Literary love
Sections go swimmingly
Book club introduces readers to new books, friends
Swims to state, 26 in total
B1
A8
www.edenprairienews.com
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012
news
Students discover body during field trip BY PATTY DEXTER pdexter@swpub.com
PHOTO BY ALEX KEMPSTON
The Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area is off Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie.
A group of middle school students discovered the body of a man during a field trip in Eden Prairie’s Richard T. Anderson Conservation Center Thursday. Eden Prairie Police were dispatched to the scene after receiving a 911 call at 10:06 a.m. The caller indicated the body of an adult male was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head. The body was found on a main trail off of the parking lot in a wooded area, by students from the
Oak Grove Middle School in Bloomington, said Katie Beal, a police spokesperson. “Initial investigation at the scene immediately indicated that it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The weapon was recovered. Police aren’t looking for any suspects,” she said. Approximately 125 eighth-grade students were on an exploratory field trip at the center with a group of teachers. Thirty students and a teacher from the group made the discovery. The students were then moved away from the scene and gathered by the entrance to the center. The teacher called 911 dur-
Man’s body discovered by Oak Grove Middle School students
ing the process, said Rick Kaufman, Bloomington Public Schools spokesperson. “Once the police talked with the teacher and the students that found the body, we released the students and the students returned back to school,” he said. The trail was closed for about two hours until police officers and the fire department cleared the scene. Chaplains who serve the police and fire departments talked with the students, Beal said. Kaufman said the district mobi-
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Body found to A11 ®
Polar Bear Plunge is March 10
EPHS’S DENT SHOWS MEDAL/METTLE
Take the plunge and raise money for Special Olympics Minnesota BY ALEX KEMPSTON
I
n just under two weeks, hundreds of residents from across the Twin Cities will flock to a frozen lake in Eden Prairie and plunge into the freezing water. Sound crazy? The Law Enforcement Polar Bear Plunge, an event that raises money for Special Olympics Minnesota, will return once again to Round Lake Park at noon Sunday, March 10, for the fifth consecutive year. In the past four years, over 1,000 people have participated in the plunge, raising a staggering total of $215, 639. Last year, 391 people took the plunge, raising an all-time high of $79,312. But, according to Eden Prairie police officer Linda Williams, the standards are even higher this year, with the goal of raising $90,000. As in previous years, registration for the plunge has already started online, but participants can register onsite either on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., on Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m., or on Sunday from 9 a.m. until the plunge. On the day of the plunge there will also be a huge heated tent with a changing area, bleachers for spectators to enjoy the fun, and a new, bigger platform to allow more people to jump at once. Throughout the event, there will be shuttle buses running back and forth from between parking lots at Round Lake Park and Eden Prairie High School. When asked if the warmer weather will affect the event, Linda Williams replied, “Not at all. If we are not able to jump into a hole we will just run into
Plunge to A11 ®
PHOTO BY DANIEL HUSS
Eden Prairie High School senior Mackenzie Dent wowed the State Gymnastics Meet crowd by taking home four medals. Dent won state titles in floor and bars, fi nished runner-up in the all-around and third on vault. For more on the State Gymnastics Meet, go to page A8.
COURTS
Judge to decide Randel Richardson’s future Judge Jay Quam will decide if Richardson should be committed as mentally ill and dangerous BY PATTY DEXTER pdexter@swpub.com
FILE PHOTO BY LEAH SHAFFER
A Viking took the plunge at last year’s event. This year, you can show your Nordic stoicism at the Polar Bear Plunge on March 10 in Round Lake Park.
Randel Richardson’s future is in the hands of a judge. The final day of civil commitment hearings concluded Monday at the Hennepin County Mental Health Court in Minneapolis.
INSIDE OPINION/A4 OBITUARIES/A6 SPORTS/A8-A10 CALENDAR/B2 CLASSIFIEDS/B5-B7 LIVING IN EP/B20 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6682 EDITOR: (952) 942-7885 OR EMAIL EDITOR@EDENPRAIRIENEWS.COM.
Richardson, a resident of Eden Prairie, was previously found not guilty by reason of mental illness for drowning his six-month-old son, Rowan, in a basement laundry tub on July 31, 2010. The Hennepin County attorney later petitioned to have Richardson committed as mentally ill and dangerous. The hearings began in February when the court heard testimony from Richardson, his wife Karen, and experts including Dr. Michael Farnsworth, a psychiatrist, and Dr.
Richardson to A11 ®
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