Friday, January 4, 2013
With so many challenges on the table, Patch wants to know what issues you think are most important.
With another legislative session just around the corner, senators and representatives have no shortage of challenges ahead of them. Lawmakers plan to convene hearings on gun control in the wake of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. They’ll review a recommendation from a governor-appointed task force to increase gas taxes and tab fees in response to a projected $50 billion shortfall in transportation funding. The DFL majority and defeat of the marriage amendment in the 2012 election could even prompt the Legislature to take up the issue of gay marriage. And looming over everything is a projected $1.1 billion deficit that legislators will have to close before adjourning for the year. With so many issues on the …
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Greeters will be in place to monitor visitors at newer elementary schools in District 833.
The effects of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., are still being felt in District 833. Six of the newer elementary schools in the district will soon have greeters at the doors to monitor visitors, said Barb Brown, communications director for South Washington County Schools. The six are newer schools that don’t have checkpoints in place that came with previous HVAC updates, Brown said. Visitors come into an open area when they enter the schools. “That has been a concern,” Brown said. Officials are determining whether the person will be an existing staffer or a new hire. The greeters will be in place when school resumes Jan. 2 following the winter break, Brown said. “It’s a short-term solution,” she said. The district is looking at …
Friday, December 21, 2012
Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum called the NRA's idea of guards on playgrounds and in schools a "preverse vision for life in America."
Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) issued the following statement in response to today’s press conference by Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) executive vice president: No legal organization in America is more responsible than the NRA for lobbying to ensure the proliferation of killer guns while denying law enforcement tools to stop killers. Wayne LaPierre’s call for guards and guns in every school building and playground is madness and a perverse vision for life in America. In Congress, we need to move forward comprehensive legislation that bans assault weapons, closes the gun show loop hole, prohibits high capacity magazines, and gives law enforcement the tools to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. At…
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Patch will pause to remember the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary.
Patch websites in Minnesota will go dark for a moment Friday morning to honor the memory of those killed one week ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. The brief Patch blackout is set for 8:30 a.m. CST on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Gov. Mark Dayton has called for a moment of silence in Minnesota one hour later, at 9:30 a.m. CST. In his statement (click on PDF thumbnail), Dayton also asked places of worship and government buildings that have bells to ring them 26 times "in honor of each life that was taken far too soon at Sandy Hook Elementary School." Twenty children and six adults died in the mass shooting. Newtown Patch's news hub has extensive coverage of the events of Dec. 14 and since, including the names of those who died…
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Superintendent Keith Jacobus sent out a note to parents on Tuesday.
The shootings in Newtown, Conn., prompted South Washington County Schools to review its safety and security procedures, the district announced last week. There was an additional police presence at many schools in Woodbury on Monday. On Tuesday, Superintendent Keith Jacobus sent out the following note: Dear Families, We continue to join school districts across the nation struggling with the best way to support our students, staff and families, as we work through the tragedy that continues to unfold in Connecticut. While we work to continue the efforts of educating students, this situation reminds us of the need to ensure a safe environment to best serve our students. Our goal on Monday was to create normalcy for our students. There were a …
Monday, December 17, 2012
Lee Vague, Woodbury Public Safety chief, reached out to area schools to ask what could be done in the wake of the massacre in Connecticut.
Woodbury parents might have noticed police standing outside their child’s school Monday morning. Public Safety Chief Lee Vague reached out to local public and private schools following the shooting in Newtown, Conn., to ask what police here could do, said Michelle Okada, police spokeswoman. The additional police presence was meant to “help families and kids feel safe as they transition back from a tragic event,” Okada said. Police were set to monitor things at the start and end of the school day, she said. One or two officers were assigned to each school. There is no definite timeframe for how long officers will be stationed at the schools, and there will be additional dialogue between police and school officials this week, Okada said. …
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Candy Hofstad sent out a note to parents Sunday.
In the wake of the shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut, the principal of Bailey Elementary in Woodbury on Sunday sent out the following statement: As you are aware, there was a tragic shooting at a school in Connecticut on Friday, December 14, 2012. Because the incident happened in a school setting this comes of concern to students and their families locally. At Bailey Elementary School, our staff will support all of our students as needed in the days ahead. In addition, we will pay close attention to our security steps/routines as well as review the school wide crisis plan. Although nothing truly prepares us for the tragic event of Sandy Hook Elementary School, the strength of our own school community and our commitment to our…
Do you agree with Rep. Betty McCollum? What do you think is at issue in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting? Is it gun control? Addressing mental health? Both? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Fourth District Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who will soon represent the Woodbury area in the U.S. House, issued the following statement regarding the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. "Today’s elementary school shooting is heartbreaking. As a mother, the mass murder of young school children and educators is incomprehensible. My prayers are with all families of the victims. "The time has come for President Obama, Congress and the American people to come together to act immediately to end the epidemic of gun violence and the proliferation of guns designed to be weapons of mass murder. Inaction and obstruction by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to common sense gun laws is not tolerable.” …
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Here are this week's blog posts.
Here are this week’s blog posts. If you're interested in joining our Local Voices roll, email kris.janisch@patch.com. Our most popular post this week was actually this one from Brittney Harvin that ran back in January. Maybe it was the title: Welcome to 2012: The Year We Are All Supposed to Die Cherished Moments: My Journey Save a life. Improve a life. Enjoy life your to the fullest. (Rhonda Fitzgerald) As Another Year Nears Its End... Recent happenings have caused me to update two previous posts, and to write my 2012 "Christmas Message," which focuses on gratitude and today. (Dick Bernard) Cherished Moments: Lost & Found Happy Place Taking deep relaxing breaths does not always work. (Rhonda Fitzgerald) You Better Watch Out! Ways to Stay …
yomammy
7:25 am on Monday, March 18, 2013
I am ALMOST for it...jsut get rid of the duplicate friggin systems we have!!!! we dont need a dozen agencies doing the SAME thing!!! too much overhead!!! ---that and ANY .gov program is doomed to massive overruns and mismanagement. more ›