Various frustrating technology issues at work kept us late today. Here's the Mn-01 news from the day.
Over at Political Party, the Rochester Post Bulletin's Ed Felker reports on the Walz Weekly Press Call -- Taxes, Farm Bill, Pakistan, More. Lots of good stuff, including this update on two issues we've been following:
Walz also predicted a relatively quick enactment of a new Farm Bill, which the Senate is debating, despite veto threats by Bush of the Senate's $288 billion draft. Meanwhile, the Defense Department has told him it has restored GI Bill benefits to about half of the 1,172 soldiers of the Minnesota National Guard's 1st Brigade Combat Team who it said were not eligible. The rest are still awaiting the appeals process.
Political Party is turning into a must read for Southern Minnesota's political junkies.
The Post Bulletin also reports that Governor Pawlenty and Tim Walz will share duties at a Veterans Day event on Sunday in Gov. Pawlenty, Rep. Walz to speak at Veterans Day program:
Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Tim Walz will be featured at the seventh-annual Veterans Day program on Sunday in Rochester.
The program begins at 10:30 a.m. at New Life Worship Center, 6301 34th Ave. N.W. A free breakfast from the Canadian Honker restaurant will be served from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Tom Ostrom, a local radio personality, is the program's master of ceremonies. The program will also include a presentation by area color guards and honor guards, and a short video about the Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial. A live eagle from the National Eagle Center in Wabasha will be part of the program.
New Life Worship Center is located west of U.S. 52 North, behind Kelly's Orchard, on 65th Street. Traffic from the south may take Bandel Road (the east-side frontage road) north from 55th Street to 65th Street, then cross the highway over the 65th Street bridge.
From the north, exit U.S. 52 at 75th Street and follow the west-side frontage road south. Flags will mark the route closer to the worship center.
For information, call 282-7201 or visit www.newlifewc.org/vets.htm.
Agri News reports in Durst Brothers host federal policy decision:
On Oct. 29, the policy debates of Washington shifted to a tent at Durst Brothers Dairy.
Immigration reform, ethanol, the farm bill and the Clean Water Act were discussed during an hour-long public forum focused on the dairy industry. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., was front and center.
Walz has been a quick study of the dairy industry, said Jerry Kozak, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. The freshman lawmaker understands the vital role that all of agriculture and particularly the dairy industry play in the nation's economy, Kozak said.
Walz said he understands that agriculture policy affects every individual in his district. His job is to listen to his constituents and advocate for them in Washington. Being a representative, he said, is both a job title and a job description.
Go read the details at AgriNews. Meanwhile, the Hills reports Freshman Dems revolt on free trade. The Minnesota Family Council claims that Minnesota's U.S. representatives have been deluged with calls opposing any version of the Employment Non-discrimination Act, while Lloydletta's Nooz says 70% of Gays Support Getting ENDA Done - Even Without Transgender Inclusion.
The Toronto Globe and Mail has posted a tale about the DM & E. The first CPR vs the Nimbys at the Mayo Clinic (funny, by we thought the trains went through ambulance routes, etc, not just backyards) begins:
When Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. went cross-border shopping and spent $1.5-billion (U.S.), it didn't count on a little-used stretch of track near the world famous Mayo Clinic to throw the deal off course.
Just last week, CPR executives said they expected to receive clearance to buy the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corp. by May. Any regulatory decision will now likely be postponed until next October, after the U.S. Surface Transportation Board ruled that it will take a detailed look at Calgary-based CPR's plan to buy DM&E from private equity owners.
The ruling comes after a series of complaints, including from rail rival Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. of Fort Worth, Tex., and the Mayo Clinic, which is sounding the alarm on potential terrorism on trains or derailments near the renowned hospital in Rochester, Minn.
Hospital officials argue that William Worrall Mayo staked the ground first...
We're outta here. See you in the morning folks.
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