It's January. January includes National Sanctity of Human Life Day — the original date was on Jan. 22, 1984, and in 2020 it was on Jan. 20. In the United States, this day is set apart to recognize and celebrate God's gift of life. Life is precious and everyone matters.
I’ve been watching Shen Yun since I was 4 years old. Since then, my family and I have made it a tradition to see the show every year. I can still remember the excitement I had as the show grew closer. It was and still is one of my favorite traditions.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This year Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women is holding a benefit for victims of domestic violence on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Schram Haus Brewery in Chaska.
Big Pharma profits have skyrocketed in recent years at the expense of people whose only options are to pay the prohibitive costs of medication or risk their lives by going without. The Minnesota Legislature must find a way to lift the burden from the shoulders of Minnesotans who have paid th…
In the recent aftermath of the mass shootings of El Paso and Dayton, the issue of gun reform or gun safety laws have come into the forefront of political conversations from presidential candidates, halls of Congress and talk shows.
Our health care system is broken and needs a comprehensive overhaul. Our representative in Congress, Angie Craig, knows this because she has been listening. In her first seven months, she has held seven town halls in every county in the district, one of which was focused on health care, and …
I would like to thank Peggy Jo Dunnette for her column regarding the damage Donald Trump has done to our country in such a short time. He is setting us back 50 years across the board. She is absolutely correct that everyone who isn’t a Trumpster must unite behind whichever candidate runs aga…
Not too long ago, our south-of-the-river local politicians were applauding and backslapping each on the expeditious process by which they were able to have MnDOT add an additional lane to the northbound lane on the 169 bridge during the spring flood, and this extended into the summer. Welcom…
I expect Mr. Juan Macias will be labeled a racist by those who don't understand what the relationship between the immigrant and the U.S. should be. Mr. Macias exquisitely lays out the relationship of both and the necessity for assimilation if a country is to survive and thrive. Without assim…
After the most recent episodes of mass slaughter in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, it is time, again, to focus on passing gun violence prevention legislation. Any state legislator who does not support gun violence prevention legislation must be voted out of office.
My grandson's baseball team played in the August Classic over the weekend, which was held at the Savage Community Park field. The park is beautiful, well-maintained, with clean facilities. The only issue is we felt unsafe, as the number of foul balls flying overhead created a stressful exper…
Beating cancer takes more than breakthrough research. You’re invited to make a difference right here in Scott County in this fight. Please attend and support the Relay For Life movement in our community, so together we can help the American Cancer Society attack cancer from every angle.
Since being sworn in, I have traveled all across this Congressional District on a Healthcare Listening Tour, and no matter where I am, folks are saying the same thing: we need to address the cost of health care, and we need to do it now.
I was disappointed that the Savage City Council voted unanimously to go ahead with the 190-apartment Enclave Edge despite community and city planners concerns. Hopefully, traffic access will be improved prior to beginning the development of this somewhat isolated piece of property (road-wise).
With the Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools boundary updates now official, the WestWood Elementary School PTC would like to extend a warm welcome to all families moving to WestWood in the fall of 2020! We are excited to meet all of the awesome new students and families. We welcome future staff t…
On behalf of the Savage Fire Department and the Savage Fire Department Relief Association, I would like to thank everybody who came out Sunday morning to support the Fire Department and the annual pancake breakfast.
To my congressional representative, Angie Craig:
I’m involved with a group of women who are keenly interested in a post-Roe v. Wade world, but our interest lies in a different direction than Beth Anderson’s book club (Community Voices, May 22).
I’ve attended multiple boundary change meetings, and I’ve attempted to maintain a diplomatic presence on this issue. But because of what I’ve witnessed recently, I feel I must inform the entire community with the facts of what is currently taking place at these meetings.
I continue to hear the same arguments over and over again pushing for C1. What some may not realize is that these problems don’t go away under their preference, they just shift to other neighborhoods.
Last night's boundary change meeting gave us a good indication of how each school board member will vote on June 10. Most, if not all, members indicated their dislike of option B1, while four members touted C4. I urge those members to use this next week to further research option C4 and come…
The study session on Tuesday, June 3, to present more commonsense school boundary options turned into another meeting that left the audience frustrated and astounded. Four members of the board had already concluded they were pointing towards the C4 option that divides an adjoining neighborhood.
After last night's board meeting, I am more convinced than ever that C1 is the only school boundary plan that results in a legally valid boundary. The reasons are as follows:
I attended the school board study session last night as I have attended every study session. This was the first time in months and countless meetings that the board even had a discussion about the options versus the one-sided monologue that's taken place in other meetings — or worse, saying …
I read with interest Beth Anderson's Community Voices article in Roe v. Wade in the Savage Pacer regarding women’s right views in her discussion after her book club meeting. I would like to add to her book club discussion.
Disappointing results from the latest school board meeting as a modified C2 option was presented and denied for review. In a confusing vote, Chairman Lee Shimek appeared to break the tie, since one member concluded she would vote with whatever the board wanted. Three of seven board members v…
The school boundaries have been a contentious subject over the past few months, with a tremendous amount of community discussion with the school board on the options that have been put forth.
There are winners and losers when redrawing elementary school boundaries. Here is what I believe to be the unfortunate truth.
Recent unbalanced commentary on socialism, capitalism and democracy omitting oligarchy (a small group of people having control of a country) requires a brief response, which unfortunately cannot do justice to the subject matter.
This past Tuesday’s shooting in suburban Colorado could have easily happened in our community. While mass school violence is a rare event and accounts for less than 1 percent of all homicides of youth ages 5 to 18, its consequences are so serious that it needs immediate legislative action.
Last night at the second school board study session, Knob Hill/Carriage Hill neighbors and friends filled the room once again! What an amazing feeling when the community comes to work together for a common goal of keeping our kids in the school they know and love — Jeffers Pond!!
What a difference two weeks makes!
It was a powerful night at the School Board boundary study session last night! The evening started out with three options presented, options that continue to pit neighborhood against neighborhood, options that unnecessarily displace current resident students. We came together as a community,…
I’ve always been proud to call Prior Lake home, but the school board study session last night brought my level of gratitude to a whole new level. It was incredible to witness residents from all different parts of Prior Lake come together and all agree on one specific solution for the 2020 bo…
Last night the School Board met to discuss boundary changes for Prior Lake elementary schools. Our neighborhoods (Carriage Hills and Knob Hill) were there to represent our children and fight for what is logical and right for the second time. To point out the facts over and over does not seem…
Thank you to Juan Macias for his excellent article about our misunderstanding of socialism. This should be read in every civics class in our high schools. Politicians are trying to sell us on socialism, but it never works. He gets to the fault of socialism with this paragraph: "This system r…
The Minnesota Legislature is in this session's last weeks — the time when House and Senate bills are brought together to make recommendations for the governor to sign into law. It's a messy business but our own.
The author of last week's Community Voices column warned us of the dangers of socialism. The problem that I find in his logic is that the thriving economies of Scandinavia belie his claims. He'd have us believe that the failures of communism equates to an inherent flaw in socialism. The trut…
After almost two years of investigation, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has submitted his report. The report concludes that Russia attacked the United States using cyber intrusion, misinformation on social media and other active measures to interfere with the 2016 election by undermining Hil…
Along with many other parents and voters in the Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools district, I have grown very frustrated with the progress on both the new elementary school as well as the options presented to the school board to redraw the school boundaries in our community.
There are many reasons why option C1 would be a better choice for the school boundary issue. The distance from homes to the school, the commute times, displacement of less students, predicted capacity numbers and socioeconomic percentages are all factors in favor of choosing C1.
Keep Carriage Hills/Knob Hill Neighborhood at Jeffers Pond! Option C1 is the most logical option. We are just fighting to stay in our school. B1 supporters are not fighting to stay in their school, they are fighting to move to Jeffers — a school they do not go to today. The district should n…
On May 6, the School Board will vote on proposed boundary changes to the K-5 elementary schools. According to an outside consulting firm, hired to help them through the process of change, the two options they will vote on are both satisfactory. If that is the case, and both options have been…
I am a writing to you as a concerned citizen and parent in the Carriage Hills/Knob Hill Neighborhood. As the design committee presented the options for the K-5 boundaries, Option C1 is the most sensible. This is the option that keeps the kids that are already attending Jeffers Pond at Jeffer…
In regards to the article "School board to vote on new district boundaries May 6," I cannot help but stare at the pictures of the options presented and think that B1 makes the most sense geographically. It does not make sense for children on the furthest west side of the district to travel p…
I attended the school board meeting last week and wanted to highlight several points that are important to my family under Option C1, which would displace us from our neighborhood school.
As the Prior Lake-Savage School District looks to change attendance boundaries with the opening of a new elementary school, it is important to remember that small changes are impactful to families.
I'd like address a misunderstanding that was taken away from the last Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board meeting regarding options B1 and C1 as part of the school boundary change. Many people were there from a couple neighborhoods pushing for C1. Many I talked to came away thinking that man…
I applaud House DFLers for passing an education budget that invests in what matters most: our classrooms and our students.
