12th ANNUAL MARY SANDSTROM MEMORIAL TENNIS TOURNAMENT

12th ANNUAL
MARY SANDSTROM  MEMORIAL TENNIS TOURNAMENT

Join us to compete and play great tennis!  Tennis matches will be at Eagle Ridge, Bovey, LaPrairie, Marble, Grand Rapids, Crystal Springs, Wendigo, and Grussendorf Parks. Everyone is guaranteed 2 matches. There will be a championship and consolation bracket.  Great prizes, trophies, goody bags and lunch provided.
Wednesday, July 13 2011
Boys & Girls 8, 10 and 12 Singles
Thursday, July 14, 2011(Friday, if necessary)
Boys & Girls 14, 16 and 18 Singles, Doubles and Mixed

Entries must be called into Lew Smiley at 218-256-0400.  All entries close at 4:00 pm on Sunday, July 10, 2011.  All players must register and pay fees the morning of the tournament per the following schedule:  
Registration is:
Wednesday, July 13 8:00-8:30 am at Eagle Ridge, Coleraine for 8, 10, 12 year olds & under.
Thursday, July 14 8:00-8:30 am at Eagle Ridge, Coleraine 14, 16 and 18 year olds  for singles, doubles & mixed.
EVENTS to register for: Singles (Boys & Girls) 8 & under, 10 & under, 12 & under, 14 & under, 16 & under, 18 & under
Doubles 15 & under, 18 & under
Mixed Doubles 18 & under

Press Release June 21, 2011
From IASC Community Education
Karen Walker
Marketing Coordinator
IASC Community Education
kwalker@isd318.org
218-327-5799






What’s Happening at the Grand Rapids Area Library June 2011

Check it out @ your Library™

 

Last minute tickets to area attractions.

We just received a few more tickets which must be used by June 13:

Judy Garland/Children's Museum

Minnesota Discovery Center

Great Lakes Aquarium

Historic Union Depot (Duluth)

Split rock Lighthouse

Lake County Historical Society (Two Harbors)  

These passes have been funded with money from the sales tax which dedicated funding to preserve Minnesota's arts and cultural heritage.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, June 7, 7 pm   Watercolor magic

Duane Barnhart will present a program on watercolor painting on. Aspiring and experienced painters will gain insights about the art of watercolor painting as Barnhart, a freelance cartoonist and visual artist, demonstrates and describes watercolor techniques.

Tuesday, June 14, 7 pm  Agates of Lake Superior

Bob and Dan Lynch have written and photographed five books including rock and mineral guides for Lake Superior, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan.  They will share insights gained from their most recent project on Lake Superior Agates.  Learn about geology, minerals and rock collecting!

Tuesday, June 14, 1:00-2:30 Teen Gamefest

Stop in to play tons of board games or Wii.  Snacks!

Wednesday, June 15, 12:00-1:30  Germany Ascendant

Great Decisions Discussion – all welcome!
Germany has emerged from both the financial crisis and the eurozone crisis as the dominant economic and political power in Europe, in particular setting the tone for dealings with Russia, Eastern Europe and Iran. How important is it for U.S, interests to enhance relations with Germany, and how should the U.S. react when German and U.S. interests fail to align? http://www.fpa.org   

Thursday, June 16^th, 1 pm Harp adventures with Christina Cotruvo

            Learn about and play a harp while following the Harp Mouse on His Adventures

 

June 23  6:00 pm   Family Movie Night  Gnomeo and Juliet  

Join us for another in our Family Movie Night series! This month we will present Gnomeo and Juliet on the big screen in the community room. Bring dinner or a snack and join us!

June 27  7:00 pm   In Search of Great Places: Travels Along the Mississippi River

Dean Klinkenberg, author of Mississippi Valley Traveler guidebooks, leads a discussion about travel and finding a sense of place. Dean has traveled in more than 30 countries and learned that that he can satisfy his desire for local foods, culture, and people close to home right along the Mississippi River. Check his web site at: http://mississippivalleytraveler.com

June 28, Make your own Journal

            Join artists from the Creativity Tank to make your own journal.  Please pre-register by calling 326-7640

 

            12:00-2:00  For Teens

            2:30 – 5:00 for kids ages 6-11

 

 June 30, 12:00  David Lien Four Years and Forty-Four Fourteeners

Local adventurer and mountaineer, David Lien, set and achieved a goal to climb forty four 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado's rugged Rocky Mountains during four years in the late 1990's. Four years and three days after climbing his first, Lien climbed his fifty-fourth on Mount Eolus. He has written about his adventures in a book entitled "Four Years and Forty-Four Fourteeners." Lien, originally from Grand Rapids, shares photos and stories from his wilderness adventures.

 

Summer Reading For Everyone!

Novel Destinations
Our adult summer reading program begins June 6 . Pick up a book bingo card and expand your reading horizons! Read something you would not otherwise read. If you are in a book group and would like a Library staff person to do a short talk on free downloadable ebooks and audiobooks available from the library, let us know!
You are Here
Our teen summer reading program also starts June 6.  Read a book, complete a review and enter a drawing each week for fun prizes! Our 2nd Annual Teen Photo Contest begins this week also. Teens can submit photos until July 23rd. Stop at the reference desk for a submission form.
One World Many Stories
Kids (ages 0-14) can sign up for our summer reading program, pick up a reading log, and keep track of their reading. Bring back the completed log and get a free book to keep! Children under age 5 completing the summer reading program are eligible for Baby Steps Coupons.
This week we have a small craft project to pick up and take home to work on. Also be sure to pick up a list of all the fun programs scheduled for the summer.

 

Story times will continue all summer.  Bring the little ones for a fun time.

Saturdays at 10:30  with teachers from ECFE   

Mondays 10:30.    Story Time with Darla

 

Summer Hours until Labor Day:

M-Thurs 9 am – 7 pm, Friday 9 am -5 pm, Sat. 10 am-2 pm

 

Find more upcoming events on our Event Calendar

A direct link to the Library's online event calendar is here.  A link to just the events for children is available by clicking on the "kids" button on the Library's web site.

 

For more details on any of the programs, go to the Library's Web Site: www.grandrapids.lib.mn.us  You can also find a calendar on the left side of the page.   Click on "Calendar" for a link to the complete list of events at the library.

TONIGHT is first friday!!

Please join us and other downtown shops for our very first, FIRST FRIDAY! The following shops are open late TONIGHT until 7:00 for your shopping enjoyment!! something ORIGINAL, inc. MacRostie Art Center Frame Up Lillian's Checkered Past Whispering Woods (NEW, located in the old central school) something ORIGINAL is receiving fresh, new Artist Inventory daily, we hope you'll join us tonight for chocolate & refreshments

  

Bienvenidos Teens and Adults to this Spanish-Speaking Class! - New from 318 Community Ed

(Bienvenidos=welcome)
Gain Spanish Language Skills! Communicate with  Spanish speakers in your community, at work or in your travels. Beginners-Explore the language and the culture and those with previous
Spanish instruction improve and enhance your speaking skills! We'll cover: vocabulary, reading
comprehension and grammar, pronunciation and the basic skills to allow you to communicate
when traveling to a Spanish-speaking country. Please bring a notebook, note cards and a folder.
Gracias!
Class # 318835
Tuesdays ~ 6/21/11 - 7/12/11
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Instructor: Rachel Pierce
Location: ISD 318 Administrative Services Building-Conference Rm 135
Fee: $60.00
Register online www.getlearning.org  or with 318 Community Ed, 327-5730
Registration closes on June 16, 2011.

Tom Saxhaug: End of Session Recap

End of Session Recap

The 2011 Legislative Session ended at midnight on Monday, May 23rd.  On Tuesday, the Governor vetoed the 9 budget bills that were presented in the last week of session.  There was no final budget agreement in the waning hours of the regular session.  Consequently, we will need to have a special session to balance the State Budget or we will end up in a government shutdown.  Governor Dayton moved from his original position of $3.35 billion in new revenue to a mix of $1.8 billion in new revenue and $1.8 billion in cuts.  The $1.8 billion in new revenue will only be generated from the top 2% of income earners in the State.  
The Republican controlled Legislature did not move from its original budget position, refusing to compromise in any way.  Some of the effects of their budget and the reasons that Governor Dayton vetoed the bills include:

• Increasing property taxes on homeowners, renters, and small businesses across the state by more than $1 billion over the next four years.
• Taking health care away from 140,000 Minnesotans, cutting $250 million from programs serving the elderly and disabled, and slashing funding for Minnesota hospitals by over $900 million.
• Cutting special education by $56.5 million.
• Making the biggest cuts to colleges and universities in our state's history – 14% from MnSCU and 19% from the University of Minnesota.
• Cutting funding to the DNR that will result in park closures during the summer, negatively affecting the tourism season that is one of the main economic drivers in our region.

Legislative Accomplishments

Even though the Legislature was unable to reach a compromise with the Governor on a balanced budget, there were important pieces of legislation that were passed in the 2011 session.  Below are the highlights of work accomplished for the citizens of Senate District 3:

• $100,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture to Lake of the Woods County. This is for a feasibility study, site identification and site preparation for a proposed biomass facility.
• Final legislation for the Highway 332 turnback in Koochiching County.  This will help with the county's transportation budget and economic development related to the Foreign Trade Zone near International Falls.
• The Aquatic Invasive Species language was part of the final Environment and Natural Resources Policy bill.  This will go a long ways towards stopping these non native species in their tracks, bringing this issue to the attention of the people of Minnesota, and getting tough on those who won't respect our natural resources.
• Language in the Agriculture bill will allow for counties to make improvements to their fairgrounds.  Aitkin County requested this legislation in order to exchange part of their county agriculture lands with an adjacent landowner.
• The Tax Policy bill which passed the final day of session contained language relating to a Tax Increment Financing shift for the City of Cohasset.  This will enable Cohasset to improve infrastructure related to economic development.

The Regular Session ended without a balanced budget and with fears of a government shutdown.  We sincerely hope it won't come to that and an agreement can be reached in June.

MCN Legislative Session Wrap-Up and Basics of Non-profit Advocacy Workshop

On Wednesday afternoon, June 8th,  Jeannie Fox, MCN's deputy public policy director, will be giving us an update on the Minnesota Legislative session and a primer on Nonprofit Advocacy at the Grand Rapids Area Library.

Legislative Session Wrap-Up

Come meet with other nonprofit leaders in your area to discuss the results of the 2011 legislative session. Jeannie Fox, MCN's deputy public policy director, will report from her role of monitoring and advancing legislative issues related to the nonprofit sector and will give a review of the legislative process and what may remain to be done. We would also love to hear reports of your own organization's issue area if you have been tracking legislation.

Basics of Nonprofit Advocacy

The Session Wrap-Up component will be followed by a brief training on the Basics of Nonprofit Advocacy. Jeannie will answer such questions as:

• Is lobbying legal for nonprofits?

• What does the IRS care about when it comes to nonprofits and advocacy?

• Are there state regulations regarding nonprofits and advocacy?

Agenda:

12:00 – 12:30     Lunch and/or networking – bring a bag lunch if you care to. Coffee and cookies will be provided.

12:30 – 1:30       Session Wrap-Up

1:30 – 3:00         Basics of nonprofit advocacy - training and discussion

Details:

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Noon to 3 p.m.

Grand Rapids Public Library, 140 NE Second St., Grand Rapids

Everyone welcome - no charge – but please let us know you are planning on attending by emailing Mary Streufert at mstreufert@minnesotanonprofits.org or call 218-726-4887.

Saxhaug Capitol Update: Conference Committee Reports nearly completed

Conference Committee Reports nearly completed

As we head into the final week of session, the Legislature is getting closer to presenting its budget to the Governor.  The Senate and House have finalized the majority of their conference committees.  Once those are completed and all the conference committee reports are passed on to the Governor, the Legislature will have its position for final negotiations.  There is still an approximate three billion dollar difference between what the Legislature is proposing and the Governor's budget recommendations.
Northern Minnesota is going to be negatively affected by whatever budget solution is passed.  The Sustainable Forest Incentive Act (SFIA), Local Government Aid (LGA), County Aid programs, Market Value Credit, Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and the Environment and Natural Resources Budget are critical to maintaining our way of life, and the budget being adopted does serious damage to those programs.  Below is a list of the major cuts that we stand to face:

• The SFIA program is repealed in the Omnibus Tax Bill (House File 42) voiding all contracts currently in place.
• PILT is cut 12% in the Omnibus Tax Bill (HF 42) resulting in property tax increases in counties that have public land.
• LGA, County Aid and the Market Value Credits are reduced by almost $487 million in the Omnibus Tax Bill (HF 42) which will result in cuts to essential services like Police and Firefighters for rural communities across the State.
• The cuts to the forestry budget in the Environment and Natural resources Budget Bill (HF 1010) will result in reductions of foresters working for the DNR and 250,000 fewer cords of wood being put up for sale – a 31% reduction to the 4th largest industry in the State.
• The Parks and Trails budget in the Environment and Natural Resources Budget Bill (HF 1010) is cut by $7.3 million.  This will result in DNR staff reductions, closing State Parks and have a negative effect on our tourism industry which creates $11 billion in revenue and almost $700 million in sales tax each year.

With seven days until adjournment of the Regular Session, I am still hopeful that a balanced approach can be reached and some of these cuts can be modified.

Final Issue:

A recap of the final budget solution and the 2011 Regular Legislative Session

Senator Saxhaug greeted the 6th grade students from McGregor Elementary during their visit to the State Capitol