Todd County DFL

Candidate Forum Thursday, October 1 at Grand View Lodge.

For details, contact Details Matt Kilian, President, Brainerd Lakes Chamber – 218-822-7111

Televised Debate on Lakeland Public TV

Thursday, October 8th 7 p.m. – MN Congressional 7th District – Collin Peterson & Michelle Fischback 8 p.m.

– MN Senate District 9 – Paul Gazelka & A. John Peters 9 p.m.

– MN House District 9A – John Poston & Alex Hering

Minnesota allows early voting by absentee ballot to all registered voters beginning on Friday, September 18 up until Monday, November 2.

Not registered to vote? No problem! You can register in-person with proof of residency at your local elections office.

Please vist the Minnesota Secretary of State page HERE for more information.

Come meet and interact with your candidate!

8/30 – A. John Peters – Farmers Union Meeting in Clarissa Park from 2 – 4PM.

9/29 – A. John Peters will hold a Facebook Live/YouTube event at 7PM. Website: http://ajp4mnsenate.org

Collin Peterson is our Congressman for Minnesota’s Congressional District 7. Congressman Peterson has worked very hard over the years to represent all of his constituents fairly and with integrity.

Did you know that Congressman Peterson is the Chairman of the House Agricultural Committee and that our district is one of the largest agricultural producing districts in the country?

If you’d like to learn more about him, his past voting record, what services his office offers (flag requests, assistance with a Federal Agency, or Military Academy Nominations, to name a few), newsletter sign up, contact information and more, visit his website here.

Feel free to reach out to him with any questions or concerns you may have. Effective democracy only works when we bring attention to what’s needed to our elected officials.

Tomorrow is Minnesota’s Primary Election Day.

If you haven’t mailed in your absentee ballot please do so or if you prefer, you may visit your designated polling location. Hours may vary but typically are from 7AM to 8PM.

COVID-19 precautions are being utilized at polling locations for everyone’s health and safety.

If by chance you’re not registered to vote, don’t let that prohibit you from voting. You may register and vote on the same day!

Here’s the link to the Minnesota’s Secretory of State – Elections and Voting page. From here you can find your polling location, track the status of your absentee ballot if you mailed yours in, see a sample ballot, as well as much more useful information.

Absentee voting is SAFE and SECURE!

Absentee voting is currently available for all eligible Todd County Voters at the Todd County Auditor-Treasurer’s office for the upcoming Primary Election on August 11th, 2020.

For this upcoming primary and general election, registered MN voters DO NOT need a witness signature.

Persons may request their absentee
ballot online at www.mnvotes.org

For more information vist: Todd County Voting

Great question!

The MN PCR is a great way for you to contribute to support local politics, regardless of party, and receive a full refund for the amount donated. Individuals may contribute up to $50.00 while married couples may contribute up to $100.00.

Follow the link here for more information and to participate!

Governors and mayors

• State of Emergency: Several state governors have declared states of emergency, allowing them more financial and logistical flexibility to respond to cases.
• California: Santa Clarita County and the city of San Francisco instituted bans on “mass gatherings” of more than 1,000 people, beginning at midnight on Wednesday. The city of San Jose also adopted a moratorium on evictions of those who can’t pay rent due to the pandemic.
• New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Tuesday that he would send the National Guard to New Rochelle in an effort to contain the cases in that community. On Wednesday, he blasted the federal response as verging on the “public health version of Hurricane Katrina” and urged state governments to take control.
• Ohio: Gov. Mike DeWine (R) announced Tuesday that the state would urge colleges to switch to remote classes and called for the cancellation of large indoor sporting events and concerts. “The decisions that we make as individuals in the next few days, the next several weeks will really determine how many lives are going be lost in Ohio,” he explained.
• Washington: Gov. Jay Inslee (D) announced Wednesday he would restrict gatherings of more than 250 people, including concerts and sporting events, in three counties. “This is not a time to be going out into public in close contact,” he said. “It’s just too dangerous.” Additionally, King County purchased a motel last week to quarantine coronavirus patients.
• District of Columbia: The city Health Department urged Wednesday that all “non-essential mass gatherings, including conferences and conventions, be POSTPONED or cancelled.” It defined mass gatherings “events where 1,000 or more people congregate in a specific location.”
• Rhode Island: Gov. Gina Marie Raimondo recommended on Wednesday that residents avoid events with more than 250 people.

Universities and colleges

• Across the country, at least 130 institutions of higher learning are temporarily canceling in-person classes and replacing them with remote lectures. These include Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Indiana University, Princeton University, University of Florida, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and several schools in California and Washington.

Federal agencies

• The Securities and Exchange Commission asked on Tuesday that its D.C.-based employees work remotely, after one staffer tested positive for coronavirus.
• The Veterans Administration announced it would not allow visitors at the nursing homes it operates, noting those residents are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

Media Outlets

• The Los Angeles Times told reporters on Tuesday that it would limit non-essential reporter travel.
• The New York Times announced on Tuesday its New York and D.C. newsrooms would receive “deep cleaning” after some employees attended a journalism conference with someone who later tested positive.
• Talking Points Memo temporarily closed its offices starting Wednesday, switching to remote work.
• The Washington Post encouraged employees to work from home, if possible, through the end of the month.

Businesses

• Tech companies in the Seattle area: Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft all urged Seattle-area employees to work from home.
• Twitter, Square: Jack Dorsey, the CEO of both Twitter and Square, announced last week that all employees would be encouraged to work from home, if possible.
• Ride sharing: Lyft is giving drivers 200,000+ bottles of hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies.
• MGM Resorts: The company announced its buffets would temporarily close at ARIA, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Luxor, and Excalabur resorts, starting this Sunday.
• Broadway theaters: The Broadway League, which represents New York City’s Broadway theaters and producers, announced stepped-up efforts to disinfect theaters and backstage areas and to provide hand sanitizer in all Broadway theater lobbies.
• Darden Restaurants: Following public pressure from Judd Legum’s Popular Information newsletter, the company that operates Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, and other dining chains, announced this week that it would begin offering paid leave to its employees.

Airlines

• Multiple airlines, including Delta, JetBlue, United, and Southwest, sent messages out to customers announcing increased cleaning protocols for airplanes. “Hard surfaces such as lavatories, tray tables, window shades and armrests are thoroughly wiped down with a high-grade disinfectant and multi-purpose cleaner,” United said in a statement last week, noting that aircraft will be taken out of service for decontamination after passengers discovered to have the coronavirus fly.

School systems

• Nationwide: According to Education Week, more than 1,250 K-12 schools have closed or are scheduled to do so over the coronavirus as of Wednesday morning. More than 856,000 students are affected. Many other systems are canceling overnight field trips and other travel.

Sports

• March Madness: The NCAA said Wednesday that the annual March Madness basketball tournament would continue as scheduled but attendance would be limited to “essential staff” and some family members only. “While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement. “This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes.”
• Ivy League basketball: The college sports conference announced Tuesday that it would cancel its annual basketball tournaments entirely.
• BNP Paribas Open: The annual tennis tournament at Indian Wells, California, was canceled on Sunday. “We are very disappointed that the tournament will not take place, but the health and safety of the local community, fans, players, volunteers, sponsors, employees, vendors, and everyone involved with the event is of paramount importance,” said tournament director Tommy Haas. “We are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options.”
• Professional leagues: Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League announced jointly on Monday that they would limit all team locker room and clubhouse access to players and essential employees only. While the leagues have not yet announced broad decisions to cancel games or ban spectators, state and local moratoriums on mass events in some areas are impacting local teams.

Large events

• Music festivals: Coachella and Stagecoach both postponed their April festivals in California this week. The events are now rescheduled for October.
• Cherry Blossom Festival: Washington, D.C., canceled or postponed all of its annual Cherry Blossom Festival events on Wednesday. “It is a difficult decision and one that we do not take lightly,” Diana Mayhew, president and CEO of the festival, said in a statement. “We have been working closely with the city government, WHO and CDC as well as our partners to determine the best course of action.”
• South by Southwest: City officials in Austin announced Friday they would cancel the annual arts and technology festival. Hundreds of thousands were expected to attend.
• Pearl Jam: The Seattle-based band announced Monday it would postpone the first leg of its PJ/Gigaton tour. “We’ve worked hard with all our management and business associates to find other solutions or options but the levels of risk to our audience and their communities is simply too high for our comfort level,” the band explained.
• Federalist Society: The far-right legal group said Tuesday it would cancel its “in-person 2020 National Student Symposium.” It attributed the move both to “calls for increased efforts to contain the virus” and “the cancellations of several of our speakers.”
• St. Patrick’s Day parades: Boston and Washington, D.C. both announced this week their annual parades would be canceled amid the outbreak.
• Book festivals: Annual book festivals in Arizona, California, and Virginia were all canceled or postponed.
• Google: Last week, the technology behemoth canceled its annual Google I/O developer conference.
• E3: The Electronic Entertainment Expo, a major video game industry trade show, announced Wednesday that it would cancel its June 2020 conference. “This decision was not reached lightly, but it is the right one for the health and safety of all involved,” organizers explained.
• American College of Physicians: The physicians’ organization opted to cancel its annual Internal Medicine Meeting for 2020. The group said the decision was made not only to model social distancing and avoid contributing to the spread of coronavirus, but also to not interfere with “the vital role of internal medicine physicians in diagnosing, managing and caring for their patients and communities on the front lines.”

Political campaigns

• Joe Biden: The former vice president canceled his planned Tuesday night rally in Ohio. “We will continue to consult with public health officials and public health guidance and make announcements about future events in the coming days,” a spokesperson said.
• Bernie Sanders: The Vermont senator also canceled his planned Tuesday rally in Ohio. His campaign later announced that “all future Bernie 2020 events will be evaluated on a case by case basis.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.