I was 14 years old in 1980 when John Anderson, an Illinois Congressman and independent candidate for president, visited my middle school. Bright-eyed and a bit naive, it was the first time I’d ever seen a politician — those men in suits on television — in real life.
I’ve learned the lessons of depression the hard way. It’s something I experienced first in my late teens and then again in my 30s.
“You mean, you actually wash your kids’ fruit with special soap before they eat it?” I blurted.
The legislative session is just past its midpoint, and it’s been an incredible honor to represent Plymouth at the Capitol. House DFLers and I have advanced specific plans to lower the cost of prescription medications, end our opioid crisis, reduce distracted driving by requiring “hands-free”…
The bedrock of a strong democracy is the act of voting. Each citizen has the awesome responsibility to cast their ballot to choose our leaders and to create a government for the people by the people. It is easy to not vote, but that only leads to an alienated, apathetic, uneducated and uninf…
We’ve been talking a lot about Vision 2031, our new vision. In 2031, our current kindergartners will graduate from high school. What will places of learning look, sound, and feel like in 2025, 2030, or even 2035? In Hopkins, we are determined to imagine our future, and then create it. Why ar…
The first half of the 2019 legislative session is over and it’s been an honor to hear from residents in our communities while serving at the State Capitol.
It’s an exciting time at the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, which has been working with the city of Edina on a major park restoration along Minnehaha Creek. The improvements at Arden Park will not only improve water quality and wildlife habitat, they will also enhance the park’s communi…
Don’t get too anticipatory about hearing the things I never told my parents. I lead a comparatively boring life now, and I always have. Yet, the things I never told my parents still make me wonder what my kids aren’t telling me.
The assignment for the fifth-graders at Excelsior Elementary School was a fun one, but somewhat complex: Build a machine, often referred to as a Rube Goldberg machine, that could transport a gift from Stuart Little, the talking mouse of book and movie fame, from one point to another.
Although there is still a lot of snow on the ground, I am excited to let you know about a new program that will be launching soon: Adopt a Drain! This metro-wide program will provide you an easy way to take steps in your own neighborhood to protect your local lake, river or stream from pollution.
In 2014, the Twin Cities saw the wettest first half of the year since modern day record keeping began in 1871. Coupled with a long winter and late snowmelt, this extreme precipitation led to record water levels and more than $1 million worth of erosion damage along the six main streams in th…
With the new year upon us, January is the perfect time to start building mindfulness into your daily routine. Mindfulness, which is essentially the practice of being present, brings with it an array of benefits — research shows that practicing mindfulness regularly improves our attention and…
Happy New Year, everybody. I hope you and your loved ones had an opportunity to step away from life as usual over the holidays, spend some quality time together, and count the blessings in your life.
Question: What do Peter Hitch, Steve Bohl, Joyce Leatherman, Peter Sellwood have in common? All are former employees at Ski Hut/Sports Hut. Quite a few family combos, too — sisters, brothers, mother/daughters, mother/sons.
It’s been a busy few months in the Six Mile Creek chain of lakes, where the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and its partners have been hard at work reducing the number of common carp that are in the system. It’s the first phase of one of the metro’s largest habitat restoration projects, f…
Signs of fall are everywhere. The air is cooler, the animals are gathering food for winter, and the leaves are turning color and blanketing lawns. While we all seem to slow down this time of year, it’s actually the best time to do some annual lawn care to ensure a healthy lawn for next year.…
With the school year now officially underway, you’ve likely done everything you can to set your teen up for a successful year. Purchased all their school supplies? Check. Kept them on track with their grades and activities? Check. Scheduled conferences with their teachers? Check. But there’s…
We may be headed into fall colors, cooler weather and less daylight, but gardening doesn’t have to be all about preparing our garden beds for winter. There is still time to add native plants to your landscape to provide food and habitat for pollinators like bees and butterflies next spring a…
The 989-page legislation vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton in May was a “garbage bill.” It contained thousands of unrelated budget and policy provisions covering a vast range of issues. It lacked transparency and prevented accountability. It also violated the Minnesota Constitution.
Sometimes it’s hard to feel like you can make a difference when you contemplate the issues that are affecting our environment and communities across the region, the country and the globe. But local action can truly make positive change that we can see and experience in our neighborhoods, our…
Our kids of all ages and all stages of development show up in our schools, streets and playing fields every day. Each of them a one-of-a-kind, unique-in-all-the-world, singular miracle of being and becoming. Any one of us who has ever loved any one of them has been privy to moments when the …
The writer of a letter in the July 19 issue about the proposed mountain bike trails at Lone Lake Park is off-base on several fronts, the first being the statement of “machine bike trails.”
The lakes and streams in the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District offer beauty, open space and numerous recreation opportunities.
It’s not often you can look at a calendar and know without question exactly where one of your direct ancestors were, what they were doing, and who they with 165 years ago. You could do it if you had your ancestor’s diary, but absent that, it would be kind of tough. I can do it.
Last week, after months of negotiations, Republican leadership in the House of Representatives finally scheduled a vote on common-sense immigration reform legislation.
About 55,000 students in Minnesota are celebrating high school graduation this month.
Despite the governor’s recent “veto spree,” the Minnesota Legislature just completed one of the most productive two-year periods in recent history. I am proud to have been part of the Republican majority in the Minnesota House, which delivered significant tax relief, implemented health care …
Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law a significant investment in infrastructure projects all across the state, which will aid in the growth and expansion of our state’s economy. Unfortunately, the governor could have done much more by supporting the bipartisan bills delivered to his desk.
The 2018 legislative session ended at midnight on Sunday, May 20. During the past several weeks, I spent a lot of time reflecting on what happened.
The late spring this year has given me a serious case of spring fever. I’ve been enjoying the warmer weather, sunshine and hints of summer.
Cognitive agility. Fortitude. Curiosity. Technical fluency. Critical thinking. Empathy. Teaming with diverse others. Solving complex problems. Determination. Analytics and diagnostics. Value of failure. Communication. Hunger to learn. Deep self-knowledge.
What is your first memory of money? Did it involve saving in a piggy bank, spending, opening a bank account or something else? Often, the money behaviors we developed as young children shape how we handle finances in adulthood.
This is National Teacher Appreciation Week, when we can take time to thank the people who educate our children and help us turn them into productive citizens.
On Feb. 16, MinnPost writer Susan Perry wrote a very compelling article entitled “America’s appalling reality: We don’t care about our children.” As the CEO of Senior Community Services, a nonprofit exclusively serving older adults, I’d like to suggest another appalling reality: We don’t car…
WASHINGTON — This past week, we had the privilege of representing the residents of Eden Prairie at the National League of Cities “Congress of Cities” Convention in Washington, D.C. The convention was March 11-14.
It was just before Christmas that a massive overhaul of our nation’s tax code was passed into law. This reform plan, the first in over 30 years, is a major victory for our economy, our state and for the country. It will create more jobs, boost paychecks for employees, and put more money in p…
All of the cold weather we’ve been having this winter has been great for those of us who like to get out on the ice. Anglers have been out in force on area lakes, including Lake Wassermann in Victoria where commercial fishermen have been busy removing thousands of pounds of common carp.
One of the reasons Minnehaha Creek Watershed District was formed in 1967 was to respond to devastating flooding along Minnehaha Creek and Lake Minnetonka. The first order of business of the new district was to build an adjustable dam at the headwaters of the creek, where it flows out of Lake…
My name is Bob Bushnell. I started Bushnell’s Minnetonka Music in Excelsior 26 years ago and am proud to announce it’s new location at 18285 Minnetonka Blvd., Suite C in Deephaven Court.
Throughout this past year we have celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, the organization that manages the health of many of the lakes and streams in this area and where I serve as president of the Board of Managers.
Editor’s note: This is the ninth and last in a series of columns about the history of the Minnehaha Creek watershed.
Recently, AARP completed a report on the Framework for Isolation in Adults Over 50. The report defines isolation as the experience of diminished social connectedness stemming from a process whereby the impact of risk factors outweighs the impact of existing protective factors.
What would you do if a party you were in charge of planning got canceled at the last minute, and you were going to lose a rather large deposit? The decision Jody Peterson Lodge of Excelsior made should serve as inspiration to others.
As one of the victory babies of the baby boomer generation, or prophet generation, I have explored ways that we can bequeath to posterity our final states of consciousness, much like the four old men of the gilded era, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Greenleaf Whittie…
Football continues to dominate the fall landscape like it does every year, but it's not just on the field like in the Minnesota state prep semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium.
I wholeheartedly support the stated goals of tax reform: simplifying the tax code, supporting small businesses and putting money back in the pockets of middle class families. I was optimistic that it might present an opportunity for bipartisan accomplishment.
Most of us don’t choose our families.
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of columns about the history of the Minnehaha Creek watershed.
The so-called economic “recovery” since the Great Recession has not worked for many Americans. It certainly hasn’t worked for a lot of Minnesotans who have, or are at risk of having, a lower standard of living than their parents. Too many are living paycheck to paycheck and just feel like th…
