State

As part of International Charity Fraud Awareness Month, which provides education and resources to the donating public, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson issued tips to help donors identify charities that will efficiently and wisely use contributions.

Seniors on Medicare in Aitkin County were among those who received false letters stating their Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans are no longer available. This has prompted some to be concerned as open enrollment for Medicare is a tight window to find a new plan. While CMS and Blue Cross/Blue Shield has come out and publicly stated that they sent the letters in error, some have not received that news and are still concerned.

Unofficial result as of Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. 

President Trump spoke to a packed arena in Duluth June 19 to support the state’s Republican state and congressional candidates in the 2018 midterm elections. An estimated more than 2,000 supporters were turned away due to fire marshal regulations. A number of supporters from Aitkin County attended.

On April 23, Administrative Law Judge Ann O’Reilly submitted a non-binding recommendation to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to grant Enbridge Energy Limited Partnership the Certificate of Need for the Line 3 project in Minnesota, but only if the commission also selects Route Alternative 7 (in-trench replacement) as the designated route. The PUC is expected to vote on the project this June.

36 Minnesota cities, counties and townships received funding to improve transportation infrastructure on local roads through the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Local Road Improvement Program.

Republicans and Democrats held caucuses Feb. 6 in Minnesota.

On Sept. 21, local charitable gambling organizations gathered at Brainerd Legion Post 255 to discuss issues that have arisen across the state. There were several meetings around the state including Brainerd's, all sponsored by Allied Charities of Minnesota.

In a letter to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Commissioner Michael Rothman on Aug. 24, a request was made to move the proposed $3 billion Line 3 Replacement Project forward with no further delays. It was signed by 35 state legislatures, including District 10B Representative Dale Lueck, covering all of Aitkin County and part of Crow Wing County.

Combining her experience as a nurse and her current position as House Representative for Dist. 64A, Erin Murphy is running for governor of Minnesota in 2018. She stopped by the Aitkin Age office April 28 to talk about local issues and why she’s running to lead the state of Minnesota into the future.

Minnesota’s Severe Weather Awareness Week is April 17-21. There will be two statewide tornado drills on Thursday, April 20 at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. This annual public education event is designed to remind individuals, families, businesses, schools and institutions that it’s essential to plan ahead for Minnesota’s severe spring and summer weather.  

The dangers posed by carbon monoxide poisoning made the news recently when relatives of Jared Johnson talked about his death publicly for the first time. Johnson was ice fishing on Leech Lake when his death occurred. The cause of death was determined to be carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning related to propane heaters that were not properly ventilated.

On a bipartisan vote of 73-54, the Minnesota House approved the 2017 Health Care Emergency Aid and Access bill (Senate File 1) which provides direct premium relief and preserves access to life-saving and end-of-life care. While lawmakers work toward long-term state and federal health insurance reforms, this legislation institutes immediate consumer- driven improvements that stand alone and will not be impacted by those future changes.

The 90th Minnesota Legislature officially convened Jan. 3, as legislators were sworn-in and celebrated the opening of the newly-restored State Capitol. Rep. Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, was elected to continue serving as speaker, a position he was first elected to in 2015. Other formalities included the election of Patrick Murphy as chief clerk.

The application deadline is Friday, Dec. 2 for high school juniors interested in gaining hands-on experience with Minnesota’s state government by serving as a page at the Capitol in St. Paul during the 2017 legislative session.

Aitkin County and Crow Wing County residents who are not registered to vote or have changed residences since the last election are reminded that Tuesday, Oct. 18, is the last day to register in advance for the state general election to be held Nov. 8. You may pre-register by coming to the county auditor’s office in the courthouse in the county where you reside from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Minnesota has now reached 200 road fatalities in 2016, a sad reminder that motorists need to remember what is the most important task when behind the wheel.

The following statement was sent to the Aitkin Independent Age by Shannon Gustafson, Enbridge Media Relations Manager, U.S. Liquids and Pipelines & Projects. The statement is attributed to Lorraine Little, Senior Manager Public Affairs, U.S. Liquids and Projects.

Rep. Sondra Erickson (R) 15A, introduced legislation last week establishing an economic relief package for the Mille Lacs region. The legislation would transfer revenue generated by the in-lieu sales tax on lottery tickets to the general fund to fund an economic relief package for the region.

A follow-up to “Affordable Rent” published by Age back in May

Drivers who repeatedly choose texting over safety while behind the wheel risk a higher fine for violating the law beginning Saturday. Under the enhanced law, drivers face a $225 fine for second and subsequent violations of the texting while driving law, in addition to the current $50 fine.

Legislators served up turkey burgers during an event May 5 on the Capitol lawn in St. Paul. The event was conducted to show support for locally grown turkeys, the state's commitment to food safety and the recovery of the poultry industry amid a widespread avian influenza outbreak.

In an opinion released April 13, Administrative Law Judge Eric Lipman recommended that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, or PUC, approve the “certificate of need” for Enbridge’s Sandpiper pipeline project, a portion of which is to traverse a part of Aitkin County.

Locals take issue with federal judge who placed the Minnesota gray wolf back on the endangered species list