Dear Neighbors,
MN Adult and Teen Challenge Gala
Last evening, I had the opportunity to attend the annual Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge Rochester Gala with Gene and Vicky Dornink of Hayfield. It was so nice to be able to spend some time chatting with the Dorninks, and an extra bonus to be joined by Rep. Steve Drazkowski and his wife Laura as well! We had an evening full of amazing music and testimonies by the Teen Challenge choir, a wonderful meal, and heard an update on their programs. With the serious issue of drug and alcohol addiction in our state and nation that is devastating people and families in our communities, quality programs that work like MN Adult and Teen Challenge are much needed. Thank you to the Dornink family for inviting me to attend with them!
Bonding Tour
The last of the bonding tours for my Capital Investment Committee took place this week. This week’s two-day tour, exclusively in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas, culminated a total of 12 full-to-the-brim days of traveling throughout Minnesota for our committee. Though it’s been time consuming, I have found it very valuable to have the opportunity to visit these sites and see firsthand some of the bonding requests.
Some of the sites we visited this week were the Minneapolis stormwater tunnels, the Emergency Operations Training Center in Minneapolis, the St. Anthony Falls Lock, the Cedar Cultural Center, Battle Creek Recreation Center, the Landmark Center and River Center, the U of M, and more. My highlights for this trip were the beautiful St. Anthony Falls (what a view!), and the experience of being lowered down 100 feet under the ground through a pipe (wearing hardhat, rubber boots, and a safety harness) to go inside and examine the stormwater pipe system underneath the streets of Minneapolis. What an experience! I had no idea all that huge network of stormwater pipes was under the streets!
Real ID Update
Heading into the last legislative session, I heard from a number of concerned Minnesota travelers who wanted to make sure our drivers’ licenses were federally compliant. We passed Real ID legislation this year and, because of that, recently received news that Minnesota will have an extension from the federal government that delays the deadline for compliance until at least January 22, 2018.
Receiving this extension is good news for Minnesotans who can rest easy knowing the process toward Real ID compliance is moving forward. In the meantime, Minnesota travelers will be able to continue to use their drivers’ licenses to board airplanes and access federal facilities while our state works toward federal compliance.
Thankful for Farmers
Yesterday was National Farmer's Day. I want to wish all our farmers a safe and bountiful harvest this fall. I appreciate how hard farmers work to help us have good food on our tables. Thank you!
Have a great weekend!
Peggy