I have lived in St. Louis Park for most of my life and have watched these developments pop up repeatedly in my neighborhood in the last couple of years, near Edina and Linden Hills. The final straw was being notified that a "vacant" lot (where four 150-year-old Bur Oak trees reside) is going to be developed into a 3700 square foot single family home that removes two of the largest trees. The city is being tarnished by all of the new development. Despite the city requiring neighbors to be notified of new construction and having a tree preservation ordinance in place, there is little that the city does to intervene in cases of new house construction (the tree preservation ordinance doesn't even apply to single family homes). There is nothing else for us to do besides take action and try to preserve what history we have left. UPDATE: Our efforts are being noticed. The City Council has responded and the media are taking an interest. We were on WCCO radio yesterday and have started a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/saveslptrees/timeline). The developer has offered to sell us the property back so we need to take action now. Stay tuned...

Heroin is killing not only our town, but our state. We have very little affordable treatment for addicts and almost none of this treatment is available. The waiting lists are way too long, and our number of overdoses and deaths rise daily. This needs to change. The epidemic has gone too far for too long.

Measure E was passed in June 2014, allocating $99 million to maintain and improve the LGSUHSD facilities [1]. Although the community voted to pass Measure E, LGHS students nor the community were given the opportunity to provide input on how to allot these funds. The Los Gatos community has been underrepresented in the decision to replace the natural grass on Helm Field with artificial turf. Turf is harmful to the environment, unsanitary, and all around unpleasant to spend time on. It does not have the ability to self-sanitize, so bacteria from people’s blood, sweat and spit, as well as animal feces, sits stagnant, and contaminates the field. Temperatures on turf fields are much higher than that of the surrounding air [2], making turf an undesirable surface on which to exercise or play sports . Turf burns and open wounds are infected by the bacteria in the turf. Evidence indicates that cardiovascular damages are augmented from turf [3]. Concerns regarding natural grass are as follows. 1)Turf allows high frequency use of fields to accommodate the multitude of sports teams. -What we are asking for is a compromise. Keep natural grass on Helm Field and convert all other fields to turf. 2)California is in a drought and water should be conserved. -There are other ways to conserve water. Replacing plumbing fixtures with low flow toilets, water efficient faucets, low flow shower heads, and grey water systems can all contribute to water conservation. Governor Brown is asking for a 25% decrease in water usage. It is achievable despite keeping natural grass on Helm Field; we will already be greatly reducing water consumption by converting all other fields to turf. 3)Maintaining natural grass on athletic fields is expensive. -We suggest saving on utility bills by installing solar panels. There will be a maintenance cost savings even if not all athletic fields are converted to turf. THE GRASS ON HELM FIELD IS ICONIC AND IS CHERISHED BY ALL; WE SHOULD KEEP IT THAT WAY. [1]http://lgsuhsd-ca.schoolloop.com/file/1257795556253/1238131251731/6438291839875242085.pdf [2] https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/synthetic_turf/crumb-rubber_infilled/fact_sheet.htm [3]http://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/turf-wars-pros-and-cons-of-artificial-turf

This petition has been started to help gather the support of like-minded Arizonans who enjoy and benefit from their constitutionally-provided universal mail service. Also, to join with other concerned groups across the country to draw attention to the ill-advised plan to consolidate processing plants without complying with the required impact studies for each community.

It is a complete injustice to send hard-working, dedicated individuals to jail for decades for doing their best to help their students.

This is for the thousands of people who will die, needlessly, if Rick Scott is allowed to back track on his promise to expand Medicaid.

Take the show off tv. They are snobs and jerks.

College tuition continues to skyrocket, causing students to graduate with increasingly higher levels of debt. At the same time, graduates from Michigan's universities are often deciding to leave Michigan to find jobs elsewhere. As a result, the state of Michigan has a serious talent crisis - there are thousands of jobs in Michigan that need to be filled but there are simply not enough graduates with the right degrees living here to fill them. We can fix this problem by making student debt more manageable so that Michigan graduates can afford to stay and work here.

In July of 2014, 6-year-old Luz Vasquez ran out of the medication she needs for her asthma. Because she is insured by Medi-Cal, Luz had to wait for an appointment to see a doctor and renew her prescriptions. Nine months later, Luz is still waiting and unable to play outside like other children because of the risk of triggering a serious asthma attack. California’s Medi-Cal system is broken. Patients like Luz are unable to get the care they need, doctors actually lose money when they take in Medi-Cal patients, our state gets sicker, and we all pay for it with higher healthcare costs. Our state legislators can fix it. California pays one of the lowest rates in the nation for Medicaid services, known as Medi-Cal in California. We’re 47th in the country, behind states like Mississippi and Kentucky. In fact, California’s Medi-Cal program covers only about 50% of the cost of providing care. Medi-Cal rates have been repeatedly cut in recent years, but if legislators fully fund it, we can help protect patients like Luz. More than forty state legislators have already stepped up to support statewide legislation (AB 366 and SB 243) to fix the system by fully funding Medi-Cal. Sign the petition and urge your state legislators to join on.

I have been affected by this in many ways. I can't see doctors, and I can't afford the medication I need. In the long term, I fear my medical issues will only get worse. It's time to accept federal funds to help thousands of people like me across the state.

Right now in America, salaried workers earning $23,660 per year, or just $455 per week, can be denied overtime pay, even when made to work 60 or 70 hours a week. But thanks to your hard work, the Department of Labor is expected to send a proposed overtime rule change to the Office of Management and Budget in the coming days. After that, the rule change will be formally released for public comment. The Economic Policy Institute has strongly urged the DOL to increase the overtime salary threshold to at least $51,168, which would make 6.1 million additional American workers eligible to receive overtime pay. Any significant increase will be a victory for American workers but will likely be met with outrage by many in the business community. Even prior to the DOL’s release of the new rules, the National Retail Federation is opposing the rule change and misrepresenting the positive impacts it would have on millions of salaried workers and their families. Tell the DOL to take a strong stance on overtime and help 6.1 million workers or more. Together we can take on Big Business and increase the pay of millions of American workers.

We are on the cusp of achieving something we’ve never had before in Maryland: a law that would put an explicit, binding moratorium on the dangerous practice of fracking for natural gas. On Friday, April 10, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill, HB 449, that would guarantee fracking stays out of Maryland through at least October 1, 2017. This bill, passed with broad, bipartisan support, now heads to the desk of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who has not yet indicated whether or not he’ll sign it. Polling shows a clear majority of Marylanders oppose fracking. Evidence is mounting that fracking pollutes the air we breathe and the water we drink. And research is only beginning to emerge on the long-term health risks. Please add your voice: Tell Governor Hogan to sign the fracking moratorium bill into law to protect our health and communities!