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Crotchety old man takes center stage. See Thisweekend Page 7A
Thisweek Apple Valley-Rosemount JULY 29, 2011
VOLUME 32, NO. 22
A NEWS OPINION SPORTS
www.thisweeklive.com
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Manslaughter charged in friend’s fatal shooting It was an accident, Dahl told Burnsville police. He admitted pulling the trigger but said he didn’t know the gun had been reloaded after being emptied, according to Dahl is charged with another felthe criminal complaint. ony, reckless discharge of a firearm “This is just a tragic example of in a municipality, and two misdethe dangers of fooling around with meanors: intentionally pointing a Derrick weapons,” Dakota County Attorgun at another and recklessly han- Dahl ney James Backstrom said. “You aldling a gun. He’s accused of shooting Hanson in ways need to treat a gun as if it is loaded.” The shooting occurred at about 9:10 the head with a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun. Hanson died the next day at p.m. at a home on East Crystal Lake Road. Dahl and Hanson were there with a third Hennepin County Medical Center.
Former Apple Valley High School classmates were handling guns by John Gessner THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
A 22-year-old Apple Valley man is charged with fatally shooting a friend and former classmate while both were handling firearms July 23 at a home in Burnsville. Derrick Wallace Dahl was charged July 26 with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Benjamin Allen Hanson, 22, of Welch, Minn.
DNA evidence pinpoints suspect in robbery attempt
friend, who lives there with his parents, according to Backstrom. The three had been Apple Valley High School classmates, he said. The third man, whom Backstrom wouldn’t name, told police the trio were downstairs cleaning guns. “There was a significant number of guns in the home, both long guns and handguns,” Backstrom said. The men had removed some of the guns from locked storage, according to Backstrom. The third man told police he was watching See Shooting, 14A
Leprechaun Days cool fun
by Andrew Miller THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
DNA evidence has linked a Minneapolis man to a February 2010 robbery attempt at an Apple Valley convenience store. Alexander C. Askelin, 23, was charged with a felony this month after lab tests determined his DNA was on a glove found near the scene of the failed heist at Oasis Market, 14050 Pilot Knob Road. The criminal complaint gives the following account: Apple Valley officers were called to the convenience store just after 10 p.m. on Feb. 23, 2010, on a report of an armed robbery. There, a clerk told police that a man wearing a black mask and dark clothing had entered the store, brandished a knife and stated “give me the money.” The suspect did not obtain any money or merchandise, as the clerk chased the masked man from the store with a hammer stashed behind the counter. Near the store, police found several items believed to have been dropped by the suspect – including a knife, ski mask and black glove – which were sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for testing. DNA found on the glove matched a sample in the bureau’s database for Askelin, and when police contacted Askelin he admitted attempting to rob the store, according to the complaint. Askelin further told poSee Robbery, 13A
The Dakota County Fair special section is located inside this edition. It contains a schedule of events and stories about fair highlights and musical entertainment. For more information about the fair, go online to www.dakotacountyfair.org.
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Photo by Rick Orndorf
The Rosemount Parks and Recreation Department’s Wet ’n’ Wild Day took place Wednesday, July 27 with many youths participating a wide range of water-related games at Jaycee Park. For more photos, see Page 14A and go online to www.ThisweekLive.com.
Hard times expected as funding is further delayed
Good vibes at Kelley Park
District 196 official estimates between $18 million and $20 million will be held back each of the next two years by Jessica Harper THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Local school district officials expect to once again see cash flow shortages as the state delays aid payments. The $35.7 billion state budget deal passed last week includes a Capitol compromise that will delay another $700 million in funds owed to districts statewide until the next two-year budget cycle. “This will not mean a loss for us, but it will impact our cash flow,” said Jeff Solomon, finance director for the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District. Solomon said he has not received specific figures from the Department of Education but estimates the delayed payments will total between $18 million and $20 million each year. These figures are based on prior funding patterns, Solomon said. In previous years, all school districts received 70 percent of the money owed. Beginning next school year, they will receive 60 percent. This will likely create a cash flow shortage in District 196 and force the
district to borrow additional funds next school year, Solomon said. It won’t be the first time the district has looked to borrowing as a way to balance the books. In May, the district was forced to borrow $15 million in aid anticipation loans for the first time in years as it faced shortages created by delayed aid payments. The loans are meant to help cashstrapped districts and must be repaid using state aid. District 196 must repay the loan by January 2012 at 0.32 percent interest – the lowest rate available. The state budget deal will increase general aid by $50 per pupil for all school districts to help offset interest payments. For District 196, payments will be $5,174 per pupil in 2011-12 and $5,223 the following school year. Though school districts will receive more funding for each student, they will no longer receive credit when a student graduates early. Instead, that student will receive that See Schools, 13A
File photo
Acoustic artist Michael Monroe is bringing his sunny blend of folk, jazz and reggae to Apple Valley tonight (Friday, July 29) as part of the Music in Kelley Park concert series hosted by the Apple Valley Arts Foundation. Monroe, a resident of Minnesota’s North Shore who lives and records music in a solar-powered cabin, has performed at the Kelley Park music series each year since its inception in 2008. The concert in the park at Founders Lane and West 153rd Street runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and admission is free. This summer’s concerts conclude Friday, Aug. 5 with Harold Torrence Latin Vibe; more information is at www.facebook.com/ MusicInKelleyPark.
West Point cadets honor fallen Apple Valley soldier Photo by Mike Strasser of the Pointer View (West Point, N.Y.)
Each year, basic training for new cadets at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., includes a skills competition named in honor of a West Point graduate. This year’s competition on July 15 was called the “Goeke Challenge” in honor of Christopher Goeke, the Apple Valley soldier killed in combat in July 2010 Goeke while responding to an attack on a military facility in Kandahar City, Afghanistan. An Apple Valley High School alumnus and first lieutenant with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, Goeke graduated sixth in his class from West Point in 2008. “We’re focusing on remembering him because he emulated everything a cadet hopes to be,” said West Point cadet Angela Smith about the Goeke Challenge, which included tests of strength and endurance such as sprints, rowing and an obstacle course, and saw each new cadet issued a wristband bearing Goeke’s name.