Hamline Midway
Hamline Midway
Rock-Tenn Public Meetings: September 6 and 15
Opportunities for citizen input on final recommendations for Rock-Tenn are coming up fast. The public comment period ends September 19 for written comments, with meetings held before then on Saturday, September 6 and Monda, September 15.
In addition to recommending biogas as the first choice for fuel, the Rock-Tenn Community Advisory Panel (RCAP) recommended a goal of zero waste for St. Paul, rejected any use of refused-derived fuel (RDF), and urged that the state change laws so that RDF cannot be classified as a renewable fuel. Copies of both the St. Paul Port Authority report (released August 25) and the RCAP summary and findings can be found at the RCAP Web site. MORE »
Pre-emptive police raids on protesters, journalists
Protesters, journalists and old-style hippies were among the targets in the first 24 hours of police raids in preparation for the Republican National Convention.
Sheriff Bob Fletcher claimed that his operation targets only the RNC Welcoming Committee, a local anarchist protest group. However, police also targeted journalists from I-Witness video and a family traveling in a green bus and demonstrating environmentally-friendly practices such as solar panels, hydroponics and composting. MORE »
The art of traffic calming
The Choker. The Full Closure. The Neckdown. What do these descriptions have in common? No, they’re not extreme wrestling moves. They’re actually three of the many “traffic-calming” techniques used throughout Minnesota.
According to the Local Road Research Board, city officials are receiving increasing requests by residents to “calm” traffic in their communities. Meanwhile, elected officials and citizens can’t help but question the effectiveness of the techniques already in place. Speed limit signs often seem to serve as mere suggestions, and even the large speedometers (speed trailers) set up on streets such as North Dale and Snelling Avenue only seem to slow drivers down for the few seconds it takes to pass by. City engineers are working to come up with traffic slowing solutions that are affordable, have minimal drawbacks, and work in the long term. MORE »
Rock-Tenn fuel plans: Win/win at last?
Anaerobic digestion and production of biogas, at a scale not previously seen in the United States, is the recommendation of the St. Paul Port Authority (SPPA) to fuel Rock-Tenn in the years ahead. The recommendation, presented to the Rock-Tenn Community Advisory Panel (RCAP) at its August 4 meeting, came after more than a year of often-contentious study and debate. MORE »
