Montessori on the move
Rock tribute
School plans to expand into church
Bands play homage to 1970s supergroups
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B4
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THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012
CHASKA
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What a difference one year makes Area swings from spring flooding to drought conditions BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO mfrancisco@swpub.com
Last year at this time, Chaskans were watching closely as the Minnesota River began to rise and weather models started hinting at a high probability of record-breaking flood waters. Thankfully, those models didn’t pan out. Nonetheless, the Minnesota River topped out at 30.13 feet — the seventh highest f lood level since 1965 — and lingered above the 18-foot flood stage in Chaska for 59 days. This spring couldn’t be more different. The river is hovering at a relatively low 7 feet after sitting at a 5-foot depth for much of the winter. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a less than 3 percent chance that the Minnesota River will flood locally through the end of May. “It’s night and day,” said Chaska Public Works Superintendent Tim Wiebe, whose employees spent much of last winter watching flood gates, cleaning Athletic Park and plowing snow. An unseasonably warm and dry winter has resulted in drought conditions across the entire state (as well as across 39 percent of the country). NOAA models suggest that drought conditions in Minnesota will persist or intensify during the next two and a half months. So what does that mean for the area? Local weather blogger (and city councilor) Greg Boe wrote to say while it’s good news for “commuters worrying about river flooding and closed roads, the dry conditions are bad news for farmers, gardeners, and just about everyone else. Without an increase in precipitation this spring, it could be a long
PHOTO BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO
The chances of the Minnesota River reaching the 18-foot flood stage in Chaska are less than 3 percent.
PHOTO BY CHUCK FRIEDBAUER
Jason Kirsch chisels out the Chaska Hawk logo from one of the Chaska Community Center ice rinks, while Ron Pieper breaks up other sections with a Bobcat tractor.
Breaking the ice
An unseasonable winter Eighth warmest January on record for the Twin Cities
City crews roll out turf for spring
Seventh warmest January on record for Minnesota Fourth warmest winter on record for the United States The area has experienced continued precipitation deficits since September 2011
BY CHUCK FRIEDBAUER friedchu@yahoo.com
The majority of the state, including the local area, is listed as D1 — moderate drought conditions with portions of southern Minnesota experiencing severe drought conditions (D2).
At the Chaska Community Center, the surest sign of spring is green, as a hockey rink is replaced with artificial turf. The switch-over is also a sign of spring for youth athletes, as skaters are replaced by lacrosse players. Since 2003, CCC employees have scooped out the ice and replaced it with turf — a process that takes nearly a week to complete. Step one: the compressors that keep the ice sheet at 18 degrees are
Drought conditions are expected to persist or worsen through the end of May. Source: Greg Boe, NOAA
Drought to A6 ®
turned off. “We turn them off on a Sunday evening right after the Men’s Hockey League is done, and by Monday morning, it’s typically down to about 34 degrees,” said Jason Kirsch, the Chaska Parks and Recreation arena manager. For the uninitiated, the plan sounds simple: let the ice melt and drain away. But it’s not that easy. For starters, waiting for the ice sheet to melt completely would take about a week, said Ron Pieper, the Community Center maintenance supervisor. Kirsch said approximately 10,000 to 13,000 gallons of water is used each year to form the ice sheet. “The sheet is typically one to one-and-a-half inches thick,” he said. “There is the risk of damaging the base surface if it’s too thin, and
energy is wasted keeping the sheet frozen if it’s too thick.” Besides the time constraint, letting it melt is simply not an option, as there are no drains in the rink’s concrete floor. “We actually have to break up the ice and carry it out the back door,” said Kirsch. “We start by using the Zamboni to shave it down to about one-half inch thickness and pull up most of the standing water.”
CAT ON ICE By Tuesday, Pieper and Kirsch use a Bobcat tractor to break up the ice in several spots around the rink. “We do have to hand chisel out the plastic sheets that make up the center
Turf to A11 ®
Rogers trial kicks off with jury selection, contention BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO mfrancisco@swpub.com
Sixty-four men and women flooded Courtroom 2 at the Carver County Courthouse Tuesday morning as jury selection began for the trial of Jesse James Rogers. Rogers, dressed in a soft green button- down shirt, black sweat-
er vest and khaki pants, stood as the potential jurors entered Judge Richard Perkins’ courtroom. He faces a second-degree murder charge in the fatal stabbing of Jason Foster outside of Kelley’s Bar in downtown ChasJesse James ka in the early mornRogers ing hours of June 3. Perkins administered an oath to the potential jurors before instructing them on the selection process. The jurors were then escorted to the jury
assembly room to complete a 10-page questionnaire before being excused for the day. Jurors will be questioned individually, based on their answers to that questionnaire, by the court as well as the prosecution and defense teams over the next several days. One potential juror has already been dismissed due to his position with the Carver County Sheriff ’s Office. The defense, led by attorneys J.A. Torres and Anita Jehl, will have the ability to strike five jurors without cause during jury selection. The state, led by Carver County Attorney Mark Metz and Chief Deputy County
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Jesse James Rogers murder trial
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Charge: Second-degree murder Defense: J.A. Torres and Anita Jehl
Attorney Mike Wentzell, will have three such strikes available to them. Jury selection was scheduled to begin Wednesday morning (as the Herald was going to press). With potential jurors gone, the court went over several motions by
INSIDE OPINION/A4 OBITUARIES/A6 VICTORIA/A7 SPORTS/B1-3 CALENDAR/B5 CLASSIFIEDS/B18-20 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6682 EDITOR: (952) 345-6574 OR E-MAIL EDITOR@CHASKAHERALD.COM.
Prosecution: Mark Metz and Mike Wentzell Jury selection: Began Wednesday, March 14. Testimony: Expected to begin Monday, March 19. Court space is booked through Monday, March 26.
Rogers to A6 ®
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Faces second-degree murder charge in fatal stabbing