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Farmington | Lakevillewww.SunThisweek.com

September 21, 2012 | Volume 33 | Number 30

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IndexOpinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A

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Sports . . . . . . . . . 14A1-5A

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newSSouth metro a major playerLawmakers look to the suburbs to determine control of Legislature .

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Middle Ages come to lifeCaponi Art Park in Eagan is offering guests a break from life in the 21st century when it hosts the Medieval Fair on Sept . 30 .

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ThISweekend

lakeville north runner is thirdLakeville North girls cross country team runner Taylor Perkins places third at Applejack Invitational .

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SpOrTS

raises were legal, city code to be reviewed

McKnight has already implemented changes by Laura Adelmann

SuN ThISwEEk

The Farmington City Council will review city code pertaining to the administrators powers after a month-long investigation found mul-tiple raises and promotions granted without council approval were legal . City code, in place for over a de-cade, gives the administrator or an acting administrator responsibil-ity for implementing city personnel policy except for final hiring and dis-

missal of city staff . A series of reports in this news-paper documented how, during the past 15 years, some city employees received multiple raises annually and promotions were granted by an ad-ministrator or acting administrator without council knowledge or for-mal resolution . Farmington City Administra-tor Dave Mcknight said he is sure council will discuss the policy and whether a promotion is hiring .

while a three-page summary of the full investigative report stated that city staff members followed city code by allowing an administrator or acting administrator to give raises and promotions, the city is no longer operating in that manner . In the year since Mcknight was hired, Mayor Todd Larson said he has brought all personnel matters to the councils attention, and he

lakeville on two wheels

Pedal the Parks returns this weekend

by Aaron M. VehlingSuN ThISwEEk

Lakevilles nearly 100 miles of bike trails allow a person to traverse the city, running er-rands without having to rely on an automobile . That is the message of one group, Lakeville Friends of the Environment, whose Pedal the Parks returns to the city for its fourth year at 9 a .m . on Saturday, Sept . 22 . It will again be centered at Pioneer Plaza in downtown Lakeville . The free event features bike rides ranging in six, 10 and 20 miles in length, in addition to a Green Fair, a bike rodeo and live musical performances . helmets are required . It raises environmental awareness, said Deborah Nel-son, a member of LFE and an organizer of the event . Rid-ing a bike is a good way to get exercise or visit the parks . But it also showcases the viability of bike travel and makes drivers more aware of bicycles . with the trails you can get around town on a bike and carry out your daily tasks without a car, she said . Pedal the Parks had 100 participants last year, which was its first at Pioneer Pla-za . LFE decided to keep the event there because they liked the idea of working with the Downtown Lakeville Business Association and local busi-nesses . Previously LFE held it at other parks in the city . Add the Farmers Mar-ket that runs at the same time downtown and there is a good community feel to the

Just for Jake Make-A-Wish parade, Vikings game planned

by Laura AdelmannSuN ThISwEEk

Jake Albeck, 16, has never been to a parade or a Vikings game with his family, but thanks to Make-A-wish, the parade is coming to them and they will be going to a game in style . The Farmington high School student, outgoing, energetic and fun-loving, suffers from nonketotic hyperglycinemia, or Nkh, a rare, incurable genetic metabolic disorder that affects his cognitive abilities, behavior and communication skills . Parents Jeff and Michelle Albeck knew something was wrong when as

a baby Jake suffered multiple daily seizures, but doctors did not con-firm his diagnosis until he was six months old . Their second-born, Taylor, 11, suffers a more severe form of Nkh, and is unable to communicate ver-bally or care for herself . The family recently adopted Camryn, 3, who has bonded with Jacob and reached him in a way no-body else has . She does a nice job helping, Michelle said . She doesnt realize how much .

by Aaron M. VehlingSuN ThISwEEk

The start of the school year has brought about a few notable happenings in the Lakeville Area School District .

Cabinet salaries At its Sept . 11 meeting, the Lakeville School Board debated a 2 percent salary increase for three cabinet members: klett, Executive Director of Administrative Services Tony Massaros and Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Ser-vices Barb knudsen .

Superintendent Lisa Snyder said the three peo-ple have experienced wage freezes for the last couple years . The increase was ap-proved ultimately by a 3-2 vote, but not before dissent-ing board members Bob Erickson and Michelle Volk called for a fresh look at the cabinet members contracts . Erickson initiated the inquiry . he said that other groups in the district have agreed to contracts with more fiscally responsible benefits packages and that the cabinet members cur-

rent contracts do not reflect the districts new approach or the new normal with the other groups . he added that he did not oppose the 2-percent increase, but that he won-dered about it in relation to the current benefits pack-ages . klett, who is retiring on Jan . 1, 2013, and knudsen have contracts that expire at the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2013 . Massaross contract still has two years . Erickson asked Snyder if

An art-filled weekend in lakeville

Photo by Rick Orndorf

(From left to right) Regan McGillick, Kaitlyn Finkel and Jessica Xi hang paintings to dry outside the Kids Art Tent at the Lakeville Art Festival, which took place at the Lakeville Area Arts Center on Sept. 15 and 16. The annual event features several dozen professional artists, performers and food options.

See SAlAry, 20A

See pedAl, 19A

See JAke, 20A

See dISTrICT 194, 19A

Photo by Aaron Vehling

Lakeville School District Superintendent Lisa Snyder led a presentation on the State of the Schools at Bracketts Crossing as part of the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerces membership luncheon on Sept. 13.

district 194 approves cabinet raises Roundup: Klett to retire, candidate leaves board race

Photo by Laura Adelmann

Michelle and Jeff s Albecks son Jake, 16, will receive a Make-A-Wish parade and limousine trip to a Vikings game next month. On the swing with Jake are his sisters Camryn, 3, and Taylor, 11.

Mature lifestyles

SpeCIAl SeCTIOnA Special Section Highlighting Senior LifestylesThis months focus: Volunteering

Volunteers concentrate theirefforts at home cooperative

BY EMILY HEDGESCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Shirl Amundson and DianeRutschke believe volunteer work canbegin at home. Like so many of theresidents of Gramercy ParkCooperative in Eagan, the two donatetheir time and effort to improvingtheir surroundings and building acommunity to be proud of.

Were a cooperative, saidAmundson. We try to cooperate, andwe all do things to make living hereat the Gramercy enjoyable. Thats mymain volunteer job, she said.

Amundson works with the com-munity rummage sale and serves onthe social committee to find enter-tainment and speakers for the build-ing.

I arrange first-Friday speakerson topics of health, community, andself-care. I also work to book enter-tainment when we have catered din-ners, she said. I dont remembervolunteering for it. It was about fiveyears ago. Someone said, Can you dothis? That is how it happened.

Amundson believes that when youmake yourself available to help, vol-unteer opportunities find you.

Being available to do things is away of volunteering. Its importantfor myself. It gives me a reason to getup, get dressed and do something,said Amundson. Its important forthose who are aging to get involvedwith other people. I like being with

others, and it inspires me.In addition to her efforts at home,

Amundson spends many hours help-ing out at the Eagan CommunityCenter. She most often serves as aroom host responsible for greetingand serving people attending eventsat the center.

I stay busy and keep involved.Thats one important way of takingcare of yourself, said Amundson,

who lost her husband two years ago.People volunteer in different ways.Maybe they arent as visible andvocal, but they are still volunteeringtime or goods.

Neighbor Diane Rutschke sharesAmundsons philosophy on volun-teerism. The 66-year-old makes her-self available for what needs to getdone, and is known within theGramercy Park community as a

woman of constant energy. Using my gifts and talents to bet-

ter my community is important tome, said Rutschke.

Rutschke, a retired nurse, workedin home health care before joiningthe Red Cross. She spent 10 yearstraveling around the five-state areawith the blood mobile. Since retiring,she has thrown that same energy intovolunteerism. She works tirelessly ather church and, like Amundson, isactive in her cooperative.

It gets me out of the house. I lovedealing with people, caring for oth-ers, and making sure theyre safe. Ijust need to be out there and doingthings, she said.

She works on several committees,including the marketing, buildingand social committees. She is alsopart of Gramercy Gals, a group thatraises money for a wide-range ofcauses, including the local Food Shelf.

At a coop, we all work together. Icame from a farming community, socooperatives have always been part ofmy life. Everybody here is vibrant,eager to get stuff done and govern our-selves, she said.

Amundson agrees. For this seniorcitizen, its all about feeling neededand spending your retirement yearsconnecting with and helping others.

Theres always a need for morepeople to volunteer. Some people wantto be left alone. I feel like their missingout. I think volunteering is what Godmade us for, said Amundson.

Shirl Amundson (right) and Diane Rutschke stand in front of Gramercy Park Cooperative landscaping,just one of the many improvement projects funded by the volunteer efforts of residents.

Car Fire Demonstration

2A September 21, 2012 Sun ThiSweek - Farmington - Lakeville

Sun ThiSweek - Farmington - Lakeville September 21, 2012 3A

City, school candidate forum set Event to be held at Farmington City Hall

by Laura AdelmannSun ThiSweek

Voters will have the op-portunity to hear from Farmington candidates for City Council, mayor and School Board during two Thursday, Sept. 27, forums at City hall. Mayor and City Council candidates will respond to questions from 7 to 8 p.m. at the forum being organized by the Dakota County Re-gional Chamber of Com-merce and Sun Thisweek. The forum for School Board candidates will follow from 7:30-8:30 p.m. invited to attend are mayoral candidates Todd Larson, David Pritzlaff and Jerry wear; City Council candidates Doug Bonar, Terry Donnelly and kirk Zeaman; and School Board

candidates eric Bartosh, Laura Beem. Rob Carpenti-er, Jake Cordes, John Guist, Anthony McDonald and Ju-lie Singewald. City Council candidate questions will include top-ics involving the liquor store, city budget and employee salaries. School topics to be cov-ered include the districts move to customized educ-tion, class size and teacher compensation. Chamber member Paul kellum will moderate the fo-rums. The public is invited to attend; it will also be taped and broadcast on cable ac-cess Channel 16.

Laura Adelmann is at [email protected] or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

by T.W. BudigSun ThiSweek

Democratic leaders look to the suburbs for critical seats they need to take back the Republican-controlled Legislature. Currently, Republicans grip the Senate by holding 37 seats against the Demo-crats 29. One seat that is vacant held by former Sen. John harrington, DFL-St. Paul, who is resigning to assume law enforcement duties with the Met Council is a safe seat for Democrats. Democrats would need to pick up four seats to re-capture the Senate. Republicans wrested control of the Senate from Democrats two years ago, breaking a Democratic lock going back almost 40 years. i feel pretty good about it yeah, Senate Minori-ty Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said of winning back the Senate. Though speaking of the economy and education as key issues, voters can feel an aura of mismanagement radiating from the Repub-lican Senate Caucus, Bakk argued. he spoke of a cascade of missteps, pointing to a recent administrative law judge panel finding that 11 Republican senators and former house Speaker Steve Sviggum broke state campaign law by distribut-ing taxpayer-paid literature containing a political fund-raising link. The senators, including former Sen. Chris Gerlach of Apple Valley, and Sviggum, who has insisted hes the one to blame, were given small fines.

The public may not know or understand the details about the ruling or the extramarital affair with a Senate staffer that drove Sen. Amy koch, R-Buffalo, to resign as Senate majority leader, but they sense things have gone awry, Bakk ar-gued. i am confident were going to pick up seats in the suburbs, said house Mi-nority Leader Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis. house Republicans cur-rently hold 72 seats, house Democrats 61 seats, with one open-seat. Democrats would need to win six seats to regain control. Thissen argues that looking at the current head count is misleading. with lawmaker retire-ments and redistricting both house caucuses are essentially starting in the mid-50s and the battle is re-ally over the remaining 24 seats, he explained. Fifteen seats are open.

Thissen is cautiously optimistic house Demo-crats will regain control. he points to house races in Dakota County as ground zero in the suburban po-litical fray, adding house Democrats look for success in edina and in eden Prai-rie, too. This election will not be a wave style election as seen in 2006, 2008 and 2010, Thissen argues. Thissen views the pro-posed same-sex marriage ban constitutional amend-ment as one factor that could bring young voters to the polls, which could help Democrats, he said. A youth surge could play a role in suburban house races where Republican lawmakers, in supporting the marriage amendment, voted against the grain of the district, he argued. Thissen views the politi-cal repercussions from a sex scandal involving Duluth DFL lawmaker Rep. kerry Gauthier as limited to that

district. DFL State Party Chair-man ken Martin of eagan is upbeat about a Demo-cratic legislative revival and looks to the suburbs help-ing bridge the gap. we have a number of legislative targets in the suburbs, Martin said. Martin cites Senate Dis-trict 49 in edina as a dis-trict in which Democrats can win all three seats. if he had to bet on a race, hed bet on former Re-publican Rep. Ron erhardt of edina, now running as a Democrat, to win house District 49A. Yes, i am that certain about that race, Martin said. Bakk looks to DFL Sen-ate candidate Greg Clausen in Senate District 57 in Da-kota County as a possible Senate Democratic win. we have an awfully good candidate down there, he said.

Dakota County could be bellwether Lawmakers look to the suburbs to determine control of Legislature

See bellwether, 5A


Businesses support seniors To the editor: On Aug. 20, Crossroads Commons Senior Resi-dences held a special event for the seniors. The event was Meet the shops of Crossroads. The Cross-roads shopping center is behind our building at Ce-dar and Dodd in Lakeville. The event was held in our large community room. Each business had a large table and could present their companys products and services to our seniors. Each company made a do-nation to our social club fund, which would allow us to put on many special events for our seniors that we could not afford with-out their generous contri-butions. The restaurant and beverage shops served delicious food and bever-ages at no cost to our se-niors. They all donated gift certificates or door prizes. At the end of our event we had a drawing. Many of our lucky seniors walked away with one of the doz-ens of prizes. I would like to thank the following companies that made this special event possible: Berry Blenz, Bank of the West, Caribou Coffee, Chans Restaurant, Chuck & Dons pet store, Computers by Alex, Cop-per River Restaurant, Cub Foods, Cub Pharmacy, El Patio, Great Clips, Heidi Nails, Little Caesars Pizza, Martinizing, Paramount Goodyear, Sea of Beads, Salon Onyx, Turn Style. And to the two businesses not located at Crossroads: Ole Piper Inn Restaurant in Lakeville, Simmons In-surance in Apple Valley. All of these companies offer great products and services. They all have something special you dont always find in todays hurry-up society. Warm and wonderful people who

make you feel special. I hope the Lakeville community will support these exceptional compa-nies. I know 108 seniors who will. On behalf of all of our seniors at Crossroads Commons. Thank you.

LEE EDLUNDCo-chair of Crossroads Social Club

Harmening needed on School BoardTo the editor: I am writing in support of Jennifer Harmening, who is running for the Lakeville Area School Board this November. I have known Harmening for several years now, most recently in her role as president of the last Parent Teacher Organization at Crystal Lake Elementary School. Harmening is the type of person the Lakeville School Board needs. She has significant leadership experience in the schools, is intelligent, competent, caring and most impor-tantly, student and child-centered. In addition to these personal qualities, Harmening is thoughtful when approaching prob-lems and values the impor-tance of involving others in decisions that affect them directly. She is courageous and will not succumb to peer pressure simply to avoid tackling real prob-lems. Harmening realizes the value of an excellent school district lies in the quality of its teaching staff. Har-mening supports teachers and they support her. I wit-nessed this fact over and over again at Crystal Lake Elementary School during the 2010-11 school year. When Harmening learned that Crystal Lake

would be closed by the School Board at the end of the 2010-11 school year, she immediately sought a place on the district-level com-mittee whose job it would be to define the boundaries where Crystal Lake stu-dents would attend school in 2011-12. She advocated tirelessly for students and parents and helped create reasonable and appropri-ate boundaries that made sense for families. I have worked with many fine PTO presidents during my tenure as a prin-cipal, but none finer than Harmening. If she is elect-ed to the School Board in November, she will imme-diately begin to address the challenges the school district faces. She will work with others in a collabora-tive fashion. She will tackle problems intelligently and in a forthright manner. And, she will persevere in a humble yet passionate manner that will serve our students and families well. Sometimes in school districts there is disconnect between what the School Board and administra-tion are trying to do and what gets translated to the classroom. Harmening will work to mend that discon-nect in Lakeville by serv-ing as an advocate for the classroom, where teaching and learning happens.

BILL MACKSchool District 194 principal (retired)Sioux Falls, S.D.

Mayor Bellows deserves thanksTo the editor: My family would like to send out a big thank you to Mayor Mark Bellows. We are proud to call Lakeville our home, and so proud to have Bellows leading this wonderful city. We thank him for:

his help in promoting new business in Lakeville; promoting the Devel-opers Forum to encourage more cost-effective busi-ness and development; working toward budget cuts, minimizing employee contracts, and establish-ing the Financial Advisory Committee; reviewing our city de-partments, and, making changes to save our city money. watching how our tax dollars are being spent. It is refreshing to have such a conservative mind in local government. We are all very fortunate to have him as Lakevilles mayor. Our family wishes to thank Bellows for all he has done for our great city. We will be voting to re-elect him. We hope our friends and neighbors will do the same.

BETSY KOZULLALakeville

Supports Doug AndersonTo the editor: I enthusiastically sup-port Doug Anderson for Lakeville City Council. It has been a joy to know him for the past 25 years. He has clearly demon-strated his ability as a vi-sionary with high ideals and a tenacious spirit. His expertise in communica-tion allows him the gift of respectfully listening and discerning numerous ideas, while keeping his focus on the goal. He has held many lead-ership roles both profes-sionally and as a volunteer. He is a balanced person in that he is fiscally respon-sible as a chief financial officer, but knows how to invest wisely. He also has had the privilege of observing his own parents serving their community, as well as the family of his wife Deb, the Jerry Erickson family. He consistently dem-onstrates integrity while portraying the values of a reliable and constructive citizen of Lakeville.

MARY YETZERLakeville

Peterson poor choice for schoolsTo the editor: As my son begins school this year I am reminded of the importance of electing a representative who will put students first. On paper House Dis-trict 56B Roz Peterson looks like she could be the person to fit that role, hav-ing served on the Lakeville School Board. But upon closer inspection of her re-cord, nothing could be fur-ther from the truth.

Not only did she lead the charge in closing Crys-tal Lake Elementary when it wasnt absolutely neces-sary, uprooting students from a stable learning en-vironment; but she laid off nearly 100 teachers then turned around and bought thousands of iPads. I recognize that technol-ogy is becoming increas-ingly more present in our everyday lives, but we need to have the right priorities. How many teachers could have been hired back? How much lower could class sizes be? An iPad is no replacement for a teacher when class sizes are soaring over 40 students. When you combine these poor choices with her record of supporting an ex-cessive retirement buyout for a retiring superinten-dent, it becomes clear that Peterson has the wrong pri-orities. Shes certainly not the person I would like rep-resenting our community and students at the Capi-tol. Im voting no on Peter-sons misplaced priorities in November.

JENNI WOODLakeville

Gibbons knows the ramifications of budget cuts To the editor: Do you think that a member of the Minnesota House who votes along ei-ther partys lines 89 percent of the time truly represents their district? That is what Tara Mack has done. In doing so she has made Ap-ple Valley, Dakota County and Minnesota less com-petitive. Mack voted to reduce mass transit funding, al-lowing roads to grow more congested. Business need to transport their goods. They will not locate head-quarters or warehouses where a their products are stuck in traffic. Mack supported money for bus rapid transit in-stead of light rail on Ce-dar Avenue. Now it ap-pears the western suburbs may have light rail service. That means Apple Valley and Dakota County, hav-ing spent a huge amount of money and seen many local businesses hurt by construction, could have to compete with suburbs with light rail. Minnesotas schools used to be rated at the top. I wish Mack understood the importance of public education. Carrie Luck-ing, executive director of the Alliance for a Bet-ter Minnesota said: Not only did Rep. Mack help shut down our state and eliminate the Market Value Homestead Credit, but she voted to cut Apple Valley

and Burnsville area schools by more than $2.5 million to give special tax breaks to big corporations. Mack voted to cut money for higher education. Our uni-versity system has been our entrepreneurial incubator and provided a well-edu-cated workforce. Mack voted to cut fund-ing for mental health ser-vices and reduce services for the disabled, poor, and elderly. This will cost Minnesotans more be-cause people will wind up seeking care in emergency room. Hospitals will pass costs on those who can pay. Seniors will be forced into nursing homes because less costly services that al-low them to remain in their own homes are gone. At a time when our state has a growing elderly population this is fiscally irresponsible. We have a choice in No-vember. Vote for Roberta Gibbons. She will work to grow our state and lo-cal economy by funding needed infrastructure and education. Gibbons also understands some budget cuts wind up costing us more in the long run. NIKA DAVIESApple Valley

Invest wisely To the editor: In response to Diana Bratlies letter of Sept. 14 The tale of the tape, tell-ing it like it is brings up hysterical cries from pro-ponents of the nanny state. Bratlie did a good job of listing all the stats that prove this costly adventure only makes it harder for the rest of us to provide the services we really need. We can all remember when bank deposits, which are the safety net for most Americans, started at 3 per-cent and if you were able to extend the time frame, even better returns were avail-able. Today that option for the middle class is not available and in despera-tion many families turned to real estate and other investments they didnt un-derstand. We all know how that resulted in the collapse of a large part of our econ-omy. For over six decades I have offered to help people avoid their costly financial mistakes and the record far exceeds anything their politicians have been able to do for them. For those unable to pay we do make exceptions. Get smart, get help.

FRANKLIN WICKERLakeville

Opinion360 Communities partners with Families for School Success

by Lisa Lusk SPECIAL TO SUN THISWEEK

Reading proficiency is widely accepted as a major predictor of future school suc-cess. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, students who do not read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma than proficient readers. And that leads to a whole host of challenges for not only the student, but for the community as a whole. This is why 360 Communities Partners For Success promotes literacy and parental involvement in students education from kindergarten through high school gradua-tion. Partners For Success has family sup-port workers in 27 schools in seven school districts in Dakota County working to re-move barriers to school success for at-risk youth. A large portion of the work involves engaging families in their home and work-ing with parents to provide tools to better equip them as a partner in their childs edu-cation. In the 2011-2012 school year Partners

For Success family support workers sat down with families and teachers to create 384 family learning plans to help engage parents and keep students on track to reach their potential. Structure and expectations at home can make all the difference between a student who struggles and one who succeeds. After all, according to the Michigan Department of Education, children spend 70 percent of their waking hours at home during the school year, including weekends and holi-days. Helping students to learn and achieve their academic potential cannot be the sole responsibility of schools; parental involve-ment and engagement with their childs academics at home is a critical part of a childs success in school. According to Dr. Jeremy D. Finn of the University at Buffalos Graduate School of Education, there are three kinds of pa-rental involvement at home that are con-sistently associated with higher student

achievement: Actively organizing and monitoring a childs time. Helping with homework. Discussing school matters. Partners For Success family support workers understand the important role of family life in a students success. They also understand the other needs a family may have and can tap a wide network of 360 Communities resources to surround a family with support. If a child is com-ing to school hungry, the family support worker can refer the family to one of five 360 Communities food shelves in Dakota County. If there is a safety issue at home, 360 Communities has two Lewis House domestic violence shelters. Family support workers are also very knowledgeable of other resources within the community and can assist families with accessing what they need by the relationships 360 Communities has with other organizations. This partnership between school, homes and family support worker has demon-strated success. A 2011 study of the Part-

ners For Success program conducted by the University of Minnesota Center for Ap-plied Research and Educational Improve-ment found that 88 percent of students in the evaluation met, exceeded or made progress toward their reading goals, some by more than 200 percent. The study also found parents appreciated the greater sense of connection they developed with their schools through the family support work-ers. A bright future for all students is achiev-able with programs like Partners For Suc-cess, with dedicated educators and engaged families and communities. Discover more about 360 Communities Partners For Suc-cess by visiting 360Communities.org.

Lisa Lusk is 360 Communities Partners For Success supervisor. 360 Communities mis-sion is to provide hope and support to people by engaging communities to prevent violence, ensure school success and promote long-term self-sufficiency. Columns reflect the opinion of the author.

Letters

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Letters to the editor policySun Thisweek welcomes letters to the editor. Submitted letters must be no more than 350 words. All letters must have the authors phone number and address for verification purposes. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. Letters reflect the opinion of the author only. Sun Thisweek reserves the right to edit all letters. Submission of a letter does not guarantee publication.

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thisweekend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew.MillerPhoto editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rick.OrndorfsPorts editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy.Rogerssales ManaGer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mike.JetchickoFFice ManaGer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ellen.Reierson

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Bellwether races arefound in Dakota County,Martinexplained,withfor-merDFLstatesenatorJimCarlson, state representa-tives Sandra Masin andWillMorgan,allseekingtoregain seats lost last elec-tion. Ithinkwehaveagoodchanceatallthree,Martinsaid. Martin views the pro-posed amendments on theballot, Photo ID and themarriage ban, less aboutbringing out more votersthan fired-up voters morelikely to vote Democraticdowntheticket. Republicans see thingsdifferently. Senate Majority LeaderDavid Senjem, R-Roch-ester, indicated SenateRepublicans are holdingstrong. Were getting franklyverygoodvibes(fromvot-ers),hesaid. Senjemexpressedconfi-dence Senate Republicanswould not only keep themajority but even pick upseats. Idontknowwhoweregoingtolose,Senjemsaid.Im confident well beOK.

Polling has shown thatjobs and the economy arethe leading concerns ofvoters,Senjemexplained. Hesaidthestateecono-my is improving, andSen-ate Republicans are goingtotakesomecreditfortheimprovements seen andthoseyettocome. Senjem views the presi-dentialraceasabsolutelyimpactinglegislativeraces. ItscriticalthatRepubli-can presidential candidateMittRomneyarticulatehisplansforimprovingthena-tionseconomy,Senjemex-plained. AsfortheKochscandal,Senate Republican candi-dates say theyre not hear-ingabout thatat the frontdoor,Senjemsaid. House Speaker KurtZellers, R-Maple Grove,saiditstooearlytohaveastrongsenseofhowHouseRepublicans will fare thiselection. Ifeelconfidentwewillhold the majority at thecurrent number of seats,Zellerssaid. Theresagoodchance

of House Republicanspicking up seats, he ex-plained. House Republican can-didates include an impres-sive group of women can-didates,Zellerssaid. Voters are most con-cerned about jobs and theeconomy,hesaid. Theres nothing elsethat touches it, Zellerssaid. TheNo.2issueforvot-ers is one state lawmakershavenocontrolover,heex-plained. Thatsthenationaldebt,hesaid. LikeBakk,Senjem,andThissen, Zellers does notexpect a wave style elec-tioninNovember. Itwillbeaone-on-onecandidateyear,hesaid. Republican Party ofMinnesota Chairman PatShortridgedidnotrespondtoaninterviewrequest.

T.W. Budig can be reached at [email protected] or facebook.com/sun-thisweek.

City to join ice talks Second arena supporters fill chambers

by Laura AdelmannSuNTHISWeeK

Supporters of a sec-ond icearenacrowded intoFarmington City Coun-cil chambers Sept. 17, andburst into applause follow-inga4-1voteofthecouncilforthecitytojoininestab-lishingajoint-powersagree-mentforasecondicearena. Council Member Ju-lie May cast the dissentingvote,statingthecommunitymembers promoting thearenaplanhaveprovidednofigurestoensurethearenaisfinanciallyviable. We havent seen anynumbers,Maysaid.Thereis no finance plan whatso-ever.Itallsoundsgoodandlooks good, but theres nofinancingplan. RobJuncker,spokesmanofIceforTigers,agroupofcommunitymembersspear-heading the effort, said allthosedetailswillbeworkedoutduringthejoint-powersagreementnegotiations. Thegroup is raisingpri-vatefundstobeusedintheconstruction of the arenaand for its ongoing opera-tionalcosts. Juncker said they havealready raised $360,141,and have larger donors inthe wings who wanted thecouncils authorization thearenacouldbeaddedtotheSchmitz-MakiArenabeforeputting their cash on thetable.

Supporterssaythearenais needed for parents andfamilies that are drivingto other cities for ice time.Theysayasecondsheetwillbuild the local economy asthe city would be able tohosthockeytournaments. Council members JasonBartholomay and TerryDonnelly will representthe city at the joint-powersagreementmeetings. Bothindicatedtheysup-port the arena addition, asdidMayorToddLarsonandCouncilMemberChristyJoFogarty. Fogartysaidshewasex-cited to see the communitysupport for the arena, not-ing that many others havebeenconsidered,butdidnot

succeed. ThisisthemostrealisticandtangiblethingIveeverseenbroughttothecity,shesaid, noting the many enti-tiesinvitedtobeinvolvedinthe creation and operationofthearena. Included in the joint-powers agreement will bethecity,FarmingtonSchoolDistrict,andthehockeyas-sociation. Likely contributors in-cludethelearn-to-skatepro-gramsandlocalbusinesses. Discussionsareexpectedtobeginthisyear.


PhotobyLauraAdelmann

Farmington City Hall council chambers were packed Sept. 17 with Tigers hockey and ice skating families who showed up to signal their support for a second sheet of ice attached to the Schmitz-Maki Arena.

bellwether, from 3A

Happy BirthdayMarcy Rotty!Please join our familyas we celebrate these

80 years of our Mom -Marcy Rotty

Saturday, September 292-5 pm

Celts of Farmington200 3rd St., Farmington

And in the end, its not theyears in your life that count. Itsthe life in your years.

- Abraham LincolnNo gifts please.

Cari J. Bykerk(Nyland)

A g e 4 9 , o f G r a n d I s l a n d ,Nebraska, died Thursday, Sep-tember 13, 2012, at her home withher family by her side, after acourageous two year battle withPancreatic Cancer. Cari's wisheswere to be cremated. CurranFuneral Chapel is assisting thefamily.

Cari was born October 3, 1962,in Golden Valley, MN. She wasthe daughter of C l i fford andDorothy (Giese) Nyland.

Surv ivors of the immediatefamily include her three sons,Ky le Ny land of Savage, MN ;Kley McColl of Lonsdale, MN;and Tanner Werre of GrandIsland, NE. One daughter, Jes-sica Bykerk of Grand Island, NE.Her mother, Dorothy Nyland ofLakeville, MN; Three sisters,Colleen & Jim Elliott of Savage,MN; C a r o l D o n n e l l y o fLakeville, MN; and Cathy Jenseno f L a k e v i l l e , M N ; a n d o n eGranddaughter Hazel Ingold(Werre) of Grand Island, NE.

O t h e r s l e f t t o c h e r i s h h e rmemo ry inc lude he r spec ia lf r i end , Ted Robb of G randIsland, NE.

Eight nieces and nephews andeight grand nieces and nephews,and her cherished Jack RussellTerrier, Biscuit.

Cari grew up in Lakeville, MNand gradua ted in 1980 fromLakev i l le H igh. She lived inSouth Dakota and Nebraska forthe past 30 years. She loved lifeand lived it to the fullest.

She was preceded in death byher father. Celebration for Cariwill be held on Saturday, Sep-tember 29th at the home of CathyJensen 8990 211 th S t . West ,Lakeville, MN from 1-4pm.

M e m o r i a l s f o r t h e f a m i l yaccepted at the above address.

On line condolences may begiven at

www.curranfuneralchapel.comunder Cari's obituary.

AnthonyJ. Krejce

Beloved Father, Grandfather &Great Grandfather.

Age 76. Lifelong Lakeville resi-dent. Passed away unexpectedlySept 13, 2012. Preceded in deathby wife Gerri and son Dan. Sur-vived by children Ken, JoAnn(Harold) Puri, Pam (Jim) Hob-son, and Toni (Mike) Zitek; 11grandchildren and many greatgrandchildren. Funeral Mass Fri-day, Sept. 21, 11:30AM at AllSaints Catholic Church, 19795H o l y o k e A v e , L a k e v i l l e .Reviewal one hour prior to ser-vice at church. Memorials pre-ferred to the church. Arr w/ TwinCities Cremation 651-645-1233

Gardner L. MillerAge 88 of Eagan passed away

September 11, 2012. Preceded indeath by his siblings: Earl Jr.,Inez, and Florence. Survived byhis w i fe , Karen ; sons : Mark(Tami) , Pau l (Ju l i e ) , Lo ren(VaNita), and Chris (Shannon);grandchildren: Luke, Cory, Lee,Seth, Dale, Erin, Anna, Saman-tha, and Shane; also survived byother loving family and friends.Funeral Service, 10:30am Satur-day, September 15, 2012 at RiverHills United Methodist Church(11100 River Hills Dr) Burnsville.Visitation from 5-8pm Friday,Sept 14, at White Funeral Home(12804 Nicollet Ave) Burnsvilleand one hour prior to the serviceat church. Gardner was born andraised in East Chain, MN. Hegraduated from East Chain HighSchool and the Univers ity ofMinnesota. Gardner served hiscountry in WWII. He worked forNorthwest Airlines where he methis of 52 years, Karen. Alongwith two other employees, he wasthe original IT department atNorthwest converting their pay-roll to the computer. He alsoworked for Control Data andDonovan Companies in St. Paul.After retiring, he purchased afarm near Lonsdale and raisedsheep for many years and enjoyedvegetable gardening Gradner wasactive in 4-H as a youth in Mar-tin County, raising sheep and asan adult leader in Dakota county.He initiated and orienteeringproject in the county. He alsoserved on the State 4-H AdvisoryCommittee. He was a member ofthe Richfield Mens Garden Cluba t o n e t i m e a n d w o n m a n yawards with his flowers. His otherinterest was woodworking. Hebuilt many pieces of furniture forthe family, mainly using blackwalnut. He was the soccer com-missioner for the Eagan AthleticAssoc. for several years. Gardnerwas also active in church servingon various committees and as agreeter on Sunday mornings. Histrip to Israel with his son Markschurch group and his grandsonLuke was a highlight of his manytravels. Gardners family meant agreat deal to him. He always tookan interest in their activities,careers and achievements. Hechose the songs in 2008 for hisgrandchi ldren to s ing a t hisfuneral. White Funera l HomeBurnsville 952 894 5080

To submit an announcementForms for birth, engagement, wedding, anniversary and obituaries announcements are available at our office and online at www.thisweeklive.com (click on Announcements and then Send Announcement). Com pleted forms may be e-mailed to [email protected] or mailed to Sun Thisweek, 15322 Galaxie Ave., Suite 219, Apple Valley, MN 55124. If you are submitting a photograph along with your announcement, please only submit photographs for which you have the right to permit Sun Thisweek to use and publish. Deadline for announcements is 4 p.m. Tuesday. A fee of $50 will be charged for the first 5 inches and $10 per inch thereafter. They will run in all editions of Sun Thisweek. Photos may be picked up at the office within 60 days or returned by mail if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is provided.


by Tad JohnsonSuN ThISweek

Debbie hanson fig-ured she would work in the medical field for all of her career. Three years ago, when a patient who was high on drugs attacked the Fairview Ridges hospital emergency medical tech-nician of 22 years, her plans changed. After a torn rotator cuff and injured knee forced her on a long dis-ability leave, hanson then learned she could no longer be an eMT be-cause doctors told her she shouldnt lift anything over 20 pounds. Since a desk job in the medical field didnt appeal to her, hanson became an Avon sales consultant and now, with a little help from her friends, she has opened Vendors unique Boutique in the old Rose-mount Mall on South Robert Trail. hansons idea to bring a variety of vendors into the building for weekend sales events came to her about five months ago when she walked into the mall after having coffee at Morning Glorys Bakery across the street. She saw the avail-able space and design of the building with its two floors of walkways and open areas as an opportu-nity to host the boutique through Christmas.

The fair will include vendors such as Avon, Pampered Chef, Tasteful-ly Simple, 31 Party Bags, antiques, clothing, home furnishings, crafts, food and much more. hanson, a Farmington resident formerly from Rosemount, said she had 20 different businesses participating the first weekend. while the fair will be open the next two week-ends in September, it will have a grand opening celebration Oct. 6 and 7 when the musical duo of Apple Valley high School teacher Travis Laurent and twin brother kalin will perform. Food ven-dors will offer carnival-style delights that week-end, too. The mall currently houses The Guitar Shop and Stokes for Folks Therapeutic Massage and was quite a hub of com-merce in its early years. My goal is to take over the former dance studio space and office next to it, hanson said. I want to keep building and building it. The fair is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Satur-days and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays through Christ-mas.

Tad Johnson can be reached at [email protected] or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Boutique blossoms from career change

Injured EMT starts Rosemount vendor fair

District 194School BoardProceedings

This is a summary of the IndependentSchool District No. 194 Special Board ofEducation Meeting on Tuesday, August 28,2012 w ith fu l l text ava i lab le for pub l icinspec t ion on the distr ic t webs i te a twww.isd194.k12.mn.us or 8670 210thStreet W., Lakeville, MN 55044

The meeting was called to order at 6:02p.m. All board members and administra-tors were present.

Discussion held: Integration & equity/ELstaffing and programming.

Meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. __________________________________

This is a summary of the IndependentSchool D istr ict No.194 Regu lar SchoolBoard Meeting on Tues, August 28, 2012with full text available for public inspectiono n t h e d i s t r i c t w e b s i t e a twww.isd194.k12.mn.us or District Office at8670 210th Street W., Lakeville, MN 55044

The meeting was called to order at 7:10p.m. followed by pledge of allegiance. Allboard members and administrators werepresent.

Consent agenda items approved: min-utes of the meetings on August 14 and 21;employment recommendat ions , leaverequests and resignations; wire transfersand investments as presented and dona-tions.

Consent agenda approved following dis-cussion : payment of bills and claims sub-ject to annual audit.

Repo r ts p resen ted: CLEC upda te ;2012-13 student enrollment update.

Adjournment at 7:39 p.m.3151843 9/21/12

PUBLIC NOTICEREQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND

QUOTES (RFPQ)CITY OF ELKO NEW MARKET POLICE

STATION - ENTRY PLAZAOwner: City of Elko New Market

601 Main StreetElko New Market, MN 55054952-461-2777

Architect: BWBR 380 St. Peter St, Suite 600

St. Paul, MN 55102651-222-3701

You are invited to submit a lump sumquote for all work for the above.

The work shall be completed within 90calendar days from Notice to Proceed.

Request fo r P roposa ls and Quo tes(RFPQ) will be received by the Owner until10:00 a.m., local time, September 25, 2012.Request for Proposals and Quotes (RFPQ)will be privately opened for consideration.

Deliver responses to the Request forP roposa ls and Quo tes (RFPQ ) to theOwner, City of Elko New Market, Attention:Mark Nagel, 601 Main Street, Elko NewMarket, MN 55054.

Quotes may not be modified or with-drawn w ithin 30 days after quotes arereceived.

Contractors will receive one (1) full set ofpaper Bidding Documents issued by theOwner at no cost. For terms and condi-tions for use of Electronic Documents, seeDocument 00-7375 - Electronic Files forBidding and Construction.

Related documents are ava i lab le forexamination at the office of the Owner andat the office of the Architect during normalbusiness hours.

The Owner may make investigations asdeemed necessary to determine the qualifi-cations and ability of the contractors toperform the work.

Policies regarding equal employmentopportunity apply to this project.

The Owner reserves the right to rejectProposals in whole or in part, and to waiveinformalities or irregularities in bidding.

No pre-quote meeting will be held. Ifquestions arise or a site visit is required,contact Mark Nagel at 952-461-2777.

The success fu l con t rac to r w i l l berequired to enter into a contract with theCity for the work.3149010 9/14-9/21/12

PUBLIC NOTICENEW MARKET TOWNSHIP

New Market Township hereby solicitsquotes for winter road maintenance.

Quote one or both of the following options.Quote AThe Township will lease its truck and

grader to a contractor who will then per-form snowplowing and sanding of Town-ship roads. Contractor will bill the Town-ship for hours worked performing roadm a i n t e n a n c e . T i m e f r a m e w i l l b e11/01/2012 to 04/30/2013.

Quote BTownship requests a quote for a Snow

Plow Truck with a dump box and sanderwith operator (min 28,000 GVW) on an asneeded basis. Contractor will bill Townshipfor the hours worked performing roadmaintenance.

Additional information is available bycontacting Township Road Supervisor,George Silverness at 952 469 4347. Quotesshould be submitted to the Township Clerkat New Market Township, 8950 230th St E,Lakeville, Mn 55044 by Monday, Oct 1,2012. This is not a request for bids, but arequest for quotes and the Townshipreserves the right at its discretion to rejectquotes or to negotiate the terms of a spe-cific quote. The quotes will be opened andreviewed at the Regular Monthly Meetingon Tuesday Oct 2, 2012 at 8:00 PM. Con-tractor must have certificate of insurance inthe amount of 1.5 M.

Published by the authority of the Board ofSuperv isors of New Market Township,Scott County, Mn.

LeRoy ClausenTownship Clerk

3146546 9/14-9/21/12

PUBLIC NOTICEPUBLIC HEARING

Notice is Hereby Given; the PlanningCommission of Eureka Township will hold aPub l ic Hear ing on Monday, October 1,2012 in the Eureka Town Hall located at25043 Cedar Ave., beginning at 7:30 pm forthe purpose of considering an Ordinanceamending Zoning Ordinance 3, Chapter 3,Section 4- Driveways/Access To PublicRight-of-Way, B. 4., Chapter 4, Section 12-Moving Buildings within or into Township,Chapter 7, Section 4- Performance Stan-dards, B. and Ordinance 7- Fees, J., CC.,EE., FF. & GG.

A copy of the proposed ordinance isava i lab le on the Township 's webs ite:http://eurekatownship-mn.us or by con-t a c t i n g t h e T o w n s h i p C l e r k a t952-469-3736.

Anyone wishing to express an opinionabout the proposed amendment orally or inwriting will be heard at the public hearing.

Dated this 21st day of September, 2012Nanett SandstromClerk/ Treasurer of Eureka

3156489 9/21/12

PUBLIC NOTICEISD 194 ONLINE AUCTION

Lakeville Area Public Schools is postingsurplus items for purchase online with Pub-lic Surplus, a governmental auction site.The web address ishttp://www.publicsurplus.com/ SelectB rowse Auc t ions w i thin A rea , thenSelect Region (Minnesota), then SelectAgency, (ISD 194 Lakeville Area PublicSchools). The auction begins on Friday,9-21-12 and ends on Friday, 10-12-12, at5:00 PM. Bidding, payment, and inquirieswill be handled through the auction site.Independent School District #1948670 210th Street WestLakeville, Minnesota 55044Kathy Lewis, ClerkPublish: September 21

September 283157989 9/21-9/28/12


by Laura AdelmannSun ThiSweek

Farmington City Admin-istrator Dave Mcknight has refused a pay increase to his $113,000 salary, despite a satisfactory job performance review by the City Council Sept. 4. in an email, Mcknight said he did not think it was the right time to ask for a raise. with a proposed tax levy increase for next year and two unsettled union contracts for 2013, i did not think a raise for the admin-istrator was appropriate, Mcknight stated. City Council members say his actions have meaning that should resonate with city staff. i think hes trying to lead by example, Council Member Jason Bartholo-may said. i think hes trying to communicate that (city) salaries are high, and people can make an independent decision, especially on the management side of things, to take an increase or not. he has set the tone, said Council Member Christy Jo Fogarty. hes saying that management is no different than anyone else in the city when it comes to getting pay increases. Council Member Julie May said the action also sent a message that hes

aware of where were at. Overall, we all know its pretty tough. Throughout the budget process this year, Farming-ton council members have discussed frustration with high salaries of city manage-ment staff, most of which are at least $100,000 plus benefits. in addition to Mcknight, the highest-paid city employ-ees are human Resources Director Brenda wendlandt at $106,613 and Police Chief Brian Lindquist, earning $102,732. Fogarty said over the next several years, there will be a top to bottom reorgani-zation of city operations to reflect economic conditions and the citys workload. were not building 273 houses a year now, Fogarty said. To conduct Mcknights job review, each council member anonymously com-pleted a survey rating his first-year performance in 17 areas, rating him as ei-ther needs improvement or meets expectations, ac-cording to city attorney An-drea McDowell Poehler. The 17 areas included decision making; analyti-cal ability; knowledge/skill level; quality of work; lead-ership; time management; ethics and professionalism; communications/public rela-

tions; accepts responsibility; conflict resolution; relation-ship with supervisor; team-work/cooperation and bud-get. he was also rated on traits that included stress management, initiative, per-sistence and flexibility. Overall, Mcknight was rated as meeting expecta-tions, especially considering the significant amount of work assigned him during his first year with the city, Poehler reported. Areas of improvement cited were communications, personnel issues and taking a stronger supervisory role where necessary and contin-ued focus on City Council goals. Council Member Terry Donnelly indicated council members were pleased with Mcknights actions that have improved the budget and taken the city in the right direction. i think the city is better off now than we were a year ago, Donnelly said. The budget is in a better spot, ev-erything is above-board, and theres no costs being carried over. Mcknights compensa-tion will be reviewed again in August 2013.


Farmington administrator refuses pay raise

McKnight: Not the right time

Lakeville woman killed in Eagan crash by Jessica Harper

Sun ThiSweek

A Lakeville woman was killed last week in a three-vehicle crash in eagan. The crash occurred at approximately 1:50 p.m. Sept. 12 at the intersection of highway 55 and high-way 149, killing 68-year-old Sandra Brodin who was riding a car that turned into the path of a minivan. According to the State

Patrol, Brodins husband, Dale, 69, turned left in his Mini Cooper from east-bound highway 55 to northbound highway 149 and was struck by a mini-van heading westbound through the intersection. The Mini Cooper was pushed into another car at the red light on south-bound highway 149. Dale Brodin sustained non-life threatening inju-

ries in the crash. The driv-ers of the other two vehi-cles were uninjured. everyone involved in the crash were wearing seat belts, and no alcohol was involved, according to the State Patrol.

Jessica Harper is at [email protected] or facebook.com/sunthisweek.



Only rubble was left after a haunted house at Buck Hills Frightmares attraction burned down last weekend. Despite the fire, Frightmares will open as planned on Oct. 5.

A weekend fire destroyed one of the haunted houses at the annual Frightmares attraction at Buck Hill in Burnsville. The fire destroyed the Bellharm-Lovejoy Asylum,

one of four houses and many other attractions at Frightmares at Buck Hill. No one was injured in the fire, said a statement from ski, snowboarding and snow-tubing venue, which features a variety of other seasonal attractions. According to FOX 9 News, Burnsville Fire Chief B.J. Jungmann said the fire broke out at about 1 a.m. Sunday inside a large tent with temporary walls. No one was inside at the time. Crews from Lakev-ille helped extinguish the flames, and investigators spent several hours looking for a cause, FOX 9 report-ed.

Buck Hill General Man-ager Don McClure said in the statement that Fright-mares at Buck Hill remains on schedule to open its 13-day run on Oct. 5. Its the attractions fourth season. Frightmares at Buck Hills other primary attrac-tions Orchard Manor Dead and Breakfast, The Fright Factory, and the Haunted Hallow as well as the regular features such as live musical enter-tainment and Kevin Halls Magic Show, will open and entertain guests as sched-uled, the statement said. As soon as the scene of the fire is cleared, a new attrac-tion will be put in its place.

Fire destroys haunted house, but show will go on

Hydrant flushing to begin The city of Farming-ton Municipal Services Department will flush hy-drants during the first two weeks of October. Hydrants north of Highway 50 and west of the railroad tracks will be

flushed Oct. 1-5. Hydrants in the remaining areas will be flushed Oct. 8-12. A ten-tative schedule is posted at www.ci.farmington.mn.us. Hydrant flushing can temporarily cause rusty water. If rusty water oc-curs, try running an out-side faucet, without a hose attached, until the water

runs clear. If laundry stains occur, keep the items damp. Rust remover is available at City Hall. For questions about hy-drant flushing, call (651) 280-6900.

Storytime for All Ages Storytime for All Ages will be offered from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 28, at the Farmington Library, 508 Third St. It will fea-ture stories and activities for mixed-age audiences such as childcare groups and families. For more in-formation, visit www.dako-tacounty.us/library or call (651) 438-0250.

Senior fraud protection kits Senior Fraud Protection Kits are available from the Home Instead Senior Care office in Burnsville by calling (952) 882-9300. The office serves all of Dakota County. The kits are provided free through the Protect Seniors from Fraud program launched by the Home Instead Se-nior Care network and the National Association of Tri-ads. The program can be found online at ProtectSeniors-FromFraud.com.

Service news Navy Seaman Recruit Rachel L. Lehman, daugh-ter of Terry and Mark Lehman of Prior Lake, re-cently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. Lehman is a 2012 graduate of Prior Lake High School.

Farmington Briefs


by Tad JohnsonSun ThiSweek

The co-author of the often-cited report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis that found investments in early child-hood educa-tion have a high public dollar rate of return will share his re-search with Dakota County professionals who work with children. Rob Grunewald, the Re-serve Banks associate econ-omist who has made similar presentations throughout the country, is the keynote speaker of the new Ameri-can Services Collaborative session early Childhood education: The key to Suc-cess for new Americans from 8:45 to 11:45 a.m. Friday, Sept. 28, at Dakota County Technical College. About 50 people have signed up to attend the ses-sion, which is free and open to educators, faith leaders, social services and early childhood providers. Grunewald, a Minneapo-lis resident, will talk about the results of the 2003 report that he co-authored with former research director at the Reserve Bank, Art Rol-nick, that compared invest-ments with early childhood education to construction of a sports stadium as two different kinds of economic

development tools. early childhood educa-tion returns $16 for every dollar invested, Rolnick and Grunewald found. Children who arrive pre-pared to succeed in school are more likely to graduate from high school and be a productive member of soci-ety, Grunewald said. Those who are unpre-pared tend to stay behind their peers and earn less money in their careers. They are also more likely to com-mit crimes and need social assistance. Grunewald said the early investment means schools spend less as the child ages and in other parts of govern-ment, particularly the crimi-nal justice system. we were surprised to see the results, Grunewald said. So were others. Rolnick and Grunewald captured the attention of business leaders across the nation and in Minnesota. So much so that a group of Minnesota CeOs decided to create the Minnesota early Learning Foundation af-ter Grunewald and Rolnick wrote a follow-up report outlining how to invest in early learning. The foundation, com-prised of CeOs of some of the states largest companies (Cargill, Best Buy, General Mills) funded the 2008-11 early childhood education pilot program in St. Pauls Frogtown neighborhood. Through the program, $6

million in scholarships were provided to low-income families to enroll in an ap-proved two-year early child-hood education program. Grunewald said many of the students were new Americans who spoke eng-lish in addition to their na-tive language. Many of them were hmong and African Americans. Program results have been promising, according to Grunewald. he said parents were more engaged in their childs learning and the program was a catalyst to increase the number of high-quality early childhood education openings in the area. Students showed statisti-cally significant improve-ments in literacy, math, social skills and attention, according to the study. Could such an investment in early childhood education happen in Dakota County? Monica Jensen, commu-nity relations director of the Dakota County Attorneys Office and member of the countys new American Ser-

vices Collaborative, says the program isnt intended to create such a program. Our goal is to connect people and resources, Jen-sen said. The collaborative has been doing just that for the past several years offering resource fairs and speaker events like the Sept. 28 workshop. Past topics have been crime prevention, do-mestic violence prevention and continuing education. Fridays workshop will include a panel discussion led by the state director of head Start, Mary Vanderw-ert. The foundations full re-port on its scholarship pro-gram is at www.pasrmn.org/MeLF/Scholarship_Pilot_Research. Register for the work-shop by contacting Jensen at (651) 438-4440 or [email protected].

Tad Johnson can be reached at [email protected] or facebook.com/sun-thisweek.

Teach them now, or pay later Workshop to focus on investment in early childhood education

Rob Grunewald

Showing their spirit

Photo submitted

Lakeville Community Education and the Lakeville Ben Franklin store hosted a Sept. 15 Spirit Wear Party for students in grades two through six at the store. Pictured with the students are Ben Franklin owner Scott Erickson (back right) and Lakeville Community Education art instructor Anne Barta (left). Past years Homecoming Pants hang above the group. Homecoming will be Sept. 28 at Lakeville North and Oct. 5 at Lakeville South.

Childrens clothing, equipment sale The Minnesota Valley Mothers of Multiples will hold its kids used Clothing & equipment Sale from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, at the eagan Community Cen-ter, 1501 Central Parkway, eagan. The entrance fee will be $2. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Cash or checks only. More information is at www.mvmom.org.

Thisweekend


Photo submitted

Armored combat in which members of the Society for Creative Anachronism don armor, take up swords and engage in mock combat returns in all its glory to this years Medieval Fair.

Photo submitted

An armorers demonstration is one of the many hands-on activities planned at the Medieval Fair.

by Andrew MillerSun ThiSweek

Those who need a break from the 21st century will find much to enjoy at Caponi Art Park next weekend. The art park in eagan is partnering with the So-ciety for Creative Anach-ronism, an historical re-creation group, to host the Medieval Fair on Sunday, Sept. 30. The family-friendly liv-ing history event, now in its fifth year in eagan, will see the park transformed into a medieval village with authentic pavilions, period clothing and dem-onstrations. The Barony of nor-dskogen, the local SCA chapter staging the event, will be leading activities such as cooking, glass bead making, fiber arts

and more throughout the afternoon. Coin making and pew-ter casting demos have been added this year, and one Barony of nordsko-gen member is bringing an array of animals goats and rabbits mostly to give the park the ambience of an authentic medieval village. Past Medieval Fair fa-vorites such as period games, storytelling, music and dance, and an armorer demo are back. Armored combat in which Barony members don armor, take up swords and engage in mock com-bat returns in all its glory this year as well. Similar in appearance to the Renaissance Festival held annually in Shakopee, the Medieval Fair places an emphasis on education

and historical accuracy, according to Medieval Fair coordinator Liz Pear-son. Food concessions will be available from local Boy Scout Troop 293, with proceeds going toward the troops canoe trip in the Boundary waters. The Medieval Fair runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 30 in the park at 1220 Diffley Road, eagan. Admission is free with a $5 per person suggested do-nation. More about the event is at www.caponiartpark.org. The Barony of nordsk-ogen is on the web at www.nordskogen.northshield.org.

Andrew Miller can be reached at [email protected] or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Caponi Art Park hosts

Medieval Fair Sept. 30

To submit items for the Arts Calendar, email: darcy.

[email protected].

Books MinneapolisauthorMonique Hammond will sign copies ofher book, What Did You Say?AnUnexpectedJourney into theWorld of Hearing Loss, from1 to 3 p.m. Saturday,Oct. 6, attheAppleValleyBarnes&Noble,14880FlorenceTrail.Hammondwillspeakabout importanthear-

inglosstopics,answerquestionsand provide prevention tips andresourcesoncopingwithhearingloss.

Comedy Chad Thornsberry withspe-cial guest Nola J at 8:30 p.m.Friday, Sept. 14, and Saturday,Sept. 15, at MinneHAHA Com-edy Club, 1583 E. First Ave.,Shakopee (lower level of Dan-gerfields),(612)860-9388,www.minnehahacomedyclub.com.

Tickets:$13. Chad Danielsat7p.m.Oct.11, 7 and9:30 p.m.Oct. 12-13,and 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at LaughLinesComedy,GrandStayHotel,7083153rdSt.W.,AppleValley.Tickets are $12 (Thursday/Sun-day) and $15 (Friday/Saturday).Tickets are available online atwww.hahatickets.comorby call-ing(651)528-8454.

Concerts The Rosemount Commu-nity Band and the River ValleyCommunityBandwillperformatthe inaugural Spring Lake ParkReserve Musical Festival from3to5p.m.Sunday,Sept.23,atSpringLakeParkReserve,8395127thSt.E.,Hastings.Free. New Life Band fromTanza-niawillperformat7p.m.Satur-day, Oct. 6, at Prince of PeaceLutheranChurch,13801FairviewDrive, Burnsville. Information:Susanat [email protected](952)898-9404. Colleen Raye will performhermusicaltributetoPatsyCline

at2p.m.Sunday,Oct.7,at theBurnsville Performing Arts Cen-ter, 12600 Nicollet Ave. Ticketsare$19andcanbepurchasedattheboxoffice,viaTicketmasterat(800) 982-2787 or ticketmaster.com.

Exhibits/art shows Harvest of Art Community Art Exhibit runs through Nov.2at theEaganArtHouse,3981Lexington Ave. S., and otherEagan locations. Information:(651) 675-5521 or www.eagan-arthouse.org.

Festivals/special events Holz Farm Lone Oak Days runs11a.m.to4p.m.Saturday,Sept.22,andSunday,Sept.23,atHolzFarm,4665ManorDrive,Eagan. Information: (651) 675-5500orwww.cityofeagan.com. Musical Heart Notes Treasuring Children, a mu-sical fundraiser for ChildrensLighthouse of Minnesota, willbeheldfrom2to5:30p.m.Sat-urday, Sept. 29, at the Steeple

Center, 14375 S. Robert Trail,Rosemount. Tickets are $25 inadvance, $30 at the door. In-formation: www.childrenslight-housemn.org.

Workshops/classes Adult painting open studiofrom9a.m.tonoonthefirstandthirdFridaysofthemonthattheEaganArt House, 3981 Lexing-tonAve.S.Feeis$5persession.Information:(651)675-5521. Music Together in the Val-leyoffersclassesforparentsandtheirinfant,toddlerandpreschoolchildreninRosemount,Farming-ton, Lakeville and Apple Valley.Information:www.musictogether-classes.comor(651)439-4219. The Eagan Art House offersclassesforages4throughadult.Registernowforfallclasses.Fora complete listing go to www.eaganarthouse.org or call (651)675-5521. Dan Petrov Art Studio inBurnsville offers oil paintingclasses for beginners, interme-diate and advanced skill level

painters,www.danpetrovart.com,(763)843-2734. Teens Express Yourself with Paint,5to7p.m.Mondaysat Brushworks School of Art inBurnsville, www.BrushworksS-choolofArt.com,(651)214-4732. Drama/theater classes forages 4 and up at River RidgeArts Building, Burnsville, (952)736-3644. Show Biz Kids Theater Class for children with specialneeds (ASD/DCD programs),In the Company of Kids 13710Nicollet Ave., Burnsville, (952)736-3644. Broadway Kids Dance and Theater Program for all agesandabilities, In theCompanyofKids,13710NicolletAve.,Burns-ville(ColonialShoppingCenter),(952)736-3644. Join other 55-plus adults atthe Eagan Art House to createbeaded jewelry. The Jewelry Club meets on the third Fridayof eachmonth from1 to 3 p.m.Information:(651)675-5500. Savage Art Studios, 4735W. 123rd St., Suite 200, Sav-age, offers classes/workshopsfor all ages. Information: www.savageartstudios.com or (952)895-0375. Soy candle making classesheld weekly in Eagan near 55andYankee Doodle. Call Jamieat (651)315-4849 fordatesandtimes.$10perperson.PresentedbyMakingScentsinMinnesota. Country line dance classesheld for intermediates Mondays1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at RamblingRiverCenter,325OakSt.,Farm-ington, $5/class. Call Marilyn(651)463-7833. Country line dance classesonWednesdaysat theLakevilleSenior Center, 20732 Holt Ave.Beginners,9-10a.m.; Intermedi-ate,10a.m.-noon.$5/class.CallMarilyn(651)463-7833. The Lakeville Area ArtsCenter offers arts classes forall ages, www.lakevillemn.gov,(952)985-4640.

theater and arts calendar

Thisweekend


Auditions for The ReGifters AuditionsforTheRe-GifterswillbeheldattheLakeville Area Arts Cen-ter on Tuesday, Sept. 25,from6:30to8p.m. Expressions Commu-nity Theater will be pre-senting this stage com-edyinNovember.Whenacouple regifts a not-so-great Christmas present,thenfindsoutitsworthafortune, they will stop atnothingtogetitback. Auditionswillbe read-ings from the script. Pro-ducers of the show arecurrently casting for thefollowing two roles: onemale age 40s to 50s (keyrole), and one male late30s to mid 40s (smallerrole). Show dates are Nov.9-11and16-18. For more information,contact the director, PegeMiller, at (612) 670-8663.The arts center is locatedat 20965 Holyoke Ave.,Lakeville.

Book signing is Oct. 3 at BPAC Author Mark Forgywill sign copies and dis-cusshisbookTheForg-ers Apprentice fromnoon to 2 p.m. Wednes-day, Oct. 3, in the artgallery at the BurnsvillePerforming Arts Center,12600NicolletAve. TheForgersAppren-tice is a memoir andcoming-of-agejourneyofForgysyearsaspersonalassistanttoartforgerEl-myr. The event is free andopentothepublic.Bookswill be available for saleandsigning.

Art crawl set Oct. 6 TheSavageArtsCoun-cil will present the thirdannual Scott County ArtCrawl from 9 a.m. to 5p.m.Saturday,Oct.6.Thejuried art crawl weavesthrough urban and ruralareas in northern ScottCounty, with more than30 stops at artist studiosandartisthostsponsors. The event includes a

variety of media includ-ing oil paintings, pho-tography, sculpture, jew-elry, glass art and more.Artwork is available forpurchase during the artcrawl. A pre-show exhibit ison display through Oct.13atthePriorLake,Sav-age and Shakopee librar-iesduringnormallibraryhours. Formore information,visitwww.scottcountyart-crawl.org.

Lone Oak Days at Holz Farm Lone Oak Days FallFestivalwillbe11a.m.to4p.m.Saturday,Sept.22,and Sunday, Sept. 23, atHolz Farm, 4665 ManorDrive,Eagan. Activities at the 1940sfarm include a hayride,rope making, farm ani-mals and pony rides. Ablacksmithwillshowhowmetal tools were made.Admission is free butsome childrens activitiesrequire tickets which canbepurchasedfor50centseach. For more informa-tion, call (651) 675-5500

orvisitwww.cityofeagan.com.

To submit items for the Fam-ily Calendar, email: darcy.

[email protected].

Friday, Sept. 21 Girl Scout recruitment night for girls in the Rose-mount area, 7to8:30p.m.atFalcon Ridge Middle Schoolcafeteria, 12900 JohnnyCakeRidge Road, Apple Valley.Membership dues: $12. Fi-nancial assistance available.Information: Keri Chumbley [email protected].

Saturday, Sept. 22 Fourth annual Pedal the Parks, 9 a.m. to noon, Pio-neer Plaza, 20801 HolyokeAve., Lakeville. Registrationandbikesafetycheck,9a.m.;bikerodeo,9to10a.m.Bike6,10and20miles.Preregisteratwww.lakeville-rapconnect.com,program No. 4902. Informa-tion: (952) 250-3320 or www.lakevillefriends.org.

Monday, Sept. 24 Flapjack breakfast, 7:30to 10 a.m., Ebenezer RidgesCampus, 13820 CommunityDrive, Burnsville. All-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, juiceandmilk.Cost:$5.Information:(952)898-8400.

Tuesday, Sept. 25 Open house for Operation Christmas Child, 4 to 6 p.m.at Prince of Peace Church,13901FairviewDrive (Door i),Burnsville. Short presentationfrom5:30to6p.m.Freegreenand redshoeboxes (GObox-es)availablefornewchurches,groups, andother promotionalopportunities. Call Dawn,(612)231-6031,toreserveGOboxesororderonlineatwww.

samaritanspurse.org/occ. Formore information, call (612)359-7025.

Wednesday, Sept. 26 Eagan Market Fest,4to8p.m.,EaganFestivalGrounds.Lastdayofthefarmersmarketfor the 2012 season. Informa-tion: www.cityofeagan.com/marketfestor(651)675-5500.

Thursday, Sept. 27 Guatemala and Volunteer Vacations, 7 p.m. atHeritageLibrary, 20085HeritageDrive,Lakeville.PartofatravelserieshostedbyFriendsof theHeri-tageLibrary.Information:(952)891-0360.

Saturday, Sept. 29 G.A.P. Seminar (God Answers Prayer), 8 a.m. to3:30 p.m. at Messiah Luther-an Church, 16725 HighviewAve., Lakeville. Registrationandcontinentalbreakfast,8to8:30 a.m. Cost: $10 (includesbreakfast, box lunch and in-structionalmaterials).TimelessBiblical truths are presentedandreinforcedinarelaxedat-mosphere.Emailquestionsto:[email protected](952)484-0386. Kids Used Clothing & Equipment Sale by the Min-nesotaValleyMothers ofMul-tiples from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.at Eagan Community Center,1501CentralParkway,Eagan.Entrance fee: $2. Tickets onsaleat10a.m.Cashorchecksonly. Information: www.mv-mom.org.

Blood drives The American Red Cross will hold the followingblood drives. Call 1-800-RED

CROSS (1-800-733-2767) orvisitredcrossblood.orgtomakeanappointmentorformorein-formation. Sept.22,9a.m.to2p.m.,Beautiful Savior LutheranChurch,4150PilotKnobRoad,Eagan. Sept.28,2to7p.m.,Kow-alskis Market, 1646 DiffleyRoad,Eagan. Oct. 1, 2 to 7 p.m.,Walmart,2200Highway13W.,Burnsville.

theater and arts briefs

family calendar

Photo contest winnersWinners in the first Burnsville Fire Muster Photo Contest were Joy Adams of Burnsville for her photo of the Police K-9 Demonstration with Burnsville Police Officer Ben Archambault and his K-9 partner Echo. Adams won first place. Second place went to Brian Esmay of Bloomington for his photo of the Burnsville Fire Departments ladder truck. Both won a prize package from the Burnsville Fire Muster Committee.


Sportsby Andy Rogers

Sun ThiSweek

when it comes to giv-ing oneself advice, everyone seems to hear some bad and some good ideas. The bad advice inside ones head always seems the loud-est during times of stress, like a cross country race against the top runners in the state. Lakeville norths Taylor Perkins has heard the whis-pers. At the 21-team Lakev-ille Applejack invitational on Sept. 14 at Aronson Park, she heard all about Maria hauger from Shakopee, a three-time state champion who seems to be peaking for her senior year. Theres that doubt that comes in, but you cant go to the starting line like that, Per-kins said. You have to find a way to leave those behind. My parents have really helped build up my confidence and my coaches and teammates have helped, too. Just like hauger, Perkins is in her senior year and shes run at the state meet every year since she was a seventh-grader in 2007. Perkins finished third at the Applejack invitational in 14 minutes, 24.3 seconds. She was about 50 seconds be-hind first-place hauger and

20 seconds behind eagans Danielle Anderson. no one in Minnesota has been able to outpace hauger for years and she nearly broke the course record at the Applejack. Perkins was pleased with her bronze, considering the competition. i thought i ran strong, Perkins said. i wanted to go out with a bang in my senior year. we practice out (at Ar-onson Park) like four times a week. She was listening to her own good advice when the race was over, and she had plenty of reasons to ignore the negative during her next race. i think theres always things to improve on, so i would have loved to run with (hauger and Anderson), Perkins said. But you have to take the positives and look at some things to improve on your next race. i just want to attack in my next race and go out hard from start to finish. Mentally, i didnt want to go out with Maria right away be-cause she goes out so hard at first, but now i have the confi-dence. her goal is to get back to state and race her personal best. ive never run a great race

at state, Perkins said. i want to go in with confidence and know i can run a great race. i put in a lot of work over the summer. A lot of the work is done, but now i just have to go in mentally confident. i need to bring a competitive spirit to it and just know that this is my time. Perkins helped her team finish fifth at the meet be-hind eagan, Lakeville South, edina and Forest Lake. Chloe Sagmoe ran to 28th, elle Severson was 40th, emma Drangsveit was 45th, Danielle Bellino was 49th, Taylor Loth finished 59th and Riley Broughten came in 69th. were super-young, but theyre all really loving it and enjoying it, Perkins said. it makes it so much fun. its been a great senior year. Lakeville north finished 12th in the boys team compe-tition at the Applejack meet. Luke Anderson was 48th in-dividually, Justin hanson was 52nd, Ben Rauzi took 77th, kyle Binder was 78th, noah Omdal finished 81st, Jason windhorn was 82nd and B.J. Vance was 129th. Andy Rogers can be reached at [email protected] or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Perkins running with confidence Lakeville North senior places third at Applejack Invitational

Photo by Andy Rogers

Lakeville Norths Taylor Perkins nears the finish line at the Applejack Invitational at Aronson Park on Sept. 14. She finished in third place.

by Andy RogersSun ThiSweek

The Lakeville South girls cross country team ran to second place at the Applejack invitational at Aronson Park on Sept. 14. The girls came into the Apple Jack invitational as the defending champions, but the youthful eagan wildcats, the no. 1 ranked team in Class AA, spoiled the Cougars chance at a repeat. Lakeville South finished with 83 points while the wildcats ran to first with 38 points. The Cougars had four girls finish in the top 20. kaytlyn Larson was the first Cougar to finish, placing sixth over-all. Annie Brekken wasnt far behind at ninth, Jenny Mach-aj 16th, erin kilbride 20th and Bailey Brewster 32nd. The Cougars edged out third-place edina by nine points. it was the third time this season the Cougars have earned the silver as a team. The girls placed second at the Dakota County Classic on Aug. 31 again behind the

top ranked team in Class AA eagan. The girls also finished second at the Bauman/Rovn Cross Country invitational in Minnetrista on Sept. 6 be-hind Chanhassen, the no. 4 ranked team in Class AA. The boys team placed eighth out of 21 teams. wali ibrahim was the first Cougar across the finish line, placing 24th, with teammate noah hanson steps behind at 25th. wade Durham was 46th, Mitchell Miller 67th, Justin willard 89th, Tyler haar 123rd and Zach Gelineau 130th. The teams will head to Apple Valley high School for a another meet on Saturday against several other ranked girls teams such as no. 1 eagan, no. 4 Chanhassen, no. 8 eden Prairie and no. 9 edina. The boys are up against ranked teams such as no. 3 edina, no. 5 eden Prairie, no. 7 Rosemount and no. 8 Owatonna.

Andy Rogers can be reached at [email protected] or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Cougars second at Applejack Larson leads the way, coming in sixth

Hyytinen seventh at Applejack


Farmingtons Justin Hyytinen nears the end of the Applejack Invitational course on Sept. 14 in Lakeville. He finished seventh of 142 in the boys varsity race in 16 minutes, 22.7 seconds. His team placed 17th. Farmingtons Alex Hart finished 66th overall and Adam Wallenta was 90th. The girls team placed 11th with Maricia Pacheco running to 43nd, Sofia Chadwick to 50th and Maria Kiminski to 64th.

by Andy RogersSun ThiSweek

At the beginning of last season the Lakeville north football wasnt on the ra-dar. The Panthers were un-ranked in the Associated Press Class 5A poll. The players knew they had a good team, but they didnt enter the top five until the October 5th poll. From there north went on to play at state. Lakeville north started this season ranked no. 4 in Class 6A, so there are no se-crets. we know were every-ones Super Bowl, quarter-back Zach Creighton said. we embrace that target. we know were getting ev-eryones best game, and it makes that so much sweeter when we beat them. north has a long list of goals this season. The players say they wont look beyond their next opponent, but the Panthers have a one-game lead in the South Suburban Conference with a 3-0 re-cord nearing the midpoint of the regular season. But Lakeville north has goals that extend far be-

yond the regular season. i want to play 13 games this year, head coach Brian Vossen said. were not a fourth of the way to where we want to be at. if the Panthers get to the Prep Bowl, that would be their 13th game of the sea-son. On Sept. 14, the Pan-thers started slowly but beat eastview 24-7. eastview, which has been ranked in

the top 10 in Class 6A, was considered a contender for the South Suburban title. After trading a few turn-overs, eastview took a 7-3 lead with a 58-yard touch-down pass from Mark Dw-yer to henry Mcissac. we knew the big plays would come, Vossen said of falling behind early. its a great football team we just played, without a doubt the best football team weve

played yet. Lakeville norths Bran-don Morgan gave the team a spark on the next play, re-turning the kickoff 95 yards to give his team a 10-7 lead. it was his second touch-down return of more than 90 yards this season. The other came against Lakev-ille South. he was carrying a lot of pressure against his for-mer team, Vossen said. when he got that kick re-turn, it took the pressure off him and allowed him to just play. Morgan attended eastview before transfer-ring to Lakeville north af-ter ninth grade. Jamiah newell jump-started the offense in the second half with another big play a 52-yard run for a touchdown. he ended up with 154 rushing yards. Morgans 42-yard punt re-turn set up a 4-yard touch-down run by newell to pol-ish off the victory. A lot of it is speed, Vossen said about the big plays. (Offensive coordina-tor Bob) kovich is so good

Panthers claw to the topLakeville North football only undefeated conference team


Lakeville Souths Kaytlyn Larson nears the finish line at the Applejack Invitational.

Panthers suffer second loss of season


Lakeville Norths Ramiro Benitez (10) fights for control against Apple Valleys Matt Christiansen (5) in a South Suburban Conference match on Tuesday. The No. 2 ranked team in Class AA Apple Valley won 2-0 and improved to 9-0-2 on the season. It was the second loss of 2012 for the Panthers whose only other loss came against Eagan, another top 10 Class AA team, on Sept. 6. The Panthers will head to East Ridge for a 7 p.m. game on Saturday.


Lakeville Norths Karl Finkel (17) closes in on Eastviews Mark Dwyer (11) on Sept. 14. Lakeville North improved to 3-0 with a 24-7 victory.

See PAntHers, 15A


at recognizing where the big plays are and where they can happen. As a defensive coach I have to go against him every day in practice and it makes it hard. (Spe-cial teams coach) Scott Schmelzle is always look-ing for tendencies for other teams too and finding plac-es to expose a weakness. Creighton said he thought the offense could have put a few more points on the scoreboard. He had 103 yards passing and ran for 61, but he wasnt happy with the three interceptions and took responsibility. We came out sloppy and left a lot of points on the board, Creighton said. We know were a lot better then that. The game goes to our (offensive line). I look to improve myself this week. I didnt play well, but the guys showed grit and

proved we can win ball-games. Other teams with win-ning records in the confer-ence are Burnsville, Prior Lake and Apple Valley. The Panthers will play Pri-or Lake on Sept. 28 and Burnsville on Oct. 5. Apple

Valley isnt on the schedule. We have a tough second half, Vossen said. Teams tend to figure things out in the second half of the sea-son and they can surprise you. The Panthers will make the trip to Bloomington Jef-ferson on Friday to play a Jaguars team that has been outscored 124-36 in losses to Burnsville, Apple Valley and Wayzata.

Andy Rogers can be reached at [email protected] or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Cougars blanked by Hornets

Photo by Brian Nelson

Lakeville Souths Alante Alexander (No. 39) barrels through his blocker in an attempt to tackle Edinas Kevin Placide (No. 25) at Edina on Sept. 14. The Cougars lost 13-0. Lakeville South outrushed Edina 118 yards to 82 with Jordan Johnson leading with 70 yards, but turnovers hurt the Cougars chances. The Cougars will travel to Apple Valley on Friday.


Eastview running back Amari Kennedy tries to get upfield during the Lightnings 24-7 loss to Lakeville North.


Lakeville Norths Brandon Morgan (6) is chased by Eastviews J.J. Grimm (10) during the Panthers 24-7 victory Friday night. Morgan gave the Panthers a spark with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.


Lakeville Norths Grant Erickson (22) secures one of his two interceptions against Eastview on Sept. 14.

pantHers, from 14A


they could agree tonight to change the benefits pack-ages. My understanding is if they did that, it would be considered to be opening the contract, Snyder said. If its opened ... then the board has the right to pro-pose other changes. It is not recommended by our as-sociation to open contracts that are settled. Erickson asserted the importance of change. I feel strongly the three could do that this evening if they so desired, he said. I cant support the 2 per-cent because I believe were sending the wrong signal to the rank and file profes-sionals in this regard. Board Member Michelle Volk said she agreed with

Erickson. She wondered why the talk of a raise couldnt wait until contract negotiations. Snyder said the discus-sions were addressing two distinct issues: the raise and the contracts. I understand that you want (their contracts) to mirror mine, Snyder said. Everyone on the cabinet agrees to that and is willing to participate. Massaros, who in his role with the district negoti-ates contracts with the vari-ous bargaining groups, s