The paper talked to a number of Mankato residents who lived through the Depression, from a 102-year-old grad of St. Olaf to Leona Birk, a mere pup at 90 years old. She recalls:
Leona Birk, 90, remembers a man who showed up on
their farm northeast of Blue Earth asking for work. Her mother fixed
the starving worker breakfast. After shocking oats all day, her father
paid him one dollar. “He was tickled pink,” Birk said. . . .
“We lived on a farm, so all we needed was flour and
sugar,” Birk said. “We raised everything else. Mother took eggs to town
to exchange for the few groceries we needed.”
Times are tough enough now, though.
The Faribault County Register asks Will runway expansion get axed? The Blue Earth City Council has some difficult choices to make:
With the Blue Earth City Council studying places to make cuts to the
budget, one item getting a closer look is a runway expansion project at
the Blue Earth Airport.
The council has previously voted in favor of the multi-year, $7 million project.
Now, several city councilmen, including Dan Brod and Les Wiborg, have expressed concerns about the cost, especially in view of cuts in state aid. . . .
. . . Most of the $7 million would be covered by federal money, they said.
“The city’s share is going to be $360,000, or about five percent,” Roetzel explained. Bailey added that the city would probably have to bond to pay for their share.
Currently the city receives $150,000 each year of federal money. It comes from transportation funds, mainly a tax on aviation fuel.
“You have $570,000 of this money built up, and if it goes over $600,000 you won’t continue to receive it,” Roetzel explained.
That money is planned to go towards the project, but cannot be used as the city’s share.
Councilman Brod asked if the money could be used to resurface the existing runway, without going with the expansion. Roetzel said the answer lies with the Federal Aviation Administration.
“If we change the project, we need to run it past them,” he said. “They already have said OK to the expansion to 4,600 feet.”
Roetzel also pointed out that federal economic stimulus money is going to come down the pike, and aviation is getting $3 billion in the transportation section.
“Blue Earth has been on the list for federal discretionary dollars since 2005,” Roetzel said. “That means your project is earmarked for those funds.”
Mayor Rob Hammond asked what would happen if the project was halted. Roetzel said the $574,000 the city already has gotten from the federal government would still be there, but the city would lose out on the other discretionary funds, and the stimulus money.
“The project would move to the bottom of the list, and would take at least 10 years to get back to the top,” Roetzel said. “Sometimes it takes 15 to 20 years to get a one-time shot at these funds.” . . .
The council has previously voted in favor of the multi-year, $7 million project.
Now, several city councilmen, including Dan Brod and Les Wiborg, have expressed concerns about the cost, especially in view of cuts in state aid. . . .
. . . Most of the $7 million would be covered by federal money, they said.
“The city’s share is going to be $360,000, or about five percent,” Roetzel explained. Bailey added that the city would probably have to bond to pay for their share.
Currently the city receives $150,000 each year of federal money. It comes from transportation funds, mainly a tax on aviation fuel.
“You have $570,000 of this money built up, and if it goes over $600,000 you won’t continue to receive it,” Roetzel explained.
That money is planned to go towards the project, but cannot be used as the city’s share.
Councilman Brod asked if the money could be used to resurface the existing runway, without going with the expansion. Roetzel said the answer lies with the Federal Aviation Administration.
“If we change the project, we need to run it past them,” he said. “They already have said OK to the expansion to 4,600 feet.”
Roetzel also pointed out that federal economic stimulus money is going to come down the pike, and aviation is getting $3 billion in the transportation section.
“Blue Earth has been on the list for federal discretionary dollars since 2005,” Roetzel said. “That means your project is earmarked for those funds.”
Mayor Rob Hammond asked what would happen if the project was halted. Roetzel said the $574,000 the city already has gotten from the federal government would still be there, but the city would lose out on the other discretionary funds, and the stimulus money.
“The project would move to the bottom of the list, and would take at least 10 years to get back to the top,” Roetzel said. “Sometimes it takes 15 to 20 years to get a one-time shot at these funds.” . . .
Read the whole story at the FCR.
The editors of the Owatonna People's Press make a good case for locating one of thirty-one new vets clinics (two of which are to be opened in Minnesota) in their town in City is ideal for veterans clinic.
Government clinics must be one of those reasons why the Political Muse frets so in his Weekly Romp Through The MN Blogs:
I learned this week that Tim Walz is obviously a secret socialist menace. Why else would he get excited to be "called into service"
by the Socialist-in-Chief? Come on, Mr. Walz, no one who isn't a full
blown communist sympathizer would want to hear about the "common good".
Oh noes! And here we thought Congressman Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years because he loves this country. Boy, do we feel silly now!
Image: "Eggs for Sale" by Stanford Fenelle, 1934. Image from MSHS.
And here's a tune for our friend Hal, who recently informed hundreds of friends that he loves gravy:
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