Representative Kristi Pursell has introduced her first piece of legislation into the Minnesota House of Representatives, and true to her
HF1034 would allocate $800,000 over the next two years to re-establish a grant program supporting the formation of Agricultural Co-ops. This was a program that had been established more than twenty years ago, but then was abolished during the Pawlenty administration.
Pursell said she is still doing the research into what an appropriate amount should be for the grants when they are awarded, but, as proposed, recipients can apply for up to $50,000 per co-op.
The bill has strong bi-partisan support. Pursell has asked every member of the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee, of which she is vice-chair, to support the bill, and she succeeded in getting nearly everyone to do so. Representatives John Burkel, Nathan Nelson, and Bobbie Harder all Republican members of the Ag Committee, along with Representative Chris Swedzinski, a Republican and a farmer in Southeast Minnesota, have all signed onto the bill as co-authors.
Pursell said there are many Democrats signed on as well, but she is particularly proud of the support from across the aisle.
“I think the Ag Committee is a place where we can get a lot of bipartisan work done. I tried to get everyone on the committee, but there are still two holdouts. [For now, we have] four or five Republicans and lots of Democrats to revive this grant program, so I’ll have a handful of Republicans and a handful of Democrats as the authors out of the gate.”
The bill has been introduced and had its first reading. It will now be referred to the Ag Committee.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Kristi Pursell can be heard here
Ruth’s House Fundraiser returns to in-person event
Next week Ruth’s House of Hope will present its annual Helping Hearts event. Outreach Coordinator Susan Stout and Han Fuchs Aldrich, a 
member of the Ruth’s House Board, said after two years of virtual events, the organization is very excited to hold a live presentation.
Aldrich said the event will include a dinner program, a dessert auction, a silent auction, and a live auction as well. The theme for the event this year is “Spruce it Up,” and in keeping with that theme, attendees are encouraged to wear their best plaid flannel ensembles. In fact, said Aldrich, the best outfits will win a prize. And while the Northwoods theme lends itself to some fun, she said the phrase was chosen for a reason.
“I’m really excited about the theme this year too, which is Spruce it Up. We picked that because there’s always sprucing up to do around the house, and the shelter is historic, meaning it’s really old. There’s always a lot of things to fix.”
For nearly two decades, Ruth’s house has provided transitional housing and a safe, supportive environment to women in need. More than half of the residents are fleeing a domestic violence situation, and a full 80% of their residents have experienced domestic violence at one point in their lifetime, at least. Residents of Ruth’s House receive shelter, basic food and supplies, and support from a staff that is ready and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Stout said they help their residents go on to receive permanent housing and education as they find ways to lead a better life.
The organization also operates Sarah’s House, in Northfield, which provides a safe and sober living space to women in recovery from addiction. The residents of Sarah’s House work on setting their goals and getting healthy. Case managers help them locate resources, find employment and develop coping skills.
Stout said while the houses fill a need in Rice County, resources are finite, and they can only do so much
“Sarah’s House has been highly successful. We’re full almost all the time, as is Ruth’s House. We’ve been running long waiting lists, unfortunately. I can say that stress in society comes out in the need for crisis, shelter and society is still stressed.”
The Helping Hearts event benefitting both Ruths’s House of Hope and Sarah’s House will be Saturday, February 11th at the American Legion Hall in Faribault. It will begin at 5:30, and tickets can be purchased by visiting their website at ruthshousemn.org.
Hillmann calls retiring Special Services Director Hall an ‘inspiration’
Last week, the Northfield School Board accepted the retirement of Special Services Director Cheryl Hall. 
Hall has served as Northfield’s Director of Special Services since 2015. Before then, she held a split position running special services departments for both the Northfield and Faribault Public School districts.
At the beginning of the Pandemic, in the Spring of 2020, Hall was named the district’s Covid-19 Coordinator as well.
In 2022, Hall was named the Special Education Administrator of the Year by the Minnesota Administrators for Special Education.
Hall began her career in both general and special education teaching roles with Minneapolis Public Schools. She has been a Special Education Substitute Teacher, Special Education Evaluation Specialist, and a Due Process Handbook Editor.
When she was named Special Education Administrator of the Year, Hall was credited for helping to develop the next generation of Special Ed teachers, by encouraging paraprofessionals in the Northfield School district to pursue their teaching license, and she has helped with the placement of no less than 11 new special education teachers.
As the Covid-19 coordinator, she worked with the district’s incident command team, administrators, families, and the school board to develop a strong safe learning plan that allowed Northfield to navigate the first full school year of the pandemic.
Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann said Hall taking on the responsibilities of Covid Coordinator was especially helpful to the district, and particularly selfless since the position did not come with any extra compensation. In fact, Hillmann said, the way she handled the role was inspiring.
“And I just very clearly recall in January of 2021, in the depths of how hard the pandemic was, I thanked her for what she was doing. And she said something I’ll never forget because it is so inspiring to me as a public servant. She just said, ‘You know, Matt, I’m happy that I can serve our community in this way during this time.’”
Director Hall’s retirement will begin at the end of the current school year.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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