Back on May 18, I reported that I was going to do a story about a WWII Jeep that had recently been donated to VFW Post 4393. Craig Redalen at Northfield’s VFW Post 4393 had given me the opportunity to take photos of it but I didn’t have time to do the whole story. I contacted Corey Butler at Northfield Patch to see if he was interested and he was. A few days later, Patch published Rob Hardy’s story with my photos: WWII Jeep Finds New Home at Northfield VFW:
In 1946, Howard Hong left Northfield for war-ravaged Europe. The young St. Olaf philosophy professor, who would later become internationally known as a scholar and translator of the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard, had spent the war working at prisoner of war camps in Missouri and Iowa. When the war ended, he was called to service as senior field officer for the Refugee Division of the World Council of Churches. Between 1946 and 1948, he helped to resettle more than 250,000 war refugees.
During that time, Hong also became the owner of an iconic 1942 Willys Army Jeep, a veteran of the Normandy invasion, which he purchased at a U.S. Army auction in Paris. Back home in Minnesota… (continued)
Craig Redalen drove the Jeep to and from today’s Memorial Day ceremony at the Northfield Area Veterans Memorial. I’ll have more photos when I publish my album of the event but here’s a 30-second video clip of Craig’s departure.
It irritates me that, year after year, the only detailed information about the 9 am Memorial Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park is via a big paid advertisement in the print edition of Northfield News. Nothing online, that I can find:
Why the dearth of information online? Is there some sort of exclusive arrangement that the vets organizations have with the Northfield News? It’s maddening.
(To see a large version of the print ad, right-click on the image and open in a new tab/window or view it here.)
The Northfield VFW hosts a benefit for the family of Don Mills this Saturday. Don passed away in February after battling cancer, leaving behind wife Shannon and three children, Taylor, Christopher and Landon…
Saturday’s benefit will feature a variety of activities, including a spaghetti dinner at 5:00, a beer bash at 6:00 and a Texas Hold ‘em tournament that begins at 8:00. There will also be a silent auction starting at 4:00. If you’d like to make a cash donation to the family, you can do so at the First National Bank of Northfield. The benefit gets underway Saturday at the Northfield VFW.
Which Northfield area organizations are giving a high/decent/respectable percentage of their charitable gambling proceeds to community needs and spending less on their operations?
Today’s Sunday Strib has a front-page story titled Where’s the ‘charity’ in charitable gambling? (That’s a premium link for the next few days, i.e., you need to be a print subscriber and logged in to access it.)
This year marks the 25th anniversary of state-regulated charitable gambling in Minnesota, the charitable gambling capital of the nation. Gambling employs more than 12,000 Minnesotans, funnels money to hundreds of charities, and provides entertainment at nearly 3,000 bars, fraternal halls and restaurants in every corner of the state.
But donations to charities have plunged to their lowest levels since 1986. About $32 million, or 3 percent of gross gambling revenues, went to charities in fiscal year 2010, according to a Gambling Control Board analysis this month. That means hundreds of Minnesota groups, such as Boy Scouts, softball teams and food shelves, are receiving smaller or no donations from gambling proceeds.
… list of the more than 1,200 organizations that operate charitable gambling in Minnesota, which has been a $1 billion per year industry. They range from VFWs to fire department associations to youth athletic clubs. To sort by city or another column, click on the arrows inside each column head. The column titled "Other Lawful Purpose" refers primarily to property taxes and some building repairs that American Legions, VFWs and other fraternal groups can pay for using gambling profits.
The figures were released this month by the Minnesota Gambling Control Board and cover fiscal year 2010, which is July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. This is not data for the 2010 calendar year.
I put together this screenshot of the data for the Northfield groups. Click to enlarge:
Which Northfield area organizations are doing well, i.e., giving a high/decent/respectable percentage of their charitable gambling proceeds to community needs and spending less on their operations?
While taking photos of the outdoor pool’s climbing wall last week, I noticed the commemorative plaque and flag pole for what’s now called Old Memorial Park. The plaque reads:
On October 1, 1948, this memorial recreation field was dedicated as a living memorial to the brave men and women who gave their lives in defense of our country. It was donated to the Northfield School District #659 from the Northfield American Legion Post #84.
This flag pole is placed in the year 2007, in memory of all men and women who served their country in war and peace time since World War I.
But today’s Memorial Day tribute is at 9 am in Veteran’s Memorial Park, at the south end of Riverside Park.
I eventually found the time on page 2 of the print edition Saturday’s Nfld News, in the calendar of events sidebar. It’s incorrectly listed as 8 am in the newspaper’s online calendar of events for May 26.
The Northfield VFW and the Northfield Legion took out this full page ad in this weekend’s edition of the Northfield News for tomorrow’s Memorial Day celebration at Veteran’s Memorial Park. I plan to be there taking photos tomorrow.
I found their list of wars for the “placing of the wreaths” ceremony to be a bit odd.
From the Revolutionary War through the Persian Gulf War, no problem, though some vets of the Cold War have been lobbying to have that included. But the last two wars listed are labeled:
War on Terrorism
Operation Enduring Freedom
The Wikipedia defines Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) as the government’s official name for all post-9/11 action, though they indicate that OEF most commonly means the war in Afghanistan. This Dept of Defense web page equates ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ with the ‘war against terrorism.’
So are the VFW and Legion trying to communicate something with this wording strategy or is it a typo? And why not use the commonly-used ‘Iraq War’ or the ‘War in Iraq’ or just ‘Iraq’ like it’s listed on the ‘Major Wars and Conflicts’ granite marker at the site (right photo)?
David Beimers: My take-away? We need to begin working immediately with the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota to form a Northfield area bicycle advisory committee so we can begin tackling a myriad of bike-related issues. I completely agree. I’m...
Bright Spencer: I lived and worked in Chicago, Hyde Park, to be more precise, and I biked several times a week to my job. There I could use the street or sidewalk unimpeded, but there was very little vehicle or pedestrian traffic. It was great....
Paul Zorn: Long time no post on LoGroNo. But here is something to stir the bicycling pot, now that the weather might stay bike-conducive for a while. The author asserts, essentially, that rules written for “4000 pound” cars don’t...
Griff Wigley: See my Storify story blog post on bike sharrows.
Griff Wigley: A helpful sharrows cartoon from Bikeyface.com:
Griff Wigley: Strib: Wooddale Avenue’s pioneering bike lanes in Edina look doomed The street that has baffled Edinans since it was re-striped last fall may get an easier-to-understand painting fix this spring. Wooddale Avenue, a primary...
Bright Spencer: Thanks for those super photos, Angela. I really miss my former digs and this brought me back home for a moment.
Angela Lauterbach: How about some photos? I’ve got some for you! [img]http://locallygrownnorthf ield.org/wp-content/uploads/20 13/05/IMG_20130502_085009.jpg[ /img] [img]http://locallygrownnorthf ield.org/wp-content/uploads...
Griff Wigley: The video of last night’s school calendar panel discussion is now up; blog comment thread now open thru Apr 30.
Griff Wigley: I’m putting on my consulting hat again this week and inviting y’all to this panel discussion video conference/live chat/blog discussion thread on the school calendar scheduled for this Wed, April 24, 8 pm.
Griff Wigley: Also in yesterday’s Northfield News, reporter Ashley Klemer (@AshleyKlemer) has an article titled Northfield Public Schools holds second school calendar meeting. You can comment on my Calendar Conversation blog post about the article...
Griff Wigley: The Draft Report on the Downtown Parking Conversation is now up. blog comment thread now open thru May 3.
Griff Wigley: In yesterday’s Northfield News, reporter Kaitlyn Walsh (@NFNKaitlyn) has an article titled Downtown Northfield parking conversation nears its end. You can comment on my Downtown Parking blog post about the article here.
Griff Wigley: Do you live downtown? Do you live near downtown? Then you’re invited to a meeting to discuss parking issues, Mar. 28, 8 pm at the library. Details here.
Griff Wigley: Thanks, Bill. There are some things in the works that might make my announcement of a sale premature. Stay tuned!
Bill Ostrem: Griff, Northfield has benefited greatly from the quality of LGN and the discussion it fosters. I hope it will continue to thrive after it is sold!
kiffi summa: One only has to see how LG has been dormant in recent days/weeks to see how much energy it has to absorb to keep ‘alive’ , and how much of that energy has to be primed by its moderator. But it is sad to see how this forum...
Griff Wigley: Thank you, Bill. It’s not over yet and I have no idea what’ll happen next.
Griff Wigley: Thanks for digging that up, Curt. Very strange.
Curt Benson: The Minnesota Secretary of State website says the name was registered by Gehring in December, 2012: http://mblsportal.sos.state.mn .us/Business/SearchDetails?fil ingGuid=475f479d-c443-e211-bc4 3-001ec94ffe7f
Griff Wigley: Just an FYI to those inquiring: Dick Heibel doesn’t check this blog, he does not have email that I know of, and his web page is no longer working. You’ll have to phone him. I’m not sure if this number is current but...
Mary-Lynn Wigodsky: Hello Mr. Heibel, I would love to have my small snow globe repaired. It has a small figurine that is broken in just two places. The base looks solid. We had it in our home growing up in the 50′s -but it may be older than...
Gary Val Tenuta: Just found out Mom’s Best Cereals contain GMOs. Big discussion about it on the Mom’s Best Cereal Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/MomsBe stFanPage?ref=ts&fref=ts
Griff Wigley: Arlen, I actually didn’t mention or link to a realtor in my blog post or comments. I just linked to the MLS listing for the two houses I spotted on Nevada.
Arlen Malecha: Griff – As a Realtor I am glad to see you helping promote homes for sale within the Northfield community. However, I think it is prudent to advance the local realty websites such as www.coldwellbankernorthfield.c om vs the one...
Jesse Steed: Hello Teresa, I’m a Realtor with Edina Realty based in Northfield. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. My office number is 507-645-1179.
Jesse Steed: Thanks for posting my listing! Here’s a link to 410 Nevada that includes the virtual tour (an audio tour of the home’s history) performed by the seller himself! http://www.edinarealty.com/jes se-steed-realtor/homes-for-...
Teresa Jensen: Thanks, Bill; it looks like a lovely home, but my home search is limited to Northfield city limits. Thanks, too, Griff, for the Nevada house links– I will check out in person when I arrive in May!
Griff Wigley: I wonder how this could have been avoided.
Griff Wigley: In today’s Strib: Wooddale Avenue’s pioneering bike lanes in Edina look doomed The street that has baffled Edinans since it was re-striped last fall may get an easier-to-understand painting fix this spring. Wooddale...
Griff Wigley: Kiffi, I don’t know that it would be practical to try to launch a Northfield Bike Task Force, a Dundas Bike Task Force, a Rice County Bike Task Force, a Bridgewater Township Bike Task Force, etc. Maybe at some point those...
Griff Wigley: David, I don’t think the primary purpose of a regional bike council would be to secure taxpayer money for bike projects/infrastructure. It would be to study, recommend, plan, guide, educate, collaborate, etc.
Griff Wigley: Mary, the trend among hyperlocal online news entities seems to be heading towards the non-profit membership model where you get extra benefits (see, MinnPost members, Texas Tribune members). I’m not sure Northfield is big...
Mary Schier: Patch (AOL) is under intense pressure from shareholders to make a profit this year. It’s had a hiring freeze for some time and with fewer people, it has been going to more regional coverage. This works OK (not great, but OK) in...
kiffi summa: Agreed …I’m about to unsubscribe. There’s also a tinge of sensationalism, instead of serious news updates; for example: what’s with the story of the death of a 26 year old Lonsdale woman ‘above the...
Griff Wigley: I agree, Jane. And they seem to be over-reaching to make the connection to Northfield on some stories, eg: Northfield State Sen. Dave Thompson Mulling Run for Governor. Next up: Dundas State Sen. Kevin Dahle?
Jane McWilliams: My observation is that there is no local reporting . . . just as I feared!
Donna Volkmann: I see this forum is pretty old from 2008. Does anyone know if there are any homeschool co-ops in Northfield for social interaction? I see there are many in the cities but can’t seem to find any in Northfield. Also, do you...
Griff Wigley: Nfld News: Northfield orders new street signs to fix misspellings “Nineth” Street in Northfield will soon be back to Ninth Street. City staff recently ordered new sign blades from the city’s vendor to fix the...
Griff Wigley: Today’s Nfld News: Proposed bill would take Northfield public meetings discussion online Minnesota Newspaper Association attorney Mark Anfinson said it’s “entirely sensible” to update existing law to reflect the advantages that...
kiffi summa: another tragedy: in a middle school outside Detroit, amidst 800 students,a popular, non-bullied 14year old shoots himself in the head, fatally, with a 40 caliber Glock pistol…. School had no metal detectors; staff said he was...
kiffi summa: Maybe I’m just too saddened by this story now, david… but I don’t think so… I have long thought that a total overhaul of our correctional system , with its many abuses, needs to be done… but that does not...
David Henson: Kiffi, funny how we always see these stories differently. The USA has over 1 million people enslaved in our prison system. The criminal justice system is a sham. Corrections is big big business (some great stocks if you have the...
kiffi summa: OK… if LG is going to ‘die’ … it should die in step with a deplorable part of American culture, and go out with a ‘BANG’… (don’t get all upset; that is just a metaphor, and contains no...
In 1946, Howard Hong left Northfield for war-ravaged Europe. The young St. Olaf philosophy professor, who would later become internationally known as a scholar and translator of the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard, had spent the war working at prisoner of war camps in Missouri and Iowa. When the war ended, he was called to service as senior field officer for the Refugee Division of the World Council of Churches. Between 1946 and 1948, he helped to resettle more than 250,000 war refugees.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of state-regulated charitable gambling in Minnesota, the charitable gambling capital of the nation. Gambling employs more than 12,000 Minnesotans, funnels money to hundreds of charities, and provides entertainment at nearly 3,000 bars, fraternal halls and restaurants in every corner of the state.
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