OPINION: Honoring St. Michael, Albertville Teachers

Friday marks the end of Teacher Appreciation Week, sponsored by local Parent-Teacher Associations. Dr. James Behle weighs in on what makes our local staff so special.

Which teacher made a significant difference in your life?  Or, more likely, teachers? As I visit classrooms in St. Michael-Albertville schools, I observe excellent teaching and engaged students.  I enjoy the opportunities not only to watch but also to talk with teachers about their students and what they are learning.  Teacher Appreciation Week and these personal experiences serve as reminders of the differences teachers make in the lives of students every day. I genuinely appreciate their commitment to the students and families of STMA. I want to especially note a constant in each classroom visit–the commitment the teachers make to build relationships with students, recognizing their variety of backgrounds and diverse array of needs. I am…

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A Salute to St. Michael

Realtor Suzanne McLaughlin authors a tribute to St. Michael via its history and present-day amenities. Check it out.

OPINION: Make Prom and Graduation Memorable for the Right Reasons

Alcohol-related crashes are highest outside of the Twin Cities area, and more than 12 percent of Minnesota drivers have a DUI on their record. Don't become a statistic. A letter from Wright County Attorney Tom Kelly.

My name is Tom Kelly and I am the Wright County Attorney. I also sit on the Board for Safe Communities of Wright County. Over the past 28 years as a prosecuting attorney, I have observed the devastation that drinking and driving has caused on our roadways. I have seen way too much heartache and sadness both from families of those killed and injured and from families of those who have driven under the influence and killed or injured someone. In Minnesota in 2010, there were 3,743 alcohol related crashes, which resulted in 131 deaths and 2,485 people injured. Of those killed, 77 percent happened outside the Twin Cities metro area. Minnesota had 29,918 DWI arrests ,which equates to 82 per day. Between the ages of 21 and 34 accounted for …

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Editor's Notebook

Albertville Needs Cooler Heads to Prevail

While last week’s surprise resignation request is good for headlines, the Albertville City Council must be decisive when approaching its city administrator issue.

There’s a reason gossip, in its most simple nature, is popular. It’s fun. It gets you noticed by lots of people. After all, we’ve been playing that “I know something you don’t know” game since we were in second grade, right? But this isn’t a game. This is a decision that could have direct consequences on the future of a once-growing community. And one that's poised to grow again. Albertville’s decline into turmoil at the top last week came as a surprise to almost everybody. That alone made the issue worth talking about on St. Michael Patch, at the water cooler during work on Friday, and of course at Saturday morning’s government open house at Albertville City Hall (where, literally, no one was talking about it). But what happens next is …

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Michele Bachmann: Minnesota's Pain at the Gas Pump is Real

High gas prices affect everything – from the price of goods and services to business investments and leisure travel, Rep. Michele Bachmann says. Every time the price of gas goes up 10 cents, it costs the American economy $14 billion.

The rising price of gasoline has Minnesotans, faced with having to choose between filling their gas tanks and scrimping on other necessities, demanding answers from Washington and the White House. Gas prices have risen over 110 percent since President Obama’s inauguration and are up 30 cents a gallon just this month. A recent Reuters poll verifies what we already knew, 68 percent of Americans are unhappy with the way President Obama is dealing with high gas prices. High gas prices affect everything – from the price of goods and services to business investments and leisure travel. Every time the price of gas goes up 10 cents, it costs the American economy $14 billion. But more importantly, when gas goes up 10 cents, it costs the average …

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Markus

5:48 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012

If you want to argue that we need a safety net then let's go back to the days when the counties took care of the truly indigent. We can cooperate at the local level to provide for those who truly cannot provide for themselves. Our definition of need is subjective at best. Let's define what need really is and act on it. Most people including conservatives and libertarians are compassionate and are…   more ›

Parent Talk: Dealing with Other People's Kids In Public

What do you think when you see kids with their parents at restaurants or coffee shops with their parents?

Most Friday mornings I meet a couple friends–joined by some of our children–at a coffee shop. We bring crayons and coloring books for our kids, and set them up with a snack and a drink. Meanwhile, the moms sit nearby catching up. It's quickly becoming one of the favorite parts of my week. That was until this past Friday at a coffee shop outside of St. Michael-Albertville. When my kids and I arrived the coffeeshop was empty, and we walked towards the designated kids section just at the same time a couple walked in and plopped down their work bags. I kindly explained that I was meeting some others with kids and that they may want to switch to another table since the kids are likely to play in the children's area. While the husband quickly …

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From Your Legislator: A Report to District 19

OPINION: Voter ID Amendment Now in Your Hands

Rep. Joe McDonald gives his update from the State Legislature, where the Minnesota House and Senate recently passed legislation to require photo identification at the polls.

We passed a couple of very important bills in the House [last] week. One pertains to photo ID for voters and the other is geared toward tax relief and job creation. The former (H.F. 2738) allows Minnesotans to decide whether photo ID should be a requirement for voting. The Senate may tinker with the language when it hears the bill. As of now, the question on our ballots this November will read: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended effective December 1, 2013, to require that all in-person voters present an approved form of government-issued photographic identification at the time of voting; that those not voting in person provide government-issued proof of identity; that all voters be subject to substantially equivalent eligibility …

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Genuinely Curious

5:38 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2012

Mike - I totally understand your point that if someone can't be bothered enough to get an ID, then would they be bothered to go to the polls? I get that. Here's the deal, you might be right. But, you're missing the larger point here - voting is most fundamental piece of our government, and there should not be any hurdles, however minor, when it comes to voting. It is something that every citizen …   more ›

Editor's Notebook

VIDEO: Spring Equinox in Albertville, St. Michael

A couple of age-old tricks also come out of the closet (or refrigerator) for the equinox. But, is it real, or a myth?

So, in case you missed it, spring arrived around 6:30 p.m. CST time last night, with the arrival of the spring (vernal) equinox. The equinox means, of course, that we have equal amounts of day and night on that particular day. It happens twice in a year–once in the spring, and then again, of course, about six months later, as fall arrives. A complete, and interesting rundown of the equinox can be found on National Geographic, complete with some pretty cool imagery. One of the images I remember as a kid was the parents of a neighbor friend of mine heading to the refrigerator and pulling out a raw egg on the night of a spring equinox, and standing it straight up. If you've attempted to do this, you know how hard that can be. The trick was, …

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OPINION: It's Time to Pay Back the K12 Shift

Wright County Rep. Joe McDonald weighs in on the Republicans' proposal to shift funding back into education as the state handles a sudden budget surplus.

It feels like the ink just dried on our 2011 budget, but it continues providing great results and opportunities to do more good things. The latest example is a proposal to not only pay back last year’s K-12 funding shift, but to go a step further. The bill also would begin repaying the shift we inherited from the previous DFL-controlled Legislature. We would be able to make this happen by using some of the $1.2 billion in new state budget surplus funds. We already are putting $318 million in surplus funds toward repaying the latest K-12 shift. But the state still owes schools $2.4 billion, including $400 million from the 2011 and $2 billion the DFL Legislature borrowed from schools in 2010. Our bill (H.F. 2083) puts $430 million toward …

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