Minnesota celebrates Ed Roberts’ Day on Jan. 23

Treatment of people with disabilities has advanced remarkably in the past half century. A society of inclusion and equal access is important for all people.

The Independent Living philosophy for people with disabilities is to achieve the same civil rights and control over choices in their own lives as people without disabilities — the ability to “Live my life as I choose.”

Ed Roberts, often called the father of the Independent Living movement, was a pioneer in the disabilities rights movement in the 1960s. He was the first student with severe disabilities to attend the University of California, Berkeley as well as the head of the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, the first independent living service and advocacy program run by and for people with disabilities. Today, Centers for Independent Living exist in every state in our nation, supporting people to lead self-directed lives in community.

The local CIL will have an open house from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Thursday at 109 S. 5th St. in Marshall. For questions about Independent Living Services in Southwest Minnesota, call the Southwestern Center for Independent Living at 507-532-2221 or visit www.swcil.com.

Teen found unresponsive after fall from park cliff

TAYLORS FALLS (AP) — A teenager was found unresponsive after falling off a 30-foot cliff at a state park northeast of the Twin Cities.

The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office said deputies navigated the “extreme terrain” to reach 19-year-old Luke Zajac from Marine on St. Croix at Interstate State Park in Taylors Falls Sunday afternoon.

Deputies used data from a 911 caller in order to zero in on the teen’s location. The deputies then directed other emergency responders to the location, which was only reachable by foot.

Zajac was lowered to a safe spot, then taken by air to a hospital. His condition was not released.

Assisting agencies included the Taylors Falls and St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin fire departments and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Taylors Falls is about 50 miles northeast of Minneapolis.

Census Bureau makes ‘urgent’ push for more Minnesota workers

ST. PAUL (AP) — The Census Bureau is searching for thousands of part-time workers in Minnesota to knock on doors this spring.

Statewide, the Census Bureau is 60 percent of the way toward its goal of nearly 39,000 applicants, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Monday. Roughly 8,000 more temporary workers will be hired to help count everyone living in the state.

Recruiting is “the most urgent issue right now,” said Jolie Wood, who is leading Ramsey County’s efforts to promote the 2020 census.

Ramsey County is at 69 percent of its application target, behind Hennepin County but ahead of Anoka, Dakota and Washington counties. Some of Minnesota’s greatest needs are around St. Cloud and Duluth.

Faced with the need to compete for workers in a time of low unemployment, hourly pay for census takers has increased to $27.50 in Hennepin County and $22 across other Twin Cities area counties. Positions in some Greater Minnesota counties start at $16 per hour.

Most Minnesotans will get their first invitations by mail in mid-March to answer census questions. Those who ignore the will get two mail reminders, then a paper questionnaire, then a final mailed reminder. Those who don’t respond will be visited by census workers in spring.

Man whose body found day later died from accident injuries

SHAKOPEE (AP) — The man whose body was found in a highway median a day after a car crash in Shakopee last week died of injuries suffered in that accident, officials said.

Ryan Hobot, 22, of Eagan, died from multiple blunt-force injuries sustained in the crash last Wednesday, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.

A passerby spotted Hobot’s body Thursday afternoon in the median of Highway 169.

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the circumstances of Hobot’s death.

The U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps said Hobot was a member of the organization.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that former … Cadet Ryan Wesley Hobot has passed away,” the organization posted on Facebook. “We send our thoughts and prayers to Cadet Hobot and his family.”

Struggling Minnesota church asks older members to go away

COTTAGE GROVE (AP) — A struggling Minnesota church is asking its older parishioners to leave in hopes of making it more attractive to young families.

Grove United Methodist Church in the St. Paul suburb of Cottage Grove is closing in June, with plans to relaunch in November. The present members, most of them over 60 years old, will be invited to worship elsewhere, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. The church is asking that they stay away for two years, then consult the pastor about reapplying.

“I pray for this church, getting through this age-discrimination thing,” William Gackstetter said at church on a recent Sunday as the gray-haired heads around him nodded in agreement.

But church officials said the congregation needs a reset and the best way is to appeal to younger people.

The Grove United Methodist Church is the product of a 2008 merger with a larger church in Woodbury.

The Cottage Grove church has struggled with membership and finances. Seven years ago, Methodist officials said they could no longer pay for its minister, so the church switched to lay ministry, with weekly sermons by members. The church’s attendance and finances have stabilized recently, with an average weekly attendance of 25.