The Minnesota Legislature is in the final days of the 2023 session. And while bills are being passed at a furious 
Representative Kristi Pursell (D-Northfield) said the bulk of her work is finished after having served on the Agriculture Conference Committee. That committee finished a bill which was passed by both the House and Senate last week and is waiting for the governor’s signature. Pursell said she is very proud of the bill which establishes a grain indemnity fund at $10 million, offers aid to dairy farmers as well, incentivizes good soil health practices, offers aid to emerging farmers, and more.
Another bill waiting for the governor’s signature is a Higher Education Bill that offers a fully funded tuition freeze in the Minnesota State system for two years and will offer free college tuition to students in families that make less than $80,000 a year. It is the largest investment in higher education than the state has made in quite a while, and Pursell said the bill is simply trying to help the state meet a constitutional obligation.
“I believe in our Constitution it says that the state will pay two-thirds of the costs of that education and the student will take on one-third of the financial burden. And that hasn’t been the case for decades, so [the bill is] trying to sort of rebalance to make college affordable and make sure that it’s a worthwhile investment.”
A Public Safety bill passed the Senate on Friday night and is now awaiting the governor’s signature that includes provisions closing the background check loophole at gun shows, and, Pursell said, creates a red flag law that was endorsed by law enforcement.
Among the bills that are still to be worked out are the E-12 education budget, and the legalized cannabis bill.
Pursell said Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman informed the members of the House of Representatives that the House could adjourn on Thursday, however she said that idea has been met with a fair amount of skepticism.
“The Speaker of the House has told us we will be done on the 18th, and I shared that news with someone at the capital yesterday and they laughed in my face. So, you know, maybe we’ll be done in the House, and we’ll be waiting for the Senate and the Governor. I am hopeful. I’m ready for a break.”
The Legislature is constitutionally mandated to adjourn one week from today.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Kristi Pursell can be heard here
Nominees for Pride Scholarship sought from non-parents
The Northfield Pride Committee is preparing for the third annual Pride in the Park celebration, which will be the 
first Saturday in June.
The celebration this year has been spun off from its Northfield Public Library sponsor to a standalone event. As such, of course, the Pride Committee has been making efforts to raise funds for the celebration, including a particularly successful fundraiser at Imminent Brewing called Pints for Pride. Emily Lloyd of the Pride Committee said the goal for that night was to raise $5000. However, they so far exceeded that goal that they have been looking for ways to use the money to do something positive for the local LGBTQ+ Community, and the decision was made to, as she put it, uplift Northfield’s LGBTQ+ youth by offering a $1000 scholarship.
Lloyd said the scholarship will go to a graduating high school senior in the Northfield area who is seen as a leader for the local LGBTQ+ youth community.
“We just want to support our queer youth, so it doesn’t have to have a certain GPA. It’s really more of a ‘Why do you think this person has been an LGBTQ leader in the youth community.’ And leading can take many forms. Leading can just be a mentor or quiet mentor to someone else, or leading can be, you know, marching in a pride parade. So, we’re being very flexible with that.”
The scholarship is flexible, she said. It can be used for a four-year degree, a certificate program, a trade school or another form of post-secondary education.
Nominations are being sought from adults who have a graduating LGBTQ+ graduating high school senior in their lives, but the committee asks that those nominations do not come from the person’s parents. Instead, Lloyd said they should come from mentors, teachers, coaches or any other non-parent who knows them and has seen how they conduct themselves within the community. She said the senior must agree to being nominated, as they do not want to violate anyone’s privacy, and the nominee should also live within 15 miles of the Northfield City Limits.
Nominations will be accepted through this coming Saturday, May 20th. The nomination form, which Lloyd said is short, can be found online at northfieldpride.com. The scholarship awardee will be announced at the Pride in the Park celebration, which will be held in Central Park on Saturday, June 3rd.
Flood warning issued for the Cannon River
The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities has issued a Flood Warning for the Cannon River in Northfield that 
began at 7am this morning. It will run through 10am on Wednesday.
According to a statement issued by the National Weather Service, heavy rainfall from Wednesday through Saturday night has resulted in flooding along the Minnesota River and many of its tributaries, especially from the Cottonwood River downstream to the Mississippi River. Totals over the last 5 days have ranged from 3 to 7 inches across much of south central and southwest Minnesota. This has caused area rivers to rapidly rise.The Cannon River is expected to pass the flood stage of 897 feet sometime this morning, and crest at a predicted 897.5 feet early tomorrow. This is about a third of an inch less than the crest in October of 2016. It is expected to fall below flood stage on Wednesday morning.
The statement advised motorists to not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
