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Saturday, May 25th, 2013
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Rochester couples plan their long-awaited wedding days


By Nate Langworthy

Mon, May 20th, 2013
Posted in Rochester Features

Joe Nix and Bob Werner are engaged after celebrating 20 years together. Photo submitted

In April, Bob Werner and Joe Nix celebrated twenty years together. Werner says they realized in 1993 that this relationship was the one they “had been hoping for and dreaming about.”

After Minnesota became the 12th state to recognize same-sex marriage when the Freedom to Marry Act was signed into law last week, Bob and Joe exchanged engagement rings and are making arrangements for their wedding day.

They have chosen August 1st, the date marriage equality becomes law, as their big day.

While many of the state’s same-sex couples traveled to one of the states preceding Minnesota in recognizing their marriages, including more than 1000 in Iowa, Werner said that he and Joe waited to be recognized by their neighbors.

“We’re Minnesotans,” he said. “We want to get married in our home state.”

Bob and Joe’s relationship has been blessed in a ceremony at their church and they registered as domestic partners in Rochester as soon as the option was available to them in 2010. They have been careful to put both of their names on their property and shared finances.

Still, they look forward to enjoying the same legal protections and benefits as heterosexual couples in Minnesota.

“This is what being a first-class citizen feels like,” said Werner.

Werner recalls the emotions associated with an attempt to place a ban on same-sex unions in Minnesota’s Constitution through a ballot initiative in 2012. While the process was difficult, Werner was heartened by the effort that resulted in Minnesota defeating the effort, the first in the nation to do so, and feels that he and Joe would not have the opportunity to have their marriage recognized if the issue had not been brought to the forefront.

“Writing discrimination into the Constitution is wrong. When they started attacking our families and lifelong relationships, that crossed the line and there was a backlash,” he said. “There were so many heart-to-heart conversations between families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, about who we are. It moved the whole issue forward.”

Werner believes that Minnesotans had a disposition to move toward marriage equality handed down through a sense of fairness found in Scandinavian values.

“Minnesotans really believe in The Golden Rule,” he said.

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Lou and Peter Berryman Play Folk Music Mixed with Musical Comedy

Fri, May 24th, 2013
Posted in Arts & Culture

ZUMBROTA, Minn. – Lou and Peter Berryman are musical humorists who have delighted nationwide audiences for more than thirty-five years. They appear at Crossings on Fri., June 7, at 8 pm. Frequent comparisons to Tom Lehrer, Flanders and Swann, an ..... 
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Foster-Arend Beach opening for season

Fri, May 24th, 2013
Posted in Rochester Business Announcements

Foster-Arend Beach will open on Saturday, May 25, and will remain open through Labor Day. Beach hours will be from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily. Park hours are 5:00 am to 9:00 pm daily. There is no admission charge at the beach, security officers will ..... 
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AgStar Financial Services posts strong first quarter performance

Fri, May 24th, 2013
Posted in Business Announcements

MANKATO, Minn. - AgStar Financial Services, ACA, a value-added financial services company owned by its client-stockholders, reported net earnings for the first quarter ending March 31, 2013. The company recorded a strong performance, with net after- ..... 
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Olmsted Medical Center Auxiliary awards scholarships to two local graduates

Fri, May 24th, 2013
Posted in Rochester Education

Rochester, Minn. - The Olmsted Medical Center (OMC) Auxiliary recently presented two children of OMC employees with inaugural Julia Bombach Memorial Scholarship awards ($1,000 each). Scholarship recipients were Jennifer Guibert, a graduate of Centur ..... 
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ROCHESTER ART CENTER TO PARTICIPATE IN BLUE STAR MUSEUMS

Wed, May 22nd, 2013
Posted in Rochester Arts & Culture

Rochester, MN – Today Rochester Art Center announced the launch of Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 1,800 museums across America to offer free ..... 
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Extension Offers Food Manager Certification & Renewal Courses in Rochester

Wed, May 22nd, 2013
Posted in Agriculture

Marshall, Minn. (05/22/2013)----University of Minnesota Extension is offering two courses to help food service establishments meet the educational requirement for Certified Food Managers. The certification course, called ServSafe, will be off ..... 
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U of M Extension launches websites for forage shortage, late planting issues

Wed, May 22nd, 2013
Posted in Agriculture

ST. PAUL, Minn. (5/13/2013) — University of Minnesota Extension has educational resources available for those with questions related to a continuing forage shortage and late planting issues. Reports of winter injury and winterkill of alfalfa con ..... 
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Time remains to double contributions for Bed & Bread Club®

Wed, May 22nd, 2013
Posted in Rochester Business Announcements

Less than 10 days remain in the month to take advantage of the generous matching funds provided to The Salvation Army in Rochester for the Bed & Bread Club® program! Additional matching dollars were given by both Rochester Walmart stores, Sam’s C ..... 
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