Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas
www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS Craft fair at Scott Highlands Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District’s River Valley Project Explore hosting third annual event. Page 2A
OPINION School funding votes on Nov. 7 ECM Editorial Board encourages residents in districts seeking renewal or new operating levy approval to get informed. Page 4A
October 5, 2017 • Volume 132 • Number 32
Man recovering after Las Vegas shooting Philip Aurich has undergone two surgeries by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Former Farmington resident Philip Aurich was severely injured in a shooting that killed at least 58 people and injured 515 at about 10 p.m. Sunday outside Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, during a country music festival. Aurich was reportedly shot in the back and underwent two surgeries, according to family and friends via several Facebook posts. His brother, Ben Aurich, of Farmington, said on Monday that during the first surgery Philip
Aurich’s spleen was reAlyson Opper. moved along with part Ben Aurich reported of his colon. He also that Opper was not inreported that Philip jured in the shooting Aurich had a ruptured during the Route 91 diaphragm. Harvest Country MuA second surgery sic Festival. was completed on A current Las VeTuesday, according gas resident, Aurich is to Philip Aurich’s copresident of First Opworker Brian DeSimtion Mortgage. one. DeSimone report- Philip Aurich Concordia Academy ed in a Facebook post in Roseville reported that Philip Aurich was in stable that Aurich is a 1999 graduate of condition but still sedated. the private high school where his “We are all very thankful for father, Mike Aurich, was a teachthe police, nurses and doctors er. who moved so quickly,� DeSimConcordia Academy asked one wrote. people to keep the family in Prior to the shooting, Philip prayers, including Philip Aurich’s Aurich posted some photos and children Reagan and Ryder and video from the concert Sunday parents Mike and Mindy. saying he was with his girlfriend Mike Aurich spoke to FOX-
THISWEEKEND
9 news on Tuesday saying: “We know we’re blessed. Lord is taking care of him. Some folks didn’t make it. Lord must have something for him down the road.� Police believe the shooter, Stephen Paddock, acted alone. When police entered his Mandalay Bay room from where he shot at concert-goers, he was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gun shot. Paddock reportedly had more than 20 guns inside the room and the attack was precisely planned. A motive for the shooting is being investigated. It is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Contact Tad Johnson at tad.johnson@ecm-inc.com or at twitter.com/ editorTJ.
Flint Hills athletic complex could expand Plans include four more fields by Andy Rogers
Meet the Author event
SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Plans to expand the Flint Hills Athletic complex are underway in Rosemount. The Rosemount City Council approved a contract for engineering and landscaping services to provide plans to expand the fields at Flint Hills Athletic Complex Plans show four new 240’x360’ athletic green surfaces along with a 135-stall parking lot at a cost of $2.7 million at the complex at Akron Avenue and Bonaire Path. “We keep seeing the numbers grow in these areas especially in soccer and lacrosse,� Parks and Recreation Director Dan Schultz said. Schultz said if all goes according to plan, once they award the contract, construction would begin in spring. It would be See PARK, 6A
Apple Valley author to speak in Rosemount during the Art Council’s Meet the Author event at the Robert Trail Library. Page 15A
KIDSPO supplies the fun
SPORTS
Rosemount wins, 28-0 Rosemount won 28-0 at Irish Stadium last Friday for its third victory in a row and second consecutive shutout. Page 9A
PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District. Page 10A
INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9A Public Notices . . . . . . 10A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 11A Announcements . . . . 14A
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More than 2,000 people attended the fourth KIDSPO Kids & Family Expo at the Eagan Community Center on Saturday, Sept. 30. The free event, which was founded by Sun Thisweek and the Dakota County Tribune, offered an interactive experience for young people and the entire family, as participating organizations drummed up fun in a variety of ways. Sun Thisweek and the Dakota County Tribune partnered on this year’s event with Twin Cities Kids Club, Tumblewalla and The Frugal Mom in an effort to have a bigger and better event. More photos are at SunThisweek.com/tag/KIDSPO-2017. Photos by Tad Johnson
School program provides Ready for a good scare? network, academic support Support Our Troops District 196 American Indian Education Program celebrates new school year by Amy Mihelich SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
After a long summer, the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District 196 American Indian Education Program held its annual “Welcome Back� event Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the School of Environmental Studies. This year, a record 22 families and 80 people attended the event. Members of the Native American Parent Advisory Committee (NAPAC) and program staff greeted each person as they walked through the doors of the building. Every family brought a dish to share, and students and parents had an opportunity to mingle with other families while eating dinner. District 196 Secondary Education Director Mark Parr kicked off the event by introducing himself
and outlining the programs, activities, and services the American Indian Education Program offers. Then, he briefly introduced each member of the program staff and passed off the microphone so they could explain their individual roles. Parr also introduced Art Coulson, the District 196 School Board representative to NAPAC. These introductions helped students and parents identify who they can reach out to for particular resources during the 2017-18 school year. After the introductions, Parr projected the new District 196 website on the wall and explained the various tools, resources and calendars available there, especially those pertaining specifically to the American Indian Education Program. At the end of the event, program staff encouraged families to take some more time to get to know one another, and they also announced the upcoming NAPAC Elementary Math Night on Thursday, Oct. 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. See 196, 10A
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SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Jason Schmidt, a volunteer with the Support Our Troops Haunted House, knows what makes a good scare. “A lot of it is timing,� said Schmidt, who has been part of the annual event for about the last six of its past 15 years. “When we build a room we really think about where people are going to be to get that timing when it’s time to let out.� The SOS Haunted House has been very successful at scaring the bujeezus out of scores of people over the years based on feedback they’ve received and the number of people who have taken them up on the “Chicken Door.� The door with a rubber chicken hanging from it is located in the first room of the haunted
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Haunted House puts the fright back in the night
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The Support Our Troops Haunted House will be held 6:30-9:30 p.m. Oct. 6, 7 and 13 and 14 at the Dakota County Fairgrounds in Farmington. house. It allows those who are so freaked out by the first scare that they can’t go on anymore. “We get feedback that this is See HAUNTED, 7A
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