It’s always nice to get a good dose of snow on the weekend – if you don’t have to work! I’ve heard early estimates that four to eight inches of the white stuff is headed our way Saturday afternoon. Will we really get it? I’m not going to get too excited yet, although my young boys are ecstatic about the idea. My mom is coming to town for the weekend and she can’t wait either. She lives in Arizona and says she is sick of the heat! We’ll be Christmas shopping at the Mall of America Saturday, but I’ll be keeping an eye on the weather to make sure I don’t have to drive in the slippery stuff!
Monthly Archive for November, 2007
There has been some discussion in Lester Prairie about what constitutes a dangerous dog. Last summer, a rottweiler named Lexy was classified as potentially dangerous after residents reported being frightened by Lexy as they walked down a public street. Police talked to Lexy’s owner about steps he could take to avoid having her classified as a dangerous dog. The owner did not heed this advice, and police recieved additional reports about people being frightened by Lexy. As a result, she was classified as dangerous. The owner appealed, and the city council upheld the decision.
Some people say the city over-reacted, and the dog should not be classified as dangerous because she has not physically attacked anyone. Others say the city did what it had to do to abide by the law, and to protect city residents.
What do you think?
Lauren Eggert, daughter of Fran and Jan Eggert of Winsted and a Holy Trinity 2003 graduate, is scheduled to perform this Saturday, Dec. 1 at the Blue Note in Winsted. She will be singing with the five member band called the Dixie Hicks. Lauren loves country western music and recalls sitting in the rain at Winstock when she was just 8 years old watching the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Stop out and see her Saturday. They will be performing between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. It promises to be a good show and Lauren will love to see you there!
The Wright County Board heard a report from Katie Zintek of the U of M Extension Service this morning indicating that the 4-H program in Wright County is going strong.
Zirtek said Wright County 4-H enrollment reached 531 members in the 2006-2007 program year, an increase of 5 percent over the previous year. Zirtek said both the total membership and the number of new members have grown over the past three years, and she attributes this to factors including state support, the level of volunteer committment, and the variety of programs offered in the 22 4-H clubs throughout the county. Board Chair Jack Russek said he was impressed by the growth of the program, particularly in view of competition from youth sports, which can require a significant committment of time by participants.
The Des Moines Register reported that the Iowa Department of Revenue has hit upon a new way to squeeze money out of taxpayers.
Apparently, these dedicated public servants discovered that some people are buying pumpkins not to eat, but to use as decorations.
This shocking revelation set them to thinking. Pumpkins, as a food item, were not subject to state sales tax. On the other hand, if they are used as a decoration, rather than as an edible squash, they must be taxable. The department adopted a new policy and began taxing pumpkins if they are advertised for use as jack-o’-lanterns or decorations.
If an Iowan wishes to eat a pumkin, as in a pumpkin pie or other seasonal treat, he can avoid paying sales tax – if he fills out an Iowa Sales Tax Exemption Certificate form. Pumpkins purchased with food stamps are also exempt from the tax.
I have not checked Minnesota tax law pertaining to this issue, but this state never misses an opportunity to raise a tax, so if Minnesota is not already taxing pumpkin sales, the Minnesota Department of Revenue will not doubt leap on the bandwagon as soon as it gets wind of the Iowa decision.
There are millions of people in this country who pay no tax at all. There are loopholes in the tax code big enough to drive a bus through which allow corporations to avoid certain taxes. But, apparently, at least in Iowa, tax officials have nothing better to do than burden growers and retailers by forcing them to detemine if consumers plan to eat a pumpkin or carve a face on it and set it on their porch.
There has been no report indicating whether or not pumpkin owners will be eligible for a tax refund when vandals steal their pumpkins and smash them in the street.
The folks in Boston had a party to protest tariffs on tea. Maybe the good people of Des Moines will be staging a pumpkin party some day soon.
I admit I did some shopping today, which isn’t my favorite activity when everyone else is shopping, but since my husband is hunting again this weekend I decided to go out for a few hours.
I couldn’t help but overhear the cashier at Target tell the woman in front of me that the TVs that were advertised on sale sold out in 20 minutes this morning. She also said there was a limit of two, and many people wanted to buy more than two.
This got me thinking. With all the foreclosures we see in the paper every week, and the credit-card debt that is frequently talked about - I thought, hmm, I wonder how many people who are buying these non-necessities are also over their heads in debt? I also wonder if those in debt, and choose to ignore that fact, really know how much they’re hurting themselves?
Tom Hammer announced at Monday’s Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted School Board meeting that he is resigning his school board position effective immediately. He said he was resigning for personal reasons, but also because he was missing out on too many of his kids’ activities. He thanked the community, fellow school board members, and George Ladd for their support. He said he thinks there are two important issues that still need to be worked out. One was open enrollment, and the other being unity issues between the three cities in the district. The complete story will be in Monday’s Herald Journal.
Old Blue, Winsted St. Mary’s Care Center activity bus for 23 years, did not wait until a bus fundraising committee had raised $48,000 to purchase a new 15-passenger bus. The old blue bus expired at Carlson Apple Orchard last week leaving its residents stranded. The bus fundraising committee has raised $40,000 since January and are only $8,000 away from purchasing the new bus. Hopefully, because Old Blue is no longer a reliable means of transportation for the senior citizens, there are some generous hearts out there who realize the importance of this transportation to the seniors of this area. Anyone wishing to donate to the bus fund may contact Andy Opsahl, administrator and CEO of St. Mary’s Care Center/Linden Wood Apartments at (320) 485-3130.
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