Author fills in the blanks
Strong start for kickers
Genealogy search turns up historical novel
Blaze boys are 2-0-1 through three games
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2011
SAVAGE
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PACER SAVAGE ART STUDIOS AND GALLERY
Art in your backyard Painting, drawing, photography classes start this month AMY LYON editor@savagepacer.com
PHOTO BY AMY LYON
Increased traffic is expected on County Road 27 near the intersection of County Road 44 in south Savage beginning Sept. 6.
CR 27/44 signal won’t be in for first day of school Three-way stop expected to slow vehicles; officers will monitor congestion, direct traffic BY AMY LYON AND MERYN FLUKER editor@savagepacer.com; mfluker@swpub.com
County Road 27 in south Savage feels a little bit like an obstacle course these days with cones, barrels, signs and uneven pavement as reconstruction continues on
County Road 44 and along a stretch of County Road 27, south of Prior Lake High School. The work is being done in the name of safety and structural integrity, and to improve capacity on that segment of the highway, but a delay in the relocation of power lines means a delay in the installation of the traffic signal that the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District had hoped to have operating for the fi rst day of school, Tuesday, Sept. 6. Instead, a three-way stop will be set up the morning of Sept. 6
with two signs on County Road 27 and one sign on County Road 44. The signs will remain in place until the signal is installed in midSeptember. “We are very concerned,” said Jim Dellwo, director of transportation and operations for District 719, about the traffic flow at the intersection.
DELAY T he d i st r ic t h ad b e en told throughout the summer that the
CR 27/44 to page 13 ®
The studio is quiet as four artists focus intensely on their painting projects. A vase of flowers. A street scene in Paris. A barnyard hen. Janice Whitlock, 87, of Savage puts the finishing touches on a painting of Chateau du Pins, her home in France in the 1950s. “Painting allows me to pick up old pictures and from the memories I can create a painting,” said Whitlock. Whitlock has been a musician all her life, primarily playing keyboard. “But then arthritis started doing a real number on my digits, and I needed to do something else,” she said. She began taking oil painting classes from instructor Pat Kness at Savage Art Studios and Gallery three years ago and has made it part of her weekly schedule. Her subjects have included the places she’s been and the people she knows. “Many people just don’t understand the value of art,” Whitlock said. “It makes you think about things differently and you treat people differently. They don’t know what they’re missing.”
BACK TO SCHOOL As the kids head back to school, Savage Art Studios Director Jo Storey thinks adults should partake in a little creative education of their own. Savage Art Studios and Gallery rounded the corner on its fifth anniversary at the beginning of
PHOTO BY AMY LYON
Janice Whitlock, 87, of Savage puts the finishing touches on a painting of her home in the 1950s in Chateauroux, France. August, and Storey weighed in on the ups and downs of the last five years while giving particular focus to the good times ahead. “This spring we saw a pretty dramatic drop in participation, but we have high hopes for the future,” said Storey. She noted that the studio’s fall lineup features many new classes that she hopes will draw in new and returning artists.
MORE THAN A LUXURY A drop in participation last winter hit the studio hard when record snowfall and sub-zero temps kept many retirees at their warm-locale winter homes well into March. Still, difficult times aren’t new for the local business. Savage Art Studios and Gallery opened during a time when many private art businesses were thinking twice
Gallery to page 2 ®
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Rewards in a time of recession As other companies hunker down, Norex treats its employees to picnics, car washes and a shopping spree BY LORI CARLSON editor@plamerican.com
Norex’s 40 employees are wearing jeans on a Wednesday, laughing and applauding and sounding more like a family gathered for a holiday feast than a staff meeting in a conference room. A popcorn machine beckons nearby. Cars sit in the parking lot sparkling clean, courtesy of the company’s top managers. And that’s just the start. The Prior Lake-based IT company
not only is treating existing workers to some generous rewards, but it’s also hiring new employees. Yes, this really is happening in an economic recession. This week, the 40 “team members” employed by Norex enjoyed a pig roast on the shores of Cleary Lake, those clean cars (inside and out), movie days complete with managers serving as ushers, and a surprise gift of $300 each to spend at the Mall of America. Norex Vice President Joe Reger says the company is simply following
its long-standing tradition of showing appreciation to its employees and proving that the business values the people who make it successful. “The message isn’t that Norex is making money hand over fist, because we’re not. The message is confidence in our team,” Reger says. “We believe it is management’s responsibility to provide a stable, family friendly environment.” Perks and rewards have always
Norex to page 8 ®
PHOTO BY LORI CARLSON
Norex founder Ron Haberkorn washes employee Bonnie Grapper’s car on Wednesday during the company’s Team Appreciation Week.
INSIDE OPINION/4 OBITUARIES/6 LET’S GO/9-10 POLICE/12-13 SPORTS/15-18 CLASSIFIEDS/22-25 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6683 EDITOR: (952) 345-6376 OR E-MAIL EDITOR@SAVAGEPACER.COM.
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