MONTEVIDEO, Minn. -- Home weatherization programs for low-income households have come a long way, but federal funding has not always matched demand.

In Minnesota, community action agencies often oversee the assistance, and hope they can stretch their budgets further. The governor has declared tomorrow Weatherization Day for the state.

This year, there is a possibility of some extra federal attention, with the pending infrastructure bill poised to include ten times the funding weatherization programs usually get.

Laura Milbrandt, weatherization director for the Prairie Five Community Action Council in western Minnesota, said it could free up other money to help households address other glaring needs.

"Sometimes we get into the house and there are things we can't address, so we have to defer households," Milbrandt observed. "Some health and safety items, like major plumbing and major electrical, that we just... it's beyond the scope of what weatherization can fix."

And she pointed out they can reach more people who are not deemed a priority for traditional weatherization needs, like insulation and furnace repairs.

The agencies noted services have grown from mainly putting plastic on windows, to a scientific approach in protecting homes. The infrastructure bill in Congress was expected to include $3.5 billion for weatherization efforts.

Scott Zahorik, executive director of the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency in northern Minnesota, said there is a waiting list for weatherization. Should the extra funding come through, they can help many others reduce their energy-cost burden.

"There's a lot of single parents out there trying to raise their families," Zahorik explained. "We've got a lot of senior citizens on fixed incomes. And we can really make a life-changing difference in their home."

Local agencies are guided by Minnesota Community Action Partnership (MinnCAP).

Annie Shapiro, advocacy director for MinnCAP's Resource Fund, said the funding boost would provide opportunities for growth and program innovation.

"To think of creative ways to weatherize some of the more multifamily housing buildings and units, which tend to be a bit more challenging," Shapiro suggested.

The state reported the program has reduced energy costs by an average of 15% in more than 49,000 Minnesota homes since 2005.

The nomination process is open for a prestigious award handed out to volunteers in Oregon each year. The Andrus Award for Community Service award is named after AARP founder, Doctor Ethel Percy Andrus. AARP Oregon will select a person or couple age 50 or older, who performs services without pay in their communities.

AARP State volunteer president for Oregon, Michael Schultz, said he has spent his whole career with nonprofit organizations and that these organizations rely on volunteers.

"Our communities, our state, our country just would not be as in good of shape without the service of volunteers doing what they do to help organizations carry out their mission and vision," he said.

The deadline for nominations is July 15th. In 2021, more than 970,000 Oregonians volunteered and contributed $2.6-billion in economic value to the state, according to AmeriCorps.

Schultz said 2022 Oregon Andrus Award winner Kathy Goeddel was part of AARP's program helping people do their taxes for nearly three decades.

"Kathy led the program as a volunteer for years, was involved with recruiting, training, onboarding and supporting tax aide volunteers throughout the state of Oregon." Schultz said. "So we were most honored to be able to give Kathy that award."

Schultz noted nominees do not have to be AARP members, and for the first time, the nominator and the recipient will each get $1,000 to donate to the nonprofit of their choice.

Public libraries are known for their quiet settings, but in the coming days, staff leaders in South Dakota and elsewhere will be vocal about the threat library systems around the country are facing, in calls for book bans.

Monday, April 24 has been designated Right to Read Day by the American Library Association. It marks the anniversary of the group's Unite Against Book Bans campaign.

Daniel Burniston, director of the Vermillion Public Library, said creating awareness about the freedom to read is especially important as the censorship movement shows no clear signs of slowing down.

"When we start heading down a road of censorship, you know, is where we start eroding those core tenets of democracy," Burniston outlined. "The First Amendment, free speech and people's right to access, read and review materials that are important to them, or that they simply want to learn more about."

The American Library Association recently announced 2022 saw a record number of demands to censor library books and materials. Fueled by right-wing activists, most titles the groups target were written by or about members of the LGBTQ community and people of color. Separately, this session of the South Dakota Legislature saw a failed attempt to prohibit library materials deemed obscene.

Groups behind recent book ban attempts often cite the need to protect children. Burniston acknowledged his location has not encountered any such hostility, but he reminded people libraries like his have adequate policies in place for concerned parents to navigate. At the end of the day, he argued what to read is a decision households can make on their own.

"You should help your children select reading materials that, as a parent, fit with your family's beliefs," Burniston suggested. "But that does not mean, by extension, we should necessarily be telling another family or another parent what is right or wrong for their children."

Burniston added the attempt to undermine libraries comes as these facilities keep evolving into a vital community resource.

"Now, we have public access computers, we've got internet access, copying, faxing," Burniston outlined. "We offer programs for all ages, from birth through adults."

As part of "Right to Read Day," the American Library Association recommended several actions for supporters, including borrowing a book at risk of being banned.


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North Dakota is no stranger to spring floods, but after several late winter bursts, rapid snowmelt has led to heightened concerns about rivers swelling, and forecasters have some advice for residents of high-risk areas.

The National Weather Service said overland flooding and river flooding have really started to pick up in the eastern half of the state, especially in the Red River Valley.

Jim Kaiser, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, said an extended period of deep snow paved the way for problems once temperatures started to warm up.

"After all that snow, we had a lot of closed, clogged ditches and drains," Kaiser observed. "The river system took a long time for that meltwater to open things up."

Kaiser noted FEMA has maps posted online to help determine whether you live in a floodplain. He added transportation departments also post road closures and information about where flooding is occurring.

State leaders urged people to plan ahead and identify the fastest way to higher ground if the threat becomes more imminent in their area.

Kaiser emphasized a watchful eye from residents can be helpful in monitoring rising water levels and reporting if anything stands out.

"You see water that sits or moves in a certain way on the lay of the land and all of a sudden, it's doing something a little different," Kaiser suggested. "Maybe it's not moving, right, when it typically does at those levels? That's the sign of an ice jam, or, you know, something's clogging the system."

He stressed if you see something unusual, contacting local authorities can make a difference in warning the public about what is happening. The weather service noted flood risk is above long-term historical averages across the mainstream Red River and sections of southeastern North Dakota.


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