Dear Neighbor,
First off, congratulations to the Melrose Dutchmen boys basketball team for winning the state Class AA championship! This was Melrose's third state championship in boys hoops and I stopped by the school Monday morning (March 16) to partake in a celebration for the team. It was a great sight to see with all the excitement among students.
Hats off to the Albany Huskies boys as well for making it to state where they gave eventual Class AAA champion Minneapolis DeLaSalle all it could handle before falling in the opening round of state basketball tournament action.
Good luck to the Sauk Centre girls basketball team as it takes on Minnehaha Academy in the state girls basketball tournament 6 p.m. today (March 20) at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
It has been a very busy week at the Capitol, including the Agriculture Policy Committee, where we wrapped up our omnibus bill Wednesday night (March 18). One piece I am especially proud to have included is legislation I carried to limit the liability for people who have ag-related events on their property. This proposal has been around for years and it is good to see it remain alive in the process.
I have written a number of times recently about Gov. Mark Dayton's proposal to mandate 50-foot buffer zones around Minnesota waterways. There is nothing new to report this week and I am starting to wonder if it will stall this year. Today (March 20) is the day for policy-related bills to clear preliminary committee hurdles and it does not appear this proposal will meet that standard.
The 50-foot proposal is one I oppose, but it is good to discuss it. I provided more of my thoughts on buffer zones in a column I submitted to District 12B newspapers this week. Click here for the full text.
We can talk about these issues and much more during a series of town hall meetings I will be co-hosting with Sen. Torrey Westrom on Saturday, March 28. The public is welcome to attend and provide Sen. Westrom and me with their input as the biggest decisions of this legislative session await.
Here is the town hall itinerary (each meeting is scheduled to last 45 minutes):
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9:30 a.m.: Belgrade Retirement Home (417 Washburn Ave.)
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11:15 a.m.: Sauk Centre Golf Course Lynx (40204 Primrose Lane)
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1:30 p.m.: Melrose City Center (41248 County Rd. 13)
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3:15 p.m.: Albany (City Hall, 400 Railroad Ave.)
Hope to see you at the town halls and, as always, stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Paul