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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
GUEST COLUMN
NEW VETERANS CLINIC IN ALEXANDRIA
By State Rep. Paul Anderson
A new Veterans’ Administration clinic in Alexandria held an open house Oct. 5. The facility, which has been in operation for a couple of weeks, will serve as a satellite location for the St. Cloud Vets’ Hospital, the main VA medical center in this area.
It’s estimated the new Alex clinic will serve upwards of 3,500 veterans. With most medical records being recorded electronically, they can be easily transferred from one VA facility to another. Clinics in Brainerd and Montevideo also provide primary care for vets in the central part of Minnesota and are part of the VA operation in St. Cloud. According to an official who spoke at the open house in Alex, the goal of the Veterans Administration is to have medical facilities within an hour’s drive time for all veterans.
Despite chilly temperatures, the program at the Alexandria open house was impressive. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Congressman Collin Peterson were both present and addressed the crowd. I was proud to be there with my father-in-law, Jim Sumption, a Purple Heart recipient and veteran of World War II.
Afterward, while on a tour of the new facility, I asked Cynthia Breyfogle, who serves as the Deputy Network Director for the Midwest VA Health Care Network, how the state could compliment work done at the federal level for our veterans. She replied, “Advertise and help us get the word out to veterans so they know about the benefits available to them.”
Following a summer where rainfall, at least in some parts of the area, was hard to come by, we are certainly in the midst of a wet spell. The precipitation will replenish soil reserves, but its timing could have been better. Many soybeans remain in the field awaiting the combine, and some corn chopping is left, also. Sugar beets will now be difficult and messy to get out of the field. And nearly the entire corn harvest is ahead of us, as well. As this is written, rain is still falling, and several days of sunshine and wind are needed to dry things out again. The weather forecast even mentioned the possibility of snow, certainly not good news at this time of year.
While attending a church breakfast in Melrose recently, I heard about a grape-harvesting get-together between New Munich and Meire Grove. And with Saturday, Oct.3, being too wet for combining, my wife and I took part in the day’s activities at the Black Oak Vineyard. Owners Chris and Terri Ellering were gracious hosts as the 30 or so workers picked Frontenac grapes off the vines of the neatly-arranged rows. We snipped the grapes with sharp little scissors and deposited them in five-gallon pails, which were picked up as they were filled and shuttled off to a waiting semi trailer.
By the time we had finished, the trailer was nearly full. According to Terri, the grapes were to be taken to the Carlos Creek Winery near Alexandria and would be crushed yet that evening as the wine-making process began.
It was a fun day and also interesting to learn about growing grapes in our northern climate. It’s a great example of how we can diversify the agricultural crops grown in central Minnesota. By the way, the noon lunch served by the Ellering family was also great.
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Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his new office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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