More to the story Itasca County, like much of rural Minnesota, sees “brain gain” For some, the perception of rural Minnesota – indeed of rural America –is of decline and stagnation: abandoned farmsteads, boarded storefronts, shuttered schoolhouses. Books proclaim a “brain drain” and the demise of rural America when young adults leave. But Ben …
Oct 8 Census deadline update Itasca County Census Partners – Thanks to your leadership, Itasca County’s self-response rate is at 55.5% today and the Bureau is reporting that 99.1% of households in Northern Minnesota have been counted. Thank you!!! Counting will continue through October 31. A federal court has ordered the Census Bureau to keep …
James Bowyer Responsible Materials Program Director – Dovetail Partners, Inc. Our mission is to provide authoritative information about the impacts and trade-offs of environmental decisions, including consumption choices, land use, and policy alternatives. We seek to challenge concerned and motivated “thinkers, effect positive change and quickly as possible, and provide objective information in an accessible …
For the leadership and commitment Jan has shown to the now eight townships of the Cloquet Valley Internet Initiative over the near decades-long struggle to bring broadband connectivity to her rural region due north of Duluth. Her steadfast positive outlook and consistent efforts to work with incumbent and prospective providers alike has allowed this initiative …
Katie Fernholz Executive Director – Dovetail Partners, Inc. katie@dovetailinc.org Kathryn (Katie) Fernholz has been a leader within the forestry community in the Upper Midwest through her service as Chair of the Minnesota Society of American Foresters and her appointment to the Minnesota Forest Resources Council. She is a member of the Board of Directors of …
October 27, 2020 | Session notes and recording Connecting Residents to Essential Services: Solutions for Local Communities During the presentation, Deb will share creative problem-solving strategies for connecting residents to essential services. She will review The Enterprise Center’s digital inclusion program and the unique interventions her organization was able to help put in place to help connect …
October 7, 2020 | Session notes and recording From Digital Infrastructure to Transformation: Leveraging Broadband for Community Economic Development This presentation will discuss some digital applications and uses to help communities leverage this technology to improve their quality of lives. Roberto Gallardo is Assistant Director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and a Purdue …
October 8, 2020 | Session notes and recording Bringing Broadband to Rural America: Opportunities and Challenges Post-Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has shown not only how important broadband is for all Americans, but it has also presented an opportunity to help fuel a rural renaissance with the creation of more Smart Rural Communities. The network of …
For their vision and innovative partnership that brought fiber optic communications to more than 1700 rural farms and businesses providing a model that has now been replicated in multiple rural Minnesota counties. In 2010, approximately 52 percent of all Lac qui Parle residential properties and business properties still depended on dial-up or satellite. In 2008, …
Community Visioning Events: The Community Vision Meeting took place on June 11. See below for the meeting materials, notes, and recording (recording password: LeSueur611! .) The Brainstorm Meeting was held on June 17. See below for the meeting materials, notes, and recording (recording password: !LeSueur617 .)