Minnesota Independent » Owatonna

Feds to investigate anti-Muslim activity at Minnesota schools

Andy Birkey — Wed, 26 May 2010 16:07:53 +0000

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating anti-Muslim activities at public schools in Owatonna and St. Cloud, according to the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Recent reports of both students and teachers harassing Muslim students have led the federal agency to investigate possible civil rights violations.

Among the complaints (PDF) submitted to the DOE: Students “shoved [bacon] in the faces of Muslim students and chased after them when they tried to get away,” a “teacher, on several occasions, handed students a can of air freshener and instructed them to spray the room when Muslim students walked into class,” and both teachers and students have used racial slurs and disparaged Islam during class time.

“Our goal is to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all students,” said CAIR-MN Civil Rights Director Taneeza Islam in a statement. “Decades after the beginning of the civil rights movement, no student should be constantly subjected to racial slurs or harassment at school.”

The DOE’s responses to the incidents in Owatonna and St. Cloud can be viewed here (PDF) and here (PDF).

Local government aid cuts: Which cities will lose the most?

Paul Demko — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:35:35 +0000

Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants to cut nearly $200 million from the Local Government Aid program as part of his plan to eliminate the state’s $2.7 billion budget deficit. While the fiscal hit to the program is less than feared (Pawlenty had originally proposed whacking $450 million from LGA), it will still present a significant fiscal problem for cities across the state.

The proposed cuts are equivalent to 3.3 percent of the program’s funding in 2009 and 7.6 percent in 2010. Towns with populations under 1,000 are exempt from the cuts. Many municipalities in greater Minnesota with shrinking populations rely on LGA to bolster their finances, as do larger cities with high levels of poverty.

The League of Minnesota Cities has posted a spreadsheet breaking down Pawlenty’s proposed cuts to local government aid. While a city’s overall budget needs to be scrutinized in order to gauge the significance of the hit, in sheer dollar amounts here are the ten municipalities slated to lose the biggest chunks of change:

1. Minneapolis: $44.6 million in 2009; $102.4 million in 2010
2. St. Paul: $5 million in 2009; $11.6 million in 2010
3. Rochester: $1.7 million in 2009; $3.9 million in 2010
4. Duluth: $1.5 million in 2009; $3.5 million in 2010
5. St. Cloud: $1.2 million in 2009; $2.7 million in 2010
6. Winona: $531,000 in 2009; $1.2 million in 2010
7. Moorhead: $489,000 in 2009; $1.1 million in 2010
8. Brooklyn Center: $464,000 in 2009; $1.1 million in 2010
9. Owatonna, $454,000 in 2009; $1 million in 2010
10. Faribault: $392,000 in 2009; $905,000 in 2010

Gutknecht-Walz debate: A rare occurrence?

Leigh Pomeroy — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 16:52:02 +0000

The Gutknecht-Walz debate in Owatonna on Saturday was well covered by Bluestem Prairie, who observed it firsthand. Among newspapers, it seems only the Owatonna Peoples Press wrote it up, though it may yet come up in the AgriNews. And I could not find any mention of the debate in either the Rochester Post-Bulletin or the Mankato Free Press. Too bad, for if history is an indicator, there will be few debates between the two candidates this election season.(Unfortunately, like too many small town newspapers, virtually all of the Owatonna Peoples Press is accessible only to the paper’s subscribers, which means news from that city is only available to the rest of the planet if it’s picked up by another, more open publication.)