HometownSource Blogs

Sen. Leo Foley, DFL-Coon Rapids, said that he planning to run for another term in the Senate. He was elected to the Senate in 1996 and is one of the older members.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty is reminding homeowners in flood prone areas, such as the Red River Valley and Mississippi and Minnesota river valleys, to consider buying optional flood insurance before spring thaw.

“Minnesotans who have recovered from previous flooding know the value of flood insurance,” Pawlenty said. “Now is the time to make sure homes and property are covered, before the snow melts and waters rise,” he said in a press release.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce notes:

· The standard homeowners’ insurance policy does NOT cover flood damage. Flood insurance is a special policy that is backed by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Check with your insurance company to see if they offer coverage. Check with area floodplain maps to figure out if your property falls on a 100-year floodplain, a 500-year floodplain or neither. However you do not have to be in a floodplain to purchase flood insurance.

·Anyone can buy flood insurance as long as their community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program.

·Flood insurance becomes effective 30 days after it is purchased. It is never a good idea to wait to purchase insurance until you absolutely need it. The rule of thumb in situations such as flooding is it is better to be safe than sorry. There are recent examples of property flooding on the 29th day after purchasing insurance.

·Floodplains are not the only areas at risk for flooding. Twenty to 25 percent of all Minnesota flood claims come from outside areas designated as high risk.

·In the majority of floods, uninsured victims may have to use their own resources to rebuild or recover. Until the President declares a flood a disaster, disaster assistance is unavailable. Less than 50 percent of all floods are declared disasters. Disaster assistance is typically offered in the form of a loan which must be paid back.

·The average flood insurance premium is $400 per year depending on where you live and the coverage you choose. In low- to moderate-risk areas, coverage can be purchased for just over $100.

· Homeowners can buy up to $250,000 worth of structural coverage. Businesses can buy up to $500,000 of coverage. There is separate coverage for contents: up to $100,000 for residential and $500,000 for non-residential, so renters can purchase flood insurance too.

·Standard flood insurance does NOT typically cover basement improvements or personal contents in basements. It does, however, cover the structural elements and essential equipment normally located in basements, such as a furnace, water heater, washer and dryer. Talk to your insurance agent about specific coverage available for basements.

·Flood insurance is available in all communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. Most Minnesota communities participate. To find out if your community participates in the program, visit www.fema.gov/plan/index.shtm.

·All claims and expenses of the NFIP program are funded by insurance premiums, not tax dollars.

·Purchasing flood insurance: contact your local insurance agent or insurance company to find out what types of offers they have for purchasing flood insurance.

The recent announcement by Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, that he’s not seeking reelection might suggest that Sen. Jim Carlson, DFL-Eagan, committee vice chairman, would be inline to take over the committee.

But Carlson does not expect to be the next committee chairman.

Indeed, the first-term lawmaker supports Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, who chairs a transit subcommittee and has more seniority, to be the next transportation committee chairman.

He would be the last to argue that’s he’s ready to chair the full committee, Carlson said.

In other Senate matters, Sen. Paul Koering, R-Ft. Ripley, has been appointed lead Republican on the Senate Capital Investment Committee.

The Pawlenty Administration has announced that the General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) program, expected to end March 1, will be extended through the month.

The program was cut by Gov. Tim Pawlenty last session and the action has been highly charged politically — reinstating the program, which provides medical care for poor adults without children, has become a top priority for Democrats.

“The extra month of GAMC coverage is possible because program costs and new enrollment were lower than projected,” said Pawlenty in a statement.

The automatic transition of about 28,000 Minnesotans on GAMC to MinnesotaCare will continue, according to the administration.

No action is required from GAMC enrolls to be automatically transferred.

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie will present the National Association of Secretary of State’s 2009 Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award to former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in Washington on Friday.

When nominating O’Connor last year, Ritchie said:

“In our current climate of destructive partisanship and increasing number of threats directed at judges, Justice O’Connor’s work in establishing the Our Courts program in conjunction with Georgetown Law is a commendable effort to educate Americans about the importance of an independent judiciary and the need to protect its autonomy,” said Ritchie.

“For her tireless work to protect our nation’s system of justice, I believe there is no better recipient for this prestigious national award,” he said.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reports that the number of HIV cases rose by 13 percent last year, marking a 17-year high.

Some 368 HIV cases reported in 2009, compared with 326 cases in 2008, the department reports.

“This increase in cases tells us that HIV/AIDS remains a significant health threat in Minnesota, and we need to take steps to strengthen our prevention efforts,” said Dr. Sanne Magnan, MDH Commissioner.

Some 9,176 HIV/AIDS cases have been reported in Minnesota since MDH began tracking AIDS in 1982 and HIV in 1985.

Minnesota has averaged slightly over 300 cases per year for nearly a decade.

“We haven’t seen the annual number of reported HIV cases at this level since 1992,” said Peter Carr, manager of the HIV and Sexually Transmitted Disease Section at MDH.

“The increase is driven primarily by a large increase among males 15 to 24 years of age,” he said.

As my wife and I watched the Saints celebrate their victory over the Vikings, I said to her, “There is no way he retires on the play.”

But before I could formulate a foundation for my argument, she summed it all up.

“Maybe he is destined to go out that way.”

Brett Favre’s final throw as a Packer was an interception which led to the Green and Gold’s playoff demise in the 2008 NFC Championship game against the New York Giants.

Two years later, on Sunday, he ended what could have been the Vikings’ game-winning drive with an interception. The Saints went on to win the game in OT.

So, for all of his accomplishments and all of his records, could it be fitting that Favre’s career ends on an interception?

Favre is no doubt a hero to many, but not all heros deserve a happy ending.  Especially heros that earned their reputation as a gunslinger.

The Seifert for Governor campaign released the names of its metro women leadership team, and a number of area women are on it.

They are Deb Kaczmarek, former Senate District 37 chairwoman, Phyllis Kieffer, former Senate District 48 chairwoman, Rhonda Sivarajah, Anoka County commissioner, and Robyn West, Anoka County commissioner.

The first group of soldiers from the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, serving in Iraq since last May, will return to Minnesota on Sunday afternoon, according to the Minnesota National Guard.

Some 250 soldiers are scheduled to arrive at 5 p.m. Three more groups of 250 are expected to follow.

Once in Minnesota, the soldiers will be bused to the Rosemount, Inver Grove Heights, and Stillwater armories.

Time of arrival at the armories and number of soldiers involved in the first arrival:

6 p.m. Sunday, January 24
160 Soldiers
Rosemount National Guard Armory
13865 South Robert Trail
Rosemount, MN 55068

6 p.m. Sunday, January 24
67 Soldiers
Inver Grove Heights National Guard Armory
8076 Babcock Trail
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55077

6 p.m. Sunday, January 24
23 Soldiers
Stillwater National Guard Armory
107 E. Chestnut Street
Stillwater, MN 55082

Supporters for bonding for a pedestrian bridge replacement over the Rum River in Milaca are actually looking for $120,000 in state bonding, not $100,000 as mentioned.

The city is willing to kick in some money for a new bridge.

A joint natural resources committee today is continuing to plow through a long list of bonding request — a number are local.

Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, is requesting $8 million to repair a threat to the Coon Rapids Dam. The dam, which funding supporters note is the last barrier to the progress of Asian carp up the Mississippi River, is leaking and scouring a hole in the river bed.

Hortman argued the pool created by the dam is of huge importance not only to the people with shore front homes but boaters, anglers, recreation in general.

Rep. Gail Kulick Jackson, DFL-Milaca, and Sen. Lisa Fobbe, DFL-Zimmerman, appeared to request $100,000 in bonding to tear down, design and rebuild a pedestrian bridge over the Rum River in the City of Milaca.

The bridge, a vestige of the WPA and the 1930s, sits on rotten foundations and its lead-paint is cracked, said Kulick Jackson.

Fobbe called it a small project, but a big one for the city.

A larger bonding request is coming from the City of Preston and Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston.

Some $3.5 million in bonding is being requested for a National Trout Learning Center proposed for construction in Preston.

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, is not seeking reelection.

The often quotable Murphy in a press release said he never considered serving in public office a career but a way of helping the community.

“Serving as a state lawmaker is a full-time commitment and my family has stood by my side while I’ve devoted countless hours to my role as senator,” said Murphy.

“While choosing not to run for re-election was a difficult decision, it was made easier knowing it would provide me more time to dedicate to my wife, children, and grandson,” he said.

Sen. Jim Carlson, DFL-Eagan, is Senate Transportation Committee vice chairman.

Assuming Carlson seeks reelection and wins, he would be a likely candidate to take over the committee.

Area lawmakers are pushing to get a demolition moratorium lifted on the 115-year old Roch Island Swing Bridge in Inver Grove Heights, according to the House.

But they don’t want it torn down.

Instead, Rep. Joe Atkins, DFL-Inver Grove Heights, and Sen. Jim Metzen, DFL-South St. Paul, want the moratorium lifted a year early so that restoration work can begin on the bridge this summer.

As long as the moratorium stands, nothing can be done to the swing bridge.

Local efforts to raise funding have been successful — more than $1.5 million in private and public donations have been pledged.

Inver Grove Heights is willing to take over ownership of the bridge.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has agreed to use dollars slated for tearing the bridge to help renovate it.

The lawmakers herald the speed at which fund raising efforts proved successful.

Posted by Gary Larson, January 14, 2010 Comments(0)

Following are opinions from Mille Lacs County Times  editor-sports editor Gary Larson, reporter Luther Dorr and former Times intern Logan Marxhausen who’s now on the sports staff at the St. Cloud State University Chronicle. Note: This feature is written on Monday each week.
********
ASK THE SPORTS WRITERS

•Question:  The Minnesota Vikings took it to the Dallas Cowboys 34-3 Sunday to advance to the National Football Conference title game next Sunday in New Orleans. What are your observations on the Vikings’ victory?

-Dorr: The defense, of which I have been critical much of the season, played a fantastic game. Who would have predicted six sacks and only three Dallas points? No one, not even the members of the defense who feel they have been unfairly criticized. Some local media types were critical of Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo Sunday night but he had almost no chance to make plays, something one of his receivers noted in a Star Tribune story Monday. The offense wasn’t dominant but made enough plays to win. The first touchdown pass from Favre to Rice was perfectly thrown and the defender didn’t even put his arms up. That was the key play of the game because it got the Vikings ahead. It was a very workmanlike performance, one for which you have to give Minnesota coaches credit. It seemed apparent that Minnesota coaches outcoached Dallas coaches. Read more »

Former U.S. senator Mark Dayton, DFL candidate for governor, lamented the upset victory of Republican Scott Brown over Democrat Martha Coakley yesterday in the special U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts.

In defeating Coakley, hailed in the media as running an inept campaign, Brown is filling the seat held by the late senator Edward Kennedy for almost half a century.

“It’s a sad day yesterday when the people of Massachusetts, of all the states, with a man who devoted his life to health care, repudiated a bill that would have caused him to roll over in his grave,” said Dayton.

Dayton explained that Kennedy would have been appalled by the Senate health care bill — the lack of a public option, for instance.

Dayton was at the Capitol this morning to formally announce his campaign for governor.

While a handful of speakers introduced and endorsed Dayton at the beginning of the press conference, Dayton, after reading a prepared speech, took only three questions from the media before saying he had to leave for Duluth.

Dayton had a quick answer to the question whether he was running a class warfare-style campaign.

“You can read my lips; Tax the rich,” said Dayton in his speech.

But Dayton indicated he was responding, not trying to incite in his comments.

“I didn’t start the war,” he said of class against class.

In his speech, Dayton promised to increase funding for K-12 education in real dollars every year he’s governor.

“No exceptions, no excuses,” he said.

Republicans held an impromptu press conference after Dayton’s announcement, saying they intended to campaign hard on Dayton’s record — one of admitted failure, erratic behavior, Republicans said.

Still, Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley, who endorsed Dayton, praised Dayton for being willing to admit personal flaws.

That’s a difficult thing, said Chaudhary.