Police ask residents to lock vehicles
The St. Joseph Police Department is asking residents to please lock your vehicles, remove keys, purses, wallets and anything valuable from your vehicles. “During the past month, we have had several stolen vehicles and others that have been gone through and items stolen,” said Police Chief Joel Klein. “And no matter what time of day or night: ‘See it, Hear it, Report it!’ We need everyone’s help to fight crime and keep our community safe!”
Market open through Oct. 21
Between 14-16 vendors gather to provide a wide variety of locally grown and produced products. Market Monday will conclude its outdoor season from 3-6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21 at City Hall. The Winter Market will be held from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. inside City Hall on the following dates: Nov. 9 and 23, Dec. 14, Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 8, April 12 and May 3.
Public works to flush hydrants Oct. 14-18
The St. Joseph Public Works Department will flush fire hydrants Monday-Friday, Oct. 14-18. During this maintenance process, property owners may experience discolored water and pressure differentials. It’s not uncommon to see discoloration after the fire hydrants are flushed in your area. If you notice discoloration, please bypass your water softener and open all your cold water faucets in the home. The water will clear up in a short period of time, shut all faucets off and put the water softener back in service. Maintenance staff flush the fire hydrants spring and fall of each calendar year. Flushing of hydrants helps remove stale water and natural sediment from the system. During this process fire hydrants are exercised to help ensure the proper operation for emergency use,
Library gives children, teens second chance to read down fines
Great River Regional Library is giving teens and children a second chance to read down their fines and become active library users again.
The library held its initial Read Down Your Fines Week in June. The idea was for minor card holders age 16 and younger to pay off any fines by reading at the library. For each 15 minutes of reading, $1 was waived from fines on their account for late return of materials. In the case of very young children with fines on their cards, parents could read down the child’s fines by reading to them in the library. A total of 173 cardholders took part.
Due to a generous response to the Read Down Your Fines fundraising appeal and the positive responses from patrons, a second Read Down Your Fines week has been scheduled as part of Teen Read Week Oct. 14-19.
“Our goal remains the same, to make kids feel welcome at their library and get them reading,” said Beth Ringsmuth Stolpman, library patron services specialist. The opportunity to read down fines will be offered at all 32 GRRL locations. Young people who want to take part should speak with library staff as local procedures may vary.
“We received a terrific response to our Read Down Your Fines fundraiser. It’s clear the goal of getting young people back to the library and reading resonated with our supporters. We’re grateful, because their donations made it possible to offer Read Down again,” said Julie Henne, associate director of public relations.
GRRL provides library services at 32 public libraries in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties. It provides Central Minnesota residents with nearly 1 million books, CDs and DVDs, 250 public computers, programming and information services.
Low-income Minnesotans can prevent heating shutoff, apply for heating assistance
Low-income Minnesotans who may have trouble paying their heating bills this heating season can act now to ensure their heat stays on and apply for help to pay their heating bills.
Cold Weather Rule protection. Minnesota has a Cold Weather Rule that takes effect Oct. 15 and protects residential utility customers from having their heat shut off through April 15. But to prevent heating disconnection, customers must contact their utility to set up a monthly payment plan. Households that need to reconnect their heat for this winter should call their utility company now to take advantage of these payment options. The Cold Weather Rule is administered by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. More information on the rule is available at the PUC website or by calling 651-296-7124 or 800-657-3782.
Energy Assistance Program. To help pay home heating costs, Minnesota offers the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. EAP, federally funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, helps renters and homeowners earning less than 50 percent of the state’s median income ($43,642 for a family of four) obtain grant money to help pay their heating bills. The average annual EAP grant per household last year was $500.
Households with seniors, disabled residents and children are especially encouraged to apply for EAP. Applications were recently sent to households that qualified for EAP last year; others who may qualify are encouraged to apply. To apply, contact the local service provider in your county by calling 1-800-657-3710 or visiting the EAP section on the Division of Energy Resources website.
Other forms of assistance may be available through county social service programs, community-based organizations and nonprofit agencies. For a list of resources, visit the Stay Warm Minnesota webpage.
Nominations open for 2014 Minnesota Teacher of the Year
Everyone remembers a favorite teacher, someone who motivates and inspires students for a lifetime. Minnesotans have the opportunity again this fall to nominate that unique educator for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Nominations are now open and will remain open through Nov. 15. Nominations can be submitted online by accessing a simple nomination form on www.educationminnesota.org. The 2014 Teacher of the Year will be named at a ceremony May 4. The Minnesota Teacher of the Year also becomes Minnesota’s candidate for National Teacher of the Year.
Eligible nominees must meet these criteria:
- Teach in a public or nonpublic Pre-K through 12th-grade school, working at least 50 percent of the time directly with students.
- Hold a bachelor’s degree and a Minnesota teaching license.
- Have completed three years of teaching by the nomination deadline.
- Intend to teach during the 2014-15 school year.
Anyone may nominate a teacher. Self-nominations are also accepted.
The state program has been highly successful nationally – Minnesota ranks second behind California with four National Teachers of the Year.
For more information or to receive a nomination form, call Kieren Steinhoff at 651-292-4865 or 800-652-9073.
Organized and underwritten by Education Minnesota, the Minnesota Teacher of the Year program receives support from Education Minnesota ESI, The Harvard Club of Minnesota Foundation, McDonald’s Restaurants of Minnesota, Pearson Education, The SMARTer Kids Foundation, TruStone Financial and United Educators Credit Union.
Koopmann to open ‘Sunday at the Abbey’ series
Fr. Robert Koopmann, OSB, will present “The Art of Improvisation – Music and Spirituality” at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13 in the St. John’s Abbey Chapter House.
Koopmann, a St. John’s University professor of music and president emeritus, has been on the faculty since 1975. He has performed as a piano soloist and accompanist, as well as in chamber ensembles and with orchestras throughout the USA, including 20 states, and abroad in Europe, South Africa, Chile, Kenya and Tanzania and most recently, Japan. The events are free and open to the public, and are funded in full by the monks of St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville.
The Sunday at the Abbey 2013-14 series continues with: “The Integration of Spirituality and Sexuality on Today’s College Campus” on Nov. 17; “Faith as a Transformative Force in El Salvador” on Jan. 26; “Praying in a Modernist Space: Thoughts on Marcel Breuer’s Design for the Abbey and University Church” on Feb. 16; and “Whatever Happened to Sunday? The Rule of Benedict and Sabbath Rest” on March 16.
In February 2007, St. John’s Abbey began a series of presentations on monastic culture, spirituality and history to inaugurate the newly renovated Abbey Chapter House and the newly constructed Abbey Guesthouse.
The presentations take place in the Abbey Chapter House at 7 p.m. and are on the second Sunday of the month. Presented during the academic year the lectures are given by monks of the abbey and by invited speakers.
The presentations run approximately 45 minutes in length, with a break for light refreshments, followed by 10 to 15 minutes for questions and comments. Although most of the presentations are in lecture format (making use of PowerPoint or other visual aids when possible), a variety of formats and media are often used.
United Way volunteer opportunities
Kidstop volunteers sought
Join the staff and kids at any KIDSTOP site in the St. Joseph, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, St. Cloud and Cold Spring school district as a program volunteer. You can make a difference in a child’s life in as little as one hour a week. Set your own schedule with the volunteer coordinator to make your experience valuable. They have opportunities for you to get involved in the areas of education and career development, character and leadership development, the arts, health and life skills, and sports, fitness and recreation. Play board games with kids, read one-to-one with a child, or share your love of arts and crafts. It’s as easy as just spending time with kids. We only ask volunteers be able to relate well with children in a group environment, participate as an active team member with staff and other volunteers, and abide by volunteer policies. All volunteers are asked to complete a criminal background check before their first volunteer experience. For more information, contact Bethany Theisen, volunteer coordinator, at 320-257-5115.
Volunteer in the gift shop
Volunteers will help run the Gift Gallery at CentraCare Plaza in a friendly and positive manner. Volunteers must feel comfortable working with customers, running the cash register and dealing with sales while providing excellent customer service. Contact St. Cloud Hospital Volunteer Office at 320-255-5638 or volunteer@centracare.
RSVP…your invitation to serve
RSVP is a volunteer program, for men and women ages 55 and better, offering a variety of one-time and on-going volunteer opportunities within 220 local human service organizations. With RSVP, volunteers choose how and where they want to serve. They choose the amount of time they want to give. And they choose whether they want to draw on current skills or develop new ones. Volunteers can utilize optional mileage reimbursement through RSVP. Contact RSVP at 320-255-7295 or visit www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/RSVP.
Activity coordinators to help adults with disabilities
The Independence Center Inc. is looking for activity coordinators to help entertain and enrich the lives of adults with disabilities. If you enjoy sharing stories, playing games, baking brownies, going shopping or making arts and crafts, this is the position for you. You will have a chance to use all your creative skills and make a lasting friendship and bond with our consumers with disabilities. No prior experience working with people with disabilities is needed. Staff members will provide training. Contact Jaime Garberich, Independence Center, at 320-252-4146.
Assist veterans with transportation
The VA Health Care System is looking for volunteers to be transportation assistants. Assistants will ride along with the transportation volunteer to monitor for safe loading and unloading of passengers, lock down wheelchairs and interact with riders during their transport to the St. Cloud VA Health Care System. Volunteers should be interested in providing a high-quality experience for riders and be in tune to rider safety at all times. On-the-job training will be provided. Volunteers are required to be physically able to push, pull, bend and sit for periods of time. Contact Patricia Aljets, St. Cloud VA Health Care System, at 320-255-6365.
For more information, contact Mary Krippner, United Way Community Volunteer Coordinator at 320-223-7991 or mkrippner@unitedwayhelps.org.
Alba Bible replica on display as part of ‘Sephardim’ series
A replica of the Alba Bible, a 1430 translation of the Hebrew Bible into Castilian, an early form of the Spanish language, is on display at St. Cloud State University. The book is available for viewing weekdays from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. during October in the Miller Center’s University Archives reading room.
The 1,046-page book is being exhibited as part of St. Cloud State’s interdisciplinary series “Sephardim, the Jews of Spain: 1492 and Beyond.” On loan from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Alba Bible is highly illustrated and includes compiled commentary of the Jewish understanding of the text at the time of translation. It’s all that remains of one of the last attempts by intellectual Spanish Jews and Christians to heal the rifts that led to the 1492 expulsion of Jews from Spain.
University Archives will be open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 22 and 29. Other evening viewing visits, or special visits to look at specific pages of the Alba Bible, can be arranged by appointment with Tom Steman, university archivist.
The semester-long “Sephardim” series at St. Cloud State explores the experiences of Sephardic Jews – Jews exiled from Spain in 1492 – through films, concerts, interactive media, presentations and personal stories from Sephardic members of the St. Cloud community and beyond.
