P ostscript

Dog Friends

My husband, Peter, is trying to impress a local collie.

Peter knows better than this. He had a collie for many years. Collies are not easily impressed. They have their own priorities and their own agenda and if it happens to coincide with yours, you can pretend they did something on your behalf – but you’d be lying to yourself.

The current object of Peter’s affection is named Lassero and lives on a road Peter takes every day on his hike. Peter met the collie one day when the dog was sticking his head through the curtains

Lawsuits, marijuana and transit projects

How should Dakota County use a $10 million legal settlement from a multi-state lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors? To what degree should local governments control the sale and use of recreational marijuana, if the state legislature legalizes it as expected? What is the future of transit in northern Dakota County? These timely topics are addressed in this column, along with a dash of local history and a call for reader input to guide our future decisions.

Opioid lawsuit and settlement

The State of Minnesota, Dakota County and local cities were part of a multi-state lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors, which was recently settled for $26 billion. This money will be divided among states, counties and cities through 2040. The approximate amounts that local jurisdictions are expected to receive from the settlement are as follows: Dakota County: $9.8 million; Apple Valley: $664,000; Burnsville: $1.1 million; Eagan: $812,000; Inver Grove Heights: $487,000; and Lakeville: $626,500.

Only cities with populations over 30,000 will receive settlement funds, which explains why South St. Paul, West St. Paul and Mendota Heights are not on the list of recipients. I found this allocation unfair, since smaller communities are among the hardest hit he called out, “Lassero!” but the collie ignored him. corn was still there but one piece had been moved. It was now in tiny, wet pieces. Apparently, Lassero didn’t like popcorn either. realization still hurts.

Peter decided to bring treats. He brought a cookie and put it on the windowsill. The collie did not come. On the way home, Peter checked the windowsill. The cookie was gone. Peter did this for several days running.

“Maybe Lassero’s owner is finding the cookies,” I said. “Maybe he is throwing them away!” Peter was not convinced.

The next day, he went out and bought corn chips.

“If he didn’t like cookies, he’s not going to like corn chips!” I said. “He’s waiting for organic sun-dried beef chips.” Peter looked as if he was considering this.

“I could take chicken,” he said.

“You can’t take chicken on your hike!” I figured there wasn’t much Peter wouldn’t do to capture this dog’s affection.

Some dogs will do anything for affection. Some will give you affection once they figure you’ve earned it. And some are always going to play hard to get. I had a feeling that Lassero might not be in the market for more friends, but I didn’t want to break this to Peter.

Carrie Classon CarrieClasson.com

of its owner’s house. Peter learned his name from the collie’s owner and went on to assume that he and the collie would be fast friends. From then on, as Peter walked by, oid lawsuit and settlement, visit www.co.dakota.mn.us/ HealthFamily/ChemicalHealth/Opioids/Pages/default.aspx.

Then one day, Lassero was at the open window. Peter offered him a cookie. Lassero ignored it. He put it down on the sill. The pooch poked it with his nose. He eventually ate it but did not seem excited.

“I don’t think Lassero likes cookies,” Peter concluded.

State proposals with local impact

Joe Atkins Dakota County Commissioner

by the opioid crisis. Indeed, here in Dakota County the data shows South St. Paul, West St. Paul and Hastings sustained among the most significant harm from the opioid crisis.

As Dakota County decides how to use our portion of the settlement, I am advocating for funds specifically for South St. Paul and West St. Paul to be used for prevention efforts and for our highly effective Drug Task Force partnership with the two communities. The partnership recently seized more than 250,000 illicit fentanyl pills in a local bust. My latest online survey seeks input on how the opioid settlement funds ought to be allocated. Questions also address other county issues, plus high-profile state proposals that will have significant impacts on counties. Those wishing to weigh in can take the survey at www.surveymonkey. com/r/LC6F9JT.

In the last year, opioids were involved in the greatest number of overdose deaths among Dakota County residents. Across the country, fentanyl is now the No. 1 cause of death among Americans ages 18-45. For more information about the opi-

Then he had an idea. “Popcorn! Dogs love popcorn even more than beef!”

He packaged up some popcorn and put it in his backpack. “Lassero!” he called. The dog didn’t answer. Peter left popcorn on the windowsill. On his way back, he checked. The pop-

Even though it sounds funny, it’s a little sad. I’ve been ignored and ghosted by folks I thought were my friends. I realized – a little too late – they were not actually my friends. They already had friends, and I wasn’t one of them. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dog or a person. The

“You have lots of dog friends,” I reminded my husband. There’s Reacher, who he calls the “Reacher Creature,” a giant canine that jumps up in delight when he sees Peter. There’s Bucky, who has very short legs and lies down on the sidewalk when Peter talks too long with Bucky’s owner. There are several tiny dogs who walk on his route every day and bark in excitement every time Peter goes by. And somewhere, just behind the curtains of his home, is Lassero, ignoring Peter every day.

“Lassero doesn’t know what he’s missing,” I told Peter. And he doesn’t. Till next time.

This is the time of year when local communities and counties keep a keen eye on what’s happening at the State Capitol. Set to finish work by mid-May, the legislature is expected to make key decisions on issues that could have massive local effects. For instance, it is anticipated the legislature could legalize adult use of recreational marijuana this session. Already, local governments across Dakota County are looking at what this means and to what extent to impose regulation. Likewise, there are several proposals to raise the metro sales tax, chiefly to fund transportation and transit, such as extension of the G Line, a bus rapid transit route down Robert Street in West St. Paul. To weigh in, take my survey or contact me at 651-438-4430 or Joe. Atkins@co.dakota.mn.us.

135 Years Ago This Month

In 1888, the first electric monorail in Minnesota history attracted over 100 dignitaries to northern Dakota County for a test ride, then spurred a mystery that has yet to be solved. On May 9, 1888, massive steel trestles that were erected in South St. Paul in the ravine between Bryant and Central Avenues carried a single car 1,260 feet on an elevated track as it ascended west from Concord to 16th Avenue, where passengers on board hung high in the air before returning. Created by Dakota County-based Enos Electric Railway, the monorail ride was orchestrated to convince St. Paul City Council members to hire their company to build a monorail connecting St. Paul and Minneapolis. Enos won the job. Then the mystery began. For some reason, the investor group never accepted the contract and the company suddenly disbanded and disappeared, in spite of capital stock valued at $2 million (nearly $100 million in today’s dollars).

Speaking of history, students at South St. Paul Middle School are proposing to save the historic Armour Gates, located at the corner of Hardman and Armour in South St. Paul. The massive gates once provided entry to the largest meatpacking facility in the world. It was also the largest building in Minnesota when it opened in 1919. Armour employed as many as 4,000 people at the plant and expended nearly $90 million annually for livestock, the equivalent of $1.3 billion in today’s dollars. Armour grew so big that when the first Fortune 500 list debuted in 1955, the company ranked No. 7. The next 10 smaller companies on the list were Gulf Oil, Mobil, DuPont, Amoco, Bethlehem Steel, CBS, Texaco, ATT, Shell Oil and Kraft. While Armour closed in 1979, the gates remain as a reminder of the hard work many local women and men – including my own grandfather – made to better the lives of their children and grandchildren.

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