Memorializing history on your tree
City orders police cars
Lions release second-to-last Christmas ornament in series of 20
Councilmember says money comes from ‘slush fund’
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JORDAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011
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INDEPENDENT GRAVEL PIT PROPOSAL
JAGS CELEBRATE THIRD
Can Jordan keep truck traffic off its roads? Council considers removing street’s Municipal State Aid designation BY MATHIAS BADEN editor@jordannews.com
Desperate times call for desperate measures. In one of its latest INSIDE attempts JORDAN WON’T to alleviate PARTICIPATE cit y resiIN ANY dents’ conGROUNDWATER cerns with a proposal POLLUTION for a gravSOLUTION el pit in a PAGE 8 n ei g hb o r i n g t ow n ship, the Jordan City Council is considering pulling the Municipal State Aid (MSA) designation from Valley View Drive. To do so, the city would forgo using state money to i mprove t he cit y st r e et – i mprovement s on which councilmembers and other residents have said they are willing to wait. On the other hand, contractor S.M. Hentges & Sons, a Jordan business, has declared its intention to route future gravel trucks along the road and Scott County officials have suggested their intention to see the project through, after dealing with environmental issues. Jordan officials, though, have opposed the truck route because it might advance the deterioration of Valley View Drive and speed up the timeline for city spending to improve its driving surface. Should the county eventually approve the proposed gravel pit, it would be located on 85 acres at 17825 Valley View Drive in Sand Creek Township. The township and county would receive gravel tax revenue; the city would only be saddled with extra truck traffic and a rapidly deteriorating road, opponents of the project have said.
PHOTO BY TODD ABELN
Jordan volleyball players Courtney Smith (back left), Rachel Freund (front left), Megan Johnson, Emilee Gutzmer, Kelsey Chambers (front) and Hannah Klegstad celebrate after finishing third at the Class 2A state volleyball tournament. The tournament was much like the regular season for the Jordan Jaguars. They had their up and downs, but in the end, it turned into a great experience with a lot of volleyball played. The Jags rallied to win their first match, then lost their semifinal match in five sets before grabbing third place with a convincing win. I FOR MORE ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT, AS WELL AS ALL-STATE SELECTIONS, TURN TO PAGES 11-12.
Keeping our country safe Jordan students gather to honor veterans BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com
W
hen longtime kindergarten teacher Bill Rutz told Jordan Elementary School students that he’d been a teacher for 34 years, some were awed and a “whoa” came from the crowd. “During that time, I had another job,” Rutz said. He told students that as a member of the Minnesota National Guard, he and other service members worked to keep the country safe. Jordan Elementary School gathered for Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to honor those who’ve served. Service members and veterans gathered on the
stage with students and family members. Rutz told students how Veterans Day, a holiday that first had the name Armistice Day, began after World War I. Students sang, recited poetry and “The Pledge of Allegiance,” heard “America the Beautiful” and saw veterans salute to honor those who’ve died, as “Taps” was played. This was the second year of the assembly for the elementary school, but the first year that the honor guard made a procession with flags. Cy Wolf, a member of the honor guard, said veterans really appreciate the assembly. “It was an honor for us to be here,” Wolf said.
Gravel pit to page 8 ®
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PHOTO BY DAVID SCHUELLER
After a Veterans Day assembly, kindergarten student Lacy McLean stopped to salute Navy veteran Gary Golay, who returned the gesture as his son, Michael Golay (right), looks on.
INSIDE OPINION/4 OUR SCHOOLS/5 DAYBOOK/6 PUBLIC SAFETY/9-10 SPORTS/11-12 CALENDAR/13 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6683 EDITOR: (952) 345-6571 OR E-MAIL EDITOR@JORDANNEWS.COM.
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VOL. 128, NO. 28 © SOUTHWEST NEWSPAPERS
Brenda Lieske was the 11th drive-up customer, after 11:11 am on 11-11-11. Brenda received a gift certificate for a “Showroom Detail” from Link Detailing for her vehicle.
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