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.
This election is unlike any in our school district's history. With the COVID crisis and a deeply divided community, we need to ensure all voices in our district are heard. I am writing this letter of support for JB Davis III because he is exactly the person we need to represent families, tea…
Holding public office is hard work. When our national representatives are said to be on vacation they don’t go fishing. They come home to talk with us.
Holding public office is hard work. When our national representatives are said to be on vacation they don’t go fishing. They come home to talk with us.
I am voting for Jess Hanson for Minnesota House. She will make Minnesota a leader in clean energy policy and jobs, will expand access to affordable health care and will keep us safe during the pandemic.
My family moved to Prior Lake four years ago for many reasons, one of which was the schools. We appreciate high-quality education, a multitude of opportunities for academics, athletics and the arts, and engagement with administration and the school board when we have questions or concerns.
It has been wonderful getting to know Pam Myhra throughout this last year and I have found her to be a woman of honesty and integrity. Pam Myhra has established a record as a dedicated and effective leader in our community. As the state of Minnesota faces unprecedented challenges in the comi…
I met Jess Hanson at a school district meeting with other parents to discuss the proposed budget cuts and school closures in ISD 191. Jess approached me and we talked for a long time about education funding, as well as all topics that our community as whole are facing; from affordable health…
As a social worker, I work with some of the most disadvantaged members of our community. My wife and I are supporting Jess Hanson because she has a degree in social work and she will bring much needed empathy and compassion to our state legislature.
There are times (and settings) in our lives where “going back to the basics” is absolutely the correct approach; returning to a healthy and active lifestyle, loving our neighbor as ourselves, etc. However, I do not believe that the current American educational system is one of those settings…
My husband, Matthew, and I are raising our three-year-old daughter in Savage. We both work full time jobs and we just bought our first house during the pandemic. Jess Hanson actually understands how hard it is for families like ours to make ends meet.
Jess Hanson is the best choice for state representative in House District 56A. Minnesota is at a crossroads and the leaders we elect will have a heavy hand in shaping what our state looks like moving forward. It is clear that Jess is ready to build consensus, listen to constituents' concerns…
In this year's election I highly recommend that voters consider Pam Myhra as their choice for Minnesota House of Representatives. Her remarkable 92% victory in the recent primary is evidence that she is qualified for this position.
Vote for Pam Myhra for your State Representative in House District 56A. Pam previously served admirably from 2011-2014. I am pleased that Pam is willing to represent us again. The Myhra family has deep ties to this community: I have known her family for over forty years! Her father performed…
Pam Myhra is well recognized as a consensus builder. Pam is a CPA in her professional life and will bring a much needed voice for financial sanity to state government.
Is there hypocrisy in campaigning as a group? A candidate should have an individual perspective, a crew is working as one.
I’m a former ISD 719 School Board member and former Laker Foundation director who’s known Julie Bernick for over 15 years. We each tapped into ISD 719 by volunteering at elementary schools, serving on Growth Task Forces under Tom Westerhaus and participating on core committees for school ref…
I am writing to support the re-election of District Court Judge Joseph Carter in Minnesota’s First Judicial District.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and an important time to recognize and stand up for victims and survivors. Did you know that one in three women and one in four men experience domestic violence in their lifetimes? We would like to think it doesn’t happen in our community, but the…