A royal affair
Robotics recognized
PLHS crowns homecoming court
Activity put on par with others sports
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www.savagepacer.com
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2011
SAVAGE
PACER Want more jobs? Toot your horn
There she is... Mrs. Savage BY AMY LYON editor@savagepacer.com
K
aren Cavalli never considered herself the pageant type. Growing up, she called one of her sisters “pageant quality” and the other sister a “hippy beauty,” but Cavalli only considered herself “good enough.” Now, at age 52, she’s embracing the inner and outer qualities that have brought her to this latest venture: representing the city as Mrs. Savage. “I’ve come through a lot to a fairly peaceful place,” said Cavalli.
A CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT Cavalli was recommended for the position of Mrs. Savage by an acquaintance in the business community. She inquired with the Mrs. Minnesota-America Pageant directors and they scheduled a preliminary interview. With no other competition from women in the city, she was welcomed at the end of August as a contestant in the Mrs. Minnesota-America Pageant representing the city of Savage. This is the 33rd year of the Mrs. Minnesota-America Pageant, and the last individual to hold the Mrs. Savage title was Katina Schroeder in 2006. Cavalli is most excited about the opportunities her title
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Business group says county needs more ‘padready’ sites, leadership
will afford her to meet people in the community. She’s even considering the purchase of a sash and tiara. “My husband, Tom, and I are both quiet people. We both read a lot. I guess you could call me an introvert with good social skills,” said Cavalli. One of her greatest qualities: she has “no fear of public speaking,” which will come in handy for the interview portion of the pageant March 3, 2012, at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Judging in the competition is based 50 percent on the interview, 25 percent on physical fitness and 25 percent on the evening gown. Cavalli has already picked out her evening gown, a vintage number from a resale shop, and she has a vision for the “costume” she will don during the interview portion of the contest. “I needed something that represents Minnesota, and Minnesota has a huge Spanish-speaking population,” said Cavalli. “So I Googled, ‘How would you
BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swpub.com
If cities and townships want to score more jobs in Scott County, local business leaders say the county better start acting more like a business: Market yourself better. Play more with others. And, most importantly, be a person (i.e. county) of your word. “Bu si nesses don’t li ke r u naround, they don’t like red tape and they don’t like double talk,” said Savage City Administrator Barry Stock at a recent forum in Prior Lake. “You got to be straight
Karen Cavalli gets giddy just talking about the vintage dress she will wear during the evening gown portion of the Mrs. MinnesotaAmerica Pageant.
Pageant to page 2 ®
up with them and hold their hand through the process. If we don’t do that collectively as a county, I worry in three years, this work will be all for naught.” The Scott County Association for Leadership and Efficiency (SCALE) compiled a group of local business leaders, real estate experts and others to identify strategies to further the county’s goal of securing enough employment by 2030 to support half of its labor force. The committee completed work this summer and shared its fi ndings with local elected officials in a meeting last month. To compete with real estate space in adjacent counties and other regions, the county needs to create and promote a consistent image and identify, as well address site
Jobs to page 12 ®
THE LITTLEST FIREFIGHTER
PHOTO BY AMY LYON
Intersections to close permanently BY AMY LYON editor@savagepacer.com
Rice Lake
101
Graphic by Carrie Rood
Ave.
13
X Louisiana Ave
125th St. W h St .W
alnd Ave .S
124th St. W
N
13 Pennsylv ania Ave. S
126t
X
Rhode Is
Wyomin g Ave.
Zinran
Two accesses to Highway 13/101 will close permanently next week primarily for safety reasons, but also to help with traffic flow. The intersection of Highway 13/101 and Rhode Island Avenue will close permanently Monday, Oct. 10, and the intersection of Highway 13/101 and Louisiana Avenue will close permanently Thursday, Oct. 13. The right-out movement at the intersection of Highway 101 and Zinran Avenue will also close permanently on Friday, Oct. 14. Eastbound traffic will still be able to turn right onto Zinran.
126th St. W
SAFETY/TRAFFIC FLOW According to MnDOT’s project web site, the intersection of Highway 13/101 was ranked No. 18 on the statewide list of Top 200 Highest Crash Cost intersections using crash data from 2005-2007. MnDOT anticipates that the project improvements will reduce the number of crashes at the intersection
by around 80 percent. “Uncontrolled intersections such as these create vehicle conflicts that result in more crashes, particularly on higher speed roadways,” said Charleen Zimmer, public information coordinator for the Highway 13/101 project. “They also have an impact on travel speed/travel time and roadway capacity.”
Zimmer said that by providing a grade-separated interchange rather than intersections like those at Louisiana, Rhode Island and Zinran, the number of crashes and vehicle delays will likely be reduced. The anticipated completion date for construction on the Highway 13/101 project is September 2012.
PHOTO BY AMY LYON
Carson Barbera, 4, of Savage dons his firefighter costume during the Savage Fire Department’s open house and safety expo Tuesday, Oct. 4 at the O’Connell station. More than 400 residents came out to enjoy fire truck rides, safety displays, demonstrations and refreshments.
INSIDE OPINION/4 OBITUARIES/5 LET’S GO/8-9 SPORTS/13-15 POLICE/17 CLASSIFIEDS/21-24 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6683 EDITOR: (952) 345-6376 OR E-MAIL EDITOR@SAVAGEPACER.COM.
VOL. 18 ISSUE 10 © SOUTHWEST NEWSPAPERS
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