BSM Student Wins $2,500 National Merit Scholarship

Catherine A. Cole was selected from a pool of 15,000 finalists.

A Benilde-St. Margaret’s student is among the winners of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships released Wednesday, the organization announced. Catherine A. Cole, of Eden Prairie, was chosen from among 15,000 finalists in the 2013 National Merit Program. The winners are judged to have the best combinations of “accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.” The number of winners in each state is proportional to the number of graduating seniors in the state. A committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors selected the winners using: This year’s competition began when 1.5 million juniors across 22,000 high schools took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in October…

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Patch Readers Respond to Passage of Gay Marriage Bill

Gov. Mark Dayton’s signature Tuesday didn’t end the heated debate around same-sex marriage.

Whatever side of the debate you fall on, there’s no denying that this week’s passage of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was a historical moment. Minnesota became just the 12th state to sanction gay marriage when Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill Tuesday. Patch readers quickly wrote in to share their thoughts on the moment. Eagan Patch reader Kathi Malone echoed the view of legislators who voted yes in seeing same-sex marriage as a civil right: I am so happy that finally gay people will be able to have the civil right to marry. This is truly an American vote for freedom. I applaud Sen Clausen and all other legislators who voted for this historical bill. James N added: Thank you Senator Carlson and the entire MN legislature for extending …

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mike savick

10:37 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Why would we want to spoil a good dinner by inviting a chronically dishonest entity?. Besides you don't like us. How would we recognize you with all of your different faces?   more ›

The Fifth District Report

Ellison Praises Passage of Gay Marriage Bill

‘Today, I’m prouder than ever to call Minnesota home,’ the 5th District congressman said.

Fifth district Rep. Keith Ellison applauded Minnesota for becoming the 12th state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. The Democratic congressman released the following statement Tuesday shortly after Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill into law: Today, I’m prouder than ever to call Minnesota home. Last fall, the people of Minnesota stood against discrimination for loving, same-sex couples. Our representatives in the state responded. Today is a great day for those who know love makes a marriage. Once again, equality has found a home in Minnesota. The law will take affect Aug. 1.

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WATCH: Livestream Video of Same-Sex Marriage Debate, Vote at MN Senate

The Minnesota Senate takes up bill at noon Central Time on Monday, May 13, 2013. The Minnesota House approved it last week, so Senate approval sends it to the governor's desk.

A bill to legalize gay marriage in Minnesota is set for debate and a vote in the Minnesota Senate starting at noon on Monday, May 13, 2013. Watch livestream video here or at The UpTake. Join St. Louis Park Patch for more community news or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Fly Fishing and Fishing Camp in the Three Rivers Park District

The 2013 fishing season in Minnesota includes a several fishing events in the Three Rivers Park District.

Information provided by the Three Rivers Park District.  Fly Fishing Basics for Women Get the tools to master fishing techniques from instructors. Learn beginning casting techniques and how to choose proper flies. 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 16 at Silverwood Park in St. Anthony and Bryant Lake Regional Park in Eden Prairie. Free. Restricted to participants age 10 and older. Sponsored by Take Me Fishing. Reservations required.  Fly Fishing Basics Get the tools to master fishing techniques from our instructors and be sure your time on the water is well spent. Learn beginning casting techniques and how to choose proper flies. 6-8 p.m. Monday, May 20 at Lake Minnetonka Regional Park in Minnetrista and Coon Rapids Regional Dam in Brooklyn Park. Free…

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Should Minnesotans Do More to Support Cycling?

The state dropped two spots in the League of American Bicyclists’ annual rankings.

(Editor's Note: The map above was created by the League of American Bicyclists.)  Minnesota is still among the top states in “bike friendliness,” but its ranking fell a couple notches in 2013, according to the League of American Bicyclists. The state was ranked fourth this year, down from second in 2012. It ranked high in legislation and enforcement, policies and programs and education and encouragement. But it was middle of the pack in infrastructure and funding and lower tier in evaluation and planning. Minnesota was also missing three of the league’s “Top 10 Signs of Success: Use the map above to see how Minnesota compares to other states in the various categories. Do you think Minnesota needs to do more to support cycling? Share your …

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Watts

3:39 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013

Has anybody else received the following when trying to reply in this thread: "This comment has been rejected." I received this as an immediate response from the Patch site, for a completely innocuous reply to somebody that was me actually agreeing with them and the post contained no foul language or anything that could be interpreted to violate any rules of the site. In fact, the reply came back …   more ›

House Passes Winkler's Minimum Wage Bill

The bill passed on a 68-62 vote.

The state House on Friday passed a bill authored by Golden Valley and St. Louis Park Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-District 46A) that would increase the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by August 2015 and provide for automatic inflationary increases in the future. “It’s important that Minnesota finally take a step forward on the minimum wage,” Winkler said Friday morning before the vote. “We are one of six states that have a minimum wage less than the federal minimum wage. It’s not been raised since 2005. And more and more, today’s economy is producing worse jobs for low-wage workers.” Business groups counter that a higher minimum wage would hurt employers. The state’s current minimum wage is $6.25. The federal minimum wage, which applies to most …

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UPDATED: Forecast Worsens; Wednesday Night Event Canceled.

National Weather Service forecasters issued a winter storm warning early on Wednesday, May 1.

Minnesota weather, famous for its vagaries, may have yet another surprise in store for Twin Cities residents. National Weather Service forecasters have issued a winter storm warning calling for as many as 9 inches of snow on Wednesday night in a band stretching from Rice Lake, Wis. to Mankato. The targeted area includes the Twin Cities metro area. The forecasted weather has already forced the cancelation of the Golden Valley Bicycle Rodeo. The new warning, issued early Wednesday morning, is a significant change from previous forecasts, which predicted only 2-4 inches of snowfall on Wednesday. The winter storm warning takes effect at 3 p.m. on Wednesday and runs through 7 p.m. on Thursday. Forecasters believe rain on Wednesday afternoon …

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SLP Ranked Third Most Challenging School in Minnesota

The school was once again at the top of the Washington Post’s High School Challenge.

St. Louis Park High School dropped down a couple of notches in the Washington Post’s list of the most-challenging high schools, but it is still near the top of Minnesota high schools, according to rankings released last week. The Washington Post’s High School Challenge ranked St. Louis Park third in the state, behind only Minneapolis Southwest, for how it prepares students for college. Nationally, the school was ranked 181 out of 1,900 schools that made the list. Last year, it was first in the state. Only 9 percent of the country’s approximately 22,000 schools made the list, including 27 in Minnesota. To grade the schools, the Washington Post divided the number of college preparation tests that students took by the number of graduating …

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Boston Marathon Explosions: Minnesota Runners and Residents Recount Experience, Share Updates

Two explosions occurred the afternoon of Monday, April 15, 2013 near the marathon finish line on Boylston Street in Boston, MA.

During the Boston Marathon April 15, two explosions occurred near the finish line—killing three and injuring more than 100 people, according to a report from Fenway-Kenmore Patch. Among the 23,000 runners at the annual race were approximately 500 Minnesota residents, according to StarTribune.com. Here is what some of the runners shared about the incident and their experience. Click on the headline to read the full story. Roseville Runner: Boston Marathon Bombings "Surreal" Eric Kronback said he thought the two explosions were cannons. Blocks Away from Boston Marathon Explosions: Lake Elmo Woman Recounts 'A War Zone' “All of a sudden I heard two huge blasts—and everything went silent," Chris Hess-Withbroe said from her Boston hotel room …

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Donald Lee

11:07 am on Friday, May 3, 2013

It's hard to believe that a closed-captioning error in transcribing an unpronouncable name would seriously be used as an example of "inaccurate reporting" and suggested as cause for a lawsuit. Seriously?   more ›