Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas
www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS Early deadline next week Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the deadline for submitting items for consideration of publication will be 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23.
OPINION When there’s agreement Columnist Joe Nathan says when diverse groups of education leaders agree on something, then it must be a good idea. Page 4A
November 19, 2015 • Volume 130 • Number 37
Apple Valley man gets 180 days in jail in RAAA theft by Andrew Miller SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
An Apple Valley man was sentenced Nov. 17 to 180 days in jail and 20 years of probation in connection with the theft of about $113,000 from the Rosemount Area Athletic Association between 2011 and 2013. Robert S. Reischauer, 63, pleaded guilty to five counts of felony theft in August. At the sentencing hearing in Dakota County District Court, Judge Patrice Sutherland also ordered Reischauer to pay $113,532 in restitution. Several RAAA board mem-
bers attended the hearing, in addition to all of the court proceedings on the matter, according to a statement released to parents. “The RAAA board is glad to have this matter behind us,� they said. “The board will work with all of our programs to continue to deliver an exceptional value with our sports programs and teach kids life lessons. As the restitution funds come in, we will use those funds to improve our programs and to make our sports available to as many kids in our community as possible.� The board members thanked its partners, volunteers and parents for their support through this
process. According to court documents, Reischauer stole money by fraudulently writing checks to himself and paying for his PayPal and Amazon accounts with RAAA funds while he was employed as finance manager for the youth athletic association. After issuing checks to himself, Reischauer would delete them from the accounting records he presented to the RAAA board. Police launched an investigation in September 2013 after an audit by the athletic association following Reischauer’s departure revealed thousands of dollars missing, the criminal complaint
said. Reischauer had been the only one with access to the accounts. The RAAA replaced Reischauer — and undertook the audit — after noting several small errors in accounting. Reischauer had been the association’s finance manager, a paid position, for 27 years. Police executed a search warrant at Reischauer’s home and seized financial records relating to the association’s accounts. The Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Fraud Bureau assisted in the investigation, undertaking a “forensic accounting� by
Traffic is open on 195th Street
See RAAA, 6A
Barlage sentenced to 5 years in prison
THISWEEKEND
by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
A representative with St. Michael spoke at the Planning Commission meeting earlier this month and said they had a list of people who can’t wait until it’s complete. Trident Development has built assisted-living buildings in Chas-
Ten years after being convicted of three felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide for killing three brothers in an alcohol-related crash, a Farmington man is back in prison. Boe Elijah Barlage, 33, was sentenced to five years in the St. Cloud Correctional Boe Barlage Facility for first-degree driving under the influence by Dakota County Judge Tim Wermager on Nov. 12. Barlage pleaded guilty in August. He received 107 days’ credit for time served. Barlage pleaded guilty in 2005 in connection with a crash when he was 23 that killed the three Backstrom brothers – Matthew, 20; Jacob, 17; and Justin, 16, of Hampton – and he was sentenced to eight years in prison. “It’s hard to understand how anyone who had previously killed three persons while driving under the influence could ever drink and drive again,� Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said. “I hope that Mr. Barlage will reflect once again on the terrible trauma he inflicted on the Backstrom family 11 years ago and finally find a way to deal with his serious problems with alcohol
See FACILITY, 7A
See BARLAGE, 6A
Pastels and imagination A Rosemount artist’s exhibit of pastel landscapes, titled “Superior Light,� opens next week at the Benedictine Center. Page 19A
Vehicles can now move freely along one of Farmington’s main roads as of Nov. 13. Aside for a few finishing touches, the 195th Street road reconstruction project is complete with the opening of the intersection at 195th Street and Pilot Knob Road. During Monday’s Farmington City Council meeting, Mayor Todd Larson commented on how safe the intersections will be now that they’ve changed the four-way stops to roundabouts. Once residents grow accustomed to the roundabouts, he’s convinced they will agree. There are roundabouts at Flagstaff Avenue, Pilot Knob and Akin Road. City Engineer Kevin Schorzman thanked residents for their patience throughout the project and recognized residents were inconvenienced with detours. (Photo by Andy Rogers)
Assisted living facility in the planning stages Trident Development to build 70-unit building near Church of St. Michael by Andy Rogers
SPORTS
SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Area hockey teams open The Rosemount and Farmington high schools’ girls hockey teams took to the ice to start the season. Page 12A
PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune FarmingtonRosemount edition is the official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District . Page 14A
An assisted-living facility took a big step toward being a reality in Farmington on Monday night. Trident Development is planning to build a three-story, 70unit assisted-living building on 4.2 acres near the Church of St. Michael south of 220th Street West and east of Denmark Avenue. The facility also includes plans for a 22-unit memory care wing. The construction company is in negotiations with St. Michael of-
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 12A Announcements . . . . 13A Public Notices . . . . . . 14A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 15A
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ficials for purchasing the lot south of the church. The property’s driveway would connect with St. Michael. Scott O’Brien, co-owner of Trident Development, said they’ve had a good partnerships with churches in the past.
Longtime Rosemount businessman dies Don Corrigan was part of Corrigan Electric for more than 50 years by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
INDEX
A 70-unit assisted-living facility near the Church of St. Michael in Farmington is in the planning stages. (Photo submitted)
Corrigan Electric was a fixture in downtown Rosemount for more than 50 years, and the man who ran that business for most of those years died on Friday, Nov. 13. Don Joseph Corrigan was 75. The tall, cheerful president of Corrigan Electric was known throughout the community as a strong family man, a devout Catholic and a lover of history. All of his life pursuits seemingly were done with a smile, though he was se-
natured guy,� Corrigan’s longtime friend and Rosemount resident Jerry Mattson said on Tuesday. “He didn’t lose his temper. He didn’t lose his cool. He was friendly with everybody. I don’t anyone who didn’t like him. We all are going to miss him.� Prior to the construction of the Corrigan Electric building at the corner of 145th Street and Cameo Avenue in 1957, Corrigan’s Don Corrigan father, Thomas Corrigan, ran the business from his rious about his craft as an home. electrician and great service Don Corrigan left colto his customers. lege to run the business “He was the most good- when he father became ill.
He became the company’s president in 1968 when Thomas Corrigan died. Don Corrigan, whom the family said was famous for seeking payment of electrical services in chocolate chip cookies, operated the business from that familiar street corner until 2011. Mattson said Corrigan was a great resource for historians, since Corrigan had been inside virtually every commercial building and many of the homes in Rosemount through his years as an electrician. “Don was a walking encyclopedia of Rosemount history,� Mattson said.
Born on March 22, 1940, to Thomas and Erma Corrigan, the young Corrigan got an early start in remembering family names and the homes they lived in as he delivered newspapers. His familiarity with people grew as he was an altar boy at St. Joseph Catholic Church and then started working with his father in the family business along with helping on his relatives’ farms. Family stories were part of Don Corrigan’s recollections as his family traces its Rosemount roots back four See CORRIGAN, 6A
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