State legislators getting the job done

THUMBS UP:

Lawmakers in the Minnesota Legislature have been busy this week advancing some worth while legislation. First, the Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee approved a bill that would prohibit the Minnesota Department of Transportation from enforcing permitting requirements for mowing and baling along state highway rights of way. According to the last report from Sen. Gary Dahms, Redwood Falls, the bill is headed for a vote in the full Senate. Then on Thursday, Rep. Chris Swedzinski reported that the House approved a bill making disaster recovery loans available to farmers whose barns have collapsed under weight of heavy snow, sleet or ice. Collapsed barns has been reported throughout the state. One report hits close to home as a hog barn collapsed in rural Minneota this past weekend.

Better safe than sorry

THUMBS DOWN:

Why did it take so long for the U.S. To ground the controversial Boeing 737 Max 8 airliners? In grounding the planes in the U.S., President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the decision “didn’t have to be made, but we thought it was the right decision.” It was definitely the right decision to be made after the crash in Ethiopia that killed 157 people. Many pilots who fly the plane in the U.S. complained to the FAA about dangerous issues in flying the 737 Max 8. Boeing needs to address and fix these issues before sending the planes into the air again.

City makes assessments more fair

THUMBS UP:

The Marshall City Council took a step in the right direction Tuesday when it approved new procedures for calculating special assessments for residential and commercial properties. The changes needed to be made because a small number of business and industrial properties faced being assessed for large amounts in assessments.