St. George Half-Marathon: Eric Nelson, Jackie Hendrickson finish first in 40th annual race

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Around 400 runners of all ages gathered to run the 40th annual St. George Half-Marathon on Saturday morning on the trails surrounding the Dixie Convention Center.

Temperatures in the mid-30s at race time didn’t slow down the runners, as the first runner across the finish line in the half-marathon was Eric Nelson, with a time of 1:09:18.

Nelson, from Nibley, Utah, ran as part of the Hobbyjogger Project team along with third-place finisher Mark Summers.

“We were looking for a half-marathon around January,” Nelson said. “Me and Mark are running (the Boston Marathon) in April and wanted to do a little test of fitness to see where we’re at.”

The Hobbyjogger Project is a group out of Logan, originally founded in 2016 as a way to bring top-tier high school talent together.

Nelson has one run two half-marathons and one marathon.

“I ran a lot faster than I thought I would so that’s always nice,” Nelson said. “I exceeded my expectations by a ton … I came in wanting to break 1:11:00 and I came pretty close to breaking 1:09:00.”

The hilly terrain was a challenge for some runners, but the views of the course are what stood out to most first-time runners.

“There’s a lot of rolling hills and a lot of rolling hills,” said Summers, who crossed the finish line at the 1:10:27 mark. “It feels like a 13-mile cross country race. It keeps you on your toes. You can’t fall asleep. You have to stay aware and stay sharp and pay attention.”

Summers won the last event in 2020. Last year’s event was canceled due to COVID-19.

“It’s a beautiful course as always and it was good temperatures and it’s nice to be able to race down here in the wintertime,” said Salt Lake native Nathan Peters, who placed second overall in a time of 1:09:43. Peters has run the St. George Half-Marathon a handful of times and tries to make it an annual trek.

Jackie Hendrickson was the first female across the line on the day with a time of 1:20:19.

“I don’t like to make placement my first goal because you don’t know who’s going to show up but that was one of my goals to win if possible so it feels good,” said Hendrickson.

Hendrickson said her time goal was under 1:20:00 and she finished just 19 seconds off that pace.

Hendrickson ran the course one time back in high school and ran collegiately at Utah State.

“Most of the courses in Utah are point-to-point downhill, and this one is you start where you finish with hills in the middle so it’s more than just speed,” she said. “You have to have some strength and grit to be able to get through it as well.”

The tough course for Hendrickson is a good way to start a goal of hers to qualify for the Olympic marathon trials.

To qualify for the Olympic marathon trials, runners have to race on a qualifying course in under 2:37:00.

Her best time last fall was 2:43:00.

“I just need to keep whittling down my time a couple of seconds at a time so it might take a few years, but I’m okay with that,” Hendrickson said.

The second female across the line was Carolyn Williams in 1:21:39.

Williams has run around 15 marathons and had never participated in the St. George Half-Marathon, moving into the St. George area last year.

“The thing about this course is that it’s a spectator course,” Williams said of her thoughts on the race. “You can have people watching almost the whole time, which is really fun. It’s a good course.”

Williams wants to run the Phoenix Marathon and has never broken three hours in a marathon race, which she says is a goal moving forward.

Sean Ellertson is a sports reporter for the St. George Spectrum & Daily News. To continue to support his work, please subscribe to The Spectrum. Follow Sean on Twitter @SeanEllertson.

Roger Nelson, 88 - Austin Daily Herald

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Roger H. Nelson, age 88, died on Wednesday January 12, 2022 at his home in Litchfield, MN. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 22, 2022 at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in St. Peter at a later date. The service will be livestreamed at johnsonhagglund.com

Roger Howard Nelson, the son of Helmer and Ronelia (Easton) Nelson was born on November 6, 1933 in Rose Creek, MN. He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church. He graduated from Rose Creek High School in 1951 and from St. Olaf College in 1955 with a BA in Education. Following college, Roger taught in Okabena, MN for 2 years. He then served two years in the Army and was stationed in Germany during that time. He was united in marriage to Barbara Schmidt on August 22, 1959 in Minneapolis, MN. Following their marriage, he began teaching in St. Peter, Minnesota where he taught for 33 years. He was the assistant wrestling coach for many years and also coached track and football. Their 4 children were all born in St. Peter. While in St. Peter, he was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church. Summers were spent working in home construction, and traveling and camping with the family. Roger and Barb also enjoyed singing together in church and community choirs throughout their years in St. Peter.

After early retirement, Roger spent time volunteering in the St. Peter community delivering Meals on Wheels and being active in Kiwanis. He was also very instrumental in building homes for Habitat for Humanity. He was named Outstanding Senior Citizen in Nicollet County in 2006 for his volunteer work. He and Barb also took this time to travel in both the US and Europe.

Roger and Barb moved to Litchfield, MN in October 2013 to be closer to their daughters and their families. They were members of Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield. He enjoyed attending school, church, and community functions and spending time with family.

Roger is survived by his wife Barb of Litchfield, MN; children Karl (Karin) Nelson of Lidköping, Sweden, Sara (Dan) Dollerschell of Litchfield, MN, and Amy (Paul) Thostenson of Dassel, MN; 8 grandchildren Erik Nelson, Elsa Nelson; Anna (Andrew) Kalkbrenner, Cal Dollerschell, Sam (Abby) Dollerschell, Erin Dollerschell; Marit (Jase) Witucki, Peder Thostenson; and sister-in-law Diane Nelson.

He was preceded in death by his parents Helmer and Ronelia; a son Eric in 1986; and brothers and sisters-in-law Merle (MaryAnn) Nelson, Dale (Elaine) Nelson and Arden Nelson.

Please sign our online guestbook at www.johnsonhagglund.com

Pa. GOP answered Wolf’s pandemic vetoes with constitution changes. The strategy is here to stay.

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Pa. GOP answered Wolf’s pandemic vetoes with constitution changes. The strategy is here to stay.

Wolf’s veto tally grew extensively during the pandemic and will likely expand during his final 13 months in office, as Republicans continue to largely bypass his agenda.

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media.

(Harrisburg) — Gov. Tom Wolf has vetoed more than 50 bills as he begins his final year in office, a number that illustrates the institutionalized gridlock between the Democratic governor and the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

Wolf’s veto tally grew extensively during the pandemic and will likely expand during his final 13 months in office, as GOP leaders continue to largely bypass his agenda and push items such as mandated voter ID and curbs on the executive’s power.

As Wolf has exercised his veto pen, Republican legislators have increasingly turned to constitutional amendments to advance their priorities. The GOP says the change in strategy turns over decision-making to the voters, and critics say it circumvents the checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches.

iStock

Wolf spokesperson Elizabeth Rementer said the governor rejects legislation when it’s not in the best interest of all Pennsylvanians.

“The Republican-controlled General Assembly is failing Pennsylvanians by refusing to pass legislation to make voting more accessible, reduce gun violence, and fairly pay and protect our workers,” Rementer told Spotlight PA. “Instead, they have spent the last several months passing terrible bills all while Pennsylvania’s minimum wage remains frozen at $7.25 an hour.”

Republicans say their agenda reflects the demands of their constituents and the current economy, and call Wolf’s vetoes an attack on constitutional and civil rights.

After Wolf vetoed a bill that would have banned proof-of-vaccination requirements, Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R., Centre) and Majority Leader Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland) released a statement saying the governor is “running roughshod” over the civil liberties of Pennsylvania residents.

Corman’s spokesperson referred questions for this story to Ward’s office, which declined to comment. A spokesperson for House Republicans did not respond to a request for comment.

In Wolf’s seven years in office, he has vetoed 54 bills and resolutions. Online records that date to 1975 show that Wolf has surpassed Democrat Bob Casey Sr.’s 50 vetoes between 1987 and 1995, but not Democrat Milton Shapp, who rejected more than 70 bills during his two terms in office.

The legislature can overturn a veto with a two-thirds vote, the standard in most states. It has failed to do so during Wolf’s time in office.

In 2015, Wolf’s first year as governor, his vetoes were primarily directed at the state budget. The protracted battle lasted until March 2016, when Wolf passively allowed a budget plan to become law.

The standoff set the tone for future clashes with lawmakers, but Wolf didn’t experience forceful pushback or attempts to limit his powers until the arrival of COVID-19.

In 2020, Wolf signed 140 bills into law, only 27 of which directly addressed problems brought on by the coronavirus. More than a third of Wolf’s vetoes — 19 — were issued that year, a spike that reflects fights over the administration’s public health measures, as well as the economic fallout of the pandemic.

As the Wolf administration shut down businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep hospitals from becoming overwhelmed — measures in line with public health guidance — Republicans with a handful of Democrats passed a number of bills to reopen parts of the economy.

Wolf vetoed those measures, as well as bills designating shooting ranges as life-sustaining businesses, allowing local schools to set their own policies on sporting events, and giving counties control over COVID-19 mitigation strategies.

Angry over Wolf’s rejections, Republicans went for the nuclear option: a resolution to unilaterally end the state’s COVID-19 disaster declaration.

When the state Supreme Court ruled that the legislature didn’t have that power, Republican lawmakers launched a push for two constitutional amendments to give the majority that ability. Both were successful.

In 2022, GOP leaders are queuing up even more proposed changes to the constitution — at times in response to Wolf’s vetoes — including one mandating voter ID and another that would eliminate statewide elections for appellate judges.

The uptick in proposed changes belies the lengthy and intensive process of amending the state constitution.

First, both the House and Senate must pass the resolution in two separate legislative sessions before it goes to voters. If a majority approves the amendment — and it survives any court challenges — it goes into effect.

But unlike overriding a veto, the amendment process requires consent from only a simple majority of lawmakers and voters. Once they are on the ballot, usually in low-turnout elections, these amendments rarely fail.

Critics of the tactic argue that amending the constitution to evade a veto undermines the balance of power between the legislature and the governor.

Khalif Ali, executive director of the nonpartisan good-government organization Common Cause PA, told Spotlight PA in October that the legislature is attempting to “leech” power from the other branches of government.

“They’re using the constitutional amendment to pass legislation they can’t pass through the traditional and appropriate way,” Ali said, calling it unethical.

Senate Republican Caucus

Democrats have criticized the Republican-proposed amendments as an attempt to exclude the minority party from policymaking. Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D., Allegheny) said amendments undermine the executive’s duty to represent the entire state, a job that differs from that of lawmakers, who represent only their constituents.

“These efforts are an end-run around our constitution,” Costa said in a statement. “They’re seeking single-party rule in Pennsylvania and that’s not healthy for a democracy.”

Republican lawmakers have countered that constitutional amendments ultimately give Pennsylvanians the power to decide policy.

“I believe that, at the end of the day, that people always have the right to decide how to be governed,” House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R., Lancaster) said in December.

One proposed amendment moving through the legislature would alter what happens when lawmakers vote to disapprove a state regulation. At the moment, the governor can veto such resolutions, leaving it to the legislature to gather a two-thirds majority.

State Rep. Eric Nelson (R., Westmoreland) in December argued that the bar is too high.

“The idea that it takes a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly to stop a regulation or order that the majority would never start in the first place proves how unbalanced the process is in the first place,” Nelson said.

Still, Sam Chen, an assistant professor of political science at Northampton Community College and host of the talk show Face the Issues, said Wolf’s vetoes are a sign that checks and balances are working.

Because one party does not have enough votes to overturn a veto alone, majority and minority parties are encouraged to work together with the governor to pass bipartisan policy — in theory.

Wolf did sign more than 100 bills and resolutions in 2021, including nearly 20 renaming bridges and highways, a COVID-19 relief package, and a recent measure creating an agency dedicated to expanding broadband coverage in the state.

But the Republican majorities also advanced bills that had no chance of becoming law in support of popular conservative priorities, such as restricting voting access, curtailing abortion rights, and allowing permitless concealed carry.

Lawmakers sometimes pass legislation that they know will be vetoed, but Chen defended this move, saying it’s a way for legislators to respond to voters.

“There’s definitely political jockeying for future political aspirations, but also a need to answer to constituents,” he said.

Spotlight PA reporter Danielle Ohl contributed to this article.

Slew of bills to align Pennsylvania, federal tax codes pass House committee

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Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Cloudy and windy with a few rain and snow showers in the morning, and a snow shower or two in the afternoon. .

Tonight

Breezy in the evening; otherwise, mostly cloudy.

Justice’s ‘flat’ budget includes pay raises

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Gov. Jim Justice is proposing a relatively flat state budget, with pay raises for state employees as the most conspicuous addition.

Justice characterized his proposed $4.6 billion budget as just 1.4 percent higher than last year. The governor traditionally describes the highlights of his budget proposal in his annual State of the State address, but Justice was unable to do so this year because of a case of covid-19.

Instead, Justice submitted a text version of the State of the State. Lawmakers started going over the details today.

“For the fourth year in a row, I am proposing an essentially flat budget, which includes a third historic pay raise and Inflatocine for our state employees,” Justice wrote, referring to his term for an employee bonus that he intends to serve as a sort of vaccine for the effects of inflation.

Both the Senate Finance and the House Finance committees started going over the budget, along with state revenue projections, during committee meetings today.

The budget proposal includes an average 5 percent pay raise for state employees through the general revenue and state lottery funds. Officials are cautious about phrasing the financial path that way because many employees work for offices or agencies that are significantly funded by other forms of revenue such as fees.

The 5 percent average actually translates to $2,550 for state workers, $2,440 for teachers and support staff and $1,225 for school service personnel, said state budget director Michael Cook.

The total amount of the pay raises is $109 million.

The budget that state officials are working on actually goes into effect for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Cook pointed out, elaborating upon questioning by lawmakers, that the bonus the governor promised to state employees would actually apply to the current fiscal year — so it is not reflected in the coming year’s budget.

That was one of the requests for elaboration by Senator Dave Sypolt, R-Preston: “Is that going to be included in the budget, or is that intended to be paid out of excess funds for the current fiscal year?”

The bonuses will come through a supplemental appropriation that is a combination of a remaining unappropriated balance for the current fiscal year plus money made available through a revision of the current fiscal year’s revenue estimate.

The total expenditure for the bonuses is $54 million.

Senator Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha, asked whether state officials will provide a six-year budget outlook that traditionally has helped people get a sense of long-term projections. Last year, no such six-year plan was provided.

“Are we going to get a copy? What is the plan?” Nelson asked.

Cook suggested lawmakers should get a better sense of the longer-term outlook through coming presentations.

“You’re going to see significant increases in the estimates of revenue for the out years,” he told Nelson. “You could have a sense of where you could be in the next couple of years.”

Nelson reiterated, “I do ask that this year we do get that six-year plan.”

Senator Ron Stollings, D-Boone, asked what effect millions of dollars on federal funding would have on state finances. Cook noted that he was providing budget information about general revenue and lottery funds — and that the unprecedented levels of federal funds would not be reflected.

“At some point, it would be nice to see the federal side of this too,” Stollings responded. “We’d like to make sure those are being spent appropriately as well, since we are the appropriating body.”