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ARTS & CULTURE: Hometown film expert bringsXxxxxxxxxxxxxx hidden history ofPAGE women XXXXXXXXXX: X animators to light PAGE 19
What to expect at your local precinct caucus
2022 LEGISLATIVE PREVIEW This is the opening week of the 93rd session of the Minnesota Legislature. Members take oaths of o˜ ce, elect leaders and o˜ cers. Learn about local lawmakers’ priorities in Press Publications’ Legislative Preview inside. NOW IN SESSION, pages 6-7
BY CORINNE STREMMEL STAFF WRITER
Renee Dietz has voted in every election since she was 18, but one aspect of the political process that remained a mystery was the caucus. “It wasn’t until about 10 years ago that I attended my first caucus. I wanted to see how the process worked because I was getting frustrated with some of the decisions happening at the state Capitol, especially in education, so I wanted to find out how these decisions were being made,” Dietz said. Dietz, who is now a member of the Senate 38 District committee and part of the outreach committee, wants her community to know that attending a caucus isn’t as scary as it seems. “I always thought it was these very involved party officials, or that you needed a special invite to go, but really it’s just my neighbors, who are like-minded to me, talking about issues that are important to them,” Dietz said. The chair of Senate District 38 BPOU (Basic Political Operating Units), Andrew Cravero, described the precinct caucus as the absolute beginning of the political process. Though caucuses vary for each party, each caucus follows similar guidelines. Members of each precinct are invited to the caucus of their political party at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 to share their political concerns and opinions with other members of their precincts. Caucuses must happen on the same night at the same time, but will occur at different locations around the state.
LOCAL LAWMAKERS SHARE TOP PRIORITIES
Sen. Roger Chamberlain
Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn
Rep. Kelly Moller
Rep. Donald Raleigh
Rep. Peter Fischer
Sen.Jason Isaacson
Rep. Ami Wazlawik
Sen. Chuck Wiger
COPYRIGHT MINNESOTA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. PHOTO BY TOM OLMSCHEID.
SEE PRECINCT CAUCUS, PAGE 13
White Bear Township unveiled as Hockey Day 2023 host It’s official: Hockey Day in Minnesota for 2023 will be hosted by White Bear Township. It was announced Saturday during Fox Sports North’s coverage of Hockey Day 2022 held in Mankato. White Bear Township was unveiled as the 2023 host by former Gopher hockey players John Anderson and Ryan Carter, opening up their coats to reveal Bears jerseys. Corey Roberts, owner of The Minnesotan in White Bear Lake, led the successful bid for Hockey Day in June 2020. Roberts played hockey for Forest Lake, and his father, Mick, was a center in White Bear Lake’s region runnerup team in 1958. He wanted to find a way to “get involved in the community,” and with his hockey background, he decided to throw the town’s hat in the ring for Hockey Day Minnesota. Site exploration started in 2017. There was no Hockey Day 2021 due to the pandemic,
which meant the local group had to wait a year for its turn. “They don’t just hand this out,” said Corey Roberts in a 2020 interview with the Press. “There has to be a lot of interest from the community, and there has to be lots of hockey history and tradition there.” According to the Minnesota Wild website, White Bear’s festivities will be part of a day-long television event broadcast on Bally Sports North, designed as a celebration of the game from peewees to pros. Proceeds of the event will benefit White Bear’s Area Hockey Association in an effort to grow the game through youth hockey. In addition to constructing an outdoor rink with plenty of seating, the hosts must provide elements of the Minnesota Hockey Day experience such food trucks, beer garden, a bonfire pit and merchant booths. Additional details about the 2023 event and schedule will be available at a later date.
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Corey Roberts (middle) and the White Bear Township group were introduced by Fox Sports North’s Marney Gellner (with microphone). At right were o˜ cials of Mankato’s group, the 2022 host.
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