SD48 6 , CD3 DFL

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: December 11, 2020

Neighbors,

Please join Sen. Cwodzinski, Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn and me for a District 48 Virtual Town Hall next Thursday, December 17 at 7 p.m. To participate, go to my Facebook page: Rep. Laurie Pryor | Facebook. You can submit your questions ahead of time here.

Special Session on Monday

Governor Walz has called us back into special session on Monday, December 14 to consider a COVID package which will provide much needed assistance to small businesses, families and workers struggling during the pandemic. Legislative leaders and the governor have been working around the clock to craft help for Minnesotans to get through this difficult time.

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: December 3, 2020

Neighbors,

We are now several months into our COVID pandemic emergency and the challenges continue for working families and businesses. I appreciate your efforts to help your neighbors to stay safe by staying home as much as you’re able, wearing a mask and social distancing when you are in public. We will get through this together!

District 48 Town Hall

Join Sen. Cwodzinski, Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn and me for a town hall on Thursday, December 17. We hope to see you.

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: November 25, 2020

Neighbors,

As the pandemic erupts, many of our small business owners, workers and families are struggling. Tuesday morning, Gov. Walz and House legislative leaders announced an aid package to assist our neighbors and friends who have been significantly impacted by COVID-19. We are working to reach a compromise bill to pass in an upcoming special session, possibly as soon as next week.

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: November 18, 2020

Neighbors,

Governor Tim Walz has issued an executive order that will take effect on Friday at midnight aimed at reducing the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota. The new restrictions will apply to bars and restaurants, gyms and youth sports, which are some of the most major sources of COVID-19 outbreaks across the state.

This announcement comes after weeks of record-setting highs in new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID-19. Today, a record 67 deaths was reported by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Gov. Walz is doing all he can to keep us safe as the virus rages through our state, region and country.

Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn Update: November 10, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

I hope this note finds you safe and well. It’s hard to believe it is November already and I want to start by thanking you for your continued trust in me to be your voice in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Happily, though this was an unconventional year, we were still able to cast our votes in a safe and secure manner. In Minnesota, the last of the votes are being counted today, and it looks like our state will continue to have a divided legislature – the only in the nation. In the conversations I’ve had with neighbors throughout the year, you shared that compromise and common-sense solutions are critical as we move forward as a state to work through our challenges, the most prevalent among them being the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the election over, I am able to once again send out these legislative updates on a regular basis. If you’re not subscribed, or know of anyone who would find these helpful, you can sign up to receive them here. Please feel free to forward on to neighbors or friends who may be interested.

A Personal Note

In the midst of an election year and a global pandemic, my husband and I welcomed our fourth child this summer. We’re so grateful to be raising our children in this wonderful community.

Suburban Senate, City Leaders to Hold Voting Kickoff in Support of Biden-Harris and DFL Majorities

EDINA, MINNESOTA — As Joe Biden and Donald Trump make their way to Minnesota for the start of early voting, suburban legislators and leaders are holding an early voting kickoff to show support for the Biden-Harris ticket and a DFL House and Senate Majority in the southwestern Twin Cities suburbs.

The suburbs will decide this election, and high turnout for Democrats in suburbs across the metro could secure the election for Joe Biden, hold the State House, and flip the State Senate if the momentum continues.

“This is election is the most important of our time. The neighbors and voters I’m talking to in the suburbs are fed up with the lack of leadership from the White House, and the inaction coming from our current state senate majority,” said Senator Melisa Lopez Franzen, DFL-SD49.

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: July 16, 2020

Neighbors,

Thank you to everyone who completed my summer survey. I appreciate your input on issues impacting Minnetonka, Eden Prairie and our entire state. The survey reinforced what we already know about our communities – we care about each other and want to help one another succeed. You can view the results by clicking here.

District 48 Town Hall

Senator Cwodzinski, Rep. Koytza-Witthuhn and I invite you to our latest town hall next Thursday, July 23 at 7:00 p.m. You can view the meeting on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/replauriepryor/

pryor Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: July 16, 2020”

Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: July 16, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

We’re now in our second special session of 2020, and much of the work ahead is the same as before – responding to COVID-19 and its impact on the health and welfare of each Minnesotan and the future of our state, crafting common sense social justice and police accountability measures, and passing a robust jobs and local projects (or bonding) bill. As I continue to work on these and other issues, I want to hear from you.

When you have a few minutes, please complete this brief survey covering our community’s priorities and the impact of the pandemic on you and your family. You can access the survey here. Your input and feedback helps to shape my priorities during the interim and any future special sessions. I greatly appreciate your participation in our legislative process. Continue reading “Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: July 16, 2020”

Book Review: Senator Steve Cwodzinski’s Beyond the Lesson Plan

ecades ago, on a driving trip, I listened to a recording of Oliver Sacks reading his book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. His voice (both literal and literary) was so distinctive that, for years afterward, anytime I would read anything he wrote, I would, in my head, hear him reading it aloud. I have heard other authors, even listened to some reading their work, but this bit of synesthesia has never repeated itself until a few days ago, when I started Beyond the Lesson Plan by Steven Cwodzinski. The warmth, the openness, the earnestness, the simultaneous erudite sophistication and childlike simplicity – all this could only come from one person. And then there are the corny jokes. A warning: be looking ahead for “But I digress!” If you see these words a few paragraphs on, brace yourself!

The book is organized into 33 chapters, one for each year of Mr Cwodzinski’s teaching/learning career. (He presents teaching as a reciprocal engagement between the nominal teacher and students.) Each chapter title is a question, and the chapter investigates the question. The first chapter reveals an event that changed the life of the author: a car accident during his senior year in high school, followed by months of hospitalization, a renaissance of spirit, and a newfound sense of purpose. Later chapters feature stories of the search for his biological father, his proposal and marriage, his children, his travels, his campaign and his three years (so far!) as a state senator. These are interspersed with many, many stories about the classroom, which, in turn, are interspersed with philosophical ponderings and exhortations to our better angels. And did I mention the corny jokes? Continue reading.

Immigrants: Traits and Contributions

In 2015, President Barack Obama attended a ceremony of naturalization and said, “…we don’t simply welcome new immigrants, we don’t simply welcome new arrivals — we are born of immigrants. That is who we are.…”

So who are the immigrants, why do they leave their homeland, and what do they bring with them to the new homeland? Once we understand the quote, it may become easy to find the answers as it will be less about “them” and more about “us” with the exception that today immigrants do not come only to run from persecution whether social, economic, and political. They leave their homes for higher studies, research, and professional development.

Leaving the homeland is not easy. There is very strong pull and bond with the land. Just like a rocket needs boosters to drive it against the gravitational pull to the new unknown land, immigrants are required to have a drive to break their living norms. Let us review some basic traits that make an immigrant. Continue reading.

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