At his cosmetic surgery practice in Burnsville, Joseph Gryskiewicz’s most common procedure is what he calls the “mommy makeover” – post-childbirth work on tummies and breasts.

Once a year he travels to South America, where he treats only children and revisits what inspired him to become a plastic surgeon.
Gryskiewicz left on Jan. 23 for a week in Lima, Peru, where he and a team of 40 Twin Cities medical professionals will treat children with cleft lip and cleft palate. See more in John Gessner's ThisweekLive feature story.

Dr. Joe Gryskiewicz, a cosmetic surgeon in Burnsville, is pictured with a cleft lip patient he treated on one of his medical missions to Lima, Peru. (Submitted photo)

Saint Paul, MN – Gov. Tim Pawlenty today (Wednesday, Feb. 3) announced the eighth annual Minnesota Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener will be held in the Little Falls area on Nov. 5 and 6, 2010.

“The opening of deer hunting season is a special time and Little Falls is a picturesque area of the state with deer hunting near and dear to the hearts of locals,” Gov. Pawlenty said.  “Little Falls provides an ideal setting for friends and families to come together and celebrate this long-held Minnesota tradition.”

Read more: 8th annual Governor's Deer Hunting Opener to be in Little Falls

St. Paul, MN -- Alcohol-related deaths in Minnesota decreased to 163 in 2008, an all-time low. But that figure represents 36 percent of the 455 traffic deaths, matching historical trends.

These are two of the key findings from the Minnesota Motor Vehicle Impaired Driving Facts 2008, the Department of Public Safety’s annual summary of impaired driving which was released today (Wednesday, Feb. 3). Final 2009 alcohol-related crash statistics and DWI arrest numbers will be available in spring 2010.

Read more: Drinking and driving accounts for one-third of all fatalities

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN – The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) will host open houses on Feb. 9 and 11 at the MAC General Offices to inform the community about the draft update to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport’s (MSP) Long Term Comprehensive Plan (LTCP).

The plan is available on the MSP Airport Web site at the following link: http://www.mspairport.com/about-msp/long-term-comp-plan/ltcp_draft_document.aspx

 

Read more: Community open houses set for MSP Airport Comprehensive Plan

by Howard Lestrud, ECM Online -- By changing a community's environment, the health of its inhabitants can be improved greatly, says the author of "The Blue Zones," Dan Buettner.  

The enthusiastic founder of Blue Zones spoke to members of the Minnesota Newspaper Association and Minnesota Free Papers Association  at their annual convention recently in Bloomington. He explained how the Albert Lea Tribune newspaper helped the southern Minnesota community members of Albert Lea see a significant change to the good in their lifestyle.

Dan Buettner, author of "Blue Zones," was a featured luncheon speaker at the combined convention of the Minnesota Newspaper Association (MNA) and Minnesota Free Papers Association (MFPA) last Friday. He outlined a history of his adventure to locate Blue Zones and told about formulating one in Albert Lea, MN and related how the local newspaper helped with the project. (Photo by Howard Lestrud, ECM Online)

Read more: Minnesota daily newspaper helps community discover Blue Zones

The four-day school week is about to get scrutinized by North Branch Area Public Schools.

Last winter, Superintendent Deb Henton informed the school board at a public meeting that if a levy failed, state funding remained flat or declined, and enrollment continued to decline, she would recommend moving forward with the study and implementation of a four-day school week. All of those events have come to pass. See more in ECM Post Review.

Art work by three Coon Rapids High School students has been chosen to advance to national competition.

Tiffany Castor, Katie Heikkila and Nick Miller earned the top honor, a Gold Key award, in the 2009-2010 Minnesota Scholastic Art Award program to qualify for national competition in New York City later this year. See more in Editor Peter Bodley's Coon Rapids Herald story.

Ice fishing enthusiasts will take to East Twin Lake Saturday, Feb. 6, in the first ice fishing contest sponsored by the Nowthen Lions Club. Registration begins at 9 a.m. with the contest starting at 11 a.m. sharp. The final weigh-in is set for 2 p.m.

Prizes of $250, $100 and $50 will be awarded for the thee largest fish caught. See more in Kelly Johnson's Anoka County Union story.