Tuesday digest: a new Recovery Act tool edition

Once upon a time in some Midwestern states, the rooster was a symbol of the Democratic Party. The  photo of the watchful bird gracing this digest is drawn from a post by Rachael Spiegel Photography - Blog: Minnesota Congressman Campaign Photo .  Spiegel certainly captured that chicken's essential roosterhood. Click on the link above for some lovely shorts of a Southern Minnesota farm in summer, and a great picture of Tim and Gus Walz talking with the farmers. Photo used with the photographer's permission.

We're going to be doing some birding this afternoon along the Minnesota River Valley in Nicollet and Blue Earth Counties, and will let readers know if we see any birds with that much attitude.

Via I Love Bettyful, we learn of more praise for Congressman Walz from the National Geographic Society:

Last month I urged you to ask Congress for action on geography education. A huge "THANK YOU" to everyone who participated! Nearly 6,000 emails went out, and in late February the House introduced a bill called Teaching Geography is Fundamental (H.R. 1240). Not only does TGIF have the best acronym on the Hill, it has a strong, bipartisan set of lead sponsors: Chris Van Hollen (MD), Roy Blunt (MO), Vernon Ehlers (MI), and Tim Walz (MN). TGIF will provide funding for teacher training and research in geography, currently the ONLY core subject without a dedicated source of federal support. Thanks. You guys rock!

We received  Walz congressional office press release about a new tool for understanding the Recovery Act--and post the pdf of the guidebook below:

WALZ RELEASES ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT GUIDEBOOK

Document will help citizens understand funding available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congressman Walz released a guidebook to help citizens understand the funding available under The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R.1). The guidebook, which will be posted on Walz’s website (walz.house.gov), explains which types of projects can receive funding under the Recovery Act and provides contact information for the various federal, state and local agencies responsible for distributing the funding.

“Many individuals and local governments are seeking access to important recovery funds during these tough economic times,” said Congressman Walz. “Some funding is being distributed by the State of Minnesota and other funds are available directly from federal government agencies. This guidebook will be a good starting point for folks seeking more information about recovery funds.”

Walz also encouraged individuals to call his Economic Recovery Coordinator, Meredith Salsbery, if they have questions after reviewing the guidebook. Salsbery can be reached in Walz’s Mankato Office at 507-388-2149 or 1-877-TIM-WALZ.

Download a copy of the Walz Recovery Guidebook by clicking on this link Walz ARRA Guide..