Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The DFLer released a statement Wednesday shortly after the governor's address.
State Rep. JoAnn Ward, who represents the northwest part of Woodbury in House District 53A, released the following statement about Gov. Mark Dayton's 2013 State of the State address. “Governor Dayton is taking a fresh approach to our state budget and priorities. Instead of the status quo of recent years that balances the budget on the backs of middle class families and small businesses, the governor is proposing to structurally balance the budget in a way that puts Minnesota on the path to economic prosperity. I look forward to working with Governor Dayton, Republicans and Democrats on ways to improve education, create jobs, invest in veterans and move our state forward. I encourage Woodbury, Maplewood, Oakdale and Landfall residents to …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Take our poll; then click on to our Patch stories below to see what legislators and others are saying.
Gov. Mark Dayton this week unveiled a proposed state budget and tax plan that would, among other things, lower Minnesota's sales tax from 6.875 percent to 5.5 percent but broaden it to cover more items such as higher-priced clothing, car repairs and other services. In his quest to avoid a projected $1.1 billion revenue shortfall, Dayton said his plan also includes raising the income on some groups of taxpayers (such as the state's 2 percent of highest-income earners). He is proposing to reduce property taxes and cut the corporate tax rate on businesses. (To see a Patch story and UpTake video of Dayton's speech, click on this link.) Bottom line: The governor said he wants to provide property tax relief, boost funding for K-12 education, …
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Real men not only wear pink, but have fought the fight against breast cancer. This weekend, men can join the popular women's cause against breast cancer at the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Conference in St. Paul.
Breast cancer isn’t just about pink ribbons anymore. Despite the common perception that women are only affected by breast cancer, thousands of men are also diagnosed with the disease each year. In fact, approximately 2,190 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among men in 2012, according to the American Cancer Society. In addition, approximately 410 men will die from breast cancer this year. A Pledge invites men in the community, corporate leaders, political figures and entrepreneurs to step up and pledge to raise awareness for breast cancer by supporting the 11th Annual Twin Cities Breast Cancer Awareness Conference alongside their spouse, sister, daughter or mother. The conference is set for Saturday, Oct. 6 in St. Paul…
Monday, August 15, 2011
District 833 Superintendent Mark Porter reacts to governor’s idea to opt out of the often-criticized federal program.
In the wake of Gov. Mark Dayton suggesting the state opt out of the federal No Child Left Behind statute, the potential affects on area schools are still unclear. Reached for comment at Thursday’s school board workshop meeting, District 833 Superintendent Mark Porter said he understands where the governor and education commissioner are coming from in their desire to leave No Child Left Behind, but he’s unsure how it could impact South Washington County Schools and other districts across the state. “What’s unclear to me at this point—while I certainly appreciate and understand how we would like to be relieved of some of the punitive aspects of No Child Left Behind—I’m unclear as to what we’re exchanging it for,” he said. Porter said he’s in…
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Gov. Mark Dayton signed a two-year state budget into law on Wednesday.
Insults were hurled. Accusations were made. Pleas were ignored. But in the end, the people’s business was finished. Gov. Mark Dayton has signed into law all 12 budget bills passed by the Minnesota House and Senate during early-morning hours Wednesday. Dayton’s signatures ended the Minnesota government shutdown, which, at 20 days, was the longest continuous shutdown in state history. Sen. Ted Lillie—who voted for all 12 budget bills—said he got home at about 5:30 a.m. this morning. “The sun was coming up, the robins were chirping.” “On the whole, I believe that this is a very good deal for Minnesota,” said Lillie, a first-term Republican who represents Woodbury. While Lillie said he was pleased that the Legislature passed a budget and ended…
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Sen. Ted Lillie says there are still items he has to examine before deciding whether he will support the proposed budget.
Minnesota legislators have been called back to their seats and an end to the state government shutdown appears just hours away. Gov. Mark Dayton called for a special legislative session to begin at 3 p.m. today—19 days into the Minnesota government shutdown—after approving preliminary versions of nine legislative bills totaling $35.4 billion over the 2012-13 biennium. On the phone from the Capitol this morning, Sen. Ted Lillie, a Republican who represents Woodbury, said lawmakers have seen presentations about many of the bills, but there are still some details he has to examine before committing to a vote on the budget. Still, Lillie said he’s pleased to be heading back to the Senate chambers this afternoon, and added that there are …
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The governor has agreed to a June 30 GOP proposal (with conditions); Rep. Andrea Kieffer said she would “likely” support the measure.
As news broke today about a possible budget agreement that would end the state government shutdown, Rep. Andrea Kieffer said she was excited. Lawmakers planned an afternoon conference call to talk about the details, the Republican from Woodbury told Patch. Kieffer said she would “likely” support the deal but couldn’t be sure until she gets a chance to further examine the proposal. Gov. Mark Dayton has “reluctantly" agreed to a June 30 Republican budget offer, with conditions. The offer generates $700 million dollars through further school aid shifts, and issues $700 million in “tobacco bonds” to cover the rest of the $1.4 billion gap between the governor and state Republicans. The governor today (July 14) sent a letter to Senate Majority …
Friday, July 1, 2011
Rep. Andrea Kieffer says the affects of the shutdown will become more pronounced after the holiday weekend: “Reality’s going to set in.”
Like most Minnesotans, Rep. Andrea Kieffer is looking forward to the Fourth of July weekend. Still, the Woodbury Republican says she will be ready to head back to the Capitol should GOP leadership and Gov. Mark Dayton reach an agreement on the budget and bring an end to the state government shutdown. “I hope they can come to something,” Kieffer told Patch on Friday. “I don’t know though. I’ve got my cell phone on. I’m waiting.” Sen. Ted Lillie has told Patch that the GOP will not agree to a budget that includes tax increases, and Kieffer said Woodbury residents agree that the state should balance its budget without a tax hike. Dayton on Thursday said he offered a plan that would have raised taxes only on those Minnesotans who make more …
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The governor spoke before the high school's senior class Tuesday morning.
Gov. Mark Dayton talked about volunteering, politics and other matters Tuesday at East Ridge High School in Woodbury. For a story about his visit, click here.
44.8619
-92.9857
East Ridge High School
4200 Pioneer Drive, Woodbury, MN
/articles/photo-gallery-dayton-at-east-ridge
1759147
/locations/4012862
The governor spoke about volunteerism and community service Tuesday morning at East Ridge High School.
Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday morning spoke to the senior class at East Ridge High School, where he outlined the importance of community service and answered students’ questions about education and state politics. Dayton talked about how his time volunteering gave him a broader life perspective and taught him “what help really means to people.” He called volunteering “leaving my cocoon” and spoke about his time as an orderly in a Minneapolis emergency room as a teenager. “I’ve learned so much from what I’ve done, being involved with other people,” said Dayton, who also noted his time with Head Start programs and called Robert Kennedy his political hero. While Dayton speech was primarily geared toward the value of community service, seniors …
44.8619
-92.9857
East Ridge High School
4200 Pioneer Drive, Woodbury, MN
/articles/gov-mark-dayton-visits-woodbury
1759147
/locations/4012876
Joyce Denn
10:26 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Actually, KAnn, the government plays an important role in growing the economy - the evidence for this is abundant, if you just look at it. more ›