Star Tribune
As Trump threatens mass deportations, some rural areas that back him rely heavily on immigrant labor
Matt Bocklund, a Hudson, Wis., Republican activist said in a statement that the Biden administration’s border policies, along with the State Department’s refugee resettlement efforts, could lead to exploitation in the farming industry, where many refugees and immigrants are vulnerable because of weak labor protections and their legal status. That strains rural communities, many of which are already facing economic burdens, he said.
He suggests creating incentives for farmers to use only legal labor; offering tax incentives, job training and possibly wage subsidies to encourage American workers to fill jobs now held by immigrants; and penalizing farmers who hire undocumented workers while encouraging investment in automation through tax credits and subsidies.
In 2020, 62% of Buffalo County, home to Rosenow’s farm, went for Trump. And Wisconsin’s largest milk-producing counties also backed the GOP nominee by hefty margins. Trump lost the past two elections in Minnesota, but in Stearns County, the state’s largest milk producer, 60% of voters backed him
In the late 1990s, Rosenow recalled, it was a struggle to find workers: “The only people that would even respond to an ad were people that had major problems — work histories and stuff where they had dependency issues or they weren’t reliable. … Most Americans won’t work on farms.”
“We were desperate for help,” he said. “We turned to immigrants. And we didn’t want to do that; we didn’t know the language, and we didn’t know the culture … but once we did, we found out how wonderful they were, great workers, great people to be around and people you want to have as your neighbors.”
Today, 13 out of his 18 employees are Mexican. He fills out I-9 and W-4 documents for the workers and said they pay state and federal taxes “like everybody else.” Federal legislative efforts have repeatedly failed to allow dairy farm workers into the legal agricultural guest worker program under the H-2A visa.
An administrative law judge on Friday dismissed a complaint against Rep. Josh Heintzeman who was accused of violating the Fair Campaign Practices Act by allegedly pressuring the Pequot Lakes Police Chief into supporting him.
Chief Mike Davis said he felt intimidated by Heintzeman, a Republican lawmaker from neighboring Nisswa who is seeking a fifth term. Heintzeman made a series of phone calls to the chief, mayor and law enforcement agencies after the incumbent learned that Davis signed the successful petition for Troy Scheffler to enter the House District 6B race as a third-party candidate.
In mid-September, Scheffler filed the complaint against Heintzeman with the Office of Administrative Hearings, arguing that he violated laws by indirectly threatening loss of employment to compel Davis into ending his support of Scheffler.
On Tuesday, administrative law judge Megan McKenzie heard arguments and testimony to determine if there are sufficient facts to believe such violation occurred. McKenzie issued an order for dismissal three days later.
She wrote that evidence does not establish a clear nexus between Heintzeman’s phone calls and compelling Davis to cast his ballot in a particular way. She did write that the “number and nature of calls made by [Heintzeman] was perhaps more than was prudent for an elected official.”
Davis testified that none of his superiors pressured him into not supporting Scheffler or to vote for Heintzeman. Mayor Tyler Gardner testified that he did not feel Heintzeman was threatening him or the city’s funding during their phone call. Gardner said Heintzeman never demanded that he fire Davis for supporting Scheffler.
Heintzeman said his calls were mostly out of concern with the city’s civil service policy as Davis was attempting to serve civil paperwork to Heintzeman outside the jurisdiction of Pequot Lakes. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Matthew Zinda, who ran against Heintzeman in the August primary.
Scheffler has also sued Heintzeman for defamation and filed other campaign complaints against him. Heintzeman previously told the Minnesota Star Tribune that Scheffler is running a “campaign by lawsuit.”
Maplewood’s move last month follows similar action in White Bear Lake in 2022 opposing the project, which was initially planned to reach Hinckley. White Bear Lake’s vote spurred Purple Line transit planners to rethink the route, even though municipalities along proposed BRT lines in the Twin Cities aren’t required to support such projects.
Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, a longtime Purple Line supporter who serves on the Corridor Management Committee, said in an interview this week that there’s “some misinformation out there, we are really trying to work with the community, there are a lot of players and some strong support” for the project.
That includes state and local lawmakers in the area, Century College, healthcare practices and nonprofits.
“We still have so much to learn,” Reinhardt said. “The bottom line is we need transit in the east metro if was are going to grow and improve our quality of life.”
A happy ending for a puppy who got a rough start. Long before the P!nk Summer Carnival Tour came to town, Graham Cracker, his mother and litter mates were abandoned in the Arkansas woods. Until a little girl named Autumn came along and started feeding the hungry mama as she nursed her babies under a rural deer stand. Eventually, Autumn’s mother realized what was happening and they called a local rescue, Jak’s, who called The Bond Between.
That’s the magic of animal rescue, Mairose said. It’s never just one person saving a puppy like Graham Cracker. It takes rescuers, fosters, volunteers and finally, someone to step up and adopt. But this story, she said, “started with Autumn.”
Graham Cracker the puppy has come a long way since a little girl named Autumn found him, his mother, and his litter mates abandoned in the Arkansas woods. Now the pup is going on tour with Pink.
The Bond Between took in mama dog, renamed Autumn in honor of their original rescuer, and all the puppies. Graham Cracker and one brother were the only ones left. So if you missed your chance to road trip with Graham Cracker, there’s always S’More.
S’More appears to have very fuzzy ears and a snoot made for bopping. And he’s just one of the pets waiting for a forever home, or a foster family, or a volunteer to swing by your local rescue or shelter or animal control to play with them.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of this place,” said Mairose, who also needs fosters to take in pets temporarily while their owners deal with their own hard times, including homeless veterans and people escaping abusive relationships.
To quote Pink: “If you guys ever could foster doggies, it’s a really lovely thing to do.”
Western Wisconsin town loses multiple small businesses to fire
A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution forgotten inside a filing cabinet sells for $9 million at auction
Trump says he’d hire a CEO his age. Only a handful of top chief executives are older.
Western Wisconsin town loses multiple small businesses to fire
A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution forgotten inside a filing cabinet sells for $9 million at auction