ORGANIZATIONS

Roxane Battle

The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, a Minneapolis organization focused on grantmaking, research, public policy and narrative change, announced that Roxane Battle has joined as vice president of communications and strategic Initiatives. Battle previously was a Twin Cities TV personality on NBC-Minneapolis, KARE-11, WCCO-TV, and FOX9. … The Minneapolis Renaissance Coalition, a public-private partnership aimed at revitalizing the city’s urban core, has named Dario Anselmo president; Anselmo is a former state legislator and former owner of the Fine Line music venue in downtown Minneapolis.

ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS

Nordeast Marketing Group, Minneapolis, announced that Scott Dahl is joining the firm as chief creative officer. Dahl previously was VP, group creative director at Betty (formerly Periscope), and came out of retirement to join Nordeast. …  The Lacek Group, a Minneapolis-based Ogilvy One agency focused on brand-loyalty marketing, announced it has been named as FNBO‘s agency of record for credit card marketing. FNBO, First National Bank of Omaha, is headquartered in Nebraska.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Mairs & Power, a St. Paul-based employee-owned investment advisory firm, announced the appointment of Pete Slattery as head of distribution. Slattery joins Mairs & Power from Aristotle Capital Management, where he served as senior vice president of institutional services.

HEALTH CARE

Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers, a nationally franchised holistic physical therapy and rehab program, announced the planned opening this fall of a clinic in White Bear Lake near Century College. The franchisee is Kyle Smaagard, a White Bear Lake High School and U.S. Air Force Academy graduate who previously worked in artificial intelligence research and development.

HONORS

Storm Creek, an Eagan-based sustainable apparel company, announced that CEO and majority owner Teresa Fudenberg has been named one of the most influential leaders in the promotional products industry, earning a spot on the 2025 ASI Counselor Power 50 list. Fudenberg joined the company with her husband, Storm Creek founder and President Doug Jackson, in 2014. Storm Creek has pledged to donate $5 million to charity by 2030. … Central Lakes College meat cutting and butchery instructor Jess Feierabend has been named 2025 Post-Secondary Educator of the Year by the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation. Feierabend also will participate in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 107th Annual Convention in Anaheim, Ca., in January. Central Lakes College is located in Brainerd.

LAW

Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Masha M. Yevzelman has been appointed to serve a two-year term as vice chair of the Tax Section’s State and Local Taxes Committee of the American Bar Association.

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Solventum, a St. Paul-based provider of medical components, announced the appointment of Heather Knight in the newly created position of chief commercial officer, effective Nov. 10. Knight most recently served as chief operating officer at Baxter International. … AngioInsight, a Minnetonka-based developer of AI-powered cardiovascular diagnostics, announced the appointment of Shlomi Nachman to its board of directors. Nachman is former worldwide chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s Cardiovascular and Specialty Solutions. … Provation ,a Minneapolis-based provider of office software for the health care industry, announced the appointment of gastroenterologist Dr. Lukasz Kowalczyk as executive medical director. Kowalczyk is a graduate of the Mayo Clinic AI Accelerator and a member of the HIMSS AI Advisory Group.

MINING

Pulsar Helium, a Portugal-based helium exploration and development company, announced the appointment of Peter Barry of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as the company’s scientific helium-3 adviser, assisting the company’s Topaz helium project in northern Minnesota.

REAL ESTATE

Sherman Associates, a national commercial real estate firm, announced the appointment of Mary Jo Kelly as manager of Commercial Leasing and Business Development in Minneapolis. Kelly previously was vice president, financial services group at Kraus-Anderson.

TECHNOLOGY

LiquidCool Solutions, a Rochester-based developer and maker of computer hardware systems, announced that Brian Casey has been appointed chief operating officer. Casey comes to LiquidCool Solutions from Celestica, a global electronic manufacturing services provider.

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Hardly ‘the worst of the worst’

I am helping two women whose husbands were picked up by ICE at gas stations while on their way to work. They were put into detention in Freeborn County.  Both men have been here for many years and have had steady jobs. One has three children and the other has four.  One family has lived in their apartment for 14 years and he has worked at the same place during all that time. One of the wives is an American citizen, born here. These cases are separate, but the experiences are much the same. The families know others who are either in detention or have already been deported.

These are NOT violent criminals, “the worst of the worst,” as the Trump administration claims. These are family men, hard-working, stable and contributing to our economy. What are we doing rounding them up in Minneapolis and St. Paul and throwing them in jail?

Meg Arnosti, St. Paul

 

They always get paid

Several congressmen from both parties have proposed bills to eliminate government shutdowns. In the bills, Continuing Resolutions would automatically take effect, where the government would continue to operate normally under the old budget. Congress would be required to negotiate for seven days per week until they passed a new budget.

One of the no-shutdown bills proposed that Congress would not get paid until a budget is passed.  Good idea, but Congress already passed a bill ensuring that they would always get paid. No wonder their approval rating is so low.

Dennis A. Helander, White Bear Lake

 

Ending the shutdown? Smart move

I have been surprised at the intensity with which many high-profile Democrats have criticized the eight Democratic senators who voted with Republicans to allow the federal shutdown to end. I am a Democrat who strongly supports the extension of the Covid-era healthcare insurance benefits in question, but I also support the actions of those eight senators. While the principle of blocking the initial budget bill without the extensions was admirable, the impacts of the longest federal shutdown in history were simply becoming too great.

And one has to ask the question “would Trump and the Republicans ever have agreed to extend the benefits?” The realistic answer is “no.”

With the shutdown, the Democrats brought huge attention to the insurance affordability issue. The Republican concession to at least hold a Senate vote on this issue in December is not nearly as insignificant as it is being portrayed on the left. This will force individual Republican senators to vote specifically for or against the extensions, including in rural, lower-income (often Republican) areas. For all Republicans’ huffing and puffing about the evils of “Obamacare,” it is broadly very popular with Americans, and the benefit extensions in question would benefit Republican voters as well as Democratic voters.

The shutdown also fully exposed Trump’s cruelties, including his insistence on stopping (or “undoing”) SNAP payments in the face of court rulings requiring continuation; Republicans need to remember that there are a lot of SNAP beneficiaries who are NOT residents of Democratic inner cities.

Sometimes it is necessary to look at things strategically (long term, big picture) rather than just tactically (short term, immediate context). The Democrats’ critical strategic goal is to win the House of Representatives, and possibly even the Senate, in next year’s midterm elections. In my opinion, the actions of the eight senators were clearly positive from this strategic perspective, and clearly defensible from the tactical perspective.

Peter Langworthy, St. Paul

 

How high can it go?

Last week I was shopping at a large West St. Paul grocery store. After the purchase I noticed under the “subtotal” a list of the taxes collected on this transaction. I had foolishly assumed the sales tax was about 6.5% collected for the state. The list noted; MN State Tax, Dakota Cnty Tax, West St. Paul Tax and Metro H/T Cnty Tax.

A check online with the MN Department of Revenue gave a full explanation of those taxes. The “sales tax” collected on this transaction was 8.625% (on taxable items). I thought this was excessive. Further review with the MN Revenue site showed the city with the highest sales tax rate in Minnesota to be St. Paul with a combined sales tax of 9.875%.

The Minnesota sales tax was enacted in 1967 at an initial rate of 3%. How high can it go?

Jim Feckey, Mendota Heights

 

Humbled by this thoughtfulness

I recently received an unexpected handwritten note.  Earlier this year, KSTP had aired a feature about hats I knit and donate to veterans.

The note I received is as follows:

“Your story on TV and in the local magazine was outstanding. Usually I donate to a local Veteran association in the Stillwater area.

“This year I am donating to you and your wife.

“Thank you for your service,

“Local Stillwater resident”

The note included a gift card to Len’s in Stillwater.  I was humbled by the person’s thoughtfulness and generosity.

Dick Ellis, Lake Elmo

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Every November, right around the time after I’ve been sleeping in socks and pretending flannel sheets are “enough,” it happens — the annual awakening of the furnace. It’s been hibernating since late spring, dreaming, I imagine, of thermostats set comfortably above 68 and air filters that don’t look like the lungs of a coal miner.

At our house, there’s a ceremony to it — a primitive sort of ritual that feels older than civilization itself. You stand at the top of the basement stairs, apprehensive, like a zookeeper about to poke something that bites. You look back at your loving wife and announce, “I’m going in.” Standing in front of the furnace is like standing in front of my mother-in-law — not entirely sure if she liked me or merely tolerated my presence. One hand on the switch, the other on your phone in case you suddenly need to Google, “What to do if furnace explodes,” holding my breath as if that will make me lighter in the blast radius.

Homes, I’ve decided, should have a big red button like we do at school — the one just outside the boiler room that says Emergency Shutdown. It’s the kind of button that promises clarity in chaos. You don’t have to think — you just hit it while running for your life, hoping it either shuts off the boilers, calls the fire department, or alerts the Almighty (or possibly the morgue), bypassing all the paperwork. I’ve never actually seen anyone use it, but it’s nice to know that, should things go south, there’s a plan — even if it’s a vague one.

Then comes the moment of ignition — that peculiar clunk, a groan from the depths, and the unmistakable aroma of scorched dust and faint regret. It’s a scent you could bottle and sell as Eau de Minnesota Winter: Notes of Toasted Mouse and Neglected Filter. Doesn’t matter how new the furnace is — they all smell the same. It’s a scent that says, “Welcome back to winter, you poor fool.” The first firing of the season always smells like something you probably shouldn’t inhale.

You tell yourself it’s “just the dust burning off,” crack a window for reassurance, and then close it immediately because this is Minnesota and that was a stupid idea.

There’s that anxious moment, too, when you wonder if it’ll even start. “Come on, old friend,” you whisper, “I know you’ve got one more winter in you.” Ironically, you make the same pitch to your snowblower every year. It coughs once, twice, then kicks in with a sound that says, Fine, but you owe me a filter change.

Of course, the start-up is only the prelude to the real battle: The Thermostat Wars. Every house has two factions — those who believe 62 degrees is “perfectly comfortable,” and those who believe anything under 72 is an act of cruelty. In our house, I’m the latter. I like to sneak the temperature up a degree or two when no one’s looking, like a covert operative in slippers — the warmth warrior. My wife always catches me. The self-appointed thermostat police.

“Did you touch the thermostat?” she’ll call out from the other room.

“No, dear, just dusting.”

Which would be more believable if I ever actually dusted anything.

After the obligatory speech about heating bills and sweaters, before long, I’m sitting there three layers deep, looking like I lost a fight with a sleeping bag, wondering why we even have a furnace if it’s illegal to use it.

That hum — that steady, reassuring whoosh from the vents — means something beyond heat. It means we’ve crossed the line. Fall’s officially clocked out, winter’s punched in for duty, and soon I’ll be scraping windshields, salting the steps, and convincing myself I “love the seasons.”

By the time the house settles into its new rhythm — the gentle hum, the soft whoosh from the vents — I can finally relax. The chill starts to fade, and the aroma of toasted dust gives way to something that smells a lot more like cozy.

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Funny thing — every year I threaten to replace it. But when it kicks on, I feel oddly grateful. I find myself whispering a quiet thank you to the old furnace. There’s something comforting about it — dependable, unglamorous, underappreciated. It reminds me of me.

So for one more season, it’s back on the job — groaning, clunking, and keeping us warm.

Not bad for something that spends half its life asleep in the basement.

Mark Glende, Rosemount, is an elementary school custodian. “I write about real-life stories with a slight twist of humor,” he says. “I’m not smart enough to make this stuff up.”

By KIM COOK, Associated Press

Not so many years ago, a typical advent calendar was a basic cardboard box containing some chocolates or other candies behind little daily windows.

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Today, advent calendars have evolved into creatively designed collections that dispense items ranging from pet toys to soaps, fishing equipment to art supplies. They make for festive decor, and appeal to our love of ritual, surprise and small things.

Of course, if you’re gifting an advent calendar, you’ll want to give it early, in time for your recipients to count down the days to Christmas or a milestone.

Here are some countdown calendars that cater to different interests when promising daily doses of joy.

For pet people

Because they’ve been (mostly) good boys and girls this year, consider a daily treat calendar for the household’s pets.

Petco’s got Merry Makings’ feline calendar, with 12 days of catnip goodies and toys behind the doors of a cute cottage. There’s one for dogs, too, with biscuits, chewies and small plush toys. $25-$30.

New York-based dog-snack maker Bocce’s Bakery has a 12-day calendar containing their signature wheat-, corn- and soy-free treats, made with ingredients like peanut butter, banana and chickpeas. $14.

A cat calendar at Trader Joe’s has freeze-dried sweet potato and salmon treats, while their dog version is all about the chicken — also freeze-dried. $7.99.

For gardeners makers

What nature lover wouldn’t love a pretty calendar with different kinds of flower seeds? Terrain has a box of seven seed bombs, each packaged in a decorative ornament — bees, butterflies, bunnies and birds among them. Hang them on the tree until planting season, then watch your pot or garden as chamomile, clovers, coriander, marigold and other pollinator-friendly wildflowers greet the spring. $48.

Needlecraft artist Amanda Watson in Bend, Oregon, created a calendar you stitch yourself — one new design each day from Dec. 1 through Christmas. It’s an embroidery project even newbies can handle, and the finished artwork could be framed, or turned into a tote or pillow. $45.

A fun one for crafty kids: Mondo Llama’s 25 Days of Christmas Crafts calendar, with all the sticks, foam and felt pieces, mini markers, googly eyes and more to make a bunch of cute holiday crafts. $30.

This image released by Target shows Mondo Llama’s 25 Days of Christmas Crafts calendar. (Target via AP)

Slots in Uncommon Goods’ Craft Project calendar hold your finished buildings so you can assemble a colorful village to display throughout the holidays; the kit includes paint markers, watercolors, glittery gel pens and more. $95.

Indoor and outdoor fun

Kids 8 and up would have a great time messing around with the Experiment a Day Science Advent Calendar from Thames & Kosmos, a science education-focused toys and games company. Supplies are included for chemistry, biology and physics experiments. Uncommon Goods. $40.

Also from Thames & Kosmos is an advent calendar version of its escape-room board games. Exit: The Game involves an intergalactic race, and each day offers a clue to get to the end. $49.95.

Colitt has a calendar for fishing fans: 24 reusable lures come in a calendar box featuring a fierce denizen of the deep on the cover. $54.99.

The Purple Cow’s 24 Family Games calendar has brainteasers, dice, and outdoor and nostalgic activities for the gang to enjoy. $40.

This image released by Target shows Centric Beauty’s “Wicked”-themed advent calendar. (Target via AP)

And for those who love “Wicked,” there’s Centric Beauty’s “Wicked”-themed advent calendar, with sparkly, shimmery balms, powders and stick-ons for lips, eyes and nails. $16.49.

For more AP gift guides and holiday coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/gift-guide and https://apnews.com/hub/holidays.