Music at Your Washington County Library

“Listen at the Library” musical programs are being offered once again at the Oakdale Library.

With inspiration from the Buffalo Gals folk song, children’s book author Joanne Ryder wrote the words to the picture book Dance by the Light of the Moon. In the story, she has animals gathering for a barnyard dance organized by Farmer Snow. I recently re-read the book to a favorite little person. Charlotte said, “Sing it, Gramma!” And I did, because somehow it’s best that way. And so librarians are saying, “Sing together!” Baby and preschool storytimes around the County feature not just reading, but singing, as well. Children’s picture books, or sometimes phrases from them, just beg to be sung. In Dooby, Dooby, Moo by Doreen Cronin, the author has the animals practicing for a talent show; Duck takes home first prize with his rendition of …

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Parents Talk

Should Dr. Kermit Gosnell Have Gotten the Death Penalty?

The Philadelphia doctor was found guilty of murdering three babies after botched late-term abortions and was given life in prison Tuesday.

A Philadelphia doctor found guilty of murdering three babies born alive in an abortion clinic serving low-income women agreed to two life sentences Tuesday, and was sentenced to a third Wednesday. Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, agreed to his sentences and waived his right to an appeal in order to avoid the possibility of being condemned to death. According to ABC News, prosecutors were seeking the death penalty, but because of Gosnell's advanced age it was deemed unlikely that he would live long enough for death penalty appeals which can last decades. According to Reuters, Gosnell was convicted of first-degree murder Monday after he reportedly delivered the live babies during late-term abortions and then deliberately severed their spinal cords. …

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AlPatch

6:45 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013

More 2nd amendment...apparently Colorado sheriffs don't believe more laws work.........http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/17/18323842-majority-of-colorado-sheriffs-file-suit-against-new-gun-laws?lite   more ›

Walk-n-Roll Benefit, A Moral Dilemma, Home Selling Tips: Best of the Blogs

Here are this week’s posts from Oakdale bloggers.

At Patch, we care about what you have to say in your community. Every week we will be recognizing our bloggers on Oakdale Patch, from cooking enthusiasts to local business owners, and everyone in between! If you’re interested in becoming a Local Voice on Oakdale Patch, email Hannah Gruber at hannah.gruber@patch.com As a buyer, what should I expect from the sellers after I have a professional home inspection on their home? Home inspections, how they affect a sale and the buyers decision. (Larry Eberhard) Spring Clean Your 401(k) You can Spring Clean your 401(k) too! (Ric Lager) Minnesota Needs Mises Not Minimum Wage Laws The proposed increase of the minimum wage in Minnesota holds good intentions but unseen consequences. (Stafford …

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Have You Spoiled Your Child Rotten?

If so, a Parenting.com article says you can take steps to reverse any mistakes you've made as your kids have grown. We want your tips for how to raise empathetic, polite children.

I'm sure you've all met your fair share of spoiled children. I know I have. They don't share, they are disrespectful to adults—including their parents—and they regularly throw fits in public. My husband and I are parents to a cat, and we've been blessed with loving, respectful nieces and nephews. I remember being pleasantly surprised when my friend's four sons shook my hand, looked me in the eye and introduced themselves.  It seems in recent years, however, I'm seeing more monster children when I go to restaurants or the mall.  The good news is anyone with a difficult child can reverse any bad parenting, according to Dr. Phil, Happiestbaby.com and Parenting.com. Their tips include: Those are tips from the professionals, but I want to hear …

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Jimmy

10:25 am on Friday, May 17, 2013

Rachel, there is no visible difference between Gays and non-Gays. The difference is only what they do in the privacy of their house. However, Gays seem to love to expose themselves in parades, demonstrations, Gay events, Gay bumper stickers, Gay laws etc. Non-Gays don't advertise their bedroom activities with all the hoopla that Gays do. You catagorize non-Gays as "Haters". IMHO non-Gays don't "…   more ›

A Grandparent's Wisdom and New Thinking on Parenting: Letter to the Editor

A guest column from Lois Larson, member of the Washington County Child Protection Citizen Review Panel.

Becoming a grandparent is a wonderful opportunity to offer love, support and all the knowledge we have acquired throughout our years of raising children. We have many answers to the childrearing questions our sons and daughters may have and are only too happy to impart our words of wisdom. We feel we know best as we have been in these situations and our children are living proof that we did the right thing. We might be surprised to learn that many childrearing methods have changed and what we once thought was best for our children has been proven to be not so. As a member of the Citizens Review Panel for Washington County, we work closely with the county and the Minnesota Department of Human Services to serve the needs of our children and …

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Should Minnesotans Do More to Support Cycling?

The state dropped two spots in the League of American Bicyclists’ annual rankings.

(Editor's Note: The map above was created by the League of American Bicyclists.)  Minnesota is still among the top states in “bike friendliness,” but its ranking fell a couple notches in 2013, according to the League of American Bicyclists. The state was ranked fourth this year, down from second in 2012. It ranked high in legislation and enforcement, policies and programs and education and encouragement. But it was middle of the pack in infrastructure and funding and lower tier in evaluation and planning. Minnesota was also missing three of the league’s “Top 10 Signs of Success: Use the map above to see how Minnesota compares to other states in the various categories. Do you think Minnesota needs to do more to support cycling? Share your …

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Watts

3:39 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013

Has anybody else received the following when trying to reply in this thread: "This comment has been rejected." I received this as an immediate response from the Patch site, for a completely innocuous reply to somebody that was me actually agreeing with them and the post contained no foul language or anything that could be interpreted to violate any rules of the site. In fact, the reply came back …   more ›

Sen. Kent Says Tax Relief 'Neglected for Far Too Long': Letter to the Editor

"The education finance bill took significant steps to reducing property taxes, in addition to making the reforms and funding increase necessary to maintain our world-class education system," according to Kent, a first-term DFLer who represents parts of Oa

For the past 10 years, property taxes on Minnesotans have gone up almost 90 percent and are approaching an unsustainable level. Middle-class families and small businesses are being hammered by an ever-growing property tax burden. The Senate has passed legislation to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in needed relief to our local communities.   Every single Minnesotan has felt the increase. It is a problem that was neglected for far too long. The education finance bill took significant steps to reducing property taxes, in addition to making the reforms and funding increase necessary to maintain our world-class education system.   The education finance bill buys back $150 million in school levies. Local governments are able to remove …

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