Conservative talk show host Jason Lewis will be at Dunn Bros in Chaska on Saturday, Dec. 4.

Lewis, of "The Jason Lewis Show," will be signing copies of his new book “Power Divided is Power Checked,” between 10 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.

By Forrest Adams

Research by the Christian Science Monitor and PBS NewsHour last week labeled Carver County as the place in Minnesota with the most Tea Party activists.

Whether or not this is true is a matter of some debate.

“Really?”

That was the response from Mara Souvannasoth, a Chanhassen home school mother, who said she sympathizes with the Tea Party movement.

By Forrest Adams

Approximately eight of 10 Carver County residents have returned completed U.S. census forms. That puts the county far ahead of the national participation rate of 69 percent and even ahead of the statewide participation rate of 77 percent.

Carver County is Minnesota’s Tea Party hotbed, according to a recent study by PBS News Hour in its Patchwork Nation series.

However, the numbers aren’t even close to major party membership in Carver County – at 13.68 per 10,000 residents.

There are 67,000 Tea Party members across the U.S., according to the study.

By Forrest Adams

State Sen. Julianne Ortman, a Republican from Chanhassen, is among many politicians now crusading to stop the same federal health care reform legislation that narrowly passed the U.S. House on Sunday.

The bill, universally opposed by Republicans, is supported by the Obama administration and many Democrats. It requires all U.S. citizens to purchase health care insurance, a requirement Ortman calls unconstitutional.

By Richard Crawford

A tangible result of the federal government’s stimulus program is showing up on roads in Carver County.

About $4 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was earmarked for transportation needs in the county. The Metropolitan Council was responsible for approving requests submitted by local jurisdictions.

By Shannon Fiecke, Correspondent

A group claiming rights to tribal land in Prior Lake as lineal descendants of the “Loyal Mdewakanton” Dakota have appealed their case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

More than 20,000 plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages against the Unites States. They filed a petition Nov. 6, asking the high court to review a March decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The Supreme Court has 30 days to determine whether it will hear the case.

The petitioners claim to be descendants of Native Americans who helped settlers during the 1862 Sioux uprising.

By Mark W. Olson

Carver’s plans for a new Main Street bridge could be on hold, following a recent historical study.

Members of Senator Al Franken's staff will be in Chaska from 8 - 10 a.m. on July 28. Staff are conducting a listening tour around rural portions of the state to collect residents' concerns about outstate Minnesota. The event will take place in council chambers at City Hall, 1 City Hall Plaza.

Franken will not be on the listening tour as the Senate will still be in session in Washington, D.C.

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).