Secretary of state encourages precinct caucus participationThe 2006 precinct caucuses will be held statewide on Tuesday, March 7, and the Minnesota Secretary of State is starting a campaign to encourage a large turnout.The caucuses are the first step in a process that leads to the selection of candidates for the Republican, DFL and Independent parties in Minnesota.Although candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives are up every two years, this year the four-year term for governor as well as the six-year term for Mark Dayton’s U.S. Senate seat will also be up for election.Dayton has decided not to seek reelection, so all the parties will be putting up new candidates.In addition to caucus voting, the secretary is also conducting a straw poll for the governor’s race.The ballots will be reported centrally, on the secretary of state Web site, www.sos.state.us. The results will be available beginning at about 7:15 p.m. on the night of the caucuses.The caucuses are open to the public, and you don’t have to be a registered member of a party to participate in any of the three caucuses.All 17-year-olds who will be 18 and eligible to vote by election time may also participate.People scheduled to work the night of the caucus are allowed by state law to take time off work without pay to attend their precinct caucuses if they give their employer written notice up to 10 days in advance.It’s Girl Scouts cookie timeIf you’ve been having a craving for Thin Mints, your time has about come.Girl Scouts cookies will go on sale this Friday, Jan. 27, and run through February 15.Girl Scouts will start delivering the cookies one month later, from March 15 to March 31.Money will be collected at the time of delivery.The cookie menu will offer two additional items this year, as Cartwheels and Thanks-A-Lot are added to the list.The two new cookies are also added to the list of Girl Scouts cookies that are transfat-free, as are Thin Mints, Caramel Delites, and Peanut Butter Patties.2005 Girl Scouts cookie facts:
Girl Scouts troops earned $117,102.
$41,243 was issued in "Cookie Dough" to help Girl Scouts pay for various activities.
55 percent of the council budget was raised through the cookie sales.
Each Girl Scout sold an average of 100 boxes of cookies.Were you depressed on Monday?If you were, join the crowd.According to a researcher at Cardiff University, a combination of foul weather, debt, fading Christmas memories, failed resolutions and a lack of motivation causes depression to peak on Jan. 24.Exercise and reading up on depression are the best ways to beat the blues, according to the researchers.Researcher Dr. Arnalls calculated the effects of cold, wet and dark conditions of January weather after the coziness of Christmas, coupled with the extra spending habits.Arnalls also factored in that by Monday, most people will have fallen off the wagon or abandoned the nicotine patches as they fail to keep New Year’s resolutions.The sense of failure is an added burden in the whole equation.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
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