Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS Industrial development A 176-acre industrial park is planned for the corner of County Road 70 and Dodd Boulevard in Lakeville. Page 3A
OPINION Don’t prosecute protestors Columnist Joe Nathan urges Bloomington to not prosecute protestors at the Mall of America. Page 4A
THISWEEKEND
January 15, 2015 • Volume 129 • Number 46
Board doesn’t know where to start Farmington School Board fails to vote for chair, other leadership positions by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Consensus has not come easy for the Farmington School Board so far in 2015. Every two years following an election, the board votes on its leadership positions. With the addition of new member in Steve Corraro, there appeared to be an deep and even split during Monday’s meeting. The vote on leadership positions including chair, vice chair, clerk and treasurer all resulted in ties. The rift was deep enough where after more than 20 minutes of voting the board tabled the motions until the next board meeting Jan. 26. “I feel like we were making a
mockery of this not to make any leadership choices at this point,� Board Member Tera Lee said. It began with the vote for board chair between Lee, who was the chair from 2010-14 and was recently re-elected, and Julie Singewald, who is in the middle of her second term. Singewald voted for herself with Corraro and Laura Beem. Lee also voted for herself and she was joined by Melissa Sauser and Jake Cordes. After three votes, a discussion period, and yet another vote, the votes remained the same. The alliances stuck together through the voting process. Voting on a vice chair, clerk and treasurer also resulted in ties. Lee and Beem said they both
contacted the Minnesota School Board Association prior to the meeting to ask how the board should proceed in the event of ties. The answer was to keep voting. During the discussion period, Singewald said she would like to be chair because of her experience directing a laboratory and six years on the board. She advocated for more accountability of the board members and setting clearer expectations for the district. “There’s a number of people who want only what is best for the district and what’s best for them,� Singewald said. She said she doesn’t want to change things and hopes to be a partner with everyone on the
MD finds young allies
North Woods suspense Farmington writer John Sheehan is set to speak Jan. 20 at the Robert Trail Library as part of the ongoing “Meet the Author� series. Page 15A
SPORTS
Gymnastics team rises up Road back to state will still be challenging for the Rosemount High School gymnastics squad. Page 9A
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Rosemount High School students’ project raises money to battle muscular dystrophy
The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District. Public notices are published online at SunThisweek.com.
INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 11A
Farmington man receives 6 pounds of marijuana sent from Colorado
by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
dising, entrepreneurship or hospitality, but their past experience with raising money led them to the
Farmington’s Cole James Nyberg, 29, was charged in Dakota County District Court with two felony counts of controlled substance crimes in the fifth degree — one for sale and the other for possession — after receiving approximately 6 pounds of marijuana in the mail from a friend in Colorado in October. According to the criminal complaint, the Dakota County Drug Task Force intercepted a package at the airport, received an anticipatory search warrant and discovered a large amount of marijuana addressed to a residence in Farmington. The task force made a controlled delivery of the package Oct. 22 and observed Nyberg come out of the residence, nervously look around and leave. When he returned, he moved the package to his garage, according to the complaint. When agents approached Nyberg, he denied knowing anything about the package. A woman at the residence told the agent that Nyberg was expecting the package, she suspected the package contained marijuana and that Nyberg allowed a friend to ship it to the residence. Nyberg admitted he knew it was coming and that a friend sent it from Colorado. He said a friend was going to pick up the package, but was scared off by law enforcement’s presence near the residence. When asked about the amount, Nyberg said “There is not 10 pounds in there. There is six pounds on the dot, unless the guy gave him extra for free.� The package contained six bags of suspected marijuana. Colorado legalized marijuana for all adults older than 21 in 2012, but marijuana is still an illegal substance under federal law. Transporting it via the mail can lead to federal drug charges. An individual in Colorado can only buy up to an ounce at a time. According to a report released by a regional division of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in August 2014, 493.5 pounds of marijuana in 207 par-
See MD, 6A
See POT, 6A
SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Rosemount High School sophomores Anna Peterson and Lizzie Johnson are promoting the MoveAMuscle4MD fundraiser in an effort to raise money for muscular dystrophy research. (Photo submitted) Jan. 15. The effort is doubling as Johnson and Peterson’s DECA project. The two could have selected a project in retail merchan-
Indie film tries for Rosemount exclusive Lakeville resident’s fondness of heartthrob actor may propel ‘Amira & Sam’ by Tad Johnson
PUBLIC NOTICE
See BOARD, 6A
County attorney says shipments like this occur almost daily
by Tad Johnson Those battling muscular dystrophy have strong allies in some Rosemount High School sophomores. Lizzie Johnson, Anna Peterson and Anna Wise have been helping raise money to fund research toward finding a cure for MD since they and three other friends started a swimathon in 2011 as one friend’s family member battled the disease. While the swimathon the girls organized as part of a Rosemount Middle School Destination Imagination project has become an annual event and is slated sometime in March 2015, Johnson and Peterson decided this winter to pursue a new fundraiser to attract nonswimmers to the cause. MoveAMuscle4MD encourages people to participate by tracking their walking, running or other activity for a month as they raise money through pledges and registration fees. While the fundraiser officially starts today, people can sign up after
board but would like to bring it to the next level. “I bring a different style, but I would say I’m fully committed to doing the best job,� Singewald said. Lee said she would like to continue to be chair because it’s a time of uncertainly and it would be wise to have constancy. “I feel the relationships I have built in this district are definitely a strength,� Lee said. “I have spent my entire life in this district building those relationships. Those relationships allow us to have the hard conversations that need to be had.� She cited Superintendent Jay Haugen potentially taking a leave of absence in the near future. A
SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Movie lovers who want to see new independent films often have to travel to Minneapolis or St. Paul. One Lakeville resident hopes to change that, well, at least for one night. Kim Flynn isn’t a media mogul or a movie buff. In fact, the only reason a showing of “Amira & Sam� may have its Minnesota debut at Marcus Theatres in Rosemount is because she attended her first film festival with a few friends in November for a chance to see her favorite actor. That’s when the snowball started rolling. Flynn, a big fan of “Vampire Diaries�
star Paul Wesley, who has a supporting role in “Amira & Sam,� knew the heartthrob Wesley would be part of a panel discussion following the screening and figured this would be her best opportunity to meet him. Forever Fest in Austin, Texas, bills itself as a celebration of all things young girls love, isn’t as much of a film festival as it is an ’80s party in homage to hair, fashion and pop culture of the decade. Flynn was impressed with the film, which is a romantic comedy about a military veteran returning to American society that’s more zany than when he left it. A few weeks later Flynn noticed on the Twitter feed for “Amira & Sam� that fans could help bring screenings of the See INDIE, 6A
“Amira & Sam� supporting actor Paul Wesley, star of the “Vampire Diaries� television series, was the main draw for Lakeville resident Kim Flynn to attend the Forever Fest in Austin, Texas. Flynn is now attempting to have “Amira & Sam� shown in Rosemount. (Photo submitted)
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