Outstate

School Board Still Grappling with 'Pledge' Issue

Filed under: Outstate

A school board in western Minnesota is still torn as to whether its students should be forced to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, reports the AP.

Officials at Glyndon's Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton school—located just east of Moorhead—suspended three eighth graders earlier this month for refusing to pledge their commitment to a red, white, and blue pennant.

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Posted by Matt Snyders at May 29, 2008 3:19 PM | Comments (5)

 

Chaska makes Money magazine's Best Places to Live

Filed under: Outstate

This year, Money magazine's annual America's Best Places to Live feature focused on smaller cities, between 7,500 and 50,000 in population. Middleton, Wisconsin, (pop. 17,400) earned the top spot with the lone Minnesota entry in the Top 10, Chaska, (pop. 22,500) coming in at No. 8. The magazine cites the exurb's technology and biotech firms, as well as its small-town charm, including a city square gazebo where concerts take place every Friday night. Apple Valley came in at No. 28 and Vadnais Heights ranked 36th. Read the profile on Chaska here, and review the rest of the Top 10 here.

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 16, 2007 9:14 AM | Comments (1)

 

Willmar raid nets lawsuit

Filed under: Outstate

More than twenty residents of Willmar and forty John and Jane Does are plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed yesterday against Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the four-day raid there that netted 49 arrests. According to the AP, the lawsuit called the raid, which was carried out between April 10 and April 13, an act "of terror and intimidation."

The suit claims that ICE agents unfairly and illegally targeted Latinos and that agents entered homes without warrants. It also alleges that those arrested were not told of their rights and had no access to attorneys. ICE Spokesman Tim Counts said in a statement that "All ICE enforcement actions conducted in Willmar last week were fully within the law. These are widely accepted law enforcement procedures that have been affirmed repeatedly by the courts."

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at April 20, 2007 11:57 AM | Comments (5)

 

Homestead beautiful Minnesota. Shop our plentiful malls! Bask in our temperate climate!

Filed under: Outstate

By Eliot Brown

As the population of the U.S. climbs toward 300 million, a mark it is set to surpass in October, Minnesota has seen its own big growth. The state topped 5 million in 2002, according to estimates, and projections have Minnesota adding another half a million people each decade for the next 30 years. Unrivaled by any state in the Midwest (see chart after the jump), Minnesota has the fastest growth rate in the region. Between 2000 and 2005, Minnesota's population increased by 4.3 percent, compared to Wisconsin's 3.2 percent, Iowa's 1.4 percent and North Dakota's -0.9 percent, according to estimates released last month by the U.S. Census Bureau.

This feat, however, is little to brag about, as Minnesota is just the leader of laggards. The country's growth rate is 5.3 percent, putting every state in the region below the national average.

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Posted by Corey Anderson at January 18, 2006 3:56 PM | Comments (0)

 

Parting shot: Going off message at the DNR

Filed under: Outstate

On October 5, the aptly named Gordy Forester retired from his position as an assistant regional wildlife supervisor at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Forester, who earned a degree in wildlife management from the University of Minnesota, had worked at the agency for three decades. For most of that time, Forester says, he found it rewarding. But over the last few years, he became increasingly irritated by what he perceived as the overt politicization of the agency. After the election of Tim Pawlenty as governor, Forester complains, the DNR workplace culture seemed to shift dramatically.

Management decisions once based on science increasingly became matters of public relations. Appeasing the politically powerful hook-and-bullet crowd and ATV riders often supplanted responsible decision making. Eventually, Forester says, a "Kafka-esque" edict came down requiring that all communication with media be approved in advance from central offices in St. Paul. So, after some agonizing, Forester decided to take retirement two years early. Before cleaning out his office, he fired off an email to some 300 colleagues, which outlines--in damning detail--his myriad complaints about the agency he served so long.

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Posted by Mike Mosedale at October 6, 2005 5:30 PM | Comments (0)

 

What will happen in Olivia?

Filed under: Outstate

A reporter's notes

Sometime-CP contributor Brett Stursa reported for the Olivia Times-Journal from 2002-2003. Indications are that roughly 80 of the Katrina evacuees will end up seeking shelter in the quintessential Minnesota small town.

Stursa offers some insight on what may happen if--and apparently that's a big "if"--any hurricane victims end up in Olivia. Her e-mail to Blotter recalls dynamics that have happened when the state has welcomed refugees en masse before, and foreshadows what could likely happen again:

"After reporting for the community newspaper in Olivia for more than a year, I learned the people of Olivia are good people and I'm sure they'll embrace Katrina refugees with all that is Minnesota Nice initially.

"The farming town of 2,500 is nestled about 90 miles southwest of the Twin Cities. Public transportation doesn't come its way and the local economy has been dwindling for years. If the Katrina refugees stay for any amount of time, they'll be stuck in a town with little to do, with nowhere to go--and if they're black, they will be the only ones in town.

"It's not hard to imagine how a warm-fuzzy embrace could get tense rather quickly. Racism and the fear many small-town dwellers have of outsiders can stay dormant for only so long.

"I'm sure the community will help Katrina victims as best they can. But if the situation lasts for any amount of time, it'll be an interesting one to watch unfold."

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at September 8, 2005 9:22 AM | Comments (0)

 

North Shore: R.I.P.

Filed under: Outstate

In my recent jeremiad about the suburbanization of the north woods, I focused on the north central part of the state. I picked that area--Crow Wing and Cass Counties, mainly--because it is famaliar to me. But truth is, the trends I bemoaned in the piece are prevalent across much of northern Minnesota.

A friend just tipped me to this story from the Duluth News Tribune, which examines the current land rush along the North Shore. Staff reporter Jane Brissett doesn't deliver on the snarky promise of the headline, "Invasion of the Rich;" frankly, the story reads like a bit like a real estate ad. Still, she does supply some appalling nuggets about the boom in luxury developments. For instance:

Last Thursday , the first residents of Burlington Bay Lakehomes at Superior Shores Resort moved into the first building of a seven-building, 10-year, $80 million project on 22 acres of lakeshore. It will include a 35,000-square-foot water park, six condominium buildings, retail shops and a 70-unit lodge.

A 35,000-square foot water park on the shores of the world's largest freshwater lake? If Sigurd Olson was still alive, he'd be eyeballing the roofbeam for a spot to tie the noose.

Posted by Mike Mosedale at August 9, 2005 2:43 PM | Comments (0)

 

Red Lake: Two grim takes

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After a fallow period, the troubles of the Red Lake Indian Reservation are making headlines again.

On Sunday, the Strib finally took notice of the teen suicide epidemic at Red Lake. Reporter Paul Levy begins by recounting the story of a 16-year-old straight arrow named TeAnn Lyons who hung herself without warning a year ago. Levy then delves into sociology and ugly stats behind the phenomenon. (There were 69 reported teen suicide attempts on the reservation last year, three of which were successful). The money quote comes from Dr. Craig Vanderwagen, chief medical officer of Indian Health Service in Rockville, Maryland:

Is there something different about depression with Indian people? Look at the risk factors: You have the trauma of generations of parents dealing with depression and self-medicating with food or alcohol. Add to the mix isolation, poverty and racism. That's an explosive combination. And then these kids are exposed to the Internet and TV and see a world that doesn't reflect the reality of the life they're living.".

Then today, Salon.com published yet another profile of the now-notorious school shooter, Jeff Weise. Kimberley Sevcik's Reservation for Death was originally intended for Rolling Stone, but evidently was deemed too bleak for that publication.

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Posted by Mike Mosedale at August 8, 2005 4:00 PM | Comments (0)