While The Wife has ordered several different menu items, I have always stuck with the Hungry Man which includes a mind boggling two eggs, two bacon slices, a sausage patty, two sausage links, a piece of ham steak, and toast for just over $7. After our first visit we realized we didn’t need to order the kids two meals because their pancake breakfast, which takes up 3/4 of a dinner plate, feeds them both just fine (we’re told the adult sized pancakes take up the entire plate, plus some, and are more than one).

The food is simple but well done. The Wife loves that they make really thick bacon and I love that their sausage links are almost the size of brats. The fact that they remember your order after your first visit and never let your coffee drop below 2″ from the top are just some of the reasons I love the place. However, there is one item which we have seen on each visit but didn’t try until yesterday–their caramel rolls.

Bob’s Caramel Rolls (listed as ‘carmel rolls’ on the whiteboard) are $2.29 each and tower over the small plate on which they are presented. They come out warm and glistening with a thick coating of smooth and sweet caramel and, as if the caramel wasn’t enough, they come with a side of warm butter to add on if you so choose. Now, as many of you know, I am not into desserts or pastries all that much. In fact, I generally avoid them at all costs and let The Wife do the reviews of that side, however, I was so very glad I gave these a try.

The roll was more than enough for two of us but in the future I’m keeping one all to myself as it was that good. Nothing like the dense and dry caramel rolls which usually grace diners, this one was light, fluffy, and sweet. Cutting off pieces with a fork, I was shoveling them into my mouth as fast as I could to try and steal just one more piece before The Wife could take another from me. Coupled with the coffee, this was something which I mentioned on Twitter was well worth the $45 in gas it would take to get there.

I love Downtown Diner in Alexandria for so many reasons and highly recommend it if you happen to be driving through the area or, as I mentioned on Twitter, if you are in the mood for a nice drive and a great reward at the end.

Have you eaten at Downtown Diner in Alexandria? If so what did you have and what did you think? Where else can you find delectable caramel rolls? Where is your favorite diner anywhere? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Address:
Downtown Diner
411 1/2 Broadway St
Alexandria, MN 56308

Phone:
(320) 763-1703

Now, at this point, seeing what was going on, The Wife asked him “what the hell do you think you are doing?!” He replied that he was there to shut off the gas for one of our neighbors for non-payment and that he was definitely a CenterPoint Energy employee. He later used his ragged vest, laying on top of his unprofessional clothing, and a laptop showing that he was there to do his job as evidence of him not being a thief as it originally appeared.

The Wife later contacted CenterPoint and let them know of her displeasure to find one of their employees acting in such a manner. She received only a boilerplate response from their Customer Service department via e-mail which indicated a supervisor would be contacted about her concern.

The obvious question is why would CenterPoint ever allow employees going to shut off the gas to act in such a way. Why are they having people drive in their own vehicles and dress in a way which is clearly unprofessional to do something which suggests wrong-doing? Shouldn’t they have better internal policies in place to ensure that their employees are not looking like they’re up to no good?

What do you think about this one? Would you have expected a better response from the company? Do you think this individual was simply working outside of the policies they have and hadn’t been caught? What would you have done in response? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Yesterday I had to drive a coworker to St. Louis Park for a business lunch. On the way back I contacted the venerable (or is it venereal) MSPD to see if he wanted to meet up for lunch. After giving me a load of grief for the short notice and admission that he had already eaten at McDonald’s for lunch, he suggested I try Aida in Richfield, a place he said which a lot of people love. Being less than two miles away at that point, I exited the highway and made my way through some tree-lined Richfield streets to the restaurant and walked in the door.

Being that it was right around noon, I was surprised to find the place nearly empty. Aside from the three people working in the open kitchen, there was a single diner outside on their patio and me. I found this a little odd considering MSPD’s claims of others thinking it was great. I walked up to the counter and picked up a menu from the wall even though they had a series of TVs hanging even higher that displayed their menu (can we do away with this please? I really don’t like feeling like I’m ordering at a fast food restaurant. Does anyone else share my hatred of the next strain from this setup?)

Aida’s menu has three parts where you select from each depending on what you’re looking for (salad, sandwich, plate). I went with a plate which came with basmati rice or fries, a choice of meat or veggie, sides (3), and sauces. After not giving it all that much thought I got the lamb kabob (an additional $1.99) with a warning that it would take about 12 minutes more to grill it fresh; olives, peppers, and hummus for sides; and their habanero sauce (not listed on their online menu but definitely there on their in-store version). Total bill with drink, $14.40. Not exactly cheap for lunch but based on what I had ordered, a ton of food.

When the plate arrived I was surprised not only at the amount of food but the visual quality of it. While I hadn’t planned on reviewing it based on a single lunch item, it looked so good I took a pic and dug in. The lamb kabobs were perfectly grilled. A lovely light char on the ample veggies and the juicy and tender meat coupled with the great lamb flavor made these simply delightful. The sides (hummus, olives, and sliced red peppers) not only brought some real color to the dish, but added excellent flavor too.

Now, this is all before I added the second best part of this meal–the habanero sauce. Bright red, fresh, and smelling beautiful, I poured the sauce on some of the rice and mixed it with the meat and grilled veggies. I have eaten a metric ton of hot sauces in my day, in restaurants and bottles from all over the country and world and while I have my favorites, few (if any) have ever come to the quality and flavor of Aida’s habanero sauce that I had yesterday. After the burn subsided nearly an hour later, I called it “stellar”. If you’re into heat with flavor, check this one out, BIG thumbs up here.

Later on, while describing my experience at Aida, I used words like ‘excellent’, ‘stunning’, ‘stellar’ and noted it gave me the chills just thinking about it. Rarely am I so excited about a place that I’m raving up and down about it to everyone I know telling them to run there. Well, I’m doing that here today. GET TO AIDA NOW. Oh, and if you’re one of those astroturfing fools supporting the empty parking lot at Byblos Lebanese Grill in Burnsville, give up your attempts and head on over to Aida for the way you should be serving Mediterranean food; they’re doing it right and could give you a lesson or two on how to make food not only edible but really and incredibly tasty too.

Have you tried Aida in Richfield? If so what did you order and what did you think? What are your favorite Mediterranean restaurants in the area? Are you going to brave the habanero sauce? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Address:
Aida Mediterranean Cuisine
2208 West 66th St
Richfield, MN 55423

Phone:
612-866-5061

This past weekend we were doing a little grocery shopping and I came across a bag of Herr’s Texas Pete Hot Sauce chips at a Walmart in Alexandria. I just had to pick up these chips for two reasons:

1. Herr’s is a favorite of mine from when I was a kid being that Herr’s was all over the Eastern seaboard (they are a PA company).

2. I hadn’t seen anyone use Texas Pete hot sauce on a product before.

The chips themselves were in a large sized bag and were really inexpensive compared to other specialty chips ($2.50/bag). I grabbed a bag and brought them home, opening them up and digging in as soon as we walked in the door at home.

Full disclosure: I have never found Texas Pete hot sauce to be anything special. In fact, I thought it was kinda weak. I am a Frank’s man and I put that * on everything. Not wanting to remove any chance of this one being good based on Herr’s poor choice of hot sauce brands I ventured on putting my hot sauce allegiance aside.

The chips were phenomenal, just like I remembered from when I was a kid. None of this garbage that people eat here in Minnesota; this was true East Coast ownage (ok, I’m kidding a bit here). The chips were really good but they were still chips. However, the spiciness from the Texas Pete was well done. I have had plenty of name-brand chips trying to capitalize off the hot sauce craze such as Lay’s miserable Sriracha chip failure, but Herr’s Texas Pete probably has been the best by far.

While I didn’t see any other Herr’s chips in the store, I am looking forward to reliving my childhood eating these chips again and I certainly will not hesitate at all to buy another bag of their Texas Pete hot sauce version. Really good stuff that I recommend you try.

Have you ever had Herr’s chips? How about their Texas Pete version? If so what did you think? Did this review want to Make Herr’s Yours? What is your favorite chip brand and why? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Apparently someone who used to frequent the now closed Taco Bell on MN-13 happened to stop by Taqueria La Hacienda #3 and posted the review above on Urbanspoon. While I usually side with the statement that the ‘customer is always right’ especially when it comes to food, I have to admit this one has me rethinking that one.

If this was Burger King, I would guess that someone could argue it was “Your Way Right Away” but in this case someone has a misunderstanding of how to eat tacos in a traditional hispanic restaurant. No, you cannot get sour cream and cheese even if they have them, if you want that, go to Taco Bell or John’s. Even if they had ordered it that way, would they have been surprised to eat real meat that had real flavor? Would they have begged for overly salty grade F ground beef cooked for far too long and left to sit for hours in a bucket?

Do you think the customer is always right? If you walked into a Hispanic restaurant would you expect to be able to order tacos like you get from Bell or John’s? Do you think this is the most hilarious review you’ve ever read? Are you surprised at their lack of spelling ability? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Have you been to Giuseppe’s in Rosemount? If so what did you think? Where else in Rosemount do you like to eat? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Address:
Giuseppe’s
15090 Chippendale Avenue
Rosemount, MN 55068

Recently student loan debt has been in the news again, this time because politicians want to tie student loan interest rates to market-based interest rates allowing them to fluctuate (within a capped limit) as the economy improves or worsens.

According to this opinion piece from Rep. John Kline, the United States should force loan borrowers into a market-based interest rate for student loans to allow savings to those borrowers:

But we need to move away from a system that allows Washington politicians to use student loan interest rates as bargaining chips, creating uncertainty and confusion for borrowers.

[...]

With the Smarter Solutions for Students Act (HR 1911), which passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support on May 23, we upheld that promise. This responsible legislation simply moves all federal student loans — except Perkins loans — to a market-based interest rate and builds upon a proposal put forth by President Barack Obama earlier this year.

Just like the president’s plan, our legislation will apply a market-based interest rate to all Stafford and PLUS loans, ensuring borrowers will be able to take advantage of today’s low rates. But unlike President Obama’s proposal, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act takes an additional step to protect borrowers against higher interest rates by imposing a fair and reasonable cap. Based on current market conditions, HR 1911 could lead interest rates to drop by as much as 2 percent for millions of Stafford and PLUS loan borrowers this summer.

Additionally, the legislation maintains students’ ability to consolidate their loans upon graduation and lock in a low fixed interest rate for the life of the loan. And students still can take advantage of existing federal repayment and debt management initiatives, such as the generous income-based repayment programs, numerous loan forgiveness programs and opportunities for deferment or forbearance.

As someone who now has a student loan (about $5000) to pay off the remainder of my graduate schooling (most of it was paid for by my employer at the time and it should be paid off within a year), I made a conscious effort to reduce how much I had to pay for my education and I have little sympathy for those who make poor choices and rack up unending amounts of debt. However, this particular bill is not something which we should back because it tacks on large hidden penalties because legislators, the same ones who say they shouldn’t be fixing interest rates because they don’t understand the system, are legislation without understanding the system. The irony is typical but still disappointing.

What do you think about this one? Do you think that Kline’s bill is a worthy plan or do you agree that the government should be loaning out dollars to students to help build a useful workforce instead of making money on the enterprise? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear what you have to say.

From the article:

An office building — one with a large employer as an anchor tenant — is high on the city’s priority list for filling some of the empty space. Nordquist said the city would like to see up to 100,000 square feet of office space, a total that likely would require an anchor tenant taking about 50,000 square feet.

[...]

“New construction is expensive, and there’s no shortage of existing space that would be cheaper for an office user,” Karkula said. Large chunks of vacant office space include the former offices of Delta Air Lines and Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Eagan and the former Brown College campus in Mendota Heights.

With so much other open development opportunities available elsewhere, Apple Valley appears to be jumping the gun on trying to build out and anticipate development needs around a transit line which hasn’t even opened yet and will remain in its infancy for years. The current transit system is oriented towards one-way travel: suburb -> city in the morning and city -> suburb in the evening. While BRT has the potential to fix this, somewhat, the City of Apple Valley is hoping that people from other areas are going to be willing to spend over an hour on transit systems with several transfers to get to Apple Valley. This will continue to be a non-starter for years to come.

What Apple Valley is currently doing here is very similar to what they did with the start of Central Village nearly 15 years ago. They are hedging bets on broken thought processes and a clear lack of understanding of how they fit into the metro area. They need to wait for BRT to mature (which it likely never will) and instead of using nearly $1 million in tax dollars to retrofit buildings now for companies which have already turned away from Apple Valley (hey guys, where was the huge press event where you admitted you lost the company you touted as the future of Apple Valley’s business sector?), the waiting game should continue for a while so you aren’t left with more unused and outdated development for business which will likely never come.

What do you think about this one? If you were located in another part of the metro would you be willing to take the LRT to BRT to work in Apple Valley? Do you think the city should be using nearly $1 million in tax dollars to build out commercial space for companies which are likely to never come? Do you think BRT will ever become the transit line the county and cities hope? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

From the Letter to the Editor:

The lack of paved bike trails means people must make an effort and walk in order to access its beauty. Many times this park has been called an “urban Boundary Waters” due to its lakes and wilderness feel. In northern Minnesota, that feeling has been created by the lack of motors on the lakes. In Lebanon Hills it is due to the lack of paved trails and bikes.

[...]

There are many other trails in Dakota County to bike and enjoy the easy access to nature. But there are very few places a person can experience a wilderness-like moment.

[...]

Once this park is bisected by a paved trail, the feeling of solitude will be severely compromised, and this large park will “feel” much smaller. Yes, it will allow greater access for bikers and in-line skaters, but at what cost? This path will become a transportation line for people wanting to cross the park.

While I don’t agree that Lebanon Hills is anything at all like an ‘urban Boundary Waters’, it does not need a bike path bisecting the park like the one which has ruined Spring Lake Park Reserve or makes Lebanon Hills become similar to every other urban park we have around the metro. Leave Lebanon Hills alone and let people enjoy its tranquil beauty the way they have for years. Boosting visitors by adding a pass-through is like the BPAC counting people walking through the free art gallery as attendees. Boos all around.

What do you think about this one? Do you think a trail cutting through Lebanon Hills is necessary? Do you agree that it should be left as a natural wonderland for people to enjoy? Does bisecting it with a 6.5 mile paved trail change that? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

From the article:

The total projected cost is over $120,000, to be split between Savage, Scott County and the Three Rivers Park District, which owns and maintains the reserve. About $66,000 of the total would go toward park infrastructure (fencing, drinking fountain, concrete walk pads, and a pay kiosk). An additional $60,000 is needed to pave the road and a bituminous trail running nearby.

There is already another dog park located in Savage which is a barebones operation and free for users. It consists of a fenced in area and a trash can for people to place their pet’s waste. With people using simple affairs not requiring an investment of $120,000, some may wonder whether it is worth the expense of paving roads, trails, and adding other items for something which is totally unnecessary for dogs.

I have a dog. He’s just as happy to pee on a random spot of grass where some other dog has been as he is to run around in a fenced in area that cost $120,000 to put up. This expense is not only unnecessary from a financial standpoint, the entire exercise is an unnecessary one.

What do you think about this one? Do you utilize dog parks? Why? Do you think it’s right for taxpayers to have to foot a $120,000 bill to build a 3.5 acre fenced in land which will be used solely to allow dogs to poop and pee? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

From the article:

When the recession hit in 2008 and 2009, a number of states looked for ways to generate employment and keep tax revenue rolling in. One way to accomplish both goals was to loosen laws regulating distilleries.

[...]

The biggest operation is Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery, which opened in 2010 in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Roughly 130,000 cases of moonshine were sold in 2012, a jump from 50,000 in 2010 and 80,000 in 2011, according to food-and-beverage-analysis firm Technomic. (A case holds 12 750-ml jars.) Ole Smoky accounts for the vast majority of all sales — 100,000 of the 130,000 cases sold last year.

[...]

As moonshine creeps into the mainstream, however, there are some in Appalachia who question whether a spirit that’s aboveboard — and regulated and taxed by the government – can truly be considered moonshine. It may be unaged whiskey. But is it really good ol’ ’shine?’

I had an opportunity to try Ole Smoky’s stuff several years ago as we were driving through Tennessee on our way to South Carolina. They have setup their distillery right in the heart of Gatlinburg and were offering free samples of their stuff, over and over again–much to my surprise. Most of it was fine for me, all except the stuff that was closest to actual moonshine–isopropyl tastes better than that.

I know a bunch of you guys are whiskey fans. Have any of you been trying the legal moonshines which have come to market? What do you think of them? Anyone ever tried to make it themselves? Do you think that moonshine can never be called moonshine as long as it’s created legally and taxed by the government? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Smoke in the Pit is a tiny takeout place. They have a single ordering window, a restroom, a door to the kitchen, and a few feet of space where customers wait their turns to order or receive their food. While there are quite a few kinks in the system this early in the game, the staff was extremely friendly between bouts of yelling back and forth to quiet down so they could take orders or unlock the kitchen door so they could get back inside.

The menu, currently two pieces of paper stuck, somewhat cockeyed, to the wall above the ordering window, is full of the typical BBQ items: ribs, chicken wings, brisket, etc. They have beans, coleslaw, and mac and cheese as well as random extras for sides. Everything is made in-house even the peach cobbler they had as a special taped to a small piece of torn notebook paper taped to the inside of the ordering window on the day we were there.

We ordered almost everything off the menu including ribs, chicken wings (smoked, not the fried option which was also available), brisket, catfish (nuggets), mac and cheese, beans, coleslaw, and peach cobbler. Our bill came to $36 and we were told to wait about 15 minutes which eventually turned into 25.

We were provided several plastic grocery bags full of food and made our way the three blocks to Powderhorn park for our BBQ picnic. We chose a picnic table by the water and enjoyed watching the geese waddle around with their goslings. We opened up the styrofoam containers and dug in. I was surprised at the size of the portions, especially the ribs as well as the careful consideration of adding both plenty of BBQ sauce and a side of hot sauce.

The sides were pretty boring. The beans were nothing special and could use some work so they don’t closely resemble refried beans out of a can and the coleslaw was yellow, something I’d never encountered, but tasted good enough for me to eat it all–something I generally cannot do with other people’s coleslaw (it’s apple cider vinegar, mayo, sugar, celery salt, and pepper…why do people insist on screwing it up?!). The mac and cheese, however, gets its own lengthy description because, well, it was the strangest mac and cheese we’d ever eaten. It wasn’t cheesy, it had mushrooms in it, and it had absolutely no flavor, not even salt. After eating what amounted to be noodles and cream of mushroom soup several times over the evening we decided this was noodle soup and decided to never order it again. Hey Smoke in the Pit, you forgot the cheese and added mushrooms–gross.

The chicken wings were quite good. Fall of the bone tender, great smoke flavor, and a crispy skin. They were quite good enough on their own without the hot sauce (which was your standard cayenne pepper sauce and could have used some butter but whatever) or BBQ sauce. While I couldn’t drag myself back there to eat them again after waiting 25 minutes, they were almost worth the drive.

The brisket was disappointing. While it was tender, that was about all that could be said for it. Fatty, drained of color, and overall not very good, this is something which really should be one of the stars of the show. Really a sad thing, it didn’t even look appetizing at all.

The ribs, though, were absolutely amazing. BIG, meaty, tender, and smokey, these fell right off the bone. In fact, it was almost possible that you could pick up the bone, give it a shake or two, and have a pile of rib meat on your plate. While the BBQ sauce accompanying them was decent, like the chicken wings, these required no sauce. I have had ribs all over the place and while these aren’t the best by any stretch of the imagination, they were my favorite so far in Minnesota. I just wish there was some rub or stellar BBQ sauce on the side…

Overall I thought Smoke in the Pit was good enough to do again with a lakeside picnic. While I’d stick to the meats and bring my own sides and BBQ sauce, this would be a place I’d recommend you get the wings and ribs, they were pretty great.

Have you been to Smoke in the Pit? What did you order and what did you think? What other great BBQ places have you been to recently that you think we should try for another BBQ picnic in the future? Whatever you have to say about Smoke in the Pit BBQ in Minneapolis go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Address:
Smoke in the Pit
3733 Chicago Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55407

Phone:
612-315-3145

In a move which is unsurprising yet sad, the Savage City Council has agreed to allow yet another restaurant to fill the vacant space left by the Savage Depot Bistro. While the ownership/management of the Savage Depot Bistro had a variety of bad business decisions of their own which led to their (admittedly longer than I expected) demise, this new venture is dead from the get go.

The new restaurant known as “Flavor at the Depot” (or FLaVOR at the Depot as quoted by Burnsville Patch which would be even more ridiculous) will be a breakfast and lunch spot which means the two sisters opening the place are already shooting themselves in the foot by competing with nearby staple Windmill Cafe, but also because they’re not going to be able to sell enough meals after year one to make the ever-increasing rent:

From the Savage Pacer article:

The proposal reviewed by the EDC Wednesday requests a five-year lease with an option to renew for an additional five years. Proposed rent for the first six months would be $1 per month, then $500 per month for months seven through 12. The rent would increase in year two to $750 per month.

According to the Burnsville Patch article, the rent will continue increasing up to $1500 in year 5 which works out to an average of about $950/month over the five year term, something the City of Savage is unlikely to have to even think about.

The place is doomed from the start. It’s small, it has mandated limitations due to its historical state, it is in an area full of heavy competition from other well-established restaurants covering the entire gambit of types (Mexican, fast-food, bar, sports bar/wing joint, breakfast/lunch, etc), and most importantly, the name is simply awful.

What do you think about this one? Would you walk into a lease which you know is going to continue to increase over time eating away at whatever profits you were making? Do you think the City is being fair to the residents of Savage by charging a pittance for the first year? Do you think this one has any chance of making it knowing what they’re trying to do and the competition in the area? Whatever you have to say go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

On Friday my buddy and I headed up to our cabin (we were able to realize our dream!) and due to traffic around Clearwater on I-94, we pulled off the road to buy some necessities (read: mainly beer) and use the restroom. The area at that particular exit was completely dark due to a power outage. For whatever reason one of two Holiday gas stations situated across from one another was lit up still. With everything else closed and no restrooms available we headed inside the sprawling facility.

Once instead we realized just how large it was. Almost a truckstop, this gas station had it all: a deli, ice cream shop, restaurant, bakery, Cracker Barrel-eque knick knacks and self-branded food items. While looking at the deli we came across their selection of pickled foods. They had everything from spicy pickled eggs to, well, pickles. Two of the many different kinds caught our eye: Spicy Garlic and Horseradish. At $9.99 for a 16oz jar, these are not cheap in the least but we decided to give them a try and see how they were.

Sealed old-school style with a ring and a lid, it took a spoon to pop these tops off. The jar was STUFFED to the brim with thick pickles soaking in some sweet and spicy smelling liquid. We tasted the Horseradish version first and were surprised at how tame the horseradish was. While not nose clearing, the flavor and crispness of the pickles was surprising. I opened the Spicy Garlic pickles and then immediately fell in love.

These pickles were sweet first, spicy later and provided just the right amount of garlic aftertaste. They were crisp, thick, and really add something special to a sandwich. While I love pickles, especially ones that aren’t your typical dills, and I have had them from farmer’s market stands, specialty stores, and even other people’s basements, nothing yet has compared to Nelson Bros. Bakery’s Spicy Garlic Pickle Chips.

While I wish these were more like $4.99 instead of $9.99, I will be making regular stops at the place to stock up as the summer stretches on and I highly recommend that you do too.

Have you ever stopped at Nelson Bros. before? If so what did you think of the place? Have you tried their restaurant? What is your favorite pickled item/flavor? Is $9.99 a bit much for you for pickles? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Minnesota has a second class education system that charges students to play sports. But we have world class sports stadiums so they can sit on the couch and watch their “home” team. And we wonder why we have obesity problems.

While there was some argument that plenty of states have schools were extracurriculars require additional outside funding from the participants, this is an interesting discussion and one worthy of further exploration. With the state government looking to tax cigarettes further, something which has been proven to aid public health, why would the State not help to fund extracurriculars to help with the health of students in school?

Whatever you think about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I called the number and spoke to a man who told me this was his mother, she was probably lost and lived nearby, and to put her on the phone. After she spoke to him she handed the phone back to me and he told me that I should just drive her to the address on the card which was likely nearby. Assuming he lived somewhere in the general area, I told him I’d wait with her until he arrived. Being that he lives in Brooklyn Park, he pressed me to just take her home, something I admittedly I replied to with something like, “You have got to be kidding me.”

Uncomfortable putting an elderly woman in my car and driving her several blocks home, sadly considering all the bad that could come from a man driving an unknown female home, I eventually agreed to temporarily care for the woman while I dialed 911. Dispatch rolled two Burnsville police cruiers who were en route almost immediately. Being that we were only two miles or so from the police station I rightly assumed they would be there in short order. Unfortunately when I told the woman that the police were on their way to escort her home she immediately, and quickly, began to hobble the wrong way on Nicollet away from me. I contacted 911 again to report her change and they asked that I stay with her as best as I could so that officers could locate her.

Both officers arrived and handled the situation from there. I tweeted about the incident and praised the Burnsville PD for their quick response:

Many thanks to the Burnsville PD for picking up the lost elderly woman who spoke no English but had a card w/her address around her neck.

However, while I did everything in my power to safely ensure the woman was cared for, I received a text from the man I had only a few minutes prior called about HIS mother who was wandering Burnsville lost:

Aside from that being the most ridiculous statement ever, I was flabbergasted. Not only did I help this woman by calling him but I ensured she was brought home by the safest ride I could have procured for her. I felt I did far more for her than he did, asking complete strangers to assist her in getting home safely, yet I’m the bad guy?!

Again, many thanks to the Burnsville PD and to the two officers who responded so quickly to help resolve this situation!

What do you think about this one? Should I have been chastised for the way I handled the situation? Would you rely on strangers to help your lost and confused mother get home? Would you have called 911 instead? If this happened enough to have your mother put this around her neck, would you do more to move her into a facility which was better equipped to handle people who may get confused or lost? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Iron originally uploaded by Eric Schmuttenmaer

According to this Dakota County Criminal Complaint, a West St. Paul mother has been charged with malicious punishment of a child after it was alleged that she used a clothing iron to burn her seven year old son on the face.

From the article:

A police investigator made contact with the seven year old male child. The child reported he is physically disciplined by his mother when he is “bad”. He explained the discipline includes “whooping” which sometimes involves his mother using a black belt with a silver buckle to discipline him. The officer asked the child about the visible mark on the child’s cheek. At this point, the police investigator explained the child’s body language changed and he became reclusive, quiet, and nervous. The child then disclosed his mother, Nachelle Denora Haggins, hit him with a black belt resulting in the injury to his cheek. The child explained he was scared, sad, and it hurt when Haggins struck his cheek with the belt. He stated Haggins directed him not to tell anyone how he received the injury. It is believed the injury occurred on or between May 4, 2013 and May 10, 2013.

The police investigator reported he observed the child to have an injury on his cheek that was consistent with a burn and whose shape was consistent with a clothing iron being pressed against the child’s face with the tip of the iron pointed towards the child’s mouth. A search warrant was executed on Haggin’s residence and police located an iron and a black belt with a silver buckle, inside her residence.

Haggins told police the injury on the child’s face was caused on May 4, 2013, while he was at the park in St. Paul or was near Marion Street. She explained the child had been running around with other kids and had fallen. She stated she had not been watching the child when he fell because she was on her phone.

Does burning a child’s face with an iron constitute more than a gross misdemeanor charge of ‘malicious punishment of a child’? Shouldn’t someone who burns their child be sentenced to something longer than a maximum of one year? Shouldn’t this person be burned repeatedly all over their body while in prison for their rest of their useless lives? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Alcohol City originally uploaded by Arthur Caranta

According to this NPR article, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration launched a campaign to help parents begin talking to their children, as early as 9 years of age, about underage drinking. By creating the ever-so-creatively-named, “Talk. They Hear You.” the government hopes to use ridiculous txt spch and fake contracts to get parents talking to their kids about drinking.

From the article:

OK, so how to do it? The new website, called “Talk. They Hear You,” lays it all out, from data points explaining why underage drinking isn’t safe to templates for a parent-child pledge.

Then there’s practical advice, such as never serving alcohol to teens in your home, and making it clear that you don’t want your child drinking at parties or getting in a car with a driver who’s been drinking.

The toolkit includes scripts for discussing touchy subjects like why it’s OK for parents to drink; a parent-child pledge; and even suggested texts you can send: “Have fun tonight. Remember, alcohol can lead you 2 say things and do things u wish u hadn’t.”

While the most important reason I didn’t touch alcohol until college was because my father gave me sips of alcohol such as the cheapest and most poorly distilled gin ever invented (something I will still not touch to this day) and 10 year old cans of Coors Extra Gold, I find these government campaigns to be more silly than helpful. I can appreciate there are plenty of parents who don’t care to share with their children anything about life and expect them to find out themselves or even feel that their children can experience it as they had growing up and this government campaign could be some sort of wakeup call. However, this is more than likely a waste of taxpayer dollars as children will be even less likely to pay attention when Mom or Dad sends a text that says, “Alcohol can lead u 2 send txts that u wish u hadnt, just like this 1.”

What do you think about this one? Do you think the information provided by the government will help you talk to your kids? When did you start talking to them about drinking? Did you know you should start at age 9? Do you have plans to just let them go off and experience life themselves? Whatever you have you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

From the article:

Despite a bare-bones police operation, with many hours covered by sheriff’s deputies, the city’s rating for police patrols is in the top 10 percent in the metro as a whole and the top 5 percent among exurbs, city officials say.

[...]

It’s part of Scott County, meaning it can take advantage of an aggressive program of sharing costly equipment and technology with the county and the three big suburbs to its north — things like excavators, which can cost a fortune yet be rarely used.

Listen, being fiscally conservative is a great thing and no one is complaining about a city which takes it seriously. However, while sharing less critical resources such as excavators makes sense and having access to the County’s services are part of paying taxes there, it seems almost wrong to rely on limited Sheriff resources while other cities have to fund their own large police departments to ensure proper coverage and then tout it as a great thing.

Elko/New Market has learned from many of the mistakes of its neighbors and is taking the proper approach to growth by waiting for actual need rather than confusing ‘need’ with ‘projection’. Still, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it and to brag about using the services of the county paid for by other much larger groups while claiming fiscal conservatism will likely rub some the wrong way.

What do you think about this one? Is Elko/New Market somewhere you’d like to live? Do you think they’re taking it a little too far when they are able to piggyback off the success of other local large suburbs by sharing resources and having to fund little of their own? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.