[image_credit]REUTERS/Brian Snyder[/image_credit][image_caption]Rep. Ilhan Omar[/image_caption]
Speaking of wasting … The AP reports (via the Pioneer Press): “Midwest wildlife officials gathered Wednesday to discuss how they might better combat chronic wasting disease, which has been spreading through the region’s deer herds with no end in sight. … Among those at the two-day conference in Madison were wildlife officials from Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and two Native American tribes — the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Forest County Potawatomi. … Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Preston Cole kicked off the meeting by imploring the attendees to collaborate with one another. … ‘We’ve all been working trying to stop it on our own. That has to change,’ Cole said. ‘It is our region that is at stake. We have a great opportunity to show the public at large that we are on it.’”
Social policy. The Star Tribune’s Andy Mannix reports: “Starting January, Minneapolis’ elected leaders and staff must start using official accounts to speak to the public about city business through sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. … The City Council unanimously passed a new social media policy Friday that will set new restrictions for Minneapolis’ mayor, 13 City Council members and thousands of employees and volunteers — the first update to the city’s online rules in eight years. A new and significant change will be the creation of city-authorized accounts for those serving in elected positions, an effort to draw a clearer line between personal and government messaging.”
Sounds like a program worth growing. MPR’s Nancy Yang writes: “For years, doctors have been urging their patients to eat more fruits and vegetables to maintain their health. … But for many people — especially those who can’t afford to eat well or who have few fresh food choices nearby — that’s easier said than done. … Enter the Hmong American Farmers Association and HealthEast. Since 2016, they’ve partnered to provide fresh fruit and vegetable boxes to patients, giving people the opportunity to eat healthier on a regular basis. In turn the Veggie Rx partnership supports local Hmong farmers and helps doctors build stronger relationships with their patients.”
In other news…
A Minnesota story: “The black midwives changing care for women of color – photo essay” [The Guardian]
See if you agree: “Objective and Rational Twin City Suburb Power Rankings 2019” [twin city sidewalks]
New York Times stops in at Minneapolis’ Birchbark Books & Native Arts: “Where to Find Native American Culture and a Good Read” [New York Times]
That other pipeline: “Enbridge open to rerouting Line 5 outside of Northern Wisconsin tribe’s reservation” [Duluth News Tribune]
Land of 10,000 SNAKES: “Rattlesnakes Prompt Public Meeting For Concerned Residents In Winona” [WCCO]
Started as just a kernel of an idea: “100th anniversary Granite Falls popcorn stand” [West Central Tribune]
Now it’s news when the freeways are all open: “Twin Cities festivals and fireworks could be weekend’s biggest traffic impediments” [Star Tribune]
Another thing to worry about: “Invasive Viburnum Leaf Beetle Found For 1st Time In Minnesota” [WCCO]
Sauvin-long. Pinot regrets. Grape career move. Congrats: “Bachelor Farmer’s Top Sommelier Erin Rolek Leaves Town” [Minneapolis.St.Paul]
I have to eat my words here. I gave lots of criticism towards Rep. Omar about her statements about Israeli and Jewish-Americans. I still believe those comments merit criticism. But on the otherhand, some of her initiatives like Zero Waste, are excellent and I have to give her full credit. I hope this is the first of many new proposals and initiatives. This stuff is exactly what the country needs right now.