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By Felicity Enders, on January 18, 2010, 10:27 pm
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
- Martin Luther King, August 28, 1963
I was reminded of these words by a photo Patrick took this morning at daycare. We’ve certainly come a long way since 1963.
On the other hand, our daughter’s opportunities in life will likely be very different than they would have been with her birthmother, a situation of which Dr. King would never have approved.
My dreams for the future:
- Adoption will be a choice, not a necessity
- Children will not be limited to the achievements of their parents
- People of Middle Eastern descent will feel free to discuss their heritage
- People of all religions and no religion will live together in peace
- No one will want for basic human rights like food, water, housing, and healthcare
- There will truly be only one purple America
In the meantime, I am very happy that I live in a town in which I am judged by the content of my character.
Thank you, Northfield.
[show_avatar email=felicity.enders@gmail.com]
By Sean Hayford O'Leary, on October 18, 2009, 6:32 am
 As I’ve mentioned on Northfield Nonmotorized, Northfield is in the process of making full sidewalk coverage the standard. In the last few years, they’ve consistently added sidewalks during street reconstructions — many on both sides. All new roads within the last fifteen years (save for a few rogue culs de sac) have sidewalks. However, there are definitely some areas that are missing this essential piece of a safe roadway. Note that these roadways are not limited to city-maintained streets or the city limits. This is about Northfield-area problems, and I do note when an entity other than the City of Northfield is responsible. (continued) Continue reading Guest blogger Sean Hayford O’Leary: The Sidewalks That Weren’t — Northfield’s 10 worst
By David Ludescher, on September 21, 2009, 9:05 am
I have been a member of the Mayor’s Streetscape Task Force  since it was formed by Mayor Lansing. Why Mayor Rossing was foolish enough to invite me to re-join and why I was foolish enough to accept are separate questions from my questions to the readers today. By way of background, the City of Northfield currently has $1,2000.00 of property taxes that are set aside. To assist the City Council in determining how to allocate these funds, a Streetscape Committee has been formed. (continued) Continue reading Guest blogger David Ludescher: Bike Paths, Parking Lots, and Skate Board Parks — Wise Uses of Public Money?
By Athena Currier, on July 22, 2009, 4:01 pm
 Three months ago, Mayor Mary Rossing formed a Safety Center Task Force to discuss the need for a new Safety Center (police/fire station) in the City of Northfield. The seven members of the task force had equal power. They were given no budget within which to develop their plans. Based on a list of tasks given them, they were to come to a consensus and present a proposal to the City Council. Their official mission statement read: (continued) Continue reading Guest blogger Athena Currier: That pesky Safety Center minority report
By Tracy Davis, on June 1, 2009, 10:22 pm
 [Note from Tracy: The following was posted as a comment which was held for moderation. I thought that the story merited a post of its own. Thank you, Mr. Blodgett, for writing.]
“The shocking incident happened just at six o’clock. The boys were enjoying a boat ride above the dam and came down stream at full speed . . . Whether the steering gear was at fault or the engine was not working properly seems to be a conjecture, but the swiftly raging waters drew the boat and its living load toward the brink of the dam. The launch swung around as it neared the dam and went over stern first. (continued) Continue reading Guest post: Dave Blodgett, Class of ’43
By Bill Ostrem, on May 18, 2009, 6:34 pm
 County Road 43 Last August the Rice County Board of Commissioners made a change in their transportation policy that goes against the interests of people who walk, bike, or use wheelchairs in our community. It’s a change that’s detrimental to many of the most vulnerable users of our transportation system, including children, seniors, the poor, and the handicapped. (continued) Continue reading Guest blogger Bill Ostrem: Rice County leaves its sidewalk and path policy unchanged
By Bill Ostrem, on March 5, 2009, 11:16 pm
 In a February 6 post Tracy Davis referred to a short essay by the Project for Public Spaces titled “A Revolution in Transportation Planning.” It’s an excellent piece that discusses the history of transportation planning in the United States – how planners and leaders focused almost solely on the automobile for most of the twentieth century, often to the detriment of our cities and neighborhoods and our own health, and how they have recently begun to consider all modes of transportation, including transit, walking, and biking. (continued)
Continue reading Guest blogger Bill Ostrem: The American streets renaissance
By Bruce Roberts, on February 18, 2009, 7:35 am
 Mike Martin; photo by Holly Cairns Something important happened after Michael Martin’s death the other day in Northfield.
I have known Mike, off and on since he was a student at St. Olaf in 1969 and 1970. Over the past 15 years or so, I would see Mike on a downtown street, the library or grocery store. As David Wee recalled during the Memorial Service in the Community Center on Sunday, that on meeting Mike, he would almost always begin with, “You know, I’ve been thinking…”
Continue reading Guest blogger Bruce Roberts: Mike Martin’s gift to Northfield
By Kathleen Galotti, on February 17, 2009, 12:34 pm
 I’ll begin this with a letter to the editor I submitted to the Northfield News, which I think is self-explanatory:
On Feb 9 the Northfield School Board entertained two options for next year’s school calendar. Both involve having a one hour late-start EVERY MONDAY of the year, so that teachers can have the time to meet in professional learning communities. These meetings would replace the four days that have traditionally been scheduled with 2 hours either late start or early release. Parents have one month to comment on the proposed calendar. (continued)
Continue reading Guest blogger Kathleen Galotti: My objections to the proposed changes to the school calendar
By Griff Wigley, on April 9, 2008, 2:50 pm
- Are you at the top of the Sociotechnographics Ladder but don’t want/have your own blog?
- Do you have an opinion about a Northfield/Rice County civic-related issue that’s not been addressed by Locally Grown’s triumvirate?
- Might you want to make your opinion known for the Locally Grown audience of 5,000+ visitors?
- Might you want to write it up (or record an audio or video clip)?
If so, contact us first about your idea and we’ll let you know if we think it’s suitable, however we define that.
If you get our thumbs-up and then submit something, we’ll review it for quality/editing. If we post it and it generates comments, we’ll expect you to join the conversation for a period of time. (We’ll still be the moderators.)
So c’mon. Belly up to the opinion bar and weigh in.
Questions? Fire away.
By Griff Wigley, on January 17, 2007, 6:15 am
We at Locally Grown HQ have been talking about inviting guest bloggers to author occasional posts here. And then I noticed that Justin Stets was the guest Faith columnist in last weekend’s Northfield News, writing about his struggles after his sister took her life last year. (A tip-of-the-blog hat to the paper for giving a lay person access to that space.)
Obituary notices had been on my mind already (no link necessary) so his column got me thinking about the local public conversations that happen or don’t happen when someone dies… and whether the local online world could be helpful.
 Northfield teachers Brenda and Andrew Gilbertson contributed to a public Caringbridge site for a couple of years until Brenda died last spring. I didn’t know either of them but I do remember hoping Andrew would continue writing publicly after Brenda died. I thought the visible community conversation after her death could be as important for healing as that which occurred online while she was sick.
 Don Tarr died suddenly in June last year, a week after we’d interviewed him for our podcast. In retrospect, I wish I’d started a public conversation online about him and his contributions to the community.
 Each August, the Northfield Bicycle Club hosts Tours de Nick, the annual bicycle tour in memory of young Nick Sansome who took his life five years ago. Each year, I find myself wanting to click my way to a website about Nick, as my memory of him is fading.
Justin’s sister didn’t live here so this is a bit different than the examples above. But Justin does live here and he’s gone public with his reflections so maybe it’s as good a place as any to start talking about death in community and what role, if any, the local online world/blogosphere could play beyond posting the same obituaries that appear in the paper.
I asked Justin for permission to post his column and he emailed me the text of it. I couldn’t find a link to it on the News’ website. Also, I didn’t ask for his commitment to participate in a conversation thread here, as I didn’t want to be presumptuous. This might be a good idea or a lousy idea and he shouldn’t be the one to make something happen. That’s up to the rest of us.
Out of Darkness by Justin Stets
 A little over a year ago, my sister took her life. This loss of one I loved deeply intensified my existing fear of death. It also required me to face my anxieties straight on, and that is what I have been doing for the past year.
The fear of death grips me fiercely. I have always struggled with the concept of my mortality. For a person of my age, I have spun and analyzed death too many times over. Almost half way through life and I have yet to come to terms with the fact that one day biology stops working, cells stop reproducing and the heart stops beating. From an emotional standpoint, I don’t much wish to leave my children. Spiritually, I feel like when I am 70 or so, that that is the time I will begin to understand what life is all about. Life, for me, is really worth living and the more I live, the more I want to live, and learn and love and change the world.
Continue reading Guest blogger Justin Stets: Out of Darkness
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