Cheers to all who visited our “Pastries for Parents and Pals” in March and also to grandparents who visited for lunch in April. The children were so excited.

West Elementary School kitchen staff
Hutchinson

Cheers to the gentleman who helped us unload our “freight” during our garage sale Friday, May 2, on Connecticut Street. We did not get your name and wanted to say thank you again. It was very much appreciated!

Mike and Wendy Sonnek
Hutchinson

Doug Peterson
President, Minnesota Farmers Union, Madison

In a world of finger pointing, farmers have had to shoulder the blame for the increased costs of food, when in reality, the facts point to other influences that contribute to the rising costs. I would like to share some statistics with you:
• The biofuels industry is reducing gas prices by 15 percent per gallon today. So, if the cost of gas is currently $3.39 per gallon, it would be up to $3.89 today without the use of biofuels;

• The average food item travels more than 1,500 miles before reaching the final consumer;

By Ronald K.L. Collins
First Amendment scholar

Venture down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol and you will see a 74-foot marble tablet affixed to the Newseum, which opens today. On that stone tablet are the 45 words of the First Amendment. It took more than two centuries to bring that public-service message to our nation’s capitol in a bold way. Now, at long last, the message is there for everyone to see and reflect upon the meaning of the five freedoms — freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.

Alvin Bertram loves the feel of the open road, but one thing really irritates him when he rides his motorcycle.

“The thing that gets me worked-up the fastest is when motorists tailgate us,” said the owner of Fun Sports of Hutchinson.

Motorcyclists have good reason to be worried about tailgaters. They are more likely to become the victim of a rear-end collision if they have to brake quickly.

“The bottom line is we can stop in half the distance that a car can,” Mr. Bertram said. “Most drivers don’t understand how quickly motorcycles can stop.”

Van Karg has attended numerous state conventions in his 24 years as a member of the Disabled American Veterans, but he was caught off guard at this year’s gathering in Rochester May 2.

That was when he was named the state Adjutant of the Year. In the DAV, an adjutant is a chapter’s secretary and treasurer, charged with keeping meeting minutes as well as correspondence between chapters, members and with the department.

ST. PAUL (AP) — The proposed Big Stone II power plant suffered a major setback Friday when two administrative law judges recommended against allowing transmission lines from the plant to be built across west-central Minnesota.

If the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission accepts that recommendation, the project could be doomed, said Dan Sharp, a spokesman for the five utilities that are seeking to build the plant.

“The transmission lines are critical and unless we can build the transmission lines in Minnesota, the project can’t go,” Sharp said.

April marked the first month since August 2007 that the Hutchinson Building Department issued more than one housing permit in a month. Permits for four units, with an estimated construction value of $495,000, were issued last month.

If you are in the approximately 25 percent of Minnesotans still getting television program through a roof antenna connected to a television with an analog tuner, you could be looking at a blank screen on Feb. 18, 2009.

Congress has mandated Feb. 17, 2009, as last day for the full-power television stations to broadcast in analog. After that, over-the-air TV broadcasts will only be in digital.

Streets projects involving a roundabout and frost boils are parked on the agenda of the Hutchinson City Council’s meeting Tuesday night, May 13.

City Engineer Kent Exner will present information on the upcoming construction of a roundabout at the State Highway 15/North High Drive intersection. The council will have a public hearing on the project, but the Minnesota Department of Transportation is actually administering the work and is expected to open bids Friday.

His candidacy was at one time something of an afterthought in the eyes of most Minnesotans and political observers, but Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is now viewed as something of a second-coming of another college professor-turned-politician: Paul Wellstone. He didn’t run from the comparison Thursday during a two-hour stop in Hutchinson.

Entries are now open for the 2008 Region 7 Youth Dairy Show set for Monday, June 16, at the McLeod County Fairgrounds in Hutchinson. The Youth Dairy Show is open to exhibitors between the ages of 8 and 21 years old the day of the show.

Entries can be made in both grade and registered divisions for the following breeds: Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey, milking shorthorn, red and white, and crossbred. Purebred Dairy Cows Association class definitions and Code of Ethics will be in effect for this show.

A 31-year-old Stewart woman was arrested Wednesday, May 7, following the execution of a search warrant at her home in the 300 block of Mowbray Street in Stewart.

Rhonda Marie Bombeck has been charged by McLeod County Attorney Mike Junge’s office with second-degree controlled substance crime, possession of substances to manufacture methamphetamine and storing meth paraphernalia in the presence of a child.

Ervin Bedner, 86, of Hutchinson, formerly of Eagle Bend, died Friday, May 9, at Hutchinson Community Hospital.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Monday, May 12, at the Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel in Hutchinson.

A gathering of family and friends will be one hour prior to the services Monday at the funeral chapel. A luncheon will follow the memorial service at the funeral chapel.

A second memorial service will be 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, at Eagle Bend United Methodist Church in Eagle Bend. Interment will be in Hope Cemetery in Eagle Bend.

Linda Anderson, 63, of Litchfield, wife of David Anderson, died Thursday, May 8, at her home.

Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at First Lutheran Church in Litchfield with interment in the Forest City Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, at First Lutheran Church and will continue one hour prior to the service Thursday at the church.

Memorials are preferred to Flowers of Mercy, Queen for a Day, Hospice, and ConnectCare for musical intervention.

Kelly Paul Peterson, 40, of Kimball, the last of three defendants convicted of distributing the highly addictive and dangerous drug methamphetamine, also known as meth, was sentenced May 5.

Peterson was sentenced in Minneapolis by United States District Court Judge Donovan Frank to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release on one count of aiding and abetting distribution of meth.

From Rick D. Shackelford
Head Boys and Girls Track Coach
Renville County West High School

I would like to thank Leader Sports Editor Eric Kraushar for his kind words in his online blog about the loss of Al Handahl. Eric knew him for about a year and it was easy to read the impression Al had made on him. The kids at Renville County West have known Al their entire lives and I have known him for close to 20 years, so you can imagine the imprint he has made on our lives.

From Mayor Steve Cook
Hutchinson

Because of the importance of Local Government Aid to Hutchinson and many other cities in Minnesota, a few comments that have been made recently in letters to the editor in the Leader should be addressed. First, the LGA program replaced several other aid programs and was designed to provide tax base equalization so all Minnesota cities could provide basic levels of services at a reasonable tax rate.

From Shelly Grorud and Tari Niemeyer
McLeod County Thrive Action Team Coordinators Hutchinson

Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is today, May 8.

Research shows that there have been rising numbers of children birth to 5 years old who are experiencing mental health concerns. You may be asking, “So, what is early childhood mental health?”
Early childhood mental health is synonymous with healthy social and emotional development. Mental health in children can be explained by the child’s ability to:

• Self-regulate and express emotions appropriately.

From Edwin Engelmann
Franklin

I live in rural Minnesota. I am a Veteran of the U.S. Navy Submarine Service, an ongoing patient at Veterans Hospital for service-connected disabilities, a father and grandfather.

I am also on the board of directors for the Aurora Borealis chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws of Minnesota.

Sunday is Mother’s Day, a day when we honor mothers of all kinds. In Minnesota, we might jest that moms come in two distinct groups: anglers and non-anglers. Most moms belong to the latter group.

But even moms who are crazy about fishing aren’t all that crazy about Mother’s Day falling on the same weekend as the state’s walleye opener. This year, a Minnesota outdoorsman who also happens to be a state senator tried to move the state’s walleye opener to the weekend before Mother’s Day.

The vast majority of municipally owned liquors stores in Minnesota are in the smaller towns and cities of Greater Minnesota. So it is not unusual that 40 of the 44 stores listed in a recent state auditor’s report as losing money in 2006 were Greater Minnesota city-owned liquor stores.

A declining customer base and hard economic times are making it difficult for small-town municipals to survive. Overall, seven cities got out of the liquor-selling business in 2006, even while total sales increased for a record 11th consecutive year to $281.2 million.

On command, Prancer and Shuba step forward in well-practiced unison until a firm “whoa” brings them to a halt. Another single command sends them stepping backward to their original starting point.

Standing 15 feet away, owner Jim Dostal watches with pride as his 22-year-old draft horses complete the task. He isn’t even in the seat, or at the reins, of the manure spreader they are hitched to at his Hutchinson Township farm.

By Brian McNeill, University of Minnesota Extension

The countdown has begun and summertime is just around the corner. Are you ready? This is a great time to start to budget and plan for the kind of summer you want for your children.

Research indicates that children unsupervised after school are at significantly higher risk of truancy, stress, receiving poor grades, early experimentation with sex and substance abuse. If this is what research says about after-school time, imagine what the summer hours could bring.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services has approved sending more than $12.9 in federal money to various agricultural producers in Minnesota’s Seventh District through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

By Krishona Martinson, University of Minnesota Extension

Moisture content of hay at time of baling is the single biggest hay fire risk factor. Since 2000, there have been over 900 livestock and poultry barn fires in Minnesota, resulting in over $26 million in damages (Minnesota Fire Incident Reporting System). Although not specifically tracked by MFIRS, some of these fires have been caused by spontaneous combustion of hay that was baled too wet.

University of Minnesota Extension and the Working Family Resource Center are offering an online training for parents from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21. “We Agree: Creating a Parenting Plan” is a workshop for parents who care for their children in separate homes.

When families change through separation, divorce, remarriage or a paternity action, a whole new set of challenges arises for parents and their children. Decisions need to be made about where children will live, how parents will share parenting time, rules, activities, education and many other elements of daily care.

The annual meeting of the McLeod Emergency Food Shelf will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday, May 16, in the community room of the library building, 719 13th St. E., Glencoe. The report of the general business of the year will be given with election of the Board of Directors taking place.

The meeting is open to the public. For more information, or if interested in serving on the Board of Directors, call the McLeod Emergency Food Shelf at (320) 864-2088.

Orin Lavern Schiro, 78, of Lester Prairie, died Saturday, May 3, at Presbyterian Home in Spring Lake Park.

Funeral services will be at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Hutchinson. Interment will follow at Oakland Cemetery in Hutchinson.

A visitation will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at the church.

The Chilson Funeral Home in Winsted is serving the family.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has again proclaimed the month of May as "Hire A Veteran Month" as part of his ongoing efforts to make Minnesota the most veteran-friendly state in America.

Minnesota supports the national "Hire Vets First" campaign, which honors America 's military veterans by helping employers and veterans make the best use of a national network of employment resources.