Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/section/special-sections/news-you-can-use/page/3/)
Every year that annoying notice comes. It’s open enrollment time. During this time, you can make choices about health insurance. You can compare deductibles, calculate premiums, check coverage, and read policies. Or you can do nothing, and your insurance will automatically renew. If you have employer-sponsored insurance, individual insurance, MNSure insurance, or Medicare, you need to decide. Continue Reading
This is shortly before talks between the P5+1 (The five permanent members of the UN Security Council: U.S., China, Russia, France, Britain + Germany) and Iran resume May 13, to be concluded in June. In the Twin Cities, Porter will examine the premise they are based on. He is the author of the Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, published in 2014 (Just World Books). Gareth Porter will address his findings based on an intensive dissection of allegations about Iran’s nuclear program. Porter is “the most conscientious follower of the fantasy danger of Iran’s purported ‘nuclear weapons program,’” according to Iran expert William O. Beeman, a University of Minnesota professor.Gareth Porter, the 2012 recipient of the prestigious London-based Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, an award presented to a journalist who reveals “an unpalatable truth, validated by powerful facts.” (Julian Assange received the award in 2011 for Wikileaks) will be in the Twin Cities Wednesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 8, to talk about the Iran nuclear scare.As an historian and investigative journalist, Porter has been examining U.S. foreign policy, military and security issues regarding the Middle East and Afghanistan, as well as writing on the Philippines, Korea, Cambodia, and Viet Nam. Continue Reading
:: Updated for 2014 ::With cold weather and the start of the holiday season upon us, many Minnesotans need warm coats and other resources. If you have enough to share, or if your kids need coats, keep reading for a beginning list of places to find coats, clothing, toys for the holidays, and other assistance. If you know of another place that should be on the list, use the comments section or email paigeelliott@tcdailyplanet.net or editor@tcdailyplanet.net with places or opportunities to give or receive this holiday/winter season and we will update the article.ARC Find a locationHow to donate | How to receiveServices: ARC is a thrift store that’s open 7 days a week. They accept gently used clothing and household items. More information from the website:“The Arc is a nonprofit organization. And as Arc’s Value Village grows, so does our community impact. Continue Reading
Most of the pools at local parks are open today [June 1] and will be open until Labor Day with a few exceptions:
We’re ignoring the forecast for snow later this week, and are instead focusing on another sign of spring – yard waste pick up starts today, April 8th.
You probably have some ideas about where your home is losing energy. We did too, but we wanted to make sure we knew the full story. We saw that Xcel Energy was offering subsidized home energy audits, and we signed up.
With the weather changing from cold to warm-ish and back to cold again, potholes are starting to appear. Driving around, we’ve seen some seemingly big enough to eat small cars.
The sun streams in to my upstairs home office, and I’m gazing at the icy sidewalk. I put down salt and sand yesterday. If I go out and shovel, will it finally get the job done? Will I be able to get to bare sidewalk? If I lived in a special test area of Northeast (everything north of Lowry), it might be too late, as the city may already have sent me a letter telling me to clear my sidewalks or face a big bill.The accelerated action “Snow and Ice Pilot” actually started last year in Ward 10, said Larry Matsumoto of the Minneapolis Public Works Department, but there was hardly enough snow to be able to measure results. Continue Reading
With the flu epidemic ramping up in Minnesota and nationwide, where can you get your flu shot? My pharmacy ran out of vaccine last week, as did many others. If you still need to find a flu shot, try calling ahead to be sure that the clinic or pharmacy still has shots available. I found two sites with listings of places you can get flu shots — the Minnesota Department of Health and HealthMap.For either site, you can plug in your zip code to find places to get a flu shot. When I searched, using my 55104 zip code, the MN Department of Health search turned up only six sites. Continue Reading
Yesterday, Minnesota Public Radio reported that the number of people who have contracted the flu or have flu-like symptoms this year has spiked. It reports, “Hospitalizations are up, and some Twin Cities area hospitals are at or near capacity due to a surge in flu cases. Hospital emergency rooms and urgent care clinics have been especially busy in the past few days.”According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 297 people have been hospitalized due to the flu, and schools have reported 133 outbreaks of the flu or flu-like illnesses since the beginning of the 2012-2013 flu season.It’s not too late to get vaccinated. Here are some local places you can go to get the flu shot:Walgreens, 3207 E Lake St, 612-721-4868Walgreens, 4547 Hiawatha Ave, 612-722-4249Target Pharmacy, 2500 E Lake St, 612-721-1611Cub Pharmacy, 2850 26th Ave S, 612-721-5840For more locations, check out the HealthMap Vaccine Finder. Continue Reading