Jeremy Snoberger, Jason Nies, Patrick Marushin, Lesa Kramer, Pam Raden, and Amanda Byrd Sartell-St. Stephen school board members. We wanted to take a moment to thank all of our teachers, staff and administration in the Sartell-St Stephen school district for the amazing way that they have stepped up to serve our students and community in this difficult and unprecedented time.
Let’s not go back to normal
Social distancing. Shelter in place. Distance learning. Self-quarantine. Ventilators. N95s. When will our vocabulary, not to mention our lives, go back to normal? The day will come when this crisis will be behind us. But we shouldn’t go back to normal. The coronavirus pandemic revealed weaknesses and opportunities in our social and economic life that need attention. Many of us
Time for Trump to self-quarantine
The president planned to address the nation on a spring Sunday night and speak to an urgent crisis. How he should manage the crisis had deeply divided the country. The president suffered from a huge credibility gap with voters. And it was an election year. After speaking for about 40 minutes, the president shocked the audience, including his closest advisers.
Transform isolation into fun family bonding
Social isolation does not have to be a miserable dilemma akin to solitary confinement in a jail. In fact, it can be a rewarding, connective experience – a time for families to slow down and strengthen bonds. A long time ago, we kids loved those happy days when we were shut inside the house during blizzards and rainstorms. We’d get
Accurate census headcount vital for Minnesota
This count really counts. In the past 10 days, most people received a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau asking for participation in the 2020 Census. While public health stories dominate the daily news, the census deserves some attention too. Every 10 years, the federal government counts how many people live here. Governments use that data to fund and plan
Do your part to keep voting efficient and secure
Based on the number of citizens who turned out, Minnesota’s March 3 Presidential Nominating Primary was a success. This year’s primary was the first since 1956 that binds the parties to the election results. For years, Minnesota’s political parties chose their candidates at precinct caucuses where participants literally stood up for their candidates. Parties conducted caucuses this year but the
Northstar rail great option for Twin Cities travel
The first week of March, I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in an externship program for three days with a St. John’s alum who works with the city of Minneapolis. While planning for this opportunity, I ran into a problem. I would be on spring break during the time and back home in Sauk Rapids. What would
Spread a little sunshine
Sunshine Week is coming up. But it’s not about your planned spring trip to Arizona or Florida. Sunshine Week, March 15-21, is a national initiative to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy. Good government results when the people’s business takes place in the open….when the sun shines in. When