A weekend after Twin Cities TV stations blabbed the bad news to the world, Jordan Public Works Director Dave Bendzick offered a different, more reassuring message:

"If you listen to the news, you'd swear that Jordan was going to flood, and that Jordan was going to be gone," he told the city council Monday. "The Minnesota River will not cause Jordan to flood."

Rural residents across Scott County will gather this evening for their annual town meetings.

The meetings, which are run directly by the residents, decide routine business, such as what banks and newspapers to use for the coming year. Citizens also review last year's budget and approve the proposed budget and levy for next year, either at today's discussion or in a meeting continued to this fall.

There are also four townships holding elections today: Jackson, Cedar Lake, Credit River and New Market. The others have moved to fall elections.

Ten years ago, Cyril Wolf and Ray Jabs were elected to the Sand Creek Town Board and William Schroeder was re-elected clerk.

Read more of Jordan's history in the
Looking Back column published in the March 11 print edition of the
Jordan Independent.

Shannon Fiecke of the Shakopee Valley News reports:

Funding to complete a local training center for police and firefighters has been left on the cutting room floor, but Rep. Michael Beard, R-Shakopee, predicts the project could re-emerge in the final negotiated bonding bill.

Lori Carlson of the Prior Lake American reports:

Concerned that Mediacom’s recent lawsuit against the city of Prior Lake could have implications for cable TV franchise agreements statewide, Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis) is leading a charge in the Legislature to clarify the existing cable franchise law.

Township of Sand Creek Board of Supervisors

20501 Cedar Valley Road, Jordan, MN 55352

Public Notice of the Annual Audit

Notice is hereby given that the Annual Audit of the records of the Township of Sand Creek in Scott County, MN, will be held at the Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative building, 125 Minnesota Valley Electric Drive, Jordan, MN (North side, lunch room) starting at 6:00 pm. on Monday, Feb. 22nd, 2010. The Board will audit the books of Sand Creek Township for the year 2009.

A press release from the Scott Soil and Water Conservation District:

The Scott Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Jordan welcomes a new employee this month. Dan Miller of Minneapolis has been hired as the Water Resource Education Coordinator to provide educational services throughout Scott County regarding stormwater pollution prevention strategies.

A press release from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture:

ST. PAUL -– Minnesota ranks in the top ten of states with the largest number of certified organic farms according to a new survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The 2008 Organic Production Survey also found that while organic farmers enjoy higher sales of their products, they also incur more expenses to raise them compared to U.S. farms overall.

DNR QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Q: With discussions about the 2012 farm bill coming up soon, what are some of the issues the DNR is interested in seeing Congress tackle?