PINE CITY
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25 , 2018 VOL. 133 NO. 43 www.pinecitymn.com $1.00
2018 VOTER GUIDE: Meet the candidates in city, school board, state races. P6
Absentee voting high in Pine County County officials discuss election issues with Secretary of State Simon, prepare for Election Day on Nov. 6 BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
Minnesota may be on a pace for record absentee voting in 2018, and Pine County voters are a part of it. “I am so proud of Minnesota voters for continuing to vote early,” said Secretary of State Steve Simon in a press release. “It’s critical that every Minnesotan knows that your absentee ballot will be counted exactly the same as a ballot cast on Election Day. Rumors to the contrary are simply untrue. If you’re concerned, please go to mnvotes.org and check the status of your absentee ballot. Whether you vote early or vote on Election Day, be a voter.” Since 2014, Minnesota voters have had the option to vote from home, or “no-excuse absentee” voting. County election offices, including Pine County, also offer in-person absentee voting, commonly referred to as “early voting.” Voting for the 2018 statewide general election began on Sept. 21. The secretary of state office announced that, as of Oct. 18, over 301,000 absentee ballots had been requested – an increase of 170 percent over the same time in 2014.
RON ENGH
‘Mystery at the Fur Post’ brings spooky fun
SIMON VISITS PINE COUNTY Simon visited Pine County earlier this year to talk with county officials about election security and absentee voting. He told them that visiting with election officials around the state is his favorite part of the work he does. “You can’t just be in a bubble in St. Paul,” Simon said. “It’s not good for the job.” Pine County Auditor/Treasurer Cathy Clemmer said that overall, the last election cycle went well, but said that all the absentee ballots were a lot to handle. “We were slammed by the absentee,” Clemmer said. “I mean, we knew it was going to ramp it up big time. It was pretty crazy. The best part was, we didn’t have a recount up here.” Simon asked if they had heard many concerns about the integrity of the voting process. Clemmer said that she had not. “I felt that, at least in Pine County, they had quite a bit of faith in the system,” she said. Hallan said he felt local election judges played a big part in explaining the steps used to make sure Minnesota elections are fair and honest.
Emily Randa lights a candle at the campfire during “The Trial of Lizzie 13,” the latest edition of the annual interactive, family-friendly event at the Snake River Fur Post, which was held on Oct. 12-13.
SEE VOTING, PAGE 20
Pine City’s Awear taking educational tech to next level BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
An award-winning, Pine City-based educational technology company is trying to take the next step forward in developing and marketing its product. Awear’s patented ConfiBoost Trainer
eyewear is designed to help students naturally train their brain activity in order to improve attention. The device tracks eye movements and collects other data to detect if students are focused on the task or if they have lost focus. If a student becomes unfocused, the glasses darken, which gives the stu-
dents time to reflect and redirect their thoughts on the task at hand. According to Rod Greder, founder and CEO of Awear Tecnologies, his system is targeted to the 30 percent of students who read below their grade level and to help students who suffer from ADHD. He noted that drug therapy is not help-
ful for 20-30 percent of students who suffer from ADHD. He said he developed the ConfiBoost Trainer as an alternative to ADHD medications. “I recognized the need to improve SEE AWEAR, PAGE 20
RESULTS REALTY 3Bd. 2Ba Snake River $269,900
3Bd. 2Ba $224,000
5Bd. 3Ba 10 acres $268,900
4Bd. 2Ba $114,900
885 7th St. SW, Pine City, MN 55063
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