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ICE OUT CONTEST: See history PAGE 10
SCIENCE OF WAKE SURFING: Regulation being considered PAGE 3
Vaccine crusader hails from White Bear Lake BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER STAFF WRITER
A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition back to normal life is almost on the horizon—but making plans to get the vaccination is not always easy. Bridget Dant Hovde, a 1999 White Bear Lake grad, has taken it upon herself to help older Minnesotans set up vaccine appointments. Hovde was the caretaker for her mother before her death in 2015. The two were very close. When the vaccine became available to seniors, Hovde was concerned about her neighbors, who are in their 70s. She now lives in Fridley, and has developed a very close relationship with them. “I started to ask around, and found out my mom’s friends and neighbors
couldn’t get vaccine appointments,” she said. Many of them were told by clinics that they would be in touch by phone, but then never received any more information. The online Vaccine Connector through the Minnesota Department of Health is one of the primary ways people can find out when they are eligible to receive the vaccine, and where and when they can get it. These appointments often send people to large vaccine clinics in the Vikings stadium, or Roy Wilkins Auditorium. “The older generation can’t go stand in line for four hours or want to be in a big group of people,” Hovde said. So she started looking for alternatives—exploring appointment openings at local pharmacies. She offered to set it up for her neighbors and acquaintances, and
soon began waiting up late at night to watch when new appointment slots became available. Classmates from high school began to reach out about their parents—the Hennings family from the White Bear Lake area was just one family who received help from Hovde. Hovde’s Facebook page began to blow up with new requests. “People I had never met were reaching out, begging for help,” she said. She handles all the requests while also working full time from home and raising two small children. She also recently launched a homemade caramel business, Bridget’s Blue Ribbon Caramels. Her scarce spare time has been committed to helping everyone who SEE CRUSADER, PAGE 13
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Bridget Hovde, a 1999 White Bear Lake grad, has helped schedule vaccination appointments for more than 400 people.
Housing initiative brings question: How to engage public WHITE BEAR LAKE — Applications are now closed for the housing initiative task force. City Manager Ellen Hiniker said 44 people applied to be part of the group, which will assess policy options and provide recommendations to City Council to help meet shortand long-term housing goals. The city was seeking a diverse group of community stakeholders to serve on the task force, which will meet virtually up to eight times in 2021. Two virtual community forums are also planned that Hiniker hopes can be held in person. The city manager asked council March 9 if staff can expand the scope of the initiative, noting the considerable community engagement recently for development proposals. Hiniker said staff would like to "evaluate how to engage the community in conversations based on lessons learned as they look at the process. It's important we listen," she said.
Ice ‘House of Mercy’ Above: St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church Pastor Ralph Talbot offers Saturday morning drive up confessional services from an ice fishing house stationed in the church parking lot. A result of the pandemic, the ice house was a creative solution to safely continue offering confessions. He said that parishioners sometimes bring him coffee and joked that he automatically doubled the amount of penance if anyone pretends they’re placing a fast food order. PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
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