Washington County news briefs: Woodbury's Valley Crossing school dedicates ceremony to military veterans

Valley Crossing Community School in Woodbury honored military members in a special ceremony in the school's gymnasium, one of several Veterans Day events in Washington County.

The student body sang patriotic songs — "For the Good of Many," "Thank You, Soldier" and "Proud to Be An American" — dedicated to area servicemen and women, both past and present. Former U.S. Marine Arthur Cofield spoke with students, teachers and parents about having the courage to overcome challenges, big and small.

Dozens of veterans, most with children or grandchildren in attendance, were recognized after Cofield's speech. One by one they introduced themselves to the audience and described where they had served, their careers spanning seven decades and multiple conflicts.

One veteran said he was a former Special Operations soldier who served for 20 years. Another said he had been in the 88th Infantry Division in Italy from 1946 to 1947. Several of the attendees currently were in active duty.

As the microphone was being passed around, an Air Force veteran who identified himself as a jet mechanic who served during the Vietnam War tearfully thanked the audience.

"It is overwhelming to see so many young people. ... We appreciate it. I thank you, and I salute you," he said.

The ceremony is now in its fourth year.

From the main page, use the City Government dropdown and select Boards and Commissions and then Heritage Preservation Commission. This webpage has links to the Downtown Walking Tour video series and also the HPC's Neighborhood Histories and Heirloom Homes and Landmark Sites Program pages.

The public can take part in a groundbreaking for construction of the Newport Transit Station along the Red Rock Corridor from 10-11:30 a.m. on Nov. 25 at the station's site, 2222 Maxwell Av. in Newport.

The Red Rock Corridor is a proposed 30-mile transitway connecting the Twin Cities' southeastern suburbs to St. Paul and Minneapolis.

As the first transit station in a growing corridor, the Newport stop initially will be served by Metro Transit Route 364, with express bus service to downtown St. Paul. As ridership grows, the station's design will allow other modes of transit service along the Red Rock Corridor, including Bus Rapid Transit.

Washington County Regional Railroad Authority Chair and Red Rock Corridor Commission Chair Autumn Lehrke said, "It is an exciting time for Washington County and the City of Newport. When the old buildings come down and the transit station is built, it will signal a new beginning for this area of Newport, creating opportunities for increased tax base, job growth, new housing stock and upgrading of aging infrastructure."

For more information about the transit station or the Red Rock Corridor, see www.Redrockcorridor.org.

The Washington County Board has accepted a grant from the Minnesota Department of Health for $100,000 for planning for Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) activities. The grant will be used for SHIP planning from Nov. 1 to March 31.

The program aims to prevent physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use. It's designed for use in schools, communities, workplaces and health care sites.

Washington County will submit its biennial plan for the Minnesota Family Investment Program to the state Department of Human Services (DHS), after the County Board reviewed the plan Nov. 12.

The plan is on the county's website, under Community Services, and available for public comment.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office has received $290,000 to spend on its Toward Zero Deaths Enforcement Program.

The funding from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety is available from Oct. 1, 2013, through Sept. 30, 2014, and will be used to reimburse overtime costs associated with coordinated patrols to reduce traffic deaths.

The overtime costs will cover work performed by the Sheriff's Office and the police departments of Stillwater, Bayport, Woodbury, Forest Lake, Oak Park Heights, Cottage Grove, St. Paul Park and Newport.