STATE TOURNEY – HERE WE COME! Gabe Fogarty (left) and Nick Dvorak celebrate a Class 2A, Section 2 title after the Scott West Panthers defeated New Prague. The Panthers will be grappling for the state Class 2A title at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
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JORDAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012 2
$1 $1
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INDEPENDENT Legislative redistricting splits Jordan, Buesgens Decision gives Scott County’s largest cities new clout
New House districts in Scott County 55A 55B 56A remainder of district
Jackson
Shakopee
(rest in Burnsville) Louisville
20A remainder of district (rest in Le Sueur County)
Jordan St. Lawrence
Sand Creek
Prior Lake
Spring Lake
Credit River
Belle Plaine Blakeley
Belle Plaine Belle Plaine
Helena
New Prague Source: Minnesota Supreme Court
Cedar Lake
will continue to share a Senate district. Most of Sha ko Prior Lake, Savage pee is paired with and Shakopee each gain Louisville and Jacktheir own state House son townships in a district in the redistrictHouse district called ing decision released 5 5A . T he s e r u r a l Tuesday by a Minnesota Shakopee townships Supreme Court panel. were formerly comMark Prior Lake and most bined with a Carver Buesgens of Shakopee, which curCounty legislative rently share a state repredistrict. sentative, will now be split from Prior Lake is paired instead each other, although the cities with Jordan in House District BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swpub.com
Savage
New Market
Elko New Market Graphic by Traci Zellmann
DOCUMENT OF THE WEEK SEE THE COURT’S FINAL ORDER
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55B, which also contains the far southern chunk of Shakopee, in addition to St. Lawrence, Sand Creek, Spring Lake and Credit River townships. Savage, which (all but one
precinct) formerly shared a Senate district with northern Scott County and the House district with Jordan, is part of Senate District 56 that contains Burnsville. “From my quick take, it couldn’t be better for our communities,� said Senate District 35 DFL chairman Bruce Barron of Savage, who said he believes the new districts contain natural constituencies.
Redistricting to page A10 ÂŽ
Former Jordan High School teacher faces charges again James Simon’s alleged criminal sexual conduct spans years, complaint states BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com
Additional charges have been issued against former Jordan High School teacher James Simon, 58, who served five years in prison after being convicted of four counts of criminal sexual conduct in 2003. In the original investigation, from a period of 12 to 16
years ago, Simon admitted that there had been multiple victims, according to police. On Monday, Feb. 13, Simon turned himself in after being charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, for alleged offenses between 1998 and 2000.
Charges to page A8 ÂŽ
MEN WITH WARM HEARTS
PHOTOS BY DAVID SCHUELLER / REPRINTS AT PHOTOS.JORDANNEWS.COM
Makayla Hansen (left), Sebastian Lopez, and Mathew Greeson work on long division by touching the screens of iPads, which came to Jordan Elementary School using grant money.
Once chalk, now screens With grant-funded iPads, students learn in new ways BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com
F
ourth-grader Alexa Fern tapped the touchscreen of an iPad in Sarah Fritzke’s math class in Jordan Elementary School. “What we’re doing right now is long division,� Fern said. Students in small groups usually switch between stations that include computers, the iPads and other activities aimed at helping students learn math basics. Sure, students have long used chalkboards, paper pads and pencils to slog through math problems. But in Jordan schools and in classrooms across the country, technology is starting to change the way students learn. Lately, much focus has been on iPads as a learning tool. Fourth-graders Sebastian Lopez (left) and Mathew Greeson work on iPads during math in Sarah Fritzke’s iPads to page A6 Ž class.
PHOTO BY MATHIAS BADEN / REPRINTS AT PHOTOS.JORDANNEWS.COM
Jordan Knights of Columbus Steve Menke, Lance Krzmarcik, Norbert Hennen, Tim Sebenaler and Tom Robling are warm hearts — volunteers for their hometown and friends of the local Catholic elementary school.
Knights deal blackjack at 23rd Cadillac dinner BY MATHIAS BADEN editor@jordannews.com
When you spend your $100 to support St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Jordan, your blackjack dealer is likely to be Norbert Hennen, Lance Krzmarcik or Tim Sebenaler. The Jordan Knights of Columbus will gladly accept your play money. Real money, paid for two dinners, goes to the schoolchildren.
INSIDE OPINION/A4 OUR SCHOOLS/A6 PUBLIC SAFETY/A8 SPORTS/A11 CALENDAR/A13 DAYBOOK/A22 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6682 EDITOR: (952) 345-6571 OR E-MAIL EDITOR@JORDANNEWS.COM.
In exchange for a donation, you’ll enjoy a night at a local golf club, complete with tender prime rib, chicken Chardonnay, the din of live dinner music, and free-flowing casino — and real cash. It’s the 23rd year of the Cadillac dinner, held Saturday, March 3, at the Ridges at Sand Creek in Sand Creek Township, near Jordan.
Knights to page A22 ÂŽ
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