Star Tribune
Minnesota’s Capitol campus has 120 state flags that will be replaced with new design in May
The Department of Administration has counted 120 flags in nearly two dozen buildings around the Minnesota State Capitol complex, all of which will have to come down in less than two months as the state raises its new flag for the first time.
At the start of the year, the state spent several weeks taking an inventory of all the state flags and seals, both indoors and outdoors, in 23 buildings used by the government. There are also 71 versions of the current seal in 10 buildings in the Capitol complex.
Lowering flags will be simpler than removing some versions of the state’s seal around the Capitol, which are affixed to everything from podiums and floors to etched into door handles. State law differentiates between permanently affixed seals and those on expendable material.
“The seals are in a variety of different materials varying from bronze, decals, paint, metal, and plastic,” said Department of Administration spokesman Curt Yoakum. “We will work with the Historical Society on the most appropriate solution for seals that are incorporated into historic art in the Capitol and Judicial Center.”
This count doesn’t include flags used in local government buildings, schools and private homes. Some local governments have said they’re concerned about the cost of replacing the seal on law enforcement uniforms and in their buildings. Republicans have introduced a bill that would help cover some of those costs.
The DFL-led House and Senate passed the legislation last session to create a commission to redesign the flag and the seal after decades of criticism that the imagery on both was racially insensitive. The state seal, which is at the center of the flag, shows a white settler plowing a field in the foreground while a Native American man on horseback rides into the sunset.
After months of debate and thousands of public submissions, the 13-member commission landed on a new flag design that features the shape of Minnesota, cast in deep blue and topped with an eight-point star facing north. The stripped-down design also features a solid block of light blue to represent Minnesota’s water. The new state seal prominently features a loon, the state bird, at its center with red eyes.
The changeover from the current flags and seal will happen at the capitol on Statehood Day, which is May 11.
Here’s an inventory of state seals in state buildings:
Department Administration Building: 4
Minnesota Capitol: 9
Centennial Building: 13
Freeman Building: 1
Judicial Center: 4
State Senate building: 8
Stassen Building: 18
State Office Building: 8
Transportation Building: 2
Veterans Service Building: 4
Some take him up on it and fret when he’s not around.
“It is nice to be missed and be part of the school’s culture,” Arzola said. But mostly, he added, he wants kids to know that police aren’t around just for when the bad stuff happens. He’ll hand out his stickers and bracelets, even a trading card bearing his image. Then, they’ll talk about dogs and family.
School resource officer Al Arzola talks to students in his office at John Adams Middle School in Rochester on Oct. 11. (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Two months ago, Rochester played host to a three-day training session for new SROs from across the state — an event organized by the Minnesota School Safety Center. On the final day, the 26 officers learned about surveillance challenges at the other school where Arzola works: Dakota Middle School.
It is a beautiful building with a scenic view. There is a lot of glass, too. Arzola, handling the role of instructor and tour guide, took the group outside and noted how one could look straight through the entrance to the large groups that gather inside. There were no curbs in front, either.
“There is nothing stopping any vehicle whatsoever from going through my front doors,” Arzola told the officers. “Law enforcement wasn’t talked to before this building was made. It was kind of like, ‘Here it is. You’re the SRO. Do what you do.’”
He showed them his office, too, which is separate from the main office and near those of other school support staff members. That makes sense, said Jenny Larrive, SRO coordinator for the Minnesota School Safety Center, given than SROs spend more time connecting with youth than on actual law enforcement.
“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.”
Star Tribune
Daylight saving time ends next weekend. This is how to prepare for the potential health effects
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.
