Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS Extreme cold and endurance Area athletes scheduled to participate in extreme endurance race in northern Minnesota. Page 9A
OPINION Not my father’s GOP caucus The chairman of the DFL Party is critical of the Republicans’ 2015 legislative transportation proposal. Page 4A
THISWEEKEND
Coffee concerts in Lakeville The Lakeville Area Arts Center’s annual Coffee Concerts series opens Jan. 25 with a performance by The Musical Offering. Page 17A
SPORTS
January 22, 2015 • Volume 129 • Number 47
‘Star Wars’ shows its irresistible Force Event at Rosemount Community Center attracts intergenerational fanatics of the franchise by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
The arts have the ability to pull together people of different ages and backgrounds, and that was on display Saturday in Rosemount during the “Star Warsâ€? Extravaganza. From the preteens dressed in full makeup and costume of their favorite characters to the adult members of the Wolf Pack Squad of the Central Garrison-501st Legion looking like movie stars, George Lucas’ story about good versus evil is “out-of-thisworldâ€? fun for legions of devoted fans. “Star Wars is one of the first movies I ever remember seeing,â€? said Rosemount resident Mike Wolf, who attended the event with his boys, Reid, 9, and Nate, 7. “Growing up, I remember playing ‘Star Wars’ so much with my brothers and cousins,â€? the dad said. “I love how everything I saw I could turn into a lightsaber. ‌ And it’s neat, most of the time, to see my kids do the exact same thing. When we pretend we are using ‘The Force’ to open the automatic doors, it makes me smile because it’s fun to share experiences I had as a kid with my own kids now.â€? “My favorite part about the ‘Star Wars’ movies are the lightsabers and the ships, like the X-wing fighter,â€? Reid said. “Luke Skywalker is my favorite character.â€? “I like ‘Star Wars’ be-
cause of the special effects – especially in the battle scenes,â€? Nate said. “My favorite character is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I like his style.â€? Organizers say an estimated 1,100 dads, moms, grandparents and their little ones attended the event at the Rosemount Community Center with activities in the gymnasium, auditorium and other spaces throughout the building. “We had so many parents coming by, expressing how great an event this was,â€? Rosemount Area Arts Council member John Loch said. “All the activities were very popular.â€? Loch said many of the 50 volunteers who worked the event said it’s the best father-son event they have ever seen. He said several volunteers saw fathers and sons building droids together (sometimes the dads were left alone to finish a project ‌ willingly), working with Legos or being equally giddy about standing next to a Storm Trooper. “We had kids enjoying these activities as much as their parents,â€? Loch said. “It is wonderful to see that close bond on a mutual interest.â€? Because of its longevity with six feature-length movies released over 28 years and a seventh due in December 2015, the “Star Warsâ€? series might be the ultimate intergenerational story, since the parents who remember the first trilSee STAR WARS, 2A
Star Wars fans young and old turned out in droves for the Star Wars Extravaganza on Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Rosemount Community Center. The event featured Star Wars-themed arts and craft activities, a video game contest, Lego display, Lego-building activity, caricature artists and a visit from the 501st Legion, a volunteer group whose members dress as characters from the movie series. More photos are inside and at SunThisweek.com. (Photo by Tad Johnson)
Questions remain in apparent murder-suicide by Andrew Miller SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Gymnastics teams ipping Area gymnastics meets showcase Rosemount and Farmington team’s talent in south metro. Page 10A
ONLINE Check out Rosemount editor Tad Johnson’s Twitter feed at twitter.com/editorTJ for the latest in Rosemount arts and family events and announcements.
PUBLIC NOTICE Inside this edition are the minutes for the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District School Board meeting for Dec. 8. Page 12A
INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Announcements . . . . . 6A
Ice will stay through summer at Schmitz-Maki City Council approves keeping the arena open for eight weeks by Andy Rogers
With a medical examiner’s autopsy pending in the apparent murdersuicide of an Apple Valley couple and their 5-yearold daughter, questions remain as to the circumstances leading up to the discovery of the three bodies at the family’s home on the 1000 block of RamsDavid Crowley Komel Crowley dell Drive. The bodies of David and Komel Crowley and their daughter, Rani, were discovered in the home Jan. 17 when a neighbor stopped by the house to collect packages that had accumulated near the front door, and saw through a window the grim tableau of bodies inside, according to police. A handgun lay near the family. The bodies may have gone undiscovered for several weeks, with neighbors reporting they hadn’t seen the family since prior to the Christmas holiday in December. A close friend of the Crowley family told media that David Crowley had left behind a short note, but declined to reveal its contents. The Apple Valley Police Department is investi- A YouTube trailer for “Gray State,� David Crowley’s unreleased film, features a montage of angry protesters and riot police in combat gear. See CASE, 6A
SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
on vacation. The council wanted to make sure that it was at least cost neutral. The Parks and Recreation Department determined that it would need to rent it out 205 hours to make a small profit. Between the high school and youth hockey programs, they signed an agreement to use about 189 hours. May told the council that a goalie camp is interesting in the remaining 16 hours. His goalie coach, B.J. O’Brien, has been interested. “He works for a goalie consulting company,� May said. “He’s going to get ice somewhere. With him being invested in Farmington hockey now, obviously staying here would be in his best interest.� Part of the rental draft contains language that the organizations would work with the city to fill those hours. “We haven’t secured that yet, but it looks promising,� Parks and Recreation Director Randy Distad said. Last year the arena was open for three weeks of summer ice.
This summer the Schmitz-Maki Ice Arena in Farmington will be buzzing with activity. The Farmington City Council passed a motion during Monday’s meeting to keep the arena open for eight weeks from June 8 to July 31 for the high school and Farmington Hockey Association to use. There will also be open skate on Tuesdays and Learn to Skate programs available through the summer. “It’s very valuable to get the youth to stay here in town and that I can work with them,� Farmington boys varsity coach Greg May said. “From the high school standpoint, there’s a lot of movement that goes on. The earlier we can make that connection with youth hockey, the better it is for our programs, the high school and the community.� It will technically be open for eight weeks, but the Minnesota State High School League has a no contact rule during the week of the Fourth of July. The Parks and Recreation Department is hoping to fill the schedule, but Email Andy Rogers at admitted it’s a tough week andy.rogers@ecm-inc.com. with many families going
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