Resident Elmer Karas said the cars reminded him of the 1928 Buick and Model T’s from 1918 and 1926 that his father once drove and sometimes had to crank to get started. Pictured, Elmer (right)  talks with car enthusiast Carl Morse in front of a blue 1940 Ford pickup. (Photo by Jon Tatting)

Also for Nursing Home Week, Ecumen has planned Dress Up Day, with Talent Show starting at 2 p.m. Wednesday; Hawaiian Day, with Pet Show at 2 p.m. Thursday; and Western Day, with a Church Ladies Cook Off at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

“We are honored to represent the people of District 17 at the State Capitol, and we look forward to hearing about the issues that are important to our constituents,” said Rep. Barrett.

Meeting Schedule:

Wednesday, May 16, 6- 7:30 p.m. at Chisago Lakes Library, 11754 302nd Street,Chisago City.

Tuesday, May 22, 6- 7:30 p.m. at North Branch Library, 6355 379th Street, North Branch.

For more information, contact Representative Bob Barrett’s office at (651) 296-5377 or Senator Nienow’s office at (651) 296-5419.

Come and meet the Midsummer Ambassador candidates at their annual Dessert Social, Wednesday, May 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Maple Commons in North Branch.  There is no charge for this events.  All of the desserts are made by the candidates, you can also buy chances to win a dessert to bring home with all proceeds being donated to Maple Commons.

RC garden club plant sale

The Rush City Garden Club’s annual plant sale will be Thursday, May 17, 7 to 9 a.m. at Rushseba Town Hall, on Forest Blvd. north of Rush City near the airport.

RC community clean-up this Saturday

Rush City Community Clean-up Day is Saturday, May 19, 8 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at the Chisago County Fairgrounds. In case of rain it will be at the city public works garage. Items that can be brought include appliances, televisions, tires, sofas, bed springs, mattresses, computer items, florescent bulbs, etc. No household or hazardous water accepted. Questions, call city hall at 320-358-4743. Check your March/April Dateline for complete list and fees.

Center City concert May 20

For 70 years the South Saint Paul Male Chorus has established a tradition of excellence in the music world.  On Sunday, May 20, at 3 p.m., the chorus will entertain at a concert at Chisago Lake Lutheran Church, Center City. The audience may wish to show its appreciation with a free-will offering.

Legislators to hold town hall meetings

State Representative Bob Barrett (R-Shafer) and State Senator Sean Nienow (R-Cambridge) will host District 17 town hall meetings on Wednesday, May 16, and Tuesday, May 22. They will give an overview of the 2012 Legislative session and will take questions as time allows.

“We are honored to represent the people of District 17 at the State Capitol, and we look forward to hearing about the issues that are important to our constituents,” said Rep. Barrett.

Meeting Schedule:

Wednesday, May 16, 6- 7:30 p.m. at Chisago Lakes Library, 11754 302nd Street,Chisago City.

Tuesday, May 22, 6- 7:30 p.m. at North Branch Library, 6355 379th Street, North Branch.

For more information, contact Representative Bob Barrett’s office at (651) 296-5377 or Senator Nienow’s office at (651) 296-5419.

RC Legion and Auxiliary members to hand out poppies

Over 500 crepe Poppy flowers handmade by disabled military veterans will be distributed during “Poppy Days” this Friday and Saturday by members of the Rush City American Legion and Auxiliary Post 93. Local volunteers will be handing out poppies at Rush City Foods, the Post Office, and the Holiday store. Donations will be accepted, and all proceeds will benefit local veterans’ programs and their families.

The poppy, which grew on the battlefields of Flanders, Belgium, during World War I, was adopted by the American Legion Auxiliary as its memorial flower in 1921. More than 1 million are distributed each year during Poppy Day activities.The Poppy serves as a tribute to the lives lost in all wars and honors the living Veteran as well. Wearing a Poppy is a personal statement that says, “I remember.”

Witnesses told responding officers a Dodge Durango pulling a boat was southbound on Forest Boulevard and slowed to make a left turn on 490th Street in Rushseba Township. Traveling behind was another car, and a motorcycle passed it. Witnesses said the man driving the motorcycle tried to swerve back into the southbound lane in-between the car and boat when he struck the rear corner of the boat.

The man, Keith Robert Hall, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nobody else was injured as a result of the crash. Hall was reportedly not wearing any protective equipment. Speed and inattentive driving may have been a factor in the crash. The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.

Funeral services for Hall will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 17 at Linwood Covenant Church in Linwood Township.

These “concurrent enrollment” students are taking advantage of a program that offers college credit courses on the high school campus rather than traveling to the college campus.

Courses are taught by highly qualified North Branch Area High School staff working as adjunct faculty of the post secondary institution.

During the current school year students enrolled in 10 different college courses, plus one Advanced Placement (AP) course.

Through Anoka Ramsey Community College:  Chemistry 1061, Principles of Chemistry, taught by Derrick Rink, 4 credits for 21 students; Math 1201/1202, College Algebra and Trigonometry, taught by Ron Moberg, 7 credits for  57 students; Economics 2205, Principles of Macroeconomics, taught by Chas Bettendorf, 3 credits for 85 students; History 2262, British History, taught by Jennifer Joyal, 3 credits for 20 students; Music 1110, History of Rock and Roll, taught by Ben Firkus, 3 credits for 24 students; and English 1121, College Writing, taught by Jennifer VanDyke, 4 credits for 75 students.

Through Southwest Minnesota State University: French 102, Beginning French, taught by Andrea Grote, 4 credits for 21 students.

Through University of Minnesota:  Spanish 1003, Intermediate Spanish, taught by Jan Kozlovsky, 5 credits for 7 students.

Through Pine Technical College, offered via interactive television: HEOP 1208 and HCCC 1215, Medical Terminology and Medical Dosages, 3 credits for 11 students; and MEDA 1001 abd HCCC 1220, Critical Thinking in Nursing and Human Development, 3 credits for 7 students.

In addition, Calculus was offered through the AP program.  Students who score a 3-5 (out of 5) on the AP exam administered May 9 have the potential to earn 5 credits from the college university they attend. Twelve students enrolled in this course offered by Ron Moberg.

Tuition costs vary by institution.  The high school pays a reduced rate because highly qualified high school staff teaches the courses and students are in the high school rather than on the college campus.

Eligibility to enroll in the courses varies by the institution offering credit.

Whether you love it or hate it, a new Vikings stadium is coming to Minnesota.

Last week in St. Paul, state legislators spent long hours debating, amending and debating some more while the public watched on local television and in person. The bill eventually passed 71-60 in the House and 36-30 in the Senate.

Voting against the $975 million stadium project were the three Republican legislators who represent Isanti and Chisago counties. And they had their reasons when asked by the Post Review last week.

In the House, Rep. Kurt Daudt voted no due to the project's funding source: gambling.

Rep. Daudt

Rep. Kurt Daudt (Crown-Dist. 17A) said his issue dealt more with the project’s funding source — gambling, which through such games as electric pull-tabs and pin boards is suppose to help generate revenue for the state’s $348 million share of the stadium project.

Actually, it’s the “expansion of gambling” that Daudt has a problem with as the issue hits close to home. So much, in fact, he thought about sharing his story with the House floor.

“I had a close relative with a gambling problem,” he said. “It was a secret until we read about it in her suicide note. No one, not even her husband knew she was going to the casino. She ended up taking her own life (because) it was easier than facing up to her problem (and) telling her loved ones.”

Aside from not wanting to expand gambling to build a stadium, Daudt also didn’t like the unknown or inability to get an accurate projection of how much gambling would generate. Even with backup measures, such as luxury suite taxes, those dollars wouldn’t come in until after the stadium opened, he added.

Instead, Daudt said he likely would have supported a funding source involving general obligation bonds, which is typically how the Legislature pays for projects. “They didn’t look at it until it was too late,” he noted.

Sen. Nienow

According to Sen. Sean Nienow (Cambridge-Dist. 17), “There’s a grand philosophical argument about whether government should subsidize sporting arenas, and particularly for highly profitable billion dollar businesses.”

On the stadium issue, he claimed he didn’t even need to dig that deep before discovering “fatal flaws” in the proposal.

Sen. Sean Nienow said his no vote was based on the discovery of "fatal flaws" in the stadium proposal.

“First, the provision, (which) not even directly related to the Vikings stadium, to vacate the Minneapolis Charter so the city can refurbish the Target Center without a referendum,” said Nienow. “Minneapolis residents added that provision to the charter in the 1990s specifically to prevent that from happening, and it was done in direct response to the city spending money on an arena without voter approval.

“I said all along that I would not vote to send a stadium bill to the governor for a signature if that provision to circumvent the electorate was in the bill — it is a clear and direct violation of their expressed wish.”

The state senator continued:

“If the Legislature can ignore those Minnesotans’ voice today, tomorrow it might be ours. I won’t support that happening. It’s not even necessary for the Vikings’ portion of the bill, and it should have been removed.

“The funding mechanism as currently structured in the bill is not going to be sufficient for debt service. Here at the Capitol everyone knows that is true (but not everyone is willing to publicly acknowledge it), which is why the House tried to find additional funding mechanisms and the final bill included nominal (yet insufficient) fallback mechanisms when revenues fall short.

“I had suggested and proposed a couple alternatives for a legitimate and stable funding approach, but they kept the flawed funding structure,” concluded Nienow.

Rep. Barrett

In Dist. 17B, Rep. Bob Barrett (Lindstrom) noted he learned the true meaning of the word, “passion,” last week when he received much public feedback and took it into consideration when making his decision on a new professional football stadium.

“Ultimately, deciding how to vote came down to standing up for Chisago County schools and taxpayers,” he said. “If we look at our county’s education funding, we have received disproportionately low funding for schools compared to kids from other zip codes for too many years.

"I could not in good conscience vote to take $400 million of state general fund money — fronted by an unproven form of electronic pull tab revenue and new but illegal sports-themed tip boards — to support this project," noted state Rep. Bob Barrett.

“And our homeowners and main street businesses are continually hit hard with burdensome taxation. In fact, many businesses just can’t compete in such a high cost environment,” he added.

With this in mind, “I could not in good conscience vote to take $400 million of state general fund money — fronted by an unproven form of electronic pull tab revenue and new but illegal sports-themed tip boards — to support this project,” Barrett continued.

That last part may have caught you off guard, he admitted, so he reiterated, “This bill includes as a funding source an illegal source of gambling that is projected by the experts to produce $500 million in revenue. This means the state’s general fund will be responsible for picking up the slack when these funds and the backup sources of revenue don’t come in.”

Further, the project included an additional $150 million from Minneapolis residents whose right to a referendum was “trampled on,” he stressed. That and the timing wasn’t good with the state’s economic progress.

“Everyone got hit hard in the last few years, many are still suffering, but the Legislature was able to successfully balance the budget last year after four years of doom and gloom and increasingly massive state budget deficits… The state is finally starting to experience some stability, and now, with this bill, we’re going to drag Minnesota further into debt,” Barrett explained.

Yet now that the voting is over, he did acknowledge — not as a state representative, but as a two-way starter on a state champion high school football team and lifelong football fan — “the excitement of long-suffering Viking fans who now have something to be extremely excited about.”

I got my sweet little Mustang convertible out of winter storage and she still looks great with that new top my daughter and her husband put on for me last year. There have been some beautiful days that I have enjoyed my ride home with the top down. It’s doctor’s orders, you know. My rheumatologist said I needed more sun. What better way to get it?

One thing about riding in a convertible, though, is that you feel very exposed and vulnerable. Not much there for protection if I should be in an accident. But there is one thing that offers the security I need when I roll down the highway with the wind in my hair – and that’s my seatbelt.

I received a wonderful reminder this week from The Chisago County Law Enforcement Partnership, especially for our teenagers, to buckle up.

Low seat belt use is one reason traffic crashes are the leading killer of Minnesota teenagers they said.

The Law Enforcement Partnership is asking parents, teachers and coaches to stress the buckle up message to keep teens safe.

With the school year coming to a close it is a great opportunity to remind young drivers to buckle up as they head into summer.

Most importantly the partnership says that it is key for teens to speak up in a vehicle to encourage peers to buckle up.

An unbelted motorist can crash into a windshield and slam into and injure or kill other passengers.

Often, an unbelted motorist is ejected from the vehicle and killed.

Parents should remember to talk to their teens about driving, to set rules and reinforce teen driving laws — such as seat belt and no texting laws.

It is also important that parents set and follow through with consequences for irresponsible driving behavior.

It should be everyone’s goal to help reduce the number of teen motor vehicle fatalities.

A statewide Click It or Ticket enhanced seat belt education and enforcement campaign is running May 21–June 3.

Seatbelt surveys conducted on May 4 in 11 Chisago County locations showed that only about 89 percent of drivers are wearing their seatbelts. The surveys will be conducted again after the campaign to determine the effects of media, education and enforcement efforts on seatbelt usage.

Let’s all buckle up and push that number closer to 100 percent.

Superintendent

North Branch Area High School (NBAHS) made national news last week by earning the honor of a “bronze medal” for its performance against other Minnesota high schools. U.S. News and World Report published the report, which can be found at:http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools.

Many have expressed surprise at our receiving this honor, an understandable reaction considering the challenges our district has faced over the years. We have been cutting staff and programs since 2003-04, and have taken serious steps to get more from the dollars provided us by the taxpayers, such as the move to a four-day week.

In fact, NBAHS had the highest teacher to student ratio (24:1) of all the bronze medal schools.

The award is a clear indication we have not let our circumstances dictate our performance. “Do more with less” is not just four words at North Branch Area Public Schools (NBAPS).

We pride ourselves on proving that a school district can function at a high level regardless of budget woes or failed levies. We know that you take great pride in our ability to overcome challenges as well, since it was from you, the taxpayers, that we received that mission.

Though the award is given to the high school, it is pride that should be shared by all staff, from Early Childhood through elementary and middle school. Credit should also go to students and their families. Our students excel in high school because they have great teachers at all levels of the education provided here at NBAPS, and great support at home. I hope every staff member and family member feels some pride today.

It can be difficult to remember, in the midst of the many political debates about public schools and NBAPS in particular, that we have a mission to educate the children of this community to the very best of our ability. The honor earned from U.S. News proves yet again our dedication to that mission.

Jane McCormick

She was beaten, raped and left to die in a Las Vegas desert, but she survived.

Now she is sharing her story to help other young women avoid going into prostitution and to educate the public about abused women.

Jane McCormick, once known as Jane Harvey, was a high-class call girl who worked for members of the “Rat Pack,” during the 1960s in Las Vegas.

McCormick has recently written a memoir together with friend Patti Wicklund about the bold truth of her abusive childhood, rape, prostitution and inside stories as a high class call girl during the 1960s.

“Breaking My Silence: Confessions of a Rat Pack Party Girl and Sex-Trade Survivor,” is a memoir that not only reveals her 1960s liaisons with the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin), it also details McCormick’s molestation by an abusive father and the too-young marriage that led to her addiction to the big money of high-roller prostitution in Las Vegas.

McCormick will be the featured speaker at The Refuge Network’s 4th Annual 2012 Women’s Gathering Expo Thursday, May 17, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Maranatha Church, 24799 Forest Blvd., Wyoming, Minn.

Tickets are $15 in advance by calling 763-689-3532 or $20 at the door. Besides McCormick’s presentation, there will be food catered by Susan’s Custom Catering, live demonstrations on yoga, self defense and gardening, booths, silent auction, raffles and a bake sale.

Some people are happy the Vikings are getting a new stadium and others are ambivalent, however many people take issue with the proposal that passed the legislature.

Funding was the main reason, with the creation of electronic pulls tabs (no proven revenue track record), to NFL Football tip boards (illegal by federal law). Reports after the fact explain that the Vikings owner will ultimately cough up $25-30 million and the state, $400,000,000.

Media reports of thousands of jobs created also doesn’t add up.

Chisago (and Isanti) counties are proud that their own Sen. Sean Nienow and Rep. Bob Barrett voted against the passage of the stadium bill, holding true to their promise to be good stewards of the tax payer’s dollar.

In both houses there were more democrats voting for the bill than against it and more Republicans voting against it than for it. Had there been a fiscally responsible proposal that doesn’t fund the stadium at the expense of schools and health care (the stadium bonds will be the first thing paid every budget year) there would have been overwhelming support.

Those who voted no were not opposing a stadium, just a really bad deal for Minnesota taxpayers. Governor Dayton wanted this stadium and the Democrats delivered with some moderate Republicans helping.

When this deal goes south and Minnesotans have to cover the shortfalls in funding, they should remember the progressives and moderates left them holding the tab. Minnesota will be waiting a long time to recoup this investment.

Michele Lentz

Stacy

Battles, creativity and determination were displayed on the State Capitol steps last week, and I’m not talking about the stadium debate.  Several hundred parents, educators, students and state legislators listened to, and honored 38 students, ages 5-18, whose essays were judged best from among the 1,857 submitted.

Students were asked to write about a book that made a difference in their life.   Last week they read their winning essays. TCF Bank provided cash cards for the winners.

Paige, a junior at Wolf Creek Online Charter High School, based in Chisago Lakes, discussed the dramatic impact of reading Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption, by William Cope Moyers.  She read this at twelve.

It gave her the courage to tell her mother that her father had been molesting her.  “After several court dates and a trial, my father is now in prison for hopefully the rest of his life. I can definitely thank William for helping me to find the courage to tell my mother.”

Wolf Creek student Shundiin Green, grade 10, confidently read her essay in front of a large audience at the state Capitol. Photo supplied

Shundiin Green a 10th grader at Wolf Creek,  praised Nancy Drew Notebooks: The Scary Stories Sleepover.  Green and her sister read it together after her sister came home from the hospital after months of dealing with a brain tumor.

As they read, “I saw her smile a real smile and laugh a real laugh; it truly brought my eyes to tears because I haven’t seen her do that in so long….My sister and I would read this story over and over every single night for months.  This book helped me have hope that with that smile she would make it through another day.”

Andrea  Boe, an 11th grader at Spectrum in Elk River, described  the book Get Me out of Here, by Rachel Reiland.  This book “takes the reader through an agonizing journey of (the author’s) struggles” with Borderline Personality Disorder, which can end in suicide.  Boe described her struggle, “I have been cut down and set back with the unfortunate mental illness of depression and anxiety. …To have Reiland take my hand and guide me through her story gave me hope that only someone else who had suffered could.”

Rieck, a 9th grader, focused on The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss.  He used the rhyming style that helped make Seuss famous and beloved. Rieck wrote in part,

“So if you are thirteen, fourteen, fifteen or more, keep that mind open

And don’t close the door.

Get in your car and drive straight to the store.

Get a Dr. Seuss book, three even four.”

Rieck concluded, “I suggest that you start with a book with a Sneetch,

It will teach you that every person is unique, even me.

I learned all this from Dr. Seuss don’t you see.”

Elizaveta Anderson of North Lakes Academy in Forest Lake wrote that The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks “taught me to treat life like there’s no tomorrow.“  The book’s main character is rude to her father and “shows only negative emotion towards him until the end, when he’s dying.

“I don’t want my last words with family members to be “I’m mad at you… Today I try my hardest to be more positive toward my family members, not to believe everything I hear and not to regret things that happen…”

Not all the essays dealt with topics like depression, cancer or child abuse.   Luke Bjur of New Heights charter in Stillwater wrote, “I have grown up in a house that uses the Bible for all of our rules and our discipline, so, to say the least, it has been in my life for all of my life….This book has given me purpose in life, and it has taught me to treat others well.”

Representative Sondra Erickson, chair of the Minnesota House Education Reform Committee, and Senator Gen Olson, chair of the Minnesota Senate Education Committee praised the young people.  They thanked educators and parents for encouraging reading, and encouraged young people to continue.

This is the sixth year our Center has run the  writing contest.  The award ceremony is held during National Charter School week. But the contest isn’t about district or charter schools. It really celebrates writing, and this year, about reading.

Though there can be great value in the internet, these young people made a vital point.  Books can inspire, challenge, comfort and encourage.  As Rieck wrote, “Get back to your house and crack open the cover, open your mind there are more worlds to discover.”

- Joe Nathan, formerly a Minnesota public school teacher and administrator, directs the Center for School Change, Macalester College.  Reactions welcome, jnathan@macalester.edu.

A combination of 186 degrees, diplomas and certificates will be awarded. Guest speakers at the ceremony include Scott Thiss, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees chairman, and Senator Tony Lourey.

The public is encouraged and welcome to attend in support of the graduates. Following the ceremony, a cake and coffee reception will follow in the common area at PCHS.

Pine Technical College, established in 1965 and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, serves more than 1,200 students and awards certificates, diplomas and associate degrees. PTC’s notable programs include accounting, American Sign Language, automotive technology, business administration, business technology, computer programming, computer science, early childhood development, gunsmithing technology, medical assistant, network administration, practical nursing, precision manufacturing/machining (CNC), public welfare financial worker, and many more.

PTC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

Authors Rae Katherine Eighmey and Debbie Miller combed through hundreds of cookbooks, many spiral-bound or homemade, put together from around the Midwest.

Then they tested hundreds of the most popular recipes and selected 125 and put them into a cookbook called “Potluck Paradise:  Favorite Fare from Church and Community Cookbooks.”

They will talk about their culinary journey at the Rush City Public Library on Tuesday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m.

Reviewers say the book is like opening a time capsule from the 1950s.  Treats from one of the recipes will be available for sampling and books available for purchase at the event.

In April, at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, 321 volunteers and staff came together to enjoy a time of celebration.

Special recognition went to volunteers who reached a milestone in their years of service.

Audrey Coughlin received a special award for 20 years of service with the Wyoming Thrift Store.

Joyce Lindquist received a special award for 15 years of service with the Senior Program.

Recipients of 10-year service awards include: Cecilia Dahmen, Frank Grundmeier, Kim Leone-Larson, Ellie Peden, Grace Schoeberl, and Betty Zeleny.

Twenty-seven volunteers received awards for five years of service and 56 volunteers received awards for two years of service.

Family Pathways also remembered volunteer Jeffrey Chartrand who died in April. He volunteered for the Lindstrom Food Pantry and recently led the way on a very successful fundraising effort.

In all, the organization is blessed with 1,019 terrific volunteers who shared their talents and volunteered 57,758 hours of service to our communities in 2011.

Family Pathways has volunteer opportunities for people of any age who have a desire to help their neighbors.

Volunteers participate in the Senior Services Program as companion care volunteers to help isolated seniors remain living independently in their own homes and in the “Gatherings” a social respite program for families dealing with the onset of mild to mid-stage memory loss.

Other volunteers give of their time at one of Family Pathways four Teen Centers or in one of the mentorship programs.

Food shelf and food pantry volunteers faithfully help by receiving donations and stocking shelves.

Thrift Store volunteers help with accepting donations and getting product displayed on the sales floor.

Others volunteer at the Central Office or at one of Family Pathways special events.

As a grass root organization, Family Pathways is not only dependent upon the service of volunteers but is also dependent on the generosity of community members who donate food to the food shelves, clothes and household goods to the thrift stores, and contribute financially in support of Family Pathways programs.

With the public’s loyal partnership, the organization works to meet its mission of working with people to meet their basic needs, strengthen their families, develop caring relationships and help support communities.

Information about Family Pathways can be found at: familypathways.org or on Facebook or you can call the Central Office toll free at 877-321-7100.

I believe the 2012 Legislature gets a failing grade.  It seems obvious that Minnesotans will have a clear choice in November between leaders who truly value public education, jobs and the middle class and those who view our state as just a place for political games.

From paying back our schools to lowering property taxes for families and small businesses, much remains to be done to move our state forward.  Unfortunately, the out-of-touch priorities of the Republican-led legislature have taken Minnesota backwards.  They shut down state government, protected corporate tax loopholes while raising property taxes on middle class Minnesotans, and borrowed billions to paper over another record state budget deficit.

The Republican majority introduced more than 20 bills targeting public education, none of them responsibly addressed the most pressing needs of our students, including repaying the state’s $2 billion IOU to its schools, closing the achievement gap and developing a sustainable funding system for the future.

Instead, this Republican led legislature has passed bills on abortion, guns (stand your ground) and fireworks.  We saw bills that would raise the health insurance costs for educators and their districts, put corporate tax breaks ahead of repaying the debt to our schools.

After five months of debate, the union-busting right-to-work constitutional amendment won’t be on the November ballot, thanks in part to a bi-partisan recognition that it was an attack on unions and the middle class.

The single most important task before the legislature in even number years is to pass the bonding bill, and they didn’t get that done until the very last hours of session and only because the Democratic minority provided the leadership needed, as well as the majority of the votes.  When the Senate bonding bill is supported by 18 of 37 Republicans and 27 of 30 Democrats, it makes you ask, “Who is the majority again?”  As Senator Nienow said in a May 8th tweet “If a Majority Caucus needs most of the votes from the Minority to pass a bill, what does that say about their leadership?”  Well put Sen. Nienow.

We could dwell on the misplaced priorities and missed opportunities of the 2012 session, but now it’s time to look ahead. It’s time we look to next legislative session so we can elect new lawmakers who will develop the policies for 2013 that will give Minnesotans what they deserve, and what we, in the past, took great pride in – the best public schools in the nation and a strong, healthy and dependable workforce to keep the state moving forward.

Cindy Erickson

North Branch

Ness has worked in banking and finance for the past 20 years and is currently the Assistant Vice President for People’s National Bank of Mora, Minn.

Married for 24 years with three children and one grandchild, Ness’ goal is to work in the area of project management with a school system or an industry that integrates high-tech green solutions into new and existing homes.

He also holds a degree in economics from the University of Minnesota.

She was raised in White Bear Lake, where she met and married Melvin Mathias Bacon with whom she had three children: Daniel (Carol), Melvin, and Leanne.

Following the dissolution of her marriage, she met and married Oren Michael Thayer, and in doing so welcomed into her heart as her own, his children: Thomas, Kiz (John) Willner, Audra (Jim) Chamberlin, Shawn, Jarrod, Nick (Sara), Vickie (Mike) Quast, Leilani (Dan) Stirewalt, Heath (Dorothy) and Timothy (Heather).

Maggie worked as an RN, leaving a legacy of loving kindness and caring generosity to all the lives she touched.

She called many places home including Deerwood, Minn., St. Joseph, Mo., and North Branch, Minn.

She is preceded in death by parents Curtis and Lylah Perry. Also preceded in death by Oren Michael Thayer and Melvin M. Bacon. She will be greatly missed by her sister, Susan Anderson (Jerald), 13 children, 39 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren and many extended family and friends.

A Memorial Service to celebrate her life will be held at Fish Lake Lutheran Church on Saturday, May 19, 2012.

Service will be at 2 p.m., with a 1 hour visitation preceding the service.

For additional information please see www.fishlakelutheran.org.

The 2012 Minnesota Grown Directory makes it easy to locate orchards, farmers markets, berry farms and garden centers where you can purchase products directly from the grower. The printed directory is made possible by the participation of more than 945 listed growers, more than 20 advertising sponsors, and repeated cover sponsorship by the Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU).

A complimentary copy may be ordered by calling Explore Minnesota Tourism at 1-888-TOURISM (1-888-868-7476). The guide is also offered online on the Minnesota Grown website at www.minnesotagrown.com.

There was reason for rejoicing in the North Branch schools last week when the district office was notified that US News and World Report had listed North Branch Area High School (NBAHS) among the best high schools in America.

NBAHS was one of only 96 high schools in Minnesota to receive a bronze medal.

In all, 423 secondary schools in the state were evaluated.

Of those that received bronze medals, NBAHS had the highest teacher/student ratio (24:1), proving NBAPS can do more with less, said staff at the district office. There are 1,105 students and 47 teachers.

It was also noted that the high school students were 52 percent proficient in reading, above Minnesota average, and 84 percent proficient in math, also above Minnesota average.

While the high school received the honor, said the district, it was made possible by the work of staff, students, and families starting in Early Childhood and continuing through the elementary and middle school years.

This recognition belongs to the district as a whole, they happily announced.

“It is such an honor to be included among the finest high schools in the state of Minnesota,” said Superintendent Deb Henton. “Our staff works hard under adverse funding conditions and this award again illustrates the dedication this school district has to providing a top notch education regardless of circumstances.”

For more information about U.S. News and World Report’s list of the finest high schools in Minnesota, go to: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/minnesota.

The mission of this grant program is to support rural areas and county fair organizations as upgrades or maintenance is done on fairground livestock buildings, 4-H buildings or livestock judging arenas.

“Many county fairs struggle on the upkeep of these old buildings and AgStar is proud to step in with monetary support to update them,” stated John Monson, chairman of AgStar’s Fund Board of Trustees. “County fairs are vital to the agriculture community and it’s an honor for us to help them succeed.”

Since its inception in 2001, the AgStar Fund has donated in excess of $3 million to organizations working to improve the future of rural America. Support must align with the Fund’s mission of enhancing life in agriculture and rural America.