Each month, 250 Section 8 vouchers are sent out to Carver County to assist residents in paying their rent. For many, it can be the difference between having a roof over one’s head or being forced to impose on friends and family.

“It’s definitely a lifesaver for those who are on it,” said Mary Monteith, assistant executive director for the Carver County Community Development Agency (CDA).

MnDOT officials learned that it will receive Federal Stimulus Dollars to complete the full landscaping plan along the new Highway 212 corridor, according to Mayor Gary Van Eyll’s weekly newsletter.

Finishing the landscaping wasn’t in the original budget and, according to the newsletter, the state will receive $750,000, with $250,000 specifically designated for Chaska.

Minnesota Congressman John Kline was chosen June 17 by the House Republican Steering Committee to serve as the ranking Republican on the 50-member Education and Labor Committee.

“I am humbled and honored to be chosen by my peers to take on the challenges of this position in these trying times,” stated Kline, in a press release.

Minnesota Congressman John Kline’s “Mobile Office” will be in Chaska on Thursday, June 25, to provide constituents greater access to the services available through their federal representative.

Congressman Kline’s mobile office will also be making stops in several other communities in the Second Congressional district in the near future.“Hearing from and helping constituents is fundamental to representation,” stated Kline, in a press release.

The U.S. Senate recount trial is focusing on whether some rejected absentee ballots should be reconsidered and added to the vote total. Norm Coleman's campaign has provided a list of names of people who had absentee ballots rejected in all counties in the state. Here is the list for Carver County.

Rejected absentee ballots

State Rep. Dean Urdahl, Minnesota’s Commissioner to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and Rep. Paul Gardner have announced plans to observe the 200th anniversary of President Lincoln’s birthday.

On Tuesday, two Chaskans had a front seat to history. Chaska High School teacher Rachel Harvieux and former Chaska City Administrator/Jonathan Association Director Jim Main were both in Washington, D.C. to be a part of inauguration day.

By Chuck Friedbauer

The sense of cooperation Barack Obama promises once he becomes president of has filtered all the way to Chaska High School. “A friend of mine gave me a book on Obama as a Christmas gift and I haven’t done anything bad with it,” said Kyle Etzel, the school’s Young Republicans Club president.

The club members look cautiously to the future, as Obama is set to take the mantle of leadership from President George W. Bush, and hope for success to follow despite party differences.

The Minnesota Secretary of State's Office recently released images of challenged ballots in the U.S. Senate recount between Norm Coleman and Al Franken.

There were 31 ballots challenged in Carver County. The five challenged ballots from Chaska are posted below.

How would you judge the ballots?