While earlier articles reported that Winge would run as an Independence Party man, his paperwork list "Independent."
Whatever the case, Winge boasts an impressive resume .His LinkedIn profile reveals a fascinating career. He's probably best known in Minnesota for his transformation of Open Arms Minnesota across 12 years. The group's 2011 annual report notes:
In 2011, our executive director Kevin Winge resigned from his post to head up a similar organization in San Francisco, California. While we were happy for him, we were also sad to say goodbye to a dynamic leader and friend. For 12 years, Kevin inspired, challenged, encouraged and, yes, hugged us. To know Kevin was to be inspired by Open Arms — and to get involved. When he joined us, Open Arms cooked and delivered meals for 100 people living with HIV/AIDS on a $300,000 budget. Today, our budget exceeds $3 million: We have our own garden, an international program, and each week we serve 750 people living with HIV/AIDS, MS, ALS, cancer and 60 other diseases here in Minnesota.
That's an impressive accomplishment, and it illustrates Winge's optimistic and civil nature. The experience would also prove helpful as a Republican congress debates health care costs.
Kevin “Bird” Winge is forming an exploratory committee to consider a run for Rep. Collin Peterson’s seat in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District in 2016.
Winge is a former leader of nonprofit corporations that provide meals to seniors and the critically ill, and this would be his first campaign.
Winge said he has decided to explore a run for office because of the polarization of the political system.
“Too many politicians are more concerned about special interest groups and reelections than they are about the future of our country,” he said in a press release. “The vitriolic language, the use of social issues to divide us, and the inability to balance budgets has to stop. Civility and compromise must return to government. Our energies must be concentrated on creating the nation we need to be a generation from now.”
Winge has spent time touring the district this fall, and expects to make a decision by the end of the year. . . .
Winge grew up in a farm outside Dawson and is a Montevideo resident. He has a bachelors in political science from the University of Minnesota and has a masters degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Can an Independence Party candidate make a dent in Peterson's popularity? Statewide IP candidates didn't fare well in the district in 2014. Adam Steele was on the congressional ballot in 2012 with Peterson and Republican Lee Byberg, garnering 4.67 percent of the vote.
Photo: Kevin Winge's (left) 2013 wedding, officiated by R.T. Rybak (center).
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There are fresh signs that tensions are still simmering.
Last week, a crowd attended a chicken dinner and talk titled “Shariah 101” by Jeffrey Baumann, a Coon Rapids man who said he believes Muslims and sharia law will take over the country. Standing at the front of a ballroom at Michael’s Restaurant in St. Cloud, Baumann said Muslims will eventually outnumber Christians in the United States.
The evening was organized by Kathleen Virnig, the former owner of a Catholic bookstore in St. Cloud. She said she was “dragged through the mud” by critics on social media in the days before the event. “They aren’t even willing to hear what the other person is saying and they condemn them,” she said.
Virnig said refugees have overwhelmed St. Cloud’s ability to care for them, costing the taxpayers too much and bringing changes to the city that aren’t supported by local Christians.
Baumann encouraged people to go to interfaith dialogues and public talks on Islam in Mankato, Brooklyn Park and, next week, at St. Cloud State University. Baumann said that people should go to the foot-washing station at the SCSU student union and use it to “make a scene.” The station was installed in 2001 after a Muslim student slipped and hit her head while washing her feet at a bathroom sink.
“If they’re challenged, ask ‘Is this Muslim-only or is this a public facility?’ ” said Baumann, adding that someone should bring a video camera to make sure that it has an effect.
Where did Minnesota's Anti-Sharia bills come from?
And Rao adds a couple of more names to the list of Minnesota legislators who attended the event:
The four legislators who attended Baumann’s speech were Sens. David M. Brown, R-Becker, and Bruce D. Anderson, R-Buffalo, and Reps. Jim Newberger, R-Becker, and Cindy Pugh, R-Chanhassen. None returned calls and e-mails last week seeking comment, though Brown told MPR that Baumann’s talk was not an “Islam-is-terrible type of thing.”
Pugh spoke briefly at the event, according to a source; she is a co-sponsor of HF2489. The sponsor of the pre-filed bill is Lake Shore Republican Mark Anderson, whose campaign committee chair, Bill Dain, organized an anti-refugee talk in Baxter on behalf of the Central Minnesota Tea Party Patriots. Based in Browerville, the group is a separate Tea Party organization from the St Cloud area's Central Minnesota Tea Party.
There is a growing trend in the states to ban the use of foreign and international law, including Sharia law, in state courts. At least seven states have enacted measures to prohibit their courts from considering foreign and international law and many others are considering such a ban. But despite the lofty rhetoric of supporters, these bans can do nothing that state law does not already do. The bans do not protect against the undue influence of foreign or international law upon our own domestic law and they do not protect against any real threat to individual rights. At their best, they are a solution in search of a problem. At their worst, however, they alienate politically unpopular groups and gratuitously condemn their beliefs.
The trend started in Oklahoma when, in 2010, Oklahoma voters approved the "Save Our State" constitutional amendment. The amendment banned the use of international law and foreign law in Oklahoma courts; it singled out Sharia law for particular disapprobation. It provided that "[t]he courts shall not look to the legal precepts of other nations or cultures. Specifically, the courts shall not consider international law or Sharia law."
The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit roundly struck the amendment in Awad v. Ziriax [PDF]. The court ruled that the ban on Sharia violated the Establishment Clause because the ban discriminated among religions without a compelling interest—or without any interest, for that matter. Indeed, the court noted that defenders of the amendment could not identify a single instance when an Oklahoma court applied Sharia law or other foreign law, much less an instance when such application resulted in a concrete problem for the state. But even if the state could identify an interest, the court said that the amendment was so crude that it could not "closely fit" any interest, anyway. The plaintiff's case illustrated why: Awad claimed, among other things, that the ban on Sharia would prevent Oklahoma courts from probating his will, which contained references to Sharia law. Before the amendment, state courts would have probated Awad's will, including its references to Sharia, so long as it did not violate public policy. But after the amendment, the courts could not have considered Sharia law at all, even as part of Awad's will. It is hard to see how that result serves any purpose. . . .
But in truth ALAC is worse than unnecessary and irrelevant; it is harmful and divisive. That is because it contains the same gratuitous anti-Islam intention as "Save Our State." According to the American Public Policy Alliance, which spearheads ALAC, ALAC is designed as a bulwark against Sharia law in American courts, even if ALAC itself does not specifically mention Sharia. Yet for all the blustering, advocates for ALAC have yet to identify a single instance when a court has applied foreign law, including Sharia law, in a way that created problems. They have not even coherently explained how such problems might arise, especially in light of the existing public policy exception to the general comity rule.
"Save Our States," ALAC and other attempts to restrict the use of foreign law in domestic courts are solutions in search of a problem. At their best, they do what the law already allows and requires. At their worst, they reveal an ugly underside of law and politics that seems calculated only to alienate and disempower certain disfavored peoples and to condemn certain disfavored faiths.
Update: In the St. Cloud Times, Kirsti Marohi got the same answer (it's already in the US Constitution) from two legal scholars at the University of Minnesota for her Fact check: Is ban on Sharia law necessary?.
In short, it's a redundant law, but Baumann and his pals believe they've found a way around Constitutional protections for Muslims. Just convince folks that Islam isn't a religion.
Baumann's anti-Islam views
Baumann's past published views about Muslims suggest that indeed he believes that Islam is terrible. In a 2013 letter to the editor of the ABC newpapers, "Bombings in Boston," Baumann wrote:
The bombings in Boston horrified us all, or at least we would like to believe it did, if we could just have a clear idea of who “us” is.
It’s easy to be confused when there is today little clarity about language, borders, citizenship, voting, culture, religion and even marriage, our history and our Constitution.
One bomber is dead, and the other in custody. Were there others? Maybe. Probably. But what was the motive? . . .
Lost in all this will be the simple – and accurate – answer. These were Muslims, being fully activated Muslims, waging Jihad against Kufr as best they could, just as Mohammed did and just as he instructed.
But despite this simple truth, our politicians, media and intellectuals will inundate us with calls to respect Islam, stressing that these two were part of a tiny fringe, reminding us that Islam is a Religion of Peace™, and shaming us into being more and more deferential to the demands of the most easily offended group on the planet.
And we will be lulled into returning to our lives, comfortable in the knowledge that our all-knowing, all-caring, beneficent government will keep us safe. And informed. And tolerant. And deluded.
Until one day, the number of young, male, fully activated Muslims will be such that they will simply slaughter us with impunity, as is currently happening in Thailand, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Pakistan, India, Tanzania, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, Norway, the Philippines, Indonesia, Lebanon, and Syria. And Mali and Tunisia. And Kosovo. And Chechnya. And right here in America (Nidal Hasan).
If only we had a clear idea of who “us” is.
Eventually they will have killed more Americans than Kermit Gosnell.
Would it be too much to ask that no more Muslims be granted citizenship until this can all be sorted out?
In short, Baumann believes, based on his reading of Islam, that Muslims are not "us," and because some Muslims adopt extremist terrorist beliefs, all Muslims are a threat.
According to our source, part of Baumann's policy agenda is to remove Islam from the protections of the First Amendment because it is a "complete replacement social system, not a religion.
The view is not original to Baumann and it's not homegrown in Minnesota. It's typically espoused by speakers associated with Act! For America.
Though often circulated by the hard right, constitutional scholars believe the interpretation has little merit. Constitutional scholar Eugene Volokh, beloved by many gun rights supporters given his brilliant defense of the Second Amendment, has been on it for years. In 2011, the Volokh Conspiracy blogger wrote in Islam and the First Amendment, concluding after claims that the Framers of the Constitution only extended religious freedom to Christian that:
I know of no sources that suggested that anyone during the Framing era understood the Constitution as excluding “Mahometans,” or non-Christians more generally, from either the Free Exercise Clause or the No Religious Test Clause. (The Framers were open to general religious references, and sometimes references to Christianity, in the speech of the federal government; they likely had a much narrower view of the Establishment Clause than that reflected in the Supreme Court’s modern caselaw. But that is a separate matter from which religions were protected by the Free Exercise Clause and the No Religious Test Clause.)
So says Oklahoma state legislator John Bennett — using logic under which much of Christianity would have not even been a religion for much of its history. I’m delighted that modern Christianity prefers to advance its agenda of global conversion through peaceful means rather than through conquest. But it’s pretty clear that many varieties of Christianity have been spread more forcefully than that at various times, and have been “social[ and] political system[s]” as well as purely theological ones. This didn’t make them “not even a religion” back then, and similar behavior on the part of some streams of Islam doesn’t make Islam “not even a religion” today.
Now I do think that criticism of various religions can be perfectly sound, and is often proper, whether the religion is Christian Science, Mormonism, evangelical Christianity, Catholicisms, Christianity generally, Judaism, Islam or theism generally. Religions are ideological belief systems that often lead many of their adherents to act in particular ways; they may rightly be criticized just as other belief systems may rightly be criticized. (I also think that much criticism of various religions has at times been overstated or ill-founded, and that includes Islam as well as the other religions.) But the first requirement has to be to talk candidly and accurately about what’s actually going on; attempts to deny that Islam is a religion don’t qualify.
Anti-Muslim and anti-refugee advocates often cite Volokh when it fits their version of "facts."
Baumann, Butt Hurt and Knoblach
Baumann provides his audience with an opportunity for motivated reasoning. Uncomfortable with change and new neighbors who don't share their heritage, they're looking for answers; some look for "facts" to support their fears. Speakers like Baumann and Corcoran offer affirmation to those fears.
Fact checks? Evaluation of sources? Fire up the butthurt machine after closing events to the general public. We agree that these events shouldn't be cancelled--and those efforts to shut them down on the part of regional labor council staff member Jane Conrad have done more harm than good.
Indeed, these event should be opened to the general public. But those who organize closed events aren't promoting open discussion. They're embracing their fears, including a fear of the rough and tumble of open debate.
As a point of fact, the first bullet point in the list, $180,000 to support the establishment of a Civil Rights in St. Cloud, was brought to the governor's attention by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jim Knoblach, according to an October article in the St. Cloud Times.
Harsh words and heartfelt sentiment were exchanged by community members and local officials on racial issues in Central Minnesota at the St. Cloud NAACP Community Conversation with Gov. Mark Dayton.
Hosted on Tuesday at St. Cloud Public Library, about 100 people from diverse backgrounds gathered to ask questions of St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis, St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson, Rep. Jim Knoblach, Minnesota Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey, Council on Black Minnesotans Community Program Specialist Kolloh Nimley and St. Cloud AFYA Pharmacyco-owner Dr. Edris Kosar. . . .
Knoblach vowed to repeat last year's efforts in the Legislature to increase funding for the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, including money for the department's office in St. Cloud.
Since Knoblach wasn't serving in the legislature in 2014, we'll assume the reporter is considering the last session and he means HF1364, a bill for which he was a co-author; retiring St. Cloud Republican John Pederson was a co-author of the companion bill, SF889.
While those pushing anti-refugee sentiment and anti-Muslim bills are conservatives in the Tea Party and Republican Party, not all Republicans are embracing this tripe. Knoblach, who chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, was a panelist at the NAACP Community Conversation in October.
It might be convenient for both conservative and progressive operatives to heighten tensions in St. Cloud-- whatever their motives might be--but Bluestem suspects that many residents would like to see efforts that lead to a stronger community for all residents, new and old.
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On December 7, Matthew William Gust allegedly "filled a 40-ounce beer bottle with gasoline, broke the window of Juba Coffee and Restaurant and threw the bottle inside, resulting in an explosion that caused $90,000 in damage."
The Grand Forks Herald reports that Gust hurled the Molotov cocktail through the window just days after words “go home” along with Nazi-like symbols were spray-painted on the restaurant, leading many to suspect that the small business was targeted because the owners are Somali. He's in custody after pleading not guilty, waiting for a March 15 trial.
We are writing to express our deepest gratitude to the Greater Grand Forks community for its residents' most kind wishes and donations.
We are deeply grateful to be part of this community. We have hope in this country because of you residents. Thank you for your generosity.
All of the donations will help us rebuild our restaurant, Juba Coffee and Restaurant, which served all people — any color and religion.
Juba provided free meals to the unemployed and to newcomers. We don't see color and religion. We see humans first.
The horrible act that happened to our restaurant has no place in the Greater Grand Forks community. We know that this hate does not represent North Dakota. The welcoming comments and best wishes from members of the community are truly appreciated.
Again, many, many thanks for the support and donations from members of the Greater Grand Forks community. We sincerely appreciate it. It means the world to us.
Ilhaam Hassan, Abdulaziz Moallin, Noura Ahmed and family
Grand Forks
The owners' mention of feeding the unemployed and newcomers echoes one such story the Grand Forks Herald included in coverage the day after the fire:
. . . Wayne Torrey, who lives at the nearby Ambassador Motel and said he was incredulous of the destruction.
Torrey said he regularly walked past the restaurant on his way to the bus stop and would greet patrons and workers there.
One day, he was having a rough day when restaurant employees offered him a free meal, he said.
“If they’ve got that much heart, I don’t even know why someone would do this” he said.
The Go Fund Me page is still accepting donations here. The effort is still $2,734 short of the goal--we hope readers can help reach that if they have not given already.
Photo: The Juba Cafe in better days.
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On Tuesday, Religious Right activist Bradlee Dean appeared on “The Real Side with Joe Messina,” where he criticized “the homosexual industry, or lobby, in America” for going to “war with Scripture.”
Dean also had a message for “radical” gay rights advocates: “Those radicals need to be lawfully dealt with because they are radical, they mean to divide and conquer, they mean to make war against real Christianity.”
“I’ve yet to find a situation where a homosexual could actually verify the fact that they were the victim of someone actually hating on them,” he said. “I have yet to see it.
Dean struggles after street ministry teams disband
Dean gained national attention in 2011 when he questioned President Obama's faith in a prayer delivered while serving as guest chaplain for the Minnesota House. The prayer was redacted and then-Speaker Kurt Zellers ordered a do-over for that day's session opener.
Later, Dean unsuccessfully tried to sue Rachel Maddow, MSNBC and local Minnesota reporter Andy Birkey for defamation after they reported remarks delivered on his radio show.
The 2013 and 2014 990 reports for Sons of Liberty posted online by Citizen Audit document the decline in the non-profit's revenues since the end of the street teams. Contribution and grants went from $899,202 in 2012 to $740,311 in 2013, then sank to $411,426 in 2014. (It's also possible that large donors departed from the scene).
Photo: On Facebook this week, Dean posted a photo of himself and his children walking on Hollywood Boulevard. We cropped out the kids for privacy sake (and don't link to the Facebook post), but Bradlee's flaxen ponytail and ballcap are unforgettable. Is he about to have that big break in a Netflix original series or just on a family vacation?
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The two bills aren't paired as companion bills, but they're fairly close in language. State representative Mark Anderson, R-Lake Shore, is the author of the new house bill; Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, Bob Dettmer, R-Forest Lake, and Cindy Pugh, R-Chanhassen, are co-authors.
UPDATE: Cindy Pugh spoke briefly at the Sharia 101 event in St. Cloud on January 26, according to a source who attended the event. [end update]
UPDATE #2 1/31/2016: The Star Tribune reports "The four legislators who attended Baumann’s speech were Sens. David M. Brown, R-Becker, and Bruce D. Anderson, R-Buffalo, and Reps. Jim Newberger, R-Becker, and Cindy Pugh, R-Chanhassen." At the time of this update, neither Anderson nor Newberger are co-authors of the bills in their respective chambers. [end update]
UPDATE: Anderson is retiring after one term. [end update]
As we reported in our late December 2015 post, Central Minnesota Tea Party Patriots to host Branstner refugee rabblerousing event, Anderson's campaign committee chair Bill Dian, organized former California Minuteman Civil Defense Corps member Ron Branstner's talk in Baxter, MN for the Central Minnesota Tea Party Patriots, based in Browerville.
A state legislator is taking heat for attending a private Shariah law event in St. Cloud that critics are calling anti-Islam.
Sen. David Brown, R-Becker, said the backlash he's getting for speaking at the event, billed as "Shariah 101," is unfounded. . . .
Brown said he was simply there as a lawmaker invited to speak about a bill he introduced last session. That bill would ensure the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution over foreign law. That issue has come up in divorce proceedings, he said, and he cited the example of a Somali woman going through a divorce.
"Her husband wanted the judge to use Shariah law for him to get custody of the children," Brown said. "Fortunately the judge ruled in favor of the woman, based on her constitutional rights."
Elrashidi pointed out that Shariah legally does not supersede the laws of the United States.
"Shariah is simply divine law," he said. "It's no different than canon law or Talmudic law."
He and other critics objected to the event having been private and held at an undisclosed location. It lacked the opportunity for an open dialogue or factual information about Islam and Shariah law.
"That would've gone a long way, but instead it was very secretive," he said. "It was very much promoted in a way that fits with an intent to present a skewed perception." . . .
CAIR officials said they plan to meet with Brown and that he's been open to having more conversations about Islam.
New: Brief history of anti-Sharia laws
Baumann's ideas are original. We take a look in our January 31 post, St. Cloud disunity: where'd those MN lawmakers get that wild & crazy anti-Sharia bill anyway? Short answer: the first state anti-sharia measures in the United States in Oklahoma. We also look at the sources of Baumann's notion that Islam isn't a religion (a position that would strip Muslims of First Amendment protections.
At the St. Cloud Times, Kirsti Marohi sought answers from two legal scholars at the University of Minnesota for her Fact check: Is ban on Sharia law necessary? Short answer: No.
Hello my name is _______ I am calling out of concern for my Muslim friends, family and neighbors. During your term you have made it your mission to target the Muslim community by spreading fear and misinformation which fuels the racial and religious tension that racks our state. I strongly encourage you to retract defaming statements you have made about the Minnesota Muslim community, to stop pursuing an agenda of fear, and to retract your unnecessary and mean-spirited law targeted at the imagined threat of sharia law. In show of support we ask you specifically to withdraw your bill SF1264. We hope that the communities that are fighting against this fear and hatred, who strive to have of all races and religions live together in harmony and cooperation, are given your support.
Minutes from an October 2011 Southwest Metro Tea Party Patriots meeting state that Baumann spoke on "The Threat of Shariah Law" and "painted a frightening picture of what is in store for the U.S. as deference to Islam continues to grow." The meeting minutes also state that Baumann was raised in Saudi Arabia. . . .
It sounds like not everyone wants to "hang out." Jeff Baumann, of Coon Rapids, said he was raised in Saudi Arabia and is "very, very informed about Islam." Baumann said he'd fought against Shariah mortgages and attended a board meeting of TiZA, the Islamic charter school.
As Baumann began to read from a book about Islam, he was interrupted, and again Commission Chairman Jim Davis tried to interject with the purpose of the meeting.
"Land use, aiding the enemy, is treason," Baumann said.
"These are not my enemies, sir," Davis said.
Baumann continued, and eventually Davis had his microphone cut, with several others in attendance yelling at Baumann, "Sit down!"
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Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has ceded ground to farm interests and Republicans over a contentious aspect of his plan to require vegetative buffer strips to help protect water from agricultural runoff.
Privately owned drainage ditches are off the table, Dayon announced Friday morning.
This is more than just a Friday news dump, in a state fixated on the presidential caucus just across the Iowa border. By suspending the mapping project--which is in the statute--the governor has caved into those who believe that private landowners have no responsibility for prevention in protecting water quality.
It's the ultimate dump, period.
When combined with drinking water quality projects in the bonding bill that pay the cost of removing nitrates from drinking water, those whose practices pollute surface and groundwater are essentially being told: don't change, the public will pay for the damage to water (a public resource) that your business inflicts.
Here's the press release:
Statement from Governor Dayton on Water Quality Buffer Law
The following is a statement from Governor Mark Dayton.
“After meeting yesterday afternoon with House Republican leaders, I have, with great reluctance, instructed the Department of Natural Resources to stop its mapping of so-called ‘private ditches’ under last year’s buffer legislation. The Republican legislators insisted that they did not intend those ditches to be included in the scope of the legislation, even though its buffering requirements would not take effect until November 2018.
“Threats have been reported to me that DNR and BWSR’s bonding requests – which are urgently needed to address the state’s serious water quality and infrastructure challenges – would not be considered by House leadership, if private ditches were not retroactively exempted from the new buffer requirement. I will not put at risk the water quality improvements in my bonding proposal and other critical bonding measures over this dispute.
“I am deeply disappointed by this, because we should require all Minnesotans to take responsibility for the quality of the water that they pass on to their fellow citizens. I thought that we had achieved a modest agreement in the last legislative session about the urgent need to improve the quality of Minnesota’s waters by limiting their pollution from runoffs from private and public ditches. I consider this fierce opposition by the House Republican leadership, as evidence that we are a very long ways from bipartisan agreements even on the severity of our state’s water quality problems, much less on the need to take serious steps to improve it.
“I will not cease my efforts to impress upon all legislators and all Minnesotans the hard facts about the overall deterioration of our state’s water quality, and what we must do to reverse it.”
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Since the Coalition for a Secure Energy Coalition is emailing its list to urge people to attend the four Clean Power Plan listening sessions in Greater Minnesota and praise lumps of coal (more on that in a bit), we thought it was worthwhile to see what North Dakota had been up to since our last post.
The state/industry partnership includes the Industrial Commission, and the Lignite Energy Council which have entered into a partnership to administer the Lignite Research, Development and Marketing Program. Following is a quick explanation of how the program works:
The North Dakota Legislature enacts legislation and appropriates funding for the program. The Lignite Research Council recommends policies and funding for projects to the Industrial Commission. The Industrial Commission approves policies and funding for projects.
The Industrial Commission and the Lignite Energy Council administer the program and all Lignite Research, Development and Marketing Program projects.
"Continued Funding for Regional Lignite Energy Marketing Program"
According to the agenda for the Tuesday, November 17, 2015 meeting of the Lignite Research Council, posted on the North Dakota Industrial Commission's Lignite Research, Development and Marketing Program's website, the council was to consider these agenda items:
Continued Funding for Regional Lignite Energy Marketing Program" Submitted by: Lignite Energy Council; Request for: $1,800,000 ($600,000 annually); Total Project Costs $3,600,000; Principal Investigator: Lignite Energy Council; Project Duration: 3 Years. - To be distributed at the meeting.
Technical Peer Reviewers' Rating - D - To be distributed at the meeting.
Technical Peer Reviewers' Comments and Applicant's Response - D - To be distributed at the meeting.
Executive Director's Summary and Recommendation - D - To be distributed at the meeting.
This appears to be a continuation of an agenda item from earlier years, though it's worded slightly differently, from "public affairs" to 'marketing." Here's our passage about the earlier funding:
According to the June 5, 2014 Lignite Research Council Agenda of the North Dakota Industrial Commission Lignite Research, Development and Marketing Program, CSEF is funded by a grant from the commission:
Re-Submission of Regional Lignite Public Affairs Plan (Coalition for a Secure Energy Future) Submitted by: Lignite Energy Council; Request for: $600,000 annually for a total of $1,200,000; Project Duration: 2 Years.
While the discussion of the plan was closed meeting, page 35 of the minutes (pdf) of the July 1, 2014 meeting of the North Dakota Development Commission reveal:
During the closed session, it had been moved and seconded that the Industrial Commission accepts the Lignite Research Council recommendation to fund the grant application “Regional Lignite Public Affairs Plan (Coalition for a Secure Energy Future)” and to authorize Karlene Fine, Industrial Commission Executive Director, to execute an agreement with the Lignite Energy Council to provide a total of Industrial Commission Lignite Research Program funding in an amount not to exceed $1,200,000 (marketing) with annual updates presented to the Commission . On a roll call vote, Governor Dalrymple, Attorney General Stenehjem and Commissioner Goehring voted aye. The motion carried unanimously.
Public Affairs/Marketing Program Funded by Lobbyist's Association Not Lobbying
As we've noted in earlier posts, the co-chairs of the Coalition for a Secure Energy insist that this public affairs/marketing campaign funded by the North Dakota Industrial Commission and administered by Industrial Commission and the Lignite Energy Council (an association registered with the MN CFB) says that it's not engaged in lobbying. Or maybe it is.
This morning, a reader forwarded an emailed Action Alert from Joel Johnson, the Minnesota Director at the Coalition for A Secure Energy Future. Here's the header:
From: Joel Johnson<[email protected]> Date: Fri, Jan 22, 2016 at 1:43 PM Subject: 4 Listening Sessions on the Clean Power Plan
Thank you for your commitment to supporting all-of-the-above energy. The Coalition for a Secure Energy Future is dedicated to enhancing, preserving, and protecting our diverse set of energy resources, including coal-based electricity, to ensure a continued affordable and reliable energy supply for families and businesses in Minnesota – now and into the future.
I wanted to take a brief moment to let you know about a series of upcoming listening sessions on the Clean Power Plan. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is hosting four town hall style meetings in greater Minnesota. . . .
One thing that's missing from that online document is the footer on the email document: "Coalition for a Secure Energy Future · 1016 East Owens Ave. · Bismarck, ND 58501 · USA." We've provided a screengrab at the top of this section.
But the Coalition for a Secure Energy Future? It's so not lobbying when it talks to legislators or throws parties for lawmakers in order to educate them about coal.
Regardless of how many millions a North Dakota state agency in partnership with a coal industry group spends to convince that coal is the best present ever.
Note to media: Most of the material in this post is original investigative work and analysis. Bluestem Prairie is an independent blog. Our reporting on the lignite industry is the result of independent investigation. Please cite our original reporting following Associated Press guidelines and best media practices and link to our posts.
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Although the Winona County board and department heads plead their case on Wednesday afternoon for state funding for jail overcrowding and mental health issues among jail inmates, maintaining the road system, and rural broadband internet development, state representative Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, offered only one suggestion.
Commissioner Jim Pomeroy referred to the problem of jail overcrowding and the problem of dealing with mental health issues among jail inmates as a “crisis.”
The city attorney’s office highlighted the need mental health system support, improvements to criminal justice system for juveniles and transitional housing for former prisoners and others.
According to several department heads and commissioners, community services struggle to cope with the work load due to a ahortage of money and staff. “The programs across the board are seeing a 10 to 27 percent reduction in reimbursements,” Pomeroy said. “Which really causes a lot of havoc in our budget.”
County engineer Dave Kramer said that the while they have seen increases in road funding, it hasn’t been enough to fully maintain the road system and would definitely not cover the cost of construction projects for new roads or bridges. . . .
. . .[Rep. Gene] Pelowski said that along with meeting transportation needs, infrastructure improvements in other areas are also necessary.
“We need internet access,” Pelowski said. “It’s just like telephone was at the turn of the last century, or electricity.” . . .
But Drazkowski was having none of it:
Drazkowski didn’t speak to funding much of anything, but focused on what cuts could be made.
“What can we do to decrease the number of things you’re required to do and the number of employees in your agency to cut costs,” Drazkowski said.
Internet? Relief for jails that are substitutes for mental health care? Roads and bridges? What surplus? What help for Greater Minnesota?
Photo: State Representative Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa.
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. . . Olmsted County Commissioner Ken Brown said it appears likely that public work on the project will cease, and it will be up to North American High Speed Rail to make high-speed rail between Rochester and the Twin Cities a reality.
"It's not going to happen any other way. This will not be a public project. Can't afford it. Nobody's got the money," he said.
Brown added that he believes the money spent so far on environmental analysis was worthwhile. He said that work helped raise the visibility of the project, helping to attract the interest of the private sector.
He added, "That work won't be wasted. It won't disappear. It will be used by the group that takes it over and runs with it."
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) today announced the suspension of its work on the proposed high-speed rail line project, Zip Rail, between the Twin Cities metropolitan area and Rochester, Minn., pending action by the Olmsted County Regional Railroad Authority next week.
MnDOT also announced today that it has issued permits to the North American High Speed Rail company which will begin a feasibility study in the near future for a high speed rail line in southeastern Minnesota.
Suspending work on Zip Rail project Zip Rail was initiated as a partnership between MnDOT and Olmsted County to explore the feasibility of a high-speed rail connection that would serve anticipated travel demand between the state’s two largest economies. . . .
North American High Speed Rail exploring privately-developed rail line North American High Speed Rail – a private company – has expressed interest in building high-speed rail between the Twin Cities and Rochester using private funds. MnDOT announced today that it has approved permits for the company to begin studying plans for a future high speed rail line in southeastern Minnesota.
The NAHSR proposal would not require public funds to move forward. However, MnDOT officials noted that any high-speed rail project that is developed will need to follow federal and state regulations and provide public participation opportunities during development
The NAHSR project is initially much different than the proposed Zip Rail plan, which MnDOT suspended its work on this week. NAHSR will further define the proposed project’s potential benefits to the region and state as it conducts its own feasibility study.
So earlier planning work paid by the public will and won't be handed over to private hands. We'll keep an eye out, if indeed that can still be done.
William Hume: Bus Rapid Transit is a better idea
Another informed suggestion emerged Wednesday in a letter to the editor of the Zumbrota News-Record from William Hume, retired infrastructure land surveyor/civil engineer writes about transit issues nationally.
Zumbrota would become a blast-zone for eminent domain should the monster named “ZIP” ever come to life! The creature’s girth is at least a 100-ft width of right-of-way slashing its tail all up and down Hwy 52. Private property along the highway supporting businesses, farms, and roadside would be consumed.
ZIP would be built to last. The best approach to the monster is stopping it dead in its tracks, as it emerges, a complete derailment.
Minnesota’s current high-speed rail proposal, the so-called ZIP Rail is planned as a future constructed transit just to bring workers from the Twin Cities to Rochester with a TC station, Rochester station and nothing mentioned in between, not Zumbrota.
Other vibrant cities along 52 in between are completely left out. This is a very bad idea, a ridiculous plan that violates all practicality regarding the function of inter-city high-speed rail. Efficient passenger rail design is all about connectivity, gathering many stops, cities, towns, and villages. General consensus with high-speed rail designers is a route 300 to 500 miles in length serving everyone along the way. That distance would operate with urban American efficiency.
ZIP at about 80 to 90 miles long does not qualify.
ZIP is a classic special interest project, thought up by Destination Medical Center (DMC) Mayo, and Rochester business visionaries. Joining the gang are progressive liberals from the state capital, looking for more costume jewelry with a massive price to hang on taxpayers.
In my opinion Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), would stop in Zumbrota on a 24-hour schedule, adding flexibility for citizens of Zumbrota working in TC or Rochester and all stops in between. New high-tech bus coaches with wi-fi, super comfortable body contoured seats, pull down lap top trays and even multi-media screens on the seat backs...Wow a rider wouldn’t want to get off it’s so comfortable.
Let's build it! BRT from several stations in the TC south suburbs and several more in Rochester, with each city in between served with new completely weather sealed climate controlled solar powered glass and steel stations located on new exit ramps off of 52 with large park-and-ride vehicle lots.
BRT on this route serves everybody. Costs to build the upgrades for Hwy 52 include new road overpass cloverleaf ramps and the elimination of stop light intersections for a very safe new Hwy 52. Zumbrota could be the stop with a fantastic road spanning a Hwy 52 overhead travel stop elevated with fuel, food and trip-related retail stores. That would be at least 500 new jobs for Zumbrota. Throw in the bus fleet, Hwy 52 express lane upgrades, and new lighting and safety features for 100 miles of America’s newest and most innovative road-tech for about one and a half billion.
The monster ZIP would cost approximately 15 billion dollars! Genuine high-speed rail with world-class design features supporting at least 186-mph average speeds, that is the qualifying time to be accepted in the high-speed rail race!
ZIP is an astronomically expensive transit system proposal, constructed, and operated by the state. A rail only purpose high-speed rail bridge over the Minnesota river would be about $2 billion just itself. Add in full route underground intrusion detection cables and weather fencing, a full distance access and service road for the double-track run, and massive landform excavation and bridging, as zero-flat grade is necessary. Every road, bike and walkpath has to have its own underpass or bridge over. No pedestrian, vehicle or anything can intrude on its right-of-way. Overhead electric cantenary and track de-icing for Minnesota would create this cost of 15 billion and then hundreds of millions a year in operating funds. Minnesota taxpayers pay every day for this ZIP. There would be no profit from the fare box tickets, as this is a socialized state transit system. It is a massive money loser just like TC light-rail and the NorthStar.
Bus Rapid Transit looks good for all, and huge for Zumbrota.
We look forward to the Twin Cities media continuing to report that it's just yokel NIMBYs opposing the Zip Rail or private Velos line, rather than citizens who've looked carefully over the plans--and who might even offer potential reasonable and inclusive alternatives for transit to Rochester.
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First lady Michelle Obama and congressional Republicans may be headed toward a truce on meals served to the nation's schoolchildren, but at least one GOP presidential candidate is signaling the political battle isn't over.
A bipartisan Senate agreement would revise healthier meal standards put into place over the last few years to give schools more flexibility, easing requirements on whole grains and delaying an upcoming deadline to cut sodium levels on the lunch line. . . .
After more than two years of public quarreling, the bill signals a possible armistice between school lunch directors, congressional Republicans and first lady Michelle Obama, who has highlighted the standards as part of her campaign against childhood obesity.
Farris reports Peterson's reflections on the compromise being cooked up in Washington:
U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson spoke with local leaders in education on Wednesday, shuffling through his opinions on topics including private funding of political campaigns (opposed) and attempts to relax health requirements for school lunches (in favor).
Perhaps most relevant to the audience of educators, he voiced support for a Senate bill that would loosen whole grain requirements, and extend a deadline to cut sodium levels. Other meal standards created by the Obama administration would remain in place.
"It sounds like schools like it better. Schwan's likes it better," he said. "It's good for everyone."
That might not be good enough for Peterson's presumptive opponent, Amanda Lynn Hinson, who wrote in Why I'm Running for Congress:
I put my kids in public school this year. My kids don't like the taste of skim and 1% milk, and I’m a firm believer that Minnesotans in cold weather require a few more lipids. When I checked with the school to see if there was some way we could have 2% milk available to my kids, I had to work my way up from the school lunch guy to the MN Department of Education and then was told I would have to talk to my U.S. Congressman about getting my kids 2% milk.
I’ve called congressmen about this; they confirmed it’s up to them. The National School Lunch Program touts that school lunch is "a matter of national security", rhetoric Collin Peterson has used about the food industry. Really? When we have to talk to our congressman about what our kids eat and drink at school lunch, I think we have a big problem with government overreach.
Can you imagine what this is like having national policies for anything educational? It's like playing volleyball, and the ball just volleys back and forth with no real resolution about anything. The very spirit of the law is lost, and we keep aimlessly trying to follow it-- this is stupidity. Federal regulations on local schools brings an environment of fear as our schools attempt to do everything by regulation and can't do anything about parents' concerns. Eventually, we all have to give up, give in, and drink the skim milk.
Hunger-Free Kids Act. This bill was so championed by the first lady, children don't complain about the lunch lady anymore, they blame Michelle Obama for their dislike of school food. Last year, when the House Republicans tried to answer the complaints of their constituents (people and schools), Michelle Obama got into the scene and fought back. The people lost! Try calling your congressman or the USDA today about what they're "offering" your kids at school, and you will find that your opinion falls on deaf ears. I, personally, was told by the USDA that since this was public school lunch, I didn't have a say-- the Government was the one in charge. I beg to differ! We all have a say! We pay for that school lunch with our tax dollars and some of us still opt out of the free lunch program, paying additionally. As you can read in her own speech, Michelle Obama is more concerned about what a handful of "experts" say about food than what your kids and you would prefer they eat.
#1 Bestseller print on cover of Hinson's self-published book
Hinson seems ready for the world of politics and spin. Elsewhere, on the cover of her self published book, Hinson claims that her memoir was a #1 Bestseller.
The Amazon page for Wide Open Curtains: A Journal of a Pregnant American in Russia Kindle Edition lists these rankings:
Within very narrow categories, she's done fairly well, but the book doesn't show up on the 2013 Ebook 100 Bestsellers list, much less as #1. The page states that the book was published in 2013.
The paperback, which was self-published via the CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 22, 2012), according to the book's Amazon page, also doesn't appear to have been a bestseller. According to Amazon, these are the rankings for the paperback:
We looked elsewhere to find reviews of the volume or mention of it in the book trade, but were unable to find any reviews outside of reader sites like Goodreads.
That book, “Wide Open Curtains: A Journal of a Pregnant American in Russia,” went on to become one of the best-selling e-reader books on Amazon in 2012.
As she campaigns for office, let's hope Hinson clarifies for the media which bestseller list her self-published book topped.
Photo: U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (left) talks with Superintendent of Bemidji Area Schools Jim Hess in front of other educators on January 27, 2015 n Bemidji. Via Jillian Gandsey | Bemidji Pioneer.
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I read with interest the West Central Tribune’s Jan. 21 editorial defending Willmar’s immigrant community. I commend the editorial board for speaking out against hateful speech that demeans Willmar’s East-African residents. I thank you for celebrating the invaluable economic and cultural contributions of these hard-working Minnesotans.
Minnesota was built by immigrants and pioneers. Today’s immigrants may look and sound different than the Germans and Scandinavians of generations past. But their hard work, and the dreams and aspirations they hold for their children, themselves, and our communities are no different.
Willmar is stronger because of our immigrant neighbors. So is Minnesota.
Willmar and the West Central Tribune have taken an important stand. I applaud your courage. And I stand with you as a partner as we resolve to make our state a welcoming place for all Minnesotans.
Thank your for your insightful editorial on Jan. 21 regarding our Muslim neighbors in the Willmar community.
We winter in California and we even had received an email with that biased piece that you referred to in your editorial out here.
We responded back to the sender by stating that was NOT the Willmar we know and love.
Sadly, too many people forward such erroneous and mean-spirited emails without bothering to check the sources, causing prejudice and divisiveness to foster and grow. We can all do our small part to improve our communities and world by not forwarding such “garbage” and instead challenging people who do.
Willmar isn't a paradise for anyone living there, but many people, new and established residents, work intentionally to build a better community. Those talking against refugees and immigrants haven't made their case, though they've tried.
Photo: From September 2014: Bashir Yusuf speaks to participants in the Walk the Corridor tour Tuesday at his restaurant, Somali Star. Event participants visited ethnically-owned businesses in downtown Willmar. (Tribune photo by Gary Miller). via Walk the Corridor, West Central Tribune.
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Representatives Dan Fabian, R-Roseau and Steve Green, R-Fosston will host Representative Denny McNamara,R-Hastings, Chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee, for listening sessions.
The schedule:
Morning
What: Environment Listening Session with Rep. Steve Green, Rep. Dave Hancock & Rep. Denny McNamara When: Wednesday, February 3rd from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM Where: D & R Café, 27 Central St. W. Bagley, MN
Afternoon
What: Environment Listening Session with Rep. Dan Fabian and Rep. Denny McNamara When: Wednesday, February 3rd from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Where: Thief River Falls City Hall, Council Chambers 205 Third Street East Thief River Falls, MN
Fabian's press release:
On Wednesday February 3, 2016, Representative Dan Fabian (R-Roseau) will be hosting an Environment Listening Session with Representative Denny McNamara (R-Hastings), Chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee.
The listening session will cover numerous constituent concerns related to land, water and wildlife laws and regulations, including those set by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
"Folks in Northwest Minnesota, including landowners, businesses and local units of government are greatly affected by state government, and I have heard from a number of constituents concerned about everything from buffers to wildlife management," said Rep. Fabian. "I look forward to hosting this meeting, hearing first-hand about the concerns residents are facing so we can tackle these issues at the State Capitol."
Fabian strongly encourages area residents to attend the listening session to share their thoughts, opinions and questions about the State of Minnesota's environmental rules and regulations.
Here are the details:
What: Environment Listening Session with Rep. Dan Fabian and Rep. Denny McNamara When: Wednesday, February 3rd from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Where: Thief River Falls City Hall, Council Chambers 205 Third Street East Thief River Falls, MN
I am pleased to announce that I am hosting an environmental listening session in Bagley on Wednesday, February 3 at the D & R Café, 27 Central St. W., from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Joining me at the event will be State Representative Dave Hancock and Chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee, Rep. Denny McNamara.
I encourage you to attend this event and share your thoughts, opinions, and questions about environmental rules and regulations in the State of Minnesota.
If you have any questions regarding this event or another legislative issue, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached via phone at 651-296-9918 or by email at [email protected]. I hope to see you there
Bluestem encourages everyone in the districts to attend the listening sessions to let your state representative and Chairman McNamara know your thoughts about clean water, soil health and wildlife.
Many citizens also find it useful to videotape listening sessions for future reference, as well as live tweet and Facebook about the meetings.
Photo: Representative Denny McNamara, R-Hastings.
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While this might not be news to some of his constituents, it's definitely something that shouldn't be on an official webpage, especially when Ron Kresha's other face belongs to Minneapolis DFLer Joe Mullery.
While shape-shifting on the part of Kresha or Mullery is a remote possibility, it's possible it might be evidence of closeted metro-centric sympathies on Kresha's part.
Let's hope Daudt's leadership can clean up Kresha's image.
The real news on the committee
All visual analysis aside, the committee will look at pressing issue for working families under the leadership of former child care provider Mary Franson, R-Alexandria. Along with other members, Franson will be joined by Peggy Flanagan, DFL-St. Louis Park, who was the director the Children's Defense Fund of Minnesota.
House Speaker Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) on Tuesday announced the formation of a Select Committee on Affordable Child Care that will aim to tackle rising child care costs facing Minnesota parents.
The select committee, chaired by Rep. Mary Franson (R-Alexandria), will begin touring parts of Greater Minnesota in February to hear from parents and child care providers about challenges they face and potential solutions, according to a news release.
“Minnesota has many top-quality childcare providers who offer a safe, quality environment for children to learn, grow, and thrive,” Franson said in a statement. “However, too many Minnesota families cannot find available or affordable child care in their community.”
Screengrab: The two faces of Ron Kresha on the Select Committee on Affordable Child Care membership page.
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Zip Rail critics charge the state is trying to avoid public comment on a completed Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement by stopping work now. The Alternatives Analysis Report is not subject to a public comment period. Heather Arndt co-leader of Citizens Concerned About Rail Line, said work on the report has taken far too long.
"I think they are playing games to intentional stop citizen input," Arndt said.
[MnDOT passenger rail office director Dan] Krom said work on the project took longer than planned because it requires new rail lines to be built instead of being able to take advantage of existing railroads. That makes the project unusual compared to other high-speed rail proposals in the state.
"It is unique. The other projects use existing lines. There is a lot more support I would say on those projects because people are used to trains being there. And I think it makes the development process a lot less cumbersome, too and less costly," he said.
Olmsted County Commissioner Ken Brown said it appears likely that public work on the project will cease, and it will be up to North American High Speed Rail to make high-speed rail between Rochester and the Twin Cities a reality.
"It's not going to happen any other way. This will not be a public project. Can't afford it. Nobody's got the money," he said.
Brown added that he believes the money spent so far on environmental analysis was worthwhile. He said that work helped raise the visibility of the project, helping to attract the interest of the private sector.
He added, "That work won't be wasted. It won't disappear. It will be used by the group that takes it over and runs with it."
In short, the public ponies up the money, but the private group scores a multi-million dollar gift. Carlson reports that $2.3 million was spent on the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement.
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The DFA plant in Zumbrota has been fined more than $100,000 by the city since 2014 over a smelly wastewater discharge. The dispute between the city and DFA eventually landed in the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Repeated wastewater violations prompted the city to increase its fee and fine schedule for the third time since 2009, which led to the legal challenge by DFA.
Bauer said Saturday that the local dairy plant, which processes about 8 million pounds of milk each week, has continued to be fined in recent months, though the new fines pale in comparison to the $90,000 fine that was issued in the summer of 2014; exact totals were not available.
"It has been better," Bauer said of the city's relationship with the dairy plant. . . .
Zumbrota is located on the North Branch of the Zumbro River. A friend who grew up in the area said kids called it the Scumbrota River, so we're hoping they manage to talk to those stinky cheese guys and figure it out.
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A friend forwarded Bluestem a press release from the Minnesota Department of Transportation announcing the release of the Alternatives Analysis report on the part of the Zip Rail partners, but a news brief published last week in the Red Wing Republican Eagle has us wondering if the document release will matter.
Report: Olmsted County Regional Railroad Authoritytransferring grant to private sector
Responding to a request by Goodhue County Commissioner Dan Rechtzigel for an update on Zip Rail, Olmsted County Regional Railroad Authority replied it is in the process of closing out a grant for the project and transferring it to the private sector, Goodhue County Administrator Scott Arneson said at Tuesday’s Goodhue County Board meeting.
Olmsted County partnered with Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Authority to evaluate the possibility of a high-speed passenger line from the Twin Cities to Rochester. Goodhue County residents and government representatives have been included in committees for the controversial project that opponents say would be costly and unnecessary.
“One thing to remember is once it goes to the private sector, these Technical Advisory and Citizen Advisory committees, they won’t have to have those,” Goodhue County Commissioner Brad Anderson said.
The Republican Eagle article documents a nice example of transfer of work done on the public's dime to a private entity which insists it will never require public funding, then closing down any public oversight. We're sure the hicksters will appreciate both the pelf and the loss of transparency, should eminent domain condemnation hearings ever commence or the ever-evolving management of the North American High-Speed Rail Group come hat-in-hand to the state legislature.
Here's the press release and the report. Another friend has sent us billing documents and a February 2015 draft of the report (someone's time dragged on there) obtained via the data practices request process, and we'll have more after we get a chance to assess the information therein.
In the meantime, enjoy your potholes, drivers, and your shelterless bus stops, inner city commuter friends.
MNDOT announces release of report
The press release:
The Minnesota Department of Transportation today announced that an Alternatives Analysis report for the Zip Rail project has been released and is available to the public.
The analysis is a step in the environment review for the project and identifies eight alternatives for a proposed high-speed rail line between the Twin Cities metropolitan area and Rochester, Minn.
The report was developed in collaboration with the Olmsted County Regional Railroad Authority and the Federal Railroad Administration, and documents the passenger rail corridor alternatives between Rochester and the Twin Cities.
The study area is located in the counties of Dakota, Dodge, Goodhue, Hennepin, Olmsted, Ramsey and Rice.
Photo: The Snowpiercer, another passenger rail project.
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So this week the governor's office released his spending priorities to the legislature. Help me out, does this make sense to anyone?
But rather than linking to the Governor's job/bonding proposals as a whole, the freshman lawmaker posted the bottom of page one of a letter that Dayton had sent to Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, and Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, in their capacity as chairs of the Legislative Working Group on Disparities (membership at the bottom of the page here). . . .
In comments about the image Heintzman's Facebook, some of his friends posted objections to the entire list of proposals at the bottom of the letter, not just the one item circled in red, and Heintzeman followed their lead.
At one point, the freshman representative posted:
Joshua Heintzeman Clearly the governor is disconnected from the people of Minnesota and believes these should be the priorities going into this coming session. It's our job to 'help' the governor understand their expectations.
And:
Joshua HeintzemanThis is the governor's agenda. Because we control the house his spending recommendations must originate in our body. An agenda like this is incredibly frustrating because now throughout negotiations these are the things that his office will continue to demand as we move forward. By exposing this nonsense our hope is that the people of Minnesota push back and demand He redirect his energy back towards creating jobs, investment in roads and bridges, and providing good government.
As a point of fact, the first bullet point in the list, $180,000 to support the establishment of a Civil Rights in St. Cloud, was brought to the governor's attention by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jim Knoblach, according to an October article in the St. Cloud Times.
Harsh words and heartfelt sentiment were exchanged by community members and local officials on racial issues in Central Minnesota at the St. Cloud NAACP Community Conversation with Gov. Mark Dayton.
Hosted on Tuesday at St. Cloud Public Library, about 100 people from diverse backgrounds gathered to ask questions of St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis, St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson, Rep. Jim Knoblach, Minnesota Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey, Council on Black Minnesotans Community Program Specialist Kolloh Nimley and St. Cloud AFYA Pharmacyco-owner Dr. Edris Kosar. . . .
Knoblach vowed to repeat last year's efforts in the Legislature to increase funding for the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, including money for the department's office in St. Cloud.
Since Knoblach wasn't serving in the legislature in 2014, we'll assume the reporter is considering the last session and he means HF1364, a bill for which he was a co-author; retiring St. Cloud Republican John Pederson was a co-author of the companion bill, SF889.
Perhaps Heintzman can let his Facebook friends know about the public discussion St. Cloud's powerful Republican committee chair had with the Governor about the item that ended up at the top of Mark Dayton's list.
Or they could just talk about how concerns about disparities shouldn't be a priority--and are just "this nonsense." We suspect Jim Knoblach might want an explanation, whatever Heintzeman decides.
Photo: Rep Joshua Heintzeman, R-Nisswa, who believes spending to address racial disparities is "nonsense."
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After dithering for months about the possibility of a special session to help workers struggling with the consequences of a long-term crisis in the American steel industry, Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, has told Bill Hanna at the Mesabi Daily News that he's open to a deal.
House Republicans have proposed draft language for a special session bill that would provide a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits for laid-off mining-related workers on the Iron Range.
It would also reform the state Unemployment Trust Fund by providing some financial relief for Minnesota employers who pay into it, which House Republicans say mirrors a DFL House proposal in 2013.
That fund, which would finance an extension of benefits for Iron Range workers, currently holds about $1.6 billion. There is bipartisan agreement the fund is too flush at the expense of employers. . . .
Daudt has said his caucus believes there is no need for a special session because the Legislature convenes in about seven weeks on March 8.
However, in a telephone interview with the Mesabi Daily News Friday afternoon, Daudt said if the governor calls a special session he will bring a bill to the House floor to extend benefits for mining-related Iron Range workers.
He also said it would have his support and the backing of the House GOP caucus.
Hanna doesn't post links to the language (and it's not clear from the article that he's read it) and we haven't been able to find a draft posted on the Speaker's page.
However, the Speaker did mention to Hanna that the language " mirrors a DFL House proposal in 2013." Bluestem went looking for that, and turned up HF0577 a bill which had former state representative Joe Radinovich as chief author. It gathered 13 co-authors--including four Republicans (Uglem, Abeler, Runbeck, Quam). The state senate companion bill, SF619, authored by Edina DFLer Meliza Franzen, gathered the maximum number of four co-authors, including Republican Eric Pratt, R-Prior Lake.
Neither bill got a committee hearing, but before Daudt starts carrying on about the DFL not doing anything about this pressing issue when it had control of the legislature, as he is wont to do, we thought we'd see if a similar bill had been introduced since the Republicans took control of the lower chamber.
Sure enough.
Freshman Dennis Smith, R-Maple Grove, authored HF1416, picking up nine co-authors; the bill was introduced on March 4, 2015. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, wrote the senate companion bill, SF1320, which has two Republican and two DFL co-authors.
Like the 2013 bills, both were referred to committees, where they crawled off and died. In the House, Pat Garofalo ignored it, while he connived ways to zero out broadband grants and eliminate net metering.
We wondered what was up with the inaction and so asked a source who understands the legislature better than we; the source suggested that the bills hadn't attracted the votes for passage and so languished.
In short, bipartisan sloth, if not downright dolor on the part of those interests seeking this relief, regardless of whether Thissen or Daudt gripped the Speaker's gavel.
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It could be worse: ordinary Minnesotans might not even have a seat at a summit at all.
Witness what appears to be the original design for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Environmental Initiative's Pollinators Summit on February 12.
We posted about that and took a screenshot (above). The webcache for the page shows the original copy from January 4, in which the event was listed as free and open, but for which space was limited, is still online (and we have screengrabs of that as well).
A few days later, state legislators received emails from the Minnesota Commissioner asking them to register for the pollinator summit if they were interested--and that the summit itself was to be an invitation-only event. UPDATE: It's not clear whether all state legislators received these invitations. We will be checking on Monday to see [end update]
Legislators from both parties forwarded the email from Minnesota Department of Agriculture Dave Frederickson. Here's the text, which was posted on January 8, four days after the original "free and open to the public" copy had appeared online:
From: "Frederickson, Dave (MDA)" <[email protected]> Date: January 8, 2016 at 4:47:22 PM CST To: [redacted] Subject:Invitation to Minnesota Department of Agriculture Pollinator Summit
January 8, 2016
Dear Representative [redacted]
I am writing to invite you to participate in the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Pollinator Summit, to be held on February 12, 2016 at the Wellstone Center located at 179 Robie Street East, Saint Paul, Minnesota. This summit will convene the full spectrum of Minnesota’s insect pollinator experts and interested stakeholders—from beekeepers to landscapers to farmers—for a day of information-sharing and collaboration on potential solutions that will protect and support Minnesota’s insect pollinators.
Pollinators are an irreplaceable public resource. Insect pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, wasps, flies, and beetles, are critical for the pollination and production of crops and the health of native flora and landscapes. Some are especially valued for their beauty and place in our culture, like the monarch butterfly and the honey bee.
However, Minnesota’s insect pollinator populations, both domesticated and wild, are in decline. This summit will bring the full range of interests who can play a role in protecting Minnesota’s insect pollinators together to identify challenges and propose broadly-supported solutions that will address this decline, particularly those strategies that could be implemented by state agencies in the near term.
I encourage you to join us for a full-day summit on February 12, 2016, where we will tackle these issues collaboratively and ensure that future generations will continue to enjoy the food, landscapes, and other societal benefits that depend on our insect pollinators. You can see the agenda for the day here.
Due to the fact that space is limited, this event is an invitation only event. You can register for the event here.
If you have any questions or concerns about the event, please feel free to contact Greg Bohrer at Environmental Initiative ([email protected]) or Assistant Commissioner Matthew Wohlman at the Department of Agriculture ([email protected]).
Due to limited space, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Environmental Initiative have reserved remaining registrations for invited issue experts that are essential for a productive and informed conversation.
Contact Greg Bohrer at 612-334-3388 ext. 111 with questions or to be added to a waiting list for this event.
This seems rather peculiar, since one would think that the planners would simply have reduced the number of open seats by the number of invited "issue experts." We do not know of any conferences where the experts aren't simply including in the head count for planning.
But those "stakeholders"--landscapers, farmers and other folks that the Department of Agriculture saw fit to invite--got on the guest list.
Not us. Not the young millennials we know who work in sustainable rural and urban ag. Indeed, the only people we know who got invites are some legislators.
We understand that space is at a premium, though the Wellstone Community Center isn't exactly tiny. According to the Event Space page for those wishing to rent the space:
The Wellstone Center is a 93,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility that opened in 2006, offering a wide range of distinctive venues for any size or style of event and features a free parking ramp. We provide a unique setting for intimate groups of ten or twenty, banquet rooms perfect for 75 to 120, performance space seating for 250, or an open gymnasium for up to 800, plus the luxury of using your own caterer.
Couldn't concerned citizens be worked in there somehow? Through the miracle of the Internet, satellite locations might have been set up around the state or remote access (it's being done for stakeholders by the MPCA for the Clean Power Plan).
Will the presentations and sessions be live streamed and videotaped? Minutes kept and distributed? This would seem to qualify as a public meeting--it was advertised as such on the only place it was made public, regardless of how little it was promoted.
Gatekeeping blues
We registered at the time we discovered the page and do hope that our standing as a member of the public still qualifies us to be there. We've kept the confirmation of our registration that was sent us.
Perhaps nearly ten years of writing about Greater Minnesota politics--and a column in Hutchinson's paper before that will validation our registration.
Perhaps our education--we were elected into Phi Beta Kappa at Hamline and can understand science and math as well as the literary arts and philosophy--qualifies us.
Perhaps those years spent on the policy committee of the Minnesota Farmers Union, or our many years as an organic farmer's daughter and gardener in our own right is enough for a seat.
Or maybe we just had to know someone.
Screengrab: The original event page on the Environmental Initiative website.
If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie's original reporting and analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen P.O. Box 108, Maynard MN 56260) or use the paypal button below:
Registration opened on January 14; we registered for it that day when we spotted the Governor's press release* announcing that registration was open via a link in a legislator's email update--though not the update from our own House member. It's possible that he sent one, and we deleted an emailed legislative update from Rep. Miller informing constituents of the need to register.
Whatever the case, we didn't have advance notice of the registration before the general public. UPDATE: Apparently, neither did state legislators; the House member in whose update we saw the link learned about the announcement via twitter. [end update]
Last week, Gov. Mark Dayton announced his Water Summit. Registration filled up fairly quickly, but rest assured, the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association will have several directors in attendance. Tuesday, at a pre-summit discussion at the Governor’s mansion, MSGA along with several agriculture groups discussed the upcoming summit. We shared our concerns that registration filled up quickly. There were also concerns that a number of spots were filled before ag groups were informed about the sign-up.
The Governor’s office offered that the Water Summit will focus on 10 areas from urban environments, funding, aquatic invasive species, water quantity, to rural environments, among others. Essentially, the plan is for stakeholders to gather and help build a strategic plan to guide the legislature in the coming years.
MSGA will engage in the Water Summit process with integrity and will keep the best interests of soybean growers in mind every step of the way. If discussions become polarized, we may need to reassess what direction to take. For now the optimism of working with all groups to build consensus warrants full engagement. . . .
We've put a couple of phrases in bold in the passage above.
What strikes us is that citizens active in local lakes associations and the president of a commodity group are both concerned that individuals were not able to register and take part in the discussion that is to "help build a strategic plan to guide the legislature in the coming years."
But we're more struck by the president of an interest group-- a person who was at "a pre-summit discussion at the Governor’s mansion, MSGA along with several agriculture groups discuss[ing] the upcoming summit"--fretting about slots going to people who aren't members of ag groups. Clearly, they weren't handed out to the local lakes associations volunteers.
It's the fact of "pre-summit discussions" at the Governor's residence that's most concerning. The registration process created a scarcity for the ordinary lake dweller or soybean grower--while interest groups have access to the governor's residence.
Perhaps the closing of the state capitol building has illuminated an unpleasant fact about the current condition of our state-level representative republic--or representative democracy if that's your preferred frame. It's not for citizens to contact their state lawmakers about water quality policy; rather it's for interest groups (whether ag, environment, or lake property holders) to get a place in the governor's office or the summit.
Those observers who wonder why Americans are supporting outsiders for President--though Bluestem laughs to think that a pop culture billionaire or a United States senator are "outsiders"--might address their attention to this unfolding dog and pony show.
What might compel a freshman legislator like Tim Miller to see his constituents' opinion as equally deserving of his attention, when the process has become so weighted toward interest groups in these informal events?
Or when the legislature creates statutory boards and councils to advise on policy--and in some cases to direct spending?
Image: the logo for Governor's Water Summit, which you may or may not have heard about in time. Your interests might be safe if you're a member of an ag commodity group. We suppose that environmental and property owner groups have an invite to the governor's residence as well.
If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie's original reporting and analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen P.O. Box 108, Maynard MN 56260) or use the paypal button below:
*We're not on the communications' office press release distribution list, a situation that puzzles the dedicated professionals working there each time we ask to be put on as much as it does us. Some things are just mysteries that pass human understanding.
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