Category: Local Issues

Eden Prairie talks climate change, from the Community Center to Washington, D.C.

On the idyllic summer evening of July 30, nearly 70 people gathered indoors at the Eden Prairie Community Center to talk about how to save such days for future generations.

It was a community conversation on climate change, hosted by State. Rep. Laurie Pryor, DFL-Minnetonka, and both residents and elected officials turned out in force. Among them was Rod Fisher, a member of the local Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) chapter that had recently sent 20 members to Washington, D.C., to discuss bipartisan legislation to mitigate climate change; and Lia Harel, a recent Eden Prairie High School graduate and member of the climate activism group Minnesota Can’t Wait.

The mood was focused, and every speaker − including Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case and City Council member PG Narayanan, State. Rep Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, DFL-Eden Prairie, and State. Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, DFL-Eden Prairie − expressed the urgency they felt as activists and United Nations reports alike call for immediate and far-reaching changes to prevent dramatic environmental shifts.

View the complete August 6 article by Eden Teller on the SW News Media website here.

Family Fishing Day is June 1 in downtown Chaska

Chaska Area Fishing with Friends and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fishing in the Neighborhood program co-host a Family Fishing Day at Firemen’s Park in Chaska on June 1. All events are free of charge.

This year the annual youth clinic has been changed to “Family Fishing Academy” and is designed for youth ages 6 to 12 and their parents.

Children and their parents will learn about fish species and their environment; important water and boat safety practices; and will learn how to tie fishing knots, rig tackle, what bait to use, cast a lure and similar fishing skills.

View the complete article by Mark Olson on the Southwest Media website 

Opioid experts share factors and solutions in epidemic hitting Hennepin County

SHOREWOOD — At the outset of an event centered on the opioid crisis, U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, DFL, asked attendees to raise their hands if they had been personally impacted by the epidemic.

Rows of hands went up across the audience.

“We’re here tonight, not because it’s getting better, but because it is truly getting worse,” he said. “We are here tonight to do something about it.”

View the complete April 30 article by Lara Bockenstedt on The Lakeshore Weekly News website here.

New hints of the Mueller report: Did Trump simply get rolled by the Russians?

Despite the fact that William Barr had made public comments denigrating the Mueller investigation and clearly auditioned for the job with a spurious memo suggesting that it was almost impossible for a president to obstruct justice, he was confirmed as Donald Trump’s new attorney general with little difficulty. After what had happened with Jeff Sessions, it was understood that Trump would never again stand for an AG recusing himself from any investigation of the president. So everyone knew that Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election would be in the hands of someone who was unlikely to be an honest broker.

Nonetheless, most of us gave Barr the benefit of the doubt. I wrote about Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski, who had been a conservative supporter of Richard Nixon. He was coerced into taking the job by White House chief of staff Alexander Haig, who told him, “We need you, Leon” — assuming he would be loyal to the president. When Jaworski saw the evidence against Nixon, however, he was appalled and moved forward with the investigation. I thought maybe that could happen with Barr too.

I should have known better. Barr was a very political attorney general during George H.W. Bush’s administration, recommending pardons for all the guilty players in the Iran-Contra case, showing that he wasn’t going to be one of those weaklings who saw the Nixon pardon as setting a bad example for the country. I should have realized that this wasn’t a case of someone who’d spent too much time watching Sean Hannity and was slightly out of it. Barr’s been a rock-solid right-winger for decades.

View the complete April 5 article by Heather Digby Parton with Salon on the AlterNet website here.

Rep. Michael Nelson (HD40A) Update; March 25, 2019

Neighbors,

In 2017, more than 400 Minnesotans died of opioid overdoses. Last week, I voted in favor of legislation to hold Big Pharma accountable for their role in creating this crisis. Minnesotans shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the tragedy that these companies have inflicted on our communities. The legislation would support a wide range of addiction prevention, education, intervention, treatment and recovery strategies – it passed by a 94-34 vote.

Big Pharma has collected billions in profits over the years and has not had to pay a dime to help Minnesotans get treatment or help law enforcement keep our communities safe. This is wrong, and it’s time they start contributing to the solution. Holding big corporations accountable is the right thing to do and I am proud to support this bill. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Nelson (HD40A) Update; March 25, 2019”

Trump illegally used his foundation for campaign and must pay $8.4 million in restitution and fines: NY attorney general

President Donald Trump illegally used his charity to benefit his presidential campaign, New York’s attorney general said in a court filing Thursday.

Attorney General Letitia James said that Trump turned the Trump Foundation into a wing of his campaign in a 37-page court filing. James asked a judge to order the organization to pay $2.8 million in restitution for using charitable donations for political and business purposes, the Associated Press reported.

James also asked a judge to order President Trump to pay a $5.6 million penalty in the case, and to bar the president and his three eldest children from running any charities in the state for the next 10 years, Bloomberg reported.

View the complete March 17 article by Igor Derysh of Salon on the AlterNet website here.

FDA chief Scott Gottlieb resigns

Scott Gottlieb, the leader of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), is resigning his position effective next month, the Trump administration announced Tuesday.

In a note to FDA staff, Gottlieb said he was leaving to spend more time with his family.

“There’s nothing that could pull me away from this role other than the challenge of being apart from my family for these past two years and missing my wife and two young children,” he wrote.

View the complete March 5 article by Jessie Hellmann and Nathaniel Weixel on The Hill website here.

2016 Delegates and Alternates Please Join Us April 17

 

Were you a delegate or alternate from your Senate District to the CD3 DFL Convention Last Year?

That means you’re a delegate or alternate to this year’s convention, as well.  Here’s the specifics:

Wednesday, April 17, 7:00 PM
CD3 DFL Business Meeting
Ridgedale Library (Hennepin County Library)
12601 Ridgedale Dr
Minnetonka, MN 55305

Download convention documents below:

2019 3rd CD Convention Agenda

2019 3rd CD Convention Rules

2018 3rd CD Constitution — This document is still being reviewed by committee and may be amended at the business meeting. If we receive the updated version, we will post it as soon as we receive it.