LWVPRA members attend new citizens ceremonies in Fergus Falls

LWVPRA members Florence Hedeen and Annamae Holtzworth attended the new citizen ceremonies in Fergus Falls last week.  Fergus Falls does not have local League of Women Voters so members from The League of Women Voters MN came to registers voters.   Following the Ceremony a news reporter with the Fergus Falls paper asked if she could interview the league members.  We gathered for lunch at a local restaurant and Judy Stuthman, who began the LWV Minnesota's efforts to register voters at these Ceremonies 20 years ago, spoke on behalf of our efforts. She reminded people that  anyone age 16 or older, including men, can be a League member.  It was a moving ceremony. 

Below is the link to the Fergus Falls Journal article on the ceremony.
http://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/2017/07/new-u-s-citizens-swore-in-at-july-13-ceremony/

 Magistrate Judge Leo I. Brisbois opens the Ceremony acknowledging the new citizens long road to citizenship and that they may be better educated on what they are becoming a part of than those of us who were born and raised here.

 A new citizen examining her Certificate of Citizenship

20 new citizens declare their Oath of Allegiance

LWV Park Rapids presents: Mental Health Care Delivery in Minnesota: A System in Crisis

An increasingly discussed topic for schools, law enforcement, even in the workplace is our mental health services around the state and in Hubbard County.  Many of the service providers are caught in their own “silos” and people do not know how to navigate between the silos.  How can we bring all the stakeholders together to improve not only people’s lives but our community?  In 2016 The Governor’s Task Force on Mental Health was established to provide the Governor and Legislature with comprehensive recommendations to improve Minnesota’s mental health system. (to read the entire report visit: https://mn.gov/dhs/mental-health-tf/report/)

To find out about the conclusions and recommendations from the Task Force  and their impact on Hubbard County join League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area on May 23, 2017 at Riverside United Methodist Church in Park Rapids.  Sign in and coffee will start at 6 pm with the program starting at 6:30 pm.  

We will hear from Bruce Sutor, MD, is a Consultant and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  He has been Practice Chair for the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo since 2011 and in 2016 was appointed to the Governor’s Task Force For Mental Health.  He spent his summers at the family cabin on Lake Emma. Presently he and his wife Shari now have a vacation home on Big Sand Lake.

After Dr. Sutor’s presentation, we will hear from Danielle (Norby) Lien, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker  with A Better Connection Inc. in Park Rapids. Ms Lien will tell us what is the county’s current situation with mental health systems. She will also outline some of the plans being worked on by the Community Facilitation Task Force to improve the county’s response to mental health issues.

League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area  (LWVPRA), a non-partisan volunteer organization, whose mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government and influence public policy through education and advocacy.  Please direct any questions about LWVPRA activities, events or on how to join LWVPRA ( remember its not for women only) by emailing  lwvparkrapids@lwvmn.org. Follow our activities, events on our website: http://lwvparkrapidsarea.blogspot.com/

Report from 2017 League Convention

League of Women Voters Minnesota held its 2017 Convention on Saturday at Normandale Community College.  The main work of the convention was to elect new officers, directors and pass amendments to the By Laws so that they conform with our new operating systems.  We also ratified the League Program of policies which provides us with a working framework in knowing how to focus our lobbying and education efforts.

Park Rapids sent 3 delegates: Carolynne White, Florence Hedeen and Beth Baker-Knuttlia to represent LWVPRA.


All three of us also attended workshops on Friday afternoon: membership leadership development and a workshop on Action.  On Friday evening we heard a very good presentation by Professor Tim Johnson on the topic of Appointments of US Supreme Court. (about Timothy R Johnson)

We also got to hear Lorna Landvik, author of Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. during the Legacy Luncheon on Friday. Of course the best part of any convention is getting to know other League members and finding out what other Leagues are doing.

We also got to enjoy a walk in the Japanese Garden on the campus grounds. 

Join Us for Our Annual Meeting

Have you ever wondered what League of Women Voters is all about? You're invited to join us Thursday, May 11 at Bella Caffe. 

We will start with our annual business meeting at 4:30 p.m. followed by dinner (on your own) with ample conversation about what League is and future programs. We can answer any questions.



Please explore the tabs of this website and find more about us. 

After dinner we will see a program presented by Mark Bridge called "Papa's Cookies". Mark also known as Cookie, is Escoffier trained, a state  registered Cottage Baker as well as a certified food manager. Mark has extensive experience in the restaurant industry, including Perkins Restaurants and Bakeries. Baking has been a lifelong passion (especially the consuming part). A current project has Mark acting as baker for the National Park Service, Grant - Kohrs Ranch National Historical Site to
contemporize the handwritten recipes of Augusta Kohrs. He even acts as an instructor and provides classes in artisan bread, sourdough and Dutch oven baking. You may have seen him talking about chuck wagon history on the Lakeland Public Television show Common Ground, or performing his solo Victorian music show Historical Notes.  


            RSVP for dinner reservations to Sharon Natzel at
                     sorgwweh@aol.com by May 8, 2017. 

April 11th: Presentation by Gretchen Sabel and Julie Kingsley

Two years ago IL,WI, IA & MN established an Inter League Organization to pursue protecting the Upper Mississippi River Basin on a Regional level. On April 11th, Gretchen Sabel, chair of Upper Mississippi River Region - Inter League Organization updated us on the progress made by this regional group. Then Julie Kingsley of Hubbard County Soil and Water District gave an update on local programs to keep the watershed clean and protected.  Our watershed flows into the Mississippi River.

If you were not able to attend the program, use the links below to watch the presentations and see the power points.  Please share with others who are interested in helping protect our water. 

 Gretchen used the slide below to get us to think of what we can do.  But in Hubbard County we are so "lucky" to have an active Soil and Water District personnel who know the answers to most of these questions. http://www.hubbardswcd.org/portfolio/watersheds/

HUC = Hydrologic Unit Code - it's like the zip code for your watershed.

Gretchen's Power Point from Presentation at LWVPRA 2017

Presentation Part 1: Gretchen Sabel

Presentation Part II: Julie Kingsley, Hubbard County SWCD

Link to Enterprise Article 

Is it “Mission Impossible” to Keep the Mississippi River Clean and Healthy?

Park Rapids residents have a vital interest in the waters that surrounds us and not just for drinking water.  Our economy is built on clear water.  The League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area in its continuing mission to educate the public will present another in its series of water related programs.  On April 11 at 6:30 pm at Northwoods Bank, Gretchen Sabel will talk about the LWV Upper Mississippi River Region's mission and activities.

Gretchen was a long-time but now retired employee of the MN Pollution Control Agency and is now Chair of the LWV UMRR. The organization which includes leagues from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin has one concrete mission: Make the Mississippi River clean and healthy. She will also include information about working to promote Water Action Day which will be held on April 19th at the Minnesota State Capitol.  For background information: http://www.lwvumrr.org/home.html

Julie Kingsley, a long-time lake advocate, and  manager of the Hubbard County Soil and Water Conservation District,. will provide information on what's happening on the ground in Hubbard County. This will include work just being completed by the MN Pollution Control Agency on water quality in the Headwaters region and an update on the Department of Natural Resources recently designated Straight River Groundwater Management Area which is the state’s third groundwater management area.

League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area  (LWVPRA), a non-partisan volunteer organization, whose mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government. We influence public policy through education and advocacy which includes supporting activities to preserve the nation’s natural resources. Programs are always free and open to the public.

If you have any questions about LWVPRA activities, events or on how to join LWVPRA (not for women only), email  lwvparkrapids@lwvmn.org. Follow our activities, events on our website: http://lwvparkrapidsarea.blogspot.com/

Park Rapids Area Reads Together! / Teens Read Together!

 

All area residents are invited to participate. 

The project is a partnership between the Park Rapids Area Library, Nemeth Art Center, The Friends of the Library, and 
the League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area.  

The book we have chosen, A Good Time For the Truth: Race in Minnesota, is a compilation of writing by Minnesota authors.





Contributor, Shannon Gibney, has also authored See No Color, a novel for young adults. See No Color is the book we have chosen for “Teens Read Together!” a common reading experience for area teens. The program will run concurrently with the Park Rapids Area Reads Together program.

Ms. Gibney has agreed to participate in the (A Good Time for the Truth) author forum Saturday, March 25th. The program will be presented at 3 pm at the Northwoods Bank Community room. 

 She will also lead a book discussion centered on her YA novel, See No Color, Sunday, March 26th: 1:30 pm at Park Rapids Area Library.