Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, who is vying for a new Minnesota Senate Seat that would include St. Michael, Albertville and Otsego, has entered a war of words with popular Rep. John Kriesel.
A Big Lake Republican who is vying for the new Senate District 30 seat is making some noise on her way out of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, who has earned the Republican nomination to run for the seat, which includes St. Michael, Albertville, Otsego and Elk River, along with Big Lake, called the Vikings stadium vote a "forced issue," and said Rep. John Kriesel, a Republican from Cottage Grove, was an author of a bill that "was a set deal between the Vikings, the Governor and the bill authors" in an end of session e-mail/letter to her constituents. That sparked a rebuttal from Kriesel, who has gone against the grain with his party on a few issues, including gay marriage, speaking out last year against the …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
This week's selection includes lots of school news, including state Teacher of the Year and Robbinsdale's top educator for 2013.
City Council Lifts Edina's Happy Hour Ban The amendment removes part of the city ordinance governing prices of alcoholic beverages at Edina's restaurants. Pink Water Draws Concerns in St. Michael, Albertville The Joint Powers Water officials that oversee the area's tap water supply are aware of the situation. The colored water is harmless in normal doses. On Gay Marriage, Richfield Catholic Parishes of One Mind Three Catholic churches in Richfield recently affirmed they will be following the lead of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul, urging members and others to vote yes on the anti-gay marriage amendment. Edina's Jackie Roehl Named Minnesota Teacher of the Year The 10th-grade English teacher at Edina High School is first-…
Friday, May 11, 2012
Albertville continues to look forward as the city council looks at filling the city clerk and city administrator positions.
As the Albertville City Council continues the difficult task of filling the city clerk and city administrator positions, Mayor Mark Meehan came to the group with the idea to send out a public notice regarding the transitional time within city hall. The cost for this to be sent out would be $563 unless it was included with utility bills that go out around May 23 or in the next newsletter which would be July. Council member Larry Sorenson asked for clarification on who the notice would be from and what it would say. "My fear is it will be more political than informational," he said Monday night. "My hope is to move forward instead of backward," Meehan said. John Vetsch agreed that an introduction to the new city clerk, new front desk person …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A day after news of Rep. Michele Bachmann gaining dual Swiss citizenship, the Sixth District Congresswoman withdrew her request, saying "I want to make it perfectly clear: I am a proud American citizen."
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has sent a letter to the Swiss Consulate requesting withdrawal of her dual Swiss citizenship. Yesterday, various media reported that Bachmann was granted dual citizenship with Switzerland. A POLITICO story focused on the fact that Bachmann is now eligible to run for office in Switzerland, while the Huffington Post piece pointed out her opposition to President Obama’s health care reform and the fact that the small European nation has nearly universal health care. Bachmann responded to those reports by saying it was a “non-story.” "I automatically became a dual citizen of the United States and Switzerland in 1978 when I married my husband, Marcus. Marcus is a dual American and Swiss citizen because he is the …
The plan was approved by the Senate on Thursday.
With Senate approval coming on Thursday by a 36-30 vote, a new Minnesota Vikings stadium is on its way. After plenty of twists and turns throughout the legislative session, debate intensified this week, as the House and Senate both held several late-night sessions to discuss the bill. All that remains now is a signature from Gov. Mark Dayton, who has been an ardent stadium supporter. Dayton is holding a press conference at 5:45 p.m. today with stadium bill authors, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and team owner Zygi Wilf, and Dayton could sign the bill then. The new stadium will cost roughly $975 million, with the team slated to pay a little less than half. The state will pay about $348 million by expanding gambling. The city of Minneapolis …
The State Senate approved the FINAL Minnesota Vikings Stadium bill Thursday afternoon, putting the controversial legislation on the desk of Gov. Mark Dayton.
UPDATE (Thursday, May 10, 2 p.m.) The Minnesota Senate has approved the conference committee recommendations on House File 2956, a bill providing funding for a Minnesota Vikings stadium. Sen. Amy Koch (R-Buffalo), in her final act as a state legislator from District 19, voted "yes." "You don't want to be part of the group that's responsible for losing the team. That's just not negotiable in my book," Koch, the former Senate Majority Leader, said last fall. Koch was opposed to any general funding, and wanted a referendum on the bill. However, she softened her stance on the public vote when Minneapolis went to bat for the bill, and funding from that city was found via a tax extension, not the creation of new tax dollars. The final vote was …
It was a legislative all-nighter; watch the Senate take the final stadium vote this morning.
One final hurdle for a Vikings stadium remains: Senate passage of a reconciled bill that was approved by the House this early this morning. Wright County area Reps. Bruce Anderson, Joyce Peppin and Joe McDonald all voted against the bill early Thursday. Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, who is running in November for the new Senate seat representing St. Michael, Albertville and Otsego, aslo was a "no" vote. We have live coverage of that Senate debate and vote, which was expected to start around 9 a.m. However, at 10 a.m. the Senate had yet to convene. Earlier this week, Minnesota's House and Senate passed two different versions of Vikings stadium bills. Yesterday, it was the job of a conference committee made of members of both chambers to negotiate a …
The congresswoman issued a statement Wednesday, May 9, following President Obama's support of gay marriage.
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on Wednesday called President Obama "out of touch" following his statement of support for gay marriage. Below is a statement released from the congresswoman's office: “The President’s announcement today shows how out of touch he is the values of American families. The President continues to practice the politics of division and diversion. He’s tried to divide the country over gender, education, class, and now he’s attempting to divide families all as a diversion to his failed economic policies that have affected all Americans. “Americans know better and support traditional marriage. In every state where marriage has been on the ballot, traditional marriage has prevailed. Even last night, in North Carolina…
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is working with the City of St. Michael to lower water levels in Pelican Lake.
The St. Michael City Council will hear a new plan being discussed by both the City of St. Michael and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to help drain the water level at Pelican Lake, located west of the city. According to correspondence between Assistant City Adminstrator Steve Bot and the DNR, the city is working to impliment the fourth and final phase of the plan to lower those levels, paving the way for a wildlife management area on the lake. The DNR is attempting to use city-owned drains and wetlands to make that final phase work, and hoping to secure funding in the near future to execute the out letting of the lake. The DNR's description of the project states: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) proposes a…
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The Senate now takes up a plan that calls for a $975 million fixed-roof stadium to be built primarily on the Metrodome site in downtown Minneapolis.
The Minnesota House voted 73-58 last to support a $975 million stadium plan that would provide a new facility for the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. Now, the State Senate will have a floor hearing and, ultimately a vote on its version of the controversial legislation. Forty DFL members and 33 Republicans voted yes. Thirty-seven Republicans and 21 DFLers voted against the bill. Aspring District 30 Senator and Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer voted no, as did current Wright County Rep. Joe McDonald. according to this PDF attached to a Star Tribune post. Sponsored by Rep. Morrie Lanning (R-Moorhead), HF1485 now goes to conference committee, where it awaits a companion bill from the Senate, where Sen. Julie Rosen (R-Fairmont) is the sponsor. The …
Rick
4:48 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Salient point Mike, but then the statement Kiffmeyer made and Kriesel made can be viewed as either are correct. If user fees are "blink on" dependent on bingo money, then Kiffmeyer may be arguing there are no user fees "unless" pt/bingo revenue falls short of expectations (my own input here. Even the best statistics person can NEVER accurately predict what disposable income will be used for … more ›