Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas www.dakotacountytribune.com
COLLEGE FAIR
March 13, 2014 • Volume 130 • Number 2
Party smart on St. Patrick’s Day Controlled drinking event in Rosemount illustrates the effect of alcohol on the body by Tad Johnson
Get ready for college search Parents and students can get a head start on college plans by reading the College Fair special section in this edition. Inside
OPINION School safety stressed Area school districts can learn from Bloomington, which is taking innovative steps to ensure that students are safe inside all buildings. Page 4A
THISWEEKEND
SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
St. Patrick’s Day is viewed by many as a time to be merry and quaff down pints of green beer. Before revelers head out the door this weekend to parties related to the Irish-infused holiday, they should think about how they are going to get back home safe and not end up in jail, the hospital or the morgue. Seven volunteers in Rosemount discovered how quickly they can go over the state’s 0.08 blood alcohol limit after having a few drinks during a “controlled drinking� event at Fire Station No. 2. With Farmington Police Officer Pete Zajac serving as “bartender� for the night and games such as dice and bean-bag tossing
Participants in a controlled drinking exercise played games such as dice and a bean-bag toss at Fire Station Minnesota State Patrol Trooper Dan Marose administers No. 2 in Rosemount on Monday, March 10. The effort a breathalyzer test to one of the participants in a controlled aimed to show the difference in how intoxicated they felt drinking exercise at Fire Station No. 2 in Rosemount on in relationship to what a breathalyzer measured. (Photo by Tad Johnson) Monday, March 10. (Photo by Tad Johnson) on tap, the session felt like happy hour, but officials said it was aimed to educate the participants and the public about the serious
dangers of drinking and driving. The effort was part of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Toward
Garofalo apologizes for tweet regarding the NBA by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Oenophile intrigues Rosemount author Barbara Ellen Brink will be discussing her Fredrickson Winery mystery series at the Robert Trail Library. Page 15A
SPORTS Eagles fall in overtime The Apple Valley boys basketball team won’t get a chance to defend its state title after losing in the section tournament. Page 10A
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INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Announcements . . . . . 5A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 10A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 11A Thisweekend . . . . . . . 14A
News 952-846-2033 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000 Delivery 952-846-2070
Less than a month after being endorsed at a district convention to seek re-election to his sixth term, state Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, created a stir with a comment posted on his personal Twitter account regarding the National Basketball Association. His tweet, “Let’s be honest, 70% of teams in NBA could fold tomorrow + nobody would notice a difference w/ possible exception of increase in streetcrime,� which was posted at 4:33 p.m. Sun-
195th Street proposed improvements revealed by Jennifer Chick SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Pat Garofalo day, was retweeted more than 1,600 times in less than 24 hours. It generated scores of online reSee GAROFALO, 16A
Zero Deaths, a grant pro- emphasis on DWI enforcegram that funds 12 addi- ment. tional officers’ patrol time Last year, Minnesota in one Dakota County See SMART, 16A city every weekend with an
Planned improvements along 195th Street in Farmington aim to improve the road surface while creating better traffic flow and increased safety. Residents of Farmington were able to look at proposed changes to 195th Street between Flagstaff Avenue and Diamond Path in Farmington last Thursday night at a joint open house by the city of Farmington and Dakota County.
“These were concepts where we wanted to get feedback from the public before we finalized the design,� said City Engineer Kevin Schorzman. He said the city and county wanted residents to look over the plans and general concepts, identifying any issues that the planners may not have recognized. Schorzman said it was a good turnout with more than 80 people stopping by Farmington’s Maintenance Facility to look over the plans. “Quite honestly, it was probably the most posi-
tive open house I have ever been to in my career,� Schorzman said. Since 195th Street, also known as County Road 64, is a Dakota County road, Dakota County has taken the lead in the project. Schorzman said the county will pay 55 percent of the cost with Farmington picking up the other 45 percent of the price tag. This section of road came to the attention of Dakota County because the road was falling apart in areas. Since the road See STREET, 7A
It’s in the bank Farmington students create change for school in Kenya by Jennifer Chick SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
It took Farmington students less than two months to raise $10,000 to build a school in Kenya. And they did it one quarter at a time. The fundraising efforts were part of We Create Change, a partnership between Free The Children and Bremer Bank to build schools and improve access to education in developing communities around the globe. Since We Day Minnesota last October, FHS students had been looking for a project to support. Farmington High School student Jason Lansing was inspired by We Day Minnesota to extend his focus outward. He will be traveling to Kenya in July to help build a school there, and when he talked with Theresa Agerter, an assistant principal at FHS, about his trip, she was
Farmington area students celebrate the We Create Change/Bremer Bank event with their cardboard school houses that they used to collect coins in support of Free The Children. (Photo by Amy Jeanchaiyaphum Photography/eyelovephoto.com) interested in bringing his project to the attention of the FHS student body. The students rallied around the idea of raising money to build a school in Kenya and began the partnership with Free The Children and Bremer Bank. They called their project Brick by Brick. Students in buildings across the district collect-
ed coins in special cardboard schoolhouse banks in support of their peers who have never had the chance to go to school. “In our school district, we talk about the talents of people and inspiring them, helping them to use their strengths, and this Farmington High School student Jason Lansing was a perfect example,� addresses fellow students at the We Create Change “coin drop-off� event at a Bremer Bank in St. Paul. (Photo by Amy Jeanchaiyaphum Photography/eyelovephoto.com) See KENYA, 7A
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