News

Looking for a flexible volunteer opportunity where you can connect with other government communicators? Look no further. The Northern Lights awards contest and ceremony are in the planning stages.

Lend your talents to the planning committee and celebrate excellence in Minnesota government communications. It’s easy!

All meetings are all virtual and commitments range from 30 minutes to 2 hours per week to start, moving to biweekly when things are underway. Email MAGC Board Member Ashley Klemer to get involved.

The 2021 all-virtual conference includes a panel on logistics and staging for events and press conferences, a dynamic presentation on community engagement around equity and diversity, and how to capitalize on the up-side of crisis!

Speaker and session details will be forthcoming.

Members receive the conference rate of $30; $50 for non-members).

Click here for additional details.

Fusion Learning Partners (formerly GTS Educational Events!) recently formed a partnership with The Public Technology Institute (PTI) to offer two certification programs available to Midwest government IT professionals – the Certified Government CIO (CGIO) program and the Certified Government Digital Services (CGDSP) program. These programs are nationally recognized programs and designed around real-work experiences. Students are treated as cohort groups of individuals who are eager to share their insight with each other via the virtual class discussions. For additional information about these programs, click here: https://fusionlp.org/pti/.

The submission deadline for 2020 Northern Lights Awards is March 8. We extended the deadline because we really want to see the best of all the work that you did during the long, arduous past year. You put your effort into it, so please take the time to show off your work and share it with your colleagues. 

All entries and payments must be completed by 11:59 pm Monday, March 8.

What? You are feeling stressed? One more thing on the to-do list is one too much, and entries for the Northern Lights contest fell off the table?

We got the message. We want to give our colleagues more time that they may need to enter Northern Lights. We really want to see the best of all the work that you did during this past long, arduous year. You put your effort into it, so please take the time to show off your work and share it with your colleagues.

Our colleagues in North Carolina are in agreement on the adjusted deadline. Everyone is in the same boat, and the contest will go on and it will be judged in good time.

We understand that our fellow communicators continue to be pulled in multiple directions and have decided to move the submission deadline for the 2020 Northern Lights Awards Contest from Monday, March 1 to Monday, March 8.

All entries and payments now must be completed by 11:59 pm Monday, March 8.

Please email the MAGC office with any questions.

We are in need 75 people to serve as a judge for the 2020 Northern Lights Contest.

We welcome all judges—MAGC members, MACTA members, and others from the public and private sectors—who have relevant expertise to share.

Please fill out this form to let us know you are interested.

Minnesota Association of Government Communicators have been lending their expertise for the past several years to judge the work of government communicators from Texas and North Carolina, to allow more objectivity in naming awards in their contests.

This past year, the program was changed up, and Minnesota communicators ended up working exclusively with North Carolina counterparts. They recently sent MAGC a really nice “Thank you!” and this plaque. It was a total surprise, and is much appreciated.

Meanwhile, that means it’s time to gear up once more for the Northern Lights contest, which will be getting underway soon after the start of the new year!

Thank you to the following members who have offered to serve on the MAGC board:

All members with a current, paid membership may vote for up to four candidates. Voting is now open and will close at 11:59 p.m. on November 17, 2020.

Please visit our 2021 Board Election page to view the candidate information and access the ballot.

We on the Northern Lights Committee hope that you find this among all the other emails that are flying in and out of your inbox.

With the additional work load and general chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the decision to delay any Northern Lights ceremony that would have taken place this spring.

The good news is that your entries came in, and they are being judged. There is a contest. The trophies will be made, and you will be honored if you are a winner.

Later in the spring, and when everything has settled down, we will reassess, and determine whether to reschedule an event for later in the summer, or simply mail the trophies, and publish the names of those who win awards.

We extend appreciation to all of you who have entered the contest, and to those of you who spent time and expertise judging the North Carolina entries. Thank you, and be safe.

The Minnesota governor is announcing a plan to help communities fight the spread of COVID-19 around the state.

Gov. Tim Walz held a news conference at the state capitol Friday with Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm. They are announcing "community mitigation" strategies for Minnesotans, and Walz has declared a peacetime state of emergency.

On Friday, the MDH announced that there are now 14 presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in the state. The counties affected so far are Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Olmsted, Ramsey, Stearns and Wright.

Wisconsin has also announced a total of seven cases, with one positive case listed as "recovered."

As part of the community mitigation strategy, the MDH is recommending postponing or canceling:

• Large events where 250 people or more would gather, including but not limited to:
  • Concerts.
  • Conferences.
  • Professional, college, and school performances or sporting events.
• Smaller events (fewer than 250 people) that are held in venues that do not allow social distancing of 6 feet per person.
• This includes gatherings in crowded auditoriums, rooms or other venues.
• Events with more than 10 people where the majority of participants are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, including gatherings such as those at:
  • Retirement facilities.
  • Assisted living facilities.
  • Developmental homes.
  • Support groups for people with health conditions.

MDH is also recommending:

• People and families at higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness staying at home and avoiding gatherings or other situations of potential exposures, including travel.
• Employers making telework arrangements for workers whose duties can be done remotely.
• Employers staggering work schedules and limiting non-essential work travel.
• Health care facilities and assisted-living facilities more strictly limiting visitors.
• Faith-based organizations offering video or audio events.
• Hospitals and other health care facilities implementing triage before entering facilities (for example, parking lot triage, phone triage, and telemedicine to limit unnecessary visits).

The full plan of action is available online.

The state of Minnesota has set up a hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920. The hotline will be open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. this week (March 9-13).

MDH maintains a regularly updated webpage with "Situation Updates," including the status of "persons under investigation" who are being tested. MDH also has a larger COVID-19 coronavirus information page, with links to additional facts and resources about coronavirus.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services also keeps this page updated with numbers of tested cases, and those that tested positive, along with more information for Wisconsin residents.

Minnesota has issued some "social distancing" guidelines for schools as well, but did not recommend schools closing as of March 13.