Dear neighbors,  

On today’s date, 50 years ago, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald tragically sank to the bottom of Lake Superior during a violent storm. Two of the 29 men who lost their lives, Thomas Borgeson and Nolan Church, hailed from Minnesota. This MPR News article is a great look into the history of the ship and its legacy.

The tragedy was immortalized by Gordon Lightfoot, who wrote the song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and spoke with the Minnesota Historical Society about the song shortly before he passed away. You can also follow along with the timeline here, and you can tune in tonight to the livestream of the Historical Society’s memorial and beacon lighting at Split Rock Lighthouse at 4:00 pm. 

Today in the Minnesota House Chamber, I joined my colleague Rep. Mary Franson to read a House resolution commemorating the history of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and acknowledging the losses endured by the families and friends of the crew. You can watch Rep. Franson and I read the resolution here. 

Tomorrow, November 11, is Veterans Day, a day to honor all those who serve and sacrifice for our country. You can find a list of Veterans Day events around the state from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs here.  

I’m always proud of the work we do at the State Capitol to support our veterans. This year, I voted “Yes” on a budget that increased funding to support our veterans, fully funded our state veterans' homes, invested in a comprehensive veterans suicide prevention plan, and funded a statewide Meals on Wheels food delivery program for Metro County veterans. 

Thank you for your service.  

It can be hard to keep up with the latest on all the chaos we’re seeing in Washington D.C. One silver lining is knowing that our federal and statewide representatives are fighting to protect the services that Minnesotans rely on to afford their lives. 

On Friday, Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that full SNAP benefits for November have been restored to Minnesotans, after 10 days of litigation in two courts that began with Ellison co-leading a coalition of 23 attorneys general and three governors on October 28 in suing the Trump Administration over illegally suspending November SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown.  

As a result, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is issuing full November SNAP food benefits, and Minnesotans began to see benefits on their EBT cards as early as Saturday, November 8. Minnesota DCYF continues to monitor the situation closely, and House legislators are continuing to support our partners in the fight to ensure Minnesotans don’t have to go hungry.