Minneapolis
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It was a beautiful morning for a bike ride. Sunrise at Minnehaha Falls was beautiful. I then rode the length of the Midtown Greenway, which now includes the new Sabo Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge over both the light rail line and Hiawatha Ave/Highway 55.
Ten months after the 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River and the new span is now taking shape. I took the tour of the construction that is offered every Saturday. It is impressive to see how quickly this bridge is being built. I suppose that’s what happens when construction continues 24 hours each day.
To take the tour, meet on any Saturday at 11:00 AM in the parking lot next to Grandma’s in Minneapolis.
The chairwoman of one of my committees, Rep. Phyllis Kahn, has a chicken coop in her backyard. The chicken coop, located on Nicollet Island, is in downtown Minneapolis. The coop was built in 2005 and each day more than 20 eggs are collected from the chickens, ducks, and geese she helps raise.
After competing the prior day’s committee work at 6:00 AM, the MN House of Representatives came back into session at 1:00 PM. By midnight the legislature adjourned with very little discord.
It was widely expected that May 17 would be the last day of the Minnesota legislative session. Ultimately, that was not the case. Negotiations between the Governor and legislative leaders lasted throughout the night and this gave me time to explore the capitol.
A friend was married over the weekend at the Minnesota History Center. One of the first published versions of the Declaration of Independence, a Dunlap broadsheet, was on display. The visit by this version of the Declaration coincides with the 150th anniversary of Minnesota’s admission as a state and is one of the History Center’s many sesquicentennial related events and displays.
Rep. Ryan Winkler and Sen. Ron Latz joined many survivors of the August 1, 2007 I-35W bridge collapse to witness Governor Tim Pawlenty’s signature of a legislative package that will help the survivors. I administer the committee in the House of Representatives that held the first two hearings about Rep. Winkler’s bill.
The dam at the Minnehaha Creek is open, the creek is flowing, there are buds in the trees, the grass is greening, and yesterday was the first day where it really felt like spring. It was a perfect day for both a late lunch at Sea Salt and a walk along the creek.
