Second District Congressman Jason Lewis weighed in on States rights to the use of medical marijuana on last week’s Wayne Eddy Affair. He said, the citizens of Minnesota need to decide what’s appropriate for the citizens, not the federal government. He continued, “if somebody’s dying of cancer and the only relief they get is from medicinal marijuana and the State says we’re gonna say that’s okay, the Federal government’s DEA has no business intervening. And I believe that”. Lewis spoke on several topics, you can listen to the full interview at kymn.net. He was invited to a town hall meeting tonight organized by Cannon Valley Indivisible. They’re a local, grassroots organization inspired by the
Indivisible Guide’s focus on convincing members of Congress to resist President Trump’s agenda. The Town Hall style meeting will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Northfield from 7:30 to 9 o’clock. Lewis told KYMN he will not be attending. He’s held teletown meetings organized by his staff but the Indivisible group says that’s narrow and only gives a select few the opportunity to speak. The “Indivisible guide” appeared online after Trump’s election and lays out a specific plan for people frustrated with the election results including organize a group, research your members of Congress, and then tell them, repeatedly, about your concerns. Lewis suggested to the Strib that some organizers were DFL activists, a characterization denied by those in Cannon Valley Indivisible. CannonValleyIndivisibleResources
https://www.northfieldunitedinlove.org/events/2017/3/14/cannon-valley-indivisible-meeting
https://www.facebook.com/cannonvalleyindivisible/
LWV sponsors Health Care Forum
The League of Women Voters is holding a Health Care Forum Thursday night. President of the LWV Allene Moesler says, “it’s part of our mission to make sure that we have citizens who are informed and educated about issues so this fits right in with helping people understand the reality as opposed to maybe some of the talking points”. Speakers include Healthfinders CEO Charlie Mandile, Northfield Hospital CEO Steve Underdahl, Representative David Bly and St. Olaf Professor of Economics Ashley Hodgson. She commented on the rising costs, “some of it goes down to public health in the U.S. We kind of don’t invest in things until people show up at the hospital in crisis. So the healthcare system is really geared around that crisis level”. Unfortunately, she said, the solutions that have to do with reducing costs are not on the table. Rather the national focus is on who’s going to pay for the high costs. The forum will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church from 7:30 to 9 Thursday evening. The full interview is on kymn.net.
Lotta liquor decisions at Council level this evening
The Northfield City Council will hold a public hearing tonight and are being asked to approve On-sale, Off-sale and Sunday Liquor Licenses for Imminent Brewing, the next microbrewery to open in Northfield sometime in June. Smoqehouse, the new bbq eatery on Division St. is seeking approval to serve wine and beer. Froggy Bottoms is asking to expand their liquor license to include a small portion of outdoor seating next to the Riverwall. The 2017 street reclamation project is also on the agenda. Mayor Pownell and Administrator Martig will be in studio tomorrow morning at 7:20 with a recap.
PEHS Annual Dinner and Auction for the Animals
Prairies Edge Humane Society is holding their annual Dinner and Auction for the Animals on Saturday at the Northfield Ballroom. The silent auction begins at 4pm and there are hundreds of items to bid on. This year’s guest speaker is with B.A.R.T., (Basic Animal Rescue Training), an organization that trains firefighters and other first responders to rescue pets and livestock in emergencies and other disasters. For tickets and more information go to prairiesedgehs.org.
