Monday, January 14, 2013
Fridley's delegation at the MN Legislature got busy in the opening days of the session.
Here is some of what Fridley's delegation was up to during the first week of the Minnesota Legislature's session, which began Jan. 8, 2013: Minnesota Senate Sen. Barb Goodwin, who represents Fridley, introduced four bills as co-author, and one resolution: S.F. No. 2: A bill for an act relating to education finance; authorizing funding for voluntary, full-day kindergarten; amending Minnesota Statutes 2012, sections 123B.41, subdivision 7; 126C.05, subdivisions 1, 15; 126C.12, subdivision 5. Referred to the Committee on Finance. S.F. No. 3: A bill for an act relating to employment; regulating the minimum wage; amending Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 177.24, subdivision 1. Referred to the Committee on Jobs, Agriculture and Rural Development…
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The departing state senator for Spring Lake Park and part of Fridley co-authored a law requiring crossing arms on new school buses that went into effect Jan. 1, 2013.
State Sen. Pam Wolf (R-Spring Lake Park) is leaving the Minnesota Legislature next week, but her legacy is still unfolding: A law she wrote, requiring new school buses to have crossing arms, took effect Tuesday. Wolf, a teacher, introduced the law as a bill in March 2011. After redistricting shifted her district so it no longer included part of Fridley, she lost her re-election bid in the new district to DFLer Alice Johnson. Here is information about Wolf's law and some of the other new laws that took effect Jan. 1, 2013, provided by the nonpartisan House Public Information Services. PUBLIC SAFETY School buses to be equipped with crossing arm All school buses used in the state that are manufactured after Jan. 1, 2013, will need to be …
Sunday, September 9, 2012
From prison sentences for convicted killers to a new hangout for kids, it's been a big week of news across the West Metro.
Editor’s Note: Every week we will bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Edina, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, St. Louis Park, Fridley and St. Michael. Benefit Set for Injured Maple Grove Police Officer Officer Mike Helman was injured while on duty last December when he was assaulted by a St. Michael man, and remains on leave. He talks about his injuries and ongoing recovery with Patch. Delbert Huber, 82, Gets 30 Years in Prison for Murder of St. Michael Teacher After pleading guilty to the shooting of middle school teacher Timothy Larson, 46, last July, Delbert Huber was given the maximum sentence by a judge in Kandiyohi County last Tuesday morning. Big …
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Administrative law judges ruled publicly funded handouts at precinct caucuses were campaign literature.
UPDATE (Thursday): State Sen. Pam Wolf, who represents part of Fridley, called a recent judgement against her and 10 other state senators that will cost them $75 each in fines "unbelievably petty." The penalities are for distributing fliers printed at public expense at precinct caucuses last February that a panel of administrative law judges determined Aug. 31 constituted campaign literature. (Click on first PDF thumbnail to read the ruling.) "The irony of the whole thing is—Murphy's Law—I never ever, ever would use [literature created by the GOP caucus]," said Wolf. But this once, she did. 'Worst Piece of Campaign Lit' Wolf said she told the judges that if the flier that she had set down in one stack on a table at the local Republican …
Sunday, June 17, 2012
A bear-sighting at a popular park in Maple Grove has people on edge; the Lynx, still undefeated, stop in Minnetonka; and the author of a bill to change teacher layoffs is laid off herself in this week’s look around the West Metro.
Here's a look at some of the headlines from last week around the Twin Cities West Metro areas. Click on the links for the complete story. Pillsbury Commons Project Effectively 'Dead' The Richfield City Council denies the sale of two additional parcels needed for the project, however, the developer can still choose to close on the land held by an option agreement. Bear Sighting at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove Signs have been posted around the Elm Creek Park District recreation and swimming area alerting patrons to the bear sightings. Plymouth Man Runs For His Father Rick Trueman of Plymouth is running a half marathon to raises funds for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to honor his father John who was diagnosed, fought the …
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
But she said her bill wouldn't have helped 29 teachers let go at Pines School.
Updated below. State Sen. Pam Wolf (R-51) said Tuesday she felt "frustration" and saw "cruel irony" in getting laid off as a teacher after she shepherded a bill changing teacher-layoff rules through the Minnesota Legislature this year. Wolf, who represents part of Fridley and Spring Lake Park at the State Capitol, also was a teacher at Pines School at the Lino Lakes juvenile detention facility. She and 28 other teachers lost their jobs when the school shifted from Anoka County control to the Centennial School District. She was also chief author of what she called a "reform bill" that would have put an end to seniority determining which teachers districts lay off—the so-called "last-in-first out" or LIFO rule that unions support. The bill …
Gov. Dayton vetoed her 'LIFO' bill; now Pines School has laid her off.
State Sen. Pam Wolf is out of her other job as a teacher at Pines School in Lino Lakes, according to the Star Tribune, along with 28 other teachers laid off as the school moves from Anoka County control to join the Centennial School District. SEE UPDATE: Wolf calls layoff "cruel irony" after her effort to reform how teachers are laid off in Minnesota. Wolf has represented part of Fridley in the Minnesota Senate since January 2011, when she taught right up until the day of her swearing-in as a new Republican senator in the District 51 seat formerly held by DFLer Don Betzold. Now Wolf has been laid off from her position teaching social studies and physical education at the school located within the Lino Lakes juvenile detention center, the …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Final tally was 38-28 in favor; both Fridley senators spoke during floor debate.
A final vote on the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill Tuesday had Fridley's state senators on opposite sides of the issue. The stadium bill passed 38-28 after more than 11 hours of floor debate, with Barb Goodwin (DFL-50) voting in favor and Pam Wolf (R-51) voting against. Wolf had pledged to vote no, but Goodwin's vote was a mystery until a Y appeared next to her name on the Senate's electronic tally board—one of the last votes to be cast. Goodwin had in recent weeks asked constituents for their opinions and abstained during her last vote in committee on the bill. At a hearing last December she called the planned stadium "extravagant." Voting on Amendments The two senators, who represent different areas of Fridley, often voted together in…
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Of Fridley's 2 senators, Wolf is a No, Goodwin abstained in committee.
Fridley has two representatives in the Minnesota Senate, where the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill is set for a floor debate and vote on Tuesday. Watch the action here with live streaming video via The UpTake. Sen. Pam Wolf (R-51) has said she plans to vote "No" on the stadium bill. Wolf has been hearing from stadium fans who want her to vote in favor of the bill. Sen. Barb Goodwin (DFL-50) has asked constituents for their opinions and abstained during her last vote in committee on the bill. She has also called the planned stadium "extravagant." On Monday, two of Fridley's three representatives in the Minnesota House of Representatives voted in favor of the bill, which passed. Reps. Tom Tillberry and Kate Knuth voted "Yes" while Rep. …
Friday, May 4, 2012
Senator, who represents part of Fridley, cited Vikings' Tarkenton on LIFO reform.
Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed a bill on teacher seniority Thursday that was authored by Sen. Pam Wolf (R-51), who represents part of Fridley. Wolf's bill, introduced last year to teacher-union criticism, passed the state Senate in February. It would end "last-in, first-out" (LIFO) seniority rules for teacher layoffs. In a veto letter (see PDF), Dayton said Republican legislators "denigrate" teachers, and he derided the bill as "yet another example of this prejudice against public school teachers. Once again, they are singled out as 'the problem,' for which some legislators' solution is to override the long-established rights of local school boards and teachers' elected representatives to negotiate the terms of their employment and their …
Ryan Gauthier
11:54 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
Not sure, Linda. Which side of Interlachen are you talking about? I can look into it. more ›