A Bluestem Prairie

Rushford-Peterson Superintendent Ehler to join Walz during Obama's address to Congress

Update:  Walz, area schools, and the recovery bill

There's a lot of back story behind Congressman Walz's invitation to Rushford-Peterson Schools Superintendent Ehler to watch President Obama's address to Congress and to meet with leaders while in DC. It's documented in the press release below.

Rushford residents initially took shelter in their high school, but it too flooded and the Red Cross set up a shelter in the empty TRW building.

In a story no long publicly accessible to non-subscribers (but preserved in part in a BSP post), the Post Bulletin noted that Congressman Walz had plans to travel to Iraq the day after the downpour that triggered  the flooding, but canceled his trip in order to visit the flood stricken area. From the PB:

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz got up early on Sunday, Aug. 19. He was heading to Iraq and wanted to finish packing for the trip.

But those plans would soon be disrupted by news of the massive flooding in southeast Minnesota.

Within hours, Walz was heading east toward flood-stricken areas, his trip to Iraq canceled. His first sight of the scope of the devastation came when he reached Rushford, a city of 1,700. There, he found a city underwater -- except for a small, dry bit of land.

"It was pretty dramatic," Walz said. "There was a small island with one church, a part of the school and a city building that was dry, and 15 feet away there were probably half a dozen boats docked, picking people up and shuttling them in and out."

. . .Since the flooding, Walz has made virtually daily visits to the flood zone -- at least six visits in the first week alone. Along with the state's two senators, Walz lobbied for an expedited disaster declaration, so that federal dollars could start flowing to flood victims.

When Rushford was in need of a fire truck because all its trucks were damaged by flooding, Walz's staff called around and arranged to have a tanker delivered from Esko, Minn.

As the flood waters receded, the town worked to get the school ready for opening day.  For Ehler, it was an unexpected twist for a job he had begun less than two week before the water rushed into the building. The Strib reported:

It wasn't the way new Superintendent Chuck Ehler expected to begin his tenure with the district, which enrolls 685 students at Rushford's elementary and high schools and the middle school in nearby Peterson.

But Ehler was philosophical. "In some respects, it's been invigorating from the standpoint that it does test your abilities," he said in his office Friday. "You go into overdrive and try to make the best decisions."

With the lower level of its main school complex swathed in sewage and mud, its school buses swamped by rising water and scores of families suddenly homeless, Rushford-Peterson was perhaps the school district hardest hit by the flash flooding that struck the region without warning.

The Star Tribune noted that the schools opened on schedule in School begins for Rushford's kids amid flood debris

As students reported for the first day of class in the Rushford-Peterson schools on Tuesday, plastic sheeting sealed off the high school building's lower level. Powder that attacks mold and mildew coated the choir room in ghostly white as the flood's dank stench hung in an unusable classroom.

Upstairs, the bathroom sinks and drinking fountains were wrapped in plastic, because the tapwater still was unfit to drink.

But with so much of life disrupted by the devastating floods that struck southeastern Minnesota last month, the school's leaders were determined to open classes on schedule.

Walz returned to Rushford in Oct 2007 and got an earful from the superintendent, according to the Tri County News:

WaIz seemed firmly in Ehler's corner [about the school's needs].

"These are not 'nice to have' things," WaIz said, "these are necessities. If you're going to replace computers or books for this year's classes, they have to be done.

"This is where we can play a role in this and get some answers," he added.

In some ways, the flood has been a test of leadership for both Walz and Ehler.

Flood damage wasn't the only issue for the district; its building is nearly 100 years old. The Rushford school district looked to Walz when the recovery bill began to be crafted,as the TriCounty News reported in Could Obama economic stimulus plan help R-P district schools? The Winona Daily News picked up the story in Rushford-Peterson hoping for federal funding for new school.

Walz fought to keep education in the recovery bill, as we noted in the post Walz takes lead on restoring education cuts in stimulus bill,

During this district work break, Walz toured another one of the First District's school in need of an upgrade.The Mankato Free Press reported in Walz tours USC school:

The United South Central School Board asked area property owners to approve a referendum to replace the district’s crumbling 76-year-old school and was turned down three times in three years.

The school district’s representative in the state House, Rep. Tony Cornish, asked lawmakers twice to cover half of the $25 million cost of a new K-12 school in Wells and was refused twice.

Hoping the sixth time, and the federal government, will be the charm, USC is now hoping a solution to their building problem will come from the federal economic stimulus bill to be signed today by President Barack Obama.

With the cost of the school project now expected to be at least $28 million, School Board Chairwoman Christie Wetzel would love to see $20 million or more in federal stimulus funding come to the district. But even $14 million would eliminate half the burden on taxpayers, possibly making it realistic that they’d see a bond referendum as affordable.

“It’s so hard right now to predict with the economy,” Wetzel said. “... I’d have to say we’d need half the money.”

Congressman Tim Walz toured the school Monday, agreed that the need for a new building was undeniable, but couldn’t offer anything close to a guarantee the school will receive that sort of a contribution from the stimulus bill. Walz, a former teacher at Mankato West High School, played a role, however, in guaranteeing that the district will at least have a shot at some money.

The House bill contained $20 billion for school construction projects. The Senate version had none. Walz helped line up a total of 46 House Democrats who sent a letter to congressional leaders saying school funding needed to be restored to the compromise bill, and $6 billion was put in the final $787 billion bill. . . .

The Star Tribune has posted an article about the Ehler trip to DC, and the comment section is ripping on the Rushford school's need for resources. Too bad they didn't listen to conservative state legislator Tony Cornish, who gets it about schools in the Free Press article:

But after touring the school in Wells, [Walz] thinks it would be an excellent use of the federal funds to get a new school built. Not only is it needed, it would create a substantial number of construction jobs and provide lasting economic development benefits by improving the educational opportunities of students there.

“We think this is exactly the type of project that fits the bill,” Walz said.

Cornish, R-Good Thunder, agreed.

“I can’t think of a better place to spend these dollars than education — a core function of government,” Cornish said. [emphasis added]

We hope Ehler speaks up in DC for all rural schools--and that people listen.

More on the UCS story from KEYC-TV in Walz: Stimulus Bill Could Help Revive Area School. [end update]

The press release from Walz's office:

strong>WALZ TO BE JOINED BY RUSHFORD-PETERSON SUPERINTENDENT WHEN OBAMA ADDRESSES JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS

Rushford-Peterson school in dire need of recovery funds to create and save jobs through school reconstruction

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congressman Tim Walz announced he has invited Rushford-Peterson Schools Superintendent Chuck Ehler to hear President Obama address the Joint Session of Congress to be held on February 24, 2009. Rushford is located in northeastern Fillmore County.

Walz, who like all Members of Congress received only one additional ticket to the Joint Session said, “I chose to invite Superintendent Ehler to highlight not only the jobs that will be saved in the Rushford-Peterson schools because of the Title I and special education recovery funds coming their way, but also because of the potential to create jobs by reconstructing a school that is in a dire state of disrepair.”

Walz toured the Rushford-Peterson High School shortly after the 2007 flooding which damaged the already crumbling 1906 structure. In December alone, the district spent more than $17,000 to heat the aging, inefficient building. Because of the flood, the small community of Rushford lost part of its property tax base and the community continues to be unable to support a bonding referendum to rebuild the school.

Superintendent Chuck Ehler said, “We have the tremendous task of providing a quality education for all students during these difficult economic times. Our children are one of our greatest resources, and it is our duty and responsibility to provide them with an education that will prepare them for an ever-changing global economy and world.”

“Schools across the State of Minnesota and the nation need financial resources to continue providing education for our future,” continued Ehler. “In our situation, we also desperately need a modern facility that assists us in supporting our educational mission, rather than diverting precious resources from the task of educating our children.”

Dr. Charlie Kyte, Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators observed, "You cannot cut your way to success. To have a strong future economy, the current generation of children must be able to compete in a global economy. Funding for education in the American Recovery Act will help preserve the jobs of our excellent teachers and will create new jobs as we retrofit school buildings to be more energy efficient."

The Walz office will be arranging an opportunity for Superintendent Ehler to meet with federal Department of Education officials to discuss ways the Rushford-Peterson school might get funding for the reconstruction of the school while he is in Washington DC next week.

“Imagine how many jobs we could save if the Rushford-Peterson heating bill was cut in half every month,” continued Walz. “Making this school more energy efficient would not only create short-term construction jobs, but also save enough money long term to keep more teachers teaching in their classrooms.”

President Obama will address the Congress on the 24th of February in a State of the Union-style address. Obama’s first official State of the Union will happen in early 2010.

Congressman Walz and Superintendent Ehler will be available via conference call immediately after the speech to share their reaction to the address. Details TBA. For interview requests prior to February 24, please use the contact information listed above.

Video of the Rushford-Peterson High School is available here (click “A Case for Change”): http://www.r-pschools.com/rp/newschool

Photo: Rushford's high school, as flood waters recede in August 2007. Credit: Star Tribune.

Our own posts under the tag "Minnesota August 2007 floods" begin right here. A worthy chronicle offlood and recovery news since August 20, 2007.

Friday digest: anywhere but in between edition

The House has passed the stimulus bill, 246-183-1, with Blue Dog Collin Peterson joining Minnesota Republicans in voting against it.

The New Ulm Journal reports in Walz supports stimulus bill:

Walz expressed impatience with critics of the bill who wanted to take more time to put their own projects and ideas into the bill.

"Timeliness is important," said Walz. "We don't have time to wait longer. As we dawdle, people are losing their jobs and their livelihood."

President Barack Obama had sought an $800 billion stimulus bill, saying that was how much was needed to provide the needed stimulus to the economy, according to his consultations with economic experts.

Asked if the $790 billion package was big enough, Walz said he hoped it was.

"There is real need out there, and we want to get this right. I'm a little uneasy about that. We don't want to pull a car only half way out of the ditch."

Asked about the bill's trimming away $35 million in state stabilization funds, leaving $54 billion, at a time when Minnesota is anticipating a budget deficit of $6 billion to $7 billion, Walz said that was one of his biggest disappointments.

"As far as job creation and stabilization goes, that was one of the most important parts of the bill," said Walz. "If there is an Achilles' heel to this bill, that is it."

The larger amount of stabilization aid, which would help states make up deficits and fund infrastructure and building projects, was based on what the governors had told Congress.

But Walz said Congress will have other opportunities to help states, through the upcoming transportation funding bill and other legislation that Congress usually handles.

The Alliance for a Better Minesota isn't happy with Governor Pawlenty's political ambitions getting put ahead of Minnesotans' needs. The organization has created a website, My Guv Is Cheating on Me, to help citizens express their disappointment.  Even the conservative Journal wonders if Pawlenty is Upping the crisis.

The Muse Tube has been kind enough to post the full video of Walz's floor speech:

PR reports that Minnesota Republicans blast stimulus bill. Walz bits:

1st District DFL Rep. Tim Walz said the bill is not perfect but is needed. Walz said he's lost patience with Republican criticism.

"I guess I'm a little frustrated," he said. "I see my colleagues trying to zero in on one tenth of 1 percent that they happen to not agree with and miss the fact that as we dawdle people are losing their livelihoods," he said.

Walz said tax cuts, along with research money in the bill, will help the people of his district. And Walz says it's critical that Congress passes the plan.

"What we're doing is addressing an economy that is as difficult as any that most of us have seen in our lifetime," he said. The numbers are staggering. The outlook is pretty bleak in the short-run. This piece of legislation is meant to be the life preserver to put us in the right direction."

KEYC-TV has posted a good interview in Rep. Walz Reacts To Stimulus Bill Deal.  In the netroots, Jeff Rosenberg looks at Pork: The most meaningless word in politics. It's a fine read that echoes what Southern Minnesotans have known about projects like the Lewis and Clark Regional Water system or flood mitigation projects in Owatonna

This story of a Stockton family getting kicked out of their FEMA trailer is very sad.

We don't often agree with Tony Cornish but his proposal to make ATVs to be road legal makes a lot of sense for rural Minnesotans. Allowing more  classes of ATVs to use shoulders would help nesting birds and take some wear and tear off the ditches.

We had a request for the right side of the aisle for a little Crowing Crows. Here's a little ditty inspired by a novel by Saul Bellow, himself a product of the WPA Writers Project in Chicago. Just one more failure of the New Deal we guess, since art isn't very important.

Progressive Movement in Rochester recognized by Take Action Minnesota

The footprint, a sustainable, livable community e-zine, writes in Tim Walz recognizes the footprint: at the Take Action Minnesota Progressive Leadership Awards Dinner last Saturday night:

A section of the program about Rochester: Rochester has a longstanding and politically engaged community of peace activists, a vibrant, powerful labor movement, progressive leadership in the Somali community, a solid history of environmental wins, successful sustainable development advocates and growing organizing in low-income communities.Many individuals and organizations deserve credit for these achievements, including the AFL-CIO SE Area Labor Council, AFSCME Council 5, Coalition for Economic Opportunity, ECCO: Earth Community Coalition of Olmsted County, Livable Rochester, Olmsted County DFL, SEIU Healthcare MN, SE MN Alliance of Peacemakers and UNITE HERE Local 21. Together they are transforming a city that progressives had all but deserted just a few years ago. . . .

The footprint's an interesting site; check it out.  Transit for Living's website posted the entire TAM press release here.  Some excerpts:

In the last six years, politics in Rochester has been undergoing a sea change. After more than 30 years of Republican dominance, in 2004 Rochester elected State Representatives Tina Liebling and Andy Welti. They expanded the Democratic delegation in 2006 with the election of State Representative Kim Norton, State Senator Ann Lynch and, in a surprise win, Congressman Tim Walz.  Expanded margins of victory in 2008 races proved these elections were not a fluke. . . .

. . .“Our recent wins come after years of work” said Abdifatah Abdinur, an organizer and leader Rochester’s Somali Community.  “People knocked on a lot of doors and organized a lot of meetings to get us where we are today.  That people kept pushing, even when the outcome was uncertain, says something about people’s commitment to each other.” . . .

While some observers attribute recent DFL successes in Southern Minnesota to the winsome personalities of the successful candidates, our own interviews of progressive leadership in the district suggests that Abdinur is spot on. There's no "secret weapon" or cult of personality driving the wins; mainly,  hard work and smart planning are fueling Southern Miknnesota's leftward turn, along with some underlying demographic and economic shifts in the region. The service ethic embodied by leaders such as Welti, Liebling and Walz doesn't hurt either.

Rochester area labor leader Laura Askelin has assembled a flickr set of the Progressive Movement in Rochester peeps in action.

Photos from set: Members of Rochester's progressive community at the Take Action Minnesota Progressive Leadership Awards Dinner (above); Union volunteers help contribute supplies as part of flood rebuilding efforts in 2007.

Mid-day digest: broadband edition

Congressman Walz is part of a bi-partisan group of U.S. Representatives who are sticking up for rural telecommunications firms, according to Members of Congress Urge FCC to Postpone Election Day Vote on Telecom, a press release from the Coalition for Affordable Communications that's now posted at Marketwatch. The group:

is an association of rural phone and broadband providers concerned with ensuring that American consumers and businesses continue to enjoy affordable telephone and broadband service. The CAC includes CenturyTel, Consolidated Communications, Embarq, FairPoint Communications, Frontier Communications, Iowa Telecom and Windstream Communications, who collectively serve more than 17 million customers in 42 states.

Potentially higher costs to consumers and the lack of transparency in rule-making  are cited as reasons for delayed the decision and opening up the process for public comment.

The Post Bulletin's Regional news digest reports on federal funding for repairing flood-damaged road in SE Minnesota:

SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA: Federal money will help repair flood-damaged roads and highways

Seven southeastern Minnesota counties will get $7.4 million to repair federal roads and highways damaged in the August 2007 flood.

They are Fillmore, Houston, Olmsted, Steele, Wabasha, Winona and Dodge, according to the office of Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato.

A record 15.1 inches of rain fell in 24 hours during the event, and some places recorded substantially more. In addition to flooding thousands of homes and killing seven people, the floods damaged culverts, bridges and piers in many roads.

Walz's pro-active approach to the historic flooding was cited as a reason to support Tim Walz in this morning's endorsement by the Winona Daily News:

. . .And, when southern Minnesota flooded, he rushed to do what he could to help. . . .

The MinnPost notes in Rochester Post-Bulletin picks Walz:

Overshadowed by the Bachmann-Tinklenberg and Madia-Paulsen races, the Tim Walz vs. Brian Davis match in the First Congressional District has been a fascinating fight between lunchbucket DFLer and loyally conservative Republican.

The MSU Reporter says 1st District race pits teacher against physician. A anonoposter at the Mower County Republicans BPOU's new blog believes it's a smear for the Walz campaign to call their candidate "Doctor" Brian Davis. Okay then: glad to see the GOP in Austin has such deep discernment about subversive honorifics.

In the Austin Daily Herald, Tom Weir cuts to the chase in his LTE, Walz will work for veterans:

Tim Walz has been a champion for veterans since he went to Congress, working for an increase in the mileage reimbursement rates for veterans, making sure our soldiers going to Kosovo received combat pay for their service, and supporting the new GI Bill.  We need to make sure that our representative in Congress has actually taken the time to think about issues that are important to us.

In the same paper, Erin Hoban thinks Walz is right for the job. Jack Flinner's LTE, Walz opposed bailout bill, has been published by the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, which reaches readers in Southwestern Minnesota.

For all those readers who follow the beat of a different drummer, we offer this Rita Moreno classic (brought to our attention by that troublemaker, Jussein):

Walz congressional office: $7.4 Million in Funding for Flood Ravaged Roads

Just in from the Congressional office:

Walz Announces $7.4 Million in Funding for Flood Ravaged Roads

(Southeastern, MN) – Today, Congressman Tim Walz announced a federal grant of $7,461,465 for federal roads and highways damaged by flood waters in August of 2007. The following seven counties were affected by the flooding: Fillmore, Houston, Olmsted, Steele, Wabasha, Winona, and Dodge.

“The flood waters damaged more than 350 locations along federal roadways in southern Minnesota,” said Walz. “The people of southern Minnesota pay their federal taxes. It is comforting to know that we have a federal partner continuing to help us rebuild our communities. The federal government is helping to repair the roads and bridges in these counties so Minnesotans can go about their lives with the confidence that the roads they travel are safe.”

From August 18-20, 2007, a seven county area in southeastern Minnesota sustained heavy flood damage from a continuous rain event. In some locations, up to 18 inches of rain fell over a 48-hour period. A Presidential Declaration of a major disaster was announced on August 23, 2007. The Minnesota Department of Transportation identified over 350 locations of impacts on the Federal-aid system. Types of damage range from complete loss of a bridge to numerous roadbed failures, inslope and backslope failures, loss of shoulders and guardrail, culvert damage, scouring around bridge slopes, piers, and culverts across southeastern Minnesota.

Thursday morning digest: lutefisk season opener edition

Please exercise due caution when entering rural churches. The Chatfield News warns us that Lutefisk season begins Saturday with Fountain Lutheran meal.   It could be worse: we've read reports of lutefisk pizza.

The Globe reports Walz supporters pan Davis' Social Security plan:

Community members spoke out Wednesday against U.S. Congress candidate Brian Davis’ plan to privatize Social Security, saying relinquishing government control in the face of a flailing stock market would make the situation worse and place a burden on taxpayers.

They support U.S. Congress Democratic Candidate Tim Walz, who opposes privatization.

“Some people say ‘Well, it’s only going to be a matter of time.’ If we continue paying out our benefits like we are now, it’s projected to last until 2052 — we’ve got some lead time here to make some adjustments and improvements to the system,” said Mike McCarvel, a state House candidate who led the panel that convened at the Local Union 1161 UFCW office on Oxford Street. . . .

Read the rest at the Globe.

KEYC TV notes Walz secured federal Funding To Protect City Of Owatonna From Flooding.

Local bankers in Waseca write the editor to say Independent, community banks still strong. The Waseca County News asks local bankers ten questions to help those who are having Trouble making sense of the nation’s financial crisis.

One of the jewels in Southern Minnesota's biobusiness crown is the Hormel Institute, where the brilliant Dr. Dong leads teams of scientists working on cancer research. A press release from the University of Minnesota takes note of the grand opening of the center's expansion: The Hormel Institute of the U of M celebrates dedication and grand opening of expansion project:

The grand opening and dedication of The Hormel Institute's Expansion Project will be held at 1 p.m. Friday Oct. 3 at 801 16th Ave. N.E, The Hormel Institute, Austin, Minn. The event will be celebrated by leaders from throughout the state, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks, Congressman Tim Walz and Hormel Foods' heir James Hormel.

The medical research center, which focuses on cancer prevention and control, is part of the University of Minnesota and a collaborative partner of Mayo Clinic.

The $23.4 million expansion project was launched in 2006 and has added a new two-story research building for housing 20 state-of-the-art research laboratories. The project also completely renovated the 1960 building, resulting in space for a major seminar room to seat 140, library, several conference rooms, information technology space for the Blue Gene/L supercomputer, shared instrument rooms and complete updating of research support areas.

The expansion originally projected that nearly 100 new jobs would be added to the institute over the next few years. More than 40 research and support positions have already been filled since the project started in 2006. Two new department heads/section leaders were added in September, making a total of nine separate cancer research departments within the center.

Since the House is reconvening today to work on legislation addressing the market malaise, it's likely that Congressman Walz will not be on hand. the vote is anticipated for Friday. That's unfortunate, since he helped secure funding for the project.

Some may complain about earmarks, but we think money to fight floods and cancer is well spent.

The PiPress notes that 1st District debate in Rochester postponed.

CQ Politics says Race Rating Changes: Races for Two Michigan GOP Reps. Now Tossups. With more Republican seats nationally slipping into the toss-up category (and the Rothenberg Report downgrading MN-01 into "safe" territory for Congressman Walz), it's less and less likely that the NRCC or its allies will come to rescue Brian Davis's campaign. The FEC reports due on October 15 from both candidates will play a factor in determining whther other forecasters (CQPolitics, Cook Political Report; Larry Sabato) keep this one on the radar.

However, the electorate is volatile this year, so we don't think a swing district like the First would be safe for any candidate. Fight apathy: volunteer for Congressman Walz's campaign.

Photo: Lutefisk.

Walz secures federal funds for Owatonna flood mitigation project

A press release from Congressman Walz's office:

Today, Congressman Walz is pleased to announce that he has secured $400,000 in federal funding for the City of Owatonna through the Continuing Resolution which passed Congress last week and signed into law yesterday by the President. After hearing from Owatonna Mayor, Tom Kuntz and local residents of the chronic flooding problems in the city, Walz requested federal funding to protect local residents and businesses from future flood damage.

"This flood mitigation project in Owatonna is the kind of responsible investment people want to see from their federal government," said Walz. "Dozens of homeowners experienced millions of dollars in losses. Owatonna knows how to address this problem; they just need help paying for flood control.  I see my role in Congress as bringing important local priorities like this one to the table and fighting to secure the funding they need."

Owatonna Mayor Tom Kuntz said, "We are ecstatic about receiving $400,000 from the federal government to assist with flood mitigation.  These funds will greatly help improve flood conditions in Owatonna."

Walz concluded, "These flood mitigation projects will protect local businesses, including manufacturing, commercial and retail buildings. Because Owatonna is a regional center, damage to businesses in the area has a spillover affect on surrounding communities."

In 2004, the Owatonna Public Utilities building, which provides service to more than 11,000 customers, was flooded and narrowly escaped serious damage.  The water nearly flooded the electrical substation as well; had that happened, it would have cost the City over $2 million to replace and left thousands of area residents without power at the same time they were trying to recover from the floods. 

Over a three-year period, from June 2004-September 2007, Owatonna experienced more than $10 million in flood damage to public and private buildings.  Most recently, August 2007 heavy rainfall delivered 8-10 inches of rain in hours, damaged 121 homes.

Walz was the sole member of the Minnesota delegation to request the flood control funds for Owatonna.  Walz and other members of the Minnesota delegation worked together to secure the following funds for
other Minnesota priorities:
*    $2 million for the Minnesota National Guard Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program
*    $704,000 for the National Guard's Minnesota Army National Guard Armory Emergency Response Generators 
*    $1.3 million for the Minnesota Helicopter Civil Band Radio Communication
*    $2.224 million for Minnesota Satellite Multi-Modal Collaborative Crisis and Training Network

Rushford Tri-County Record: Remembering one year ago

The editor of the Rushford Tri-County Record reflects on One long year later in a great editorial. In today's personal column, he reflects on the impact of the flood on the newspaper.

Neither piece mentions that Rushford Tri-County Record received a well-deserved Frank Premack Public Affairs Journalism Award from the U of M J-School for last year's coverage of the flood. Nor does Myron Shober mention that shortly after the flood, he was diagnosed with cancer. A profile in professionalism and commitment to a community.

Saturday afternoon digest: competition edition

The latest Cook Political Report on competitive house races continues to place MN-01 in the least-likely-to-change category, "Likely Democratic." The handicapper defines this category this way: 

"Likely: These seats are not considered competitive at this point but have the potential to become engaged."

Cook updated ratings for two Congressional races on Thursday, as it believes the odds have improved for the Democratic candidates in two seats in Missouri and Alabama.  The assessment for the MN-01 general election has remained unchanged.

Some competition is happening in the First. There's definitely a Republican primary on. LaCrosse CBS affiliate WKBT reports in Minn. State Sen. Dick Day makes push for Congress:

In a visit to Southeastern Minnesota Thursday, Day said his 25 years of experience in politics makes him a good candidate, and he wants to make his campaign about the issues.

Those who slept through geography class  may not know that LaCrosse  is just across the Highway 61 bridge from LaCrescent. Day is not the only one working the edges of the district.

A friend who travels across large swaths of rural Southern Minnesota for his job writes:

On Highway 68 from the Brown County line north through Morgan to Redwood Falls , there are a series of groups of Republican signs. They are every 1-2 miles. They all appear on the same person’s property, namely that of a person that bought the railroad line that runs along the road in that area. Each grouping had Colemen, Davis, a local representative candidate, often McCain in small signs, but most curiously, “Pawlenty for governor” signs. They must think he has coat tails. Likely they went up for Farmfest and were left up.

That is a fair assessment, especially since the Redwood County vote is unlikely to play a key role in either the primary or general election in the First. Our sign watchers in the field also reported another Day sign up in Madelia, in a field next to the Tony Downs food processing plant.

In an interview with ABC-affiliate WXOW in LaCrosse, Day brought up immigration as an issue for the race;  Day's candidacy may get a boost from this meeting in Austin.  As the Divine Tild noted in the waning days of 2007, Day made a run for the border last year as he sought to make immigration the signature issue for the district. The meeting on Monday:

Town Hall meeting on immigration

Oak Park Mall Community Room, 1301 18th Ave. N.W., Austin. 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Panelists are Susan Tully, Midwest field director for Federation for American Immigration Reform; Ruthie Hendrycks, founder/president of Minnesotans Seeking Immigration Reform; Dell Erickson, author and educator; Ron Branstner, minuteman from California.

What looks to be a press release about the event, the Austin Herald's notice of the meeting called the panelists "experts" and today's editorial recommends that people attend it. We want to know where the employees at the Herald are scoring Pineapple Express.

Loyal readers may remember that this is the paper that employs a reporter who contacted a severe case of Davis Misinformation Syndrome that led her to write that Tim Walz had defeated Brian Davis in 2006; in reality, Walz defeated six-term incumbent Gil Gutknecht.

The U.S. State Department's Election 2008 project recently reported on immigration as an issue in Immigration Reform Major Issue in Minnesota Food-Processing City. The reporter noted the positions on immigration of the three congressional candidates in the First:

The candidates for Minnesota’s 1st District congressional seat have varying views. Republican Dick Day, who is challenging the party-endorsed Republican candidate Brian Davis in a September primary, says a fence is the way to go. He also believes in heavy fines for employers if they are found to have hired workers illegally.

Davis also favors a fence and enforcement of existing laws. He says a “tamper-proof system” should be created to determine if employees and people applying for work are legally entitled to work in the United States.

Both Davis and Democrat incumbent Tim Walz favor a system that would allow people in America illegally to return to their home countries and apply for permanent residency. Davis also thinks knowledge of English should be required to obtain U.S. citizenship.

We can't vouch for the accuracy of McConnell's reporting (which is routinely republished by the Newsblaze site in California--where a Davis supporter has already hijacked the story's comment thread to claim that only his candidate favors a border fence). She seems to face enormous challenges when it comes to identifying Congressman Walz, much less his positions on issues (the example above leaves out a lot, including Walz's position on biometric ids).

This isn't the first story in the series that we've wondered about McConnell's misrepresentation through omission. In yesterday's Republican Area in Minnesota Could Go Democratic in November (Newsblaze posting, but attributed to the U.S. State Department project, McConnell reported first:

The majority of visitors who spoke with America.gov at the Olmstead County Fair - an annual celebration of the area's agricultural economy held in Rochester - said they would vote for Obama over Republican John McCain for president.

We like that part. But then she must have burned one, suffered a relapse of Davis Misinformation Syndrome, or both:

Finding alternative energy sources to relieve high gasoline prices and confronting climate change are issues that concern the people surveyed.

Most voters said they believe every individual can do something to protect the environment, such as recycling waste, driving less and using less electricity. They split on the question of whether America should drill for oil off America's coastlines or in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.

Both McCain and Obama favor some form of offshore oil drilling. Brian Davis, the Republican-endorsed candidate for the area's 1st Congressional District seat, strongly favors looking for oil offshore and drilling in Alaska, while 1st District incumbent Representative Tim Walz, a Democrat, favors developing alternative energy sources such as wind and ethanol.

This is the second time the poor child been unable to mention H.R. 6709, which would expand offshore  drilling. Walz and the bipartisan House Energy Working Group introduced the bill at the end of July, so we're not sure why the State Department can't find it in Thomas.  Maybe McConnell scored from the Herald staff when she visited Southern Minnesota.

Former mayor of Preston and an Independence Party congressional candidate in 2004, David Pechulis writes a Letter about Oil Drilling to the editors of the Fillmore County Journal. We're not sure about his claim that refineries are working close to 100 percent of their capacity; most figures we've seen put it between 85 and 90 percent. On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that it was at 85.9 percent of capacity the week before.

In Early Voting, Minnesota First's Apollo suggests that if anyone is up for Operation Chaos action, he or she can find it in the district's Republican primary (we assume he's talking about absentee balloting):

Early voting started last Friday, so if you are going to be away from your precinct on September 9, be sure to go vote. Tim Walz is unopposed in the primary, but if anyone is feeling up for a little Operation Chaos, Dick Day is an inviting option!

While we assume that the MF blogger is teasing, we don't recommend such tactics. People should use their vote in good faith, picking the candidates they feel will best serve the country, state or district.  In Minnesota's open primary, voters pick to vote for a party's candidates, but must pick those from one party  only. And DFLers, after all, have an important U.S. Senate primary vote, so it's also in their own interest not to go down the Operation Chaos path for the sake of the congressional race.

The Winona Daily News editorial board says Sorry, we don’t need reports, just money about the Walz amendment to the bridge bill. We think that both are needed, but the editors' suggestion that the government should act on report recommendations is a good one. The trick is spending the government dime wisely.

The Fillmore County Journal looks back A year after the great Rushford flood.

Swaney gets life sentence, according to the Worthington Globe. Good.  Swaney was convicted this week for the brutal murder of 20-year-old  Blue Mounds State Park worker Carrie Nelson.

Photo: A still of State Senator Dick Day in one of two appearances on Lacrosse-Southeastern Minnesota  television news.

News digest: Southern Minnesota's fair tradition; or, class warfare in New Ulm

The Owatonna People's Press reports on A fair tradition:

It’s as much a tradition at county fairs as cheese curds and rides on the midway, especially in an election year — politicians pressing the flesh and courting voters.

A wonderful picture of DFL state 26A House candidate and local teacher Kory Kath accompanies the article. Kath talks about the importance of meeting voters, and the paper notes Republican endorsed candidate Owatonna Mayor Ton Kuntz. We do wonder if the GOP booth is ever--shall we say--awkward?:

Kory Kath, DFL-Owatonna, said he enjoys having dialogue with people even if he disagrees with them on certain issues. Their voices are important to hear, especially if he ends up representing them at the Capitol.

“To be able to have that many conversations with that many people and listening to the issues ... is so rewarding,” he said.

His opponent, Tom Kuntz, R-Owatonna, has been hanging out with state Rep. Connie Ruth, who is retiring at the end of the year, and state Sen. Dick Day. With lawn signs already out for both campaigns, Kuntz said it’s important to make his presence known.

“It’s nice neither one of us has a primary election, so we can focus on the general election,” Kuntz said.

Senator Day has a primary, though. Minnesota Republican party chair Ron Carey made a lot of noise about the banishment of Day for bypassing the endorsement process, but that exile must stop at the Steele County border. Guess local Republican endorsements just aren't that sacred these days. Day is working his home turf:

Meanwhile in the First Congressional District race, Day and Brian Davis have already made appearances at the fair. Day is challenging Davis in a Republican primary on Sept. 9 and said plans to make a stop at the fair every night. Davis stopped at the fair Tuesday and is making a number of fair appearances throughout the district for the rest of the week.

The winner will face U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who plans to make an appearance at the fair on Saturday, officials from the Steele County DFL said.

In 2006, Walz and Gutknecht met for a debate on farm policy at the Steele County Fair; it was the first head-to-head forum that featured just the First District contenders.

Elsewhere in the paper, Walz supporter Sondra Von Arb writes the editor to say Walz’s ‘Fairness Act’ helps middle class.  Despite his declarations of prior political apathy, this anti-Walz LTE writer in Winona may be in the hip pocket of the local Republicans, though we're not certainly it's the same guy.

The New Ulm Journal reports that Class warfare is taking place covertly in Brown County. It's all rock 'n roll to us.

The one-year anniversary of the deadly flooding in Southeastern Minnesota is coming up. The Rushford Tri-County Record has published a schedule of memorial events. Rushford never, ever gave up.

Randy Swaney has been found guilty of the brutal murder of Blue Mounds State Park worker Carrie Nelson in  2001; he was charged with the crime in 2007 while serving a prison term for theft in South Dakota. Nelson, who was only 20 at the time of her death, worked in on Swaney as he was robbing a state park office. Swaney faces a maximum sentence of life in prison; we hope he gets it.

The murderer of Blue Earth's "Jane Doe" will stay in a Texas prison until at least 2011, the Fairmont Sentinel reports. Former Minnesota state trooper Robert Leroy Nelson:

was convicted of first-degree manslaughter of Jane Doe and criminal sexual conduct with a child in Minnesota in 1989. He had already been convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child in 1988 in Texas. He received a life sentence in Texas, and Minnesota sentenced him to 15 years, which would run concurrent with Texas.

This was another brutal murder of a stranger. Nelson raped, murdered, and disposed of the woman's body; her identity is still unknown. Blue Earth resident Deborah Anderson has spent the last five years working to discover the victim's identity.  We posted about the case back in January and are grateful that Texas didn't turn Jane Doe's killer loose.

Physicians against nutrition: Davis calls USDA food programs "bad parts" of Farm Bill

In the Mankato Free Press's ag supplement, organizer Kent Theisse puts Farmfest forums in summary form. He writes:

The “Congressional Candidates Forum on Agriculture and Rural Issues” was also held on the first day of Farmfest, and was also well attended. Incumbent Congressmen Collin Peterson and Tim Walz provided numerous highlights of the new farm bill passed earlier this year. Peterson chaired the U.S. House ag committee that was a key in writing the new farm bill, and Walz was a member of that committee.

Congressional candidates Brian Davis and Dick Day from the First District, Steve Sarvi from the Second District, Elwyn Tinklenberg from the Sixth District, and Glen Menze from the Seventh District, all applauded many of the provisions in the new farm bill, but also pointed out some things that could be improved in the legislation. The low profitability in the livestock industry and rapidly rising input costs for crop producers were also discussed. Future U.S. energy policy also garnered considerable discussion in this forum."

Wednesday is AgriNews day, and it reports a few paragraphs each on Walz, Day, and Davis in Seven House candidates take part in Farmfest forum. Some choice bits:

Seven candidates from four Congressional districts participated in Farmfest's Congressional Candidate's Forum on Agriculture and Rural Issues.

The candidates debated in a friendly tone, once in a while jabbing at their opponent.

No one issue emerged from the debate as a hot button issue, but each candidate tried to outline their views before the estimated 900 people in attendance at the Aug. 5 forum.

The requested waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard was discussed, with Rep. Collin Peterson, D-7th District, predicting the federal Environmental Protection Agency would not reduce or waive the RFS.

The standard is critical, Peterson said, to move the nation's renewable fuels industry forward and is part of the solution to weaning the nation from foreign oil. Congress is committed to this goal, he said. He supports nuclear, wind and coal development.

His opponent, Glen Menze of Starbuck, said he likewise supports the RFS as did Rep. Tim Walz, D-1st District.

Brian Davis, a Rochester Republican who is running to unseat Walz, said he wouldn't have supported the 2007 energy bill because it did not contain a provision for off-shore drilling. Davis re-iterated his support for off-shore drilling several times during the nearly 90-minute forum.

Davis has said elsewhere that he opposes "mandates" like the RFS and renewable electricity standards, although he now says he supports "subsidies" for ethanol.

The article notes other questions the candidates discussed:

Walz highlighted the beginning farmer and rancher language of the bill, a portion he sponsored.

"If I would have written the bill myself it wouldn't look like this," Walz said, but in a democracy compromise is necessary.

Day and Davis said there were portions they would like to change, but it's time to move forward with the legislation.

Of the people on the panel, Davis was the only one to decline to say whether he would have voted for the farm bill if he had been in the House. He called the bill an improvement on past efforts, but said the "bad parts" included 70 percent of the bill that had nothing to do with farming, including food stamps and other programs.

Walz noted the evasion and pointed out how a congressman's responsibility is to decide.

"The thing about being in Congress is when the farm bill comes up, the buttons in front of you are yes or no. You need to make a decision," Walz said.

Lest we be accused of misrepresenting Davis's response, here's the transcript of what we heard Brian Davis say:

You know I’ve been asked this question a few times before and I have to tell you this that since I’m not in Congress its difficult to give a straight yes or no answer because the reality is that it passed with such an overwhelming majority that President Bush couldn’t even veto it. We know that it is an improvement of what we had in the 1940s and  what we’re looking for and we do need to have support for our rural communities. We do need to have a situation where farmers can pass down a family farm from one generation to the next. The improvements are in the cyclical payment program. The bad parts are about 70% of it are not really farm programs- they’re food stamps and entitlement programs. [emphasis added] So there reasons to be a better way to do it but it’s what we have right now and we need to move forward with it.

The "Farm Bill" is short for the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. We're wondering if Brian thinks the "bad parts" of the Farm Bill (as described  by a recent release by those commies at the Extension office of North Carolina A & T State University) are these items:

You may be surprised to learn that the biggest beneficiary to the farm bill is in the area of nutrition, where funding was increased by $10.3 billion.  Nutrition programs such as school lunches, food stamps, and food banks now account for 70% of the overall total expenditures. With obesity as one of the biggest nutritional challenges America faces today, this bill specifically targets funding to ensure that families receiving food stamps and children receiving school lunches will have more access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Day objected to earmarks to pay for tax credits for race horses; Davis, on the other hand singled the "bad parts," the "entitlements" that are nutritional programs.

The USDA's Food and Nutritional Service web site lays out a table of programs:

	Food Stamp Program
	Women, Infants and Children
	-- Farmers' Market Nutrition Program   -- Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program
	School Meals [see Farm Bill connection here and here]
	-- National School Lunch Program   -- School Breakfast Program   -- Special Milk Program   -- Team Nutrition
	Summer Food Service Program
	Child and Adult Care Food Program
	Food Assistance for Disaster Relief
	Food Distribution
	-- Schools/Child Nutrition Commodity Programs -- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations   -- Nutrition Services Incentive Program   -- Commodity Supplemental Food Program   -- The Emergency Food Assistance Program

We're curious which nutritional "entitlement" programs he thinks are the worst, other than the food stamps he specifically named. Those school lunches?  Earlier this summer, the Winona Daily News reported Rushford-Peterson qualifies for program after flood:

The Rushford-Peterson School District began providing free breakfasts and lunches to children Mondays, part of a state-funded summer lunch program. The Summer Food Service Program, administered by the Minnesota Department of Education, reimburses schools for summer meals if 50 percent of children in its geographical area qualify for free or reduced lunches.

About 35 percent of students in the Rushford-Peterson district normally qualify for free or reduced lunches, but after last year’s flood, that number jumped to almost 60 percent. The numbers have not significantly dropped, so the district will offer free lunches to children, regardless of economic status, for the next five summers.

According to a fact sheet [word doc] at the Minnesota Department of Education:

The SFSP is a program administered by the Minnesota Department of Education, Food and Nutrition Service (MDE-FNS) and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Or maybe Davis objects to the USDA's Midwest Flood Response &  Recovery Assistance program helping people in Iowa and other federal disaster areas. We have a call in to see if a similar aid program kicked in for those seeking help from last August's flooding in Southeastern Minnesota.

Late in 2007, Rochester-based MPR reporter Sea Stachura reported about the need for increased aid at Rochester's Channel One Food Shelf in Farm bill will influence food shelf future. Maybe Davis objects to  aid for his neighbors.  Is the "bad part" assistance to food shelves?

Maybe WIC coupons for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and little kids are the "bad part."

We wondered if anyone else caught this and asked some of our friends for their thoughts. The Divine and Most Influential Tild responded by creating the logo at the beginning of this post. It's for another professional group Davis might join (heck he'd have to start it): Physicians Against Nutrition.  Give poor kids milk money? How dare Congressman Walz support such things!

Photo: Put down that fork, little girl from Rushford, and step away from your entitlement. Doctor Davis says it's a "bad part" of the Farm Bill.

Both the Land and AgriNews's summaries don't quite capture what GOP endorsee said about the Farm Bill. Actually, Davis didn't give a yes or no answer, as Agri News' sister paper, the Post Bulletin noted in Walz faces off with Davis, Day in debate:

OPP editorial: Common sense earmarks

While both of the First District Republicans sparring over their party's nomination grandstand about earmarks, Congressman Walz has been transparent about his budget requests, while supporting earmark reform.

Last week, he visited Owatonna to look at the neighborhood for which he's requested funding for a flood control project. The area was flooded twice last year.

The fairly conservative Owatonna People's Press is no fan of earmarks, but in today's editorial, the paper's board praises the project in An Earmark That Makes Sense, concluding:

. . .there are times when the projects are worthwhile. The earmark that Mr. Walz has proposed for Owatonna is one such case. What makes it important is that it is not a bridge to nowhere, but funds which will help a community prevent flooding and help residents keep their homes from being damaged. Keeping people and their property safe from the ravages of Mother Nature seems a worthwhile goal for the government.

Caledonia Argus: Congressman Walz puts forth bold funding request for 2009

The Caledonia Argus reports in Congressman Walz puts forth bold funding request for 2009:

Congressman Tim Walz has put forth a bold funding request for his district for fiscal year 2009. Many of his proposals will have an impact on our immediate area.

Closest to home, the congressman has requested money for the Houston County flood damage reduction project.

“Funding would go for an Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study to determine potential flood reduction projects in Houston county,” said Walz.

In conjunction with that request, the congressman has also requested money for flood map modernization for Southeastern Minnesota.

“The funding would provide high-quality data for eight counties in southeastern Minnesota, to help local officials plan effective flood mitigation strategies,” he said.

Houston county would be included among the eight counties.

Owatonna turns to Walz for flood control funding

In addition to transportation, another important component of Congressment Walz's infrastructure budget requests is for flood relief.  While last August flooding in Southeastern Minnesota was the most deadly and dramatic, other parts of the district also suffered from the effects of flooding.

KEYC-TV reports Owatonna Hopes Federal Aid Will Boost Flood Control Efforts. There's video available at the link.  Some details from the story:

Despite being far away from any river, folks in one area of Owatonna suffered from two separate floods in August and October of 2007.

Owatonna Mayor Thomas Kuntz says, "That caused some problems with about 270 homes on our southeast side of town. Some of them getting just a little amount of water in their basement to some of them having their egress windows busted out and their whole basement flooded."

The Southeast corner had flooding problems for the past five years, and this fall, the city took action. But when they looked to the state for help...," Kuntz says, "There's about 43 million dollars in request they have about 10 million dollars to be able to service that. The answer to Owatonna was zero. Zero dollars."

The city pressed on, highlighting 8 projects that would alleviate the constant flooding.

But even with issuing 3.7 million dollars in bonds, Owatonna could only afford the top four projects.So the city is looking to their Congressman, Democrat Tim Walz, to do what he can to get federal funding. . . .

When Congressman Walz talks about his budget requests coming from local leaders and going through vetting by his staff, these sorts of details underly that general statement.  Wants or needs? Sounds like a necessary project rather than wasteful pork.

MFP: Transparency of earmarks provides no political ammunition

Newspapers across the district are reporting on Walz's release yesterday of his budget requests--and the preliminary dollar amounts attached to them. About fifty percent of the dollar amounts are for three large multi-state public works project that enjoy broad bipartisan support from the congressional delegations in the states where the projects are located. The three alrge projects are the Lewis and Clark Rural Water Project (MN, IA, SD); the Upper Mississippi River Navigation project that would update the lock and dam system for barge traffic (upper Mississippi and Illinois Waterway); and the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (MN, IA, IL, WI, MO).

Moving east to west across the district, the Winona Daily News reports Walz releases earmark requests. The brief article focuses on the process by which the earmarks will be scrutinized:

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., on Tuesday released his list of funding requests — also known as earmarks — before the House appropriations process begins for fiscal year 2009.

Walz requested 55 earmarks for projects throughout the 1st Congressional District — though he emphasized most won’t receive funding.

The requests are winnowed in committees before they’re scrutinized by the full U.S. House, then the Senate, then the president.

Depending on the outcome of that process, the Winona area could benefit from a host of requests to fund flood-prevention efforts. . . .

Are efforts to provide better flood prevention in Southeastern Minnesota wasteful spending, or a sound investment?  What are citizens and taxpayers shelling out after last August's floods?

The Rochester Post Bulletin hasn't posted a regular article about the requests on its web site yet, but Ed Felker has provided a short update at the Political Party blog in Walz seeks $211.5 million for 47 projects. [Update] The PB has posted two stories: Walz seeks millions in federal funding for area and Walz strives to get funds for Hormel Institute [end update]

The Mankato Free Press (see pictures below) published two articles in this morning's dead tree edition. One, Walz releases list of earmarks, begins:

Congressman Tim Walz released Tuesday a list of 47 southern Minnesota projects he will be asking Congress and President Bush to authorize as part of the upcoming federal budget, including $20 million for Highway 14 improvements and nearly $17 million for a National Guard facility in Mankato.

Walz cautioned that many of the earmarks will not make the final cut — or will be scaled back in size — as lawmakers from across the country compete to place earmarks in budget bills.

But the freshman Democrat from Mankato, working with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman, had success last year in getting funding for a number of projects in the 1st District, including a half-dozen in the Mankato area.

“Minnesota sends more money to Washington that it gets back, and it’s appropriate for us to advocate for the good use of tax dollars (in the district),” Walz said.

The New Ulm Journal reports in Walz announces list of funding requests:

Rep. Tim Walz released the list of projects that he will be forwarding to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration. The 47 projects on his list carry a price tag of $211.5 million. However, Walz cautioned that few of the projects on his list may make it through the appropriations process and receive funding, at least for this year.

Walz’s list didn’t originally include price tags for his projects, however, until reporters on a teleconference call asked him how his claim to bring “transparency” to the process squared with his reluctance to announce the dollar amounts he was putting on his requests. Walz pointed out that Minnesota’s other congress people don’t even announce their lists, as he does, but he agreed it would be proper to release the amounts of the projects on his list.

And so he did.   

The jpgs below provide the full articles from the Mankato Free Press. We hope you will read the articles; they note that the two candidates remaining in the Republican primary battle have said that they will not make budget requests, or earmarks, for the district.

The Big Give gives some to SE Minnesota flood victims

The Winona Daily News reports Flood victims to benefit from ‘Big Give’:

Last August’s flood victims in Minnesota and Wisconsin will soon get a boost from daytime TV’s queen of giving Oprah Winfrey.

La Crescent, Minn.-based news station WXOW-19 recently received $10,000 from ABC and Oprah’s “Big Give” show, a reality series where challengers spend millions on local charities to be crowned “The Biggest Giver,” after WXOW submitted a proposal on how the show could help the region.

In the spirit of giving, U.S. Bank and Dahl Automotive of La Crosse, Wis., matched funds to make $20,000 available to flood victims within the WXOW viewing area, which includes Fillmore, Winona and Houston counties in Minnesota. . . .

. . .As of last Friday, WXOW had 52 submissions. Great Rivers United Way of La Crosse and the United Way of Olmsted County will select the beneficiaries — hopefully five to 10 families, maybe more, McClurg said.

“We’re not going to be give to every family because there’s not that much funds,” McClurg said. “But we want to help out multiple families.”

Flood survivors can visit www.wxow.com/contests/index.php to apply. Local businesses and residents may help out with this project by contacting their local United Way.

Oprah’s “Big Give” eight-week program kicked off March 2. Will Oprah or “Big Give” contestants make an appearance here?

“Well, you never know,” McClurg said.

Oprah may not be able to make her way to Winona, but the paper reports in a separate story that Amy Klobuchar visits area: Flood victims share concerns with senator.

The article helps illustrate why the $20,000 generated by the Big Give won't go very far:

Roger Colbenson doesn’t want politicians to forget what he and hundreds of others have gone through since last August’s flood.

“I am now $220,000 in debt,” said the 66-year-old Rushford resident, landlord and business owner to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. “So many people can’t borrow anymore money, and they’re close to being foreclosed on … None of this is going to help if you don’t get people back into homes.”

On a sweeping mission to visit all 87 counties in Minnesota, Klobuchar made stops in Goodview, Houston and Rushford on Monday afternoon to discuss flood recovery and rebuilding efforts with local officials, flood relief workers and case managers. Flood victims such as Colbenson made sure to get a word in with the senator.

The feedback and challenges Klobuchar heard varied with each city, but she found one common theme.

“There is a sense of optimism,” Klobuchar said. “The proof is in the numbers — people have chosen to stay.”

Houston and Goodview representatives reported few if any population changes after the flood. Rushford Mayor Les Ladewig said 55 of 58 affected businesses have reopened and 10 percent of Rushford flood victims are temporarily living out of town.

The stacks of paperwork, looming funding deadlines, conflicting aid rules between federal and state agencies and weather-related issues with Federal Emergency Management Agency mobile homes were problems officials in each city shared.

It's great to see the Big Gift's money, and perhaps it will inspire more to give. In the meantime, it's good  that elected officials haven't forgotten that people are still picking up the pieces in Southeastern Minnesota.

Evening news digest: counting small-boned bodies edition

The Pioneer Press reports that Robert Bly is state's first poet laureate. We take our title tonight from one of his most famous poems, from the Vietnam War era.

It's the Festival of Owls this weekend in Houston, according to the Winona Daily News.

The Albert Lea Tribune's acting publisher writes that Knocking down snowmen is no funny matter. We agree.

The New Ulm Journal praises The Transportation 6, while the Owatonna People's Press gives Senator Day Kudos to his decision to skip the endorsement and go straight to the primary. The editorial board scolds the GOP:

. . . But what southern Minnesota's Republicans are doing and what they ought to do are two very different things. They ought to recruit and support candidates who have the best chance of representing their views in office. Instead, they are throwing a political tantrum because one candidate had the audacity to suggest that voters, not just a few party insiders, should have a say in an election. . . .

The Rochester Post Bulletin reported on a meeting where Flood victims try to get answers. Walz staff members were there.

In a letter to the Cottonwood County Citizen, Richard Peterson writes that Hamilton's transportation vote took courage. A DFLer, Peterson opposed Hamilton in the race for House 22B in 2004 and 2006.

Transportation of another mode is an issue on the Mississippi River, according to the Winona Daily News in Delta Queen future still in balance; Walz puts support behind exemption.

The Worthington Daily Globe reports ICE pays Worthington another visit.  This time it's a search for specific individuals, rather than a sweep through the Swift hog plant..

Finally, a YouTube of  Tim Walz and George Miller discussing textbook prices on the House floor earlier this month. The amendnment under debate was part of the College Opportunity & Affordability Act.

Six months ago: the status of towns flooded in August

Judging from the news, it's a day for reflection and remembrance. The Wetterling family will mark Jacob Wetterling's 30th birthday with prayer and a request that families talk about safety with their children. That's always timely. Jacob, who remains missing, was kidnapped at gunpoint on October 22, 1989. He was 11 years old then.

In southeastern Minnesota, there's a blizzard warning out as the edge of a winter storm touches that corner of the state. The bad weather underscores the Winona Daily News's inventory of post-flood rebuilding efforts. The top story? In Rushford, there is hope for normalcy. 

Others to check out:

• Stockton: There has been progress since flood
• 'It doesn’t look like Minnesota City anymore’
• St. Charles: A time like this brings out the best
• Whitewater State Park’s recovery crucial to Elba
• Goodview changed forever by flood
• Houston: It could have been much worse

A final story, Counting flood damage in dollars and cents looks at the flood's lingering economic impact. Some tidbits:

In October, Winona County officials pegged total recovery costs at $77.85 million. That includes damage to both private property and infrastructure, property buyouts in flood-prone areas, demolition and environmental costs.

Then there are the “hidden” economic costs, like lost productivity for businesses, Grover said. She added that a “trickle-down” effect could harm businesses that weren’t directly affected.

In Rushford, for example, officials say businesses have been quick to re-open, only to struggle in a community that’s still impoverished by the disaster.

The area has received a lot of private and public aid, but one source of funding that helps the cleanup and out-of-work individuals is about to end:

Conversely, the flood also brought an infusion of outside dollars from state, federal and private relief agencies.

The state already has allocated $77 million for flood recovery in seven counties, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The relief funds are helping revitalize the area’s battered economy, Grover said. But she said the economic losses from the flood are far more evident than the gains.

“I’m not seeing the economic boost on the positive side � mostly, it’s a downturn,” Grover said.

Local residents whose jobs were displaced by flooding also are in danger of losing access to a government program to employ them.

The Winona Workforce Center has enrolled more than 100 participants � including some who were unemployed before the flood � to clean up flood debris, using a National Emergency Grant from the Department of Labor.

But federal guidelines only allow victims to work for an equivalent of six months in full-time hours, or up to a wage cap of $12,000.

Those rules could leave workers unemployed in the coming months, said program director Steve Runkle. Runkle said he’s lobbied Rep. Tim Walz, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman to adjust the federal guidelines.

And meanwhile, potential health threats have been raised with the FEMA trailers.

Wednesday morning news digest: infrastructure edition

The Winona Daily News reports that people in the  Stockton-Rollingstone-Minnesota City Watershed District seeks debris removal and stream-bank reconstruction to repair what was damaged in last August's flooding. Though the group has been around for decades, residents began flocking to its meetings last fall under the deluge. Staff from Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Tim Walz's offices attended last night’s meeting.

Last July, Luverne received a federal transportation grant to facilitate improvement of the local airport. Today, the Worthington Globe reports Luverne airport closer to expansion. Upgrading the air trnasportation infrastructure is another key to growing a robust rural economy.

Congressman Walz's press call about his travels to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and military medical facilities in Germany begins in a few minutes. Along with the rest of the media, we'll let you know what he has to say.

 

Saturday morning news digest: notable quotables

Yesterday's Fillmore County Journal highlights the notable quotes from 2007. The editors included Two statements from Congressman Walz:

"No one has been more wrong about Iraq, more consistently than the President."

1st District Congressman Tim Walz commenting on President Bush's decision to send an additional 21,500 American troops to Iraq. (January 15)

"We need creative ways to find the resources to rebuild business communities, especially in Rushford. If we rebuild the infrastructure and the homes, without the businesses, the City will be difficult to restore."

Rep. Tim Walz talking about the action needed to rebuild Rushford after the flood. (September 10).

Today's Post Bulletin looks at the response of local politicians to the Iowa Caucuses in Analysis: Iowa voters dissatisfied with Bush, direction of U.S. politics:

Area politicians and political observers, taking stock of Thursday's Iowa Caucus, say Iowans voiced a desire for a new direction in American politics. . . .

. . .Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato, who toppled a 12-year Republican incumbent in 2006, said Friday he was taken by the big turnout of independents and first-time participants in Iowa.

Obama campaigned for Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., before some 3,000 at the Mayo Civic Auditorium crowd in Rochester just before the 2006 election. Walz saw then the senator's appeal for a less confrontational, results-oriented political system. Huckabee's victory added to Walz's conclusion that voters of both parties are turning away from the strong partisanship of recent decades.

"There's a sense of looking for something fresh and a different way of doing it," Walz said.

Kunkel sounded a similar theme, but said change is translating to a turn toward the Democrats. "Republicans are quite discouraged, and Democrats are quite encouraged, and that's a continuation of 2006," he said.

Rep. John Kline, a Republican from Lakeville who represents the 2nd Congressional District, through his spokesman declined a request to discuss the Iowa caucus results. Neither he nor Walz have endorsed a candidate from their respective parties.

In the netroots, Mercury Rising, MnCR, the Fruitfly, and Lloydletta's look at the SD25 race.  We'll post our own analysis after we finish interviewing our friends who worked on the effort.