Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas
www.dakotacountytribune.com
February 18, 2016 • Volume 130 • Number 49
Talks continue between teachers, district
NEWS Local projects in bonding plan Gov. Mark Dayton’s bonding bill proposal totals $1.4 billion and includes some Dakota County projects. Page 2A
Mediation lasts more than 15 hours
OPINION A chance for real change
by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
The ECM Editorial Board says the March 1 caucus is a chance for Minnesota voters to change the course of U.S. history. Page 4A
A Burnsville pawn shop reported that Busho pawned the wedding ring for $350 on Jan. 16. After a burglary was reported at a Rosemount home Jan. 28 between 1 and 1:30 p.m., a victim reported missing two boxes containing multiple watches, a laptop computer, and two iPads. Officers obtained information Busho was attempting to sell online two boxes of 20 to 30 watches that were consistent with items stolen Jan. 28. Officers arranged an undercover meeting Feb. 1 to purchase the al-
The Farmington Education Association and Farmington Area School District are getting closer to a teacher contract for 2015-17, but they’re back to negotiations following about 15 hours of mediation. The sides met in St. Paul for mediation Feb. 12 starting at 10 a.m., and talks lasted until about 1:30 a.m. Feb. 13. “It’s disappointing we weren’t able to get there on Friday,” Board Member Laura Beem said. “We’re back to negotiations.” Beem estimated about two thirds of other school districts in Minnesota have already approved teacher contracts. FEA President Lynda Ihlan said they’re getting close, but the two sides are still going back and forth. “The FEA has some really strong convictions on how they feel,” Ihlan said. One sticking point for the FEA is getting language in the teacher contract on class size, or changes in policies for class size. “We feel that it’s important that we have something a little more concrete in writing,” Ihlan said. Ihlan said it is very rare for a teacher contract to have class size written into the contract. The only other district that includes that language is St. Paul, she said. District administration is currently working on its budget for 2016-17 and has discussed class size with School Board members during meetings. MaryAnne Thomas, Farmington director of human resources, was unavailable for comment Wednesday. Ihlan also said the FEA still feels strongly about
See BURGLARY, 6A
See MEDIATION, 6A
THISWEEKEND Djenane Saint Juste dances during a performance at the Landmark Center in St. Paul. The Afoutayi Dance Company will present a interactive program from 10:30-11:15 a.m., Feb. 27 at the Farmington Library. (Photo courtesy of Benny Moreno of Helios Photography)
Dance, sing and explore Haitian culture Program Feb. 27 at Farmington Library part of Black History Month by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Anniversary concert Italian pianist Roberto Plano is the guest artist at the Dakota Valley Symphony’s 30th anniversary concert at the Ames Center. Page 15A
Haiti may be a distant land to many Farmington residents, but they’ll have the opportunity to experience the island’s vibrant culture as part of a Black History Month program later this month at the Farmington Library. The Afoutayi Dance Company will present the Haitian culture through song, dance and stories during an interactive Lakansyèl Haitian performance from 10:3011:15 a.m. Feb. 27. “Come with an open mind and your heart open, and get out of your comfort zone have some educational fun,” said Djenane Saint Juste, Haitian choreographer, pro-
fessional dancer and founder of Afoutayi. Children will have the opportunity to play traditional Haitian drums, sing songs in the Creole language, and learn a dance routine. “Everything will bring the kids to be ready at the end to dance with us in a big parade like the carnival parades we have in Haiti,” Saint Juste said. Saint Juste was born in Haiti, but since moving to the United States, she’s been bridging the two cultures together. Afoutayi is a call to get everyone to do things together, Saint Juste said. “The idea of the company is to bring honor to the Haitian culture, which unfortunately is not well rep-
resented,” Saint Juste said. “We use art to give a representation of what it’s like in Haiti and to keep the culture alive.” Saint Juste said there are many misconceptions about Haitian culture. “When you create an opportunity for each other to learn about other cultures, people will grow up to be more tolerant and open minded,” Saint Juste said. When Africans were taken to Haiti as slaves, they carried their songs, dances and traditions with them. One of the biggest differences in culture she finds lies on the dance floor. See HAITI, 6A
Rosemount men charged with burglary by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
SPORTS Tiger wrestlers qualify for state The Farmington wrestling team is making its second straight trip to Class AAA state tournament. Page 10A
PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District.
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Two Rosemount men have been charged in Dakota County District Court with burglary after two Rosemount home thefts were reported Jan. 15 and Jan. 28. Connor Douglas Busho, 19, and Edgar Daniel Delgado, 20, were both charged with felony seconddegree burglary in connection to the Jan. 15 incident, and Busho was charged with second-degree burglary in connection to the Jan. 28 report. After the Jan. 15 burglary, police found that Busho and Delgado had
pawned items that day later confirmed to be stolen from a home between 9:15 and 10:15 a.m. The victims reported missing a wedding ring, valued at $11,000; an opal ring; a watch; and a Lenovo laptop, valued at $1,500. Soon after the burglary, Busho and Delgado reportedly attempted to pawn two rings at an Apple Valley pawn shop, and shop employees called police because they believed the transaction to be suspicious. Police found that Delgado had pawned a ring at a Burnsville pawn shop about a half hour earlier. The ring was later confirmed to be the one stolen from the residence.
Vagts seeking DFL nomination in District 58B Current GOP Rep. Pat Garofalo seeking GOP nomination by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Farmington resident Marla Vagts announced that she will once again run for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 58B. The DFL-endorsed candidate in 2014, Vagts is the only person who has announced her intention for the 2016 DFL endorsement in District 58B. Current state Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, is seeking the GOP nomination. In an email he wrote: “I will be seeking the GOP endorsement (in March) and will make a final decision of whether I am running for re-election at the conclusion of the legislative session.” Garofalo, a network engineer from Farmington, was first elected in 2004. He won the last election
with 63.87 percent of the vote. Vagts had 36.01 percent. Garofalo is chairman of the Jobs and Energy Committee and the co-chair of the Marla Vagts National Energy Committee. District 58B includes Farmington and townships to the southeast. Vagts is a professional contract negotiator and mother of five. In the release announcing her intention to seek the nomination, Vagts said she believes her life experience is what qualifies her to run for office. She was inspired to get involved in politics about five years ago after husband Tim lost an eight-year battle with cancer. “I lost a wonderful husband and my children lost their dedi-
cated and loving father,” she said. “When you go through something like that you learn a lot of things. You learn how precious life is and how imPat portant family is. Garofalo You learn to take the good with the bad.” She said she also learned the value of community and that some problems are too big for one person to deal with alone. “You learn how to become an advocate,” Vagts said. “You learn how to prioritize spending, because cancer doesn’t just destroy a body, it destroys your savings, your food budget, your children’s college funds and your lifestyle. … We need advocates at the Capitol who understand that helping people at the lowest times in their lives
makes us all stronger when that challenge is met. We need to prioritize our spending. And we need a representative who knows that a community that works together is stronger than any single person.” The GOP caucus for Farmington area residents in District 58 is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 1 at Farmington High School. For those in the Lakeville area, the caucus is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 1 at Lakeville North High School. Go to www.mn58gop. com for more information. The DFL caucus for District 58 is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. March 1 at Robert Boeckman Middle School for those in Farmington as well as Empire, Castle Rock and Eureka townships. For those in the Lakeville area, it’s scheduled at 6:30 p.m. March 1 at Lakeville South High School. Visit www. dfl.org for more information.