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TribuneDakota County

Farmington | Rosemountand the surrounding areas

www.dakotacountytribune.comFebruary 27, 2014 • Volume 129 • Number 52

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INDEX

Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9A

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 11A

Announcements . . . . 13A

Thisweekend . . . . . . . 15A

ONLINE

NEWS

SPORTS

Rosemount leaps upThe Rosemount High School gymnastics team reached new heights at the state meet this past weekend.

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Abdallah’s looks to growDakota County candy maker looks to expand its operation, which may mean leaving its longtime location.

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GET CA$H FOR YOUR GOLD, SILVER & COINS!

CHECK US FIRSTOR CHECK US LAST!

by Jennifer ChickSUN THISWEEK

DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

This past week’s snowstorm may have kept kids home but it didn’t keep Farmington students from learning. The snow day gave Farmington Area Public Schools a chance to test their flexible learning policy implemented earlier this month. Because of a large number of missed school days due to subzero temperatures and now heavy snowfall, the dis-trict decided to test drive flex-ible learning days. The first implementation of this flexible learning time was over Presi-dents Day weekend. Rather than add another school day Monday, Feb. 17, the district designated that weekend as flexible learning time. The option is possible since every district student has access to an iPad as part of the district’s technology plan. With one flexible learn-ing day behind them, Friday’s snow day was much easier to handle. Forecasts had warned of heavy snow on the way so

teachers and students were prepared that a snow cancel-lation might occur. Superin-tendent Jay Haugen posted a public letter to parents and students Thursday outlining what would happen if students got the call to stay home. “We are lucky again to be able to address a school closing so naturally, through a flexible learning day,” he wrote. “Be-cause of our digital learning platform, Schoology, and the fact that over 95 percent of our students have Internet ac-cess in their home, the learning does not stop. If school is can-celled tomorrow (or any day in the future for that matter), the plan will be to have all teachers post work by 10 a.m. for the students they would have seen that day.” Dan Pickens, Farmington’s head of instructional technol-ogy, was thrilled at the way the two flexible learning days bookended last week. “It was great that it hap-pened so quickly,” he said. “For some people, it forced

While the Friday, Feb. 21, snow day meant a day away from school for Farmington students, learn-ing did not stop. Students logged on to School-ogy, the district’s digital learning platform, to re-ceive assignments and to chat with teachers. While students like Abby Steinke, a first-grade stu-dent at Farming-ton Elementary School, did not have their mini iPads at home, they still worked on homework packets sent home earlier in the week, logged on to the Inter-net to use apps and completed reading assign-ments. (Photo by Jennifer Chick)

Approximately 250 students and their families participated on Feb. 18 in hands-on engineering and science activities during En-gineering Encounter at Riverview Elementary School in Farm-ington. Students and their parents could try their hands at sta-tions called Crazy Cars, Circuit Play, Fizz Rockets, Magnetic Bridges and Wind Turbines. Members from Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers and staff from The Works Museum, a hands-on engineering museum for kids based in Bloomington, were at the event, which was during Science Week at the school. (Photos contributed by MnSPE)

by Jennifer ChickSUN THISWEEK


When students re-turned to Farmington Elementary School after Christmas break, they un-wrapped a whole wing of presents. They returned to a brand new cafeteria, music room, kindergarten and first-grade classrooms and two new heating, ven-tilation and air condition-ing systems. In January, phase two of Farmington Elemen-tary School’s $6.23 million renovation project was completed. The project started the day after stu-dents left school last June and continued through

the fall months. With a rebuild and expansion of the school cafeteria, as well as enlarged kinder-garten classrooms and a new music room, the staff and students of Farming-ton Elementary found that flexibility was the biggest lesson learned last fall. The renovation expanded classroom sizes by 150 square feet and also in-cluded outside concrete and asphalt work. “It was a lot smoother than I thought,” said Ben Januschka, principal at Farmington Elementary. “It was a beast, but the staff did a great job be-ing so flexible as well as the students and parents. I

was really proud of them.” Because of extensive remodeling and enlarging classrooms in the kinder-garten/first-grade wing, the school decided to move those approximately 200 students, to the Instruc-tional Services Center, about a block and a half away. That meant a lot of trekking back and forth through the connecting alley for staff members. Januschka said the plan worked well, but students and staff are happy to be back under one roof. Extensive remodeling in the cafeteria also meant displacing students during lunch. So Farmington El-ementary came up with a

plan to feed students in the school’s old gym. Meals were brought in every day from another school. Ja-

nuschka said it was like catering a meal every day

Fourth-grade students go through the serving line in Farmington Elementary School’s expanded kitchen and cafeteria. Recent renovations at Farmington Elementary School were completed in January and included a revamp of the kitchen and cafeteria with new equipment and an improved traffic flow. (Photo by Jennifer Chick)

Snow day doesn’t stop the learningFarmington district embraces online option for assignments, classwork at home

Lessons in flexibilityFarmington Elementary School students,

staff enjoy building upgrades

See UPGRADES, 10A

See SNOW, 8A

Where there’s smoke ... County’s top law enforcement officials want

to put out medical marijuana bill by Tad Johnson

SUN THISWEEKDAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

Dakota County’s top two law enforce-ment officials are urging people to press state legislators to strike down pro-posed medical mari-juana legislation. County Attorney James Back-strom and Sheriff Dave Bellows spoke to a group of Rosemount lead-ers Thursday, Feb. 20, to tell them why the bill as proposed shouldn’t become law. They say in states where similar bills were passed with the intention to help people with serious illnesses, a result has been marijuana ending up in the hands of people who don’t really need it for medical purposes. “If we approve it for medical use, we have just approved it for recre-ational use,” Bellows said, referring to the experiences in other states. The bill has too many qualifying conditions for patients who would be able to possess 2.5 ounces of marijuana, according to Backstrom and Bellows. Those conditions range from can-

cer to severe pain. In Colorado, they said 3 percent of cancer patients were approved for medi-cal marijuana while about 95 percent of people with chronic or severe pain were approved.

Supporters say generally medi-cal marijuana laws in 20 states and Washington, D.C., are working well and providing patients with relief and protection from arrest, accord-ing to the Marijuana Policy Project. Backstrom and Bellows said most of the patients using medical mari-juana are young while males. They added that 50 percent of medical marijuana purchasing cards were approved by 12 doctors in Colorado – an indication that there is lax over-sight and abuse in the system. The state has about 900 doctors who can approve use. The county attorney and sheriff said they are sympathetic to people who suffer from serious medical conditions, but feel that there are medications on the market that have

Jim Backstrom

Dave Bellows

See MARIJUANA, 10A

Encounters in engineering

OPINION

THISWEEKEND

Don’t deny school lunches The 2014 Minnesota Legislature should approve the governor’s proposal to support schools in providing lunch to all students.

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Frozen Apple concertThis year’s Frozen Apple music series concludes March 1 with a concert by Michael Monroe at Valleywood Golf Course.

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2A February 27, 2014 DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

Abdallah Candies looks to expand Burnsville hopes to retain longtime business

by John GessnerSUN THISWEEK


Steady growth has Ab-dallah Candies, a fixture in Burnsville for nearly 50 years, seeking larger quar-ters for its factory and re-tail shop. The search could end with the storied candy-maker and family business leaving the city it’s called home since 1965. Or not. City officials are keen to retain the com-pany, whose products — principally chocolates and caramels — can be found on store shelves across the Upper Midwest and the nation. Mayor Elizabeth Kautz even gave Abdallah a shout-out during her Feb. 12 State of the City ad-dress, saying the city is working with the company on its expansion plans. Abdallah President Steven Hegedus, who em-ploys about 120 people, says he’d prefer to stay in Burnsville. “Burnsville is strongly supportive of our business. If there’s a way we can do that, we will,” said the Sav-age resident, who’s been making candy since child-hood. “That’s one reason why we’re considering many options in Burns-ville. But we also have to be realistic and do what makes sense for the busi-ness. If Burnsville can’t ac-commodate, then we have to look elsewhere.” He said he wants to keep the company in the Twin Cities and is scout-ing locations “south of the river.” Abdallah is located in a 65,000-square-foot building on the southwest corner of County Road 42 and Burnsville Parkway. Some 40,000 cars pass daily on 42, a boon for the retail store, where business is especially brisk around Valentine’s Day, Christ-

mas and Easter, Hegedus said. The challenge to stay-ing in Burnsville, he said, is finding a good retail spot that can also accommo-date the 100,000-square-foot building needed for production to keep pace with sales growth. “The retail operations are still very profitable and we want to keep a good presence, so the location is important,” Hegedus said. Known to many as “Abdallah’s,” the company has had several prominent locations during its 104-year history. It began as a small candy and ice cream shop at Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street in south Min-neapolis. The founders were Albert Abdallah, a Syrian immigrant, and his new bride, the former Helen Trovall from Mon-ticello, Minn. The shop grew to include a restau-rant and soda fountain. The end of Prohibi-tion moved much of its customer base back into the bars, and the couple closed the business in 1935. But Albert, who learned his candymaking skills in America, contin-ued to make candy for se-lect clients while trying to rebuild the business. Abdallah reopened, without the restaurant, in 1937 on West Lake Street near Lake Calhoun, a few blocks from the old loca-tion. “The trolley stop was Hennepin and Lake,” He-gedus said. “People would get off on that corner, walk to Lake Calhoun, and they would prome-nade back and forth by his ice cream-candy store.” Abdallah eventu-ally asked his son-in-law,

Glen Oletzke, to join the business. Oletzke was the father-in-law of Steven Hegedus’ father, Stephen, who also joined the fam-ily business with his wife, Vicke. Oletzke was Steven Hegedus’ grandfather. The business’ next lo-cation, at 38th Street and Cedar Avenue, was a vic-tim of fate. Oletzke and Stephen Hegedus moved there in the mid-’50s. In 1964, a spectacular fire caused by an overturned gas tanker truck destroyed part of the building and much of the inventory. Though they briefly maintained a retail store at that location, Oletzke and Hegedus looked south to Burnsville to build a new candy factory in 1965, the year Steven Hegedus was born. “Grandpa taught me how to make marshmal-low,” he said. “Dad trained me in candymaking. At 10, 11, 12, I was making candy. I didn’t think it was a job. It was fun.” The new location at 12220 12th Ave. S., east of Burnsville High School, proved to be a winner. A U.S. Post Office was soon built next to Abdallah Candies. “Even though we were more in an industrial side of town, people found us because we were next to the post office,” Hegedus said. “You always make it to the post office one time or another.” The company began wholesaling its candy in the late 1970s, partly in response to Fanny Farmer shuttering its wholesale operation, he said. “Their decision to stop wholesaling to retail-ers left a big demand for boxed chocolates in drug-

stores and gift shops and places like that, which we filled,” he said. His father took pains to grow the business slowly, never taking on more accounts than he could service, Hegedus said. But grow it did. The company moved to County Road 42 in 1997, starting with 30,000 square feet and four years later building 35,000 more. Abdallah Candies’ ac-count ledger has grown to 7,000 nationwide, Hege-dus said. The company has qua-drupled its output since 1997, to about 2 million pounds of candy a year, he said. It powered through the recession; candy and alcohol are mostly im-mune to such downturns, Hegedus said. “It’s making really good candy,” he said, ex-plaining the company’s success. “It’s focusing on the second sale, never the first. Everything’s repeat business with what we do.” Hegedus hopes to have a new location chosen within a couple of months and new space built within a year. “If we’re going to keep up with demand, we know we can’t do it in this facil-ity,” said Hegedus, whose wife, Karen, runs account-ing and human resources for the company and whose three college-age sons have also worked in the business. “It’s more our customers driving our decision than us. If I could stay here I think I would, in these four walls, but we won’t be able to make our customers happy.”

John Gessner can be reached at 952-846-2031 or email [email protected].

Abdallah Candies President Steven Hegedus, who learned candymaking as a boy, vis-ited with some of the workers at the Burnsville factory. (Photo by John Gessner)

DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE February 27, 2014 3A

651 463 4545. .

Kent Boyum - Pastor

SUNDAY SCHOOL - 9 AMWORSHIP - 10 AMEVENING WORSHIP - 6:30 PMWED. FAMILY NIGHT - 6:30 PM

SUNDAY SCHOOL - 9 AMWORSHIP - 10 AMEVENING WORSHIP - 6:30 PMWED. FAMILY NIGHT - 6:30 PM

Kent Boyum Pastor

christianlifeag.orgchristianlifeag.org

by Jonathan AviseSESSION DAILY

Making Minnesota’s road construction sites safer is the aim of a pair of bills a House transportation com-mittee heard Monday, Feb 10. Sponsored by Rep. Ron Erhardt, DFL-Edina, House File 1796 proposes toughened standards for driving through construc-tion areas, including prohib-iting cellphone usage – even hands-free devices – in work zones and setting a new $375 fine for speeding when construction workers are present. “Orange cones, no phones,” Erhardt said. “We want you all to remember that.” A second bill, H.F. 1949, sponsored by Rep. Mary Sawatzky, DFL-Willmar, also proposes a ban on the use of mobile phones in roadway construction zones. The bills were heard dur-ing an informational hear-ing of the House Transpor-

tation Policy Committee, which Erhardt chairs. Nei-ther bill has a Senate com-panion. The $375 fine would re-place current statute that doubles normal speeding fines when in a work zone. H.F. 1756 also calls for a $375 fine for drivers who don’t obey safety flaggers in work zones. The legislation proposed by Erhardt would institute a pilot program to test au-tomated speed enforcement in up to five construction zones per year in 2014 and 2015. Road construction in-dustry officials expressed support for the changes, say-ing more needs to be done to protect workers alongside busy roads, highways and interstates from distracted drivers. The husbands of Jodi Rajkowski and Deb Carl-son were killed in October 2011 when a distracted mo-torist plowed into them at high speed at a project on

Interstate 35W in Burns-ville. Both women told law-makers more consideration needs to be given to the safety of workers alongside the state’s roads. “Keeping road workers safe in Minnesota is just as important as keeping traffic moving,” Carlson said. Rep. Linda Runbeck, R-Circle Pines, said she supports measures to keep construction workers safer on the state’s roads, but be-lieves reducing speed limits – something not proposed in H.F. 1796 or H.F. 1949 – would be more effective in keeping workers safe. “Why don’t we say in a work zone we must reduce the speed (limit) … to me we’re addressing the wrong issue,” she said. “We’re looking for a scapegoat, and the things that do work we’re not doing.”

More Session Daily stories are at http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/sdai-ly.aspx.

No phones, higher fines proposed

for drivers in work zonesCrash in Burnsville that killed two

is at the center of the issue

Residents invited to apply for Lebanon Hills citizen panel The Dakota County Board of Commissioners is seeking applicants to serve on its Lebanon Hills Regional Park 2014 Mas-ter Plan Citizen Panel and review specific elements of the park’s draft 2014 Mas-ter Plan to provide com-ments to the board. The panel – which will consist of no more than 20 members – is expected to meet approximately eight times between April 1 and Dec. 31, with meetings be-ing held in the evenings and likely lasting a maxi-mum of three hours. The board asks that ap-plicants have: • Respect for and inter-est in the perspectives of

other potential park users. • An ability to work toward finding common ground and solutions on a range of controversial and/or complex issues. • Support for the mis-sion of Lebanon Hills Re-gional Park as serving the diverse outdoor recreation needs of the Twin Cities metro area and all Dakota County residents. Applications can be mailed to the Senior Ad-ministrative Coordina-tor to the Board, Dakota County Administration Center, 1590 Highway 55, Hastings, Minn., 55033; emailed to [email protected]; or faxed to 651-438-4405. They

must be submitted by the end of the day on March 28. Each commissioner will use the pool of applicants to nominate two repre-sentatives to the citizen panel. Their selections will not necessarily come from their respective districts, but will properly represent Dakota County residents and their interests. Select-ed candidates will be no-tified by phone or email, and panel appointments will be made April 8. For more informa-tion or to obtain an ap-plication, visit www.da-kotacounty.us/parks and search master plan. Audrey Aronson Johnson, owner of Johnson Companies in Lakeville and a longtime

human resources director for several companies, speaks during the 2014 Exceptional Businesswomen Recognition Event on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at Lost Spur Golf & Event Center in Eagan. Johnson was one of 10 women who were honored during the event that is in its fifth year. From left are Kari Mitchell, of Rosemount-based Charity Events of Minnesota; Jennifer Smith, of Burnsville-based Innovative Office Solutions, and Karen DeVaughn, of Life Wellness Centers of Lakeville and Eagan. More photos are online at SunThisweek.com. A wrapup story will run in the March 7 edition and a video recap of the panel discussion will be posted online at SunThisweek.com. (Photo by Tad Johnson)

To submit items for the Business Calendar, email:

[email protected]. Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce: • Tuesday, March 4, 8-9 a.m., Rosemount Coffee Break, Rosemount Fire Station 2, 2047 Connemara Trail W., Rose-mount. Open to all Chamber members. Information: Jessy Annoni at 651-288-9202, [email protected]. • Tuesday, March 4, 4-4:30 p.m., ribbon cutting at Oran-getheory Fitness, 15624 Pilot

Knob Road, Apple Valley. Infor-mation: Jessy Annoni at 651-288-9202, [email protected]. • Wednesday, March 5, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Rob-ert Street Corridor Luncheon, DARTS, 1645 Marthaler Lane, West St. Paul. Free. Informa-tion: Jessy Annoni at 651-288-9202, [email protected]. • Wednesday, March 5, 4:30-6 p.m., Why Not Wednes-day Business After Hours, Green Mill, 1940 Rahncliff

Court, Eagan. Information: Jessy Annoni at 651-288-9202, [email protected]. Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce events: • Wednesday, March 5, 7 a.m., Teacher Appreciation Breakfast, Kenwood Trail Mid-dle School. • Wednesday, March 5, 7:30-8:30 a.m., Morning Brew, Sport Clips, 17440 Kenwood Trail. • Friday, March 7, 8 a.m., Teacher Appreciation Break-fast, Cherry Hills Elementary.

Business

Business Calendar

Businesswomen honored

Worship DirectoryShare your weekly worship schedule or other activities with the

community. Email [email protected] or call 952-392-6875 for rates and informatilon.


Legislators thanked To the editor: I would like to rec-ognize and thank Sens. Jim Carlson and Greg Clausen and Reps. Lau-rie Halverson, Mary Liz Holberg, Sandy Masin, Will Morgan and Anna Wills for joining mem-bers of the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing for a breakfast discussion Wednesday, Feb. 19. This breakfast, held at Pres-byterian Church of the Apostles in Burnsville was a non-partisan gath-ering planned to help build relationships with state legislators and to exchange ideas on goals for the upcoming legisla-tive sessions.

MICAH invited all legislators from Dakota County Districts 51, 56, 57 and 58, to this event, and we were pleased that the seven legisla-tors above were able to attend. Participants en-joyed lively conversa-tion with the legislators who attended, gaining insight into their goals for the upcoming ses-sion. MICAH members advocated for a bonding bill which includes $100 million for affordable housing, including sup-port for House File 2112 allocating funds to help narrow the racial dispar-ity in home ownership.

DEBBY REISINGERApple Valley

Why school buses? To the editor: Driving past Rosemount High School on a recent Thursday morning about 7:15 a.m., I was surprised to see a line of cars backed up going into the high school. The front doors of the high school are two or three blocks in distance in from Highway 3, the line was back to Highway 3 and then continued north back to the Rosemount Armory, about another two or three blocks in distance. Not all of those driving the cars were students, and I suspect most of the staff would have been at school already. It is possible the backup was because the weather forecasters were predicting “gloom and

doom” for this afternoon, who knows? As a taxpayer, I should request permission to either pay taxes for school park-ing lots or school buses but not both. If riding a high school bus is too degrading for the student (and their parents), then cancel the buses and let the parents form car-pools. School buses make three runs each every day, eliminating one run could save 20-30 percent of main-tenance, fuel and salary; and potentially lengthen the life of each bus somewhat. Granted we may have to spend some more for park-ing lots, but that may be a small price to pay for the freedom of the children and their parents. And I understand that some kids work, have ap-pointments or need to stay late, but out of thousands of high school students it’s hard to believe that thou-sands need to drive.Personally I’d vote for bus-es, they are safer and reduce wear and tear and conges-tion on the streets.

GRAYEM BARTULIRosemount

Snow bound To the editor: I slid into a snow bank on Saturday while traveling south on Kenwood Trail approaching 185th Street. As I was calling the police a very nice man, Mor-gan, and his son, Andrew, stopped to help me. They directed traffic around me and helped me to call AAA. Lakeville police ar-rived and an officer and a community service repre-sentative shoveled around the tires to my car. I was in so deep that all four men could not get me out and the tow truck came. While we were waiting Morgan, Andrew, the police officer and the community service representative stayed with me still directing traffic and calming me down. I will never be able to thank these men in per-son but I am hoping that this letter will be read by those who stopped to help. Thank you so much. In turn I hope I will be able to help another who will need assistance.

DOROTHY N. BREWERLakeville

Not surprised by board’s actions To the editor: Lynn Utecht recently wrote in a letter that at the Dakota County Board meeting of Feb. 11, the board did not discuss the fact that their plan does not meet citizens expec-tations nor did it address the violation of the 2001 plan, the cost for con-struction or maintenance of their new idea, nor the fact that the vast majority of public comments re-ceived have been opposed to their development plan, but rather focused on placing guidelines (and presumable restrictions) on a potential citizens group and how to repair their image. I share her disappoint-ment; I do hope she was not surprised.

JOE CHANSLOREagan

Opinion

Letters

Schools need policies to ensure students have a hot lunch

Informed urgency needed to help improve schools

The report of Minnesota school stu-dents from low-income families being denied a hot school lunch raises a major question as to who is responsible for feed-ing hungry students in school. Clearly, the will of the people is that no student should go through the school day hungry. Most agree it is the responsibility of parents to make sure children eligible for a reduced-price lunch either have a bag lunch or the 40-cent co-pay in their lunch account needed to get a hot meal. The same holds for parents who are not eligible for reduced-price meals in school cafeterias. A spokesperson for Legal Aid said this week it believes the same pay-ment policies are applied to all students, regardless of ability to pay for a hot lunch. The survey by Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid found that 46 school districts eventu-ally, after some effort at collection, deny children a lunch if they don’t have the 40 cents to pay for it. The survey comes on the heels of reports from Utah where stu-dents were denied meals because of lack of payment. The Utah incidents high-lighted the situation here. In fact, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid has been advocat-ing for the past six years to prohibit this practice in Minnesota. The survey found that another 166

districts provide an alternative – fruit, a cheese or peanut butter sandwich and a carton of milk – while the rest of the dis-tricts, including Minneapolis and Anoka-Hennepin, serve hot lunches to those who qualify for reduced-price lunches. Judging from reaction, this issue has engaged many Minnesotans who are choosing sides on the issue of the respon-sibility of government to feed hot lunches and breakfasts to students who come to school hungry for whatever reason. We believe that the child should not suffer because of neglectful parents, par-ticularly if they have to sit in school feel-ing the pangs of hunger. The focus of this discussion is on those students who qualify for a reduced-price lunch based on the family’s annual income. The bottom line is who should pay the 40 cents for a hot lunch when the family can’t or forgets to do so in a timely fash-ion. The answer comes down to the local school district administration and poli-cies approved by the school board. Bud-gets are set and most districts expect the lunch program to be self-supporting. However, the priority of all school dis-tricts ought first to be how can we get all

children fed, not how can we get all the meals paid for. It’s hard to blame the local school food service department that most likely is fol-lowing orders and guidelines to provide meals while staying within their budgets. But policies that deny a student a meal or send a student home with an ink-stamped hand as a reminder that payment is due are cruel, mean and simply wrong. No child should be punished or humiliated in such a fashion because an adult has failed their personal responsibility. We believe local taxpayers would pay more if they knew those additional funds would go directly to pay for hot lunches for students from low-income families. We also believe most districts can be cre-ative in finding solutions that are respect-ful to struggling families who want to pay, but need more time. Meanwhile, this survey has so stirred up the public that the Legislature will likely pass a bill making sure every stu-dent who qualifies for a reduced-price lunch will get a hot meal. That will re-quire an estimated expenditure of $3.5 million. Gov. Mark Dayton is including the $3.5 million in his supplemental bud-get that will be considered this session. The state has a budget surplus, meaning the funds are available. It is unfortunate that a proposal in the last session to pro-

vide this funding fell on deaf ears and was eliminated from the budget. The focus alone on this issue will help solve the problem as local school boards examine their policies and procedures and hold accountable administrators to make sure no child is denied a lunch. School districts that carry a healthy food service fund balance do not face budget problems. The Legal Aid survey also drew a re-sponse from the commissioner of educa-tion. Calling the substance of the sur-vey “quite troubling,” Brenda Cassellius wrote to superintendents in all districts last week: “Like me, I know that none of you would deny a child a nutritious lunch intentionally. I am hoping you will speak with your Food Service Directors regard-ing this information and find ways to en-sure children are never turned away from receiving a hot meal.” Legislators should pass this legislation so that all children eligible for free-and-reduced lunches, no matter the economic circumstances of their parents, are pro-vided a hot school lunch so that they can learn their lessons.

This is an opinion from the ECM Publish-ers Editorial Board. Sun Thisweek and the Dakota County Tribune are part of ECM Publishers Inc.

by Joe NathanSUN THISWEEK


Two of the nation’s most intriguing and one of the nation’s most controver-sial school reform advocates spoke in Minnesota Feb. 6. The conference, con-vened by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, opened with sobering statis-tics. While Minnesota schools rank well in many areas, we are 48th in high school graduation rates for American Indians, 49th for African Americans and 50th for Hispanic students. About 250 parents, business commu-nity members, legislators, teachers and others gathered to listen, learn and list possible next steps. The two highlights for me were hearing from George Parker and Kati Haycock. Parker grew up in the rural south. His family members were “share-croppers” – among the poorest of the poor. His father completed fifth grade, his mother completed third. Parker taught math for 30 years in the Washington, D.C., public schools. He be-came a teacher in part because “many of my teachers inspired me. They would not let my family’s poverty be an excuse.” In 2005 teachers elected him to be their union president. He recalls having “typical teacher union president atti-tudes. Some things were sacred, includ-ing protecting seniority and opposing teacher evaluation tied to student perfor-

mance.” He began to change after he spoke one day in a third-grade classroom. Af-ter he told students that his job was to “make sure you have the best teachers,” a little girl hugged him. As he left the school, Parker thought, “I lied to those children.” The union had just spent $10,000 to retain a teacher that “I wouldn’t want working with my grandchildren.” He reconsidered some of his ideas, and “began to focus on child-based rather than adult-based” de-cisions. Working with Michelle Rhee, the dis-trict’s chancellor (what Minnesotans call “superintendent”), Parker negotiated a new contract that increased teacher pay, included student performance as part of the evaluation and reduced seniority as a criterion when layoffs were needed. While some teachers strongly objected, “more than 80 percent of the teachers voted in favor of the contract.” Parker is clear (and I think right) that the most effective schools have strong principals and well-designed profession-

al development. He points out that the best schools serving students from low-income families have more time with stu-dents. He also thinks teachers deserve “a good base pay, with performance mea-sures on top.” Parker’s views complement those of Kati Haycock, president of a research and advocacy group, Education Trust. Haycock has many awards for her care-ful research and use of data to highlight problems and describe outstanding el-ementary and secondary public schools as well as colleges and universities. She thinks Americans need to work si-multaneously inside and outside schools to help young people. I agree. For Hay-cock, poverty absolutely is a problem that urgently needs work. She also urges learning from strong early childhood pro-grams and from public schools around the country that are producing excellent results with students from low-income families. Unfortunately, “We are taking the diversity that should be our competi-tive advantage in the international mar-ketplace and obliterating it,” she said. Her data-packed slide show presentation is available at tinyurl.com/EdTrust214. Another speaker was Michelle Rhee, former D.C. school chancellor, who is one of the nation’s most controversial educators. Parker currently works part time with her. Rhee has founded a group called Students First, which recently rat-ed Minnesota’s school reform efforts as

a D. She was asked why her group rated Minnesota so much lower than some other states when, overall, Minnesota has better results. Rhee responded that she focuses on what states are doing to improve. There’s an ongoing, intense de-bate about Rhee’s record in D.C. (See, for example, tinyurl.com/l9nl7tu.) The conference opened with Jeff DeY-oung, managing partner of a local firm that provides audit, tax, wealth man-agement and other services. DeYoung praised teachers at Central High School in St. Paul, where his children received what he described as a “fine education.” He also feels improvements are needed urgently because “too many of our chil-dren’s friends didn’t finish.” Informed urgency is what Amy Wal-stien, the Chamber’s director of educa-tion and workforce development policy, wants. She told me, “Our goal was to introduce the business community to national figures with ideas for common-sense reforms in Minnesota, highlight some great local initiatives and ignite a greater sense of urgency for changes to the education system.”

Joe Nathan, formerly a Minnesota pub-lic school teacher, administrator and PTA president, directs the Center for School Change. Reactions welcome, [email protected]. Columns reflect the opinion of the author.

Sun Thisweek

ColumnistJoe Nathan

ECM Editorial

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Man charged in attempted copper theft A Minneapolis man faces felony charges after alleged-ly attempting to steal copper from the vacant Lockheed Martin building in Eagan. Austin Jeffrey Jones, 22, of Minneapolis, was charged on Feb. 18 with fel-ony third-degree burglary in connection to the break-in. According to the crimi-nal complaint, an Eagan police officer noticed Jones and another man pulling a sled on Feb. 14 from the Ar-gosy University parking lot at 1515 Central Parkway to the Lockheed Martin prop-erty. At some point, they be-gan running toward the building, which has a “No Trespassing” signed posted outside, and the officer or-dered them to stop. When they continued to run, the officer chased them on foot, but was unable to catch up with them before they en-tered the building. Other officers arrived soon after and set up a pe-rimeter around the building. One of the men’s father came to the scene and told officers that another man and Jones, who had called him, were “scared and want-ed to come out.” Eventually, the men agreed to come out and were arrested. Officers found freshly cut copper piping in the Lock-heed Martin building and two bags containing 150 pounds of copper piping on a sidewalk between Argosy and Central Parkway. Jones was convicted of felony motor vehicle theft in 2009 when he was 17 and has misdemeanor convic-tions for driving without a license and underage alco-hol consumption in 2011 and 2012. If convicted, he could face up to five years in pris-on. No charges have been filed to date against Jones’ alleged accomplice.

— Jessica Harper

Members of the Los Puerto Ricans team plunged into the icy waters of Crystal Lake in Burnsville on Saturday, Feb. 22, as part of the annual South Metro Polar Bear Plunge. Polar Bear Plunge events are organized by Minnesota law-enforcement groups to raise money for Special Olympics Minnesota. Plungers at Crystal Lake swam or walked a short distance to shore before hustling into a warm-up tent. A total of 878 plungers were registered for the event, raising $197,000 in pledges, according to the event web-site. (Photo by John Gessner)

University of Min-nesota, Twin Cities, fall dean’s list, from Farm-ington – Brenda Beck-with, Nathan Bjerke, Meredith Gulsvig, Chloe Halvorson, Ja-cob Hauschild, Rachel Johnson, Ashley Mattei, Mariah Mincke, Mad-eline Murphy, Megan Naylor, Emily Peetsch, Riley Seitz, Erin Wyn-ings; from Rosemount – Olufemi Adams, Riley Boeckman, Quan Doan, Alexander Eshelman, Mitchell Fang, Matthew Foley, Cody Foster, Abby Gross, Megan Hedtke, Claire Holtz, Sarah Hornisch, Christina Marie Johnson, Connor Johnson, Adam Kutz, Narlina Lalani, Nicole Laumer, Rachel Linde-man, Chrissy MacCon-nell, Titus Mathew, Jake Matras, Layna Mestad, Kaitlin Murgic, Bethany Nelson, Sydney Newton, Alexander Pham, Shane Robertson, Christopher Schott, Zachary Tollef-son, Paul Wollersheim. University of Wis-consin-Milwaukee, fall dean’s list, Brandon Wolf of Rosemount. Carthage College, Kenosha, Wis., fall dean’s list, from Rose-mount – Kelly Kaderlik, Ann Zaske. University of Nebras-ka-Lincoln, fall dean’s list, Madeline Smith of Rosemount. Arizona State Univer-sity, Tempe, fall dean’s list, Kristina Terhaar of Rosemount. University of Iowa, Iowa City, fall dean’s list, from Rosemount – Meghan Schuster, Erin Marshall. Bemidji State Uni-versity, fall dean’s list, from Farmington – Erik Allstot, Cody Madison, Eric Oslund, Samuel Pe-terson; from Rosemount

The ISD 196 high schools will host the Prom Dress ReSale Event and Expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at Eastview High School, 6200 140th St. W., Apple Valley. The event is free and open to the public. All dresses will be priced from $10 to $80 with most priced in the $30 to $40 range. The event will include more than 30 prom-re-

lated vendors, ranging from hair/nail salons and tuxedo rental services to florists and jewelry/acces-sory sellers. All will offer a special discount for expo attendees. The goal of this event is to help reduce the cost of going to prom. Contact Jodi Hanson at 952-431-8920 or [email protected] for more information.

Education

College News

Community Education

Winter waterland

– Kaneeshia Johnson, Hannah Lemke, Nathan-iel Martin, Melissa Mc-Neill, Evans Mochama, Melanie Simonson. St. Cloud State Uni-versity, fall graduate, Adam Tupa of Rose-mount, A.A., liberal arts and sciences. University of Wis-consin-Whitewater, fall dean’s list, Sarah Benson of Rosemount. University of Minne-sota, Morris, fall dean’s list, from Rosemount – Kennedy Erdmann, John Malecha.

Farmington Communi-ty Education will offer the following classes. Call 651-460-3200 for more informa-tion. Tuesday, March 4: De-veloping Your Business Plan (Black Hawk MS), Hips, Thighs & Otherwise (Crystal Lake Ed Center). Wednesday, March 5: Fencing (ARE), Adult Fencing (ARE). Friday, March 7: Baby-sitter Training (MVE). Saturday, March 8: Minecrafting: Survival Ba-sics (Grades 2-4) (FHS). Monday, March 10: Lifeguard Training, Mon-day-Thursday (DMS). Wednesday, March 12: Flame Painted Copper (Lakeville South HS). Saturday, March 15: Spring Swimming Lessons (DMS). Monday, March 17: Healthy Heart Yoga (af-ter school, ARE), Viking Weave Jewelry (Lakeville South HS). Tuesday, March 18: Healthy Heart Yoga (af-

ter school, RVE), Zumba (MVE). Wednesday, March 19: Fitness Yoga (MVE). Thursday, March 20: Celebration Plates (MVE), Magic Storytelling (MVE), Adult, Child and Infant CPR (MVE), Infant and Child CPR (MVE), Ball-room and Slow Dance for Beginners (DMS), Country Line Dance (DMS), Swing and Latin Dance (DMS), Zumba (FHS). Monday, March 24: LEGO Machines: Pulleys (MVE), Spring Art Sam-pler (ARE and NTE), Be-ginning Excel (MVE). Tuesday, March 25: Grand Masters of Chess (MVE), LEGO Machines: Pulleys (ARE), Spring Art Sampler (RVE.) Wednesday, March 26: LEGO Machines: Pulleys (RVE), Spring Art Sampler (MVE). Thursday, March 27: Grand Masters of Chess (RVE), LEGO Machines: Pulleys (NTE), Spring Art Sampler (FES).

Prom sale and expo set

Parenting series features author Toni Schutta Toni Schutta will pres-ent “The New Self Es-teem: Creating a Mind-set for Success” at a free parenting workshop from 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, March 3, in the audito-rium at Lakeville South High School. Schutta will reveal the secrets to help-ing children be more suc-

cessful in school, athletics and life. This parenting series is co-sponsored by school districst 192 and 194, the Community Educa-tion and Early Childhood Family Education depart-ments and Farmington Schools Parent Teacher Partnerships.

Shooting Sports and Wildlife open house set The Dakota County 4-H Shooting Sports and Wildlife Program will have an open house from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, at the Dakota County Extension and Conserva-tion Center, 4100 220th St. W., Farmington. The program is open to all 4-H members (in third grade and up) from Da-kota County.

During the summer months the program pro-vides training and experi-ence in a variety of disci-plines, such as archery, air rifle, shotgun, .22 rifle and muzzle-loading firearms. A year-round wildlife component provides edu-cation and activities in en-vironmental and wildlife management topics. Youth in the program

also have the opportunity to participate in the 4-H shooting sports tourna-ment held at the end of the summer. For more information about 4-H, or to locate a 4-H club in your area, visit the Dakota County 4-H website at www.extension.umn.edu/county/dakota, call 651-480-7700 or email [email protected].

Rosemount The following activities are sponsored by the Rose-mount Parks and Recre-ation Department and the Rosemount Area Seniors. For more information, call the Rosemount Parks and Recreation Department at 651-322-6000. Sunday, March 2 – Vel-vet Tones Concert, 2 p.m., Eastview High School. Monday, March 3 – Bridge, 9 a.m., Do Drop Inn; Tax Assistance, 9 a.m., Rosemount Community Center; 500, 1 p.m., DDI. Tuesday, March 4 – Cof-fee, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Rose-mount Cub; Bid Euchre, 9 a.m., DDI; BP Checks, 11 a.m., RCC; Catered Lunch, 11:30 a.m., RCC, RSVP re-quired. Wednesday, March 5 – Water Color Painting, 9 a.m., DDI; Velvet Tones, 10 a.m., Apple Valley Se-nior Center. Thursday, March 6 – Bingo, 1 p.m., DDI. Friday, March 7 – Eu-chre, 9 a.m., DDI; Bowl-ing, 1 p.m., Apple Place in Apple Valley. AARP Senior Tax As-sistance – Tax help is avail-able on a first-come, first-served, walk-in basis from 9 a.m. to noon at the Rose-mount Community Center (Room 212) each Monday from Feb. 10 to April 14. Bring all necessary forms. To find out specific items

needed or for more in-formation, call AARP at 1-888-687-2277. “Always a Bridesmaid” at the DayTrippers Din-ner Theatre – Wednesday, March 19. Buffet lunch served prior to the stage production of “Always a Bridesmaid,” a com-edy about six high school friends who make a vow to be in each other’s wed-dings no matter what. Cost is $50; includes show, meal,

bus, and gratuity. The bus will depart from the Rose-mount Community Center at 11:30 a.m. and return at 4 p.m. Registration dead-line is Monday, March 10. The Rosemount Area Seniors “Do Drop Inn” is open to senior citizens 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday. The room is located in the Rosemount Commu-nity Center and allows se-niors a place to stop by and socialize during the week.

Seniors


Holberg: ‘16 years is a

long time’ by Laura Adelmann


Republican fiscal and social conservative lead-er state Rep. Mary Liz Holberg will not seek re-election to the Minnesota House this fall. Holberg, of Lakeville, announced her decision not to seek a ninth term in office at the Republican caucus in Farmington on Saturday. “It was a tough deci-sion,” Holberg said. “It’s certainly a job I love. It’s exciting and you learn new things and I’ve gotten to work with people across the state … but 16 years is

a long time.” Holberg said she de-cided it is “time to move on,” but plans to remain in-volved in community issues and volunteering. She said she will not endorse a successor, but invites anyone who is in-terested to call her to learn more about the opportuni-ties. During what will be-come her last legislative session, Holberg is hoping several privacy bills she has authored will pass into law. One regulates the stor-age and use of license plate images taken by police and another strengthens medi-cal privacy protections. Since she was elected in 1998, Holberg has built a reputation as a tough fiscal conservative, leading the powerful Ways and Means

Committee after Republi-cans swept the House and Senate in the 2010 election. Her solid grasp of bud-get details has impressed many, including state Rep. Patrick Garofalo, R-Farm-ington, who was unani-mously re-endorsed by Republican delegates for House District 58B at the convention. Garofalo called Hol-berg’s announcement “a huge loss for the conser-vative movement and the state of Minnesota.” “There are few people who have her level of sub-ject matter expertise,” Ga-rofalo said, “especially on the budget.” He said he is grateful for the support of the Re-publican Party through the endorsement. He called it “the first

step to what I hope will be a very successful 2014 for Republicans up and down the ballot. Minnesotans are fed up with one-party control and the disastrous results that have followed in the form of Obam-aCare, skyrocketing taxes, and hundreds of millions in wasteful spending.” State Sen. Dave Thomp-son, who came in second in the GOP straw poll to chal-lenge Gov. Mark Dayton in November, said Holberg served as an inspiration to him when he first was elect-ed to the Senate in 2010. “I was honored to become her colleague,” Thompson said. “She was someone I could look at and feel that if I were to do things the way she did them, I was probably was going to be a good legisla-

tor.” Holberg’s friend, Lake-ville School Board Mem-ber Michelle Volk, credited Holberg for sticking to her conservative principles in her 16 years while DFLers usually held the House ma-jority. “Some of those ses-sions were pretty tough,” Volk said. “I also appreci-ate how she’s admired by the other side as somebody who’s fair and principled. You always know where she stands, whether you agree with her or not.” Holberg said when she was first elected she made a point to do her research and be well prepared. She said she worked hard to understand her po-litical opponents’ perspec-tives, helped in part by her upbringing that included

her large family caring for a steady stream of foster children. “It was not unusual for us to have 10-12 kids in our house,” Holberg said. “And the number one rule was if you’re unhappy, you couldn’t complain un-less you’re willing to offer a solution and work to do something to change it. That value stuck with me.” As for the budget, Hol-berg said she has always been good with numbers and devoted herself to finding the answers she needed to make good pol-icy decisions. Garofalo called Holberg “an aggressive defender of the taxpayer” who has also stood up for data privacy issues.

Lakeville’s Mary Liz will not seek re-election

See HOLBERG, 13A

2014 Tax Guide

Don’t let gravity be your downfall.

One in three. That’s how many adults over 65fall each year in the United States. Becauseolder bones break more easily, falling injuriesfor seniors can be traumatic. Staying activeand strong is key — along with making homeenvironments as safe as possible. For moreinfo on senior fitness and home safety, visitorthoinfo.org and nata.org.


Rosemount artist wins juried award Rita Corrigan, a long-time Rosemount resident, won first place in the Juried Art Show at the Benedictine Center in Maplewood for her abstract work, “Supe-rior Sunrise,” which shows the sun breaking through the clouds as reflected in the flowing water. Last year, Corrigan won second place in the art con-test with a painting called “Resurrection.” The juried exhibit, called Seeing God, features area artists whose creative pro-cess captures a sense of the divine when seeing the world. More than 30 art-ists submitted their work, which will be on display at St. Paul’s Monastery un-til March 1. The top three winners share a $375 prize. Corrigan has been paint-ing all her life, focusing most recently on landscapes of northern Minnesota and scenes from travel abroad. Her award-winning paint-ing reflects an early morn-ing walk along the shores of Lake Superior soon after

her mother’s death. “The earth was just starting to warm,” she said. “I was having difficulty working through the pain, but the new day promised beauty and the reflection of a God who does not forget us even in our pain.” Rita and her husband, Don, have lived in Rose-mount for more than 40

years and have raised five children. She taught art for 25 years at St. Joseph Cath-olic School and in the Rose-mount public school sys-tem. Don Corrigan, retired since 2011, owned Corrigan Electric, a company estab-lished by his father in 1932. In addition to her cur-rent exhibit at St. Paul’s Monastery, her paintings

are featured at the Sher-burne County Government Center in Elk River until March 27. Frameworks Gallery in St. Paul will exhibit her work from March 1 thru May 31; as will Hudson Hospital in Hudson, Wis., through the Healing Arts Program, from March 12 thru June 16. The Seeing God exhibit is part of the Benedictine Center’s Art & Spirituality series designed to show how art sustains and expands the spiritual imagination and deepens awe for the beauty of creation. The center sponsors five exhibits annually, featuring area artists. They are open to the public free of charge from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more informa-tion, call 651-777-7251 or email [email protected]\. The Benedictine Center, a min-istry of the Benedictine Sis-ters at St. Paul’s Monastery, is located at 2675 Road in Maplewood.

Rita Corrigan, of Rosemount, won first place in the Ju-ried Art Show at the Benedictine Center in Maplewood for her abstract work, “Superior Sunrise,” which shows the sun breaking through the clouds as reflected in the flowing water. (Image submitted)

Figure skating The third annual Legacy on Ice Figure Skating Show titled “Blades on Broad-way” will be presented by Heritage Figure Skating Club and the Lakeville and Farmington Learn to Skate programs at 7 p.m. March 21 and 22 at Hasse Arena, 8525 215th St. W., Lake-ville. Ticket sales begin at 6 p.m. at the arena. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students under 18 and se-niors over 55. Visit www.HeritageFSC.org for more information.

Breakfast The Farmington Knights of Columbus will hold a pancake breakfast from 9 a.m. to noon Sun-day, March 2, at Church of St. Michael, 22120 Den-mark Ave. Pancakes, French toast, sausage links and scram-bled eggs will be served along with coffee, juice and water.

Library events During its remodel-ing project, the Farming-ton Library is located in temporary space on the second floor of City Hall, 430 Third St. in downtown Farmington. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Monday and Tues-day, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sat-urday. The library is closed on Sunday. • Farmington Library Afternoon Book Group, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, at Dunn Bros Coffee, 20700 Chippendale Ave. W., Farmington. The group will discuss “Popu-lation, 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time” by Michael Perry. • Storytime for All Ages, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Friday, March 7. Stories and ac-tivities for mixed-ages such as child care groups and families. Ages 0-6. Call 651-438-0250 for more information.

News Briefs


them to get moving on some things and that was good because sometimes, people need that to get go-ing.” The numbers show that teachers and students were engaged. According to Pickens, an average day for Schoology would include about 4,000 visits from stu-dents. On Monday, there were 4,318 visits and on Friday that number jumped to 5,234. “By looking at the graph, you would never know that kids weren’t physically at school these days,” Pickens said. “The learning certainly contin-ued.” Parents were logging on as well. On Monday, there were 200 visits through par-ent accounts. On Friday, the district saw its highest number of parents logging on at 717 visits. “We noticed a spike in average visit time from stu-dents,” Pickens said. “Stu-dents normally stay within a page for about 13 minutes per visit. On Friday, this number spiked to 24 min-utes per visit on average, which is about 85 percent

longer.” Most of the activity dur-ing the flexible learning day happened in the morning, Pickens said, as students logged on to find assign-ments from teachers and then completed those as-signments. For students like Lau-ren Anton, a seventh-grade student at Dodge Middle School, Friday’s snow day was much easier to figure out since she had already gone through it once with the Presidents Day break. She logged on at about 10 a.m. and found assign-ments for math, literature, language and physical edu-cation. She likes that the district now has the option for digital learning days but also felt it amounted to a lot of extra homework, something they would not have had to do if they were in school. She spent approximately two hours doing homework Friday and then finished some of her homework Sunday after returning from a basketball tourna-ment in Rochester. Be-cause of the digital nature of her work, she was able to download some of the

homework and work on it while going to the tourna-ment. “Personally, I am a

huge supporter of the digital learning days,” said Andrew Lupkowski, a ju-nior at Farmington High

School and a student repre-sentative on Farmington’s School Board. “Students have the abil-ity to not go to school but still learn from a different environment,” he said. “Digital learning days also allow students to be ‘flexible’ with their sched-ules and balance them, which is a very important life skill to have. I truly think students are still learning the information even though they aren’t in school. I would much rather continue the school day on the snow day then have to add school days to the calendar.” He said he has heard mostly positive feedback since most students do not want to extend their school year later in June, but a few students are frustrated that they are doing school work on their day off. Others are not happy that they have a couple hours of home-work. A flexible learning day for middle school and high school students looks much different than a flexible learning day in the earliest grades of school. According to Ben Ja-nuschka, principal at

Farmington Elementary School, teachers in kinder-garten through third grade must plan for flexible learn-ing days much differently. Those students have ac-cess to iPads at school but don’t usually take them home. Teachers in the low-er grades have to take into consideration that those students will need help from parents with their work. While wanting students to continue learning when not in school, Januschka said teachers and staff are very aware that they don’t want to overload parents. Rachel Watson, a first-grade teacher at Farming-ton Elementary, sent an email to parents Friday morning. Earlier in the week, she had sent a packet of worksheets home with students in case there was a snow day. She also listed Internet apps students could use and additional reading. “As this is evolving. We are trying to figure out what is working and what is not working,” Januschka said. “But I do truly believe that this is going to be go-ing forward, not backward, because there is evidence of success.”

SNOW, from 1A

On Friday, Feb. 21, though Farmington Area Public Schools cancelled school because of heavy snow, learning was still in session. After implementing a flexible learn-ing policy earlier in the month, teachers sent assignments through Schoology, the district’s digital learning plat-form. Students in fourth through 12th grades used their iPads to log on and complete those assignments. Younger students like Timmy Kondratyuk, a first-grade student at Farmington Elementary, completed homework packets sent home earlier in the week, logged on to the Internet to use apps and completed reading assignments. Timmy’s teacher, Rachel Watson, sent an email to parents on Fri-day letting them know what students could work on that day. Kindergarten through third-grade students used mini iPads at school but do not usually take them home. (Pho-to by Jennifer Chick)


SportsIt’s North vs. Farmington in title game

Tigers take 18-game winning

streak into section final

by Mike ShaughnessySUN THISWEEK


For the first time since 2009, there will not be a Lakeville North vs. Lakeville South final in the Section 1AA boys hockey tournament. No. 1-seeded Lakeville North will be in the cham-pionship game – and will seek its third consecutive Section 1AA title – after

winning its first two sec-tion games by a combined 18-2. But this time the op-ponent will be No. 2-seed-ed Farmington, which defeated Lakeville South 5-4 in a semifinal game Monday night on Austin Martinsen’s goal at 4:50 of the second overtime. The Panthers and Ti-gers will play for the sec-tion title at 7 p.m. Thurs-day at Rochester Rec Center. Both teams have had long undefeated streaks this season. The victory over Lakeville South stretched Farmington’s

winning streak to 18 games and its undefeated streak to 19. Both are the longest current streaks in the state. Lakeville North had a 13-game winning streak and 19-game undefeated streak before losing to Prior Lake in its last reg-ular-season game. Farmington (23-3-1) appeared to be in dire straits after falling behind Lakeville South 4-1 in the second period. Goals by Justin Novak, Jack Er-ickson and Tanner Grubb brought the Tigers even and set up Martinsen’s

game-winner in the sec-ond overtime. Grubb had two goals, and Novak had a goal and two assists for the Ti-gers, who outshot Lakev-ille South 47-26. Patrick Lauderdale, Drew Byers, Tony Dahl-berg and Andrew Cook scored for Lakeville South, which finished 9-18. Nick Swaney had two assists. John Siebenaler had a hat trick and Martinsen had two goals and three assists in Farmington’s 10-2 section quarterfinal victory over Rochester

John Marshall on Feb. 22. Lakeville North fired 68 shots on goal, includ-ing 30 in the third period, in its 7-1 semifinal victory over Owatonna last Satur-day. Jack Poehling scored twice for the Panthers (22-4-1), and Tristen Hazlett had a goal and two assists. In a quarterfinal game Feb. 21, North outshot Dodge County 62-11 en route to an 11-1 victory. Jack Poehling – one of three Poehling brothers on the roster – scored a hat trick, and Nick Poe-hling had a goal and two assists. Max Johnson

scored twice and Jack McNeely picked up three assists. Lakeville North and Lakeville High School teams have been in the state tournament seven times since 2002. Farm-ington is seeking its first trip to state since 2000, when the Tigers played in the Class A tournament. The Section 1AA champion will play in the state quarterfinals March 6 at Xcel Energy Center. Pairings for the quarter-final round are not ex-pected to be made until Saturday.

Fourth place fine with Irish gymnastsBeing at state meet was accomplishment in itself for Rosemount



Whether they intended to or not, Rosemount’s gymnasts struck a blow for multi-sport athletes. Some view gymnastics as the ultimate special-ized sport, one in which an athlete has to train year-round to have any chance to excel. Rosemount, ap-pearing in the state Class AA team competition for the first time in 21 years, finished fourth last Friday at the University of Min-nesota. Every Irish var-sity gymnast competes in at least one other sport, coach Jason Passeri said. “We don’t have a year-round gym, and we don’t have one girl who’s in the gym year-round,” Passeri said. “Northfield (which finished second in the state meet) has a year-round gym and their kids train four or five days a week in the off-season. Roseville (which won its third con-secutive state champion-ship) has a gymnastics club in its high school building.” Rosemount scored 145.775 points at the state team competition, about one point lower than the season high it had at the Section 3AA meet. The Irish’s score was dragged down by an uneven per-formance on uneven bars, followed by a lower-than-expected team score on balance beam. While it would have been difficult for Rosemount to catch Roseville or Northfield –

both of which scored more than 150 points – better scores on bars and beam might have brought third-place Wayzata (148.65) into range. “We liked where we stood after two events because we had almost 37.8 on floor (exercise) and 37.6 on vault,” Pas-seri said. “We went to bars and had one of our low-est scores (34.425) of the season. We did better on beam, but that was still the lowest beam score we’ve had in our last five meets.” But, considering that none of the current Irish gymnasts were alive the last time Rosemount was at the state team competi-tion, they were not stress-ing out about their scores. “That was not a con-cern,” Passeri said. “We were excited to be here. We always want to do our best and put up the best score we can, but we really just wanted to enjoy ourselves here.” It might not be as long a wait between state trips as only two of Rosemount’s top 12 gymnasts – Kailey Askew and Megan Busse – are seniors. “We just knew it had been a long time, like 20 years” since Rosemount had been at the state meet, sophomore Abby Nelson said. “We were nervous, but we were proud to be here. And I thought we did really well for a team that doesn’t do as much off-season training as some of the others.” Nelson plays volley-

ball for Rosemount High School as well as a club program. Josey Schlie, the Irish’s top all-arounder, also is a soccer player. The Rosemount gymnas-tics roster includes Rachel Schow, who won two hur-dles races at the 2013 state track and field meet. Nelson juggled gym-nastics with playing and practicing with the Ham-merhead Volleyball Club. “It’s a little more low-key, so they understood if I had to miss a practice because of a gymnastics meet,” Nelson said. “In

the spring, I’ll go to vol-leyball twice a week and gymnastics three times a week.” In the state team com-petition, Schlie turned in a score of 9.65, which Passeri said included a three-tenths deduction. Shannon McCoy (9.425), Nelson (9.4) and Askew (9.3) also counted toward the team total. Meghan Creese had the Irish’s top score on vault with 9.575. Rosemount’s other four competitors in the event – Askew, Nel-son, McCoy and Schlie –

all scored 9.225 or better. Schlie had Rosemount’s best scores on beam (9.475) and bars (9.025). In Saturday’s state indi-vidual competition, Schlie placed 19th all-around with 36.875. Creese scored 9.525 on vault to finish 10th and Schlie was 13th

with 9.5. Schlie (9.225) and McCoy (9.075) were 15th and 19th on balance beam. Schlie scored 9.625 on floor exercise to place 10th.

Email Mike Shaughnessy at [email protected].

Meghan Creese competes for Rosemount on balance beam during the state Class AA team meet. (Photo by Mike Shaughnessy)

Josey Schlie was one of Rosemount’s top performers at the state Class AA gymnastics meet. (Photo by Mike Shaughnessy)

Rosemount diver to defend state title

Class AA meet starts Thursday



Rosemount senior Daniel Monaghan will defend his 1-meter diving championship at the state Class AA boys swimming and diving meet this week at the University of Min-nesota Aquatic Center. Some of Monaghan’s toughest competition might be other divers from the South Suburban Conference. Eagan senior Toby Heller was fourth at state last year, and Eagan sophomores Nic Lemieux and Alex Crow also quali-fied. Also taking part in the diving preliminaries at 6 p.m. Thursday are Apple Valley junior Car-son Scholberg, Eastview sophomore Nick Kilen and Eastview senior Tuck-er Hoffman. Farmington junior Jonathan Bovee, a future South Suburban Conference diver (Farm-ington joins the league in 2014-15), also will com-pete at the state meet. Class AA swimming preliminaries are 6 p.m. Friday, with the swim-ming and diving finals at 6 p.m. Saturday. One of the top Dakota County swimmers in the state meet is Lakeville South senior Mitch Her-rera, who will compete in both distance freestyle

races. Herrera was fourth in both the 200- and 500-yard freestyle races at the 2013 state meet. This year, he is seeded second in the 500 and ninth in the 200. Lakeville North’s An-drew Trepanier holds a unique distinction as the only seventh-grader to qualify for the Class AA state meet in an individual event. Trepanier is the No. 5 seed at state in the 100 butterfly and the third seed in the 100 backstroke. Lakeville South has the fourth-fastest seed time in the 400 freestyle relay. Lakeville North is the fourth seed in the 200 freestyle relay and Eagan is the sixth seed in the 200 medley relay. A South Suburban Conference swimmer, Pri-or Lake sophomore Mar-shall Heskin, is the No. 1 seed in the 100 butterfly. Several Lake Confer-ence teams are expected to battle for the team cham-pionship. Eden Prairie is defending state cham-pion, while Minnetonka won the Class AA divi-sion at the 2014 state True Team meet. Eagan, the South Sub-urban Conference and Section 3AA champion, also is among the teams looking for a place on the awards stand.


Wrestlers go for gold this weekendState individual

tourney is at Xcel Energy Center



Numerous wrestlers from Dakota County will compete in the individual portion of the state tour-nament this weekend – including 14 from Apple Valley. Yes, that’s one quali-fier at every weight for the Eagles, who are favored to win the Class 3A team championship Thurs-day before the individual tourney is held Friday and Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. Apple Valley had 13 champions and one runner-up at the Section 3 individual tournament Feb. 22 at Eagan High School. Eastview had four state qualifiers – including George Farmah, the only wrestler not from Apple Valley to win a weight class in Section 3. Farm-ington had five individual qualifiers from the Sec-tion 1 tournament, setting a school record. Roemount sends three wrestlers to the state tou-nament through Section 3. All finished second in their weight classes and all have more than 30 vic-tories. First-round matches in Class 3A begin at 1 p.m. Friday. The champion-ship round for all classes

is 7 p.m. Saturday. Here are the state qual-ifiers from local schools:

Apple Valley Kyle Rathman (106) – freshman, 33-9 record. Section 3 champion. Noah Buck (113) – freshman, 28-14. Section 3 champion. Gannon Volk (120) – senior, 35-6. Section 3 champion. State runner-up in 2013. Zach Chytka (126) – freshman, 19-3. Section 3 runner-up. Maolu Woiwor (132) – junior, 37-2. Section 3 champion. Two-time state champion. Seth Gross (138) – senior, 37-2. Section 3 champion. Two-time state champion. Brock Morgan (145) – sophomore, 37-4. Section 3 champion. Daivonte Young (152) – senior, 25-7. Section 3 champion. Jackson Graham (160) – senior, 24-5. Section 3 champion. Mark Hall (170) – sophomore, 41-0. Section 3 champion. Three-time state champion. Bobby Steveson (182) – junior, 31-1. Section 3 champion. Gable Steveson (195) – eighth-grader, 34-2. Sec-tion 3 champion. Paul Cheney (220) – senior, 39-1. Section 3 champion. Defending state champion.

Lord Josh Hyeamang (285) – senior, 37-3. Sec-tion 3 champion.

Eagan Naser Ali (106) – se-nior, 28-9. Section 3 run-ner-up. Joe Dubbels (145) – ju-nior, 29-8. Section 3 run-ner-up.

Eastview George Farmah (126) – junior, 32-5. Section 3 champion. Jacob Rukavina (160) – senior, 33-5. Section 3 runner-up. Luke Dodd (182) – ju-nior, 31-11. Section 3 run-ner-up. Nick Pegelow (195) – senior, 36-5. Section 3 runner-up.

Farmington Victor Gliva (106) – sophomore, 29-14. Sec-tion 1 runner-up. Jamin LeDuc (113) – sophomore, 35-5. Section 1 runner-up. Sixth in 2013 state tournament. Taylor Venz (126) – sophomore, 32-8. Section 1 champion. Champion at 106 in 2013 state tourna-ment. Kyle Benjamin (145) – junior, 8-4. Section 1 run-ner-up. Joe Hoeve (182) – se-nior, 34-6. Section 1 champion.

Lakeville North Wade Sullivan (113) – freshman, 32-5. Section 2

champion. Collin DeGrammont (126) – senior, 27-9. Sec-tion 2 runner-up. Lucas Westrich (160) – junior, 37-3. Section 2 champion. Fourth in 2013 state tournament. Tristyn Hanson (195) – junior, 38-3. Section 2 champion. Fifth at 182 in 2013 state tournament.

Lakeville South Dalton Peterson (145) – junior, 31-8. Section 2 champion. Mike Funchie (220) – senior, 20-13. Section 2 runner-up. Jon Zeidler (285) – ju-nior, 23-13. Section 2 run-ner-up.

Rosemount Jake Baker (113) – se-nior, 31-10. Section 3 run-ner-up. Adam Hedin (132) – sophomore, 38-4. Section 3 runner-up. Payton Otterdahl (285) – senior, 32-5. Section 3 runner-up.

Trinity School Dietrich Balsbaugh (152) – sophomore, 33-6. Class 1A, Section 4 cham-pion. Sam Swanson (170) – senior, 31-8. Class 1A, Section 4 champion.



SWIMMING/ 11TH GRADEBURNSVILLE

HIGH SCHOOL

GIRLS BASKETBALL12TH GRADE/FORWARDEAGAN HIGH SCHOOL

s o u t h m e t r o

The new music room at Farmington Elementary School is in part of the space once occupied by an old gym. Solar tubes in the ceiling let in so much natural light that on sunny days like last Monday, the indoor lighting does not even need to be turned on. The new music room is almost twice the size of the old one. (Photo by Jennifer Chick)

Much of the money in the $6.23 million renovation project at Farmington Elementary School went to upgrades tucked away from the public eye. Heating and ventilation systems in the 60-year-old building were upgraded to meet today’s codes and indoor environmental air standards. (Photo by Jennifer Chick)

and the food service staff didn’t miss one. He cred-its Chartwells Dining Ser-vices, the district’s food service provider, with the smooth transition. The new cafeteria was done the week before Christmas break so there were a few test runs to de-termine the best setup for traffic and serving flow before it was put to use full time in January. “We basically feed 630 kids in less than an hour, and it’s organized chaos,” Januschka said. Staff and students are happy with the changes, which include a new serv-ing line setup, a flip in the layout, new windows and flooring, brand new

kitchen equipment, and a new loading dock right off the kitchen. “I was surprised at the number of students that commented on the changes,” Januschka said. “They were using HGTV phrases on it.” The old gym was split into use for the Kid Con-nect before- and after-school program and a new music room – a proj-ect that completed over Christmas break. The new music room is light and airy with natural light streaming in through so-lar tubes in the ceiling. Music teacher Doris Mc-Namara has almost twice as much space as before. Many of the most costly repairs and re-placements are tucked

away from the public eye. Carl Colmark, finance director for Farmington Area Public Schools, said much of the money went toward air handling up-grades. Farmington El-ementary opened in 1954 and many of those sys-tems were original to the building. “It needed a lot of up-grades,” Colmark said. “In particular, the heating and ventilation systems were not up to today’s code and indoor envi-ronmental air standards. When you’ve got a build-ing that is 60 years old, its systems just needed to be replaced and updated. I think it’s going to be a much healthier environ-ment.” Colmark said about 80

percent of the upgrades have been finished. Once students leave for summer break, crews will once again return to Farming-ton Elementary for phase three, which will include upgrading HVAC sys-tems in the third/fourth/fifth-grade wing, as well as maintenance such as painting, new flooring, and possibly new light-ing. Januschka said they are in a bit of a construc-tion planning lull, but planning will begin in March on the logistics of the last phase. “Our projects were well ahead of schedule,” Colmark said. “Every-thing went perfect, both from a budget standpoint and a schedule stand-point.”

UPGRADES, from 1A

the same chemicals as marijuana and are more effective. “(Those medications) have restricted, controlled use in terms of their quan-tity and quality and are sold in pharmacies,” Back-strom said. “We need to continue to study” these medications. It has been reported that allowing marijuana extracts in a pill or inhaler form could emerge in a compromise bill this ses-

sion. The current bill would allow marijuana to be sold in dispensaries that would be limited by size, with four counties having two or more, 45 having one and 38 having none. The proposal also details conditions for prescribing, licensing, growing and dispensing marijuana. The Minnesota Legisla-ture approved a bill to le-galize medical marijuana in 2009, but former Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed it.

Backstrom and Bel-lows are concerned that if a medical marijuana bill is passed it will result in in-creased illegal use. Eight of the 10 states with the highest percent-age of past-month mari-juana users are states with medical marijuana laws, according to a Substance Abuse Mental Health Ser-vices Association study. The study said five of the 10 states with the highest percentage of new youth marijuana users also are states with medi-

cal marijuana laws. Since 1996, when the first effective medical marijuana law passed, the Marijuana Policy Project says none of the 15 states with available data have experienced a statistically significant overall increase in youth marijuana use since the laws’ enactment, but several of the states have reported overall de-creases. Backstrom and Bel-lows say approving medi-cal marijuana sends the wrong message to youths.

They say that approv-ing it for legal use will lead to the perception that marijuana is harmless. “It seem incongruous to me we spent all this time and effort reducing tobac-co use and now we have this laissez-faire approach to marijuana,” Backstrom said. Marijuana has many more potential harmful impacts than smoking, Backstrom said. He said studies have shown that heavy mari-juana users report declines

in IQ, attention span and memory. Backstrom said mari-juana is a gateway drug to more serious substances like cocaine and metham-phetamine. “I can probably count on my hand the number of people who are in jail because of more serious drug crime who didn’t also use marijuana,” he said.

Email Tad Johnson at [email protected].

MARIJUANA, from 1A

Kindergarten and first-grade students from Farmington Elementary School spent the fall attending class at the district’s Instruction Service Center about 1 1/2 blocks away while their classrooms were being remodeled and expanded. In January, they returned to brighter, bigger classrooms with renovated bathrooms. (Photo by Jenni-fer Chick)


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4000 SALES

4030 Garage& Estate Sales

EDINA6825 Sally Lane (55439)

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4500 RENTALS / REAL ESTATE

4510 Apartments/Condos For Rent

1 & 2BR (2BA & 2 AC), $650 & $850

800/1200SF, Dishw, large balcony, Garage/$50mo.

16829 Toronto Ave SEPrior Lake 612-824-7554

Eagan, 2BR, lwr lvl. in-cludes utils, cbl, laundry $1000/mo. No S/P 651-454-4003

Farmington1BR Apartment

$645/mo.,Heat included

Garage available612-722-4887

Farmington: Studio & 2BR, On site laundry. Heat pd. No pets. 612-670-4777

Rosemount, 2 BR Off St. prkg. No Pets. Available NOW. $600 952-944-6808

4520 Townhomes/Dbls/Duplexes For Rent

LV: 3BR, 2.5 BA, TH. Off Dodd Rd & Cedar $1350 Avl. immed 612-868-3000

4530 Houses For Rent

Farmington, House 3&4 br, 2 ba, dbl gar w/appli-ances, fenced yard.Exc cond - must see! By Owner, Avail Mar, Apr or MayCall 612-804-7591.

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5500 EMPLOYMENT

5510 Full-time

ASPHALT CONSTRUCTION

LABORERPlehal Blacktopping, Inc. is expanding operations & has openings for asphalt laborers. Skid loader & as-phalt experience a plus. Class “A” - CDL driver li-cense a plus. Competitive compensation, w/benefits of Health, Dental, Life & 401K. Please apply in per-son at 13060 Dem Con Drive,Shakopee, MN 55379

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ChildcareAttention Teachers

and Teacher AidesVisitation Childcare Cen-ter a NAEYC accredited center in Mendota Heights has both full and part time teaching positions avail-able in the toddler and in-fant rooms. Full benefitsCome & join a team where the children are always first! Excellent ratios and a great working environ-ment. Inquiries call Anne 651-683-1739 fax resume 651-454-7144 or email

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CUSTOMER SERVICE AUTOMOTIVE TOOL

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SKIDLOADER/GRAD-ING CREW FOREMAN

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Education

TEACHERSNew Horizon Academy

HIRING FAIR at our Richfield location at the Best Buy Corporate offices at 7601 Penn Ave S Richfield, MN 55423 on Wednesday 3/5 from

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E.O.E.

SureFlo Inc. is currently taking applications for persons willing and able to travel the U.S. to install various conveyors in rental uniform handling plants. Required job skills include stick welding, ability to carry 100 pounds, famil-iarity with cutting steel to measurement, and ability to work in scissor lifts 20-30 feet off the ground. Can-didate must have a valid driver’s license and be able to be on the job site up to three weeks at a time. Man-datory pre-employment drug screen. Please e-mail resumes to [email protected] or fax to 320-453-3551.

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NEWSPAPER DELIVERY

Do you have some spare time on Thurs/Friday?Earn some extra cash! ECM DISTRIBUTION is looking for you! We currently have motor routes in Burnsville, Eagan, Apple Valley, Rosemount, Farming-ton, Lakeville. A typical route takes 1 to 2 hours. Motor routes require a reliable vehicle. Delivery time frames are long enough to allow flexibility for your schedule. Give us a call for more details.

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Office AssistantBurnsville commercial real estate office looking for Office Assistant. Position requires excellent skills in Excel, Word and Internet navigation in addition to superior bookkeeping and mathematical competen-cies. Candidate must be organized, able to work independently (as well as within a team), exhibit ac-curacy, attention to detail and analytical skills, as demonstrated by prior job experience. Professional-ism, flexibility, multi-task-ing ability and strong peo-ple skills a must. 30 hours per week, $14-$16/hour depending on experience.

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PT At Home: Secretary skills, computer. Must live in Eagan. $16/hr. [email protected]

Seasonal and Part-time Book

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Obituaries Engagements

Ginn/OblakJudge and Mrs. Charles

Phillip Ginn of Boone, North Carolina, an-nounce the engagement of their daughter, Jodie Caroletta Ginn, to Chris-topher Leonard Oblak, son of Thomas and Jill Oblak of Lakeville.

A July 2014 is planned at Fort Bragg North Car-olina.

Jodie is a graduate of Applalchian State Uni-versity and will graduate from the University of North Carolina with her Nursing degree in May 2014.

1st Lieutenant Oblak is a Rifle Company Execu-tive Officer with the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division stationed at Fort Bragg NC. He graduated from the United States Military Academy, at West Point in 2011 and Lakeville High School in 2007.

Following the wedding, the couple will reside in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Obituaries

“Given the recent NSA (data privacy violations), it really demonstrates she’s ahead of her time,” he said. Lakeville School Board Chair Roz Peterson, who is running against Rep. Will Morgan, DFL-Burnsville, for the neighboring 56B House seat, said she was disappointed to hear Hol-berg is leaving the House. “Mary Liz has been a huge asset to our commu-nity,” Peterson said. “You ask a lot of people close to the Capitol process, and they’ll tell you Mary Liz Holberg is an incredibly smart … effective legislator who has done a lot for pri-vacy rights and transporta-tion issues. She also has a lot of institutional knowl-edge from being such a big part of the process for such a long time.” Some have suggested Peterson may move into Holberg’s district to run unopposed, a notion she dismissed. “I would never have dreamed of moving,” Pe-terson said. “I’m not going to move. I’m committed to my area.” Senate District 58 Re-publican Party Caucus President Randy Pron-schinske said Holberg struggled with the decision to step down, and talked to him about it the night be-fore the convention. “She was torn on what to do,” he said. “It was hard.” Pronschinske called her

HOLBERG, from 6A resignation “sad” and de-scribed Holberg an accom-plished legislator who has gotten results. “She’s been an extreme-ly conservative representa-tive in the House,” he said.

“She’s supported her con-stituents extremely well.” He said he expects eight to 10 candidates to seek the Republican endorsement for the seat Holberg’s resig-nation opens.

Three individuals have already indicated to Pron-schinske their intention to seek the endorsement, he said, declining to name them until they decide to announce.

The district will hold a second convention to en-dorse a candidate for the race, likely to be held some-time during April 8-12, Pronschinske said. He noted that timeline

will allow the meeting be-fore the state convention and give potential candi-dates time to decide wheth-er to run. “It’s a big decision,” he said.


Shipping and/or Production Helpers

Bachman’s Inc. Lakeville Greenhouse. Seasonal

Positions $10.00 per hour. Starting March 3

Contact Eric 952-469-2102

Visit us atSunThisweek.com

Tenenz is a manufacturer and supplier of accounting and tax related products to practices across the coun-try. We have full and part time openings for moti-vated Sales/Service profes-sionals in our Bloomington headquarters. Your previ-ous call center, inbound & outbound sales or retail ex-perience will be a plus for you in this position. This IS NOT a seasonal position and does require a com-mitment to hours Monday thru Friday between 7:30 am and 7:00 pm, as well as some Saturdays during Tax season. Email qualifi-cations & requirements to: [email protected]

5540 Healthcare

CNA - Matrix Home Health Care Specialists is looking for Certified Nursing Assistants to work in their Residen-tial Home, opening this Spring in Burnsville. Evening & Overnight Shifts available. Must be on MN CNA Registry. Submit resumes to:

[email protected]


theater and arts briefs

theater and arts calendar

‘Vertigo’ in Rosemount The Steeple Center in Rosemount is hosting a screening of the film “Ver-tigo” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, as the second event in the ongoing Hitchcock Film Series sponsored by the Rosemount Area Arts Council. Tickets are $6. The Hitchcock series continues with “North by Northwest” on March 28, followed by “Psycho” on April 25. More informa-tion is at www.rosemoun-tarts.com.

Student art on display An ongoing art ex-hibit featuring the work of area elementary school students is on display at the Robert Trail Library, 14295 S. Robert Trail, Rosemount. Artwork by students from Red Pine Elementary School will be on display the month of March. An artists’ reception is 1-3 p.m. Sunday, March 2. Shannon Park Elemen-tary student art will be spotlighted in April (art-ists’ reception 1-3 p.m. April 6), followed by Dia-mond Path Elementary in

May (artists’ reception 1-3 p.m. May 4). The exhibit is spon-sored by the Rosemount Area Arts Council and the Robert Trail Library. For more information, visit www.rosemountarts.com.

Bluegrass rescheduled The Switched At Birth concert scheduled for Feb. 20 as part of the ongoing “Bluegrass at the Steeple Center” series was can-celed due to the inclem-ent winter weather. The concert has been resched-uled for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6, at the Steeple Center located at 14375 S. Robert Trail in Rose-mount. Tickets for the Switched At Birth show are $5 and can be purchased at the Rosemount Area Arts Council’s website, www.rosemountarts.com, and in person at the Steeple Center.

Eagan young actors featured Young Artists Initia-tive kicks off its 11th season with the musical “OLIVER!” The produc-

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

[email protected].

Comedy Comedy Club, 7:30-9 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at the Stee-ple Center, 14375 S. Robert Trail, Rosemount. Hosted by Rosemount Area Arts Coun-cil. PG performance by Dennis Carney and William Hill with guest Pizpor the Magician. Tickets: $5 at www.rosemoun-tarts.com or at the Steeple Center.

Exhibits Burnsville Visual Arts So-ciety’s Art Fete, Feb. 13 to March 23, Burnsville Perform-ing Arts Center gallery, 12600 Nicollet Ave. Information: 952-895-4685. “My Minnesota,” a photog-raphy exhibit by Dean Seaton, is on display through March 10 at Dunn Bros Coffee, 20700 Chippendale Ave. W., Farming-ton. Features images captured near Grand Marais.

Music Michael Monroe, 6-9 p.m. Saturday, March 1, Valleywood Golf Course, 4851 McAndrews Road, Apple Valley. Part of the Frozen Apple winter concert hosted by the Apple Valley Arts Foundation. Free. Information: www.avartsfoundation.org. South Metro Chorale Cab-aret Show, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 1, and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 2, Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Ave. Si-lent auction at 6:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Tickets: $20 adults, $15 seniors and stu-dents at 612-386-4636 or by email ([email protected]). Lehto & Wright, 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 7, Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Ave. Tickets: $12.50 in ad-vance, $17.50 at the door. Tick-ets available online at Lakevil-leAreaArtsCenter.com or at the Arts Center. Information: 952-985-4640.

Theater

“Simpatico,” presented by The Chameleon Theatre Cir-cle, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28, March 1, March 3, March 6-8, and 2 p.m. March 9, at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave. Tickets: $20 adults, $17 students/seniors at Ticketmaster.com or 800-982-2787. “Scooby-Doo! Live Musi-cal Mysteries,” 2 and 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6, at the Burnsville Performing Arts Cen-ter, 12600 Nicollet Ave. Tickets range from $25-$65 at Ticket-master.com or 800-982-2787. “Footloose – The Musi-cal,” presented by The Play’s the Thing Productions performs at the Lakeville Area Arts Cen-ter March 21-22, 28-29 at 7:30 p.m. and March 23 and 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available on-line at LakevilleAreaArtsCenter.com. Information: www.chil-drenstheatretptt.com or 952-985-4640.

Workshops/classes/other Art-themed birthday par-ties are offered by the Eagan Art House, 3981 Lexington Ave. S. Cost: $125-$135 for up to 10 people. Additional guests are $12.50 per child. Supplies pro-vided. Information: 651-675-5521. Winter art classes are open for registration at the Eagan Art House, 3981 Lexington Ave. S. Information: www.cityofeagan.com/index.php/recreation/ea-gan-art-house, 651-675-5521. Teen Poetry Jam/Rap Bat-tle, 4-5 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at Apple Valley Teen Center, 14255 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, 952-953-2385. Ages 12-18. Adult painting open stu-dio, 9 a.m. to noon Fridays at the Eagan Art House, 3981 Lexington Ave. S. Fee is $5 per session. Information: 651-675-5521. Drawing & Painting (adults and teens) with Christine Tier-ney, 9 a.m. to noon Wednes-days, River Ridge Arts Building, Burnsville. Information: www.christinetierney.com, 612-210-3377.

Teens Express Yourself with Paint, 5-7 p.m. Mondays at Brushworks School of Art in Burnsville, www.BrushworksS-choolofArt.com, 651-214-4732. Act-Sing-Dance winter session enrollment open for ages 7-17. Burnsville location. Information: 952-220-1676, Drama Interaction. Homeschool Theatre Pro-gram, winter session open enrollment, Wednesdays, ages 7-17. In the Company of Kids, 13710 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville, 952-736-3644. Show Biz Kids Theater Class for children with special needs (ASD/DCD programs), In the Company of Kids, 13710 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville, 952-736-3644. Broadway Kids Dance and Theater Program for all ages and abilities, In the Company of Kids, 13710 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville, 952-736-3644. Join other 55-plus adults at the Eagan Art House to create beaded jewelry. The Jewelry Club meets on the third Friday of each month from 1-3 p.m. Information: 651-675-5500. Soy candle making class-es held weekly in Eagan near 55 and Yankee Doodle. Call Ja-mie at 651-315-4849 for dates and times. $10 per person. Presented by Making Scents in Minnesota. Country line dance class-es held for intermediates Mon-days 1:30-4 p.m. at Rambling River Center, 325 Oak St., Farmington, $5/class. Call Mar-ilyn 651-463-7833. Country line dance class-es on Wednesdays at the Lakeville Senior Center, 20110 Holyoke Ave. Beginners, 9-10 a.m.; Intermediate, 10 a.m. to noon. $5/class. Call Marilyn 651-463-7833. The Lakeville Area Arts Center offers arts classes for all ages, www.lakevillemn.gov, 952-985-4640. Rosemount History Book Club meets 6:30-8 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the Robert Trail Library. Infor-mation: John Loch, 952-255-8545 or [email protected].

Acoustic artist Michael Monroe is set to perform Saturday, March 1, at the Val-leywood Golf Course clubhouse as the final performance in this year’s Frozen Apple winter concert series hosted by the Apple Valley Arts Foundation. Monroe, a Grand Marais-based musician who blends folk, jazz and reggae, was recently featured on KSTP news in a segment about his ongoing “Log Cabin Concerts” that he hosts at his home. Admission is free to the 6-9 p.m. Apple Valley concert in the clubhouse at 4851 McAndrews Road, and food and beverages, including a full bar, will be available for purchase. More at www.avartsfoundation.org. (Photo submitted)

Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang will take the stage of the Burnsville Perform-ing Arts Center at 4 and 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6, for the family musical “Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries.” The touring show has Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, Velma and Scooby-Doo hopping in their Mystery Machine van to investigate a trouble-mak-ing ghost haunting a theater. Tickets range from $25-$65 and can be purchased in person at the Burnsville venue’s box office, by phone at 800-982-2787 and online at Ticketmaster.com. (Photo submitted)

The touring Beatles show “1964: The Tribute” will take the stage of the Burnsville Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 15, with a pre-Sgt. Pepper era concert that includes period instruments, clothing, hairstyles and onstage banter of the early Fab Four. Hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as “the best Beatles tribute ever,” the “1964: The Tribute” band has been touring worldwide — and was featured in its own PBS special — after forming in 1984. Tickets range from $30-$40 and can be pur-chased in person at the Burnsville venue’s box office, by phone at 800-982-2787 and online at Ticketmaster.com. (Photo submitted)

tion features an all-youth cast of 26 and more than 10 youth crew members from around the Twin Cit-ies, including Lauren Moy as the ghost of Oliver’s mother, and Bailey Soika and Paige Moy as solo-ists in the song “Who Will Buy?” All three are from Eagan. The production also features scenic design by Shannon Morgan, and lighting design by Benja-min Eng, both graduates of Eastview High School. “OLIVER!” runs March 14-16 and March 21-23 at the Neighbor-hood House in St. Paul. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 55 and older, and $6 for students under 18. Tickets can be reserved online (www.youngartists-mn.org) or at the door. Seating is general admis-sion. YAI is also partner-ing with the Neighbor-hood House Food Shelf to collect food donations at all of the performances.

‘B-I-N-G-O Spells Murder’ Eagan Theater Com-pany and Eagan 55 Plus/Seniors present their third annual murder mys-tery on Thursday, March 13, and Friday, March 14, at the Eagan Commu-nity Center, 1501 Central Parkway. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $40 and include dinner, perfor-mance and bingo card. Seats are limited. Pur-chase tickets in person at the Eagan Community Center or online at www.etc-mn.com.

Break of Reality Cello rock band Break of Reality performs May 15 at the Burnsville Per-forming Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave. Tick-ets are $25 for adults and $10 for students at the box office, by phone at 800-982-2787 or online at Ticketmaster.com.

Chill music Beatles tribute

Mystery Machine en route to Burnsville


ThisweekendThisweekend

To submit items for the Family Calendar, email:

[email protected].

Friday, Feb. 28 Eagan Grace Support Group for infant loss, 6:30-8:30 p.m. RSVP to [email protected]. Information: http://www.babylovemn.com/eagan-grace-support-group/.

Saturday, March 1 Winter Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to noon, Eagan Com-munity Center, 1501 Central Parkway, Eagan. Items for sale include locally produced food items such as honey, jams, sauces, sweet treats, artisan bakery items, strudel, root veg-etables and more. Bingo fundraiser for Farm-ington girls softball, 2-4 p.m. hosted by the Farmington Eagles at Celts in Farmington.

Meat board raffles will be sold for $1.

Monday, March 3 ADHD/autism presenta-tion, 6:45-9 p.m., Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley. Natural approaches to balancing brain and digestive functions will be addressed. Free. Child care available at no cost. Informa-tion: Brenda Brookman, 952-322-2176, [email protected].

Friday, March 7 Fish fry dinner, 5-8 p.m., Rosemount VFW Post 9433. All-you-can-eat. Cost: $11. In-formation: 651-423-9938. Forever Wild Family Fri-day: Na Mele Wai – Hawaiian Fresh Water Songs, 7-8:30 p.m., Lebanon Hills Visitor

Center, 860 Cliff Road, Eagan. An interactive concert featur-ing Hawaiian songs about the importance of water. All ages. Free. Registration requested at www.co.dakota.mn.us/parks.

Saturday, March 8 Adjusting to Life Beyond Divorce and Looking to the Future, 9-11 a.m., InnerLight Healing Center, 17305 Cedar Ave. S., Lakeville. Cost: $39. Registration/information: coun-selingandhealing.com, 952-435-4144. Free family movie, 10 a.m. to noon, Farmington High School recital hall, 20655 Flag-staff Ave. “Ratatouille” will be shown. Age-appropriate activi-ties and concessions open dur-ing intermission.

Blood drives The American Red Cross

will hold the following blood drives. Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit red-crossblood.org to make an ap-pointment or for more informa-tion. • March 3, 12:30-6:30 p.m., Lutheran Church of the Ascen-sion, 1801 E. Cliff Road, Burns-ville. • March 4, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Edina Realty, 17271 Kenyon Ave., Lakeville. • March 4, 12:30-6:30 p.m., Messiah Lutheran Church, 16725 Highview Ave., Lakeville. • March 7, 12:30-5:30 p.m., Easter Lutheran Church – By the Lake, 4545 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan. • March 8, 10:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Burnhaven Library, 1101 W. County Road 42, Burnsville.

‘Wolves’ takes off running Rosemount author’s debut novel nominated

for Minnesota Book Award by Andrew Miller


Cary Griffith’s first foray into fiction has landed the Rosemount author in some elite company. His novel “Wolves,” published last year, was named one of the four finalists for the Minnesota Book Award in genre fiction last month. “Wolves” tells the story of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent investigating wolf depre-dation of livestock on the Iron Range. The investigation takes a dark turn with the mysterious death of the agent’s estranged fa-ther. The three other Minnesota Book Award finalists for genre fiction — Erin Hart, author of “The Book of Killowen”; Brian Freeman, “The Cold Nowhere”; and William Kent Krueger, “Tam-arack County” — are all past win-ners in that category. Considering the company he’s in, Griffith described his chanc-es of winning the award as “ex-tremely dark horse.” “It would frankly shock me if I won,” he said. His tone of deference for the other nominees belies his own accomplishments as an author. Griffith won a Minnesota Book Award in 2011 for “Opening Go-liath,” his nonfiction book about the discovery and exploration of Goliath Cave in southeastern Minnesota. He’s also the author of “Lost in the Wild,” a chilling journalis-

tic account of two hikers’ brushes with death after losing their way in the wilderness. A marketing manager for a Minneapolis-based human re-sources company, Griffith said he does the bulk of his writing in the early morning hours before his daily commute. “If you’re a working stiff like me, you’ve got to find time to write,” he said. “Since I was 18 I’ve been doing this. I wake up early and I write for at least an hour before anybody else wakes up. I’m a huge coffee nut in the morning — it is fuel for my morn-ing efforts.” “Wolves” is the first in a planned series of novels featuring

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Sam Riv-ers. Griffith completed work late last year on the second novel in the se-ries, which is set in the Minnesota River Valley, and he’s currently looking at his publication options. He’ll know this spring if he’ll be able to list “two-time Minne-sota Book Award” winner on his resume, with this year’s winners being announced at an April 5 gala in St. Paul. More about Griffith’s books is at www.caryjgriffith.com.

Email Andrew Miller at [email protected].

family calendar

STOP SMOKINGSTOP SMOKINGTODAY’S THE DAYTODAY’S THE DAY

If you’re a working stiff like me, you’ve got to find time to write. Since I was 18 I’ve been doing this. I wake up early and I write for at least an hour before anybody else wakes up. I’m a huge coffee nut in the morning — it is fuel for my morning efforts.

”– Cary Griffith ROSEMOUNT AUTHOR

“

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