Lost case led to improved prosecution, the Mankato Free Press article about the National Child Protection Training Center's Victor Vieth's travel to Washington D.C., has been picked up by the Associated Press.It's running throughout the state. One example is this story in the West Central Tribune Minn. child protection center head to attend State of the Union.
It's a great article about one of southern Minnesota's innovative leaders. Vieth will be the guest of Congressman Walz at the SOTU. Along with Senators Coleman and Klobuchar, Walz helped secured earmarked funding for the National Child Protection Training Center. Vieth has thanked all three from their help for the center, which helps law enforcement, prosecutors, and others identify and respond to child sexual abuse:
Vieth will be in Washington at the invitation of Democratic Rep. Tim Walz, who led the drive for increased funding in the House, while Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Amy Klobuchar pushed it in the Senate.
"Elected officials take a lot of criticism. But the Minnesota delegation has supported this in a bipartisan way," he said. "Preventing child sex abuse isn't something you get elected or re-elected for. Here's an example where our state delegation did something that won't help them politically, but it helps the country."
Walz has been transparent about his earmarks, releasing his list of requests last June. This hasn't stopped Republicans for criticizing him for his requests, so Vieth is right about Walz doing something that won't help him politically.
However, it's unlikely that those GOP candidates who hope to oppose Walz by taking the tack of criticizing Walz's earmarks will get much help beyond spin with this talking point from Republican leadership in Washington. In the Washington Post blog Capitol Briefing, Ben Pershing reports House GOP Backs Away From Real Earmark Moratorium.
One of the "reforms" that the Republicans cooked up at their weekend retreat was to have lawmakers" "publicly disclose more information on the purpose and justification of earmarks." Looks like Walz has already been there, done that.
This morning's Free Press unfolds the story of another kind of leadership in the Nile Cafe diversifies menu. Run by Ethiopian refugees, the cafe is adding Mediterranean
fare, including gyros, stews and rice dishes to its largely vegetarian
Ethiopian offerings.
The restaurant is a symbol of change in the Key
City: the Nile operates in the building where the legendary Hilltop
Tavern Hamburger Heaven operated and served up the fondly remembered burgers of my youth. It really was hamburger heaven.
The Hilltop Tavern closed several years ago. The property owner says:
Gene Braam, who owns the building and has his accounting business upstairs, said he’s proud of what the Nile has accomplished.
“I’m proud of Mankato to be diverse enough to support a restaurant with a diverse menu. For a city this size to be able to have a restaurant this unique is a tribute to the town,” Braam said.
A local pastor likes the food and atmosphere:
“It’s my favorite place. I’m a vegetarian and I love their food. And they’re a very gracious host and hostess and fascinating people,” Carder said.
“It’s not just the good food, I like the fact we’re being exposed to different cultures.”
The Sleepy Eye Herald Dispatch reports about how cultural exchange works in more than one direction in Silacayoapam visits Lake Town - Mexican students visit real-life inspiration for American town that six Mexican students stayed in Sleepy Eye as part of an exchange program. Back in August, six Sleepy eye students had traveled to the Mexican town Silacayoapam.
The paper explains:
Last August, six St. Mary's Catholic School students visited Silacayoapam, Mexico, to show what typical American teenagers are like.
This past week, six Mexican students returned the favor, living with host families and attending classes at St. Mary's. The students came Jan. 10, and will stay until Jan. 27.
The adventure began when Gail Bromenschenkel received a grant to teach in the town of Silacayoapam, Mexico, for several months. The teacher exchange was so successful, she decided to see if she could extend it to several students.
The students-Rebecca Joyce, Maci Hertling, Abby Krzmarzick, Samantha Tauer, Matthew Krambeer and Kory Trebesch-went the weeks of July 30 through Aug. 14.
“They went to an area where many people are emigrating to the United States,” said Bromenschenkel. “The semester I was there, 10 out of 47 of my students left within five months. The guys lost interest, and the girls thought they'd never make use of their education.”
“The purpose was to let them see what an average kid is like in a small town, rural area,” said Bromenschenkel. They deliberately avoided the more touristy parts of Mexico to visit the equivalent of a town like Sleepy Eye.
Bromenschenkel wrote it into her grant application that the U.S. students would teach an English-language program for the Mexican students. . . .
Read the rest at the Sleepy Eye paper.
Comments