COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 36 NO. 42 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
E-CIGS: Scandia considers banning ordinance. PAGE 2
Feedback helps Watershed Plan Learn more at a workshop: Feb. 20 in North Branch or March 2 in Stillwater BY ANGIE HONG CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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Scandia students visit State Capitol While at the Capitol, the students met with Representative Bob Dettmer. “It was a pleasure to meet with you and all of your students, and I sincerely hope that they had a successful and memorable day in Saint Paul,” Dettmer said. “Please be sure to thank all of them making the trip down here to meet with everyone. I look forward to staying in touch in the future.”
‘Lights On’ program means fewer tickets, safer roads MATT ANDERSON EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
The cost of a ticket for a missing a head or taillight is often enough to ruin someone’s day. To others on the road, however, it could mean the difference between life and death. In an attempt to help keep Washington County Roads safe and prevent any financial hardship, Washington County Sheriff’s Department is participating in the non-profit “Lights
On” program that allows officers to give repair vouchers instead of tickets. “For us it’s about making sure that a vehicle on the street is operable and operating safely,” says Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry. “That goes for the driver of that vehicle and for all the other motorists on the road.” Over 36 agencies in Minnesota have participated in this program including the Washington County Sherriff’s Department. Because of
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its non-profit micro grant status, the funds for these vouchers are made available through citizen and corporation donations, meaning that taxpayer dollars would remain unaffected by the vouchers. Washington County Sheriff’s Office is collaborating with three auto shops in its jurisdiction: Lucky Dog Garage in Lakeland, TGK Automotive in Hugo and
Over the past two years, 15 local government partners in Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Pine, and Washington Counties have been working to create a shared watershed plan to guide collaborative work in the Lower St. Croix region for the next 10 years. Known as “One Watershed, One Plan,” the project is part of a statewide initiative, funded by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). Lower St. Croix partners envision a watershed that sustains healthy ecosystems, recreation, public health, tourism, agriculture, the economy, and quality of life in our communities. Key themes emerged during the planning process – public education, support for local farmers, and collaboration across levels of government During the Lower St. Croix “One Watershed” planning process, partners collected input from more than 700 stakeholders, including 440 farmers, 160 community leaders at cities, townships and community organizations, and 32 advisory committee members from local and state government. During workshops, interviews, and surveys, several key themes emerged: • Stakeholders want to see locally led watershed management and collaboration across levels of government and with the public. • Most people view the St. Croix River as our highest priority regional water resource, but think that lakes are very important as well. • Stakeholders expressed a strong desire to protect existing high quality natural resources, in addition to restoring impaired rivers and lakes. • People are concerned about runoff pollution (especially from agricultural areas),
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The Arcola High Bridge
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