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Minnesota first state to ban TCE
Commemorating 2020 Memorial Day in different way The annual Memorial Day parade has been canceled. A program at Union Cemetery with the American Legion is also canceled, as is the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Sailor at Sea program at Veterans Park. “We’re obviously disappointed, but we can’t meet the (COVID-19) guidelines to hold a gathering,” said VFW spokesman and former Post Commander Barry Henricksen. Nor can people return to the VFW or the American Legion for refreshments and fellowship after the morning program. Both establishments remain closed. Regardless of the cancellations, Henricksen asks that people remember the true meaning of Memorial Day, which commemorates those service members who paid the ultimate price. “If we’re not allowed to gather,
thos th ose os e please remember those no longer with us who ing our were killed defending n said. country,” Henricksen merican Legion Mike Martens, American adjutant, said Post 168 is following e two posts althe VFW’s lead. The ways coordinate the annual celebration that includes a parade and program at the cemetery, and this year is no different. Hugo American Legion Post 620 has honored the fallen at area cemeteries on Memorial Day for 72 years. This year, Commander Greg Burmeister issued the following statement: “It is my sad duty as Commander of Legion Post 620 to inform our veterans and citizens in the surrounding communities that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions applied by the governor, and to protect our members, the 2020 Memorial Day ceremonies are canceled.”
Orr ig O gOrigknown w inally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. In May 1868, Gen. John A. Logan, the commander-in-chief of the Union veterans’ group known as the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a decree that May 30 should become a nationwide day of commemoration for the more than 620,000 soldiers killed in the Civil War, which had recently ended. Today, Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May; this year on the 25th. The American flag should be hung at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, then raised to the top of the staff. And since 2000, when the U.S. Congress passed legislation, all Americans are encouraged to pause for a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time.
YOU SHOULD KNOW: Public encouraged to light up the night American Legion National Commander James W. “Bill” Oxford is urging the public to honor the country’s fallen military heroes at dusk on Memorial Day by lighting candles of remembrance and placing them on front porches. The commander also suggests that families make signs expressing their gratitude for military sacrifice, photograph friends and family holding up the signs and sharing the images on social media.
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For White Bear, Union Cemetery holds special significance on Memorial Day. The citywide parade, canceled this year, always ends with a short program by veterans groups at the cemetery to honor those who served.
Debra Neutkens
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BY DEBRA NEUTKENS STAFF WRITER
ST. PAUL — Minnesota is the fi rst state to ban trichloroethylene (TCE), a toxic chemical that can increase risk for certain types of cancer and other serious health issues. The Minnesota House of Representatives approved a bill May 13 prohibiting use of TCE, following the Senate's bipartisan lead three weeks ago. Authored by Rep. Ami Wazlawik (DFL – White Bear Township), the bill will protect Minnesotans from the carcinogen, which for years was spewed into the air surrounding the Water Gremlin plant in White Bear Township. Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill into law Saturday, May 16. “No Minnesotan should experience preventable health risks due to exposure to toxic chemicals,” said Rep. Wazlawik, who led the push to prohibit TCE. “After months of hard work with community members, we were able to pass a strong TCE ban with bipartisan support. I’m grateful to the White Bear Area Neighborhood Concerned Citizens Group who fought tirelessly to make this bill possible. Thanks to their efforts, Minnesotans will no longer be exposed to TCE.” The legislation prohibits use of TCE after June 1, 2022. Facilities with air quality permits will need to replace the chemical with a safer, less toxic alternative by that date. The bill also provides $250,000 in interest-free loans to help small businesses reduce TCE usage. The news is gratifying for the Neighborhood Concerned Citizens Group (NCCG), which relentlessly lobbied the Legislature for a TCE ban. The group, founded by five women who live near the Water Gremlin plant, formed after the company admitted leaking higher-than-permitted levels of TCE for nearly 17 years. The legislation is named after them and called the “White Bear Area Neighborhood Concerned Citizens Group Ban TCE Act.” Spokesperson Sheri Smith said NCCG is ecstatic that Minnesota is fi rst to outlaw the chemical, but notes there is still work to do. The game plan now is to focus on an Office of the Legislative Auditor request made last fall to investigate both Water Gremlin and how the environmental violations were handled by MPCA, Smith said. "We also know there has to be a better health study done on our citizens," she added. "Every few weeks we hear of someone else getting cancer, cancers linked to exposure to volatile organic compounds like TCE."