's edition boasts a number of slice-of-life articles related to the flooding, including Hungry? Montini Hall's the place to go. The town's Catholic Church was the only local congregation spared by the floods. Along with an empty commercial building the Red Cross put into service for people displaced by the flood, the church annex, Montini Hall, has been used to serve thousands of residents and volunteers. The Austin Daily Herald reports Austin teens to head to Rushford on Monday to help with the flood clean-up. Preston's Fillmore County Journal explains how many of the volunteers get fed in The church ladies and the loaves and fishes. Church ladies from all the congregations are serving 2500 meals a day at Montini Hall. The Winona Daily News tells readers Pressure washers in short supply in flood-damaged Rushford, and provides contact information to volunteer or to connect your idle pressure washer with those in need: register online at www.uwolmstead.org or call 1-800-543-7709 or 211. Pressure washing helps strip destructive mold spores from drenched homes. About 200 homes still need to be pressure washed. Today is the early goose season opener, and we've been hearing shotguns since dawn. Soon the regular waterfowl and pheasant seasons will be upon us. The Worthington Globe reports that the efforts of the Nobles County Pheasants Forever chapter will be highlighted on the PF television show:
More than 21 years ago, the Nobles County Pheasants Forever Chapter made its first land acquisition — a 45-acre parcel south of Worthington filled with possibilities for the wildlife hunting enthusiasts.
On Tuesday, that acquisition — the first-ever by a Pheasants Forever chapter in the nation — will be the subject of a Pheasants Forever Television episode to air at 11 a.m. on the Versus network. The segment will include footage of a hunt by local PF chapter members Scott Rall, Les Johnson and others, and an interview with Bruce Amundson, who served as chapter president for 18 years, including the year Pheasant Run One was acquired in 1986.
Pheasants Forever is a major player in acquiring and improving wildlife habitat in Minnesota. Judging by the number of times we've recently had to brake when young pheasants scurry across the roads, PF (with an assists from the mild winters) is doing a great job.
Looking overseas, we find appreciation of congressional concern for human rights in the Philippines. According to the Manila Mail, Walz was one of 49 legislators who signed a letter objecting to extra-judicial killing by the government of the Philippines: Filipino groups in the US have hailed the letter
signed by a bipartisan group of 49 congressmen asking President Gloria
Arroyo to stop the extra-judicial killings in the Philippines saying it
was an "unprecedented act."
Katarungan’s committee for peace, justice and human rights in the
Philippines in the tri-date area said that “not even during dark days
of the Marcos dictatorship did US members of Congress deliver a letter
of concern to the President protesting human rights abuses." The recent
Methodist conference in Virginia Beach issued a resolution hailing the
bipartisian group of representatives. In Minnesota's congressional delegation, Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, Jim Oberstar, Collin Peterson, and Jim Ramstad also signed the letter. The Big E wants Amy Klobuchar and Walz to go back to DC and work on getting a better FISA bill.
Comments