News Cut: March 11, 2013 Archive

The end of Daniel's journey (5x8 - 3/11/13)

Posted at 7:18 AM on March 11, 2013 by Bob Collins (8 Comments)
Filed under: Five by 8

Minnesota to Key West, why do people keep building in flood zones, more money for Minnesota elected officials, the people who dump their trash wherever they want, and how letters from strangers saved a kid's life.

First: the Monday Morning Rouser:

1) MINNESOTA TO KEY WEST

We are all on some sort of journey; some of us make it to where we want to go. Some of us don't.

Daniel Alvarez, whom I profiled last fall after he'd started his kayak trip from Minnesota's Northwest Angle -- the northernmost point of the lower 48 -- all the way to Key West the southernmost point -- now falls into the category that made it. He did so over the weekend, about nine months after he started.

I just wanted to let you know that I made it to Key West. I landed on a crowded beach near the supposed "Southernmost Point" and then rolled the kayak over to the monument there. There were tons of people there and even some cheering and I only wish that I could have had everyone who has helped me along the way with me so that they could have gotten all the cheers. It's the least solo solo trip ever. I was thinking about how many people have helped me along the way and felt truly lucky to have been able to meet so many great people.

You are one of them for sure. Ever since I met you your encouraging emails here or there helped keep my spirits afloat! Thank you so much. I'm not sure what I will do next, but I will let you know for sure. Keep me in the loop when you end up flying that Bob-built plane of yours across the country so I can cheer you on!

His blog, Predictably Lost, was notable (aside from its brilliant writing) for themes that cannot be diminished: the interest others took in his journey, the willingness of strangers to open their doors and hearts, and the grace with which Alvarez faced a daily struggle, often to the point where many would quit.

Oh, and one other theme: the things we've done to the treasures we were given.

(Photo: Associated Press)

Good luck on your own journey today.

Related: Grand Marais couple nears end of 11,700-mile expedition

2) GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD?

From the sound of things, it's going to be another high-probability flood season in parts of Minnesota. But give some communities in the Red River Valley credit; cities have prevented homeowners from rebuilding where the water is just as likely to threaten to wash things away again.

That's not the case with Hurricane Sandy, ProPublica and WNYC Radio have teamed up to reveal. Homeowners and businesses are getting millions of dollars to rebuild in flood zones the federal government has said people should no longer build.

"Our mission is to help these homeowners and business become whole again," said Carol Chastang, an SBA spokeswoman. "We really aren't in a position to tell people where or where not to rebuild."

3) MORE PAY FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS?

Minnesota lawmakers, who apparently haven't had a raise since 1999, have a revenue problem. They make only $31,140 a year but the Compensation Council, a committee of all branches of government, will bump that to $40,890 in 2015 if the plan is approved. That's still less than the 1999 amount adjusted for inflation in today's dollars ($42,849, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics).

"I wish we could have the conversation without it becoming a political football. Inevitably, it does," House Republican leader Kurt Daudt tells the Associated Press. The governor's salary would rise to almost $124,000.

Related: Poll shows majority supports minimum wage increase.

4) TRASHVILLE

Among the many mysteries of life in 2013 is why people still use the great outdoors as their personal dump. It's not like there aren't trash barrels scattered around civilization. Why, I've even heard that there are companies that will actually come to your house and pick up your trash.

So why do people use Duluth's Skyline Trail as a landfill (photo: Perfect Duluth Day)?

On PDD, "wskyline" writes:

I can't tell you how often people throw things off this outlook, and usually it is electronics like TVs, microwaves, mini fridges, etc. Every time I walk by there's something new. I really wish there was something we could do shake some sense into people to just pay the $5 to legally dispose of that kind of stuff, but I really don't know how. Any ideas?

5) HOW LETTERS FROM STRANGERS SAVED A KID'S LIFE

Words have power.

Bonus I: I can see your house from here. Minneapolis-St. Paul and environs on March 2. Click image for the full effect. (h/t: Peter Caltner, Austria)

Bonus II: You're a runner? Anyone can be a runner. But only Cedric Givens has been a runner running backwards... since Ronald Reagan was in office. Great video here. (Washington Post)

TODAY'S QUESTION
Today's Question: Should the governor and state lawmakers get a raise?

WHAT WE'RE DOING

Daily Circuit (9-12 p.m.) - First hour: House Taxes Committee Chair Ann Lenczewski and Senate Taxes Committee Ranking Minority Member Julianne Ortman talk about the governor's tax-reform proposals including raising income taxes on the state's highest earners and extending the sales tax to include clothing and business services.

Second hour: Dictionaries in the digital age and other topics in lexicography.

Third hour: Author and conservationist Terry Tempest Williams discusses her book "When Women Were Birds," a meditation on the journals her mother left her when she died.

MPR News Presents (12-1 pm): Former Florida Gov.Jeb Bush, who spoke Friday at the Reagan Presidential Library about his new book "Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution." He also talks about ways to improve education, energy policy and the economy.

Talk of the Nation (1-2 p.m.) - Rebuilding the Japanese coast. Two years ago, a massive tsunami barreled over sea walls in Japan killing nearly 19,000 and wiping out entire communities. Now, tens of thousands of people are still living in temporary housing, wondering when they'll ever have a home again.

All Things Considered (3-6:30 p.m.) - Nano particles are in a growing number of common products. The virus-sized man made particles change the properties of common materials. But some of those nano particles might pose a risk to the environment. Government regulators and scientists are trying to understand the risk. But they still have more questions than answers. MPR's Dan Gunderson will have the story.

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