BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota offers Customer Reviews

Burnsville, Minn – September 18, 2014 – Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) now offers verified customer reviews in their free BBB Business Reviews. This provides consumers the option of submitting customer reviews after dealing with a business. Though these reviews will not affect companies’ BBB ratings, they will be publicly available after BBB’s review process has run its course.

“When we asked consumers and businesses what else they wanted from our BBB, time and again we heard ‘customer reviews,’” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota. “So this is another tool we now offer, and our reviews are verified, which is fair to both consumers and business owners.”

BBB rules state that customers may not file a complaint and a customer review in regard to the same transaction. In situations where customers are seeking a resolution from a given company, they are encouraged to file a formal complaint. In other situations where they are looking to commend a business or simply share their experience, they can file an online customer review.

All customer reviews are processed by BBB staff and sent on to the business referenced. Businesses then have 10 days to respond and/or inform BBB the person writing the review wasn’t a customer. From there, the person writing the review is asked to provide verification of the transaction. Once the 10 days have passed and/or BBB’s verification process is complete, the customer review and business response, if one is provided, are made available online at bbb.org. BBB also monitors for duplicate customer reviews – and complaints – and multiple reviews filed by the same IP address, to prevent possible abuse.

Since January 1, when BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota launched their customer review option, more than 1,100 reviews have been received, with nearly 70% of them positive.

“We are pleased to note that a solid majority of customer reviews filed so far reference positive experiences,” added Badgerow. “We know most businesses in our marketplace are upstanding, and we’re pleased to offer this feature to them as a way to stand out and be recognized, and to consumers as another free BBB tool they can use to find reliable businesses.”

BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota is one of 44 BBBs that offer customer reviews. Consumers can file or read customer reviews online at www.thefirstbbb.org. Since March of 2012, BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota has also published complaint details in their free Business Reviews.

For the latest fraud alerts and marketplace news, visit bbb.org.

Public invited to comment on experimental fishing regulations

Reviews of existing or newly proposed regulations on 22 lakes for walleye, yellow perch, largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish and muskellunge will be the subject of seven public meetings conducted across the state in the coming weeks by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The meetings will include reviews of walleye regulations on Leech Lake; largemouth bass regulations on Cass County’s Stony and Thirteen lakes; a catch-and-release muskellunge regulation on Clearwater County’s Elk Lake; walleye regulations on the Fish Lake Reservoir near Duluth; a 17- to 26-inch protected slot for walleye on 12 Itasca County lakes; and panfish regulations on five Rochester-area waters.

The goal of experimental and special regulations on individual waters is to expand opportunities for anglers to experience quality fishing that can be sustained in light of increasing angling pressure and improved angler efficiency. During the past 26 years, fisheries managers have monitored a variety of regulations across Minnesota.

“Much has been learned from our efforts to improve fish populations with length and bag limits,” said Al Stevens, DNR fisheries program consultant. “If experimental regulations are successful, then regulations can be replicated on similar waters where fisheries managers and anglers agree they would help improve or maintain quality fishing.”

Experimental regulations are in effect for a specific period of time, typically 10 years. Before the regulation ends, fish managers must evaluate the regulation and then gather input from public meetings to help determine whether to extend, modify or drop the existing experimental regulations.

“Fisheries managers welcome the opportunity to hear opinions from anglers,” Stevens said.  “Public participation is critical in determining whether proposed and existing regulations are meeting angler expectations.”  

Waters being evaluated this year were posted at public access points in the spring. Public notices for each meeting will be published in local newspapers. For more information about a specific meeting, check online at www.mndnr.gov/fishing/meetings or contact the local DNR Fisheries office using the online listing at www.mndnr.gov/areas/fisheries.

Written or verbal comments also will be accepted at local fisheries offices up to 10 days following a local meeting. Telephone numbers and addresses of local fisheries offices can be found online at online at www.mndnr.gov/areas/fisheries or on page 94 of the 2013 Fishing Regulations handbook.

For those unable to attend a local meeting, there will be an open house at DNR headquarters, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul on Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. No formal presentations will be made but fisheries staff will be available to take comments on any proposal. Comments will be accepted through Monday, Oct. 7, and also may be submitted by email to al.stevens@state.mn.us or by calling 651-259-5239.

Open houses, which can be viewed on the DNR website by following the angler alert link at www.mndnr.gov/fishing, are scheduled for: 

• Cass County: Largemouth bass regulations on Stony and Thirteen lakes will be reviewed from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at Walker Area Community Center, 105 Tower Ave. E.
• Clearwater County: The catch-and-release regulation for muskellunge on Elk Lake will be reviewed from 6- 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, at Douglas Lodge in Itasca State Park.
• Itasca County: Implementing a 17- to 26-inch protected slot limit for walleye on Bowstring, Sand and Jessie lakes and reviewing that protected slot on Swan, Trout (near Coleraine), Splithand, Moose, Island (near Northome), Round (near Squaw Lake), and Deer/Battle/Pickerel (near Effie) will be discussed at two meetings. The first will be from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Squaw Lake Community Center on Minnesota Highway 46 in Squaw Lake. The second will be from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, in the training room at Minnesota Interagency Fire Center, 402 11th St. SE, Grand Rapids.
• Leech Lake: Relaxing the existing 18- to 26-inch protected slot limit for walleye to a
  20- to 26-inch protected slot will be discussed from 6- 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at Walker Area Community Center, 105 Tower Ave. E.
• Olmsted County: Restricting the daily and possession limit for sunfish, black crappie, white crappie, yellow perch, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass on Bear Creek Reservoir, Foster-Arend Pond, Kalmar Reservoir, Quarry Hill Pond, and Willow Reservoir will be discussed from 1-3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, at Rochester DNR office, 3555 9th St. NW, Suite 350.
• St. Louis County: The 13- to 17-inch protected slot for walleye on the Fish Lake Reservoir will be reviewed from 6-7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 14. Contact the Duluth area fisheries office at 218-525-0853 or check on the DNR website at www.mndnr.gov/fishing and follow the angler alert link for meeting location.

MnDOT releases State Aviation System Plan for public review, comment

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The public is invited to review and comment on Minnesota’s State Aviation System Plan through February 12. The SASP is a 20-year plan guiding the orderly development of the state’s system of 135 publically funded airports.

This plan describes and assesses the current aviation system performance and provides guidance for future aviation development in Minnesota. A performance-based planning approach is used to address identified goals and strategies for the system. An investment plan has also been prepared as part of the SASP to identify system needs and costs over the 20-year planning period.

The SASP is the result of extensive effort and collaboration over the past two years between the Minnesota Department of Transportation, stakeholders, partners and citizens. This will be the final opportunity for the public to provide input on the plan.

The SASP is the first mode specific plan MnDOT has presented to the public since adoption of Minnesota GO, the 50-year transportation vision, and a new Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan in September of 2012.

The State Aviation System Plan can be accessed electronically at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/aero/avoffice/planning/saspdraftchapters.html. It also is available for review in hard copy at the MnDOT Office of Aeronautics, 222 Plato Blvd East and the MnDOT Library, 395 John Ireland Blvd., both in St. Paul.

A public hearing will be held February 4 from 4 p.m to 5 p.m. in Room G15 at MnDOT’s main headquarters at 395 John Ireland Boulevard in St. Paul. The public also may participate via videoconference at the following MnDOT offices statewide:

· Baxter – 7694 Industrial Park Road

· Bemidji – 3920 Highway 2 W

· Detroit Lakes – 1000 Highway 10 W

· Duluth – 1123 Mesaba Ave.

· Mankato – 2151 Bassett Drive

· Rochester – 2900 48^th St. NW

· St. Paul – 395 John Ireland Blvd., Room G15

· Willmar – 2505 Transportation Road

Written comments will be accepted through February 12 and should be addressed to:

Aviation Planning - SASP

MnDOT Office of Aeronautics

222 Plato Boulevard

St. Paul, MN 55155

Email: aviationplanning.dot@state.mn.us

Those unable to attend in-person may participate in an online webinar via Adobe Connect. For details, visit http://www.dot.state.mn.us/aero/avoffice/planning/getinvolved.html.

For more information, contact Ryan Gaug at 651-234-7190 or aviationplanning.dot@state.mn.us, or visit http://www.dot.state.mn.us/aero/avoffice/planning/sasp2011.html.

To request an ASL or foreign language interpreter, or other reasonable accommodation for the February 4 hearing, call Janet Miller at 651-366-4720 or 1-800-657-3774 (Greater Minnesota); 711 or 1-800-627-3529 (Minnesota Relay), or send an email to janet.rae.miller@state.mn.us. Please make a request at least one week in advance.

Regulations up for review on 4 Otter Tail County lakes

Special regulations on Otter Tail County's Annie Battle, Norway, North Ten Mile and South Ten Mile lakes will be discussed from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) Fergus Falls area fisheries office.

Public input on existing special regulations will help DNR fisheries staff determine whether those regulations should be continued, modified or dropped.

People unable to attend the public input meeting may submit written comments to the DNR Fergus Falls area fisheries office, 1509 1st Ave., Fergus Falls, MN 56537. Comments also will be taken via email at arlin.schalekamp@state.mn.us or phone at 218-739-7576.

Comments on Annie Battle, Norway, North Ten Mile and South Ten Mile lakes also will be accepted during an open house from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the DNR Central Office, 500 Lafayette Road, in St. Paul.

All comments must be received by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 8.
(via MN DNR)