Government

The Northfield Public Library is hosting a series of planning meeting at St. John's Lutheran Church Tuesday, May 13, May 27 and June 10, from 7-9 p.m. to answer an important question: Can the public library be expanded on its present site to serve the community for the next 20 years?

Topics for the three meetings are:

• Tuesday, May 13: Dreams and visions for the library and community.
• Tuesday, May 27: Ideas for ways to expand the library on its current location.
• Tuesday, June 10: Concepts and options.

The Northfield Public Library is hosting a series of planning meeting at St. John's Lutheran Church Tuesday, May 13, May 27 and June 10, from 7-9 p.m. to answer an important question: Can the public library be expanded on its present site to serve the community for the next 20 years?

Topics for the three meetings are:

• Tuesday, May 13: Dreams and visions for the library and community.
• Tuesday, May 27: Ideas for ways to expand the library on its current location.
• Tuesday, June 10: Concepts and options.

Margit Johnson, chair of the Library Board, sent us word about a series of upcoming planning meetings. I grabbed the information below from a post on the new Library Planning web site at http://nplfuture.blogspot.com/.

Help answer the question: Can a 21st Century Library fit into a 19th and 20th century neighborhood?

You’re invited to a series of informational and brainstorming events to explore the challenges and possibilities for an expansion of the Northfield Public Library at its current location (Third and Washington Sts.)

Here is your chance to share your thoughts, dream big and envision the future of the library building!

The Northfield Public Library is hosting a series of planning meeting at St. John's Lutheran Church Tuesday, May 13, May 27 and June 10, from 7-9 p.m. to answer an important question: Can the public library be expanded on its present site to serve the community for the next 20 years?

Topics for the three meetings are:

• Tuesday, May 13: Dreams and visions for the library and community.
• Tuesday, May 27: Ideas for ways to expand the library on its current location.
• Tuesday, June 10: Concepts and options.

Two official Sesquicentennial banners are on tour, making stops at libraries across the state. One of the banners will be in Northfield this Thursday and Friday, May 8-9.

The banner will be presented to Northfield officials by the James Gang. Each banner is accompanied by a leather-bound journal in which visitors can write thoughts about Minnesota and the Sesquicentennial. People are invited to sign the journal at Bridge Square on Thursday, May 8th at 6pm, following a ceremonial presentation. The banner and the journal will be at the Northfield Public Library all day Friday from 9:30am – 5:30pm.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will visit St. Olaf College on Saturday, May 3, to participate in a discussion with faculty and students on climate change initiatives in Congress and on the nation's campuses. A panel of faculty members and students will share information on research and grassroots educational activities taking place at St. Olaf.

The forum will be held from 1-2 p.m. in Christiansen Hall of Music, Urness Recital Hall. It is free and open to the public.

Read more at stolaf.edu ...

Veteran political strategist and Democratic super delegate Donna Brazile will speak at St. Olaf Tuesday, April 29, at 7 p.m. in the Lion's Pause student club on the lower level of Buntrock Commons. The event is free and open to the public. The St. Olaf Political Awareness Committee is sponsoring the event.

Appointed as a Democratic super delegate in 1998 by Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Dick Gephardt, Brazile is one of the 796 super delegates to this year's Democratic National Convention. During her lecture she will talk about her political experiences and the role of super delegates in the nomination process.

Read more at stolaf.edu ...

It another week in Northfield, here in the early parts of April. The sun is shining, grass is growing, kids are outside plaSorry, I thought I could cut and paste from last year. The weather has varied from lousy to horrible this week, with rain, freezing rain, slush, and snow falling from the sky. Someone told me that they saw the sun earlier this week, but I'm not sure I believe them. We may go straight from winter to June's summer this year, I think.

Enough with this moaning and groaning, on with TWINB!...

As part of his tour through the Midwest, Norwegian Ambassador to the United States Wegger Strommen will visit St. Olaf College April 15-16.

He will deliver a lecture titled "Norway and the United States in the Next Century: Working Together in our Changing World" on Tuesday, April 15, from 8-9 p.m. in the Valhalla Room of the Kings' Dining Room in Buntrock Commons, with a reception to follow. In addition, a coffee reception will be held in his honor on Wednesday, April 16, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in the Heritage Room of Buntrock Commons. Both events are free and open to the public.

Read the rest of the story at stolaf.edu.

A small, but vocal group participated in the next step of the Northfield Public Library 's long range planning process on Tuesday evening, April 8.

"We want your response to the mission statement and goals," Bruce Colwell, Chair of the committee guiding the planning process told the group, some of whom had participated in previous sessions. "We want to be sure we've heard you."

The planning group has met since November, serving to provide feedback on draft materials. At previous meetings, community needs for the library were identified, and prioritized. This was the first time involving the general public.

The public is invited to attend a meeting regarding the Northfield Public Library’s new long-range plan. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 8, at 7:00 p.m. in the library’s meeting room.

The Library Board is seeking feedback on the new mission and values statement and new goals for the 2008-2013 operational plan. “We started our planning process by identifying community needs and looking for ways that the library could help address those needs,” said Bruce Colwell, chair of the long-range planning committee. “We had great discussion and input as we developed new goals. Now we’re looking for broader community response.”

You are invited to a public reception with Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter.

Tuesday, April 8

Noon – 1 pm

Carleton College

Severance Great Hall

Ron Tschetter served in the Peace Corps with his wife in India. He has visited many of the countries where Peace Corps volunteers are currently serving. For more information on the Peace Corps, go to www.peacecorps.gov.

The HRA is hosting the second of three Community Input Meetings on Thursday, April 3 from 6-8pm in Council Chambers, City Hall. Andy Masterpole of Yaggy-Colby will be on hand to present three vastly different concept plans of how the Southbridge development could potentially be laid out. He will then guide the community through an excercise in which they will have the opportunity to identify likes and dislikes of the concept drawings. The community is encouraged to attend and put their mark on this new development.

April 1, 2008 - A spokesperson for the RIAA announced today that a lawsuit was filed on March 31, 2008 against the State of Minnesota, and that a suit against the US Federal Government will follow. The RIAA is an organization which has gained notoriety in recent years for obtaining money that doesn't belong to them. Their financial model consists of suing individuals who have obtained music that doesn't belong to them. The RIAA spokesperson, Mewzic B. Gawn, stated in her announcement, "Minnesota cannot legally display an original copy of the Declaration of Independence at the State Capitol, nor any other facility, at any time. The Declaration's copyright has expired, and it has since been recorded as an audiobook by my client, and it is he who holds the copyright to said audiobook."

U of MN pitcher has good outing; Thursday's Table gets Strib profile; Dan Patch Line downgraded to 'iffy'; Rice County home sale price down 30% YoY

Luke Rasmussen had a good outing with the Gophers yesterday, helping them beat NDSU...

The Minnesota baseball team (6-7) had a season-high 17 runs as it defeated North Dakota State (3-7) 17-8 in a midweek game on Tuesday, Mar. 18 at the Metrodome. With the 17-run output, the Golden Gophers have now scored 28 runs in their last two games.