Sample Ballot
If you haven’t heard, there is a national mid-term election on November 3. Who’s on the ballot? Where do I vote? Follow the links below to answer those important questions and more:
- Polling place location (where you vote on Election Day)
- What’s on your ballot
- Your precincts and districts
Sources provided by City of Orono newsletter:
Secretary of State-Enter your address
Minnesota Early Voting Manual
10 Hummingbird Facts–Right Now–in Western Hennepin County
They’re fueling up. The little hummers are now plentiful in local gardens because they are eating heavily to build energy for the winter trip south.
- They may nearly double their food intake. Fall migration requires a huge amount of energy for such a tiny bird.
- They migrate alone. Each hummingbird makes the journey on its own.
- Some fly across the Gulf of Mexico. That can mean hundreds of miles over open water without stopping.
- They can hit 45 mph. Pretty impressive for a bird that weighs about as much as a penny.
- Their wings can beat 200 times a second. That incredible wing speed is what gives them their unmistakable hum.
- They’re not just nectar drinkers. Hummingbirds also gobble up tiny insects and spiders for protein.
- That ruby throat is an optical trick. Male ruby-throats can flash brilliant red, or look almost black, depending on the angle of the light.
- Their hearts are racing. A hummingbird’s heart can exceed 1,000 beats per minute during intense activity.
- They can enter a mini “sleep mode.” At night, hummingbirds can slow their metabolism dramatically and let their body temperature drop to conserve precious energy.
Hummingbirds may return to your yard year after year–so feed them well!
An SCA hummingbird article would not be complete without the migration tracker. Watch as they journey to Mexico and Central America for their annual gathering.
“Lane Splitting” Explained
You are stalled in traffic on the freeway…suddenly a motorcycle glides by your driver’s side, between your lane of traffic and the one next to you. Your first reaction is shock and then, probably some outrage. Relax (if you can), it’s called “lane splitting,” and is completely legal.
Lane splitting is when a motorcycle moves between two lanes of cars traveling in the same direction, using the space between lanes to pass slow-moving traffic. Minnesota made limited lane splitting—and lane filtering, which is moving between stopped cars—legal on July 1, 2025.
There are some rules of the road involved. Lane splitting is permitted only when traffic is moving, the motorcycle is traveling 25 mph or less and no more than 15 mph faster than surrounding traffic. Filtering through stopped traffic is allowed at no more than 15 mph over the speed of traffic. Both are prohibited in certain situations, including roundabouts, school zones, freeway on-ramps, and certain work zones.
Keep in mind that the law isn’t a blanket permission for motorcycles to ride between cars whenever they want. It’s a very limited lane-sharing law with specific speed, traffic, and location restrictions.
3 benefits:
- Motorcycles can move through backups rather than occupying an entire lane, potentially reducing the length of traffic queues.
- A motorcycle sitting behind stopped or crawling cars is vulnerable to being struck from behind. Moving between cars can reduce the motorcycle’s exposure…
- Motorcycles don’t have the cooling and shelter of a car. Moving through stopped traffic can reduce the amount of time riders sit exposed to heat and exhaust.
There’s always a downside:
- An auto driver changing lanes or moving sideways may not see a motorcycle alongside the vehicle because motorcycles are much smaller and can be difficult to detect in mirrors and blind spots.
- Minnesota drivers aren’t accustomed to motorcycles legally appearing beside them in their lane.
- Even with the 25-mph/15-mph limits, a motorcycle moving faster than surrounding vehicles has less time to react if a car suddenly changes lanes, opens a path, or swerves.
It remains to be seen if and how the new law will be enforced.
Sources
MN Department of Public Safety
MN Legislature Office of the Revisor
