Podcasts about greater minnesota

Greater Minnesota is about to be under a heat warning this weekend with temperatures in the mid 90s and the heat index in the 100s - so we discuss our ways in which we are beating the heat and how much do we miss winter in Minnesota?

Vice President Kamala Harris said her heart is "full of resolve" after losing the presidential election to former President Donald Trump."My heart is full today -- full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve," Harris said Wednesday at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington, D.C."The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But ... the light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up," Harris said.#kamalaharris #politics #news #fypage #fyp #election2024 #election FOX 9 is your source for breaking news, live events, investigations, politics, entertainment, business news and local stories from Minneapolis-St. Paul, the greater Twin Cities metro, Greater Minnesota, western Wisconsin and across the nation. FOX 9 is the Official Home of the Minnesota Vikings and proud partner of University of Minnesota Golden Gophers AthleticsMedia Stakeout by Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, accompanied by guest Mia Schem, on the situation in the Middle East ahead of the informal meeting of the General Assembly.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support.

Our guest today is Kennedy Niska, Managing Director of the Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota, and Youth Chorale Conductor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our guest today is Kennedy Niska, Managing Director of the Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota, and Youth Chorale Conductor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Together in Solidarity: How CCHD helps fund the work of Fei y Justicia and the Greater Minnesota Worker Center.”

A statement issued by Rice County this week said the Small Business Administration has two separate programs that are making low-interest, disaster relief loans to several types of businesses and organizations in the wake of the flooding last month throughout Rice County, and Greater Minnesota.  President Biden's Declaration of a Major Disaster on July 11th […]

Analysis from Blois Olson on The WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar.

Analysis from Blois Olson on The WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar.

That's the question Madison McVan from the Minnesota Reformer set out to answer. She joined Jason with the details of her reporting, and as you might expect - it's complicated.

Renee Mattson of Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission on: Mountain Bike Trail Development Guidelines for Successfully Managing the Process – Part 3 #150 Topics Covered in this show: What the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission is How and Why the State of Minnesota decided to fund Trails and more How the Mountain Bike Trail Development Guidelines for Successfully Managing the Process came to be How communities in MN can qualify and apply for these trail grants Other projects that this fund grants money towards What Renee looks for in Trail Communities Closing Comments Trail EAffect Show Links: Greater MN Regional Parks and Trails Commission: https://www.gmrptcommission.org/ Mountain Bike Trail Development Guidelines for Successfully Managing the Process: https://www.gmrptcommission.org/news/gmrptc-and-partners-create-new-guide-for-mountain-bike-trails Rock Solid Trail Contracting: www.rocksolidtrails.com IMBA: https://www.imba.com/   Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/   KETL Mtn Apparel Discount Code (20% off) for the month of October: trail20-oct Trail One Components Discount Code (20%): TrailPod Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services  

Walker Orenstein reports on the state Legislature for MinnPost, with a particular focus on covering issues affecting Greater Minnesota. He can be reached at worenstein@minnpost.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at @walkerorenstein.

Walker Orenstein reports on the state Legislature for MinnPost, with a particular focus on covering issues affecting Greater Minnesota. He can be reached at worenstein@minnpost.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at @walkerorenstein.

Walker Orenstein reports on the state Legislature for MinnPost, with a particular focus on covering issues affecting Greater Minnesota. He can be reached at worenstein@minnpost.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at @walkerorenstein.

Walker Orenstein reports on the state Legislature for MinnPost, with a particular focus on covering issues affecting Greater Minnesota. He can be reached at worenstein@minnpost.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at @walkerorenstein.

In this episode, Tim Nichols, founder and CEO of Lifestyle Communities, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. As a lender, developer or master developer, Nichols has worked on more than $2 billion worth of projects in the Twin Cities, Greater Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Chad visited Zorbaz in Brainerd last night. He asks if any greater Minnesota restaurant/bar is more well-known? We receive many nominations and some are close, but many are not. Zorbaz rules lake country!

Children and teenagers who have a parent in jail may be more likely to have poor mental health, substance abuse issues and poor academics.  Having a parent incarcerated is the second most common adversity for Minnesota youth, behind living with someone who has a mental illness. That's according to the Minnesota Student Survey. It's an anonymous, statewide survey that happens every three years. It's been going on since 1989 and current findings show that one in five teenagers in Greater Minnesota reported having at least one parent or guardian who is in jail or prison currently or in the past. Join MPR News guest host Catharine Richert as she examines efforts in our state aimed at improving the mental health of kids of incarcerated parents, including a pilot program where parents can have video visits with their families. The state also offers parenting education programs inside and outside of jail.  Related reading 'It's a blessing' For jailed Minnesota parents, in-person visits with children are rare May At Shakopee prison, women grieve lost children, work toward redemption Guests:  Dawn Beck is a public health leader with more than 20 years working in local government. She was six years old when her father was arrested and incarcerated in Minnesota. She has advocated for the voices of children and families impacted by incarceration. Rebecca Shlafer is an associate professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota. She has a Ph.D. in child psychology and a master's of public health in maternal and child health. Much of her research is about the developmental outcomes of children with parents in prison. Jason Schneider is a behavior interventionist and special education teacher with Rochester Public Schools. He helped organize a pilot program called Joining Forces at John Marshall High School for students with at least one incarcerated guardian.

Hosts Nathan Leaf and Rich Larson talk with Judge John Stanoch about the efforts to bring a World Expo -  commonly known as the World's Fair - to Minnesota, the cost benefits for the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota, and the scope of an event like this.

Conservation Minnesota is a statewide organization with the goal of solving environmental problems throughout the state. Its footprint distinguishes the organization from other environmental groups, Brown stated, particularly because of its outreach in Greater Minnesota.

In this episode, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund president and CEO Warren Hanson talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Hanson discusses the mission of the organization and the ongoing challenge of creating affordable homes at a time when housing costs are rising and wages aren't keeping up with inflation.

This episode features four professionals working together to address homelessness in Northwestern, Minnesota. Brandi Wilkie is the Rental Assistance Specialist for Clay County HRA Amy Riccio is the Transitional Student Support and Homeless Liasion for Moorhead School District Sierra Neeland-Martinez is the Youth Self-Sufficiency Advocate for Lakes and Prairies Community Action Chandra Calixte is the Family Case Manager for Churches United Micah's Mission Take a listen to this two-part episode where the group of professionals is in conversation about challenges and opportunities to address homelessness within their respective roles.

This episode features four professionals working together to address homelessness in Northwestern, Minnesota. Brandi Wilkie is the Rental Assistance Specialist for Clay County HRA Amy Riccio is the Transitional Student Support and Homeless Liasion for Moorhead School District Sierra Neeland-Martinez is the Youth Self-Sufficiency Advocate for Lakes and Prairies Community Action Chandra Calixte is the Family Case Manager for Churches United Micah's Mission Take a listen to this two-part episode where the group of professionals is in conversation about challenges and opportunities to address homelessness within their respective roles.

On this episode, Marnie Werner, Vice President of Research & Operations, interviews colleague Kelly Asche about this years State of Rural report. Every year the Center for Rural Policy and Development publishes the State of Rural - a report outlining the various economic and demographic trends taking place in rural Minnesota. Most years it's a simple update since trends tend to shift and move slowly over the course of a decade. Unless, that is, a significant event takes place which disrupts the trends. And that's exactly the era we are living - both the pandemic and the predicted demographic shifts have hit home and are disrupting the trend lines. Instead of small adjustments and tweaks to the language, this years State of Rural report needed some significant reworking to represent the major shifts that are occurring. In particular, the in-migration of people to our rural counties across Minnesota and the out-migration away from the seven-county metro.

BRIANA MUMME-Economic Development Coordinator for Redwood County, and she talked with Vineeta today about why todays Broadband Grants are sooooo needed in Greater Minnesota. 

BRIANA MUMME-Economic Development Coordinator for Redwood County, and she talked with Vineeta today about why todays Broadband Grants are sooooo needed in Greater Minnesota. 

Starting with the 2020 Decennial Census, the U.S. Census Bureau is implementing a new framework to ensure privacy of the census takers - essentially, making sure that a nefarious actor can't identify an individual from published census tables. Although the U.S. Census Bureau has been employing various strategies for decades, this new framework is very different. And although the intent of this framework has good intentions, the tradeoff between privacy protection and data accuracy will mean rural areas will have less than accurate data.  On this episode, Kelly Asche - Senior Research Associate, interviews David Van Riper from the Minnesota Population Center who has been one of the leading researchers exploring this tradeoff between privacy and accuracy, and what it might mean for rural data.

In this episode, Marnie Werner, VP of Research and Operations, interviews Amy Baldwin who works as the Community Development Director for Otter Tail County. Probably one of the top three issues facing most rural community and economic developers is solving the housing shortage. In this conversation, Marnie and Amy talk about Otter Tail's new initiative called "The Big Build" - an intentional effort around housing growth and investment within the county. 

In September, the Center for Rural Policy and Development released the results of an environmental scan of child care initiatives taking place across rural Minnesota. In this episode, Vice President of Research, Marnie Werner, interviews Don Hickman, the Vice President for Community and Workforce Development at the Initiative Foundation in Little Falls, MN. As an organization that partners with and supports communities in 14 counties across north central Minnesota, Initiative Foundation has been on the forefront of organizing and supporting initiatives to expand child care capacity in the region. 

Star Tribune food writer Joy Summers joins Chad to discuss the work she and her colleagues did putting together the list of the Iconic Eats of Greater Minnesota.

Sandy Hennum has been the executive director for Village of Hope, a homeless shelter focused on serving families, for the past 12 years with plans to retire at the end of this year. Hennum's life has been focused on community service, and this is her first political campaign. Hennum, the only woman who filed for a seat on the Beltrami County Board, says the foundation of a community is based on housing, child care and adequate mental health services, and would like to do her part to bring more resources to Greater Minnesota.

Many downtowns are a lot quieter than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. With more people working from home, businesses that depended on a downtown workforce struggled and some closed for good. Habits also have changed over the last couple years and some people are now less likely to head downtown to shop or find entertainment. Town centers are always reinventing themselves, but the waves of recent change pose new challenges for traditional downtowns. MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talked about how cities in Greater Minnesota are trying to reimagine their downtowns and create that vibrant mix of shops, restaurants, public spaces, businesses and — most importantly — people. Guests: Wafa Elkhalifa is the equitable development coordinator at Destination Medical Center, a public-private economic initiative in Rochester focused on the downtown area. Kristi Stokes is the president of Downtown Duluth. Donella Westphal is the owner of Jules Bistro in downtown St. Cloud. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Violent crime is on the rise in Minnesota, including a 16 percent increase over last year in Greater Minnesota; the annual "Fill the Boot" drive is tomorrow at Bemidji Brewing; a Nevis 11-year-old is leading an effort to bring a skate park to his hometown; the band Augmeanted will perform in the Historic Carnegie Library tonight as part of a Headwaters Music and Arts fundraising concert series; and Minnesota's unemployment rate for July held steady at the record-low 1.8 percent.

This week on the Center of Everywhere hear researchers Phil Jensen and Kelly Asche discuss the topic of Phil's newest report, "Why Grandma May Stay at Home: Property taxes and home ownership in rural Minnesota." Attracting workers to more rural parts of the state is a complex problem, but housing plays a major role. Encouraging workers to relocate to Greater Minnesota depends on the availability of housing. That availability is a product of turnover, or “churn,” where residents transition through different types of housing at different points in their lives. The rate of housing churn can be different in rural communities than in metropolitan areas. Previous work from CRPD has shown that rural housing stock is more likely to be occupied by older residents who are less likely to move. The result is slower churn, which leaves fewer single-family homes for new workers and their families. Here we identify factors that may contribute to rural areas' slower housing churn. These factors vary significantly across the rural-urban spectrum in Minnesota and may influence residents' economic incentives regarding housing:  Property taxes Non-tax ownership costs Higher rates of outright home ownership

On this episode, Julie Tesch is joined by Reed Anfinson - owner and publisher of three rural newspapers in Minnesota - the Swift County Monitor News in Benson, the Stevens County Times in Morris, and the Grant County Herald in Elbow Lake. Also joining the conversation is Lisa Hills, the Executive Director of the MN Newspaper Association which is a voluntary trade association of weekly and daily newspapers in Minnesota. Their conversation touches on the importance of the community newspaper for a functioning democracy, how the concentration of businesses in larger economic centers has hurt the local newspaper business model, and the future of community newspapers.

Now that we are beginning to exit the pandemic (hopefully), the data from the previous year and a half are being released. In this episode, Marnie Werner and Kelly Asche discuss what they've been seeing in the data. And although the illness and deaths associated with COVID-19 hit hard in our rural areas, some of the data related to jobs, wages, local economies and child care provide a lot of reasons for optimism. Through it all, our leaders and our state as a whole have done quite well.

On this episode, Marnie Werner and Kelly Asche speak with the Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower. The conversation covers how the process of drawing new district and approval differ on paper vs. the reality, how much of rural Minnesota isn't growing in population, but isn't really declining either, and ideas on how rural areas might have access to more accurate data if the Census surveys turn out below standards.

On this episode, Marnie Werner discusses her newest research report coming out in February on the rising values of agriculture lands and the rising property taxes associated with these values. We discuss the disconnect between the value of ag land and farm profitability, the increasing role investors and non-farmers are having on the issue, and whether we should be worried about rural counties who have a disproportionate amount of their revenue coming from these lands.

In this episode, CRDP researcher Whitney Oachs discusses her new research examining the issues, barriers and opportunities facing rural energy providers in shifting their infrastructure to renewable sources. She is joined by Tim Velde, who sits on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light & Power Association as well as on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Rural Electric Association. She is also joined by Jennifer Cady who is the Manager of Regulatory Strategy & Policy for Minnesota Power.

Cultivate MN is a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to promoting awareness within early childhood programs, family services organizations, and child welfare programs. We believe sharing stories promotes awareness and cultivates connection.Episode 13 Podcast Guest: Jeff Brand, Former MN State Representative 2019-2020 (running to be MN's State Representative in 2022)I'm a fifth generation Minnesotan that grew up on a dairy in a township near Howard Lake, MN. Now Genevieve and I are small business owners specializing in native landscaping, garden design and ecological services. I've been active in the community as a Saint Peter City Council member from 2012-2019, member of the Region 9 commission, and as a board member for the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities.I was elected State Representative in 2018. I relying upon my abilities and reputation as an elected official to bring citizens and officials together in order to build on the concept of a stronger community. As an advocate for Greater Minnesota, I've already proven to be a representative that provided for constituents. Podcast edited by: Jordyn Erickson  |  Meraki Marketingwww.nulifestyleco.com/meraki-marketing

www.commsolutionsmn.com- The Metropolitan Council keeps pushing metro cities around, incorrectly projecting growth and trying to make cities build high density housing and transit systems in the middle of a changing model. The Thrive MSP 2040 plan not only forced metro cities into unwanted development, but it also contributed to changes in Greater Minnesota, as the Minnesota Association of Development Organizations (MADO) took many of these ideas for their Develop MN Plan, help cities and towns in writing comprehensive plans, and rolling these ideals down to their ten Regional Planning Organizations. Well, it's time to begin planning for 2050! The Met Council believes that the Metro area will grow to 4 million people by 2050! Who do they source for all of this growth? Themselves, of course! Keep in mind that they are never, ever right. They also say that the white population will level off and decline. They are proposing that the majority of growth with be with the minority populations due to migration. They are projecting huge job growth, despite there already being 11 million unfilled jobs in the U.S.A. They will try to push more high density housing in order to make room for all of the migration that they are projecting. They want to run transit through all of the areas that haven't seen any growth because they are already fully developed. How do we stop this from destroying Minnesota's cities? We also discuss the failing economy under a failing president. Inflation and a suffering supply chain are teetering on the brink. Interest rate increases are being discussed alongside tapering the purchase of our Treasury Bonds. Combustion engines are going away, and we don't even have a good alternative yet. Everyone had better take cover! Of course we have to update you on the lingering mystery that is the Robbinsdale Public Schools School Board appointment. What happens when they get to pick one of their own? This may have been one of the least transparent processes we've seen, but we've got a name... and a completely expected agenda. Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We've launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy! Don't forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

Greater Minnesota hospitals are struggling to keep up with demand amid the latest COVID-19 surge. The number of active COVID cases in the state continues to rise, and now tops 25,000 for the first time since last December.  This is an MPR News evening update for Oct. 8, 2021. Hosted by Nina Moini. Our theme music is by Gary Meister. 

Most COVID hospitalizations are now in greater Minnesota for the first time ever and St. Paul is about to put in place some of the toughest tobacco regulation in the country. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

Since the pandemic began and coincided with a racial reckoning, there's a quote from Mr. Rogers that has been making the rounds on social media: “Look for the helpers, there will always be helpers. … Because if you look for the helpers, you'll know there is hope.” Helpers come in many shapes and sizes, as does hope. One kind of helper that has gotten a lot of attention recently is the philanthropic helper. What is philanthropy? How is it different than charity, and what can it do for us during these difficult times? Courtesy of Tonya Allen Tonya Allen, the new president of The McKnight Foundation.  Tonya Allen took over as president of the McKnight Foundation in March. She's still new to Minnesota, but she's not new to the role of philanthropic leader. She joined host Angela Davis to talk about the role of philanthropy in turbulent times. For those looking for grant-making resources, here are a few places to start: The Minnesota Initiative Foundations work with partners in Greater Minnesota. The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits has a fundraising and grant-making resource page. Foundation Directory Online helps nonprofits find the foundations most likely to fund their projects. There's also a free version, Quick Start. Guest: Tonya Allen is the new president of the McKnight Foundation which is based in Minnesota. Editor's note (Sept. 15, 2021): MPR News is among the Minnesota organizations that has received McKnight Foundation grant money. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Olivia, Minnesota attracted attention last week when a police officer shot and killed Ricardo Torres Jr. Torres' friends and relatives say the officer has repeatedly harassed their community. According to the Minnesota chapter of the ACLU, it's not an isolated incident.--Feven Gerezgiher reports:Olivia, Minnesota attracted attention last week when a police officer shot and killed Ricardo Torres Jr. Torres' friends and relatives say the officer has repeatedly harassed their community. ACLU-MN's Julio Zelaya says Torres' case is an example of policing issues in Greater Minnesota, and that “this is not an isolated incident that just happens in the Twin Cities.”In 2019, Worthington police officers beat Kelvin Rodriguez during an arrest, rupturing two organs and breaking his ribs. Rodriguez was not convicted of any crime.As part of a legal settlement last fall, the Worthington police department agreed to reforms, including implicit bias awareness training. According to Worthington Police Chief Troy Appel, his department “agreed and adapted to each of the terms of the Rodriguez settlement.”But local organizers like Cheniqua Johnson say the process of holding police accountable has been “frustrating and disheartening.”“Following the Solidarity march in June 2020, no action by the city, city electeds, police Department, or Sheriff's office has been made to even remotely entertain a conversation surrounding police accountability,” Johnson said.Zelaya is a coordinator with the Greater Minnesota Racial Justice Project at the ACLU, which led the Worthington lawsuit. He said rural areas have less legal infrastructure and public advocacy to help protect civil liberties.“We see small towns, small counties that will say we don't have the money for body cameras or won't want to invest in those kind of accountability measures,” said Zelaya.The ACLU previously won a lawsuit against Worthington for illegal detention of immigrants for ICE. Zelaya said changing demographics in the region have helped drive conversations.“Rural Minnesota is becoming more brown. And that means that the policies and the way that we conduct governance is really being challenged,” he explained. “Places that were primarily white are now having to essentially deal with and work through social, political issues of multiculturalism... issues that they haven't had to before.”Zelaya said without state and federal legislation to lead the way, it's up to people in small towns like Worthington to drive changes around policing for themselves.

Guests today were from the Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota, Anne McMahon and Sarah Aamot.

On this episode, Kelly Asche got an opportunity to chat with the Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower where we discussed our surprise that Minnesota kept all eight of it’s congressional districts, how our high self-reporting rate likely helps the accuracy of our data, and our concerns of the U.S. Census Bureau’s plan to add noise to the data. Note: At about the 3:55 mark, Susan said “if Minnesota had counted 29 fewer people, we also would have lost that seat.” Susan let us know the actual number is 26. The post Ep. 22: State Demographer Susan Brower and the release of the Census first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

Back in January, President and CEO of the Center for Rural Policy and Development, Julie Tesch, had a conversation with Scott McMahon, the Executive Director of the Greater MN Partnership on the upcoming legislative session. In this episode, Julie brought Scott back on for a mid-legislative session review. So far, this session has lived up to it’s unorthodox hype. From a state budget forecast projecting a deficit to now a billion dollar surplus, the interesting legislative interactions due to Zoom meetings, and rural speakers testifying on the need for broadband literally dropping out in the middle of their testimony due ... The post Ep. 21: Mid-legislative session review with Scott McMahon first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

Listen to a real conversation with co-hosts Carl Newbanks and Marie Ruzek about diversity, equity and inclusion, specifically in Greater Minnesota. Liz Cheney, Director of Philanthropy from Southwest Initiative Foundation, located in Hutchinson, MN, shares a recent experience leaning into an equity conversation with a donor. These conversations are imperative to our organizations' missions, for our neighbors, each other and a more just world where each person feels a sense of belonging. They will be uplifting, bumpy, draining, and are not optional. If this was useful, please share it with your network. Additional resources: To increase your own understanding and competency: Bridging_Differences_Playbook-Final.pdf (berkeley.edu) For taking action on board diversity: 5-Questions-for-board-diversity-2.pdf (boardsource.org)

www.commsolutionsmn.com- We've doled out $5 trillion over the last three relief bills. $5 billion will make its way to Minnesota governments. St Cloud is getting almost $16 million. Over $1 billion is going to Minnesota's 87 counties. $595 million is earmarked for just metro cities. $420 million is to be divided between Greater MN cities and townships. $420 million has been set aside for state capital projects. $245 million is going directly to Hennepin County. $281 million is going to Minneapolis over and above the amount going to Hennepin County... and we're just getting started. This money seems to be able to go to just about anything, except for reducing taxes, that is. There is so much money being thrown at each of the 50 states. Where are we coming up with this? We're printing all of it! While we have almost no idea how this money will be spent, we have an idea of who is getting what. Businesses, farmers, and minorities are getting a chunk of this money (outside of the $1,400 stimulus checks). Farmers are getting debt relief... but only minority farmers. Will there be any kind of accountability or will it be hidden in cryptic entries on some balance sheet? It is time to make sure that we keep an eye on what they do before it's come and spent. Walzy has been doing a bang up job with the whole COVID thing, at least if we listen to Minnesota media. Yet, things seem to be in shambles across the state. Dr. Scott Jensen is the first Republican to jump into the race for the Republicans, and he has been lambasted for his stance on masks, among other things. Once again, the media is carrying the Governor's water and running cover for him. Surprise, surprise, surprise... Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy! Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

This episode is a discussion with Marnie Werner who just published a new research report looking into rural child care. In this interview we speak about the current lack of availability of child care slots , the challenges center based care face in rural Minnesota, and some of the community-level solutions that has Marnie excited. Quick note: At around the 20:00-minute mark, Marnie misspoke and said we lost “5,000” family child care spaces in 2020. The number is actually 4,000. The post Ep. 20: Research discussion on child care research with Marnie Werner first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks to Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove and the president and CEO of the Blandin Foundation about how the pandemic underscored the need for better broadband. 

Child care providers have been closing in rural Minnesota faster than they can be replaced. Host Angela Davis talks with the author of a new report and the owner of a child care center about how this hurts working families and rural economies. 

On this week’s episode, Julie talks with Rhonda Otteson, Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, about homelessness in rural Minnesota. It’s easy to overlook since homelessness doesn’t always look the way we think it should. Rhonda and Julie discuss the many hidden factors that put people at risk for homelessness, why the housing situation in Greater Minnesota is at a critical point, and what we can do to help. The post Ep. 19: Homelessness in rural MN, with Rhonda Otteson first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

In a previous episode, we discussed the importance of rural grocery stores. Kathy Draeger, the statewide Director of the Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships at the University of Minnesota,  discussed their discussed their recently published report outlining results from a survey they sent to rural grocery stores  across Minnesota. For this episode, we brought her back to dive a bit deeper into a specific issue related to the future of rural grocery stores; the rise of the dollar store. We were also joined by Monica Jarvi, PHD candidate with Dept of Sociology at the U of MN. In this conversation we ... The post Ep. 18: Rural grocery stores and the rise of the dollar store first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

Senator Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson, is advocating for a bill that he contends would modernize Minnesota's voting system by requiring that voters present photo ID to register to vote and to cast their ballot. He joins Capitol Report moderator Shannon Loehrke to explain.In the final installment of our 'Introducing New Senators' series, Senator Gene Dornink, R-Hayfield, the only newly-elected Republican from Greater Minnesota, joins Shannon to talk about his background and his path to elected office.Lastly, we have highlights from from two recent events: a Senate GOP press conference on the challenges Minnesota seniors are facing in obtaining the COVID-19 vaccination and a key committee hearing where lawmakers argued both for and against Governor Walz’s use of emergency powers to manage public schools during the pandemic.

The Greater Minnesota Partnership has selected Scott McMahon to serve as the nonprofit’s new executive director. McMahon is a former lobbyist with government relations firm Flaherty & Hood P.A., and has been with the GMNP since 2017. He will lead the organization in its goal of advocating for economic development policies and resources that benefit greater Minnesota. More than 60 businesses, chambers of commerce, economic development authorities, higher education institutions, cities and nonprofits make up the membership organization.. McMahon has a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Prior to his work with Flaherty & Hood, McMahon spent more than a decade working in higher education, first as director of government relations at the Minnesota Private College Council and then as associate vice president for external affairs at Saint Mary’s University. In this interview with reporter Kelly Busche, McMahon talks about stepping into his new role during a challenging time, when greater Minnesota faces the ongoing pandemic, child care shortages, broadband issues and more.

For the last ten months, Minnesotans have been waiting along with the rest of the world for a vaccine to protect us from COVID-19. Now that we have one, though, officials face the next big issue: how to get those shots out to the public. For this topic, we’ve invited back Sue Grafstrom, a CRPD board member who is also the Homeland Security Management Director for Roseau County and a Public Health Preparedness consultant for the state for northwestern Minnesota. We first brought Sue on for episode 2, back in April 2020, to talk about what the public response to ... The post Ep. 17: Vaccine rollout in Greater Minnesota first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

Last week we released our report exploring how the pandemic has impacted jobs and the workforce in Rural Minnesota. And on this episode, we get to dive in a bit deeper into this topic with a couple of our Workforce Development Boards and a labor analyst with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development in rural Minnesota.  Carrie Bendix is the Executive Director of the Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council.  Vicki Leaderbrand is the Executive Director of the Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program. Luke Greiner is the Regional Analyst for Southwest and Central Minnesota for the Minnesota Department of ... The post Ep 16: Pandemic’s impact on the rural workforce first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

Today marks the start of the 2021 MN Legislative Session. A session that will likely be very different than any other legislative session since it will begin and likely remain an online affair. Our CEO, Julie Tesch got an opportunity to chat with Scott McMahon, the Executive Director of the Greater Minnesota Partnership about the issues that he will be bringing to legislators on behalf of rural Minnesota, how there needs to be more understanding that challenges and opportunities look different in rural and metro areas,  and – how the heck do you lobby without a lobby? The post Ep 15: Preview of the 2021 Legislative Session with Scott McMahon – Greater Minnesota Partnership first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

I'm Marie Rock. This week on the Minnesota News Health Report, state and tribal leaders say more people must enlist in the war on Covid-19. JM To beat a pandemic, a majority isn't enough. Now more than ever we need   literally all of us to make these personal, individual efforts to keep all Minnesotans safe.That's state health commissioner Jan Malcolm. She says beating the virus is hard - but not complicated. It doesn't cost anything  to wear a mask, keep at least six feet apart, and get tested if you've been exposed or if you're not feeling well. Laurie Stern has more about why the message is more urgent than ever.The predicted fall surge of virus is upon us. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are way up this week, with a positivity rate of more than six percent. And the virus is spreading faster in greater Minnesota than the Twin Cities metro. The numbers from the Indian Health Service are worrisome. The Bemidji area  covers 34 tribes in Minnesota, Michigan,  Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. The latest area positivity rate is 10.8 percent. Area Director Daniel Frye says some of this is driven by the extreme surge in Wisconsin, which has a positivity rate over 20 percent.they have their own mandates on their reservations, but the surrounding counties around them, they don't have any, so it's easy for that virus to spread, because now people are starting to go more indoors between schools being open sporting activities, and now it's getting colder, so you're not seeing as much outside.Director Frye says Minnesota's mask mandate has been effective, but it could be more effective.Bemidji has been very good about making sure that they're enforcing that math mandate, if I go to Walmart, I feel pretty comfortable that that most folks are going to have their their mask on. But if I get out into just a couple rural towns away, you know, Bagley and down us to, I'm not going to see that I'm still going to see a lot of folks not adhering to it and a lot of local establishments not not enforcing the mask mandates.Daniel Frye says if he walks into a place where people are not masked, he leaves. I've had high blood pressure my whole adult life so I'm worried about having those pre-existing conditions as well…He says the tribes are doing the best they can without walling their citizens in. Most need to keep casinos open because that revenue supports the social services they provide. He encourages tribal leaders to pace themselves for what will undoubtedly be a long haul.What we need is a break. And I don't say that ironically, I say that, because the fatigue among these health directors among the frontline staff that are there every day is really high right now.… we need all of us to be in our top form when we are at work when we are having these conversations. So when you get a chance to take a few days off to take a weekend and take a whole week, you really just need to shut off what's going on with COVID. Especially because it looks like things will get worse before they get better.no one can go through a pandemic and basically be on call for 12 months straight. It's just not physically possible. You'll become emotionally and physically drained. And mentally, you will not be able to offer what you need to for the people that need it.Director Frye is trying to walk the talk, spending lots of time with his small children, teaching them how practice traditional ways of resilience.it's not about just doing those things. It's not about just doing something like smudging, it's teaching, why those things are meaningful and where it came from. you know, with my son being four and my daughter being too it's going to be an opportunity for me to, get them more engaged in who we are and where we came from as well. And Minnesota, especially northern Minnesota here in Bemidji is such a great place for it because you're surrounded by three Anishinabe reservations - that Ojibwe culture.As individuals prepare for the long winter haul, Native Nations are providing good examples of how to put community first. State officials are pleading with all Minnesotans to do the same. There's a good reason that the people who lived through World War Two are called the greatest generation, not only their efforts on the battlefield, but literally saved the world, but also for the work and sacrifices of those here at home. This is Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm During that time, we saw a spirit of unity and purpose and a focus on shared goals that maybe hasn't been as clear to us in more recent times.(MUSIC OUT)    

In late September, the state began opening saliva test clinics in Greater Minnesota and the metro. More clinics are being added over the next weeks. Still, some Minnesotans do not have access to a testing site. A new initiative, available in November, will try to fill the gap with mail-in test kits.

This week on the Minnesota Native News Health Report, for the moment, the virus is winning.  But Minnesota - and Minnesotans are not giving up.  I'm Marie Rock. Laurie Stern reports on the latest developments. By every measure the state uses, we are seeing a second surge. In 85 of Minnesota's 87 counties, there is too much Covid for schools to have full in-person classes. The number of infections, hospitalizations and deaths are the highest since June. And cold weather increases the risk of transmission as activities move indoors.Walz: It's been a little while since I joined these 2 o'clocks…Governor Tim Walz joined the press briefing October 15 to lend perspective to both negative and positive developments:Walz: The United States was slow in getting testing. I mean, that is that is an obvious fact. But we've also found that there are different tools that we can use on testing different ways to go about it.In describing lessons learned over the past seven months, Governor Walz emphasized the crucial role testing plays.Walz: we want to cut off that community spread by making sure that people get tested as easily and as quickly and as close to their home as they possibly can. The longer it takes for us to find out if somebody has this, the more they unknowingly spread it. So taking a test and waiting several days to get the results that really impedes our ability to slow this down so we've made testing a critical component of our strategy and I'm really pleased today to announce a significant expansion of that testing.By mid- November, the state will have 10 locations where people can do no-contact saliva testing instead of nasal swabs. In addition to the first semi-permanent site already up at the convention center in Duluth,  Winona opened a site on October 13,  Moorehed on October 17.  Brooklyn Park opens October 20. Another six will come online in the next few weeks: four in the Twin Cities and two in Greater Minnesota.The state also announced a pilot project which would mean people who want to get tested would not have to leave home. This is Minnesota Department of Health Assistant Commissioner Dan Huff:In addition to the semi permanent testing sites, the saliva program will include a mail order program, the covid 19 testing at home program will allow Minnesotans to register online and receive their at home testing kit via UPS.The saliva tests will be processed in Oakdale at a facility that – at capacity - will employ 250 people.the new lab will reduce shipping time by allowing samples to be couriered from the collection site in the state over to Oakdale instead of having to be shipped to the biologics lab in New Jersey.The mail-in pilot project will focus on staff in Minnesota's K12 and higher ed schools, with everyone able to participate some time in November. The saliva tests will double the state's testing capacity from about 30,000 a day to about 60 thousand. Insurance companies will be billed if people have insurance. Those who don't have insurance or are underinsured will not be charged.  But state officials warn testing is only part of the strategy to curtail the virus. Contact tracing is important too. This is State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm.Because is all of this turns on voluntary compliance, from folks being willing not only to literally to, to answer the phone, when we call, but how forthcoming they are with the information, how forthcoming they're with the details of where they've been. I thinkwhat we hear when we talk to the folks who are doing these case investigations and these calls, is kind of a mix of responses.  The quality of the information really does depend upon people's participation and how forthcoming they are.Of course state officials continue to emphasize the importance of wearing a mask, social distancing and staying home if you're feeling sick. For MNNHR, I'm LS. 

State health officials are recording surges in northern, central and southern Minnesota. Those areas of Greater Minnesota, mostly rural areas, have been behind much of the recent increase in new cases. Jan Malcolm, Minnesota Health Commissioner, says this uptick should alert Minnesotans to a couple things.

On today’s podcast: Polestar Precept To Enter Production XPeng Ships To Norway Lordstown Endurance Electric Pickup Interior Model Y Acceleration Boost Amazon Device Works With Tesla Sentry Mode Tesla “Pilot” Battery Factory = 13th Largest Lynk & Co Zero Concept Ford Mustang Mach-E GT For Europe Minnesota to deploy up to 38 fast charging stations ChargePoint to go public at $2.4 billion valuation Does Rolls-Royce Silent Shadow Trademark Foreshadow an EV?   Show #899   Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Friday 25th September 2020. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.   Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.   New Patrons! PRODUCER JOHN DIETZ PRODUCER BRIAN SCHAFER EXECUTIVE PRODUCER PREMIUM PARTNER RSYMONS.CO.UK – THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SPECIALIST   POLESTAR PRECEPT TO ENTER PRODUCTION "Polestar announced today that the Precept concept model, shown earlier this year, will enter production. Vehicle development is underway in the UK and already more than 130 people are working on it." says InsideEVs: "The decision has been made after the company has realized that people like it and there should be a market for such a great looking, sporty, all-electric car. "   It's a four door saloon. Three years away from being ready. Aimed at the premium sports car market.   https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/polestar-precept-electric-grand-tourer-confirmed-production   XPENG SHIPS TO NORWAY "XPeng has started exporting vehicles to Europe. It loaded 100 G3i crossovers on an ocean liner at a port in the south China city of Guangzhou on Thursday. The vehicles will be shipped to Norway, XPeng said." according to Automotive News Europe: "The EVs will be distributed by Norwegian EV dealer Zero Emission Mobility with a starting price of 358,000 Norwegian Krone ($37,590).  The G3i compact crossover -- XPeng’s first product -- has a range of 520 kilometers (323 miles) on one charge." That's about 230 miles EPA. The G3 520 has a 66.5kWh battery from CATL.   https://www.autonews.com/china/ev-startup-xpeng-begins-exports-norway   LORDSTOWN ENDURANCE ELECTRIC PICKUP INTERIOR "Lordstown Motors is continuing the slow tease of its Endurance electric pickup this week, now revealing interior photos ahead of the truck's launch next year" says Motortrend: "Much like the interiors of the Tesla Cybertruck and Rivian R1T, the cabin of the Endurance is dominated by screens rather than physical buttons. A long frame on the dashboard houses three separate screens, underneath of which sit physical climate-control knobs. The cabin has a decidedly industrial feel with stark metallic accents, and the overall interior aesthetic matches the minimalist design of the exterior.   Even the guy driving, is wearing a hard hat. "The Endurance will produce up to 600 horsepower with the help of up to four electric in-hub motors, as well as offer a range exceeding 250 miles. Towing capacity is expected to come in at 7,500 pounds."   And as per Fox 28: "On Wednesday, Lordstown Motors Corp. announced it has received 40,000 pre-orders for the Lordstown Endurance electric pickup truck. The pre-orders, which are not binding and may be canceled or delayed, equal $2 billion in potential revenue"   https://www.motortrend.com/news/lordstown-endurance-electric-pickup-truck-interior-photos/   https://myfox28columbus.com/news/local/lordstown-motors-hits-40000-in-pre-orders-for-new-endurance-electric-pickup-truck   MODEL Y ACCELERATION BOOST "Tesla is launching a $2,000 ‘Acceleration Boost’ upgrade for Model Y Dual Motor AWD vehicles — shaving half a second off the 0 to 60 mph acceleration." says Electrek. Last year the same became available for the Model 3. "Tesla owners could unlock performance in their cars through a few clicks in the Tesla app. Now Tesla is bringing the same experience to the Model Y with its own Acceleration Boost. As of today, some Model Y Dual Motor AWD are reporting seeing the Acceleration Boost in the “upgrade” section of their app. Tesla claims that the upgrade will improve the Model Y Dual Motor AWD’s 0 to 60 mph acceleration time from 4.8 seconds to 4.3 seconds. The capacity to accelerate quicker is already inside those cars. Tesla locks that capacity through software in order to reserve it for the “Performance” version of the Model Y, which can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds."   https://electrek.co/2020/09/25/tesla-launches-acceleration-boost-upgrade-model-y/   AMAZON DEVICE WORKS WITH TESLA SENTRY MODE "Ring has announced its first foray into products meant for use outside of the home with a new line of security cameras designed for cars." reports The Verge, talking about Car Connect from Amazon, a black plastic USB connected dongle for your Tesla: "Ring says it’s working with many automotive makers to build support for the system, but the first partnership it’s announcing is with Tesla. Owners of the Model 3, X, S, and Y that have Sentry Mode enabled will be able to install a device in their cars that allows them to connect to the car’s existing cameras and view footage."   How does it work? Tech Crunch has the details: "Ring Car Connect consists of an API that car manufacturers use to provide Ring customers access to mobile alerts for any detected events around their vehicle, or to watch footage recorded from their onboard cameras. This also allows access to information that wouldn’t be available with a strictly aftermarket setup – like whether the car is locked or unlocked, for instance. Ring’s first automaker partner for this is Tesla,  which is enabling Ring Car Connect across the 3, X, S and Y models. Users will install an aftermarket device coming in 2021 for $199.99, but then they’ll be able to watch Tesla Sentry Mode footage, as well as video recorded while driving, directly in the Ring app."   $200 on top of your monthly Ring subscription.   https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/24/21453632/ring-car-alarm-security-camera-connect-tesla-price-specs-features-amazon   https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/24/ring-gets-into-automotive-security-with-three-new-car-products-including-one-debuting-first-for-teslas   TESLA “PILOT” BATTERY FACTORY = 13TH LARGEST "Tesla revealed at its Battery Day this week that it intends to produce 3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of batteries a year by 2030. That’s more than Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (aka Benchmark Minerals) was forecasting for all lithium-ion battery production combined before Battery Day." says Clean Technica: "Tracking 187 battery factories, Benchmark Minerals was forecasting 2.7 TWh of annual battery cell production capacity globally by 2030. The company forecasted that Tesla would be at 200 GWh of that total.  Even just by 2022, Tesla plans to produce 100 GWh of batteries a year."   https://cleantechnica.com/2020/09/24/tesla-pilot-battery-factory-13th-largest-in-world/   LYNK & CO ZERO CONCEPT Geely’s luxury Lync & Co sub-brand unveiled the Lynk & Co Zero Concept. The Zero Concept is a luxury pure electric vehicle that will be based on Geely Holding’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), a pure electric architecture that will be used as the basis for all new electric vehicles within the Geely Holding Group portfolio. SEA architecture aims to be the world’s first open source architecture that will be shared with other third-party vehicle manufacturers for their own electric vehicle development. The Zero Concept will go into production in 2021 and will support full life Over the Air updates with class leading artificial intelligence that will support full voice interaction. Range of the production vehicle is expected to be in excess of 700km (435 miles) under the NEDC cycle, whilst performance is also expected to reach sub four seconds for the 0-100km/h time. Production will be undertaken at a new facility in Eastern China. Lynk & Co range of vehicles which have jointly sold over 300,000 units in the Chinese market since the first introduction of the 01 SUV in 2018.   https://electriccarsreport.com/2020/09/lynk-co-zero-concept-unveiled-ahead-of-beijing-auto-show/   FORD MUSTANG MACH-E GT FOR EUROPE Ford revealed for the first time in Europe the high-performance Mustang Mach-E GT that will deliver 3.7‑second 0-62 mph acceleration when introduced to the region in late 2021. Ford says: "No other vehicle in its class can accelerate faster than the Mustang Mach-E GT". Conveniently forgetting about the Tesla Model Y Performance which is 3.5 0-60mph. Mach-E customers will also receive one year of free access to the IONITY fast-charging network that has now established more than 270 charging stations en route to a targeted 400 by the end of this year. Charging with up to 150 kW at an IONITY station, Mustang Mach-E in extended-range battery, rear-wheel drive configuration is estimated to add an average of 73 miles driving range within approximately 10 minutes of charging and has a targeted WLTP pure-electric driving range of up to 379 miles.   https://electriccarsreport.com/2020/09/ford-reveals-blisteringly-quick-mustang-mach-e-gt-for-europe/   MINNESOTA OFFERS GRANTS TO DEPLOY UP TO 38 FAST CHARGING STATIONS "The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has announced that it will fund the installation of up to 38 additional fast charging stations in Greater Minnesota, extending the existing EV highway corridor network by more than 2,500 miles. Chargers are to be placed 30 to 70 miles apart along 7 proposed corridors." saysa ChargedEVs: "The new $2.6-million grant opportunity leverages funds from the national Volkswagen settlement. "   https://chargedevs.com/newswire/minnesota-offers-grants-to-deploy-up-to-38-fast-charging-stations/   CHARGEPOINT TO GO PUBLIC AT $2.4 BILLION VALUATION "ChargePoint Inc, one of the world's oldest and largest electric vehicle charging networks, said on Thursday it will go public by merging with Switchback Energy Acquisition Corp in a deal that values the company at $2.4 billion." according to Autoblog: "The deal will raise about $493 million in proceeds that ChargePoint will use to expand in North America and Europe. ChargePoint operates more than 115,000 charging ports globally, mostly in North America, and previously said it is aiming to increase that to 2.5 million by 2025 Other EV companies with SPAC deals include Fisker, Lordstown Motors and Canoo. Electric and fuel cell vehicle startup Nikola"   https://www.autoblog.com/2020/09/24/chargepoint-public-stock-exchange-spac-valuation-official   DOES ROLLS-ROYCE SILENT SHADOW TRADEMARK FORESHADOW AN EV? "Shadows aren't know for being loud, but Rolls-Royce could have an extra quiet shadow in the works, even quieter than a regular Silver Shadow. Silent Shadow is the name the Anglo-Germanic automaker trademarked in Germany" writes Autoweek: "Rolls-Royce cars are already expensive, so the EV hardware wouldn't even move the needle much when it comes to price. And they're already heavy, so the automaker doesn't have to worry about curb weight. Best of all, the hardware is already available to its corporate owner, the BMW Group. Rolls-Royce cars are also quite large, so the batteries can also be large and heavy, possibly enough to give the cars an industry-leading range if desired, something more than 500 miles on a single charge. And since a lot of Rolls-Royces spend time idling in Shanghai and Moscow traffic, they don't need Ludicrous acceleration all that frequently."   https://www.autoweek.com/news/a34147271/does-rolls-royce-silent-shadow-trademark-foreshadow-an-ev/   You can listen to all 898 previous episodes of this this for free, where you get your podcasts from, plus the blog https://www.evnewsdaily.com/ – remember to subscribe, which means you don’t have to think about downloading the show each day, plus you get it first and free and automatically.   It would mean a lot if you could take 2mins to leave a quick review on whichever platform you download the podcast.   And  if you have an Amazon Echo, download our Alexa Skill, search for EV News Daily and add it as a flash briefing.   Come and say hi on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter just search EV News Daily, have a wonderful day, I’ll catch you tomorrow and remember…there’s no such thing as a self-charging hybrid.     PHIL ROBERTS / ELECTRIC FUTURE (PREMIUM PARTNER) BRAD CROSBY (PREMIUM PARTNER) AVID TECHNOLOGY (PREMIUM PARTNER) PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI (PREMIUM PARTNER) AUDI CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER) VOLVO CARS CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER) NATIONALCARCHARGING.COM and ALOHACHARGE.COM  (PREMIUM PARTNER) DEREK REILLY FROM THE EV REVIEW IRELAND YOUTUBE CHANNEL (PREMIUM PARTNER) RICHARD AT RSYMONS.CO.UK – THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SPECIALIST (PREMIUM PARTNER)   DAVID AND LISA ALLEN (PARTNER) OEM AUDIO OF NEW ZEALAND AND EVPOWER.CO.NZ (PARTNER) GARETH HAMER eMOBILITY NORWAY HTTPS://WWW.EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM/  (PARTNER) BOB BOOTHBY – MILLBROOK COTTAGES AND ELOPEMENT WEDDING VENUE (PARTNER) DARIN MCLESKEY FROM DENOVO REAL ESTATE (PARTNER) JUKKA KUKONEN FROM WWW.SHIFT2ELECTRIC.COM RAJEEV NARAYAN (PARTNER)   ALAN ROBSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALAN SHEDD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALEX BANAHENE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALEXANDER FRANK @ https://www.youtube.com/c/alexsuniverse42 ANDERS HOVE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ANDREA JEFFERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ASEER KHALID (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ASHLEY HILL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BÅRD FJUKSTAD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRENT KINGSFORD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRIAN THOMPSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRUCE BOHANNAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CHARLES HALL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CHRIS HOPKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) COLIN HENNESSY AND CAMBSEV (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CRAIG COLES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CRAIG ROGERS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAMIEN DAVIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DARREN FEATCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVE DEWSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID FINCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID MOORE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID PARTINGTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID PRESCOTT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DON MCALLISTER / SCREENCASTSONLINE.COM (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ERU KYEYUNE-NYOMBI (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) FREDRIK ROVIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GENE RUBIN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GILBERTO ROSADO (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GEOFF LOWE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) HEDLEY WRIGHT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN GRIFFITHS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN SEAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN (WATTIE) WATKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JACK OAKLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JAMES STORR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JIM MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODICERS) JOHN C SOLAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JON AKA BEARDY MCBEARDFACE FROM KENT EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JON MANCHAK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JUAN GONZALEZ (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KEN MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KEVIN MEYERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KYLE MAHAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LARS DAHLAGER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LAURENCE D ALLEN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LEE BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LUKE CULLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARCEL WARD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARK BOSSERT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARTY YOUNG  (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MATT PISCIONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MIA OPPELSTRUP (PARTNER) MICHAEL PASTRONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MIKE WINTER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NATHAN GORE-BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NEIL E ROBERTS FROM SUSSEX EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NICHOLAS MILLER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NIGEL MILES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) OHAD ASTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PAUL RIDINGS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PAUL STEPHENSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETE GLASS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETE GORTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETER & DEE ROBERTS FROM OXON EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PHIL MOUCHET (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PHILIP TRAUTMAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RAJ BADWAL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RENE KEEMIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RENÉ SCHNEIDER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RICHARD LUPINSKY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ROB HERMANS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ROB FROM THE RSTHINKS EV CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RUPERT MITCHELL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) SEIKI PAYNE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) STEPHEN PENN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) STEVE JOHN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) THOMAS J. 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Dyan Ebert has had a strong interest in the law since her middle school days, when she interviewed a local attorney about the legal profession and then penned a paper about her desire to be a lawyer. That career interest led to a degree at William Mitchell College of Law, a leadership position at Quinlivan & Hughes law firm in St. Cloud, and — as of July — a turn as president of the Minnesota State Bar Association. As CEO of Quinlivan & Hughes, Ebert represents government entities, corporations and individuals on matters related to employment, liability insurance coverage, casualty law and more. In the following interview, Ebert talks about her duties as MSBA president, the challenge of attracting and retaining lawyers in Greater Minnesota, and making sure the justice system is fair for everybody.

Tourism makes up a significant piece of rural Minnesota’s economic pie. Our guest on this episode is Cynthia Messer, the director of the Tourism Center at the University of Minnesota Extension. She talked with CRPD president Julie Tesch about the research they do at the Tourism Center, the role tourism spending plays in Greater MN, the training they offer communities to enhance their tourism economies, and some of the silver linings coming out of the pandemic. The post Ep 7: Cynthia Messer - U of MN Extension | Tourism Center first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

On Episode 46, Kevin and Jac, interview Rob Weber, Co-founder of Great North Labs. Rob shares his entrepreneurial journey through the 2000s and the genesis story of Great North Labs.  Hype TimeEvery episode we ask our guest to name drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Rob gives a shout out to Mynul Khan of Field Nation. Socials tech.mn on TwitterKevin McArdle on TwitterJac Stark on TwitterRob Weber on TwitterGreat North labs on Twitter Links Great North Labs

Neela Mollgaard has spent the last twenty years helping entrepreneurs in Greater Minnesota get their business ideas off the ground, first with Red Wing Ignite and now with LaunchMN, a new effort from the state to foster high-tech startups. We talk about what worked with Red Wing Ignite and now what LaunchMN is doing with grants and partnerships to build support and give entrepreneurs all over the state the resources they need for a successful start. The post Ep 5: Neela Mollgaard on LaunchMN and helping entrepreneurs get started first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

All eyes were on the Twin Cities after the killing of George Floyd, but protests were springing up all over the state. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two activists from greater Minnesota and a journalist who covered protests in Willmar about what the fight against racism looks like in their cities. Guests: Tanisha DeRungs is a student at St. Cloud State University, who works as an activist in Mora, Minn., where she graduated from high school. Jamaal Abegaz is an activist and organizer in Moorhead and a founding member of Fargo-Moorhead’s new Black Lives Matter chapter. Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter and photographer for the West Central Tribune in Willmar, Minnesota. He covered the protests in Willmar and wrote an opinion piece about his experience.

Dana accidentally flashed someone the goods... What's worse is that it's the last person you want to show your privates to. You'll have to listen and find out what happened. $1000 MINUTE: Karin from Saint Paul played today for our NEW Grand Prize of a pair of tickets to the next 10 shows after the Coronavirus Quarantine and valued at more than $1000. Listen tomorrow morning at 7:35 to play! FANTASY DRAFT: Ben and Dana love drafting things. It could be odd and obscure or things they're really passionate about. Today, they drafted what they think the Best Towns in Greater Minnesota are. WHEEL OF MEAT: Kaylee made a great decision to turn on the radio this morning and spin the Ben and Dana Wheel of Meat. All the meat comes from Nelsonsmeats.com... and, NOW introducing Papa Q's BBQ. It's delicious and mouth watering. Thanks for listening to Ben and Dana Make Mornings Suck Less on Go 96.3/Twin Cities!

In this episode, we're happy to invite Jonathan C. W. Jones, founder of Ideation4, to the show to share about his philanthropic work in the Greater Minnesota area and announce his new publication, UpLIFT, which will feature the brilliance of black male educators across the nation! To learn more about Jonathan's work, you can visit the Ideation4 website at ideation4.com or connect with him on the following social media platforms: FACEBOOK - Ideation4 INSTAGRAM - @ideation_4 TWITTER - @ideation4_sjc BIO: Jonathan C. W. Jones is a seasoned award winning educator, founder and CEO of Ideation4 who works with educators, schools, districts, nonprofit professionals and under resourced communities through proposal workshops, coaching, consulting and innovation. His passion lies across the intersections of education, business and philanthropy. Jonathan believes in the power of ideas and helping others realize they have the power to make their ideas into reality. Jonathan has landed several local and national grants & awards from Bush Foundation to NASA, and has collaborated with several organizations to impact students, educators and community builders in the Twin Cities area. Jonathan recently participated in Headwaters Foundation for Justice (HFJ) The giving Project Cohort 5 raising over $250,000 for 12 organizations for and by people of color. Currently, works as an instructional coach for Saint Paul Public School working out of the Office of Specialized Services. He hold a BA and Masters Degree in Special Education and a K-12 Administrator License. His company Ideation4 is creating publications 4Educators (coming fall 2020), UpLIFT and Connect. Proceeds from both publications will be used to establish, Fund4Good our new philanthropic initiative. These innovations will allow our company to live out our core values of learning, collaboration, equity & empowerment by providing micro grants to Black, Indigenous People of Color who are builders in their community. Jonathan is looking to deepen his understanding of how fundraising and grantmaking can address inequities in the Twin Cities. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support

A major bonding bill for public works projects would be a big topic of conversation in a normal even-numbered year, but 2020 has been anything but normal as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Even so, advocates for a robust bonding bill say that that doesn’t take away the need to invest in buildings and infrastructure. In a series of articles and episodes in Beyond the Skyline, Finance & Commerce is taking a closer look at some of the notable bonding requests for 2020. This episode looks at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, which is asking for $15 million in economic development grants for everything from water infrastructure in Greater Minnesota to statewide transportation initiatives. In the following interview, DEED Commissioner Steve Grove talks about the request and makes a case for why it’s important to keep making those investments – even in the midst of a global public health crisis. Related links: https://finance-commerce.com/2020/04/bonding-2020-deed-sees-an-economic-jump-start/ https://finance-commerce.com/2020/03/bonding-2020/

A few weeks into MN’s “State of Peacetime Emergency” regarding COVID-19, childcare centers struggle to remain open as they are both critical to frontline worker families and suffering their own decades long financial crisis. A childcare provider in Greater Minnesota, a provider in the Twin Cities and a state representative who’s championed the legislature for more childcare funding, physically distance but socially connect, for a conversation on how Minnesotans can care for those who’ve been caring for our families - before, during and after this crisis. Featuring:Nasro Abshir (Director & Owner of Family First Choice Childcare, Minneapolis)Christina Valdez (Director & Owner of Listos Preschool and Childcare, Rochester)Rep. Dave Pinto (State Representative District 64B)Minister JaNaé Bates (ISAIAH, host)Support the show (https://isaiahmn.org/donate/)

This week: the latest on COVID-19 and the governor's stay at home order, 14-day meal kits being donated in Greater MN, financial implications for Minnesotans, St Paul Saints plan to "play ball"

Former Congressman Jason Lewis shares thoughts on how he can defeat Sen. Tina Smith and the conversations and issues he's seeing emerge in Greater Minnesota

This week on show we talk about Launch Minnesota, a brand-new, state-wide initiative to support scalable businesses and entrepreneurial ecosystem building in the state of Minnesota. Launch MN is an initiative powered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development with the scope of focus set by the Minnesota state legislature. Launch MN has an annual operating budget of $2.5M to make Minnesota a top state to grow and launch a startup. On the podcast today we talk about: • The aims of Launch MN to grow culture, talent, and capital for Minnesota’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. • The scope of Launch MN to fuel innovative, scalable businesses with special consideration given to initiatives in Greater Minnesota and businesses led by women, veterans, and people of color. • The ten person Launch MN Advisory Board, which includes two members from Rochester. • Launch MN Innovation Grants for small businesses, which are open and accepting rolling applications. • An Education/Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development grant that opens up today! Links from the podcast today: Launch MN: Website: http://www.launchminnesota.org/ Facebook: @LaunchMN Twitter: @LaunchMinnesota Rochester Rising digital magazine: https://www.flipsnack.com/6EB5DEC8B7A/rochester-rising-fall-2019-issue-2.html Music Attribution: Odd News by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/ Today’s podcast is sponsored by: Rochester Home Infusion Website: https://www.rochesterhomeinfusion.com/ Facebook: @RochesterHomeInfusion LiveAtom Website: https://liveatom.com/ Facebook: @liveatomnow Twitter: @LiveAtomNow Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc. (RAEDI) Website: http://www.raedi.com/ Facebook: @RAEDImn Twitter: @RAEDIInfo Jeb Taylor Knives Website: https://jebtaylorknives.com/ Facebook: @jebtaylorknives Instagram: @jebtaylorknives Brendan Bush Photography Website: https://www.brendanbushphotography.com/index Facebook: @brendanbushphotography Instagram: @jebtaylorknives LEAH Labs Website: https://wefunder.com/leah Facebook: @leahlabsinc Instagram: @leahlabsinc

Today's guest was Sarah Aamot, Artistic Director for the Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota.

When we talk about race equity in city government, we're talking about city services, policies, and practices that work for everyone in a community, regardless of their race. Cities — even smaller ones and/or those in Greater Minnesota — have an opportunity to lead in this work. Hear Gordon Goodwin, Midwest region project manager with the Government Alliance on Race and Equity, discuss his recent work with a cohort of Minnesota cities. The group has worked on using race equity analysis to begin to address unintentional biases in everyday practices. Willmar Mayor Marv Calvin, a participant in the cohort, shares examples of his city's race equity efforts and lessons he's learned as Willmar strives to be a welcoming community for all.

This week: Sen Klobuchar runs for president, the latest from the State Capitol, addiction recovery gaps in Greater MN, U of M sports celebrates Black History Month

MN Gov Tim Walz and Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan talk about issues facing Greater MN and ONE MN. Also, will their administration approve the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline? Do they support the FM Diversion project? Will RED FLAG laws infringe on people's gun rights?

Sarah Aamot, Artistic Director, Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota joined Community Focus

MPLS Chamber public policy director Sean Broom comes on to explain some of the recent news regarding public transit projects for the Twin Cities and Greater MN. Then, Roshini dives into the college football bowl season, with some help from fellow weekend host Steve Thomson.

In this episode, host Steve Olson is joined by Dr. Adam Birr, Executive Director of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council and Dave Preisler, CEO of the Minnesota Pork Board. The three discuss A Greater Minnesota; what it's about, how agriculture impacts all Minnesotans, and how you as a voter can ask your legislators to support Minnesota agriculture. Learn more about AGM at www.farmandfoodmn.org.

www.commsolutionsmn.com- Robert "Bob" Canada, current North Branch City Council member and candidate for mayor, comes on the podcast to discuss the challenges that Greater Minnesota faces in housing, employment, and retaining its people. He is running for an open seat, as current mayor, Kirsten Hagen-Kennedy, decided to (unsuccessfully) run to represent the DFL side of the ticket for U.S. Representative for CD8 against Pete Stauber. Bob may be telling North Branch's story on the podcast, but they are common challenges that face the majority of Greater Minnesota. The League of MN Cities and the Minnesota Association of Development Organizations (MADO) believe that they have one unified vision for Greater Minnesota, but are those the right solutions? These are issues that those of us who live here know better than policies passed down from groups like the National League of Cities and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) to its Minnesota counterparts. What works in Ohio, Rhode Island, or Utah doesn't necessarily work in Minnesota. Even a state-wide plan is too broad a brush. Each city needs to determine its own needs, and figure out what solutions work for them. So, take a listen and think about how you can help your own city or township to thrive. Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast“! You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy! Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify, or go out to the PodBabble Podcast Network!

Block A: Christopher “Tripp” Zanetis, who could have been our “first gay President” and the best that America had to offer; Block B: Ellie's experience of speaking/training in “the bubble” of the Twin Cities compared to the greater Midwest re: being a transgender person.

Take Full Advantage of Transition Services: Enhancing Opportunities for Success - Meet Kylee Jungbauer (Transcript Provided) Kylee Jungbauer is a rehabilitation counselor at state services for the blind. Her concentration is transition age students. We talked to Kylie about what services they provide for students.  Transitioning from high school to college and to the workplace. State services for the blind has a Transition Unit that facilitates a path for students, providing guidance and opportunities for success. From assessments to training, the transition Team offers as much or as little help as needed while promoting self advocacy and independence along the way. Kylee talks about the importance of Summer Programs and how the Transition Team provides opportunities with employment, career exploration and access to training on the tools that will help bring about a successful transition.   Full Transcript Below   Check out below for a list of Summer opportunities and programs.   Check out your State Services by searching the Services Directory on the AFB.org web site.   State Services for the Blind of Minnesota We offer tools and training for employment and for helping seniors remain independent and active. As Minnesota’s accessible reading source we also transcribe books and other materials into alternative formats, including audio and braille. We assist Minnesotans who are blind, DeafBlind, losing vision, or who have another disability that makes it difficult to read print. I hope you find what you need here. We've also created a Tips for Using Our New Website page. If you’d like to apply for services, learn more, or have more questions, just give us a call. You’ll find contact information for all of our offices on our contact page, or you can call our main office at 651-539-2300.   2018 Summer Opportunities for Teens Learning skills related to blindness, low vision, and DeafBlindness The programs listed below are of varying lengths during the summer. They offer training in independent living and job readiness skills. The program descriptions that follow are taken from each organization’s website. If you’d like to pursue any of these opportunities, please speak with your SSB counselor:   BLIND Incorporated  (Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions) offers an 8-week Post-secondary, Readiness, Empowerment Program (PREP) designed to prepare students for academic, employment, and social success.  The PREP curriculum is designed to empower blind youth with the alternative techniques of blindness they will need to be successful in the college and the career fields they choose, and to give them the confidence and belief in themselves they need to find and keep a job. Additionally there are three one-week summer programs focusing on independent living, post-secondary success, and navigating the world of work.      Career Ventures, Inc . offers resources in: Job Seeking Skills training, Volunteer opportunities, Paid-work experiences, Job Shadows, Internships (on a case by case basis), Job Placement, and Job Coaching. Contact Wendy DeVore at wdevore@careerventuresinc.com for more information.   Courage Kenny SHARE Program  is a resource that provides people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to achieve physical and emotional fitness - and just have some fun. SHARE is a service of Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, part of Allina Health, but our list of services includes those offered by other organizations. It's a one-stop shop for activity listings and registration details in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.    Duluth Center for Vision Loss  offers summer camps designed to sharpen skills needed for success, including Workforce Readiness, College Readiness, Self-advocacy, Mobility, Technology, Independent living, and much more. Students will learn core workforce readiness and adjustment to blindness skills.  They will also be given the opportunity to socialize with peers from across the state and to participate in a wide array of recreational activities. The Lighthouse Transition Program is built on the understanding that “now is the time” that youth need to be developing certain core skills that are essential for their future    Helen Keller National Center  offers programs to students who are DeafBlind which enable each person who is deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community of choice. HKNC offers individualized evaluation and training which will assist students in achieving their own definition of success. The emphasis for the student in the program is to participate in learning opportunities which will lead to successful employment and a full, enriched and independent life in the community. The philosophy of the Center is one of self-determination for all.   Minnesota State Academy for the Blind  (MSAB) offers Summer School programming for elementary, Middle school and high school age students.  Elementary School programs focus on elementary level academics as well as individual goals identified in student IEP’s. Middle and High school students will participate in activities encompassing the three areas of transition (postsecondary, employment, and independent living).  National Federation of the Blind offers of variety of local and national opportunities. The NFB BELL Academy is designed to provide intensive Braille instruction to blind and low-vision children during the summer months. EQ is a week-long learning opportunity that gets blind students excited about STEM by offering hands-on learning experiences. Visit www.nfb.org and www.nfbmn.org for more information.    Stone Arch Employment Solutions, Inc. Email Cori Giles at cori.giles@comcast.net for information.   Summer Transition Program (STP) provides experiences to address the specific transition needs of students who are Blind, Visually impaired or DeafBlind. STP complements each student’s core curriculum at their local school by providing individualized opportunities in the three transition areas identified in their Individualized Education Program (IEP). These unique transition activities, as part of the Expanded Core Curriculum, give each student the opportunity to increase independence in their school, home, community and work environments. Dates for 2018 are June 13-25.  Email Julie Kochevar at julie.kochevar@ahschools.us for information.   Thank you for listening. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.   Transcript   Take Full Advantage of Transition Services: Enhancing Opportunities for Success - Meet Kylee Jungbauer (Transcript Provided) Kylee: State Services for the Blind can be included in on that plan but then we will also have an employment plan for the students as well. Jeff: Kylee Jungbauer, Rehabilitation Counselor for Transition Age Students. Kylee: We like to keep our students busy during the summer, that's what I tell all of my students so yep, if you're working with us we expect that you're working your plan and obtain that job goal. Jeff: Voices from the success stories of transition age students. Student 1: State Services for the Blind played a role in helping me figure out, for one thing what I wanted to do after high school, and then where I wanted to go to college, and then also they assisted me with helping me find a job. Student 2: Training in stuff relating to technology and all your use of computers and phones, what's the best way that works for you. Student 3: So I was very lucky to have an IEP team that was familiar with working with a blind student. Jeff: Learn about the transition unit at State Services for the Blind. Kylee: I think another way a parent can be involved is just to have that expectation of their student that they will work, and have that expectation that okay yes, they need to learn how to cook, how to do their own laundry, how to clean because the parents aren't gonna be around forever right. Jeff: Kylee is part of a team at State Services for the Blind in their transition unit. Be sure to contact your State Services and find out what their transition team can do for you, and for more podcasts with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter at Blind Abilities, and download the free Blind Abilities app from the app store, that's two words, Blind Abilities. Kylee: But I think more importantly, is taking a step back and saying, okay, do you have the skills to actually go to college, do you have you know, the advocacy skills, do you have the technology skills, do you have the technology that you actually need? Jeff: Kylee Jungbauer. Kylee: Yep. Jeff: Is that right? Kylee: Yep, yep. Jeff: Welcome to Blind Abilities, I'm Jeff Thompson. Transitioning from high school to college to the workplace, it's a journey that most of us have taken, or some of us are looking forward to, and we'll be talking to Kylee Jungbauer. She's a transition counselor at State Services for the Blind. Kylee is going to talk about the services that you can receive to enhance your opportunities whether in college or gaining employment in the workplace. She's going to talk about the transition unit at State Services which will help you navigate your transition journey and make available all the resources, training, and skills, and confidence that you'll need for the journey. Kylee welcome to Blind Abilities how are you doing? Kylee: I'm great, how are you? Jeff: I'm doing good thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to come down to the studios to share with us what you do for clients of State Services for the Blind. Kylee: Yes of course. Jeff: So Kylee, what is the transition unit at State Services for the Blind? Kylee: We work with youth about 14 to all the way up to 24, so college students as well, and we help them move through their transition from high school to either college or high school to just starting off with their first couple of jobs, we look at what their job goal is, or if they don't have a job goal, bringing them to that, with looking at different interest, inventories, or getting different work experiences so they can try different jobs and see what they really like. Jeff: When you say 14 to 24, so 14 you're talking about students who are in high school? Kylee: Correct yep, so when they're in high school we work with in conjunction with their schools and their TBVI's to supplement what they're already getting or maybe give suggestions, expose them to some different technology, and things that maybe they aren't getting in their school. Some schools provide a lot of adjustment to blindness training, and some schools do little, so we like to supplement especially during the summer when they're out of school. Jeff: And why is that? Kylee: Just to get them prepared for life, like I said transitioning out of education, you know high school, a lot of the services are provided for them, they aren't really having to advocate hopefully too hard for those services versus when they're an adult, they're kind of on their own and they have to learn how to do those things and advocate either in college or in their first jobs. Jeff: And what kind of options are there for the summer? Kylee: We have a lot of summer programming that some of it we provide, a lot of it the various vendors provides anywhere from more social to adjustment to blindness training, where, you know learning Braille, learning orientation mobility skills, a lot of Technology in Duluth, since it's so far away they have some online courses where you can work with them remotely I guess from anywhere in within Minnesota, so there's a lot of different options. Jeff: When you were talking about the TVI's teachers for the visually impaired, you're talking about the district teachers? Kylee: I don't know if they're considered district teachers or not but the district's hire them, yeah the schools provide that service. Jeff: And that's where they start their individual educational plan. Kylee: Yep yep, the TBVI's, they're included in it, the students will also have a case manager that kind of runs the whole thing and makes sure that the goals that are written on the education plan are being obtained or maintained or changed as needed, and State Services for the Blind can be included in on that plan but then we will also have an employment plan for the students as well with their job goal, or if there isn't a job goal then we, we just put something generic while we're exploring different careers. Jeff: So they actually have a simultaneous education plan segueing into a employment plan? Kylee: Correct yep, they'll have an education plan and an employment plan at the same time up until graduation of course, and then it will just be an employment plan with State Services for the Blind, and that will bring them through either their first job or college. Jeff: Well that's a good segue. Kylee: Yeah. Jeff: How does State Services or the transition work with the districts or the Department of Education in Minnesota? Kylee: We like to be invited to all of the IEP meetings so please invite us, that doesn't always happen, just because sometimes they get thrown together really last minute and as long as the parent and the student can make it they kind of just go on with it but, it's good for us to be there so we can see what the school is providing and maybe advocate for more, maybe make suggestions, or see where we can supplement in during this school year, you know sometimes students have time on weekends or after school, or especially during the summer time when they're on break. We like to keep our students busy during the summer that's what I tell all of my students, so yep if you're working with us we expect that you're working your plan and obtain that job goal throughout the school year and then especially during the summer when you're on break and you have that extra time, Jeff: Are there internship programs available to transition-age students in the summer? Kylee: Yes definitely we can work with a vendor but we also have our work opportunity navigator, Tou Yang, and he works with a lot of the students that I'm working with to get them internships, paid summer jobs, if they're interested in working during the school year that's great too, or doing Job Shadows so they can check out different jobs. Some students have this career goal, they know they want to do it but they haven't really talked to somebody who's in the work field actually doing that job, and they may find that oh it looks like it's a lot more data entry and paperwork versus client contact and so maybe they don't want to do that, or maybe they want to be a photographer but they don't want to have to figure out their own taxes or anything like that, so they'll look into working for a company versus going out on their own. So different things that they just don't know because they haven't had that experience. Jeff: Experience that will help them formulate their career goals. Kylee: Right exactly, yep so each career goal on our end has to be looked at, explored, and we have to determine if it's feasible, so if we have a student who wants to be a dolphin trainer for instance but doesn't want to leave Minnesota, that's probably not going to be something that SSB will support just because once they graduate you know, they won't be able to find a job here in Minnesota, so yep. Jeff: Maybe moose training or something but not dolphin training. Kylee: Yes. [Whoosh Sound Effect] Jeff: So if someone wants to explore a career, is there a resource here to help them do that? Kylee: Yep work with Tou, and also we've got a couple different websites that we can either send to our students or sit with them and work one-on-one with them to do some exploration that way, and hopefully the student are getting that in their school as well, hopefully. Jeff: So Tou, you say he's the employment navigator, he actually contacts companies, works with companies to know what they want and educate them on what to expect probably, and then brings people in for opportunities? Kylee: Yep, yep he has a background in working and doing job placement for other companies in the past so he has those employer connections which is great as well, but yep he brings students out to look at people out doing the actual job that they may be interested in so they can see the intricacies of it and still interested in that after learning the ins and outs or if maybe it's not for them and they want to explore other options. Jeff: So Kylee, how do parents get involved, do you have contact with parents of transition students? Kylee: Definitely, parents can be as involved as they want to be of course if their student is a minor, they have to be there for any signing of documentation, but after that they can be as involved as they want to be, kind of feel that out with both the student and the parents. Sometimes I just meet with my students one-on-one during the school day or whatever is convenient for them, but sometimes the parents want to be there, sometimes I can send an email to the parents after a meeting just giving them a recap. If I'm sending internship opportunities or things that need to be filled out with the student and maybe the student isn't the most responsive, I'll just CC the parents on the email just to make sure that everybody saw that it needs to be sent back. But I think another way that parents can be involved is just to have that expectation of their student that they will work, and have that expectation that, okay yes they need to learn how to cook, how to do their own laundry, how to clean, because the parents aren't gonna be around forever right, and they also hopefully won't be following their student to college, so if they need those skills just like any other person. But on the flip side of that, we understand that for a college student, or college bound student it is normal for them not to have those skills. I think college bound students kind of figure out how to do their own laundry once they show up and they dye a white shirt red for the first time and then they're like, okay maybe I need to figure this out, so that's totally normal but I think yeah, for parents to have that expectation that their students work and most people I know had to have a summer job so they could pay for their gas, pay for their the clothes that they want, or the new phone, or you know what have you, so yeah just having that expectation that their student will go on in transition just like any other visual person, so yeah. Jeff: You brought up a good point about you know, the parents are probably their first advocate that they have coming along in life, and there's comes a point in that transition process where a student has to start considering taking over that advocacy, advocating for themselves, like when they don't get a book on time that they can't always depend on their TBI or disability services, they get to a point where they start to have take responsibility for laundry like you said, all that stuff. Kylee: Yep yep, we have a whole Student Handbook that we go through and it has expectations of you know all the documentation that we need before semester starts, but I think more importantly is taking a step back and saying, okay do you have the skills to actually go to college, do you have you know the advocacy skills, do you have the technology skills, do you have the technology that you actually need, the knowledge of the different apps, you know to get your books online, right now it's Jesse that's working with all of our students, but getting our transition tech involved and they come in for a tech assessment to see what they have right now and what they'll need with both technology and technology training. So I have a student right now we're getting her tech package in but also we're planning for the training that she'll need in preparation for going off to college because surprisingly, her typing skills aren't that great, so that's something she knows she really needs to work on because all of those papers that she's gonna be writing, she's gonna need those skills, yeah super exciting, skills that you'll need right. [Whoosh Sound Effect] Jeff: I've seen reports where like colleges said that people are coming in and they're not prepared, and I've also seen where people come in but they end up being like a week or two behind because they're just trying to use this new technology that they don't understand yet and you have to be able to hit the ground running when you enter college. Kylee: Right yes, I talk a lot about that you know, college is high school times ten, you know you don't have a whole week to learn about one chapter in a book, and then have a test on it maybe a week later, it's like five chapters in one week, so you have, yeah right exactly, you have to be able to hit the ground running. So making sure that they're connected with the disability services at their college and they know the ins and outs of how they ask for accommodations, if they need extra time with test taking, anything like that, knowing how to get all that stuff before they go into college. I talked to my students about how some teachers are fabulous with accommodations and some just don't want to deal with it, or they haven't really had to deal with it in the past, so having those advocacy skills are huge. Jeff: Yeah I always suggested when I went in, I learned right away that, send in an email to each teacher, each professor, six weeks in advance if you get that opportunity, to start setting up that communications, and get that underway, rather than trying to set something, because everyone's busy that first week. Kylee: Definitely yeah. I know when I went off to college for the first time, I was terrified to talk to any of my professors, but you don't have that you know option when you need accommodations, you just have to go for it, and feel you know, be comfortable, or maybe you don't have to be comfortable with it, but you have to be able to at least do it, so yeah having those skills is huge. Jeff: Yeah and it does get more comfortable, and as long as you do get comfortable with it, it just puts it back, you just move forward from there. Kylee: Right exactly. Jeff: What words of advice for someone who is transitioning from high school to college to the workplace? Kylee: I would say make sure that you have all of your technology training down, your orientation and mobility, make sure that you're comfortable with that. I think a lot of students are comfortable in their school settings, so some that have some vision may not even use their cane, but I think it's important when you're out in public especially when you're learning new locations to have those orientation mobility skills down, because yeah you will need them. Advocacy skills as well because you need to be able to talk to your employer and let them know what you need and feel comfortable with that, yeah it's very important. Jeff: Yeah because most colleges aren't that one building school. Kylee: Exactly yep, and a lot of the students that I work with we offer orientation mobility skills, multiple semesters so they can learn their new path, you know each time. After a student's been on campus for a couple of years they pretty much know the layout but, I have no problem each semester bringing in orientation mobility, you, just right away so they feel comfortable with where they're going. Jeff: Well that's great, Kylee how does someone get in contact with State Services for the Blind for the first time? Kylee: The best way to do it is to contact, if you're in the metro to contact our St. Paul office, and they will get you connected with Meredith Larsen, and Meredith does all of our orientation and intakes, and orientation is provided twice a month at different times, so you can come in, learn about all of our services and decide if this is the right program for you. If so then she'll meet with you one-on-one and do an intake and have you sign an application at that point and that kind of, your signing saying yes I'm dedicated to this program, and then from there you'll start working with a counselor. If your you're in the metro it'll be either me or Ashlyn, and if you're in Greater Minnesota there's different counselors out in those areas that also work with our transition youth. Jeff: That's perfect, well Kylee, once again thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to come down to the studios here and sharing with us, believe me it's been a wealth of information, so thank you very much. Kylee: Yep, thank you. Jeff: It was a real pleasure talking to Kylee and be sure to check out the show notes where you can find out how to contact State Services for the Blind, and you can find the summer programs that are listed, and some job opportunities you could have for helping out at the summer programs, and to contact State Services in your state be sure to check out AFB.org where they have resources where you can find the services offered in your state. This podcast is produced in part by State Services for the Blind, live, learn, work, and play. [Music] And a big thanks goes out to Chi Chow for his beautiful music, and that's LChiChow on Twitter. Thank You Chi Chow. Once again, thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed, and until next time, bye-bye. [Music] [Multiple voices] When we share what we see through each other's eyes, we can then begin to bridge the Gap between the limited expectations and the realities of Blind Abilities. For more podcast with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on twitter at BlindAbilities, download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com, thanks for listening.

This week: MN MCA scores, Greater MN cities conference, summer food shelf use, Gophers football preview.

Dorian Grilley, executive director of the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, joins us to talk about the impact biking has in Greater Minnesota. https://www.ruralmn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/RMR-06-21-2017-Bicycling-in-Rural-MN.wav The post Talking bicycle-friendly communities first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

This week: Rep. Walz runs for gov in 2018, sex trafficking in MN, U of M grants for Greater MN students, Twins preview

This week on RuralMN Radio, Jim is joined by Emily Steinmetz, the central MN regional coordinator for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, and Michelle Kylie, of the Initiative Foundation in Little Falls, to talk about the impact of nonprofits in rural areas. Nonprofits exist in just about every town in Greater Minnesota to help people locally, showing that there will always be people willing to rise up and help their communities, says Steinmetz. The impact of nonprofits in Greater MN The post The impact of nonprofits in Greater MN first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

Following up on their discussion of small business development, this week Jim and Tim Penny talk about the shortage of skilled workers in Greater Minnesota, the education community's efforts to help, and the potential for immigrants in today's workforce. Small business development with Tim Penny, part 2 The post Small business development with Tim Penny, part 2 first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

Tim Penny, president of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, joins us this week to talk about small business development and the challenges and opportunities in Greater Minnesota. Small business development with Tim Penny, part 1 The post Small business development with Tim Penny, part 1 first appeared on Center for Rural Policy and Development.

Like many states, Minnesota has a major metro area that generally has higher quality Internet access than non-metro communities. The Greater Minnesota Partnership, a coalition of businesses, chambers, nonprofits, and cities from across the state, have made improving Internet access a major priority in their efforts to influence the state legislature. This week, we talk … Continue reading "Greater Minnesota Partnership Focuses on Non-Metro Need – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 136" ★ Support this podcast ★