A press release from the Office of the Governor of Minnesota:

Governor Tim Pawlenty today issued Executive Order 10-04 declaring a State of Emergency in Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Chippewa, Clay, Dakota, Goodhue, Hennepin, Kittson, Lac Qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lyon, Marshall, Nicollet, Norman, Polk, Ramsey, Redwood, Renville, Scott, Sibley, Swift, Traverse, Washington, Wilkin, Wright, and Yellow Medicine to protect property and infrastructure from damage due to flooding.

A press release from state Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook:

In an effort to protect our lakes and rivers from invasive species, I have introduced a bill, S.F. 2890, placing a 5-year moratorium on new public boat access. Invasive species are nonnative species that cause ecological or economic problems.

The Jordan Area Visioning Alliance (JAVA) will meet from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, at Riverland Bank, 700 Seville Drive in Jordan.

JAVA will discuss observations, issues, options, and opportunities that impact the Jordan community as a whole.

This meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jon Lee at 952-492-2938 or Deb Ewals at 952-492-3435.

A press release from the Office of the Governor of Minnesota:

A STATEMENT FROM THE GOVERNOR’s DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF

~ Brian McClung’s statement regarding Minnesota’s Race to the Top application ~

ST. PAUL –- The following is a statement from Governor Pawlenty’s Deputy Chief of Staff Brian McClung regarding Minnesota’s Race to the Top application. Minnesota did not make the first group of finalists announced Thursday by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. The second round of applications will be due this June.

A press release from the Minnesota Farm Bureau:

Governor Tim Pawlenty was presented Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation’s Distinguished Service to Agriculture award during the annual Council of County Presidents on February 24 in St. Paul.

The Distinguished Service to Agriculture award is presented annually to outstanding leaders of agriculture in the state of Minnesota. The award is one of the most prestigious awards given by Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation.

A press release from Alliance for a Better Minnesota:

This afternoon, Republican Rep. Paul Kohls declared that it's a sad day in Minnesota when politicians "put politics ahead of getting things done."

He's right -- and when it comes to providing basic health care services for 70,000 Minnesotans, Rep. Kohls' statement certainly applies to the 38 Republican legislators who took back their original vote in favor of the General Assistance Medical Care service.

Recently, I've been getting some e-mails from U.S. Rep. John Kline's office related to his YouTube page.

There is some interesting stuff on here: http://www.youtube.com/user/repjohnkline.

Just thought you might be interested, seeing as he's Jordan's representative in the U.S. House. Take a look.

Jordan City Council Meeting

Date: May 17, 2010

Time: 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM

1st and 3rd Monday each month except Holidays

Jordan City Council Meeting

Date: May 3, 2010

Time: 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM

Monthly meeting of the Jordan City Council

Jordan City Council Meeting

Date: April 19, 2010

Time: 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM

1st and 3rd Monday each month except Holidays

Jordan City Council Meeting

Date: April 5, 2010

Time: 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM

Monthly meeting of the Jordan City Council

Jordan Economic Development Authority Meeting (EDA)

Date: March 16, 2010

Time: 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM

The City of Jordan promotes local economic development via the Jordan Economic Development Authority.

Monthly Meeting.

Third Tuesday of each month.

Jordan Government Center

Jordan City Council Meeting

Date: March 15, 2010

Time: 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM

Jordan City Council Meeting

1st and 3rd Monday each month except Holidays

Jordan City Council Meeting

Date: March 1, 2010

Time: 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM

Event Description: Monthly meeting of the Jordan City Council

Scott County Board meeting

March 23

9 a.m.

Scott County Board meeting

March 9

9 a.m.

Scott County Board workshop with parks advisory commission

6 p.m.

March 3

Scott County Board meeting

March 2

9 a.m.

Pork in the Park

Lagoon Park

Saturday, June 26

All-day event (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.)

Celebrate Jordan

Sunday, April 11

1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Jordan High School

Free admission

If you like what your local newspaper does for you, please buy an ad or a subscription.

The Jordan Independent's advertising representative, Nancy Etzel, is hard at work preparing ads for the very finest of businesses in the Jordan area. We appreciate your support. 

We receive a large chunk of our revenue through your subscription payments. We appreciate your support.

It's important for a small town like Jordan to have all of the advantages of larger towns. A newspaper that cares about you is one aspect of Jordan that I think is especially beneficial.

A press release from the Office of the Governor of Minnesota:

ST. PAUL -– Governor Tim Pawlenty today released his supplemental budget recommendations, eliminating the state’s projected $1.2 billion deficit and providing tax cuts to spur job growth.

The Governor’s budget maintains funding for priority areas including military and veterans, core public safety, and K-12 education classrooms. Many other programs would be reduced including Local Government Aid, welfare and social services, and state government agencies.

A press release from the Minnesota Department of Health:

Winter in Minnesota is the peak time of year for norovirus, an illness that should be as easy to prevent as one, two three, say health officials: Wash your hands properly, prepare and handle food properly, and if you are ill, stay home and don't prepare food for others.

A press release from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture:

ST. PAUL -– Minnesotans looking for the freshest food available from local growers will want to sign-up now with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm for the 2010 season.

Well we had our meeting today with officials from MnDOT, Scott County regarding the proposed mining operation in Sand Creek Township.

The short version of the story is that the meeting did not go as I hoped.

I did, however, learn a great deal about the WHY behind some of the plans, and I'm optimistic that there will be some positive outcome for Jordan as a whole.

A press release from the Office of the Governor of Minnesota:

ST. PAUL -– In his final State of the State Address, Governor Tim Pawlenty said state government needs to listen to job creators about what needs to be done to grow good, private sector jobs in Minnesota. The Governor also implored legislators to reduce government spending, cut taxes on job providers, and reform the state’s budget process.

A press release from National Federation of Independent Business:

ST. PAUL -– The representative group for Minnesota’s economic engine urged the Legislature to pass Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s jobs creation proposals that he outlined today in his State of the State speech.

A press release from the Minnesota Farmers Union:

ST. PAUL -- With grassroots input from its farmer-membership, Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) has set priorities for the 2010 legislative session. These include: protecting agricultural portions of the state budget, addressing property tax concerns, and promoting energy legislation. The 2010 legislative session began Thursday February 4.

A press release from the Office of the Governor of Minnesota:

ST. PAUL -– Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced a proposal to more than double prison time for sex offenders and a new comprehensive internet education program to help protect children from online predators.

Under the Governor's proposal, an offender convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct would receive a 25-year sentence, more than doubling the current presumptive sentence.

A press release from the office of state Rep. Mark Buesgens

ST. PAUL -– State Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, made a motion today to suspend House rules and immediately pass jobs legislation to thaw the pandemic of uncertainty plaguing job providers throughout Minnesota.

House File 363 would gradually phase-out Minnesota’s corporate income tax, working to attract new businesses and reward existing businesses for staying in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will host an informational open house regarding the proposed I-169/I-494 interchange reconstruction project on Thursday, Feb. 11. The open house is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Braemar Room at Braemar Golf Course, 6364 John Harris Drive, Edina.

A press release from the Minnesota Farm Bureau:

Wright County Farm Bureau commemorated Food Check-Out Week on Wednesday, February 3 at Cub Foods in Buffalo. The event featured a shopping spree by state legislators Sen. Amy Koch, Rep. Bruce Anderson, Rep. Tom Emmer and Rep. Dean Urdahl. They were given just two minutes to fill their grocery cart with non-perishable food that would be donated to local food shelves.

From the "No ... really" files:

I am hardly surprised that Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty recently threatened to veto a bill that would disallow unallotment. Why would he sign such a proposal, when he's probably going to need a bargaining chip in order to get a balanced budget during this session of the Minnesota Legislature?

In the past, when legislators failed to balance the budget, Pawlenty has made budget cuts unilaterally, a move called unallotment. A court case on the issue is pending.

A press release from the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition:

ST. PAUL -- A measure to make roads safer and more accessible for all Minnesotans -– regardless of age or ability or whether traveling by car, bus, bike, or on foot -– was introduced into the Minnesota legislature today.

The Complete Streets bills, Senate File 2461 and House File 2801, are supported by a broad coalition of health, family, environment, senior, and transportation advocates who attended an afternoon press conference.

Hello all. I was talking with a fellow blogger the other day and we were discussing the whole public comment issue. He helped me realize (thank you Twinsfan) that rather than being an infrequent blogger, I need to be MORE active.

Maybe the better plan is to discuss day to day stuff, even some of the mundane and not-so-controversial items. With more threads going during periods where things are not incredibly tense, everyone gets a better feel for what is going on, more bloggers are likely to participate and the effort to diffuse imperfect perceptions isn't the only effort expended.

A press release from the Council on Hemispheric Affairs:

The modest collaboration between the State Department and the Cuban government concerning the use of Cuban airspace and cooperation in providing medical relief to the Haitian people represents an opportunity for transition toward a more positive relationship between Washington and Havana. This cooperation demonstrates common humanitarian values that both nations share. The two governments should use these values and this opportunity to open a space for dialogue.

A press release from the Minnesota AFL-CIO:

ST. PAUL -– Responding to the dramatic need to get Minnesotans back to work, Shar Knutson, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, spoke out today in St. Paul asking elected officials to quickly pass a bonding bill, support private investment in construction jobs, enact a wage subsidy program and raise revenue as part of solving the state’s budget crisis.

Jordan Economic Development Authority Meeting (EDA)

Date: February 17, 2010

Time: 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM

Event Description: Jordan Economic Development Authority. The City of Jordan promotes local economic development via the Jordan Economic Development Authority. Monthly Meeting. Third Tuesday of each month. Jordan Government Center.

Jordan City Council Meeting

Date: February 16, 2010

Time: 06:30 PM - 09:30 PM

Event Description: Jordan City Council Meeting

1st and 3rd Monday each month except Holidays

Jordan City Council Meeting

Date: February 1, 2010

Time: 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM

Event Description: Monthly meeting of the Jordan City Council

The Jordan School Board announced several months ago that they wanted staff and community involvement in the district’s strategic plan. The public will have an opportunity to contribute at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, in the Jordan Middle School cafeteria and at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 6, in the Jordan Elementary School media center.

The Jordan School Board announced several months ago that they wanted staff and community involvement in the district’s strategic plan. The public will have an opportunity to contribute at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, in the Jordan Middle School cafeteria and at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 6, in the Jordan Elementary School media center.

Discussion rages on about how average Joe can make a difference in the small town of Jordan.

Meanwhile, elected officials watch from on high, lump your local newspaper into their complaints about insensitive big media, say they'd like to communicate better, and then fail to communicate using the most advantageous of media available to them -- the local newspaper and its Web site.

It doesn't make sense.

First, let's put credit where it is due:

The Jordan School Board announced several months ago that they wanted staff and community involvement in the district’s strategic plan. The public will have an opportunity to contribute at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, in the Jordan Middle School cafeteria and at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 6, in the Jordan Elementary School media center.

A press release from Minnesota Conservation:

Governor Tim Pawlenty and the Legislature kept faith with voter intent and the state constitution in the first year of conservation funding under the 2008 Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, an independent analysis by Conservation Minnesota reported this month.

While the state faced a monumental overall budget deficit last year, the Legislature and Governor have abided by the constitutional requirement that the Amendment funds not be used as a substitute for existing general funding.

I love this Web site. 

Thank you especially to the commenting public who: regularly raises good questions; answers others' questions; and conducts respect, factual dialogue.

You embody your First Amendment right to the freedom of speech.

Keep up the comments. But I would additionally encourage you to regularly participate in more than just the commenting on my forums. Try some other uses of this Web site:

- Read the stories and blogs. Comment on them.

A press release from the office of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DFL-Minn.:

A press release from U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, DFL-Minn.:

WASHINGTON -– Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) last week introduced bipartisan legislation to address the lack of Recovery Act funding reaching Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools in Minnesota and across the country. The bill, with 16 bipartisan co-sponsors, would allocate a small percentage of the “Race to the Top” funds and the Innovation Fund for Native students at BIE schools.

A press release from the state demographer's office:

On April 1, 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau will count every resident in the United States. Why?

Numbers mean power. The Census count is the basis for determining the number of each state's Congressional representatives. Minnesota currently has eight representatives in the U.S. Congress; however, the state could lose one seat after 2010 because of population changes. Completing and returning the Census questionnaire will help ensure Minnesotans' interests are fully represented in Congress.

A press release from the office of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DFL-Minn.: