Ground Level Blog

July 15, 2013 6:21 AM

Pork, sauerkraut and leadership

Probably not a lot of restaurants serve a pork and sauerkraut rice plate, but that was the special one recent day at Solar’s Real Food Cafe in Springfield, a southern Minnesota town with a strong German heritage.

by Dave Peters

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July 15, 2013 1:30 AM

Relics photo essay: the languishing Pipestone central school

A former school teacher living in Iowa bought the Pipestone school, along with one in neighboring Jasper, a decade ago, each for $1.

by Jennifer Vogel

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July 12, 2013 1:30 AM

Relics photo essay: Tearing down a school in Morris

For almost a decade, residents and officials in the small western Minnesota city of Morris tried to figure out a new use for the city’s former elementary school.

by Jennifer Vogel

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July 11, 2013 1:30 AM

Relics photo essay: Fighting over the Kasson school

The debate over what to do with the public school in Kasson, in southeastern Minnesota, has been raging ever since the city took possession of it in the mid 2000s. A referendum to refurbish it failed and the city decided to tear it down to make way for a new library. But then local preservationists Read more →

by Jennifer Vogel

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July 10, 2013 1:30 AM

Relics photo essay: the Hotel Kaddatz in Fergus Falls

The century-old Hotel Kaddatz in downtown Fergus Falls was vacant and falling apart when local residents stepped forward to save it. With the help of city leaders, community members put in money and volunteer hours to replace a failing roof and make other improvements. How communities grapple with empty, iconic buildings is a topic Ground Read more →

by Jennifer Vogel

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July 9, 2013 1:30 AM

Relics photo essay: B’nai Abraham synagogue building in Virginia

B’nai Abraham was the last active synagogue on the Range. But as the Jewish population in the area dwindled, it became harder to find enough people for a service. Its doors closed two decades ago and the building fell into disrepair.

by Jennifer Vogel

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July 8, 2013 3:30 AM

Relics photo essay: Saving the school in Chatfield

In many ways, the rehabilitation of the former Chatfield high school represents an ideal scenario for how to save old, iconic buildings in small communities.

by Jennifer Vogel

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July 7, 2013 6:35 AM

Relics photo essay: “the Rock” in Sandstone

Maybe it’s the old school that’s been empty on Main Street. Perhaps it’s the vacant creamery building or hotel or former church. Small towns across Minnesota are grappling with what to do with these iconic buildings that no longer serve their original purposes, thanks to population and other changes. The choices between tearing them down Read more →

by Jennifer Vogel

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June 25, 2013 8:38 AM

Remote doctors, one answer to physician shortage in rural Minnesota

When a man with a dislocated knee came to the emergency room in the small city of Appleton, in western Minnesota, he was treated by a doctor who had never worked on this particular condition. But the doctor was able to hit a button and consult on camera with a specialist in another location.

by Jennifer Vogel

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June 25, 2013 7:03 AM

The fight for rural healthcare funding in Washington

DULUTH, Minn. — It’s harder to find allies for rural healthcare in a polarized Congress in Washington, a rural health policy official told attendees of the Minnesota Rural Health Conference here this morning. “We have lost a lot of the moderates,” said Maggie Elehwany, policy vice president of the Kansas-based National Rural Health Association. “We’ve Read more →

by Jennifer Vogel

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