Minnesota
Arlis Sayler runs for Minnesota House District 13A
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Eden Lake Township resident Arlis Sayler, a retired agricultural engineer and project manager, is running to represent House District 13A in the Minnesota House of Representatives. This is an open seat in a district that covers much of Stearns County.
Sayler, a member of the DFL, grew up on a dairy farm, worked in the North Dakota oil fields for two years after high school, then earned a degree in agricultural engineering, according to a release. He spent 35 years with Cargill, as a supervisor, plant manager, operations manager and project team leader. He plans to bring his knowledge of farm and food systems, project management, problem solving and capital planning at a time of massive disruption to our economy and communities after unprecedented federal action in the state to the Minnesota House.
“I spent my career fixing systems that were broken,” Sayler said in a release. “The roving patrols of masked federal agents in Minnesota are continuing and the impact on our economy, our workers, our business owners, our schools, our children and families will require a long recovery. I am seeking the Minnesota House 13A position because I want to be part of that long-term work to help rebuild Minnesota’s economy, and our small town and rural communities.”
If elected, Sayler would like to:
- Serve on the Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee: To build on his life’s work related to farming, rural development, and technology and strengthen Minnesota’s agricultural economy
- Work on rural health care: Attract doctors and nurses to rural areas; address long distances to care; promote policies to sustain rural hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities, which face risks of closure and service reductions; address disparities in health insurance premiums, which often are more expensive in greater Minnesota compared to the Twin Cities metro area; address farmers’ and small business owners’ loss of federal tax credits for purchasing coverage on the health insurance marketplace.
- Restore Public Safety and Local Control: Sayler is calling for an end to federal overreach that bypasses the U.S. Constitution, steps over local law enforcement and threatens legal gun owners and peaceful residents.
“I share the values of this district: hard work, respect for law and order and local independence,” he said. “I’m running to make sure our community decides our future.”
Minnesota House District 13A covers Albany, Avon, Cold Spring, Collegeville, Kimball, Paynesvillle, Richmond, Rockville and part of St Joseph.
The word of the day Sunday in southern Minnesota was “challenging,” with snow conditions making roads difficult to navigate.
In the early morning hours, when the snow was falling the fastest, Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesperson Mike Dougherty said that up to four plows ended up in temporary trouble, requiring help from other trucks to get back on the road.
“There were times there with the snow rate and snow visibility that it was really challenging,” Dougherty said.
By about 3 p.m., MnDOT closed Interstate 35 south of Albert Lea in coordination with the State of Iowa, which shut down its portion of the interstate starting at the Minnesota border.
Beyond that closure, as of Sunday evening, other highways remained open. Dougherty said that this is subject to change based on variables related to strong winds, which could reduce visibility or otherwise complicate highway travel.
In Owatonna, the local roads weren’t much easier to navigate on Sunday after sunrise. WCCO was there to capture total strangers helping each other after a sedan got stuck on the I-35 off-ramp into town. Two truckers who said they were from Ukraine were the first to stop, shoveling snow in front of the car and giving a much-needed push.
When that wasn’t enough, Owatonna neighbor Michael Falvey had just the fix. He arrived with the know-how and equipment to tow the sedan clear of the heavy snow that had accumulated on the ramp.
“That took five minutes,” Falvey said. “I made their day, hopefully.”
It was clear he did, with the drivers telling him they had first gotten stuck at about 5 a.m. The rescuers didn’t arrive until about 9 a.m.
Steele County activated members of the Minnesota National Guard brought in to the Owatonna Armory at about that same time. Guard members hit the road in what’s known as a Small Unit Support Vehicle (SUSV), designed to easily navigate snow and ice. With about a foot on the ground in some spots, that kind of gear was a necessity, launching to at least one rescue mission Sunday morning.
By mid-day, Steele County had tracked at least 10 reports of stalled cars, according to Kristen Sailer, director of the Steele County Emergency Management. According to the county’s highway department, their crews were responsible for the mileage equivalent of a drive from Owatonna to Chicago and back.
“It’s a mess out there,” Sailer said.
In Allendale, about 25 people were already making use of the local shelter.
But on a day of extremes, others found a way to maintain their original plans. That includes bowlers in Owatonna Sunday for the state bowling tournament, which went on as planned.
The Minnesota National Guard is on standby in various spots in southern Minnesota, prepared for activation should rescue operations become necessary during this weekend’s storm.
Colonel John McCrae, director of operations for the Minnesota National Guard, said that members are in position at armory locations in Albert Lea, Fairmont, Owatonna and Redwood Falls.
Gov. Tim Walz has signed an executive order authorizing the Minnesota National Guard to support emergency operations for a winter storm expected late Saturday into Sunday.
“We have armories all around the state, and that allows us to be able to respond pretty quickly in times like this,” McCrae said.
According to McCrae, those four locations in the southern portion of the state are unique in that each is equipped with what’s called a Small Unit Support Vehicle. In person, there’s nothing small about them; two large cabs are positioned on tracked threads, allowing them to maneuver on snow and ice.
These vehicles are used to rescue people trapped in their cars or even homes that may have lost power.
Sgt. First Class Trevor Nelson is among the four people on standby at the armory in Owatonna. He said that they are essentially on call with the emergency administrative team of Steele County. Once they get the go ahead, they would venture out on rescue missions to bring people back to the warming center inside the armory.
“[We’ve] been kind of a go-to because they know we’re always ready, we’re involved in the community,” Nelson said. “It’s too easy to go out and do what could be very difficult for a plow truck or a fire department or ambulance.”
McCrae said that it’s possible that guard members will be activated closer to the metro depending on how the storm evolves.
For Nelson and his team, the armory in Owatonna is now home until around Monday morning. They are under orders to remain there at the ready 24/7 until the worst of the weather passes.
Minnesota
Hopkins vs. Rosemount: Live Score Updates of the Minnesota High School Girls Basketball Class 4A Championship
The No. 1 Hopkins Royals (27-2) play the No. 2 Rosemount Irish (28-3) in the MSHSL girls basketball state tournament Class 4A championships on Saturday at Williams Arena.
The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., or 25 minutes after the Class 2A championship.
Hopkins is in its 15th state championship game in program history, and the Royals are hoping for their 10th win.
Rosemount was in the title game in 1993, but the Irish have not returned since. A win would give them their first in program history.
Hopkins vs. Rosemount: Live Score Updates of the Minnesota High School Girls Basketball Class 4A Championship
Updates of the game will be here when it begins. Refresh for the latest update.
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