WADENA, Minn. – United States Senator Al Franken came to the Wadena Community and Technical College today to speak about recovery efforts and to hear what still needs to be done in the wake of the June tornado.

“Senator Franken’s office has been instrumental since day one. He’s had staff people here who were instrumental in the immediate relief. We’re hoping we’ll get continued support on FEMA funding and perhaps stimulus funding and moral support from the Senator’s office and the Senator himself,” City Council Member Don Niles said.

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A little more than a year after U.S. Sen. Al Franken took office, he received the Highway 14 Partnership’s traditional initiation for anyone representing southern Minnesota in Congress.

Franken rode the highway between Mankato and New Ulm with Highway 14 Partnership President Gary Zellmer and then listened to stories about the notorious roadway from members of the coalition from a half-dozen communities along the route.

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U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn) announced $750,000 in funding for the Virginia-based Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. The funds are administered by the Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. This funding will allow the Northeast Entrepreneur Fund to continue to support small businesses on the Iron Range by providing financing that is otherwise difficult to secure.

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Peering into the dark side of online media, U.S. Sen. Al Franken wants the Justice Department to study the rapid proliferation of “geotags,” data about a person’s location derived from photos and videos made with smartphones and other mobile devices equipped with GPS or other location-fixing technologies.

The Minnesota Democrat worries what stalkers could do with the information.

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WASHINGTON (WCCO) ― Sen. Al Franken is asking the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the potential dangers of geotagging — a technology he calls a danger in online media.

Franken wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holderon Monday requesting that the department looks into this issue of geotagging. Geotags can automatically embed a person’s location into the digital photos or videos they post online from their cell phones.

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Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., will meet with community leaders in Brainerd, Wadena and Camp Ripley on Wednesday.

In Wadena he’ll meet with community leaders about the tornado recovery efforts and later present a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol to members of VFW Post 3922 for their contributions to those efforts.

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SLAYTON -There’s no doubt that local service organizations need help provide support for Minnesota seniors, Sen. Al Franken said Monday. It’s also a need that transcends the divide between rural and urban Minnesota.

“I’ve had meetings just like this in the Twin Cities,” Franken said after talking with regional service workers on Monday afternoon.

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SLAYTON — Senator Al Franken visited southwest Minnesota Monday, stopping in Luverne, Tyler, Slayton and Worthington to discuss a variety of subjects that ranged from wind energy projects to bioscience.

In Slayton, Franken and his staff discussed the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) and listened to information about funding usage for Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging (MNRAAA), Lutheran Social Services, Cottonwood County Family Services Senior Services (CCFSSS) and the Senior LinkAge Line.

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Senator Al Franken made a visit to southwest Minnesota today visiting several places and we caught up with him at Newport Laboratories discussing the economic development of the area.

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LUVERNE, MN – While members of congress head home during the August recess, Minnesota Senator Al Franken is using his time to tour southwestern Minnesota. KELOLAND News caught up with the Senator to see how he plans to help communities with healthcare, education, and economic development.

Wind turbines have become part of the Midwest scenery over the past decade. These ones have generated electricity since 2004 and the owners at Minwind Energy hope to continue to expand.

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