By the time you read this, Access Press’s annual banquet will once again have taken place, but we’ll have gone to press a couple days before. I’m very excited to share all that happened with you, but it will have to wait until next month. At last count, we were looking forward to about 200 ...
Columns
Editor’s Column – October 2011
It’s been a very active month for us at Access Press. After 15 years in the Griggs Midway Building, Access Press has signed a lease to move to a new location. We will be occupying an office space on the 9th floor of the Kelly Inn, overlooking the Department of Transportation, the State Office Building, ...
Letter to the Editor – October 2011
To the editor: I have worked to get St. Paul sidewalks shoveled in the winter to enable people with mobility problems to use the sidewalks. St. Paul Smart Trips developed a door hanger to tell property owners to shovel their sidewalks. To get a sidewalk shoveled, a disabled person just needs to call the City of St. ...
October 2011 Issue
Here's the .pdf of the October 2011 Issue. Enjoy!
Editor’s Column – September 2011
The Board of Directors of Access Press has selected Jeff Bangsberg as the 2011 Charlie Smith Award recipient. It’s been a real honor for me to have Jeff as a mentor and friend over the years. I look forward to Nov. 4 and the opportunity to honor Jeff and congratulate all the nominees. There were many deserving ...
Minnesota: Budget balancing or a lack of due process? -A historical perspective on past state impasses
During the government shutdown in July, Ramsey County District Court Judge Kathleen Gearin ruled that certain government functions must be provided and paid for even though the Minnesota Legislature and the governor had not agreed on an appropriation act. Years earlier, in a different context, U.S. District Judge Earl Larson issued a similar order in ...
Editor’s Column – August 2011
The state shutdown was truly a catastrophe. Although disappointing, Gov. Dayton made the right decision. He did what had to be done to get the state back to work, even though he knew he was accepting a budget that will not solve any of our financial woes but only put them off for another budget ...
The August 2011 Issue
Here's the entire August 2011 Issue in .pdf format. Enjoy!
Editor’s Column – July 2011
I hope by the time you read this the state government shutdown is over. As I’m writing this, though, I’m afraid that it won’t be settled. I don’t think the House and Senate leadership are able to make any guarantees on how their own caucuses will ultimately vote on any compromise. Gov. Mark Dayton will ...
Letters to the Editor – July 2011
Editor’s note: This letter was written to Gov. Mark Dayton prior to the court decision on what are and are not considered “essential services” during the state shutdown. If you have questions, please contact your personal care attendant (PCA), transportation, social services or other service providers for details. The shutdown situation is very fluid and ...
Editor’s Column – June 2011
Summer is finally here and I’m so excited and thankful for the warmth. Although I’m a native Minnesotan (born in St. Paul), I grew up in the Southwest desert where there was summer pretty much year-round, and I hated it. Only after one winter back in Minnesota (about 40 years ago) did I start to ...
Letter to the Editor – June 2011: Spend a day with me and learn about service needs, challenges
Life should seem pretty good. Then why do I feel so upset right now. On one hand, you have the current situation at the legislature. While, by my own assessment, this won’t affect me personally, the cuts, the talk about eight-bed homes for the disabled do set a dangerous precedent. Right now, they are only talking ...
June 2011 Issue
Here's the entire June 2011 Issue in .pdf format. Enjoy!
Editor’s Column – May 2011
The big news at our state capitol is that our legislators are flinging red herrings like there’s no tomorrow. By turning their attention to single-sex marriage and stadiums, they are really trying to keep out of the mainstream news the massive cuts that will be devastating to many Minnesotans. The budgets they are proposing now ...
May 2011 Issue
Here's the .pdf version of our May Issue! Enjoy!
Editor’s Column – April 2011
There has been so much happening at the capitol it’s hard to keep up. It’s impossible to say what will be law and what will be vetoed at this point. Some of the budget cuts that are being proposed would take away basic needs care for many individuals with disabilities. I’m not always sure that ...
Charlie Remembered
It’s been 10 years since my friend Charlie Smith passed away. Those of us who knew Charlie know we lost a strong advocate. Without Charlie Access Press would probably not exist. Legislatively, much of what we’re fighting for today, Charlie was involved in authoring the legislation or was there fighting to improve many of those ...
April 2011 Issue
Here's the .pdf of the April 2011 issue. Enjoy!
Postal increase poses a challenge to paper
Dear Access Press readers and supporters, Access Press, Minnesota’s disability news source, needs your help to continue to provide news and information throughout Minnesota. Access Press is available on-line, but there are many who still wish to receive a print copy of the paper. For many years, we have mailed hundreds of newspapers to upper Midwest regional ...
Editor’s Column – March 2011
Will the real Access Press please stand up? As you can see we’ve made some major design changes that we really hope you’ll like. We’ve tried to make the paper easier to read and a little more, as they say, 21st-century. I hope you’ll recognize the symbolism in the four boxes—all four are pretty much ...
March 2011 Issue
Here’s the .pdf of our March 2011 issue! Enjoy!
Editor’s Column – February 2011
The 2011 legislative session is ramping up, and I have not been at the capitol nearly as much as I’ve wanted to be. To keep up-to-date with what’s happening, it’s important to be there. Off the hill, things seem like they’re moving along slowly. But in the halls and meeting rooms of the capitol, it’s ...
For many of us, it’s awful damn dark in the hall
So you want to know what it is like to have full on, straight-to-the-bottom, clinical depression. You have a family member or a friend who is suffering and you would like to know what they’re going through to better help and comfort them. First, you start to lose things including your sense of well-being and your ...
February 2011 Issue
Here's the .pdf of our February 2011 issue! Enjoy!
Editor’s Column – January 2011
Our 40th Governor, Mark Brandt Dayton, has taken the oath as Chief Executive Officer of Minnesota. His inaugural speech was loaded with themes of cooperation and our need to work together. He said, “Let’s get Minnesota working ... together. We can’t succeed without you. You can’t succeed without one another…. Let us recognize all that ...
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