Thisweek Apple Valley and Rosemount

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Caponi Art Park in Eagan is playing host to the Medieval Fair on Oct. 3. See story in Thisweekend page 7A

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Thisweek Apple Valley-Rosemount SEPTEMBER 24, 2010 VOLUME 31, NO. 30

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Questions remain after shotgun fired into home by Andrew Miller THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

The night of Sept. 17, Cory Langer awoke to the sound of his girlfriend screaming. Langer, who had been fast asleep in the upstairs bedroom of his split-level home at 815 Jonathan Drive in Apple Valley, hadn’t heard the blast because his door was closed and the fan was on high. His girlfriend, though, had heard a sound resembling an explosion after she got out of the shower around midnight. A check of the basement provided the first clue as to

what the blast had been. “There was a hole about two times the size of my fist in the window,� said Langer, who raced upstairs, grabbed a butcher knife and called 911. Police confirmed what the hole in the window seemed to suggest: Someone on foot had fired a shotgun into the home. About 10 squad cars and police officers armed with what appeared to be M16 rifles responded to the 911 call, Langer said. Initially, Langer and his girlfriend were detained – they were both handcuffed and placed in the back of

Next year, Rosemount is putting up $10,000 to help build business and job growth on a regional scale by joining the Itasca Group. A regional economic development organization formed in 2003, the Itasca Group is made up of public officials and private industry representatives focused on closing socioeconomic gaps and adding jobs. The Twin Cities region has fallen behind nationally in job growth, Kathleen Schmidlkofer, vice president of the Itasca Job Growth Initiative, told the Rosemount Port Authority at its Sept. 21 meeting. She presented the group’s research, which indicated that while the Twin Cities area offers a high quality of life and an educated workforce, high business taxes and labor costs coupled with steep regulations are keeping the region from drawing new businesses. According to the group’s research, Twin Cities employment growth was 0.8 percent above the

national average in 1992, but has steadily dropped, except for briefly in 2000, to now being almost 0.6 percent below the U.S. average. Schmidlkofer said Itasca Group is intent to reverse that trend. She said the group has discovered other regions have benefitted by joining together and putting together a deliberate strategy around economic development. With a regional focus instead of a myopic competition between borders, that same kind of regional focus could provide jobs to Rosemount residents and help lift the overall economy, Port Authority members agreed. Schmidlkofer said the Itasca Group is searching for a CEO, and has applied to become a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, and said the Itasca Group is considering various strategies as it moves forward. For example, some regions in the United States have deliberately concentrated efforts toward a certain sector of businesses, See Growth, 9A

THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

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Friends and family have planned a benefit for a Rosemount husband, father, teacher and coach who is battling an aggressive brain cancer. Paul Wright, 45, a 17year social studies teacher at Bloomington Jefferson High School, underwent a successful surgery to remove a brain tumor in 2004. But a larger, malignant tumor returned in November 2008. Doctors performed several surgeries and removed some of the tumor, but it has continued to grow, and Wright is now undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments. His wife, Leslee Wright, 36, said the median life expectancy with his type of brain tumor, grade II astrocytoma, is one year. “This has changed our lives greatly. (Paul) is unable to work, drive or be left alone for very long. I have taken a year of family medical leave from my teaching position. We are trying very hard to keep our son’s life as normal as possible,� Leslee wrote in an e-mail.

as electives at Rosemount and Scott Highlands middle schools and will offer high school level courses next year. Xu Jia and Xing Bei are District 196’s newest Chinese teachers. Xu is from Wuhan, a central Chinese city and is here through a U.S. State Department program. Xing, from Anhui Province, is here through Hanban, a Chinesegovernment funded program. Both women’s programs fund their labor and living costs while they practice their already strong command of English in what has become +&//: 800%4 $,&3." / 45"$&: " "/%3&8 .*--&3

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Paul and Leslee Wright have taken their 10-year-old son Blake on family trips to Disney World, Chicago and Wisconsin Dells. Paul is now undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Recently, the couple has taken their son Blake, 10, on many family trips including ones to Disney World, Chicago and Wisconsin Dells. “We had the opportunity to take a few trips and definitely wanted to do them while Paul could still travel. We were very fortunate to get a trip through Memories of Love Foundation to Disney this summer. We did that right before Paul’s surgery and were so happy to have that,� Leslee wrote. Before the diagnosis,

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New liquor store to open in Rosemount MGM Liquor to close by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Photo by Aaron Vehling

Xu Jia (left) and Xing Bei (right) are District 196’s newest Chinese language teachers. They teach Mandarin, one of the two main languages of China, at the middle school level. their favorite country. English-speaking country so “Every English learner al- we can improve ourselves,� ways dreams of staying in an See Teachers, 5A

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Rosemount City Attorney Charlie LeFevere said that the city must review the lease before granting liquor licenses to ensure they are licensing the correct party. “If (the lease) is an exorbitant rate or the rate slides depending on the success of the business, that may be an indication the landlord has an interest (in the business), and a background investigation should include the landlord. It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally it does,� LeFevere said.

MGM Liquors on South Robert Trail is closing and its owner plans to open a new liquor store in downtown Rosemount soon. The new store is to be located in the area previously occupied by Irish Loon and Big Daddy’s Restaurant at 14495 South Robert Trail. On Sept. 21, Rosemount City Council members unanimously approved a liquor license application submitted by William Kuether, president of FPW LLC, contingent on a renovation plan Laura Adelmann is at dcediand a final lease agreement. tor@frontiernet.net.

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through speech and occupational therapy. Leslee said Paul is tired from the treatments, but is keeping a positive attitude. Friends and family members are pitching in to help with meals, errands and emotional support, help that is appreciated by the family. “We feel so blessed that I am able to be with him through all of this, and the fundraiser along with all of our friends is helping to See Benefit, 4A

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Paul enjoyed coaching high school gymnastics and Blake’s soccer teams, as well as spending time with family, watching football, reading and lifting weights. “These are things he can’t really do anymore,� Leslee said. Paul’s first symptoms were that he had difficulty thinking. Now, he has suffered seizures, is constantly word searching and some of his speech is slurred. Paul also has lost use of his right hand and is going

The Dakota County Tribune is your source for Business information south of the river.

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Andrew Miller is at andrew. miller@ecm-inc.com.

THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Government-funded programs help locals learn Mandarin Chinese When it comes to global economic power, there are two behemoths engaged in an artful dance of friendly suspicion. The United States still has the largest economy in the world, but China recently supplanted Japan as number two and is only growing, according to Bloomberg News. This has a number of ramifications, but is evident locally in the public schools. The Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district offers Mandarin Chinese at its Diamond Path international studies magnet school,

home for two nights following the incident, and Langer said he’s now considering moving out. For now, though, he’s having a security system installed, including an array of motion-sensitive lights in the yard. “Now if you take two steps into the back of my yard it’ll light up the sky like Mystic Lake,� he said. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Apple Valley Police Department at (952) 953-2700.

by Laura Adelmann

‘The world is getting smaller’ by Aaron Vehling

munity,� Johnson said.“We don’t believe it was random – obviously somebody targeted the house, but we have no idea why they targeted that house.� Langer said his family was fortunate in that no one was hurt. His 7-year-old son slept through the incident, and the room the shooter fired into was unoccupied at the time. “Luckily, no one was down there in that room,� he said. “A month earlier my son’s bedroom was down there.� The shooting has left the family shaken and fearful. They slept at a relative’s

Paul Wright is a teacher, coach at Bloomington Jefferson

City’s 2011 budget includes $10,000 for Itasca Group fees THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

founded,� said Langer, who moved in to the home near Grace Church about six months ago. “I can’t think of anybody (who would do this).� Police are of the opinion it wasn’t the Langer family the shooter was targeting. Apple Valley Police Chief Scott Johnson acknowledged the possibility that the shooter thought someone else was living in the home. Johnson said no suspects have been named in the case, but it remains a “top-priority investigation� for the department. “This is very frightening, and very rare in our com-

Benefit set for Rosemount father suffering brain cancer

Rosemount looks beyond borders for business growth by Laura Adelmann

squad cars – until police determined they were not suspects. Birdshot was found lodged in the wall of the room that was hit, Langer said, and police were able to determine, based on the size of the hole in the window, that the shooter was within 10 feet of the home when the gun was fired. Langer, 33, a union electrician, said he’s not involved in any criminal activity and can’t think of anyone with a vendetta against him. He believes the shooter may have been targeting a past occupant of the home. “I’m just kind of dumb-

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