December 1, 2008

Hennepin County crews recently began to dismantle the railroad bridge over County Road 92 just outside of St. Bonifacius, reported the Waconia Patriot.

The concrete piers that are located on both sides of the roadway will be removed, allowing the county to widen the road there.

Three Rivers Parks is expected to replace the bridge with a new walking bridge that will be arched, allowing greater clearance for traffic below.

The bridge, constructed in 1949, had a long history of creating problems for some truck traffic with loads sometimes being damaged or knocked off trailers because of low clearance.

Dassel-Cokato graduate is ‘Teacher of the Year’

Jason Olson, a 1998 graduate of Dassel-Cokato High School, has been teaching 11th and 12th grade social studies and coaching speech and one-act plays at Adrian High School in Southwest Minnesota for seven years, and was recently nominated by his colleagues for “Teacher of the Year,” Reported the Enterprise Dispatch.

Teacher of the Year is a program through Education Minnesota, the teachers’ union; and allows teachers to nominate other teachers who they feel fit the title.

Olson has not yet decided if he will submit a portfolio to compete for Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

Carver County workers appeal to save jobs, services

A host of county employees from a wide range of departments pleaded with the Carver County Board of Commissioners Nov. 18 to re-evaluate cuts to their department’s budget and consider the services each department provides to county residents, reported the Carver County News.

The commissioners face the task of cutting Carver County’s budget by as much as $1 million in the hopes of implementing a zero tax increase for the average county homeowner. The board’s preliminary levy tax increase of 8.9 percent was reduced to 6.9 percent by Oct. 28 and is likely to be slashed further to reach the targeted 4.5 percent, zero impact levy increase.

Litchfield School to enter statutory operating debt

Superintendent Bill Wold informed the School Board Nov. 24 that following the presentation and approval of the 2007-08 district audit Dec. 8, the Litchfield School District will be in statutory operating debt, reported the Litchfleld Independent Review.

Statutory operating debt occurs when a district’s unreserved fund balance is a negative amount that exceeds 2.5 percent of expenditures. Wold said the district’s negative fund balance is approximately 4.7 percent of expenditures.

Business Manager Todd Swanson attributed the general fund balance decrease in large part to less-than-anticipated state funding for special education in 2007-08.

Propane explosion kills Mankato truck driver

A Mankato man was killed Nov. 23 when the propane truck he was driving crashed and exploded near Olivia, reported the Hutchinson Leader.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Brad Ripley, 44, was westbound on US Highway 212 at about 7:18 a.m. when he attempted to turn onto US Highway 71, north of Olivia.

Ripley’s 1998 International semi truck overturned, caught fire and exploded.

The Olivia Police Department and Renville County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene.

Buffalo man sentenced for mail fraud

Michael John Rome, 38, of Buffalo was sentenced Nov. 13 in federal court to 16 months in prison and two years of supervised release on one count of mail fraud, reported the Wright County Journal-Press.

According to his plea agreement, Rome was employed as the director of finance of the customer service division of Archway Marketing Services, located in Rogers.

He admitted that from July 2000 to August 2005 he used his position to approve Archway’s payment of 116 false invoices he had created to make it appear as though Archway owed Capital One credit card company. The payments were actually made on Rome’s personal credit card account. The 116 payments totaled $232,784.

Waconia administrator gets formal contract, 8 years later

Waconia City Administrator Susan Arntz has walked through the front door of city hall as the lead employee for the city of 10,000 for eight years. She has done that without a formal work contract, reported the Waconia Patriot.

That ended Nov. 17 when the council approved a seven-page work agreement and five-page job description. Besides the annual pay of $101,000 she is entitled to a $310 monthly car allowance, 20 days of vacation, and six months of severance pay should she leave the city with at least 30 days notice and fulfill the obligations of the contract.

Hecker closes car dealership in Monticello, Stillwater

In a sudden move made Nov. 21, Twin Cities car dealership owner Denny Hecker announced that he was closing immediately six local dealerships and selling three others, reported the Monticello Times.

Car dealerships in Monticello and Stillwater were among those closed. Other dealerships that were closed as of Nov. 22 were the Blaine Bargain Lot, Forest Lake Chrysler Jeep, Dodge Mitsubishi, Rosedale Hyundai, Shakopee Chrysler Jeep Dodge.

Layoffs of about 400 people were included in the dealership closings.

Hecker continues to operate eight other dealerships.

Hutch Technology alleges fraud in securities sales

Hutchinson Technology is suing two Wall Street financial institutions, claiming they sold the computer components manufacturer more than $100 million in faulty investments without disclosing the risks, reported the Hutchinson Leader.

The Hutchinson-based company claims it is unable to access cash from the investments.

The two companies are UBS, from which Hutchinson Technology purchased nearly $70 million in auction-rate securities, and Citigroup, from which Hutchinson Technology was left with $31 million in auction-rate securities it could not sell or convert to cash. The two suits also seek punitive damages.

Annandale school will go green if referendum passes

The Annandale School District will be going green if a referendum for a new pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school is approved Tuesday, Dec. 16, reported the Annandale Advocate

Of the $45,395,000 needed to build a new Pre-K-eight school and sports complex, district officials will set aside $1 million for energy-saving “green” items.

Not only will the features produce immediate energy cost savings for the district, be healthier for the kids, and better for the environment, school officials expect to recover their initial investment within the first 10 years of opening the new school.

Commissioner Nies pleads guilty to DWI

McLeod County Commissioner Sheldon Nies pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DWI charge during a pretrial hearing Nov. 20, reported the Hutchinson Leader.

Nies had been charged with fourth-degree misdemeanor DWI and driving with a blood alcohol concentration more than .08 percent.

The charges stemmed from a June 11 incident in which Nies’ vehicle was found in a ditch northwest of Hutchinson. Nies was arrested later that night under suspicion of driving under the influence. County Attorney Mike Junge passed the case on to Sibley County Attorney David Schauer to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Senior housing facility to be located in Silver Lake

The City of Silver Lake received approval from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for a proposed senior housing on the northwest side of Silver Lake, reported the Silver Lake Leader.

Roz Ewald, owner of Cedar Crest in Hutchinson and Cosmos said the approval came without any surprises.

As a result of the approval, the City of Silver Lake will have a 50-foot strip of land between the senior housing property and the lake.

Changes were reduced from the original 48 units to 40 units for the facility which will have 10 dementia/Alzheimer’s units.