Click here to watch the 2024 candidate forum for the Second Judicial District Courts 3 and 29.

Click here for the 2024 Candidate Forum for MN House District 66A and 66B.

September 11^th at the Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Parkway, 10am.
During this meeting, we'll talk about our summer book, King: A Life. We'll also choose books for the next season. Attached and below is the recommended book list we have so far.  If there's another book you'd like to add bring that idea to the meeting.

Recommended Book List

 2024-2025

Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink: September 12, 2024

Supporting “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy,” a two-part program will begin with showing the award-winning film, Stripped for Parts:  American Journalism on the Brink on Thursday, September 12 at Ramsey County Library – Roseville.

Film will begin at 5:45 p.m. with a meet and greet beginning at 5:00 p.m. Co-sponsors: Do Good Roseville and Ramsey County Library - Roseville.

This year's December Luncheon will be held Saturday, December 7th at Holman's Table. Registration will open at 11:00AM followed by a meal and a presentation by former Minnesota representative Betty Folliard. She will be talking about being a state representative at the statehouse, a school board member, the ERA, and more.

This is the September 2024 newsletter of the League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region. Visit our website to learn more about our work. 

The Nature Conservancy’s Mississippi River Basin Project: An Overview and Implications for Conservation in the Upper Mississippi River Basin 

The Mississippi River faces unprecedented challenges. Increasingly intense flooding, nutrient runoff that creates a Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, invasive species, and changing flows strain the river’s infrastructure and threaten homes, communities, and livelihoods. The Nature Conservancy has set ambitious goals to transform how they conduct and influence conservation across the whole basin to ensure its long-term resilience for nature and people alike. They are developing projects, partnerships, and policies that protect essential lands, habitats, and waters, while deepening our understanding of the connections between people and place.

October 8 at 7pm​, LWV UMRR will  host a talk by Steve Herrington, Associate Director of Water for the Minnesota-North Dakota-South Dakota Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and Amy Cazier, TNC Water Quality Technician.   They will tell us about The Nature Conservancy's Mississippi River Basin Project, outlining their work and ways that others can help to support it.  This presentation will provide an overview of our Mississippi River Basin project and touch on select actions in Minnesota and elsewhere in the Upper Mississippi River that contribute to a vibrant future for the Mississippi River Basin as a whole.  To register for this program, check out this post on the  LWV UMRR Blog.

A View from Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin on SaltWise and SaltSmart Practices

Salt is a big problem for streams, lakes and rivers in the Upper Mississippi Basin.  Salt breaks down into sodium and chloride, which moves freely through soil and builds up in water bodies. Chloride pollution is a serious threat in the Upper Mississippi Basin - what can be done?  On August 15, LWV UMRR hosted panelists from Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin talking about programs in these states in a Zoom event at 7pm.   The video from this presentation is now available - click the button below to be transported!

Click here to find the SaltSmart video

LWVSP will hold its September meeting on the fourth Monday of the month, at 6pm-7:30pm. That’s Monday September 23.

All Board meetings are open to our membership, though non-Board members cannot vote on measures.

If you are interested in attending please email lwvstpaul@lwvmn.org and you will be sent the meeting invitation. Our Board meetings are typically held via Zoom, unless otherwise noted.

If you’re interested in doing more, attend this meeting. 

If you’re interested in how we decide the upcoming events, attend this meeting. 

If you are interested in just how lively our meetings are, attend this meeting. 

You’ll get to know the people behind the passion for League and maybe you’ll get excited enough to start filling in where it makes sense for you!

LWVSP is an all-volunteer organization and we are always looking for more people to join the party.

October 31 is Halloween! For many kids and kids-at-heart this is the Big Show.
In addition to the candy and holiday festivities this year, remind parents to register to vote! The Girl Scouts of America are now key partners of the LWV US, and they actively promote Vote411.org as part of their civic leadership. The partnership will connect local Leagues and Girl Scout councils to support Girl Scout troops participating in Promote the Vote, as well as in completing civics badges, earning the Gold Award and more.

September 22 is the autumnal equinox is one of two points in Earth’s orbit where the sun creates equal periods of daytime and nighttime across the globe. Many mark it as the first day of the fall.

October will see the Orionid Meteor Shower reach its peak Oct 20-21. The Orionids are well-loved by meteor shower aficionados because of the bright, speedy streaks they make near the group of stars known as Orion’s Belt. Like the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which peaked in early May, the Orionids result when Earth passes through debris from Halley’s Comet.

This shower can be seen from both hemispheres. But viewers this year may have trouble spotting some of the fainter streaks because the moon will be over 80 percent full. 

And there’s more than just an important election happening in November this year! November 16-17 will be peak Leonid meteor shower time! The Leonids produce some of the fastest meteors each year, at 44 miles per second, with bright, long tails.

Meteors from the Leonids can be spotted in the constellation Leo, and they will be visible from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. This year, spotting the Leonids will be difficult because of the nearly full moon. Here's what you need to know about watching meteor showers.

Happy September, League leaders! 

Fall is in the air, and one of my favorite election season activities, National Voter Registration Day (NVRD), is just around the corner on September 17. Thank you to the 450+ Leagues who have already signed up as a partner. While the deadline to receive NVRD materials has passed, there is still time for Leagues to sign up: Leagues can register their event and become a partner here. Don't forget, we have a variety of resources to help your League with voter registration efforts available on the League Management Site.  

Over the last few months, voters across the country have heard about Project 2025, a highly partisan, theoretical plan created by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation. LWVUS has been analyzing Project 2025 since it was first published, and it is important to recognize that as of now, it is not an official policy platform of any political party nor is it an actual set of policies. We’ve created messaging guidance to help Leagues navigate conversations on Project 2025: given its partisan nature, we request that local and state Leagues refrain from public messaging on the plan and focus more broadly on our work to protect democracy.

Our League

With autumn on our doorstep, that means election season is in full swing: in fact, the 2024 general election is exactly two months away. Given this election's historic nature and the potential for record turnout across the country, it is critical that state and local League leaders coordinate and ensure effective communication throughout this election season. If your League has not already done so, please establish an election rapid response plan and refer to our election resources. Learn more about how to set up your rapid response network, guidance on responding to election issues in your community, and tips on spotting voter intimidation on the League Management Site. 

As you continue your work to empower voters and defend democracy, make sure you are tracking your impact with our data collection toolkit! This toolkit helps simplify data collection and provides the tools and knowledge you need to leverage the power of your data. For more guidance on collecting data, make sure to check out LWVUS evaluation’s office hours.

In League,

Dianna Wynn