An Oct. 2 letter by Kurt von Schmidt-Pauli is correct in stating that my Community Voices column about climate change was not a fact-laden scientific analysis. It wasn’t meant to be. I am not a climate scientist.
On Tuesday, Sept. 21 the Scott County Board of Commissioners approved a maximum levy increase of 3.99% for property taxes payable in 2022. While all five commissioners voted to approve this maximum levy amount, in watching the board meeting it was obvious that commissioners were looking for …
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and an important time to recognize and stand up for victims and survivors.
The Savage Rotary Club continues to do good work in the community. Last week they donated over $500 worth of school supplies to students at Hidden Valley Elementary.
When it comes to home, local leaders have been stepping up. But there isn’t enough investment from the state back into our communities — and that’s a problem in the long run.
The Prior Lake Savage Area School Board is preparing for a tax levy vote later this year for the establishment of a new $3.5 million, 10-year technology fund ($35 million total). This tax increase is estimated to cost a residential property owner $204 per year (using the district’s average r…
I would like to extend a grateful thank you to all the people who stopped to help after my dog was hit by a car Monday, May 3 near Savage Community Park.
Bridging and the Savage Rotary want to extend a sincere thank you to all those Savage residents who donated mattresses during the Recycling Day on Saturday, May 1.
So, I heard on Fox News that President Biden may be banning meat to combat global warming. Then I remembered that Colorado Democrat Governor Jared Polis had issued a similar proclamation last month.
A brand new school is so exciting — everything is shiny, clean and bright! Yet, many people don’t realize that a new school still needs items like playground equipment and outdoor learning items, as usually these are items that are built or purchased after students and staff have settled in …
It's instructive that as I sat down to write about the problem of gun violence in the United States, three more reports of shootings with multiple casualties came across my computer screen. You literally cannot keep up with the number of mass shootings we have in this country every year. Eve…
April is national Volunteer Appreciation Month and I want to thank all the volunteers out there that make our communities stronger, safer and healthier for everyone. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers are needed more than ever at nonprofits and we applaud all of you that are…
Every Scott County business with unreimbursed COVID related losses since March 1, 2020 should be livid.
Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) members were mailed a packet for MVEC’s Annual Meeting. Included was a bylaw question. One of the proposed bylaw changes removes director term limits.
When we picked our location to live 35 years ago we looked at community, location, schools and I am sure the same things many look at when choosing where to live. We landed on Savage. We choose Savage because it was not Minneapolis.
In the next few days many of you will be receiving a ballot in the mail for Minnesota Electric Valley Co-op Board of Directors election. If you are an MVEC Co-op member, I encourage you to vote for Tom Wolf! Tom is a great steward of our co-op and he keeps a keen eye on cost and reliability …
This week, ballots arrive in the mail for Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative Board of Directors. MVEC is governed by nine member-owners who serve as the cooperative's board of directors.
As a child of the 1970s, I remember road trips riding in the third row of our Buick station wagon looking out the open back window. I also remember the smell of exhaust, headaches and car sickness from those rides. Riding in school buses caused similar feelings of car sickness.
The last year has been incredibly challenging between the COVID crisis and the political tension that has overshadowed our lives. I questioned whether kindness was disappearing. Well, the experience I had last week changed that thought.
We’ve all seen the headlines about the electrical grid failure in Texas, where about 90% of their energy comes from burning fossil fuels. Did you know we have similar systems here in Minnesota that may not be as resilient as we will need in the rapidly changing climate of our future?
I am writing a response to the Feb. 13 Prior Lake American article “Snow Problem: Prior Lake Pickleballers Play Despite Winter Weather."
Minnesota is facing a youth nicotine epidemic and flavored tobacco products are the major contributor. Big tobacco has done an excellent job at making products affordable, attractive, acceptable and accessible for youth. In doing so they have been convincing teens and parents that vaping is …
I would like to thank joggers, bike riders and pet walkers who wear light color, reflective clothing and carry flashlights and outfit their dogs with reflective leashes or vests.
The events of this past week have caused five people to lose their lives, leave our country with a major black eye, and completely undermined the process of governance that has existed for almost 250 years.
What happened to the America that I grew up in? An America that welcomed immigrants and embraced those looking for a better life in the greatest country on Earth. An America where people were considered innocent until proven guilty. An America where the news media reported the facts and the …
The events of this past week have caused five people to lose their lives, leave our country with a major black eye, and completely undermined the process of governance that has existed for almost 250 years. The reaction has left people with shock and anger with knee jerk reactions across the…
The following letter was sent to all staff of Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools from the school board. It is being shared here to publicly acknowledge that every single staff person in the district contributed to helping the students, families and community navigate the past year.
I went to the post office in Savage to get stamps for my Christmas letters on Wednesday, Dec. 16. There was a long line, but I decided to wait. It moved fairly quickly and the people seemed to be waiting patiently — some having conversations with each other.
I would like to personally extend my humble regards to volunteers and donors for your hard work and dedication to sacrifice your weekend to help marginalized communities. Your service and donations' impact are huge.
These days of dread over COVID-19 and the election can be overwhelming. But sometimes things can look brighter, thanks to the kindness of strangers!
As relentless as COVID-19 has been; I believe there’s an opportunity hiding within this chaos. Unfortunately, it appears PLSAS is resisting the chance to leverage this pandemic to diversify how students are taught for hope everything returns to “normal.” This opportunity could benefit many s…
After reading Gary Shelton's editorial, I think he needs to turn off his TV news and put down his paper. Maybe he could cheer himself up by looking at his 401K balance. He believes, among other things (according to his editorial last week) that President Trump is vain, dishonest, vulgar and …
I read with interest the article in the Sept. 26 Prior Lake American regarding school board communication protocol and policy, the letter of Oct. 10 from Joe Mannelly and an article from the Feb. 1, 2020 paper.
Editor's note: The cast of Prior Lake High School's spring production has not yet been decided.
In the spirit of giving thanks this holiday season, I would like to acknowledge and thank our dedicated group of 94 election judges who gave their time and energy on Nov. 3 to ensure the 2020 General Election went smoothly. A special thank you to city staff that assisted with absentee voting…
There is little in life that I am certain about. The fact that the teachers and staff members in the Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools are amazing is something that I am sure of.
This is in response to the Nov. 14 letter to the editor by Josh Ondich, who wondered if we would ever know who won the presidential election. The answer is yes, we know who won.
Thank you to everyone in our community for electing me to serve you as your state representative during this challenging time. I am deeply humbled by your support, and I want to assure you that I am going to work day and night to make sure that your concerns are heard and addressed.
I have always promoted third-party voting as a way to highlight your issue to major party candidates for whom you would have to hold your nose or cross your fingers to support. My preference though would be to pass ranked-choice voting where a voter could support a candidate or party that em…
An Oct. 24 column on the Savage Pacer opinion page said "we lost our moral compass." Let’s look more closely at what we were told and what we weren’t told.
In the Community Health Assessment survey conducted almost two years ago, the residents of Scott County identified youth alcohol and drug use as the most concerning health issue in our county. As a result, Scott County Public Health applied for (and received) a five-year federal grant to hel…
The events of the presidential election during the past weeks with legal challenges, recounts and ongoing absentee ballots being accepted after Election Day in multiple states.
Pam Myhra served our community of Savage and northwest Burnsville well during her prior terms representing House District 56A. Our well-being and safety are priorities of Pam Myhra and her recent endorsement by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association was well deserved.
I am more than happy to endorse Pam Myhra for the Minnesota House race this year. I have known Pam for some time and can attest to her excellent character and her integrity. Those words are cheapened today because politicians from both sides of the aisle have made lying a regular habit. They…
Savage has been fortunate to have Sen. Dan Hall serving this area in the Minnesota Legislature. In 2018, he worked with former Rep. Drew Christensen to secure a $1.9 million direct state grant for Scott County to assist with the construction of the new mental health crisis and treatment cent…
I’m confident that Amy Crosby will do a great job on the school board. She grew up in the small town of Gonvick where her dad is a farmer and her mom was a teacher. Public school has always been a big part of Amy’s life. That is why she sends her kids to PLSAS vs. private schools.
The stakes are high with this election! Each candidate has extremely different views and agendas. I call on every voter to research and educate yourself on each. It’s easy to become complacent if issues do not affect us directly. Until the school boundary meetings, I was guilty of not doing …
When I cast my vote on Nov. 3, I will pick Pam Myhra for State Representative House District 56A (Savage and northwest Burnsville).
In her recent appearance on PBS, Congresswoman Angie Craig demonstrated why she deserves to be re-elected to congress from the 2nd Congressional District. She is smart, personable, and has an excellent command of the issues, especially on healthcare.
