There was an important article in the Pioneer Press the other day, courtesy of experts at Mayo, about the mental health crisis impacting children today. Emergency room visits among kids and teens for mental health issues doubled between 2011 and 2020. Visits for suicidal thoughts increased 5 times more. In…

Student loan payments resumed in October after being frozen for three years due to the pandemic, meaning most borrowers will need to start making monthly payments on their student loans again. More than 800,000 Minnesotans had outstanding student loan debt as of June 30, owing a cumulative $27.1 billion. “The…

Note: This column was published in the Rochester Post Bulletin on September 21, 2023. Friends and neighbors, With the start of the new school year, serious questions linger about yet another new law passed by the legislature. …

August 2023: Information courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Minnesota Fire Service Foundation Scholarship Opportunity The Minnesota Fire Service Foundation has opened up applications for its post-secondary scholarship for the 2023–2024 school year. The program will award a minimum of two scholarships of $1,000 each. One will be awarded to the child/spouse of a living firefighter, and one to the child/spouse of a deceased firefighter. Additional scholarships may be awarded if funds are available. One application is allowed per school year.

Minnesota State Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) today issued the following statement regarding the upcoming distribution of $260 one-time rebate checks to Minnesotans. “I just don’t understand why Democrats and Gov. Walz only allowed $260 rebate checks when we had a $19B surplus and after raising $10 billion in new taxes. …

The League of Minnesota Cities has recognized 35 state lawmakers, including Sen. Carla Nelson (R-Rochester), as 2023 Legislators of Distinction. Chosen legislators are honored for specific actions that aided efforts of Minnesota cities during the past year’s state legislative session. “I am honored to receive the League of Minnesota Cities…

This op-ed was originally published in the Rochester Post Bulletin. Recently the Post Bulletin published a piece by my colleague, Senator Liz Boldon, in which she described this year’s legislative session as “transformational.” Much of what she wrote about is good. We invested a lot in schools and infrastructure, and…

Minnesota State Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) today congratulated Byron High School for recently being awarded a meat education grant by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture under the state’s Meat Education and Training (MEAT) grant program. …

Minnesota State Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) today congratulated Minnesota family farms that have been recognized as Century Farms and Sesquicentennial Farms by the Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Farm Bureau. These honors recognize family-owned farms that have been in continuous operation for 100 years or more. “Minnesotans are deeply…