This month's Your Police Report, a cable TV program produced by the Maplewood Police Department, includes an interview with Maplewood's new mayor, Will Rossbach. This program is in the schedule of broadcasts on the city's cable channel 16 (for example, at 3:00 PM on Monday, Feb. 8th, if you want to program your DVR). You can also view the current episode of Your Police Report on the GTN website.

Labels: media, public safety

Posted by John Nephew at 2/08/2010 08:25:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

We received some good news from the legislature late this past week: The bonding bills in both the House and Senate include the East Metro Fire Training Facility with the full $3 million requested by the city and our partners (which would be matched by $3 million in local contributions). I'm told that the Senate will be voting on the bonding bill this coming week, and the House the week after.

Unfortunately, the facility is not included in the governor's bill, which as the media has widely reported is considerably smaller than what the legislature proposes. I hope that Governor Pawlenty will recognize the importance of this proposed facility, and its value in terms of shared services, increasing government efficiency, as well as improving public safety.

Labels: public safety

Posted by John Nephew at 2/07/2010 08:53:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Maplewood City Council gets a lot of ink in this week's Maplewood Review. You can read the articles online about Julie Wasiluk's temporary council appointment, the passing of the sign ordinance (minus two sections for further study and discussion), and the final passage of the amended recreational fire ordinance.

Labels: council politics, environment, media

Posted by John Nephew at 2/06/2010 12:03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 6th) is the monthly Citizens Forum in the Maplewood Room at City Hall from 10:00 AM to Noon. I will be hosting the event, and the featured department or theme is Community/Economic Development. City Manager Antonen will be on hand, as well as Dewey Konewko, the city's Director of Community and Parks Development. Everyone is welcome to attend, so please stop in for a cup of coffee, say hello, and share your thoughts on city-related matters!

Labels: events

Posted by John Nephew at 2/05/2010 07:45:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Tomorrow, February 2nd, is precinct caucus day for the major political parties in Minnesota. Caucuses are a great way to meet your neighbors and get involved in politics at the grassroots level.

You can get a primer about precinct caucuses on the League of Women Voters website, or the FAQ on the Minnesota Secretary of State's site. The Secretary of State also offers a caucus finder.

If you live in Maplewood, these are the caucus locations tomorrow night, depending on your political party of choice:

Constitution Party:
The Miracle Centre Church
125 21st Avenue S
South Saint Paul MN

Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party:
North High School
2520 E. 12th Avenue
North St Paul MN 55109

Green Party:
White Bear Lake City Hall, upstairs meeting room
4701 Highway 61
White Bear Lake MN 55110

Independence Party:
Mahtomedi District Center
1520 Mahtomedi Ave.
Mahtomedi MN 55115

In addition to the "in person" caucuses, the Independence Party is holding an online caucus (see their website for more information).

Republican Party:
For House District 55A (Maplewood Precincts 1-11):
John Glenn Middle School
1560 County Road B E
Maplewood MN 55109-3609

For House District 55B (Maplewood Precincts 12-16):
Tartan High School
828 Greenway Ave. N
Oakdale MN 55128

Labels: campaign 2010, events

Posted by John Nephew at 2/01/2010 11:19:00 AM | Permalink | Comments