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MnDOT launches another Name-a-Snowplow contest. Can you top ‘Clearopathtra’?

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OK, Minnesotans, it’s time to come up with your most witty, pithy and catchy winter-themed monikers for the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s fourth annual “Name a Snowplow” contest.

The popular online contest that in past years has yielded names such as like Plowy McPlowFace, Blader Tot Hotdish, Han Snowlo and the Truck Formerly Known As Plow returned Tuesday and the agency will accept suggestions through Dec. 15.

“We keep getting great feedback,” MnDOT spokeswoman Anne Meyer said in MnDOT running the contest again. “We have more than 800 snowplows, so we have more to name. We love the ideas and interaction, and we know people are creative out there.”

Meyer also hopes the contest will remind people to drive safely when encountering plows on the road.

Last year MnDOT received more than 10,400 suggestions during December.

MnDOT staff will review submissions, select some of the best ideas and invite the public to vote on their favorites in January. The eight names that get the most votes will make their way onto one of the orange trucks, one in each of MnDOT’s eight districts across the state.

MnDOT was the first transportation department in the country to launch a snowplow-naming contest in an effort to bring some levity to winter. Agency officials had seen an article in “Roadshow” explaining how Scotland names its entire snowplow fleet and posts maps showing their locations. The country calls the vehicles “gritters,” the article said, which led to witty handles such as “Gritney Spears” and “Gritty Gritty Bang Bang.”

There are a few rules to follow. Suggestions are limited to one per person and must be 30 characters or fewer, including letters and spaces. Nothing containing profanity or vulgar references will be accepted. And politically inspired phrases, slogans or plays on politicians’ names are off limits, too.

“Naming snowplows is meant to be fun and lighthearted,” the agency said in listing contest rules. “We’re going to keep this contest nonpartisan and nonpolitical.”

Winning names will be announced in February.



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How Minnesota is recruiting poll workers in a divisive presidential election

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“The basic rule in Minnesota is you cannot preemptively post law enforcement at a polling place,” he said. “A city can’t say, ‘Wow, Precinct Two, there’s a lot of intensity there, let’s just put a cop at the door.’”

Simon doesn’t go deep into the details on security, though. “I don’t want to give a total road map to the bad guys,” he said.

But testimony at the Capitol last year on behalf of the new law bolstering protections for election and polling place workers indicated there’s room for concern. One election worker was followed to her car by an angry voter; the head of elections in another county was called repeatedly on her home phone during off hours, and an official was lunged at by an aggrieved voter, forcing her to call the local sheriff.

Those who violate the law could now face civil damages and penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation.

The Brennan Center survey indicated more than four in 10 election leaders were concerned about recruiting enough poll workers due to threats of harassment and intimidation. This includes doxing — publishing a person’s personal information online in a threatening manner — and swatting, fake emergency calls that result in an armed response being sent to someone’s home.

“Election officials are working to prepare for everything right now,” said Liz Howard, director of partnership engagement at the Brennan Center. “More than 90% of election officials have made improvements to election security since 2020.”



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Daylight saving time ends next weekend. This is how to prepare for the potential health effects

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The good news: You will get a glorious extra hour of sleep. The bad: It’ll be dark as a pocket by late afternoon for the next few months in the U.S.

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time next Sunday, Nov. 3, which means you should set your clock back an hour before you go to bed. Standard time will last until March 9 when we will again ”spring forward” with the return of daylight saving time.

That spring time change can be tougher on your body. Darker mornings and lighter evenings can knock your internal body clock out of whack, making it harder to fall asleep on time for weeks or longer. Studies have even found an uptick in heart attacks and strokes right after the March time change.

”Fall back” should be easier. But it still may take a while to adjust your sleep habits, not to mention the downsides of leaving work in the dark or trying exercise while there’s still enough light. Some people with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression usually linked to the shorter days and less sunlight of fall and winter, may struggle, too.

Some health groups, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology.

Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those that do — mostly in Europe and North America — the date that clocks are changed varies.

Two states — Arizona and Hawaii — don’t change and stay on standard time.

Here’s what to know about the twice yearly ritual.



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Harris and Walz will visit all the battleground states in the campaign’s closing stretch

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WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will crisscross the United States to visit all seven battleground states in the coming days, part of a final blitz before the Nov. 5 election.

Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, will spend Sunday in Philadelphia, attending church services in the morning and visiting a barbershop. The vice president also plans to stop at a Puerto Rican restaurant and a youth basketball facility.

On Monday, Walz, the Minnesota’s governor who is Harris’ running mate, will campaign in Manitowoc and Waukesha, Wisconsin, before a joining Harris for a rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the singer Maggie Rogers is scheduled to perform.

Harris will be in the nation’s capital on Tuesday to deliver what her campaign calls her ”closing argument” in a speech from the Ellipse, a grassy space adjacent to the National Mall. It’s the same place where then-President Donald Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021, when the Republican called on his supporters to march on the Capitol.

Walz is scheduled to campaign Tuesday in Savannah and Columbus in Georgia.

Harris plans to visit North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Wednesday. The event in Madison, Wisconsin, is expected to feature musical performances by Mumford & Sons and others.

Walz willbe in Charlotte and Asheville, North Carolina, that day.

On Thursday, Harris will be in Nevada for rallies in Reno and Las Vegas, and in Phoenix. The band Maná will perform in Las Vegas and Los Tigres del Norte will perform in Phoenix.



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