Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS Dulcimers strum new tune Farmington seniors are creating music using instruments that are easier to learn than one would think. Page 2A
Abdulahi does not ask for recount General election field set for Rosemount City Council by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
OPINION Talking about mental illness The ECM Editorial Board encourages people to start talking about mental illness in an effort to reduce the stigma often associated with it. Page 4A
August 21, 2014 • Volume 129 • Number 25
Jamal Abdulahi, who lost a coin toss to be the fourth Rosemount City Council candidate in the Nov. 4 general election, said on Monday that he would not be requesting a recount. Abdulahi could have
Jamal Alba Abdulahi Nowlin requested the action within five days of the election after he lost a coin toss Friday, Aug. 15, during a meeting of the current City Council, which served as the election canvassing board.
He finished in a fourthplace tie with candidate Alba Nowlin, who also had 252 votes, after the Tuesday, Aug. 12, primary. He wrote in a guest columnist piece on today’s Opinion page that: “Spending money on a recount is antithetical to my core principle of fiscal responsibility.� The hand recount would have been paid for by the city of Rosemount. He described running for City Council as a great experience.
Orientation without a compass
THISWEEKEND
He said he visited more than 2,500 homes in Rosemount and spoke to many more people during his campaign. Abdulahi is an engineering manager. He holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Business Administration from Argosy University. He has worked on engineering projects for the United States Air Force and managed large commercial projects.
The general election field will include Nowlin; incumbent Mark DeBettignies, who led the way with 626 votes; Shaun P. Nelson, with 401 votes; and Kerry S. Hiben, with 335 votes. The candidates are vying for two four-year terms. More about the four candidates will be in a future edition of the Dakota County Tribune and online at SunThisweek.com. Email Tad Johnson at tad.johnson@ecm-inc.com.
Waiting for the roof over its head Farmington Library still in temporary location by Jennifer Chick SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
It has taken longer than first anticipated to finish an extensive remodeling of the Farmington Library, but the library has found an inviting temporary home in Farmington City Hall. “It has been fantastic,� said Barbara Svoboda, Farmington Library branch manager. “The city has been absolutely wonderful hosts. We feel a little like we are in a fancy penthouse with all the windows. It is a great building to be in.� The library has been in the city building since January, when library staff moved from the library at 508 Third St. to its temporary location across the street at 430 Third St., on the second floor of city hall. During the $1.3 million remodeling, the Farm-
Stage life beckons An apprenticeship at the Children’s Theatre Company is the latest achievement for young Eagan actor Meghan Kreidler. Page 17A Rosemount Middle School student Hailey Wimberly assists a new student and his mother during an open house at the school on Tuesday. New students and their parents were able to walk around the school that day to find the locations of their classes and test their skill at opening their lockers. The first day of school in the Rosemount-Apple ValleyEagan School District is Tuesday, Sept. 2. (Photo by Tad Johnson)
SPORTS
ington Library is gaining about 3,500 square feet by tearing out a back wall, which used to be leased to the Farmington School District. After the remodeling, Svoboda said the library will have four small study rooms and a larger room for meetings of six to eight people. The children’s area is also being moved and remodeled. The area will be located near the windows so children can watch the trains going down the nearby tracks. Just about every inch will be touched. Everything is going to be rearranged over new carpet and under a remodeled ceiling. Once the remodeling is finished, Svoboda’s hope is that the new library space will no longer resemble a grocery store, which is what the building See LIBRARY, 7A
Greeting students with a new school Donnelly Fall sports kick off practices Area high school teams in all sports started practices this week to prepare for the upcoming season. Page 10A
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INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Announcements . . . . . 6A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 10A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 13A Calendars . . . . . . . . . 16A
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by Jennifer Chick SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Gateway Academy is excited to open its doors to 78 students in just a few weeks. As the newest school in Farmington, Gateway Academy has seen a flurry of activity this summer as Farmington Area Public Schools prepares to open the project-based, continuous progress, multi-age learning center on Sept. 2. Laura Pierce, director of innovative programming, has helped with the opening of the new school. She said Gateway Academy currently has enrolled 78 students in fourth through sixth grades, and registrations for the 2014-2015 school year are still being accepted. The school can serve as many as 120 students. Pierce said the new school has a nice balance of students based on gender and age. Of the 78 students, 10 percent are students who have open enrolled into the district or those who lived within the school district’s boundaries but chose to attend schools outside of the district. The students will be served by five learning advisers, four full time and one part time. Kathryn Bosak’s content expertise is social studies; Jon Stock’s content expertise is English and language arts; and Katie Buelo’s
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by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
That process began this week as students met with their learning advisers to take inventories of the children’s learning styles. Farmington is focused on helping students find their spark. To help students get better acquainted before the school year begins, Gateway Academy had a picnic earlier this month. On Aug. 8, families and students of Gateway Academy met at Rambling River Park for a picnic. Following the picnic, more than 80 people travelled
Terry Donnelly has requested a recount after he fell 11 votes short in the primary election on Aug. 12 for a spot on the November ballot in the County Board District 1 race. Initial votes showed Mark Henry narrowly winning a spot with 640 to Donnelly’s 629, a 0.34 percent margin. Incumbent Mike Slavik had 1,940 votes. Dakota County will conduct the recount on Thursday morning at the County Administration Center in Hastings. The County Canvassing Board will meet shortly afterward
See GATEWAY, 6A
See RECOUNT, 6A
Following a picnic Aug. 8 for Gateway Academy students and parents in Farmington, more than 80 people travelled to Eagan to pack meals at Feed My Starving Children. (Photo submitted) content expertise is math. This summer, the district also hired a special education teacher, Keri Stenger, to help and support students at Gateway Academy as well as a half-time visual arts learning adviser. The school will be supported by a team of district administrators, and Marcia Doty will provide clerical support. “Parents are embracing that their child will be assigned the same learning adviser for several years so they can learn more about that student,� Pierce said.
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Challenger 11 votes behind Mark Henry
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requests recount in District 1 race
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