Jordan

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Bibles & vacations go together

Tough tourney test: Le Sueur

Jordan offers vacation Bible school programs for children – three have science themes

The Jordan American Legion baseball team defends its district tournament titles

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JORDAN

THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011

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www.jordannews.com

INDEPENDENT Court order voids crematory permit TOWN HALL MEETING | 9 A.M. SATURDAY, JULY 16

Despite opposition, council will hear comments at funeral home BY MATHIAS BADEN editor@jordannews.com

Inappropriate schminappropriate. The Jordan City Council decided 4-2 to affi rm the city administrator’s decision to schedule a town hall meeting at a funeral home surrounded by a lot of fuss. With Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home’s newly opened Reflections Crematory the subject of two lawsuits, Mayor Pete Ewals called Ed Shukle’s decision to let Mark Ballard’s embattled business house the city-sponsored meeting “totally inappropriate.” The town hall meeting will go on as originally scheduled, running from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 16, at the funeral home, 104 First St. in Jordan.

Town Hall to page 21 ®

Judge finds that city improperly approved conditional-use permit BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com

A recent judge order means a Jordan crematory no longer has the legal authority to operate. In what could be seen as a victory for the Jordan Community Action Group (JCAG) – which has campaigned against a local funeral home’s crematory – First District Court Judge Diane Hanson ordered that the newly opened Reflections Crematory’s city-issued conditional-use permit (CUP) be declared null and void. The Jordan City Council passed the CUP July 19, 2010, the state issued a license for cremation on April 21, 2011, and Reflections began operating shortly thereafter. Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home’s owner, Mark Ballard, received a letter dated June 30 from the city of Jordan detailing the judge’s order.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit was the JCAG and the defendant was the city of Jordan, but the implications mean Ballard will no longer be able to operate the crematory. The crux of the issue, in the court order, comes down to the definition of a crematory versus the definition of a funeral home. The city zoning ordinance that applies to Ballard’s property cites 57 conditional uses, including funeral homes. However, according to Judge Hanson’s order, “the court finds that the city’s determination that a funeral home and a crematory are identical uses that should be similarly allowed as conditional uses in the C-1 neighborhood business district is not reasonable. A crematory is a use that is distinctly different from that of a funeral home and from the other expressly permitted and conditional uses in the district.”

So because the crematory wasn’t a conditional use, the council’s approval amounted to an inappropriate “de facto amendment of the ordinance,” according to Judge Hanson’s order. The city plans to discuss its legal options in a closed meeting on Monday, July 18, said City Administrator Ed Shukle. Shukle also said that a town meeting scheduled at Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home for 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 16, is still going to happen. The JCAG has another lawsuit pending that deals with the state, involving an environmental review process. Last week, Shukle said he wasn’t aware of the status of the lawsuit against the state. The JCAG’s primary objection with the crematory is that mercury is emitted from the facility. The funeral home and crematory is located in the same building along West First Street in Jordan.

NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Buzzing about outdoors

W land is closer Wild tthan you might think R Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center, 15865 Carver Highlands Drive, C SSan Francisco Township between JJordan and Carver

Refuge Ramble aims to get people of all ages outside to explore nature

Carver Highland Dr.

Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center

N

BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com

I

n a scenic area, a deer turns its head and meets the eye of a curious hiker. A bald eagle soars above the trees. A frog swims away from a ripple in the reeds. It doesn’t take much traveling to see these sights around Jordan. But having a trained eye to guide you to them could make it easier to get some oohs and ahhs from something besides fireworks. A new program, Refuge Ramble, takes place each Sunday in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. One is held at the Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center in San Francisco Township, near Jordan, and the other is held in Bloomington.

Ramble to page 10 ®

Jordan

Graphic by Lorris Thornton

Go, ramble What: At the Refuge Ramble, find out all about the wildlife that call the refuge home. From finches to foxes, the refuge has it all. You will go on a short hike to hear and see local wildlife in their natural habitats. The events are for people of all ages. Time: 2 p.m.-3 p.m., Sundays, July 10, 17, 24, 31, Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28 Cost: Free

PHOTOS BY RON MORNSON

Birds, countless insects, wildflowers and other wildlife can be seen from a walking trail. Visitors from Jordan, Excelsior and Buffalo, Minn., toured there on Sunday, July 10, with Katie Laughlin, summer park ranger. Inset – Everybody’s busy, but it takes an observant eye to notice this duty-bound insect.

Location: Rapids Lake Visitor Center, 15865 Carver Highlands Drive, San Francisco Township, between Jordan and Carver Info: (952) 361-4500 or fws.gov/ Midwest/minnesotavalley

ONE-ACT PLAYS

Curtains open again

SCOTT COUNTY FAIR | WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 31

Bike-a-goat, and hold the grass salad

Reinvented program could draw more shows, students, attendees this winter BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com

The one-act play is back. This year, after a proposal from Jordan High School theater director Tony Rydberg, the Jordan School Board voted on July 11 to bring back the program for this coming school year. Kinks that led to the oneact’s demise after 2009 – it was one of many items lopped off the district budget – may have been worked out by increasing the number of students

who can be involved in the program. How? Instead of only one show, the high school could offer several. More shows means more students can participate, according to Rydberg’s proposal. More revenue can be generated from fees – and selling tickets and concessions, he said. The opportunity would “open up a lot of opportunities for kids,” Rydberg said.

Two local children win sheep and goats BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com

PHOTO BY DAVID SCHUELLER

Molly Marshall has to protect her goats, Blaze and Dopey, from the heat of the summer sun. She rubs corn starch into their coats, and makes sure they have shade in the pen.

While in mid-conversation, Molly Marshall and her mom, Jo, contended with a loud, almost human bleat of protest. Molly had just left the goat pen. “He gets very upset when she leaves,” Jo said. “He does that in the morning,” Molly said. “They’re very demanding,” Jo said. Molly, 13, of St. Lawrence Township, is one of two winners in the 4-H Market Lamb and Goat Challenge.

Plays to page 17 ®

INSIDE OPINION/4 PUBLIC SAFETY/5-6 SPORTS/8-9 DAYBOOK/10 CALENDAR/11 OUR SCHOOLS/17 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6683 EDITOR: (952) 345-6571 OR E-MAIL EDITOR@JORDANNEWS.COM.

Fair to page 21 ®

VOL. 128, NO. 10 © SOUTHWEST NEWSPAPERS


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