November 11th | 2022

Article Courtesy of The Marshall Independent

MARSHALL — A project to help make sure Marshall area families have nutritious food on the weekends has picked up steam. This week, Southwest Minnesota State University students said the Mindful Meals pilot program has grown, with the help of student volunteers and community partners.

“This year, we worked on increasing our volunteer base,” said Valerie Messner, co-leader of Mindful Meals.

“We have people from all different departments, and they’re eager to learn,” said co-leader Jess Krueger.

On Thursday, student volunteers were in the SMSU culinology kitchens, preparing ingredients for bolognese sauce and baking strawberry muffins. They would be delivering a total of 94 meals to 19 families this weekend, Messner said. Mindful Meals first started meal deliveries this spring. The program is continuing with meal deliveries planned for three weeks in November and December.

Article Courtesy of The Washington Post

Cory Lee has visited 40 countries on seven continents, and yet the Georgia native has never explored Cloudland Canyon State Park, about 20 minutes from his home. His wheelchair was tough enough for the trip to Antarctica but not for the rugged terrain in his backyard.

Lee's circumstances changed Friday, when Georgia's Department of Natural Resources and the Aimee Copeland Foundation unveiled

The Action Trackchair models are equipped with tank-like tracks capable of traversing rocks, roots, streams and sand; clearing fallen trees; plowing through tall grass and tackling uphill climbs. A fleet of all-terrain power wheelchairs were delivered Friday at 11 state parks and outdoorsy destinations, for rent including Cloudland Canyon

"I'll finally be able to go on these trails for the first time in my life," said the 32-year-old travel blogger, who shares his adventures on Curb Free with Cory Lee. "The trails are off-limits in my regular wheelchair."

Georgia is one of the latest states to provide the Land Rover of wheelchairs to outdoor enthusiasts with mobility issues.

In 2017, Colorado Parks and Wildlife launched its Staunton State Park Track-Chair Program, which provides free adaptive equipment, though guests must pay the $10 entrance fee. Michigan's Department of Natural Resources has placed off-road track chairs in nearly a dozen parks, including Muskegon State Park. In 2018, Lee reserved a chair at the park that boasts three miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake. "It allowed me to have so much independence on the sand," he said.

In a continued effort to lower the amount of chloride being discharged into the Redwood River, the city is offering free water softener optimizations as part of the Water Softener Optimization and Rebate Program funded through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Businesses and facilities with softeners 15 years or older or inefficient softeners are eligible for replacement rebates up to $4,000. An efficient and optimized (adjusted to correct settings and lower salt dose) water softener will use less salt and save you money in reduced salt use. Residential participants are seeing an average of a 91% reduction in their monthly salt use and costs for purchasing salt.

For more information or to sign up, contact a city-approved water softening contractor to inspect your softener. The contractor will determine if the water softener can be optimized to reduce salt use or if it is eligible for replacement. The contractor will ask for water use records for the most recent year. This is needed to calculate efficiency and determine rebate amount. If the water softener can be optimized, have the contractor complete the adjustment! If it is eligible for replacement, you may have that contractor complete the installation or get additional bids from the approved contractor list. More information and approved contractors can be found at http://ci.marshall.mn.us/rebate.  If your softener is replaced, receiving your rebate is as simple as filling out the application on the website and submitting the required documents.

This program is also available to residents, with rebates of up to $700! The City of Marshall encourages your participation in this program. Help the city meet MPCA wastewater permit discharge requirements, save money, and protect the Redwood River.