Sunday, May 12, 2013
A guest column from Lois Larson, member of the Washington County Child Protection Citizen Review Panel.
Becoming a grandparent is a wonderful opportunity to offer love, support and all the knowledge we have acquired throughout our years of raising children. We have many answers to the childrearing questions our sons and daughters may have and are only too happy to impart our words of wisdom. We feel we know best as we have been in these situations and our children are living proof that we did the right thing. We might be surprised to learn that many childrearing methods have changed and what we once thought was best for our children has been proven to be not so. As a member of the Citizens Review Panel for Washington County, we work closely with the county and the Minnesota Department of Human Services to serve the needs of our children and …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Here are this week’s posts from Woodbury bloggers.
At Patch, we care about what you have to say in your community. Every week we will be recognizing our bloggers on Woodbury Patch, from cooking enthusiasts to local business owners, and everyone in between! If you’re interested in becoming a Local Voice on Woodbury Patch, email Hannah Gruber at hannah.gruber@patch.com A Look at Home Prices - Pre-Owned Homes vs. New Construction in Woodbury John and Becky Durham examine current market conditions and show you the difference in home prices between new construction and pre-owned homes in Woodbury. (John and Becky Durham) Saving for Retirement? Give Yourself a “Raise” IRA's and retirement. (Eric St. Martin) Spring Clean Your 401(k) You can Spring Clean your 401(k) too! (Ric Lager) Fed Meeting …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Michael Litgen spoke during Wednesday night’s Woodbury City Council meeting.
It’s just a matter of when, according to Michael Litgen. “A splash pad is coming to Woodbury,” he said. Litgen spoke during the open forum portion of Wednesday night’s Woodbury City Council meeting, urging the city to install the water feature as part of the Bielenberg Sports Center expansion plans. The city has been considering the splash pad as it moves forward with the $21.8 million project, which includes a new field house, two-story lobby and outdoor rink, among other updates. An all-inclusive playground, Madison's Place, is also planned at the site. Litgen said a splash pad would improve the overall project, comparing it to the way the Lookout Ridge indoor playground enhances the city’s Central Park facility. “This adds to the …
44.889219
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Bielenberg Sports Center
4125 Radio Dr, Woodbury, MN
/articles/woodbury-man-makes-plea-for-splash-pad
1705339
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Tuesday, May 7, 2013
"I want to see our businesses grow, not our government."
As a long-time resident of Minnesota, I would like to voice my concern about the budget proposal that recently passed the House and Senate. The tax package includes new taxes that were intended to target high-income Minnesotans, but will actually impact small businesses. Small businesses drive our economy; they create local jobs for local people. Taxes that stunt small business growth will stunt the growth of our entire economy. Before our legislators implement taxes that will hurt our small businesses and threaten our economic growth, they should review the budget and eliminate wasteful spending. Too often it seems that new taxes are the answer to everything. I think our elected officials should work a little harder to draft a budget …
Monday, May 6, 2013
The Woodbury Lions Club's annual citywide garage sale is set for this weekend.
With the Woodbury Lions Community Garage Sale slated for this week, someone asked on the Woodbury Patch Facebook page: We're going to be part of the Lions garage sales next weekend. We have a ton of baby clothes to sell, and we're wondering what is the best way to price and display them. Any other tips are also welcome. Thanks. So, what tips do you have for holding a successful sale? Just leave a comment in the section below. On its webpage for the event, the Lions Club offers some hints. The 2013 Woodbury Lions Community Garage Sale is set for May 9-11. The 36th annual event is co-sponsored by the city of Woodbury. Net proceeds from the event are returned to the community to: “Please join us in supporting this great community event, and …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The state dropped two spots in the League of American Bicyclists’ annual rankings.
(Editor's Note: The map above was created by the League of American Bicyclists.) Minnesota is still among the top states in “bike friendliness,” but its ranking fell a couple notches in 2013, according to the League of American Bicyclists. The state was ranked fourth this year, down from second in 2012. It ranked high in legislation and enforcement, policies and programs and education and encouragement. But it was middle of the pack in infrastructure and funding and lower tier in evaluation and planning. Minnesota was also missing three of the league’s “Top 10 Signs of Success: Use the map above to see how Minnesota compares to other states in the various categories. Do you think Minnesota needs to do more to support cycling? Share your …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
"The education finance bill took significant steps to reducing property taxes, in addition to making the reforms and funding increase necessary to maintain our world-class education system," according to Kent, a first-term DFLer from Woodbury.
For the past 10 years, property taxes on Minnesotans have gone up almost 90 percent and are approaching an unsustainable level. Middle-class families and small businesses are being hammered by an ever-growing property tax burden. The Senate has passed legislation to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in needed relief to our local communities. Every single Minnesotan has felt the increase. It is a problem that was neglected for far too long. The education finance bill took significant steps to reducing property taxes, in addition to making the reforms and funding increase necessary to maintain our world-class education system. The education finance bill buys back $150 million in school levies. Local governments are able to remove …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Proposed legislation would ban school boards from dropping coaches' contracts 'solely' because of parent gripes.
Do high school coaches need a law to shield their jobs from parent complaints? Leave your comment below. A Minnesota Legislature conference committee is weighing whether to include this sentence in its omnibus policy and finance bill: "The existence of parent complaints must not be the sole reason for a board to not renew a coaching contract." The legislation is in response to increasing non-renewals of coaches' contracts, with as many as 35 percent in one sport (boys' hockey) involving parent complaints, according to a Star Tribune report: “This just came out from athletics directors and coaches who thought something more needed to be done,” said Rep. Dean Urdahl, a Grove City Republican who co-authored the bill. “The problem is … parents…
The Republican outlines her thoughts on the Crosswinds school issue, bills she has authored this session and other matters facing the Legislature.
We’re nearing the end of the 2013 legislative session in St. Paul, but we still face some tough decisions on spending over the next month. I would like to provide you with a general overview from the legislature as well as some specific issues I have been working on for you this year. I am first and foremost concerned that proposals this year to raise taxes and fees by nearly $3 billion, coupled with the bonding proposals that increase our debt, create a deadly combination that will jeopardize our economic progress. Therefore, you will not find me voting in support of most of the omnibus bills that come to the House floor this session. I continue working with the Department of Labor and Industry regarding workers' compensation advisory …
Monday, April 29, 2013
An offensive encounter at Woodbury City Hall.
Two volunteers for the Woodbury Heritage Society had very different experiences upon entering City Hall the morning of April 27, 2013. The day started as it did for most Minnesotans—a great day to be alive, healthy, and living in a gorgeous Midwestern town that was rated as one of the best cities in the nation, according to various publications. So why wouldn’t these two persons rejoice in being Woodbury citizens and volunteers, too? The first volunteer to arrive at City Hall found a group of people waiting outside who appeared to be associated with a local civic organization. There appeared to be a pageant court setting and there were children as well as adults present. As the volunteer approached the entrance, she was asked if she had …
nicole robbins
2:26 pm on Thursday, May 16, 2013
Thank you Lois, for sharing this! It's really helpful information and really important that grandparents and parents do work in partnership to do what is best for the child. I commend you for speaking out about this, sometimes it's not easy to broach the subject when families have very strong opinions about what is "best" for baby! more ›