Nicollet County Ledger January 14, 2023

January 14, 2024 | South Central News & Media

More News Page 3

Courtland Baseball Page 6

Classifieds Page 4

Lower Sioux Tribe Helps Solve Affordable Housing for Itself and Hopes to Do Same for the United States with Innovative Material

Illustration of hemp concrete carbon emissions and sequestration, with a net emissions balance indicating carbon negativity

By Robert Lawson Publisher info@nicolletcountyledger.com The Lower Sioux tribe in Southern Minnesota was recently spotlighted for its work on a robust building material and featured prominently in the tech section of The Cool Down (TCD) newsletter.

The article entitled,

“MINNESOTA TRIBE BUILDS FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND MANUFACTURING FACILITY FOR GAME-CHANGING BUILDING MATERIAL: ‘A NOBRAINER’” provided the following quote about their enterprise from Jennifer Martin, a partner at design

St. Paul, MN - On Wednesday, January 17, State Representative Luke Frederick, (DFL - Mankato), State Representative. Jeff Brand (DFL-St. Peter), and State Senator Nick Frentz (DFL-Mankato) will hold a Town Hall in advance of the 2024 Legislative Session,

which convenes on February 12. Rep. Frederick, Rep. Brand, and Sen. Frentz invite district residents to attend and weigh in on priorities for the session.

The District 18 Town Hall will introduce Rep. Luke Frederick, Rep. Jeff Brand, and Sen. Nick Frentz

Photo by Hanfkalk Ziegel. Hempcrete blocks used in construction in Germany. The Lower Sioux is innovating this type of construction in the United States. and construction company HempStone, who told the Grist outlet: “What the Lower Sioux is doing is the most compelling and forward-thinking thing that’s happening in hempcrete today.”

The article was written by

DISTRICT 18 TOWN HALL MEETING JANUARY 17: Frentz, Brand, Frederick

Susan Elizabeth Turek and published this weekend on Saturday, January 13.

The tribe is working toward introducing a futuristic building material to the United States, with a unique manufacturing facility expected to be finished by

April already. The Lower Sioux are part of the Mdewakanton Band of Dakota. The material they are using is a material called hempcrete. Grist, a climatefocused social justice website, detailed the tribe’s plans for building more homes in their own

community in an article entitled, “The Lower Sioux in Minnesota need homes — so they are building them from hemp”.

“The Indigenous nation will soon have the only facility to create hempcrete in the country,” the article began

CONTINUED ON PAGE

on Wednesday, January 17, 6:30 p.m.

It will take place at Eagle Lake City Hall on 705 Parkway Ave. in Eagle Lake, MN. The announcement by the candidates for the Town Hall meeting was made on January 10.

Former Cathedral High School Teacher in New Ulm Gets Probation After Smoking Weed with Students NEW ULM – A former New Ulm catholic high school teacher received probation for crimes allegedly committed while teaching there.

The teacher allegedly smoked cannabis with several students on a variety of occasions at Cathedral High School, where he worked, charges stated.

Brady P. Waibel, 32, of New Ulm, was charged last year in Brown County District Court with fifth-degree drug possession and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child.

The criminal complaint

showed that New Ulm police officers investigated Waibel after a tip from one of the clergy with the New Ulm Diocese. Waibel allegedly smoked a blunt that he offered to a few students while visiting a river in November 2022. The complaint said the students also smoked with Waibel other times and he always provided free cannabis on those occasions.

A search of his home turned up cannabis/THC in various forms and paraphernalia. He was later arrested there.

Photo by Robert Lawson. Construction at Paddlefish Brewery prior to a grand opening.

Paddlefish Brewing Holds Grand Opening to Packed Crowd of Patrons SAINT PETER – The Paddlefish Brewing Company opened its doors at the Nicollet Plaza building for its grand opening on Wednesday.

There was a line outside the door waiting to go inside and try the establishment’s local beer.

BREAKING NEWS

Nicollet County Ledger P.O. Box 212, Lafayette MN 56054

122nd Year • Number 2 ©2024 Nicollet County Ledger

The brewery is the first in town for more than seven decades.

The microbrewery is owned by Dave Long, Luke Dragseth and Eric Johnson. The brewery is the brainchild of Gustavus Adolphus students Johnson and Dragseth, classmates in the 2020s who decided to put a vision into reality and started

Phone: 507-246-6248 • Fax: 507-228-8779 Website: http://nicolletcountyledger.com/ Email: info@nicolletcountyledger.com

Find us on Facebook: Nicollet County Ledger

planning the brewery, which can seat around 100 people and has a 1,500 square-foot taproom.

A raffle was held that evening as well and Dave Long announced winners hourly. Lager beers had local themes and the decor was CONTINUED ON PAGE Typeset By: Simon and Sons ITES Services Pvt. Ltd. www.simonnsons.com

Page 2

Nicollet County Ledger

Nicollet County

Sunday, January 14, 2024

“ASK A TROOPER” by Sgt. Troy Christianson of the Minnesota State Patrol Question: I have a question about people who are driving for food deliveries and ride-hailing app services using their personal vehicle. Are they supposed to have commercial insurance or any other special type of insurance? Back in the ‘80s, I was working as an owner/operator using my personal vehicle and was told that I needed commercial insurance.

Answer: Minnesota requires that every vehicle on a public road or street has auto insurance. Under most circumstances, a licensed vehicle in the state of Minnesota must have liability, personal injury protection, uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage.

Some vehicles, such as those for commercial use and limousines, have other requirement that are above the minimum standards for a personal vehicle.

Drivers should contact their insurance agent to talk about the proper auto insurance coverage. It is also a good idea to talk to your agent about coverage when renting a vehicle, loaning out your vehicle or borrowing someone else’s vehicle.

The proof of insurance card or electronic format should include: • The insured's name.

• The policy number.

• The policy dates of coverage.

• The make, model, and year of the vehicle being covered.

• The vehicle identification number or at least the last three digits of that number.

• The name of the obligor providing coverage. https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/forms-documents/documents/autoinsuranceinfo.pdf You can avoid a ticket — and a crash — if you simply buckle up, drive at safe speeds, pay attention and always drive sober.

Help us drive Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths.

If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota send your questions to Sgt. Troy Christianson – Minnesota State Patrol at 2900 48th Street NW, Rochester MN 55901-5848. (Or reach him at, Troy.Christianson@state.mn.us)

Attorney General Ellison sues large North Mankato Police respond to scam call involving dairy farm for millions in wage theft threatened kidnapping and harm.

North Mankato, Minn. On Tuesday January 9th, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. North Mankato Police responded to a report of a potential kidnapping.

It was reported to law enforcement that a father had received a phone call while at work from what appeared to be his adult daughter's telephone number.

Upon answering the phone call the person overheard an unfamiliar voice, along with sounds of a female in distress in the background. The caller said that they had kidnapped his daughter and demanded that if they were not paid $1000.00, they would harm her.

The daughter was quickly located at her place of employment and was not in any danger. The daughter's phone number was 'spoofed' by the scammers.

North Mankato Police are investigating the case and are warning the public to be aware of these frightening scams.

More information along with prevention tips and how to respond if you receive a call such as this can be found at Connect Safely: www.connectsafely.org/virtualkidnapping

Minnesota Department of Labor Urges Public to Check if Wages Owed Available from $2M More than 6,700 Minnesota workers are owed more than $2M in back wages recovered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division .

Yet, a significant portion of that money remains unclaimed because some of the workers due back wages cannot be located. In many cases, the employees change jobs or change addresses and cannot be notified of the money due them.

Name changes or an employer’s failure to retain contact information can also make it difficult for us to find employees and put back wages recovered into their hands.

The Wage and Hour Division can only hold unclaimed back wages for three years before we are required to turn it over to the Department of the Treasury. Despite our best efforts, too much of this money remains unclaimed.

In an effort to reach out to more workers and help them claim the money they are owed, the agency has developed an online search tool, Workers Owed Wages (WOW) that allows workers to enter information to find out if we are holding back wages on their behalf. The tool provides a quick and easy way for employees to find out if they are owed money and receive it.

The WOW system is currently available in English and a Spanish. Last year, WHD also updated the WOW website to make it more user-friendly and offer ways to search the database, and we enhanced security.

Both the English and Spanish versions of the website allow workers and their advocates to answer a series of questions to determine if they are owed wages and to easily claim them. If there is money to be distributed, workers will be directed to the WHD office that can help them get their check quickly. Calls can be answered, confidentially, in over 200 languages.

If you would like to conduct an interview with a Department of Labor spokesperson to learn more about the program, please contact us at Allen.scott@dol.gov, or Burke.rhonda@dol.gov. We can conduct interviews in English and Spanish.

For more information on see the Workers Owed Wages link and informational videos.

Arlington Township Man Involved in Minor Crash According to Sibley County Sheriff’s Office

On January 9, around 8:40 a.m., the Sibley County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the area of 441st Ave (CSHA #13) and 176th St in New Auburn Township for a report of a crash.

Deputies later discovered that a 2000 Toyota Corolla driven by Joseph Garcia, 18, of Arlington, had been traveling northbound on 441st Ave. The vehicle crossed over the center line, entered the west road ditch and struck a utility pole. The driver was able to drive away and leave the scene but the vehicle later became disabled due to the damage sustained in the crash. The driver was not injured. Glencoe Police Department and McLeod County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Sibley County Sheriff’s Office.

Arlington Township Man Involved in Minor Crash According to Sibley County Sheriff’s Office The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is preparing to implement a pair of decisions by the Minnesota Legislature that mandated expungement of certain criminal history records, removing them from public view.

The Adult-Use Cannabis Act and the Clean Slated Act Passed last spring by lawmakers identifies what types of records can be seen and by whom. Public data from the criminal history records can be viewed on the BCA’s Criminal History System (CHS) website.

According to the BCA’s analysis, more than 66,000 criminal history records are eligible for automatic expungement under the Adult-Use Cannabis Act. Cannabis-related expungements will begin in mid-2024, and the BCA anticipates Clean Slaterelated expungements will be implemented to meet the January 2025 deadline.

Press Release: January 8, 2024 (SAINT PAUL) – Today, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit in Stearns County District Court against Evergreen Acres Dairy, Evergreen Estates, Morgan Feedlots, and the dairy operations’ owners Keith Schaefer and Megan Hill (collectively “Evergreen”). Attorney General Ellison alleges Evergreen has systematically deprived its vulnerable, low-wage dairy employees of millions of dollars in wages they earned by shaving both regular and overtime hours from workers’ paychecks, not paying wages owed at the beginning and end of workers’ employment, and by unlawfully deducting rent for substandard onsite housing that fails to meet standards of habitability under Minnesota law.

In the lawsuit, Attorney General Ellison estimates that Evergreen owes its employees at least $3 million in earned but unpaid wages.

In the lawsuit, Attorney General Ellison is seeking to stop Evergreen’s unlawful failure to pay its employees all the wages they have earned, stop its violations of Minnesota’s housing habitability standards and tenant protections, and fully remediate the harm its unlawful practices have caused to its employees, including by restituting employees’ earned and unpaid wages. The lawsuit also asks for liquidated damages, civil penalties, costs, and attorney’s fees.

“Every worker deserves to take home every dollar they earn and live with dignity, safety, and respect. That Evergreen systemically and deliberately deprived its employees’ of all the wages they have earned is a shock to the conscience, and the conditions under which its employees live are abhorrent and illegal,” said Attorney General Ellison. “My office will fight to make sure the hardworking people who put food on our tables can afford to feed their own families and live in safe housing. We will also fight to make sure that businesses who play by the rules are not unfairly undercut by those who unlawfully exploit vulnerable workers and tenants.”

Evergreen has employed hundreds of people over the last 3 years — who work long and demanding hours under dangerous conditions — at its facilities in Stearns and Redwood counties. Many of them are unauthorized workers from Mexico who speak limited or no English. Attorney General Ellison alleges that Evergreen has exploited the vulnerabilities of its workforce to withhold earned wages from its employees, who work demanding 12-hour shifts at least six days per week.

The lawsuit alleges that Evergreen has done so by systematically underreporting the number of hours that employees work on their paystubs, often shaving off 12 to 32 hours from each two-week pay period and depriving employees of both regular wages and overtime premiums owed. Evergreen has also allegedly failed to pay workers’ wages by refusing to pay employees for time worked at the beginning and end of their employment. Attorney General Ellison further alleges Evergreen attempted to cover up its illegal practices by refusing to document most of its employment practices in writing, which is against the law; failing to provide employees with written information about how they are paid, which is also required by law; falsifying paystubs; and even destroying the timecards that they are required to keep by law that would show how many hours its employees actually worked.

Evergreen also acts as a landlord, making unauthorized deductions from its employees’ paychecks for the substandard housing it leases to them. The suit alleges that Evergreen’s employee housing violates Minnesota’s most basic health and safety standards. For example, some workers live in windowless “bedrooms” with plywood walls, unfinished electrical sockets, and only space heaters for warmth. Some employees live in housing with no onsite toilet. Other workers have lived in garages, haphazardly converted barns, and other buildings not fit for human habitation. Most of this rental housing appears to have severe insect infestations, pervasive microbial growth, and other health and safety issues. Click here to view photos of the substandard housing Evergreen provides to employees.

Evergreen also allegedly violates Minnesota law by subjecting its employee-tenants to frequent violations of their privacy rights by conducting unannounced inspections of employee housing, including bedrooms. As alleged in the lawsuit, Evergreen’s employee-tenants did not even have the choice of which housing they lived in, often being moved to different properties arbitrarily at Evergreen’s whims. When Evergreen fires employees or employees quit, Evergreen frequently forces employee-tenants from their homes without notice and withholds their final paychecks.

Evergreen reportedly cultivated a workplace culture of fear, violence, and intimidation, and discouraged workers from complaining about their pay and housing through threats of violence and threats to call the police. For example, when one employee was injured on the job and unable to work, Evergreen owner Keith Schaefer allegedly grabbed that employee by the neck, pushed them into a wall, and told them that they would be evicted from Evergreen housing in 10 minutes if they did not return to work immediately. Despite these brazen attempts by Evergreen to silence their employees, dozens of workers have come forward to speak out against these employment and housing violations.

“I want to thank the courageous workers who came forward, despite Evergreen’s threats, to help our Office hold Evergreen accountable for its numerous violations of the law. Without them, this action would not have been possible,” Attorney General Ellison added.

Filing a complaint as a worker Workers with concerns or complaints about systematic violations of state and federal wage laws can contact the Attorney General’s Office through its online complaint form (available in Spanish or English) or by calling (651) 296-3353 (Metro area) or (800) 657-3787 (Greater Minnesota). Spanish-speaking agents of the Attorney General’s Office are available.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Deferred Action Policy When a government agency enforces labor laws against an employer who employs undocumented workers, the government agency can request that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant deferred action to affected workers so that the workers can participate in the investigation and lawsuit without fear of retaliation related to immigration status.

As DHS says, doing so “directly increases the ability of labor and employment agencies to more fully investigate worksite violations and support them in fulfilling their mission and holding abusive employers accountable, which protects all U.S. workers.”

The AGO has made that request in this case, and workers who are interested in seeking deferred action can review the AGO's publication on the DHS policy (available in English and Spanish). Workers with questions on this policy should contact the AGO and a qualified immigration attorney.

Evergreen workers can find more information about the Attorney General’s enforcement action, housing resources, and deferred action here (available in English and Spanish) and are encouraged to contact investigators David Pegg (651-2782276; David.pegg@ag.state.mn.us) and Maria Minvielle (651-300-7524; maria.minviellemontes@ag.state.mn.us).

Sunday, January 14, 2023

Nicollet County Ledger

Page 3

Man Arrested in North Mankato After 2-Hour Incident at His Home Police Say NORTH MANKATO – A man was arrested a second time in North Mankato in recent months on serious charges after an incident in North Mankato. According to a news release from North Mankato police, Ness had multiple felony warrants and was involved in a two-hour negotiation scene with police in North Mankato, Wednesday evening, before being arrested. Officers saw Ness traveling on foot before fleeing in his automobile, where he reportedly may have driven home to the 500 block of Range Street. Officers reportedly had the home surrounded from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Ness faces charges of felony fleeing in a motor vehicle and felony possession of a controlled substance.The charges from the warrant included felony counts of threats of violence and violating a restraining order. Ness awaits a court date in Nicollet County District Court and is currently in custody at the Nicollet County Jail.

Ness was previously arrested just months ago on several criminal charges, according to a City of North Mankato press release posted to Instagram: News Release September 12, 2023 A criminal complaint filed in Nicollet County District Court charges Cody Bleu Ness, age 41, of North Mankato, with three (3) criminal counts for a theft that occurred on the 300 block of Page Ave. on August 27th.

Ness was charged with: 1 count of gross misdemeanor theft 1 count of gross misdemeanor receiving stolen property 1 count of misdemeanor tampering with a motor vehicle

Local Student Educational Achievements Announced UW-Madison announces fall Dean's List MADISON, Wis. (January 9, 2024) - The University of Wisconsin-Madison has recognized students named to the Dean's List for the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Students who achieve at a high level academically are recognized by the dean at the close of each semester. To be eligible for the Dean's List, students must complete a minimum of 12 graded degree credits in that semester. Each university school or college sets its own GPA requirements for students to be eligible to receive the distinction.

To view an online listing, visit registrar.wisc.edu/deanslist. Use the data display dashboard to find students from your circulation area who have received this honor. For questions or concerns about eligibility, please contact deanslist-registrar@em.wisc.edu HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, COLLEGE, AWARD Courtland, MN Livi Marth, School of Education, Dean's List North Mankato, MN Rachel Anderson, School of Education, Dean's List Madison Cesafsky, School of Human Ecology, Dean's Honor List Emily Fitterer, School of Human Ecology, Dean's Honor List Saint Peter, MN Sophia Grigsby, College of Letters and Science, Dean's List Ellinore Letts, College of Engineering, Dean's Honor List

Trump to Lead Iowa Caucus as Republican Frontrunner

Morningside University announces fall 2023 Dean's List SIOUX CITY, Iowa (January 10, 2024) - Morningside University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Chris Spicer announced the 432 students named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester of the 2023-24 academic year.

The Dean’s List recognizes Morningside students who achieve a 3.67-grade point average or better and complete at least 12 credits of coursework with no grade below a “C-.” Students that achieved a 4.0-grade point average are denoted with an asterisk (*).

The names listed in this release are of Morningside students in the surrounding area. To view the complete release online and see other Morningside news, visit morningside.edu/news.

Morningside University is a private four-year liberal arts university with a beautiful 69-acre campus located in a safe and residential area in Sioux City, Iowa. Morningside's educational programming is designed to meet the needs of undergraduate, postundergraduate, and graduate students in an increasingly fast-paced world with over 65 majors and pre-professional programs, online graduate programs in education and nursing, and online bachelor's degree completion programs. Learn more at morningside.edu.

HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME North Mankato, MN Jackson Froderman Iowa State honors fall graduates AMES, Iowa (January 12, 2024) - More than 1,700 graduates received degrees from Iowa State University this fall. Graduate and undergraduate ceremonies were held Dec. 15-16 at Hilton Coliseum.

Of the 1,705 students who graduated this semester, a total of 1,742 degrees were awarded (1,431 undergraduate, 311 graduate) with some students earning multiple degrees.

Following are graduates from your area: HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, DEGREE (if listed), MAJOR(S), HONORS (if listed) Naperville, IL Charles Hanneman, Bachelor of Science, Psychology, Summa Cum Laude

DES MOINES, IA (LMP News Service) - The former President of the United States, Donald Trump seems to be an unstoppable force, maintaining a solid lead in the polls in the run up to the Iowa Caucus and took first place in an important poll this week amidst freezing temperatures and scandals such as criminal indictments and civil cases against him.

According to reports, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis lag just behind Trump in the final Des Moines Register/Mediacom/NBC News poll of likely Republican caucus goers.

That data was released Saturday evening. The Iowa Caucus will begin Monday.

Trump: 48% Haley: 20% DeSantis: 16% Vivek Ramaswamy: 8% On Wednesday, Trump participated in a Town Hall event, where he met members of the audience and discussed his plans and goals, beliefs and opinions on important matters facing the republic in 2024. The town hall was sponsored by Fox News.

According to their reporting, a Suffolk University poll also put Haley ahead of DeSantis this past week.

Chris Christie recently dropped out of the race entirely, as many outlets reported. Joe Biden is expected not to run in the 2024 election for the Democrat party.

In Southern Minnesota, Governor Walz Discusses Progress to Expand Broadband Access Across the State

[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today visited BevComm, a broadband provider in Blue Earth, to discuss the state’s progress to expand broadband access across the state. Over the last year, the state has provided enough funding to expand broadband to 46,000 Minnesota homes and businesses that didn’t previously have access.

Photos from the event are attached.

“The momentum behind our work to expand high-speed broadband access across the state is connecting more Minnesotans to their jobs, their businesses, their health care, and their friends and family,” said Governor Walz. “We’re helping our network of providers expand this critical infrastructure to thousands of homes and businesses, improving quality of life for Minnesotans, making businesses more competitive, and connecting folks to critical services.”

The state has been making consistent progress to expand high-speed broadband to all Minnesotans. In December 2022, Governor Walz announced $100 million for 61 projects to expand broadband to 33,000 Minnesota homes and businesses in 48 counties. In June 2023, the Governor announced $67 million for 30 projects to expand broadband to 13,100 Minnesota homes and businesses in 26 counties. That announcement came after the Governor signed an additional $100 million into law to expand high-speed broadband.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will award another $50 million in broadband grants in February.

Pictured above is the Nicollet Raiders High School B Squad Boys Basketball Team playing a game against Madelia’s Blackhawks on January 4.

Nicollet Raiders High School Boys Basketball Team Defeated by Madelia and GHEC

NICOLLET – Nicollet High School Boys Basketball team was defeated by Madelia.

Nicollet: 52 Madelia:70. That was the final score of the game. Here are the stats for individual Raiders player highlights from that game: Conner Martens 14, Henry Kenedy 7, Wesley Hoffman 7, Henry Oscarson 5, Gavin Bode 5 Nicollet (0-9) played Granada-Huntley-East Chain High School Jaguars (GHEC). GHEC also defeated the Nicollet High School Raiders 67 to 42.

Submit sports news/photos to info@nicolletcountyledger.com

Sunday, January 14, 2023

Page 4

Nicollet County Ledger

Like us on Facebook.com/NicolletCountyLedger

Sunday, January 14, 2023

Nicollet County Ledger

Page 5

Minnesota Secretary of State Holds First Elections Security Training of 2024

CAMP RIPLEY, MN – Election officials from across Minnesota gathered with state and federal partners at Camp Ripley in Morrison County to train on how to respond to emergency scenarios that could impact election administration - including cyberattacks, disinformation schemes, physical security threats, and weather emergencies.

“Rapidly advancing technology that can be used by bad actors to spread disinformation or launch sophisticated cyberattacks is changing the way we think about elections security,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. “Elections are a team sport and trainings like this allow us to reflect on our roles and how each of us can strengthen our partnerships to prepare for the future.”

A total of 152 attendees with 50 counties were represented at the half-day election security tabletop training exercise on January 10, 2024. Attendees worked together to respond to each scenario, reviewing and updating emergency plans.

In addition to testing and updating emergency response plans, the training also ensures open lines of communication between agencies and creates stronger relationships to improve standard practices.

“Within one election cycle, we’ve seen the creation and rise of chatbots and deepfakes powered by artificial intelligence,” said Bill Ekblad, Election Security Navigator for the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. “This event highlights the need for all partners in elections to continuously evaluate their plans.”

This training was the first in 2024, as administrators prepare for three statewide elections, including the Presidential General Election in November. It was facilitated by the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of the Department of Homeland Security.

“CISA is proud to support state and local election officials in Minnesota and around the country as they work tirelessly to ensure the security and integrity of our electoral process,” said CISA’s Senior Election Security Advisor Cait Conley. “The scope and scale of participation in yesterday’s tabletop exercise highlighted the incredible commitment and professionalism of Minnesota election officials and the numerous offices across the state who support and enable the safe and secure conduct of Minnesota elections. This exercise is an example of the training and preparation against the range of cyber, physical, and foreign influence operation and disinformation threats that are critical to ensuring the security and resilience of 2024 elections.”

Representatives from the Minnesota Fusion Center, the Office of Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota IT Services, the Minnesota National Guard, the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were also in attendance.

Gas Price Difference Between Saint Peter and Mankato Hot Topic Gas prices were all over the news last week when the Mankato Free Press reported that gas stations in the city of Saint Peter were around 40 cents cheaper than in Mankato. KTOE interviewed the Saint Peter City Adminnastrator Todd Prafke and asked why Saint Peter’s gas prices are so much lower than Mankato’s. Prafke replied that he did not know or understand the economics behind those decisions while on the air. Highway 169 between the Twin Cities and Mankato has had an average of more than 150,000 daily drivers according to a traffic study completed by the City of Saint Peter some years ago and was discussed at a city council meeting. That amount of traffic could certainly factor in to decisions for price competition, but it is mere speculation as no data is provided by any of the businesses within the supply chain and local retail.

For now, drivers that are commuting can fill up cheaper in the city of Saint Peter before arriving or departing from either the Twin Cities or Mankato.

Paddlefish Brewery in Saint Peter Grand Opening From 1

rustic and outdoorsy. A food truck was also part of the evening. Pets are also welcome. The brewery will soon be introducing pale ales and other options from an expanded menu, including seasonal options. They offered a handful of brews at the grand opening event.

Minnesota’s Lower Sioux Tribe Continued From Page 1

stating. It was written in November 2023 by Judith Matloff.

The tribe is currently constructing a 20,000-square-foot campus. The tribe hopes the facility will help it regain more sovereignty as well as provide housing construction in a country facing housing shortages for millions of people. The material is made from lime, water, and hemp.

The facility is the first of its kind. It’s not just involved in manufacturing the hempcreate material only. It is also involved in growth of hemp, the production of hempcrete, and construction of houses all in one facility. The tribal council president is Robert Larsen, who said the tribe needs to build to meet capacity needs in their own community and prove the enterprise can be an income stream.

The greater Mdewakanton Sioux tribe is no stranger to enterprise. They operate one of the top two largest tribal owned casinos in the entire country, located between Prior Lake and Shakopee - Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel. They also operate Little Six Casino and several other non-gambling related enterprises. The tribe has been known to contribute to projects outside its own community as well, helping to contribute to and construct projects in Shakopee and other parts of Minnesota. Traditional construction materials like wood and concrete comprise around eight percent of carbon pollution in the world, while cultivating hemp can reduce these figures, according to several studies. The plant can absorb carbon at least two times more effectively than trees. It also provides weatherization for homes in every season. The International Renewable Energy Agency noted that current heating and cooling needs account for more than 40% of global carbon pollution. Solar will also be utilized at a storage greenhouse, adding more sustainability to the project.

Like us on Facebook.com/NicolletCountyLedger

NEW CLASSIFIED AD RATES FOR 2023 info@nicolletcountyledger.com

Starting at $15 per week info@nicolletcountyledger.com

Page 6

Nicollet County Ledger

Sunday, January 14, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

RICHARD PAINTER CONSIDERS RUN FOR CONGRESS: SAYS PUBLIC FED UP WITH CORRUPTION

“If the Democrats do not clean their house of corruption and servitude to wealthy contributors, they will lose this next election“, warned University of Minnesota Law Professor Richard Painter during an interview this afternoon with Chad Hartman on WCCO Radio in Minneapolis. In a surprise announcement, Painter revealed he is exploring a run for the DFL nomination to replace departing Congressman Dean Phillips in the Third Congressional District.

“The Republican Party has abandoned democracy in our country, sadly, by following Donald Trump,” said Painter who served as the White House Chief Ethics Adviser under President George W, Bush from 2005 -2007, and has become a noted national spokesperson on ethics and honesty in government. “The Democratic Farmer Labor Party offers hope for advancing democracy in this state and country, but we need to clean corruption out of both political parties,” said Painter.

Citing a study by the Pew Research Center that found that less than 15% of Americans have trust in their government “most of the time“, Painter declared that, “Our elected officials are destroying the middle class which stabilizes our democracy by exchanging public policy for campaign contributions and then are surprised that the public doesn’t trust them.“ “Both parties are totally involved in this on the national and state levels and everyone, including the media, has ignored all the studies and warnings and now it must be up to the people to “throw the rascals out“, Painter declared. “Term limits are a must - an absolute must“, said Painter.

Painter noted that state government in Minnesota was warned of the special treatment afforded wealthy donors in a study published in May of 2021 by the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Policy at the University of Minnesota. “They even reported that the monied interests were given the opportunity to ‘shape’ legislation. This is influence peddling,” charged Painter who called the practice corrupt. According to the study, during the 2020 legislative elections the four party caucuses in the Minnesota Legislature raised over $26.5 million or $130,000 per incumbent.

During his interview with Hartman, Painter pointed to the 2010 Supreme Court Citizens United decision as the culprit by allowing foreign and domestic corporate monies to flow into political campaigns to gain considerable power. Painter suggests the lure of money has led to undue influence including caucus bullying, a pro mining candidate running against an incumbent colleague who favored better protection of the state’s healthy water, and a lack of legislative action to address the ongoing concern over clean, safe drinking water. Painter was very critical of PolyMet Mining, Glencore and Twin Metals during the interview, companies interested in mining copper nickel and other metals in northern Minnesota, particularly near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. “These special interests are destroying our democracy and will destroy our environment,” said Painter. “Clean water is this state’s most valuable asset. We are the land of 10,000 lakes. Do we want 10,000 polluted lakes? Sulfide mining will make the waterways of this state look like the hair dye used by the former president of the United States.”

Painter observed these mining giants have corrupted the Minnesota legislature just like governments around the world, suggesting that the only thing of value a legislature has is public policy. “The selling of influence over that policy destroys democracy which is precisely what both parties are doing,” he said.

“My campaign will be a people’s campaign,” said Painter, promising that it will be an American agenda that is open and welcoming.

Painter did comment about one of the already announced candidates for the seat Dean Phillips is vacating. He charged that Senator Kelly Morrison, the Assistant Majority Leader in the State Senate, will have to explain the corruption in the state legislature and why sending her to Washington is good for the people. “I look forward to plenty of debates.”

831 Main Ave., P.O. Box 154 Lafayette, MN 56054