Thursday, May 16, 2013
Gov. Mark Dayton’s signature Tuesday didn’t end the heated debate around same-sex marriage.
Whatever side of the debate you fall on, there’s no denying that this week’s passage of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was a historical moment. Minnesota became just the 12th state to sanction gay marriage when Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill Tuesday. Patch readers quickly wrote in to share their thoughts on the moment. Eagan Patch reader Kathi Malone echoed the view of legislators who voted yes in seeing same-sex marriage as a civil right: I am so happy that finally gay people will be able to have the civil right to marry. This is truly an American vote for freedom. I applaud Sen Clausen and all other legislators who voted for this historical bill. James N added: Thank you Senator Carlson and the entire MN legislature for extending …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
‘Today, I’m prouder than ever to call Minnesota home,’ the 5th District congressman said.
Fifth district Rep. Keith Ellison applauded Minnesota for becoming the 12th state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. The Democratic congressman released the following statement Tuesday shortly after Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill into law: Today, I’m prouder than ever to call Minnesota home. Last fall, the people of Minnesota stood against discrimination for loving, same-sex couples. Our representatives in the state responded. Today is a great day for those who know love makes a marriage. Once again, equality has found a home in Minnesota. The law will take affect Aug. 1.
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 …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Two explosions occurred the afternoon of Monday, April 15, 2013 near the marathon finish line on Boylston Street in Boston, MA.
During the Boston Marathon April 15, two explosions occurred near the finish line—killing three and injuring more than 100 people, according to a report from Fenway-Kenmore Patch. Among the 23,000 runners at the annual race were approximately 500 Minnesota residents, according to StarTribune.com. Here is what some of the runners shared about the incident and their experience. Click on the headline to read the full story. Roseville Runner: Boston Marathon Bombings "Surreal" Eric Kronback said he thought the two explosions were cannons. Blocks Away from Boston Marathon Explosions: Lake Elmo Woman Recounts 'A War Zone' “All of a sudden I heard two huge blasts—and everything went silent," Chris Hess-Withbroe said from her Boston hotel room …
Monday, April 8, 2013
Snow will start following in earnest Wednesday night.
(Updated 8:14 a.m. April 9 to show that the National Weather Service had upgraded the winter storm watch to a winter storm warning.) *** The Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service on Tuesday declared a winter storm warning for much of west central and central Minnesota, including Hennepin and Anoka counties. A winter storm warning means “significant amounts of snow, sleet are ice are expected or occuring.” The warning is in effect until 1 p.m. Thursday Some parts of the west central Minnesota could see six to 12 inches of snow fall between Tuesday morning and Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. In the west metro, the forecast calls for rain until Tuesday night, when ice will start accumulating. One to …
Monday, March 25, 2013
Five percent of Hennepin County adults have the disease—and many aren’t aware they have it. Tuesday’s ‘Diabetes Alert Day’ is a good time to consider whether you’re at risk.
Tuesday is Diabetes Alert Day, and the Minnesota Department of Health is urging all Minnesotans to look into whether they’re at risk for diabetes. More than one in 20 Hennepin County adults has diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Diabetes Surveillance System. The percentage of adult Minnesotans with diabetes nearly doubled between 1994 and 2010, according to the state Department of Health. The agency estimates that 80,000 Minnesota adults may have diabetes without knowing it. “Given the alarming increase of diabetes, we are encouraging Minnesotans to use this day to think about whether they or someone they love might have diabetes or prediabetes and not even know about it,” a news release quoted…
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Despite being a leader in healthy behaviors and clinical care, the county struggles with some healthcare factors.
Hennepin County residents die earlier and get STDs more frequently than people in most of the state’s other counties, according to data the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Wisconsin Population Health Institute released Wednesday. The County Health Rankings study rated counties in two categories of “health outcomes” and four categories of “health factors” that influence those outcomes. In terms of health outcomes, the county ranked 55th among the state’s 87 counties, the foundation found. Premature deaths accounted for the bulk of the bad news. Hennepin County ranked 40th in mortality. It loses about 5,241 years of life before age 75 per 100,000 people, surpassing the state average of 5,126. But Hennepin County resident see fewer …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
A windchill of minus 10 on the first day of spring. Have you considered moving out of state to get away from this climate?
It's 5 degrees above zero on the first day of spring—10 degrees below zero if you count wind chill. Why do you live in Minnesota again? Today is the vernal equinox, when the Earth decides which end it wants to tip toward the sun. Why do our chances of being warm again seem less than 50-50? Spring has sprung, but the climate seems to have sprung a gasket. It's the coldest it's been this late in the season since 1996. Why haven't you moved someplace warm yet? Watch the video above, titled Why We're Here: Twin Cities. It was shot two years ago—entirely in the summer. Coincidence? Leave a comment below and share five good reasons you still live in Minnesota—one reason for each degree above zero this morning.
Friday, March 8, 2013
An expert in urban wildlife explains why residents are seeing so many coyotes and shares tips on how to keep them from becoming a nuisance.
Coyotes have been spotted all across the west metro—and have even reportedly killed a handful of dogs. With so much concern about coyotes, St. Louis Park hosted a talk Thursday by Lynsey White Dasher—a Washington, DC-based urban wildlife specialist with The Humane Society of the United States. Dasher explained why coyotes are so visible in the metro and what residents can do to ensure they are good neighbors. See the PDFs to the right for a more-detailed look at how to deal with coyotes. Watch the video for an example of how to haze a coyote. Coyotes have always been among us. Coyotes aren’t that big. Coyotes aren’t out to eat your pets or your children. But coyotes can still prey on pets. Coyote bites are rare. Coyotes can still cause …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
As some school districts struggle with budget reductions, elementary music programs might be the first areas cut.
It has become a common scenario across many Twin City school districts. No passage of an operating levy in November equals a spring of budget reductions. Some school boards have been considering cutting some of the music programs out of their district offerings. A recommendation in District 834 to cut fifth- and sixth-grade instrumental music programs to save $300,000 if a November levy doesn’t pass brought criticism from the Stillwater Area High School Orchestra Director. “The elementary cost center’s suggestion appears disingenuous and may lack the integrity that the Stillwater community expects from its schools and from its School Board,” Stillwater Area High School Orchestra Director Jerry Jones said. “This elimination looks as …
mike savick
10:37 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Why would we want to spoil a good dinner by inviting a chronically dishonest entity?. Besides you don't like us. How would we recognize you with all of your different faces? more ›