Sandra Masin's Blog

I attended a very interesting meeting today on the food system in Dakota County. It was sponsored by Homegrown South and the Public Health Law Center at William Mitchell College of Law.

Homegrown South is a network that “that seeks to positively impact the local food economy and community health of the Southern Twin Cities metro” area. For information, check out www.homegrownsouth.org.

The presenters from the Law Center went over a study that illustrated local ordinances or regulations that may impact access to healthy, affordable food. The goal of the policy brief is to identify existing local ordinances which may impact the growing, processing, selling and distribution of healthy food. Some of the topics researched include: beekeeping, gardening activities, and grocery store locations. For more information, see www.publichealthlawcenter.org

The goal is to encourage people to become more involved in planning processes and to make sure that planning for zoning, transportation, and other related topics take access to healthy foods into consideration.

Steamfitters Pipefitters Local 455 held an open house at their new Union Hall and Apprentice Training Center in St. Paul today. It is an impressive facility! The red flooring sets the tone as you enter the building. There are sixty individual training booths for welding, numerous classrooms and spaces for other training opportunities.

I had a very knowledgeable member guide me around the new building. This new training center is much bigger than previous centers and has potential for other services as well.

I recently attended an open house held by a new business in Burnsville, 75F.  The company designs systems that enable buildings to have consistent and comfortable environments.

This is an award-winning company that is helping with energy efficiency. The office decor itself is impressive because it uses bold colors and interesting artifacts. I particularly like the title of Bob French, Chief Evangelist.  See www.75f.io for more information.

Looks like this company will be a real asset to our community.

I had a very interesting afternoon at the University of Minnesota learning about their medical training programs. Along with other legislators, I had the opportunity to meet with doctors and students who shared their expertise and experiences. The presentations took place in the Mayo Building where we had overviews of the numerous programs.  We also had some of the med students talked about their backgrounds and the paths they intend to follow.

One of the ways the U is trying to address the needs of rural areas is with the Rural Physician Associate Program.  The mission of the U of M at Duluth is to concentrate on rural, American Indian and primary care areas.

The mission of the Twin Cities program is to serve the state and nation as well as concentrate on primary care, specialties and research.

After the presentations, we were able to tour portions of the hospital -in the white jackets we were given to wear for the occasion.  They do amazing work here!

The University of Minnesota Medical School has an impressive history and we should take great pride in this institution.

This Wednesday, I attended an event that recognized the record set by Representative Lyndon Carlson and Representative Phyllis Kahn. They are now the longest serving members of the House of Representatives.  The duo was elected in 1972.

It truly is a privilege to serve with them. Their knowledge, their caring,  and their mentoring make them extremely valuable assets to the legislature and to Minnesota.

Lots to do this weekend.  The Burnsville Firemuster had the community booths, carnival and the parade. I had fun riding a bike in the parade. I was really impressed with all the parade units from School District 191. There was also a very nice fireworks display on Saturday evening,

The Eagan STREETS ALIVE event took place at the Outlet Mall this year on Saturday afternoon. The City of Eagan departments had booths displaying their activities.  Numerous community organizations churches, and businesses also  had booths and activities. The Eagan Senior Group had set up a table to play Bingo.  I tried that, and had my usual results. However, it was a beautiful afternoon to be out having fun and acquiring some good information.

Spent a good part of  Friday at the State Fair and it was a hot day.  Started by taking the MVTA bus from the Eagan Station to the fairgrounds.  It was standing room only on the  bus, so that should have have given me an idea of the attendance that day.  Later that day, a visitor from a Southern state told me that she had never seen so many people.

I started at the House of Representatives’ Booth in the Education Building.  We had  a number of people stop by to take our poll.  I was impressed by how many said they had tickets for Prairie Home Companion  in the Grandstand that night.

That is where I finished the day.  It was a marvelous show and the place was packed. Garrison stared the evening off by having everyone sing the ” The Star-Spangled Banner.” In addition to some of show’s standard acts, there were  outstanding guest performers that included Jearlyn & Jevetta Steele and a bluegrass group, the Steve Canyon Rangers.  One of the band members said he had an idea for a new group- the Steele Sisters/Canyon Rangers.  During the intermission, Garrison walked through the audience leading them in songs- patriotic, religious and old standards.  What a great way to end the day!

Then hopped onto the MVTA bus for a relaxing ride home.

I attended a program at the University of Minnesota today that presented information on  the abuse of prescription pain killers. One speaker said the problem is epidemic. The event was an extensive collaborative effort that included the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Hazeleden Betty Ford Institute for Recovery Advocacy, the U.S. Department of Justice, and others.

Some startling statistics that were brought out by the Law Enforcement Panel were that 1 in 4 teens uses illicit drugs and that pain pills kill more than heroin and some other drugs. Many of the abusers get the pills from families and friends. The panelists suggested that drug counselors should be in schools. Demand is the problem, thus it is a public health problem.

The Pharmacy and Distribution Panel also said this is a community problem. People need to speak out when they see the abuse happening.

Patrice Salmeri is involved with providing support on college campuses, she said:

Nobody should have to choose between recovery and a college education.

The problem on college campuses had been brought up several times during the day.

Commissioner Jesson closed by saying that there are opportunities to get involved and encouraged everyone to do so.

This program went from 8:00 to 5:00, so I have only given some of the highlights. For additional information, check out painpillproblem.com.

The National Institute for Civil Discourse  was founded after the attempted assassination of  Congresswoman Giffords  and is based at the University of Arizona.  Next Generation is a program under the auspices of NICD that will focus on state legislators and provide them with resources and skills to resolve their differences in a civil manner.  The launch for the Next Generation National Network took place on August 2.

It was a privilege to be part of the group and to work on plans that will help produce an environment that is conducive to good governance.  I am hopeful that this organization will provide the platform to encourage positive behavior  of all elected officials.

In the evening, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly presented the inaugural Gabrielle Giffords Award for Civility in State Governance to Washington State Representatives Hans Zeiger and Sam Hunt.  Representative Hunt was part of the team that met with Minnesota legislators this past January in St. Paul to provide background on the civil discourse program. He mentioned the extreme weather conditions that day during his acceptance speech.

For more information on the National Institute for Civil Discourse and Next Generation, please visit the website: www.nicd.arizona.edu.

July 4th was a perfect day for a parade.  I want to express my appreciation to all who took the time to participate and to observe this holiday.  Crowds were there from the beginning of the parade to the fireworks at the end.  And they were spectacular!

We have a number of photos to show – checks out the special guest hiding under the seats on the vehicle – towards the end… A stowaway???