Locally Grown live chat: a test Monday night at 8 pm

By Griff Wigley, on March 2, 2009, 3:38 pm

chat-bubble Last week, the Strib hosted a one hour live chat with its opinion journalist, Lori Sturdevant, on the topic of the state deficit and other issues at the Legislature. I liked how it was done and the web service they used for it so we’re going to experiment doing live chats here on Locally Grown, typically focused on an important issue with one or more guests/panelists.

I’ve tentatively scheduled a live chat with RepJ reporter Bonnie Obremski on the business story that she wrote last week for tomorrow night, Tues. March 3, 8 pm. I hope to have some other featured panelists included, too.

But first, I’m going to test it tonight at 8 pm, right here in this blog post. The topic: Locally Grown, of course. Ask questions about our new design, the advertising, the traffic, the content, the discussions, guest bloggers, etc.

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=ec0eaa8492" >Locally Grown Feedback</a>

Griff Wigley says:

March 2, 2009 at 9:30 pm

Thanks to everyone who participate tonight. We didn’t get very far into LG feedback but it did help me learn to use the tool as a moderator in prep for tomorrow night’s live chat at 8 pm.

Here are the stats from tonight:

· Reply

Informal live chat with Griff : Locally Grown says:

March 3, 2009 at 6:12 am

[...] group chat window on the LG Live page for a while but people don’t seem to find it. So after last night’s test run of our new (moderated) Live Chat feature, I thought I’d experiment putting it up in a daily blog post. I’m typically online and [...]

Interactive live blogging at the May 4 City Council meeting : Locally Grown says:

May 4, 2009 at 11:52 am

[...] early Feb. I tested an interactive live blogging tool called CoverItLive and liked it. I’ve not used it since because there’s no wi-fi [...]

Bike helmets are bad for the public health of Northfield (4)
- George Kinney: As someone who has cracked a helmet when pushed off the street by a driver with issues (in Green Bay, not here) I do think wearing a helmet is a very good idea. So — get your bike club to be the coolest thing going, and helmet...
- Patrick Enders: Griff, I grew up well before bike helmets became the norm, and still, when I went to high school, almost no one rode a bike, because driving a car was already seen as “the only socially acceptable form of local...
- Gabe Meerts: By the way, Griff. I think you do a great job promoting biking (even if I disagree with this particular post).
- Gabe Meerts: You must have added the wrong link because the PRI story quotes: “There’s no question that wearing a helmet is a good idea.” There’s a big leap from promoting bike helmets to mandatory helmet laws. I...
Sidewalk poetry: is it worth $12,000 of taxpayer money? (26)
- Barry Cipra: Hayes, thanks (I think). Just to be clear, I penned (actually keyboarded) those lines in all due affection, not to mention affectation.
- Hayes Scriven: Where is the like button! Griff you know I love ya!!
- Barry Cipra: With apologies to poetic sensibilities everywhere (and partial blame ascribed to Paul Zorn for his scholarly consultations): A blockheaded blogger named Griff With cement twixt his ears caused a tiff. He showed himself shallow By...
- john george: Rob- I guess it doesn’t take much to get Griff agregated.
- john george: Griff- Are you sure you don’t have me mixed up with someone else?
Who’s running for mayor and City Council? (4)
- Peter Seebach (Seebs): WOO! Go Betsey! As the Ward 2 rep, she has indeed worked for exactly these sorts of things, and was extremely helpful when I was trying to get a bit of paperwork untangled. So, yeah, looks like my vote is clear.
- Griff Wigley: Councilor Betsey Buckheit just filed to run for mayor. She sent out this email: Good morning, media folks! I just returned from City Hall where I filed to run for Mayor. Here’s a little information, but there’s much more...
- Tom Kotula: Despite rumors you may have heard to the contrary, I have not thrown my hat into the ring.
- Sean Hayford Oleary: I was glad to hear Erica Zweifel is running again. She’s done an excellent job and has advocated well for her ward. I’m eager to see some filings for mayor.
Is the Northfield Municipal Liquor Store as profitable as it could be? (1)
- Griff Wigley: Today’s Strib: A sobering era for municipal booze The forces that create winner and loser cities in the metro are complex, and they involve clashes with other “muni” cities as well as private operators. Farmington,...
Props to the Northfield News for the Fire Relief Association ethics story (13)
- kiffi summa: Curt: obviously I thought there was more in the article that was less than fully informative: see above… But as far as the city paying overtime etc, i.e., all the issues you mention above.. the question is why the city was doing...
- Curt Benson: Kiffi, I agree that the $75/hour ambulance time section was incomplete and confusing. However, I wouldn’t negate the whole article because of one weak section. What do you think about the city paying overtime for rescue squad...
- kiffi summa: Griff: here’s why I used the word “vendetta”: there has been discord between the firefighters since the Dept of Public Safety was created with one Dept Head, i.e. Police Chief Taylor. That’s close to two years...
- kiffi summa: Curt: Once again the NFNews article has left a confusion instead of a clarification, because it says that Elko paid $75 dollars an hour to have a rescue squad presence (and that seems very low to me), and then it says the city was...
- Curt Benson: Griff and Kiffi–is this a reasonable recap? The city was paying city employees overtime to be on site at Elko’s events, using the Rescue Squad’s truck. Elko didn’t reimburse the city for it’s overtime...
Carbone’s Pizza and Sports Bar, opening Aug. 1, is now hiring (1)
- Peter Seebach (Seebs): Awesome! Now if we can just get Italian Pie Shoppe, I’ll never again have cause to drive to Eagan.
The skate park will open in Riverside Park this week (3)
- Kathie Galotti: I’m glad the kids will have this for this summer. I recognize it’s not ideal. Unfortunately, there seems to be NO ideal place.
- rob hardy: The PRAB met on Thursday, and the subcommittee on siting a permanent skatepark was on the agenda. Does anyone know what was discussed, and whether the process is moving forward in a timely manner?
- Susan Hvistendahl: This is IMBY, Griff! We’ll see how it goes.
Dylanfest ’12 is a week from today (1)
- Brenton Balvin: Wish I could attend this and listen to the tunes Blowing in the Wind. Unfortunately I’ll be dealing with a Hurricane of issues at work.
Proposed: City of Northfield Statement for Our Safe and Welcoming Community (204)
- john george: Peter- I’ll be glad to do that, if I can figure out how. I’m technologically challenged, to say the least.
- Peter Seebach (Seebs): John, that sounds lovely. I will try to remember to call. If I don’t, ping me (email is usually good for reaching me) to remind me, because I have a really bad memory for things I was going to do.
- john george: Peter- I was just thinking that I would enjoy a cup of coffee with you sometime. You can ask Grifff- I don’t bite! My days off are Monday & Tuesday. I’ve bee a little tied up recently with new grandchildren being born...
- Peter Seebach (Seebs): I think we are probably pretty close to agreement on that one. One of my hobbies is nudging things along to get people out of some of the various poverty loops. It is amazing how little money it takes to move someone from...
- Peter Seebach (Seebs): A clarifying note: Consequences of Gay Marriage. No one is proposing making homosexuality a civil right. Marriage is already a civil right, and gays are already a protected class for discrimination purposes in most cases....
Why is the Northfield Rescue Squad Association retaining attorney David Hvistendahl? (6)
- Curt Benson: Hvistendahl’s strange request for omerta from the Rescue Squad’s auditors doesn’t seem so strange today, after Suzy Rook’s NFN article: http://www.southernminn.com/no rthfield_news/news/article_...
- Griff Wigley: Props to the newspaper and Suzy Rook for mentioning LoGro twice in the story: Fire Department officials, including Fire Chief Gerry Franek, did not respond to several requests from the News for association financial records or...
- Griff Wigley: Posted to Northfield News at 1pm: Ethical questions arise over Northfield Fire Relief Association expenses Donations made to Northfield Fire Relief Association aren’t public dollars, but that hasn’t extinguished city...
- Griff Wigley: Curt/Robert, There’s a summary of the Rescue Squad on Page 21 of the 2009 NFD report to the City. It doesn’t mention that there’s a Rescue Squad Association. The last paragraph states: The Northfield Rescue Squad is...
- Robert Palmquist: If Hvistendahl’s motivation was to keep the financials from getting known, his submitting a memo like that just really backfired. I agree, why would these financials be such a secret??? And why did the NRSA hire a lawyer to...
Save the date: May 15 high school mountain bike racing team information mtg for student-athletes & parents (5)
- Griff Wigley: Good turnout last night for the Cannon Valley Mountain Bike Team meeting at the high school. I’ve blogged a summary with the ppt presentations.
- Griff Wigley: Jordan Osterman, the new Sports Editor for the Northfield News, scooped me on Saturday. I’m glad! Northfield high school mountain bike team forming As a club sport, mountain biking would have no official affiliation with either...
- Griff Wigley: Good suggestion, Curt. I’ll do that for next week’s blurb. I have been verbally emphasizing the importance of having girls on the team, especially since their points on race days count more than boys’ points. Other...
George Kinney wants you at Saturday’s solar energy workshop (1)
- Adam Elg: Keep up the good work George!
A backyard campfire: one of my favorite simple pleasures of spring (2)
- john george: Living where we do, it is only a few blocks walk to North Street and a grand view of the sunsets. Also, with our neighbors’ mature white pines & spruce, our covered deck affords outdoor enjoyment with a fair amount of...
- Peter Seebach (Seebs): Mmm, fire.
Two build-outs underway on downtown’s West side. Guess the businesses; guess the media coverage (6)
- Griff Wigley: Nfld Patch: Denmark-based Firm to Set Up U.S. Headquarters in Northfield
Never mind that NEG cover, Girls Nite Out is Friday (3)
- Jim Haas: Happens to me a lot. So much that my lovely wife had to coin a term for it: she says I have datelexia.
- norman butler: Since coming to my adopted country 16 years ago I have observed, amongst other things, that not putting the day with the date is both common and peculiar to Northfield (MN? USA?).
- John Thomas: Just a reminder, advance tickets for Girls Night Out 2012 can be purchased on The Grand’s website at http://www.thegrandnorthfield. com/public-events. Your tickets will then be available at a special “Will Call” at...
Howie and Jeni’s downtown gem: Eco Gardens (2)
- Liz Reppe: This is a great place to buy plants! Jeni is very knowledgeable and they are both really helpful. You get great service and plant expertise, but the prices are not higher than other places in town.
- Peter Seebach (Seebs): Awesome place. We get plants there.
R.I.P. Ray ‘Jake’ Jacobson. His legacy of public sculptures has helped to make Northfield a vibrant place (3)
- bill metz: While most of how Jake is being remembered revolves around, and rightly so, his great and wonderful talent as an artist and teacher and the works of sculpture he has left for our and the next generations enjoyment, I have had the...
Now that we know Northfield’s firefighters aren’t really volunteers, more transparency is needed on their fundraising activities (22)
- kiffi summa: Come on, Griff… you say you’re “more than a little clueless about about investments” but you “just happened to notice”… and from what you said, were reading analytically, etc etc… Once...
- Griff Wigley: I’m more than a little clueless about investments but I noticed on page 14 in the April 24 Council packet that the Fire Relief Association has 85% of its pension portfolio in stocks. Isn’t that a bit risky/aggressive for...
- Griff Wigley: Has there been any media reporting on the intergovernmental meeting in Bridgewater Township that was held on April 25 re: the Rural Fire Protection District and the City of Northfield?

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Locally Grown live chat: a test Monday night at 8 pm

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