NORTHFIELD POLICE CHIEF TALKS ABOUT VIOLENCE PREVENTION

Northfield Police Chief Gary Smith gave a presentation to UCC church members Sunday morning before church as part of a series on preventing violence. He spoke from a perspective that was both practical and visionary. His belief is that because his 23 member police force can not be everywhere to stop crime, he needs to […]

Lights Out #9 – Where are we going and how will we get there?

MAPP addresses MISO’s Market Initiative Tuesday, October 21, the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool (MAPP) held its Regional Conference at Bandana Square – held there because there were too many people to fit into the MAPP headquarters just down Energy Park Drive. It was standing room only wall to wall energy wonks, ranging from electrical engineers, […]

Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women

The Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women held their first annual 5K Fun Run/Walk on Saturday, October 18, 2003. I participated in the walk to support the work of the shelter in Belle Plaine.We started out at Belle Plaine’s Heritage Park. It was a beautiful fall day, and the course passed the Halloween Fair at […]

Solar flares!! Could threaten electrical grid.

On the space weather website you can find information about a massive X-class flare! SpaceWeather.com — News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids The latest flare appears to have sent its CME (coronal mass ejection – A transient outflow of plasma from or through the solar corona, often but not […]

Lights Out #8 – Mid-Continent Area Power Pool

You got the update from MAAP, now here’s the update from MAPP! Following is an update from Carol Overland: On October 16, 2003, the Northern MAPP Sub-regional Planning Group, chaired by Mike Steckelberg of GRE, met at MAPP headquarters in St. Paul. These meetings are where the transmission plans for the MAPP northern region are […]

Education – What Matters – What works

MAAP Board meeting and SE regional conference As the MAAP newsletter editor, and past president I attended the Board meeting of the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs on October 3rd. Many programs are struggling with the results of the last legislative session and resisting the direction in which the new commissioner is heading us. Some […]

Lights Out #7 – Mesaba “Two Lobbyists and a Wife” Power Plant

Boon-dog-gle a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Ed.(2000), p. 132. The editorial in the St. Paul Pioneer Press put it well: What oinks and has its head on backward? No, this isn’t about feedlots and H.F. 1202. In this case, the St.PPP was referring to the federal […]

Lights out #6 – Two Lobbyists and a Wife

The Mesaba power plant, which I wrote about on October 2, is finally attracting a closer look, and none too soon, given the federal loan guarantees under consideration: Politics behind Iron Range power plant plan questioned Question of power on Iron Range Overland, the Red Wing utility regulatory attorney, said, “This power is not needed, […]

Investing in Community

Philanthropy Day – October 2, 2003 Today was the Northfield Foundation’s Philanthropy Day, held at St. Olaf, and coordinated by Pat Vincent of 3 Links. This well attended event is the embodiment of the belief of the importance of “Investment in Community” that I’ve been writing about. And the carrot cake was decadent! Judy Dutcher, […]