Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas
www.dakotacountytribune.com
February 2, 2017 • Volume 131 • Number 49
Spreading the word
NEWS
Young entrepreneur stirs up a popular peanut butter PB Crave finding success in Rosemount by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Planning a perfect wedding Inside this edition is a special news and advertising piece that aims to help couples plan the perfect wedding. See inside
OPINION Individuals should lead Columnist Keith Anderson says individuals and common ideals should lead political change, not the two major parties. Page 4A
THISWEEKEND
Boeckman Middle School Student Council members (from left) Connie Vait, Annabelle Speckan, Kaitlyn Rossate, and Ryan Azeltine participated in the 2017 Farmington Community Expo at Farmington High School. The group talked about the work they have done and encouraged people to get involved. (Photo by Maren Bauer)
Starting a business carries countless risks. Hard work is in danger of being worthless, and even then, one is relying on a bit of luck. Austin Riess, Austin a 2009 gradu- Riess ate of Lakeville North, dreamed of being the boss while working in corporate America a few years ago. After studying at Iowa State University, he took jobs with Target and Kohls, but he decided it was too risky to work for
someone else. “I sat there and thought, ‘Wow, this is not for me,’ � Riess said. “I heard people spending 10 years working themselves up the corporate ladder. It’s probably a millennial thing to say, but I don’t want to work 10 years for that. It’s a horrible riskreward. There’s 5,000 people in a corporate office and 1 percent of those are managers.� He was already broke and in debt, so he thought what’s the worst that could happen and moved back home to Lakeville. Now the 26-year-old is the owner and general manager of a peanut butSee CRAVE, 13A
‘That Tree’ grows a following Wisconsin author, photographer to speak during first book, author fair by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Treble Choir Festival The Minnesota Valley Women’s Chorale will be joined by choirs from three area high schools at a concert Feb. 11 in Rosemount. Page 15A
SPORTS Girls hockey on winning side Farmington High School’s girls hockey team has assured itself of a winning record for the 2016-17 campaign. Page 10A
PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District. Page 12A
INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 10A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 11A Announcements . . . . 14A Calendars . . . . . . . . . 14A
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It’s been said that everyone has a story to tell, and for Mark Hirsch the seed of it grew from something he had long disregarded. The keynote speaker for the first Writers Festival & Book Fair in Rosemount had driven past an oak tree in a farm field near his Plateville, Wisconsin, home for 19 years without much interest, but after he was nearly killed in a car crash, the tree took on new life. After he was released from the hospital, the first time Hirsch drove past the tree in January 2012, he noticed its beauty and snapped a photo of it with his new iPhone. Hirsch, a staff photographer of 20 years at the Dubuque newspaper, emailed the photo to himself. “I was blown away,� he said. He showed it to a friend who remarked about how impressive the photo was. Hirsch said it taken with a phone and not a
Event for aspiring authors, book lovers by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Mark Hirsch used an iPhone 4S to capture each image used in the book “That Tree.� (Photo submitted) “real� camera, but the “I was intrigued by the minded people of experifriend challenged Hirsch’s project which came about ences they had with trees assessment of the phone, without the intention of in their own life, such as saying he should treat it doing anything else be- those they climbed or built like a camera. yond being something for tree houses in as youths. That gave Hirsch the me,� Hirsch said. “It was a While there was distress idea that he would take a way to inspire me and be in Hirsch’s life, the tree photo of the tree every day therapeutic through the was contemplative, a place with his camera phone as reflections I was sharing.� where he could become a way to push the limits As he documented the one with a very quiet place of his photography skills tree, people connected and embrace the spiritual— no telephoto lens, no with him as they shared ity of nature. filters. similar connections to na“It’s crazy we don’t He started a blog in ture. take note, slow down and March 2012 that featured “Trees resonate very recognize there is beauty the photos and accompa- strongly with people,� right there in the backnying vignettes. The blog Hirsch said. “Trees are yard,� Hirsch said. “It algained a rapid following metaphoric to our exis- lowed me to take a step among his friends, who tence. The have more lon- back and ponder the cirpassed along its links to gevity than we do.� See HIRSCH, 8A more folks. He said the tree re-
Stray bullet strikes Sheriff’s Tim Leslie’s residence When a bullet struck the Dakota County sheriff’s home in Mendota Heights in the early morning hours of Saturday, it was determined to be its unintentional target. The investigation found that gunshots were fired around 4 a.m. likely near the intersection of Highway 13 and Sylvandale Road, which is less than a mile northeast of Interstate 35E. Some homeowners who live several blocks away from the sheriff’s residence said they were awakened by four or five gunshots. Agents from the Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension recovered the bullet that struck Sheriff Tim Leslie’s home and determined it coincidentally hit it. The bullet or bullets fired could have easily struck other homes in the area, the BCA reported. The Sheriff’s Office said that there is no ongoing or continual threat to the sheriff or anyone else in the neighborhood from the incident. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the BCA at 651-7937000. — Tad Johnson
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See EVENT, 8A
Two charged with felonies for smashing liquor store door Two women are facing jail time for attempting to break the front door of a liquor store in Coates in November, according to criminal complaints filed in Dakota County District Court. Stephanie Marie Wagner, 20, of Oakdale, is facing a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a $10,000 fine for felony first-degree criminal damage to property in the (value reduced by more than $1,000) for allegedly trying to throw a chunk of concrete through the liquor store door to break in so she could take beer and liquor. She was unsuccessful.
The driver, Alexandre Alexandrovich Sappah, 19, of Maplewood is facing a maximum penalty of 2 1/2 years in jail and a $3,000 fine for aiding an officer (accomplice after the fact). Dakota County Sheriff deputies responded to a burglary alarm at a liquor store in Coates Nov. 12 where they observed a car speeding and ignoring stop signs. They initiated a traffic stop where they found Sappah and Wagner, but at the time they were unable to confirm they were inSee CHARGES, 5A
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Writers at all stages of their development can find inspiration and information at the first Writers Festival & Book Fair in Rosemount. Twenty workshops are planned during the 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 18, event at the Rosemount Steeple Center that will also allow book lovers a chance to meet many prominent local authors. “I’m looking forward to the enthusiasm of the day and to be invigorated being in the same place as people who love books and writing,� said Jo Gilbertson, a Friends of the Robert Trail Library member. It’s hard for organizers from the Friends and Rose-