| Here we go again, Minneapolis… The City of Minneapolis is currently accepting applications for the recently created Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council. Homegrown Minneapolis is a “citywide initiative expanding our community’s ability to grow, process, distribute, eat and compost more healthy, sustainable, locally grown food.” Applicants may include those interested in promoting a healthy, sustainable, and local food system. From the description: “The council will develop policies and advise elected leaders on ways to expand access to healthy, sustainable, and locally grown foods in Minneapolis. Along with improving how folks can grow food, council members will address other challenges, including processing, promotion, distribution, consumption and composting of healthy, sustainable, locally grown foods in Minneapolis.” The up to 14-member council will be comprised of a combination of community members and government officials. Really. It’s good to know that all of the problems plaguing the City of Minneapolis have been resolved and that the mayor is now focusing time, energy, and resources on the really important issues facing vegetable gardeners.
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| Childcare unionization update: Two House public hearings Monday, providers seek meeting with Dayton before his decision The Minnesota House of Representatives announced two public hearings on childcare unionization scheduled for Monday, October 24 at 7 PM. One hearing will be in St. Cloud, and the other will be in Rochester. The Senate held a public hearing last month. For information on locations and how to testify, follow this link. So far, Governor Dayton has announced he would not issue a unilateral executive order forcing the union, though he has not decided whether he will issue an order to authorize statewide vote of the more than 11,000 childcare providers in the state. His office has not given a specific timeline on when he will announce the decision. A group of more than 120 licensed childcare providers is calling for Governor Mark Dayton to meet face-to-face with them prior to taking any further action regarding unionization. The coalition of small business owners formally made the request on Tuesday, writing that they were “saddened and disturbed” to learn that Dayton was preparing to take action, possibly in the form of an executive order calling for a unionization vote, without first having direct conversations with the many providers who oppose unionization. The unionization effort has been driven by AFSCME and SEIU.
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| Give to the Max for FFM! While liberal activists, organized labor, and anti-capitalists of all stripes continue to “occupy” tent cities across the country, the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota is taking a different approach. We’re going to “occupy” a bar during happy hour on Wednesday, November 16th (Give to the Max Day) from 4-6:30 PM. Watch your email for your invitation. This fundraising effort next month follows our online fundraising campaign: “We are the 53%.” If you haven’t seen it yet, please follow this link to find out what “the 53%” is and how you can help!
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| IHS summer internships available Students: Looking for an opportunity to attend TWO, weeklong Institute for Humane Studies seminars during your summer and get a paid policy internship? Apply today for IHS’s Koch Summer Fellow Program, 10 weeks of advancing liberty and your career! Fellows gain real-world experience, take a crash course in market-based policy analysis, and acquire the professional skills necessary to effect change. Participating internship hosts include more than 80 think tanks and policy organizations across the United States. As one of 80 Koch Summer Fellows, you will work with others on research projects throughout the summer and make lifelong friends from among the many Fellows who share your interest in ideas. To find out more click the link: http://www.theihs.org/koch-summer-fellow-program
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