New business opens in JasperJasper will have a new business beginning Friday.Jasper Flooring and Hot Tubs will open their doors to the public at 112 Wall St.The business will be owned by Dean and Jan Kreun and Richard and Patricia Rieck.Along with flooring and hot tubs, furniture refinishing will also be a component of the business.Softtub will be the brand of hot tubs the store will feature.Dean Kreun originally bought the Jasper refinishing business from his uncle ten years ago and moved it to Edgerton.Now the refinishing business will be moving back to Jasper to be a part of the flooring and hot tubs business with the Riecks.Richard Rieck has been working in the Twin Cities area in the flooring business for the past twelve years, according to Jan Kreun.Does your little buddy need a big buddy?Do you know a little buddy that could use a big buddy?The Big Buddies program in Rock County is accepting applications for little buddies in grades K-6.Little Buddies are matched with adult mentors and spend approximately l to 2 hours per week becoming buddies and mentoring.The Big Buddies program describes mentoring as "support, guidance and friendship."The purpose is to help children reach their goals and improve their self-esteem.A recent edition of the Luverne Elementary newsletter described how it works. "An adult volunteers to develop a relationship with a child. By spending time together, the mentor and child build a friendship and help each other grow and learn."A new part of the program this year is the addition of the activity buddies.The Activity Buddies program is an opportunity for people who want to participate but don’t have the time to commit to two hours per week. The activity buddies would only work with the kids once a month during the two-hour activity meetings.One unusual aspect of this year’s program is the lack of female mentors.In the past, male mentors have always been in short supply. This year the women in the community are being sought after to fill the roles.If you know a child who would like to participate in the program, or if you would like to be a Big Buddy, contact Amy Chartier at 283-1302.Another Web site to help Minnesota solve their problemsA few weeks ago I told you about a Senate Web site that wants your suggestions about how to solve our school funding problems.Now Gov. Pawlenty has set up a similar site to get your comments about Minnesota’s financial situation.According to an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Pawlenty wants to hear from Minnesotans concerning budget suggestions, as long as tax increases are not suggested.On his weekly radio show broadcast from the Mall of America, Pawlenty said the five-question survey will be used along with recent citizen forums around the state to develop a balanced budget proposal without tax increases for submission to legislators.According to Pawlenty’s comments in the Star Tribune, the budget forecast due Wednesday may show a projected revenue shortage of about $400 million, or close to $1 billion if inflation is taken into account.The Star Tribune reports that the state's current two-year general fund budget comes to about $28 billion, so the anticipated shortfall is less than 3 percent of the total. Two years ago Pawlenty and the Legislature dealt with a much larger projected shortage of $4.5 billion. Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
