Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas
www.dakotacountytribune.com
January 7, 2016 • Volume 130 • Number 44
Thompson will not run for re-election
NEWS Year two at Gateway
Farmington City Council Member Tim Pitcher ‘strongly considering’ seeking endorsement
Choice school in the Farmington School District is holding and open house Jan. 12 and accepting applications. Page 2A
OPINION Equal access to education Columnist Joe Nathan says that no matter where students live, they should have equal access to choice in what school they attend. Page 4A
by Laura Adelmann SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
State Sen. Dave Thompson, R-Lakeville, announced on Tuesday he will not seek re-election this year because he is moving to North Carolina for a job promotion. Thompson, an attorney, said he will maintain a residence in Senate District 58 and plans to complete his last term in office, which ends January 2017. “I’ll be in the session full time,� Thompson said. “Everything will be normal.� Thompson works as vice president and general counsel for the property management company Renters Warehouse.
In his new role, he will oversee the opening of a new corporate office for the company in North Carolina. “We will take the Renters Ware- Dave house model and Thompson move it to other states,� Thompson said. A Minnesota native and 18-year resident of Lakeville, Thompson said it is strange to plan such a major move. “When you’ve lived your entire life in one state it feels a little bit weird to change license plates on your car,� Thompson said. Lakeville Mayor Matt Little
announced in September he was running as a Democrat for the seat. In an interview, Little thanked Thompson for his Tim Pitcher public service and described him as “always honest and up-front.� Little recalled their first political conversation at Lakeville’s Mainstreet Cafe in 2010, shortly after each had won their first election. “We had a conversation about pre-K funding,� Little said. “We had a good debate. We didn’t necessarily agree, but that kind of set the tone for his and my interaction and I’ve always appreciated
THISWEEKEND
we could hammer it out.� Little said he has raised over $30,000 in campaign contributions and his campaign is going well. Candidates who may seek the Republican nomination include state Rep. Jon Koznick and Farmington City Council Member Tim Pitcher. In a statement, Koznick, 43, said he was going to focus on his work at hand for now, but did not rule out running for the seat. “A more definitive decision may come at a later point,� he said in a news release. Koznick, who worked on Thompson’s 2009 endorsement See THOMPSON, 7A
Schouweiler won’t seek another board term by Jessica Harper SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Dakota County Commissioner Nancy Schouweiler said this week she will not seek another term on the County Board after her term expires at the end of 2016. Schouweiler, who became the first woman to serve as the board’s Nancy c h a i r p e r - Schouweiler son in 2004, said she is retiring to spend time with family and travel. “My husband retired this past summer and we want to travel more. We discussed it and it didn’t make sense to make a four-year commitment,� Schouweiler, 59, said. She was first elected in 1998 and served on the board for 18 years. Schouweiler, who serves a portion of Rosemount, Eagan and Inver Grove Heights, said her proudest moment on the County Board was supporting the creation of a sustainable visitor center at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan. The visitor center’s green roof and design not only made it more sustainable than those at other parks but also helped alleviate flooding issues with-
Star Wars Extravaganza The free family-oriented event celebrating all things Star Wars returns to the Rosemount Community Center on Saturday, Jan. 16. Page 13A
Ringing in the new year
SPORTS Nordic teams begin season Lack of snow limited area high school’s Nordic teams’ training, competitions in December. Page 8A
PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District.
Hundreds of people descended on Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan on Dec. 31 to celebrate the coming of 2016 during the New Year’s Eve Celebration from 5-8 p.m. The Dakota County Parks event included an early countdown to “midnight� at 8 p.m. so young people and their families could celebrate without staying up too late. The celebration also include sledding, walks around an illuminated trail, a magic show, s’mores making, food trucks and a dance party. More photos are online at SunThisweek. com/tag/Dakota-County. (Photo by Tad Johnson)
See BOARD, 5A
Restaurant worker fighting for life in hospital Corey Gutwasser contracted Legionnaires’ disease at restaurant in Lakeville by Laura Adelmann SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . 9A Announcements . . . . 12A Calendars . . . . . . . . . 12A
News 952-846-2033 Display Advertising 952-846-2019 Classified Advertising 952-392-6862 Delivery 763-712-3544
A fee is charged at some locations to cover distribution costs.
&
!""'! !
$
Melanie Buetow has been at her son’s bedside for weeks as he fights for life after contracting a deadly illness at the Lakeville restaurant where he worked as a dishwasher. Corey Gutwasser, 25, of Rosemount, remains hospitalized in intensive care at the University of Minnesota where he was admitted Dec. 9 for Legionnaires’ disease. Buetow said the life-threatening form of pneumonia started with a constant headache, then fever, chills and a dry cough. By the time he arrived at the hospital, Gutwasser was unable
Corey Gutwasser
to breathe enough to walk into the hospital on his own. He was placed on a machine that kept his heart and lungs functioning and was under constant care, according to Bue-
tow. “His lungs were totally full of the pneumonia, and he couldn’t breathe,� Buetow said.“They took my family into the conference room and told us that they didn’t think that he was going to make it through the night.� According to his GoFundMe page, doctors found an infection
in his heart and multiple bacteria and fungus in his lungs. He was placed in a medically induced coma, and during surgery Gutwasser suffered a brain hemorrhage. He also developed blood clots in his legs and his right arm and fluid built up around his lungs that required the insertion of drainage tubes. Family members said doctors are also planning to remove some of his toes because there is not enough blood circulation. “They’re black,� Buetow said. “They’re dead. It looks like he was frostbit. ... The doctors had told me before that if that’s all he lost, it’d be a miracle.� Buetow said Gutwasser spent
Christmas and his 25th birthday in the hospital, where she has kept vigil daily, only leaving the hospital to shower or go to her job at a local hotel. “I want to be there with him, but I have to go to work because I need a place for him to come home to,� Buetow said. Since first being admitted, Buetow said Gutwasser is slowly taking “baby steps� toward improving. He remains on oxygen support, has a feeding tube and is unable to walk, but he is no longer attached to the heart and lung machine or in the induced coma. See GUTWASSER, 7A
! ! # " !$ % $
# "! ! ! $ " ! !" ! $ ! !" ! # #& # ' # ((( ! ) # ((( # #) $ * % $# # # # *% $