FIVE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY (7/1/2014) Your Post-Bulletin connection to late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about today: PANHANDLING DISCUSSION Community members were widely divided on the issue of panhandling Monday night at a Post-Bulletin Dialogues event at the Rochester Public Library. Some emphasized universal rights and freedom of speech while others argued the importance of public safety. Notably absent from the conversation, however, were panhandlers themselves. CONTRACEPTIVES The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on contraception Monday left everyone from musicians to politicians weighing in on the controversial decision, some praising its adherence to religious freedom, others criticizing it as an attack on women’s rights and questioning the broader implications. The case dealt with whether closely held for-profit corporations like Hobby Lobby must cover certain contraceptives under the Affordable Care Act, even when that coverage conflicts with the owners’ religious beliefs. HWY-14 GRANT The U.S. 14 corridor connecting Rochester to Owatonna was one of four projects to receive funding Monday through the Minnesota Department of Transportations Corridors of Commerce program. The announcement was made Monday to allocate $1.5 million to purchase right of way between Dodge Center and Owatonna. Local officials estimate that it could cost up to $28 million to acquire all of the necessary land and up to $205 million to fully complete the vision of a four-lane highway between Rochester and Owatonna. CHARLES HILL Charles Hill, a major higher education figure in Rochester who as president of then-Rochester Community College led the college through three decades of growth and change from the early 1950s to the 1980s, died Monday at age 99. He died of natural causes, said his daughter Rebecca Hill. HORMEL TO BY MUSCLE MILK Hormel Foods Corp. is bulking up its portfolio of companies by buying the maker of Muscle Milk protein drinks for $450 million. Hormel, which produces Spam, Jennie-O Turkey and Skippy Peanut Butter among many other products, announced Monday evening that it had signed a deal to buy Benicia, Calif.-based CytoSport Holdings, Inc.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 13:14:49 +0000