SUN Thisweek Apple Valley and Rosemount by Sun Thisweek

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Apple Valley | Rosemount July 6, 2012 | Volume 33 | Number 19

Bills welcomes new challenge

Catch of the day

Growing up beneath the bluff, Rosemount teacher looks to climb mountain Sun Thisweek

A former Republican U.S. senator from Minnesota says provisions of Affordable Care Act will remain. Page 4A

sports

Photo by Andrew Miller

Longtime Eagle coach to North Walt Weaver, the longtime coach at Apple Valley High School, has accepted a job coaching at Lakeville North. Page 12A

thisweekend

Six-year-old Bryce Sullivan was all smiles as he displayed his catch at the Kids Fishing Derby held Monday at Lac Lavon Park in Apple Valley. Hosted by the Minnesota Valley InFisherman Club, the event for children ages 5-11 was part of Apple Valley’s annual Freedom Days festival, which ran June 29 to July 4 at various sites throughout the city. For more photos from the fishing derby, turn to 9A or go online to SunThisweek. com

Eagan High School Summer Community Theatre presents the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical this month. Page 10A

Online Look for a photo slideshow from events related to Apple Valley Freedom Days and the big parade on July 4. Rosemount Leprechaun Days special section will be posted in PDF format when its published July 13. Sun Thisweek’s Facebook page offers local residents a chance to comment on featured stories at facebook.com/ sunthisweek.

Index Opinions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Announcements . . . . . . . 6A ThisWeekend. . . . . . . . . 10A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12A Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . 14A Public Notices. . . . . . . . 17A

General Information 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000

Rep. Kurt Bills remembers how as a boy he used to wait for his father to come home on Friday nights. Bills, 42, grew up in a small town in south central Wisconsin. During the 1970s, a misery-index decade of inflation and high unemployment, Bills’ father, Leroy Bills, a tradesman, would sometimes have to travel as far away as Iron Mountain, Mich., to find work. “We had a CB (citizen’s band) radio that would sit on the counter at home,” said Bills, a high school economics teacher and former City Council member in Rosemount, who is the endorsed Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.

Photo by T.W. Budig

Rep. Kurt Bills of Rosemount takes in the applause at the recent Republican State Convention after winning the party’s U.S. Senate endorsement. “And his handle (radio call name) was ‘Sandpiper.’ And I was the ‘Roadrunner,’” he said. “I can remember Fri-

day night I would sit at the bar stool at our counter and stare at the radio, because I knew dad was coming,” Bills said, his See bills, 13A

Right-to-die group’s members booked Three defendants released, next court appearance Oct. 15 by Laura Adelmann Sun Thisweek

The magic of ‘Cinderella’

by T.W. Budig

Health care law overcomes odds

A potentially precedentsetting assisted-suicide trial started Monday as three of four Final Exit Network members charged in the death of an Apple Valley woman were booked into the Dakota County Jail, released and appeared in court. Before Judge Karen Asphaug were Lawrence Egbert, 84, of Maryland; Roberta Massey, 66, of Delaware, and Thomas “Ted” Goodwin, 65, of Florida. Jerry Dincin, 81, of Illinois, is also facing charges, but was not able to attend

because he is terminally ill, Final Exit Network attorney Rob Rivas said. The members’ next court appearance is Oct. 15, and defense attorneys will meet in August to review the prosecution’s 40 banker boxes of evidence, Rivas said. The Dakota County grand jury may have reviewed some of that evidence in May before it produced a 17-count indictment against Final Exit Network and the four members for assisting in a suicide and interference with a death scene in the 2007 death of Doreen Dunn, 57, of Apple Valley. Dunn suffered years of debilitating pain before she joined Final Exit Network in

January 2007 and allegedly used information from the organization to end her life. According to Final Exit Network, their volunteers provide information, and are with a person when they end their life, sometimes holding their hands during the “exit” and removing equipment after the person has died. Rivas said Final Exit Network volunteers never physically assist in the process, a key point if the defense’s expected motion to dismiss is denied and the case goes to trial. Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom alleges Dincin and Egbert were present with Dunn when she died, and Rivas has told Sun Thisweek he

Three members of the Final Exit Network were booked into the Dakota County Jail on July 2 and released pending their next appearance Oct. 15. From left are the booking photos of Lawrence Egbert, Roberta Massey and Thomas “Ted” Goodwin. assumes Final Exit Network members were present when Dunn died, but could not confirm it. At the hearing, no bail was imposed and the defendants were released on their own recognizance. They must notify the

court of any address changes, seek permission to leave the country, and attend all future court appearances. Rivas said County Attorney Phil Prokopowicz asked the court demand Final Exit Network members See hearing, 5A

Candidates in District 57B offer contrast Jeff Wilfahrt says he makes decisions based on data

Wills aims to put Capitol experience to work

DFL state party Chairman Ken Martin of Eagan. “I didn’t go looking for Jeff Wilfahrt, the DFL this,” the retired 3M sciencandidate in House Distist said of his entry into trict 57B, came to the race politics. through a very personal rea Although he has strong son. The much-publicized Jeff Wilfahrt feelings about the proposed constitutional story of his U.S. Army soldier son’s death in Afghanistan amendment, Wilfahrt says there in February 2011 put Jeff and his are many other issues with which wife, Lori, into the spotlight when he is concerned. they felt it was important to tell his Wilfahrt describes himself as story as the Legislature considered someone who is tight with money a constitutional amendment ballot and has voted for both Republimeasure to define marriage as be- cans and Democrats in the past. “I make my decisions based on tween one man and one woman. Jeff testified against the mea- data,” Wilfahrt said. “I let the insure and told lawmakers about his formation lead us in the right way.” That approach has led him to son Andrew, who was gay. “I took that as an affront to my support state bonding bills because son,” Wilfahrt said of the amend- the jobs they create increase dement, which will be before voters in mand for other goods and services. He said his father owned a hardNovember. He said the state constitution ware store and that the business should be about expanding rights, didn’t thrive because of tax breaks. The state needs to invest more not inhibiting them. Through his involvement in the in living-wage job creation and inamendment debate, Wilfahrt said vest in secondary and higher eduhe was asked by many people to See wilfahrt, 5A run for the state House, including

Wills said she worked two part-time jobs before accepting her new position Anna Wills, the Republiat the Capitol. can candidate in House Dis “They are looktrict 57B, has seen the state ing for help,” she said Capitol at work from the inof people who call their side. legislator. “Often we are As a legislative assistant Anna Wills their last stop.” in the 2012 session for state Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham In some cases, Wills said she Lake, Wills has seen how much would like to help more, but can’t work goes into the position she is because of legal constraints and then refers people to those agencies seeking this fall. In addition to seeing the effort that can help. that went into the 60-some bills She said reducing taxes on busiBenson was an author or co-au- nesses will create more jobs as they thor for, Wills has learned what is- will be able to invest more in their sues are of concern to residents by workforce. fielding a wide range of constitu- Since next year is a budget year, she said the Legislature needs to ent communications. On the top of the list are jobs, evaluate programs to ensure they are cost-effective. taxes and education. “People are concerned about Working at the Capitol also has the economy,” she said. “They helped Wills develop working relaare working hard to make ends tionships with legislators on both meet and pay their mortgage each sides of the aisle. “I want to hear all ideas to find month.” Wills said she understands those solutions,” Wills said. concerns firsthand as she and her The Apple Valley resident since husband are doing the same for See wills, 5A their Apple Valley townhome.

by Tad Johnson Sun Thisweek

July 6, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount

New pastor, new chapter It’s hello, goodbye for River Hills United Methodist Church by John Gessner Sun Thisweek

River Hills United Methodist Church in Burnsville is 48 — one year older than its new lead pastor and five years shorter than the career of the pastor he’s replacing. The church has reached a new chapter, with a new pastor, new building improvements and resolve to counter the larger trend of declining church attendance. River Hills is “holding steady,” said the Rev. Duane Sarazin, who retired last month after 12 years at the church and 42 years in United Methodist ministry. “In this day and age of a main-

line church, that’s good. We had a little uptick in our average worship attendance over the past year, so that is good. ... We’re a certified welcoming congregation, which means the congregation is really working hard on welcoming and befriending people as they come in.” His replacement, the Rev. Robert Braudt, spent his first Sunday in the pulpit June 24 and will move into the parsonage on Monday. He arrived shortly after the congregation completed $1 million in improvements, including a lobby redesign, an expanded west entrance, new pave-

Elenbaas. His first week concluded with hundredyear rains and flooding. Some of the clutter he had hoped to clear out of the building was now floating in the lower level. “I said, ‘Lord, that was a little overkill,’ ” said Sarazin, now living in Hastings. “My first week I was in a 500,000plus (dollar) renovation project that I wasn’t counting on.” Beginning his career in Four decades 1970, Sarazin served congregations in St. Louis in ministry Park and Hastings before Sarazin had his own being appointed a district renovations to deal with superintendent for the when he arrived in 2000 to replace the Rev. Joe See braudt, 8A ment in the parking lot and a new sign and electronic readerboard easily visible from Highway 13. The building at 11100 River Hills Drive is now fully equipped with fire sprinklers and up to code — primed for expansion should that time come, Braudt said. “We’re ready,” he said. “But I’m more worried about expanding ministry than about expanding building.”

Photo by John Gessner

The Rev. Robert Braudt is the new lead pastor at River Hills United Methodist Church in Burnsville.

Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount July 6, 2012

News Briefs Randal Heise, president of Burnsville-based Mackin Educational Resources, has been selected by eSchool News as an outstanding thought leader to present the message during the 2012 International Society for Technology in Education Conference. Held in San Diego, Calif., the ISTE 2012 conference will focus on “Expanding Horizons” and continue to provide professional development and networking opportunities to infuse technology solutions into education and provide students with a comprehensive, digital-age education to prepare them for the future.

Ovarian cancer benefit events preview The Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance is preparing for two major events in Lakeville this July: the Mid Summer Night’s Gala and Molly Cade Scramble for Ovarian Cancer. The Mid Summer Night’s Gala will be held at Brackett’s Crossing Country Club in Lakeville on Sunday, July 15, starting at 5 p.m. Special guest and KSTP anchor Vineeta Sawkar will emcee the evening’s festivities. The event will include a threecourse gourmet dinner, silent and live auctions and live entertainment. The Molly Cade Scramble for Ovarian Cancer is a fun, morning or after-

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noon tournament designed for golfers of all abilities. Held at Brackett’s Crossing Country Club on Monday, July 16, the tournament includes 18 holes of golf, giveaway items, breakfast or lunch, along with a ticket to the Mid Summer Night’s Gala held the evening before. The event is named in memory of Molly Cade, one of the founding members of MOCA. Entrance fees for the scramble are $200 per person, which includes a ticket to the Mid Summer Night’s Gala. Individual tickets for the gala can be purchased for $75 each. Attendees can take part in one or both events. For ticket information, visit www.mnovarian.org or call (612) 822-0500.

Filing opens for Apple Valley City Council Filing dates are July 31 through Aug. 14 for the Apple Valley City Council. Two four-year seats on the council will be on the ballot in the November general election. Candidates can file from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the office of the city clerk located at the Apple Valley Municipal Center, 7100 W. 147th St. The filing fee is $5. There is no primary election. All those who file for

office will be on the ballot for Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 6, unless they file an affidavit of withdrawal by Aug. 16. The terms of council members Tom Goodwin and Ruth Grendahl expire on Dec. 31. Newly elected council members will begin their terms in January 2013. Others on the fivemember city council include John Bergman, Clint Hooppaw and Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland. For more information, call the city at (952) 953-2500 or visit www.cityofapplevalley.org. —Andrew Miller

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Mackin leader to present message

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Opinion

July 6, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount

Health care law will be reformed, not repealed by Dave Durenberger Special to Sun Thisweek

Did you know that bookmakers take odds on U.S. Supreme Court decisions? Neither did I until I heard the odds against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act being held constitutional were 5 to 1 going into last Thursday’s decision. The 5-4 opinion, upholding the law, was written by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. The opinion will go down in history as will the law itself, because of the incredible interest in the outcome and because it comes with four months left in an election campaign that may be decided by voter opinions of the law. It may also have been historic because of the role the chief justice played in deciding its constitutionality. In finding the mandate that everyone be required to purchase private health insurance or pay a financial penalty, an unconstitutional exercise of the commerce power granted Congress in the constitution, Roberts was joined by four of his conservative colleagues on the court. In upholding the mandate and its penalty as a constitutional exercise of the Congress’ power to spend and tax he was joined by the four liberals. A larger majority of the court joined in Roberts’ opinion that the Congress did not have the right to withhold Medicaid funds

Guest Columnist

Dave Durenberger from states that refused to enact the law’s new Medicaid expansion. This broadened eligibility for the joint federal/state program and promised the federal government would pay 100 percent of added costs in the first four years and 90 percent thereafter. Obamacare itself is historic because it is so comprehensive. Despite the fact that federal and state government finances 46 percent of the $2.6 trillion annual cost of health care in this country, more than 50 million of us are uninsured and many millions more underinsured. The new law expands insured coverage to 30-32 million uninsured. It sets rules for health insurance competition which require companies to improve evidence-based benefits, risk assumption rules for eligibility and renewal, the amount of premium paid to providers, and the addition of catastrophic coverage. It is historic because at the same time it expands coverage it changes payment poli-

cy to provide incentives for health care providers and systems to improve health and health care quality, safety and effectiveness. Interestingly, those of us in Minnesota don’t see the historic proportions of the law because we have benefitted from thoughtful bipartisan efforts to do both coverage expansion and value-based care payment and delivery for decades. But to a fair amount of the rest of this country, and to all Americans, this is a big deal. For that reason it has also been polarizingly political. The president chose to launch this reform effort early in his presidency at a time when the nation had not yet begun to recover from the destabilizing impact of what’s now called the Great Recession, while hundreds of thousands were losing jobs every month and while Congress was still being asked to go deeper into debt to bail out vital industries and to stimulate employment. In the summer of 2009 Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said the number one goal of his party was to make the new president a one-term president. As a result of all of this, Obamacare has been opposed by every elected Republican in state or federal government from its inception, many of whom joined in contesting its constitutionality. I have been engaged in national health policy reform

since my election to the U.S. Senate and its Finance Committee in 1978. This law is built on a chassis of health policy reform in which both Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. Senate have been involved for many years. Despite that fact, and it is a fact, the partisan split on the law continues into the 2012 election. Republicans in the House will vote to repeal the new law this week. The Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has pledged, if elected, to repeal it as the first item of business on his calendar. This is despite the fact that as governor of Massachussetts he enacted almost the same policy, which our former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty dubbed Romneycare. In my view the law will not be repealed, but it can be reformed by bi-partisan consensus because too much of it is supported by the millions of health care professionals who are already engaged in health reform. They think it’s time for national health policy to catch up to the reform that’s alive and well in Minnesota. Former Republican U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger is founder and current chair of the National Institute of Health Policy at the University of St. Thomas. Columns reflect the opinion of the author.

Right call in keeping tougher hockey penalties by Don Heinzman Sun Thisweek

Youth hockey is a popular sport in Minnesota with over 40,000 players competing in the state. Coaching young people how to check properly is paramount, because illegal checking can cause serious injuries. Without proper rules and penalties rigorously applied, players could become seriously injured, as was the case of Jack Jablonski who is paralyzed because of an accidental check from behind him. The Board of Directors of Minnesota Hockey is to be commended for its decision to keep the tougher penalties in place for illegal checking at all levels of youth hockey teams for the 2012-13 season. In reaction to the public’s concern over the Jablonski injury, the board of direc-

Sun Thisweek Columnist

Don Heinzman

tors last spring agreed to assess a mandatory five-minute, major penalty when a player illegally checks another. Previously, the referee decided the severity of the check and applied the penalty. In late June, the board was wavering over backing a recommendation of an ad hoc committee. That recommendation was to go back to the old rule way of letting the referee decide the penalty on illegal checking and assessing the two-

minute penalty. The more the board talked about reverting to the old, more lenient rule on checking, the more members realized safety of the players was more important. Some who wanted the old rules argued that players lose instructional time when they have to sit out longer penalties. They preferred to leave the assessment of penalty to the official. Game officials would be encouraged to enforce the checking and boarding rule vigorously. Some who voted to keep the harsher penalties agreed that going back to the old rule would not be received well with the public. They were right, because the public in general is becoming more concerned over long-term brain damage from concussions suffered by players in any contact

sport. The Minnesota Hockey Board wisely advocates better education of coaches and game officials. Critics of the longer penalty argue that better knowledge and enforcement of the rules is a better route. They point out that the new rule takes away discretion of penalizing minutes from the referee, because the five-minute penalty is automatic. The decision was a tough call for the board of directors, but most will agree it’s the right call, because it should make the game safer. Don Heinzman, a member of the ECM Editorial Board and ECM Board of Directors, can be reached at don.heinzman@ecm-inc.com or facebook.com/sunthisweek. Columns reflect the opinion of the author.

Letters Changing lanes To the editor: With the spacious intersections and liberal left-turn lanes in the south metro, I’m wondering why so many of my fellow travelers turn from the left lane into the right lane. It’s gotten to the point where I’m reluctant to take advantage of a rightturn option, because I can’t count on the oncoming left turner staying in his lane. In fact, my family has turned it into a game: When we see a row of people in oncoming traffic lined up for a left turn, we try to guess whether each one will stay in their lane or not. Typically, they don’t, but we haven’t established any patterns. One thought: If they’re driving a vehicle with a lousy turning radius, maybe they can’t make the tighter turn? Or they think the green arrow means the entire road belongs to them? Or they’ve never driven in a city?

Come on folks, can’t we My sister has been with all just stay in our lanes and her love for the past 17 years. Sherry and Barb are keep traffic moving? as much a devoted couple as KATHRYN HENDRICKS my husband and I are. Both give back to their communiApple Valley ty in many different ways as a volunteer firefighter, masThe freedom ter naturalist and member to marry of the town board. They also serve their community To the editor: I have been volunteering in their chosen professions with Minnesotans United as my sister works with for All Families since last people with disabilities and October. As a straight, her partner is a nurse anesChristian woman with a thetist. Both Sherry and wonderful husband of 30 Barb have been there as we years and four children said goodbye to our parsome might wonder why ents, I battled cancer and defeating this amendment is we celebrated our children’s accomplishments. They are so very important to me. When my sister first the most talented, giving came out to me in college, people I know. I was not really surprised It hurts me deeply to but it took some getting think that we can vote to used to. Over the years I say their love is any less have come to know that meaningful or deserving of she is still the same sister formal recognition. Would that I love and care for and you want your sister or my best friend in the entire brother to be told their love world; she just happens to wasn’t worthy of marriage be wired differently than or be asked to settle for a civil union? Allowing their me.

Letters to the editor policy Sun Thisweek welcomes letters to the editor. Submitted letters must be no more than 350 words. All letters must have the author’s phone number and address for verification purposes. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. Letters reflect the opinion of the author only. Sun Thisweek reserves the right to edit all letters. Submission of a letter does not guarantee publication.

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love to be recognized would not change or diminish my marriage in any way. Voting no on the proposed marriage amendment is important to my family. Please join me so all committed couples have the freedom to marry. Veda Kanitz Lakeville

Save the postal service To the editor: A letter on June 22 about the U.S. Postal Service blamed computers for its financial crisis and declining revenue and that is, undoubtedly, a contributing factor. But by far the biggest cause is a requirement imposed by Congress in 2006 that the post office, in the next 10 years, pre-fund health care costs for its employees for the next 75 years to the tune of $5.5 billion per year. Of course, since Congress wrote the law, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but the bottom line is the Postal Service is pre-paying health coverage for employees who not only haven’t been hired, they haven’t been born yet. So write or contact our current representative now and tell him to fix the funding problem for the Postal Service. It won’t solve all the fiscal problems, but reducing the $5.5 billion annual payment will make the others manageable without the drastic cuts in employees and services currently being proposed. And an important future action is to vote for Mike Obermueller for representative in November. Obermueller will be a representative who will work to fix the Postal Service and other issues in a way that gives us an efficient and effective government that works for all of us. JUDY FINGER Apple Valley

Kline’s criticism ignores reality

will have access to health insurance and community clinics. 6. Seniors will get $250 toward closing the prescription drug “doughnut hole.” Prescription drug coverage currently ends at $2,700 and resumes after spending nearly $6,200. Eventually, the reform act will close the doughnut hole entirely. 7. Small businesses will receive tax credits up to 50 percent of premium costs for offering health insurance to their workers. 8. Insurers need to justify rate increases and consumers have the ability to appeal claim denials to insurers. 9. All new plans must cover certain preventive services such as mammograms and colonoscopies without charging a deductible, copays or coinsurance as well no co-pays for other preventive services for women, breast pumps and domestic violence screening. Obamacare provides a foundation for a healthier America and equality in health care regardless of socioeconomic status. Kline’s zeal to repeal Obamacare ignores its many benefits and is rooted in divisive partisan politics. Based on his irate response to the ruling on the law that helps seniors, the middle class, and the disadvantaged, we should replace him in November.

To the editor: The Supreme Court made the right decision in upholding the Affordable Health Care Act, known as Obamacare. I was very disappointed by the diatribe of U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Lakeville, in a video he released the day of the decision. Kline called the ruling an “affront” to the Constitution, “misguided” and “unconstitutional.” The ruling held the law is constitutional. The congressman has done his best to sabotage Obamacare without proposing viable alternatives. Kline’s proposed “full repeal” of Obamacare would strip Americans of the following positive rights and benefits available under the law: 1. Insurance companies will be unable to drop people because they are sick. 2. Insurance companies can no longer impose lifetime coverage limits on your insurance. Individuals will no longer risk running out of coverage. 3. Insurers will be unable to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions and deny them coverage because of the condition. 4. Young people can stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26. 5. Nearly 30 million more STEVE FIEBIGER lower-income Americans Burnsville

Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount July 6, 2012

Hearing, from 1A to stop participating in an assisted suicides in Minnesota as a condition of the pretrial release. Rivas argued that Final Exit Network members do not participate in assisted suicides, and would never agree to that terminology. Asphaug instead ordered the members remain law abiding, and Rivas agreed. He later explained the Final Exit Network members would continue to provide information to people in Minnesota, as it is a First Amendment right. At the hearing were several Final Exit Network volunteers who had traveled from across the country to show support for the members on trial. Lee Vizer of Pennsylvania said she joined in the right-to-die movement to avoid the lingering pain her mother suffered for wills, from 1A 2010 also has been a campaign volunteer for local Republicans and served as city chair of the Burnsville campaign for John McCain’s 2008 bid for the White House. Wills lived much of her teen years in Burnsville where she was homeschooled and then took classes at Northwestern College in Roseville through the post-secondary education program. She said being homeschooled by her mother and through homeschool co-op programs was a great experience. wilfahrt, from 1A cation to bolster the workforce, Wilfahrt said. He sees equality as an overriding issue in reference to access to education, tax policy and economic opportunity “I believe in Minnesota,” he said. “It is a state with a long history in progressive politics. … It is not about one of us, it is a matter of all of us.” He concedes that his district is not favorable to Republicans, but he says he is a candidate who can attract

four years before her death about 15 years ago. She suffered so severely from osteoporosis and muscle deterioration that a careful hug from Vizer’s son Barry Cohen resulted in three broken ribs. “That was before she got worse,” Cohen of Tonka Bay told Sun Thisweek. “My mom died a horrible, lingering death,” Vizer said. “She didn’t deserve it. Nobody does.” Vizer said she believes a person should be able to end their life, calling it the “last human right.” Backstrom has told Sun Thisweek although he has “great compassion” for those suffering, state law does not allow for assisted suicide. Disability rights groups have also spoken out against the right-to-die movement, citing concerns about the potential for abuse. Vizer said “slippery slope

issues” raised before Oregon passed its 1998 “Death with Dignity Act” have not come to pass, proving it can work. According to Backstrom, the Death with Dignity Act applies only to terminally ill patients with incurable and irreversible diseases that are medically confirmed to produce death within six months. Dunn was not terminal, but a hand-written note signed by Dunn and faxed to Massey, stated she was “living with unbearable, excruciating, chronic pain” that spread throughout her body. Vizer said in her mother’s case, doctors wouldn’t declare her mother terminal even when she had shrunk to just 50 pounds. “She was forced to endure a living hell,” Vizer said.

“Homeschooling is not for everyone and public schools are not for everyone,” she said. “Families should have the freedom to choose what works best for them.” With the values that were instilled in her, Wills said she isn’t someone who does things halfway. She realizes the sacrifice of time the campaign will take and will give 100 percent effort to meet as many people in her district, which includes Rosemount, the northern portion of Apple Valley and the city of Coates. “I want to earn the votes,” she said. “I want to

be able to reach out to. Everyone has concerns. I want to listen to all those concerns.” Despite the geographic differences and range of housing in the district, she said one common trait among its residents is that they love their community. “It takes someone who is willing to put in the work and cares about the community,” Wills said of earning people’s trust. More about the Wills campaign is at http://willsforhouse.com.

a wide range of voters. “I like to think that I am a reasonable man,” Wilfahrt said. “I am a common man, not well polished.” The Wilfahrts, who met while attending high school in New Ulm, have lived in Rosemount for the past 28 years. Their three children graduated from Rosemount High School. They have a daughter and son, who attend graduate school at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and the University of North Carolina, respectively.

Wilfahrt, who worked for 3M for 15 years before accepting a buyout when he was 39, has been largely self-employed since 1992, working as a contractor in software engineering. He earned a degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota at Morris. More information about his campaign is at www. wilfarht.org.

Laura Adelmann is at laura. adelmann@ecm-inc.com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Tad Johnson can be reached at tad.johnson@ecm-inc.com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Tad Johnson can be reached at tad.johnson@ecm-inc. com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

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July 6, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount

Education College news

Art Institutes International Minnesota, Minneapolis, June graduate, Brent LaLone of Rosemount, B.S., media arts and animation. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, spring 2012 dean’s list, from Rosemount – Daniel Ellwein, Kyle Manley, Joshua Marek, Toni Simones. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, spring 2012 dean’s list, from Rosemount – Bailey McCorkell, Sarah Shervey.

Community Education classes District 196 Community Education will offer the following classes. To register or for more information, call (651) 423-7920 or visit www. district196.org/ce. • Knit Today – Wear To-

�� morrow, 6 to 8 p.m. Fridays, July 6 and 13, Yarn Garage, 2980 145th St. W., Rosemount. Cost: $29. • Applause! Broadway (grades 5-10) (“Seussical, Jr.–Seussical the Musical”), 9 a.m. to noon Monday-Friday, July 9-27, Falcon Ridge Middle School, 12900 Johnny Cake Ridge Road. Cost: $139. • Cardio Kickboxing, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, July 10-31, Bodyblast Studio, 2020 Silver Bell Road, Suite 26, Eagan. Cost: $39. • Summer Early Childhood Family Education: Parents with children ages birth through 12 months, tiny toddlers ages 13-18 months and toddlers 19-23 months are welcome to attend. Mornings, afternoons and evenings. Tuesday-Thursday July 10 through Aug. 2. Sliding fee scale. For more information, visit www.district196.org/ ecfe/Catalog.pdf.

Religion Family Fun Day at Eagan Festival Park South Oaks Community Church will host a free Family Fun Day from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 15, at the Eagan Community Center – Festival Park. There will be everything from bouncy castles to competitions to a K-9 demonstration by the Eagan Police Department. Food will be served from

noon until 1 p.m. Also during the day there will be a hot wings eating competition, a hula hoop contest, games, races and prizes. ASL interpreters will be available. South Oaks Community Church meets Sundays at 10 a.m. in the lower level of the Eagan Community Center. On July 15, the service will be outdoors at the band shell by the park.

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Herschl Wahlstrom

Raymond and Nancy Herschl of Burnsville announce the May 26 marriage of their daughter Laura to Dustin Wahlstrom in Grand Cayman. Dustin is the son of Arba-Della Beck of Stillwater and Mark and Nancy Wahlstrom of Sioux Falls, SD. Laura is a graduate of Apple Valley High School and the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She is currently a PhD candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Dustin is a graduate of Stillwater High School, Hamline University, and earned his PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. He currently works as a research director at Pearson. Dustin and Laura currently reside in Austin, TX, where Laura will complete her predoctoral internship at the Central Texas Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Dustin works at Pearson’s San Antonio office.

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Lucia Loretta Ogren

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Raymond and Tracy (nee Larson) Ogren, along with big sister Khloe, welcome with love Lucia Loretta Ogren. She was born on February 13, 2012, weighing 6 Ibs, 15 oz. Proud grandparents are Raymond and Jackie Ogren of St. Paul and Eric and Kathy Larson of Lakeville. Great grandparents are Arlene Bush of Bloomington and Leroy Molitor of Cottage Grove.

�� William M. Buckley “Bill”

Lawrence Michael Hazel

1937-2012, age 74, of Denver passed away on Sunday, June 17, 2012. He is survived by sons, Mike (Ann), Tim (Sherri), Kevin (Brooke) Buckley; daughter, Anne (Scott) Miller; sister, Jeraldine (John) Holden; niece, Mary-Ann; nephew, Joe; companion, Patty Bohm; and 7 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren. Funeral Mass Thursday July 12 10:00 am, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 830 Elm Street, Denver, CO 80220. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred in Bill’s name to The Elks Lodge #607, PO Box 607, Idaho Springs, CO 80452 in support of Laradon Hall, a school for children with disabilities. Please share condolences at HoranCares.com

Larry was born in New York, NY on December 31, 1936. He grew up in Brooklyn, and was proud of his Red Hook heritage. Larry was honored to serve in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Korea. After serving, he returned to Florida, and went back to school to study electronics. Following his studies, he was employed by Sperry Rand in Minnesota in 1961. After more than 30 years and multiple corporate name changes, Larry retired from Unisys in 1992. The majority of his career was spent working in the Technical Services Division as part of a team doing government proposals. Larry married Marilyn in 1963 and raised daughter Tammy and son Michael in Lakeville where they lived since 1967. Upon retiring, Larry started his consulting business (Basic Support Services, Inc.) and, more importantly, became even further involved in volunteerism. He was grateful to be asked to join the Lakeville Lions Club, a phenomenal group of hardworking, caring people. Larry also participated in the planning of our new Church, and helping with Loaves & Fishes and Habitat for Humanity. The busier he was, the happier he was. Spending time with family and dear friends was time he treasured. In his free time, he very much enjoyed golf, photography and woodworking. Larry started to leave us about 3 years ago, but 2011 was a real turning point. When asked why he left us, his answer was: “I didn’t want to go. But it will be alright.” We thank God over and over for giving us those few precious minutes. A special thank you to Father Tom Wilson, who has been caring for us throughout the long goodbye. Also to Father Kelly for his concern and prayers. To Deacon Jim, who faithfully brought communion to our home and prayed with us, for which Larry was so grateful. Thanks to the staff and families of All Saints for their loving support. To Dr. David Walsher for the years of exceptional care and friendship that he gave to Larry. Thank you to the incredible caregivers at Sunrise of Edina, a more kind and loving group would be hard to find. God sent us to the right place. Larry was preceded in death by his father, William Hazel, and his mother, Anna Horan Hazel. He is survived by his loving family: wife, Marilyn; daughter, Tammy; son, Mike (Cathy); grandsons, Jeremy and Jared; brothers, Raymond (Flo) Hazel, Al (Anne) Pinkham; sister, Kay Kent; sister-in-law, Donna Darling; and many nieces, nephews and friends. Larry was blessed to have so many loving relatives and amazing friends to share in his life. May God bless you and keep you healthy and happy all the days of your lives…until he meets you again.

Rita (Schweich) Gundersen Age 83, will be honored on July 11th in Lakeville, MN. Rita died peacefully in Phoenix, Ariz., Dec. 28, 2011. Born Sept. 9, 1928, Rita was the daughter of Jacob and Margaret Schweich. She is survived by her 5 Children and their Families Patricia (Timothy) Keith, Jean Berg (Kimberly), William Berg (Jim), Richard (Connie) Berg and Catherine Babick, 11 Grand and 6 Great Grand Children, Brothers Lawrence (Bonnie) Schweich, John (Gloria) Schweich and Robert Schweich, Sisters-In-Law Betty Schweich, Arlene Schweich and Mary Schweich and Brother-In-Law Gary Frighetto. She dearly loved her family and cherished each and every friend. Rita will be remembered for her generosity, beautiful smile and enthusiasm for life. July 11th, 2012: There will be a 10:00AM Reception at All Saints Catholic Church, 19795 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville, MN followed by 10:30AM Rosary and 11:00AM Mass. Rita will be laid to rest at All Saints Cemetery in Lakeville after Mass. Please join Family and Friends at the Chart House in Lakeville following the Services.

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Perry - Antonson ��

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Nicole Perry, daughter of Taylor and Barb Perry of Lakeville, and Matthew Antonson, son of Mark and Carol Antonson of Lakeville, announce their engagement. Nicole is a 2006 graduate of Lakeville North High School and a 2011 graduate of University of Minnesota Duluth with a degree in Life Science education. She will be teaching at Aspen Academy in the fall Matthew is a 2006 graduate from Lakeville North High School and a 2011 graduate of Brown College with a degree in Computer Technology and is employed at the Center for Diagnostic Imaging. An August 17th wedding is planned.

Grace Anne Kind October 8, 1949 ~ June 27, 2012. Age 62 of Osage, MN peacefully entered eternity on Wednesday evening, June 27, 2012 surrounded by her loved ones at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, MN. Grace Anne was born on October 8, 1949 in Berkeley, CA to Laurie W. and Lorraine (Chilton) Wright. As a small infant her family returned to the mid-west eventually settling in Moorhead, MN. She attended the Moorhead public schools graduating with the High School Class of 1967. Following high school, Grace Anne went on to attend the Moorhead State University where she earned her Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education in just 3 years. Following her graduation in 1970, she taught the 4th grade in West Fargo, ND for 3 years. On July 15, 1971 Grace Anne was united in marriage to Dale Kind in Sisseton, SD. This union was blessed with 3 daughters: Melissa, Tonia and Katie. Following her marriage, the young couple moved to Hudson, MA where they resided for 8 years. In 1981, they moved to San Marcos, CA where they lived until 1989 when they moved to Lakeville, MN. Throughout her working career, Grace Anne was always involved in the education of children. She enjoyed the challenge of instilling the love for learning in the lives of the youngsters she taught. In addition to her career, Grace Anne devoted her life to making a warm and loving home for her husband and daughters. She was a wonderful cook and baker who will be long remembered for her special birthday cakes, Christmas cookies and candy. In 2003, after being diagnosed with an auto immune disease known as Dermatomyositis, Grace Anne was forced to leave education. In that same year she and Dale retired to the Osage, MN area where they made their home on the Mill Pond of Straight Lake. Throughout her entire life, Grace Anne’s faith was actively used in the churches she faithfully attended. She had become a very active part of the Grace Community church of Osage where she and Dale attended. She was an active member of the Osage Lions Club, the Red Hat Society and the Osage Ladies Lunch Group. She also enjoyed attending the Osage Seniors luncheon on Tuesdays. Grace Anne was a very accomplished artist who loved to paint, draw, quilt and make her own greeting cards. She loved the outdoors whether it was swimming in the lake or working in her flower gardens. She loved to play cards and was an avid reader. Above all, Grace Anne dedicated her life to her husband, her daughters and her 3 grandsons who she loved with all her heart. She will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 41 years, Dale; her 3 daughters: Melissa (Jeff) Donnelly of Elko, MN, Tonia Kind of Burnsville, MN and Katie Kind of St. Louis Park, MN; her 3 grandsons: Jacob, Joey and Luke Donnelly all of Elko, MN; her mother, Lorraine Wright of the Heritage Living Center in Park Rapids, MN; very special aunt, Anne Garrett of Colorado Springs, CO; as well as a host of beloved family members and friends. Grace Anne was preceded in death by her father, Laurie in 1988 and her brother, Joel in 2010. Funeral services were held at 3:00 P.M. on Sunday, July 1, 2012 at Grace Community Church in Osage, MN with Reverend Paul McKibben officiating. Dorothy Crook was the organist. The Grace Community Ladies Quartet sang “It is Well with My Soul” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. The casketbearers were her nephews: Tony Kind, Jason Kind, Ron Kind, Ben Boe, Randy Mitzner and Chris Wilkes. Visitation was held from 5-8:00 P.M. on Saturday, June 30, 2012 at the Jones-Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids and for one hour prior to the service at the church on Sunday. A luncheon was hosted for all to attend following the service. To leave online condolences or view the video tribute, please visit www.jonespearson.com.

To submit an announcement Forms for birth, engagement, wedding, anniversary and obituaries announcements are available at our office and online at www. thisweeklive.com (click on “Announcements” and then “Send Announcement”). Completed forms may be e-mailed to class.thisweek@ ecm-inc.com or mailed to Sun Thisweek, 15322 Galaxie Ave., Suite 219, Apple Valley, MN 55124. If you are submitting a photograph along with your announcement, please only submit photographs for which you have the right to permit Sun Thisweek to use and publish. Deadline for announcements is 4 p.m. Tuesday. A fee of $50 will be charged for the first 5 inches and $10 per inch thereafter. They will run in all editions of Sun Thisweek. Photos may be picked up at the office within 60 days or returned by mail if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is provided.

Apple Valley Rotary names new president

Photo submitted

Doreen L’Allier was installed as Apple Valley Rotary Club president for 2012-13 at the local service group’s President’s Dinner on June 27 at the Hayes Community and Senior Center. L’Allier, an employee at 360 Communities, will replace outgoing president Alan Player (right). The Apple Valley Rotary Club has 55 members and meets each Wednesday morning at Enjoy restaurant; more about the group is at www.applevalleyrotary.org.

Immunizations Dakota County Public Health provides reduced-fee immunizations for people who are eligible for Minnesota Vaccines for Children vaccine. There is a $14 administration fee per immunization, but eligible people will not be refused service for inability to pay. July clinics are: • Tuesday, July 10, by appointment only, Dakota County Western Service Center, 14955 Galaxie Ave., Suite 286, Apple Valley. • Tuesday, July 17, walkin from 4 to 6:30 p.m., Dakota County Western Service Center, 14955 Galaxie Ave., Apple Valley. • Thursday, July 19, walk-in from 4 to 5:45 p.m., Dakota County Northern Service Center, 1 Mendota Road W., Suite 410, West St. Paul. • Tuesday, July 24, by appointment only, Dakota County Western Service Center, Suite 286, 14955 Galaxie Ave., Apple Valley. For more information, call the Immunization Hotline at (952) 891-7999.

Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount July 6, 2012

July 6, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount

Citizens asked to give input for park master plan Dakota County is seeking input from citizens on how they use Lebanon Hills Regional Park as well as what citizens would like to see in the future at an open house from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 10, at Lebanon Hills Regional Park Visitors Center, 860 Cliff Road, Eagan. The meeting will include an informal discussion beginning at 7 p.m., followed by a presentation and survey at 7:30 p.m., and ending with a time for questions at 8 p.m. The updated master plan will build from the existing plan adopted in 2001 and includes planning for county greenways, managing natural resources, building and filling gaps in park activities such as picnicking, bike-able trails and short walking loops. The plan update will help identify how Lebanon Hills can help achieve the county park system vision and prioritize actions for the future.

braudt, from 2A church’s Minnesota conference. After serving the conference for eight years, Sarazin was appointed to River Hills. “When I came in I met a congregation that was eager to move ahead,” Sarazin said. “We revisioned the church and decided outreach was really important, so we really beefed up the mission outreach of the church. Now they support two missionaries — one in Palestine, right in Bethlehem on the West Bank, and one in Ukraine.” More than 10 percent of its funds support programs outside the church, a congregational point of pride, Sarazin said. Outreach is more important than ever, he said. “It was a cultural thing — if you moved into a community, you went to church,” he said. “But the culture has changed, and people aren’t necessarily religious. They may be spiritual. But many people don’t understand what a church is all about. We have to do a lot of outreach and explaining and being authen-

tic, walking our talk, so to and family minister at two speak.” churches in New Jersey. The couple returned to the New pastor Midwest to raise three sons, With about 700 mem- one who attends the Perpich bers, River Hills is below its Center for Arts Education historic high of 1,000 but and two who are in college. holding its own compared Braudt was assigned in with many churches and 1994 to Richfield United still one of the largest and Methodist, where he served most active United Meth- for three years. Then he was odist congregations in Min- asked to serve as lead pastor at Discovery United Methnesota, Braudt said. “There’s not a person in odist in Chaska, which was the conference that wouldn’t struggling to establish itself. want to serve River Hills,” “It hadn’t found that right combination of leadhe said. Raised in the United ership and congregation,” Methodist Church in Clin- Braudt said. “They’d gone ton, Iowa, Braudt studied through three pastors in political science and the- about six years. The bishop ater at Iowa State and then told me, ‘Either close it or worked for AT&T in New grow it.’ ... And so we grew Jersey as a financial fore- it. We actually bought a second campus. We had a caster. He met his wife, Jocelyn, campus in Chaska and a when both sang in a con- campus in Chanhassen.” temporary Christian group. After eight years at Dis “We were singing one covery, the state conference Sunday morning at a tiny sought to reassign Braudt, little church, and a little who had settled into a home old lady came up and said, in Waconia with his family. ‘You should be a minister,’ “I can choose my confer” Braudt said. “She wasn’t ence. Once you’ve chosen the first person who’d said your conference, you choose it, but the first person I to be itinerant. That’s part of your ordination,” he heard.” He earned his seminary said. degree and served as youth Wanting to keep his

children in their current schools, Braudt decided against reassignment and took a seven-year leave of absence, during which he worked for Dow Building Solutions selling energy-efficient products. One client was a South Dakota prison that built small, pre-fab homes for the poor and elderly. “We converted that program with Dow products to make them more energy-efficient,” said Braudt, whose wife owns River Valley Dance Academy in Chaska. “I felt really good about that. It felt a lot like ministry.” Braudt didn’t leave church ministry, though. Two years into his leave he offered his services to a small rural congregation in Hanover that lacked a permanent pastor. “I was reminded who and what the church really is from that experience,” said Braudt, who served part time with the conference’s blessing. “They were real church, genuine community.” Then came the conference’s invitation to take over for the departing Sarazin.

“They contacted me,” Braudt said. “I had opened myself up to that contact. ... It’s the right fit.” A self-proclaimed “healthy skeptic” on religious institutions, Braudt said his chief interest in returning to full-time ministry is giving young people a foundation on which to build their lives. “The church is struggling, and not just the Methodist church,” he said. “The church is struggling to be relevant, to be real.” The River Hills congregation is a “nice mix,” he said. “We have to grow younger, clearly, but the congregation is very vital in many age categories. ... There’s a lot to work with to grow this church.” The church is also seeking a new youth director to replace Bonnie Laabs, who will leave at summer’s end for doctorate studies at the University of Minnesota. John Gessner can be reached at john.gessner@ecm-inc.com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount July 6, 2012

Kids Fishing Derby Left: Paige Fortman, 5, displayed one of the myriad fish she caught from the dock at Lac Lavon Park in Apple Valley during the Kids Fishing Derby held July 2. The event was hosted by the Minnesota Valley InFisherman Club as part of Apple Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six-day Freedom Days festival.

Below: Fouryear-old Ashton Boehmer got a helping hand from his mom, Heather, as he reeled in his fishing line. Photos by Andrew Miller

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July 6, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount

Thisweekend Magic of ‘Cinderella’ comes to Eagan stage A ‘princess parade’ for girls will precede each performance

Photo by Rick Orndorf

“Cinderella” opens next week at Eagan High School. Pictured are: Jacqueline Evans (Cinderella), Mike Leach (Prince Charming), Meg Krekeler (Stepmother), Bailey Richardson and Madie Gore (the Stepsisters), and Sarah Frazier (Godmother). by Andrew Miller Sun Thisweek

“Cinderella” director Dennis Swanson had one word to describe the latest production from Eagan High School Summer Community Theatre: magical. In fact, there’s magic every step of the way – before, during and after the show. Young girls who attend “Cinderella” are encouraged to come dressed as princesses and take part in the “princess parade.” Twenty minutes prior to the start of each performance, all the little princesses in attendance will be called onto the stage and introduced to the audience. And immediately following the performances of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, the audi-

ence will have a chance to meet and mingle with members of the cast, including Cinderella, Prince Charming and the evil Stepmother. The actor playing Cinderella, Jacqueline Evans, says she looks forward to meeting with the “little princesses” in the audience after the show, as she understands the appeal of the fairy-tale princess. A 2007 Eastview High School graduate who recently completed her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, Evans went the extra mile to score the role of Cinderella – literally. Evans drove from Ames

to Eagan for the audition in the spring, then made the trek back to Ames the following morning. She made the same long drive for the callback audition. “When I heard they were doing ‘Cinderella,’ I was like, ‘I have to do this.’ I saw the Cinderella movies as a kid, and I recently saw it at the Ordway,” Evans said of her interest in the role. “It’s just this timeless story that everybody kind of grew up with. “This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever worn a tiara – I’m never taking it off,” she added with a laugh. Evans isn’t the only cast member who was charmed by “Cinderella” as a child. “I saw the movies when I was younger – I liked the characters and fell in love with the music,” said

Mike Leach of Apple Valley, who’s cast as Prince Charming. The production has elements that will appeal to fans of musical theater, as well as kids enchanted by the Disney versions of the story, according to Meg Krekeler, a regular actor with Eagan Summer Community Theatre who’s playing the evil Stepmother in “Cinderella.” “When kids come to see the show, there’s definitely that Disneyesque aspect, but with our own unique stamp,” said Krekeler, a speech coach at Eastview High School. “It’ll feel like the world of Cinderella you’ve come to know and love.” “Cinderella” runs July 13-28 in the auditorium at Eagan High School, 4185 Braddock Trail. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 students/seniors, and are available by calling (651) 683-6964 or going online to www.eagan.k12.mn.us. Andrew Miller can be reached at andrew.miller@ecm-inc. com or facebook.com/sunthisweek. Photo by Rick Orndorf

Mike Leach and Jacqueline Evans star in the Eagan production of “Cinderella” this month.

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Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount July 6, 2012

family calendar To submit items for the Family Calendar, email: darcy.odden@ecm-inc.com. Friday, July 6 Forever Wild Family Friday: Dakota Wild Animals, 7 p.m., in the Discovery Room at Lebanon Hills Visitor Center, 860 Cliff Road, Eagan. Meet a friendly collection of live animals. All ages. Free. Registration required at http:// parks.co.dakota.mn.us/Activities/Activities.asp?SCheck=7 43696172&SDT=39002.758 900463&sectionId=2. Course number 4088. Tuesday, July 10 Family Fun Tuesday – Mexican folk dance with Los Alegres Bailadores, 10 to 11 a.m. in the Sculpture Garden at Caponi Art Park, Eagan. $4 per person donation is suggested. Information: (651) 454-9412 or www.caponiartpark.org. Wednesday, July 11 Get up and move with the YMCA, for children, 1 to 2 p.m. at Valley Natural Foods, Burnsville. This movement activity to music will show kids simple techniques and steps that they can do at home. Register for the class 32 hours in advance in the store, at (952) 891-1212, ext. 221, or online at www.eventbee.com/v/valleynaturalfoods/boxoffice. Eagan Market Fest, 4 to 8 p.m., Eagan Festival Grounds. Farmers market, Gypsy Mania Trio (4 p.m.) and Songs of Hope Children’s World Choir (6 p.m.), free kids’ art and family games. Information: www.cityofeagan.com/marketfest or (651) 675-5500.

Thursday, July 12 Music in the Parks – AlphaBits, 10 a.m. at Central Park Amphitheater, Rosemount. Free. Weather line: Call (952) 985-1780 option 6 to find out if a performance has been cancelled. Thursday Rockin’ Readers – Harriet Bishop Principal Rob Nelson, 11:15 a.m., Nicollet Commons Park, 12600 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville. Free. Thursday Rockin’ Lunch Hour – Story Time with the Wonder Weavers, noon, Nicollet Commons Park, 12600 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville. Free. Friday, July 13 Outdoor movie, “Yogi Bear,” 7:30 p.m. seating, dusk showtime, part of Burnsville’s “Flicks on the Bricks” series at Nicollet Commons Park in the Heart of the City. Summer Fresh Friday Film, “The Miracles of Greens: How Greens and Wild Edibles Can Save Your Life,” 6 to 8 p.m. at Valley Natural Foods, 13750 County Road 11, Burnsville. Information: (952) 891-1212, ext. 221. Saturday, July 14 Movies in the Park, “Puss in Boots,” at dusk at the Central Park Amphitheater near City Hall, Rosemount. Bring blankets and lawn chairs. Weather-related updates: (952) 985-1790, option No. 6. Blood drives The American Red Cross will hold the following blood drives. Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767)

theater and arts briefs IMAX family night The IMAX Theatre at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley will host Family Night on Monday, July 16. Guests who purchase one adult admission ($16.50) to the 6:30 p.m. showing of “The Amazing SpiderMan” will receive one free child’s admission to the movie and a complimentary sandwich and drink (while supplies last) before the show. Dinner will be served in the lobby beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Irish dancers at Caponi Art Park The O’Shea Irish Dancers will give a step dance performance at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 22, at Caponi Art Park in Eagan. The performance is part of the art park’s Summer Performance Series, a familyfriendly program presented free of charge in the Theater in the Woods outdoor amphitheater. A $5 per person donation is suggested. The perfor-

Former Thisweek editor makes fiction debut

Betty McMahon authors mystery novel ‘A Rendezvous to Die For’ by Andrew Miller Sun Thisweek

Betty McMahon’s newspaper days provided plenty of fodder for her first foray into fiction. Her debut novel, “A Rendezvous to Die For,” is a mystery that centers on the gruesome murder of a newspaper reporter. If there’s a true-to-life feel to the novel, it’s Betty McMahon because McMahon covered a good number of crime stories in the early 1980s as a reporter for the Dakota County Tribune, and, starting in 1983, as the first editor of Thisweek Apple Valley newspaper. (Thisweek merged with Sun Newspapers in March of this year to become Sun Thisweek.) “I never covered a murder in Apple Valley, but I did win first prize for news writing for a story I wrote about a woman who was terrorized all night long by an intruder,” McMahon said. “It was quite terrifying and very graphic.” McMahon left Thisweek in the mid-1980s to take a job in the corporate world, and eventually started her own business, Z Communications. A longtime Eden Prairie resident, McMahon now lives in New Mexico. As for the genesis of her novel, “I’d been working as a journalist and corporate writer and wanted to know if I could write fiction,” McMahon said. She took an online fiction-writing course offered by Writer’s Digest, then honed her mystery-writing skills through coursework at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. “A Rendezvous to Die For” is available through online booksellers Amazon and Lulu. More about the author and the novel is at www.bettymcmahonwriter.com. Andrew Miller can be reached at andrew.miller@ecminc.com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

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theater and arts calendar or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. • July 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wescott Library, 1340 Wescott Road, Eagan. • July 12, 1 to 6 p.m., Hope Church, 7477 145th St., Apple Valley. • July 12, 1 to 7 p.m., All Saints Catholic Church, 19795 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville. • July 12, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Valmont Industries, 20805 Eaton Ave., Farmington. • July 13, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., Easter Lutheran Church – By the Lake, 4545 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan. • July 13, 1 to 6 p.m., American Family Insurance, 400 Third St., Farmington. • July 14, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Nelson Chiropractic, 14321 Nicollet Court, Burnsville. Reunions Lakeville High School Class of 1972 will hold its 40th reunion at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 28, at the home of Bruce and Pat Zweber, 387 Maple Island Road, Burnsville. Information: Mary Boegeman Johnson at MBoegemanJ@ yahoo.com or Mary Ann Knox at MaryAnnKnox@visi.com. Burnsville High School Class of 1992 will hold its 20th reunion from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, at the Hyatt Regency, downtown Minneapolis. Tickets are $50 in advance or $65 at the door. To register and purchase tickets, visit https://reunionmanager. net/class_members/registration.php?class_id=124786 or contact Kelly Bruce Regan at kelbel070@gmail.com or Bob Hayes at bobhayes37@yahoo.com with questions.

To submit items for the Arts Calendar, email: darcy. odden@ecm-inc.com. Books Atina Diffley, author of “Turn Here Sweet Corn,” will be at Valley Natural Foods, 13750 County Road 11, Burnsville, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on July 10 to discuss her family’s experience as organic farmers and sign copies of her book. Free, but registration required by July 9 due to space considerations. Call (952) 891-1212, ext. 221 to register. Concerts Music in Kelley Park featuring The Castaways from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 6, at Kelley Park, 6855 Fortino St., Apple Valley. Free. Food and beverages available for purchase. DeVotchKa with Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 6, Subway Music in the Zoo, Minnesota Zoo amphitheater, Apple Valley. Cost: $31. Tickets available at ticketmaster. com. Melody and The Dramatics will perform at 7 p.m. on July 8 as part of Sunday Night Music in the Park at Nicollet Commons Park, 12600 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville. Free. Music in Kelley Park featuring Harold Torrence’s Latin Vibe from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 6, at Kelley Park, 6855 Fortino St., Apple Valley. Free. Food and beverages available for purchase. Dakota Valley Summer Pops Orchestra & Chorale will perform at 7 p.m. on July 11 as part of the Wednesday in the Park Concert Series at Civic Center Park, 75 Civic Center Parkway, Burnsville. Marc Cohn with Rebecca Pidgeon, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 13, Subway Music in the Zoo, Minnesota Zoo amphitheater, Apple Valley. Cost: $46. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com. Marc Cohn with Alison Scott, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 14, Subway Music in the Zoo, Minnesota Zoo amphitheater, Apple Valley. Cost: $46. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com.

mance will be rescheduled for July 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the event of poor weather. The O’Shea Irish Dancers also will perform traditional dance steps at a Family Fun Tuesdays event on July 17 at 10 a.m. in the art park’s sculpture garden. More information can be found at caponiartpark.org. Exhibits

World Travel Photogra-

phy exhibit by artist Becqi Sherman at the Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Ave. Information: (952) 9854640. Festivals Lakeville Pan-O-Prog runs July 1-8. Information: www.panoprog.org. Rosemount Leprechaun Days runs July 20-29. Information: www.rosemountevents.com/Leprechaun.html. Theater Eagan Summer Community Theatre will present “Cinderella” in the Eagan High School auditorium, 4185 Braddock Trail, at 7:30 p.m. July 12 (free senior preview), 7:30 p.m. July 13-14, 18-21, 25-28, and 2 p.m. July 15, 22 and 28. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors 62plus and children under 12. To purchase tickets, call (651) 683-6964 between 1 and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or purchase online at www. eagan.k12.mn.us/. Workshops/classes Heartbeat Studios, Apple Valley, will offer a six-week youth dance, singing and acting class summer session beginning July 9. This fairy tale production is open to ages 3 to middle school, and will be presented in midAugust in the amphitheater at Caponi Art Park in Eagan. For class registration information, contact Heartbeat Studios, (952) 432-7833, or heartbeatstudios.com. Mystery Art Night will be offered Fridays, July 20 through Aug. 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Eagan Art House. All supplies will be included and light refreshments will be served. Cost per class is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Register at www.eaganarthouse.org. Call (651) 6755521 for information. Music Together in the Valley offers classes for parents and their infant, toddler and preschool children in Rosemount, Farmington, Lakeville and Apple Valley. Information: www.musictogetherclasses.com or (651) 4394219. The Eagan Art House offers classes for all ages. For a complete listing go to www.

eaganarthouse.org or call (651) 675-5521. Dan Petrov Art Studio in Burnsville offers oil painting classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced skill level painters, www. danpetrovart.com, (763) 8432734. Teens Express Yourself with Paint, 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays at Brushworks School of Art in Burnsville, www.BrushworksSchoolofArt.com, (651) 214-4732. Drama/theater classes for ages 4 and up at River Ridge Arts Building, Burnsville, (952) 736-3644. Special needs theater program (autism-DCD), ages 5 and older, Burnsville, (952) 736-3644. Join other 55-plus adults at the Eagan Art House to create beaded jewelry. The Jewelry Club meets on the third Friday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. Fee is $3 and includes all supplies. Bring any old jewelry you would like to re-make. 3981 Lexington Ave. S., (651) 675-5500. Savage Art Studios, 4735 W. 123rd St., Suite 200, Savage, offers classes/workshops for all ages. Information: www. savageartstudios.com or (952) 895-0375. Soy candle making classes held weekly in Eagan near 55 and Yankee Doodle. Call Jamie at (651) 315-4849 for dates and times. $10 per person. Presented by Making Scents in Minnesota. Country line dance classes held for intermediates Mondays 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Rambling River Center, 325 Oak St., Farmington, $5/class. Call Marilyn (651) 463-7833. Beginner country line dance classes on Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Lakeville VFW, 8790 Upper 208th St. $5/class. Call Marilyn (651) 463-7833. Country line dance classes on Wednesdays at the Lakeville Senior Center, 20732 Holt Ave. Beginners, 9-10 a.m.; Intermediate, 10 a.m.-noon. $5/class. Call Marilyn (651) 463-7833. The Lakeville Area Arts Center offers arts classes for all ages, www.lakevillemn. gov, (952) 985-4640.

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Sports

July 6, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount

Walt Weaver returns to varsity coaching Volleyball pioneer will take over at Lakeville North by Andy Rogers Sun Thisweek

Walt Weaver is back. One of the pioneers of high school volleyball in Minnesota will return to the sport as a varsity head coach for the Lakeville North Panthers this fall. The Weaver resume is long. In 31 years as Apple Valley’s head coach, his teams won two state titles and reached the state tournament 13 times. He’s a member of the Minnesota State Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He retired from high school coaching in 2006 after accumulating 656 wins. His teams were ranked in the state’s top 10 for 29 consecutive years. He’s also the director and co-founder of the Midwest Volleyball Instructor Camps. He never intended on returning to the varsity ranks. After coaching Apple Valley for more than 30 years, it might seem strange that he’s now coaching one of the Eagles’ biggest rivals. But above all, Weaver says he supports volleyball. “Some factions might see this in a different light, but we’ve lived in Lakeville

for 25 years,” Weaver said. “This is about volleyball and the promotion of volleyball.” Both of his daughters, Cassie and Lindsey, went to Lakeville North, so he’s used to cheering for the Panthers, but more than anything, he loves the sport.

At first sight From the first time he played volleyball, Weaver said he loved it. He liked the people, the athleticism, the strategy, and just about everything else. “It attracts the kind of people I enjoy being around,” Weaver said. “So many of the top students at Apple Valley ended up on our volleyball team. The game attracts the intellectual. I love the beauty of it. “It takes a major athletic person to do the things in volleyball to make for a successful experience. It’s the ultimate team game. Six people have to operate as one systematic movement. It’s a small space to control a ball moving at erratic and high speeds. It’s always an intellectual challenge.” The fire never went out.

Lakeville North

When the Panthers’ head coach from last season, Steve Willingham, took the head coaching job at Lakeville South in late spring, the door opened for a new head coach at North. When athletic directors look for coaches, they first search for someone who’s also a teacher. Weaver is a retired teacher and would like to keep it that way. “More and more of those people (teachers/coaches) can’t get jobs,” Weaver said. “Lakeville is cutting back. At some point they asked if they could talk to me to see if I can help building and moving the volleyball team forward. “They asked me. I wasn’t looking for a coaching job, but if push came to shove, they felt I was the best person to help on a short-term basis.” He emphasized “shortterm.” He doesn’t plan on coaching for another 30 years. “Anything I would do is short-term,” Weaver said. “I think they understand that, so it seems like a good place for me right now.” His last varsity season was in 2006 and he had no intention of coaching high

school varsity again. “My intent, always, is to help the game flourish,” Weaver said. “That’s been my goal since I started in the early ’70s. I think we’ve come a long way. We’ve got some of the most exciting players in the nation here. At the grass-roots level in terms of girls sports, if it’s not the top sport, it’s near the top. I want to keep pushing that forward. This is one place I feel I can help.”

Family first Weaver stepped down at Apple Valley for several reasons. Perhaps the biggest was the possibility of missing the chance to watch his daughters compete with Lakeville North and at the collegiate level. Cassie is now at Concordia University, which has won the last five NCAA Division II championships. Lindsey just graduated after playing volleyball at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. “I’m freer now than I have been,” Weaver said. “(Concordia’s) games are played on different nights and it’s one daughter instead of two.” Steve Getchell, former

Youth shooting event at Dakota County Gun Club

File photo by Rick Orndorf

Walt Weaver watches volleyball players as the head coach for the Apple Valley team for more than 30 years. After taking a few years off from being a head coach at the varsity level, Weaver is taking over at Lakeville North starting this fall. Robbinsdale Armstrong ell also coached at Maple head coach whose teams Grove High School and in won five straight state titles the Northern Lights club. in the 1980s, will be Weaver’s assistant coach. GetchSee weaver, 17A

Wisdom from a former Viking Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer talks with Apple Valley High School football players last week during one of the Eagles’ summer workouts. Kramer, who played for the Vikings from 1977 through 1989, spent a day with the Eagles dispensing advice, particularly about the passing game.

Event is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday by Andy Rogers Sun Thisweek

Education is considered one of the best ways to promote gun safety, and it’s never too early to learn. A free youth shoot will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Dakota County Gun Club, 17501 Station Trail, Rosemount. Boys and girls 16 and under are welcome. All equipment will be provided free. Participants will be outfitted with .22-caliber rifles, 20-gauge shotguns, ammunition, hearing and eye protection, bows, arrows and arm protection. “If they happen to go over to a friend’s house and they pull out their parent’s firearm, I think these kids will be able to handle something like that,” Dakota County Gun Club’s Bruce Vogelgesang said.

Participants will receive oneon-one instruction from about 35 volunteers on how to handle firearms and archery equipment safely. “Safety is of utmost importance,” Vogelgesang said. “We have someone standing right with them the whole time. The volunteers come out six Saturdays a summer, so kudos to them.” Vogelgesang expects more than 100 participants this weekend. “The word is spreading,” he said. “It’s finally getting a life of its own. Earlier this summer a lady came up and said, ‘I didn’t even know this was here and I live a mile away.’ ” Other free youth shoots this summer at the Dakota County Gun Club are scheduled July 21, Aug. 3 and Aug. 18.

“We’re not emphasizing anything except gun safety and (shooting) as a sport,” Vogelgesang said. There will also be a free women’s shoot from 3 to 8 p.m. Aug. 18 to try rifles, handguns, muzzle-loading rifles and shotguns. “We had 300 last year,” Vogelgesang said. “We’ll have every type of gun you can imagine out there.” For more information on the youth and women’s shoots, call (651) 402-0368, email reddutchman@dt340.com or visit www.dakotacountygunclub. org. Persons attending the free shoots are asked to donate nonperishable food items. Andy Rogers can be reached at andy.rogers@ecm-inc.com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Photos by Mike Shaughnessy

Tommy Kramer chats with Apple Valley High School football coach Mike Fritze (right) during a summer workout for the Eagles football team last week. Kramer was passing through the Twin Cities following a commitment in North Dakota and spent a day with the Apple Valley football team. He played for the Vikings from 1977 through 1989, earning the nickname “TwoMinute Tommy” for leading several last-minute comebacks.

In many ways, a memorable 2011-12 A look back at 10 top stories in high school sports by Mike Shaughnessy Sun Thisweek

Officially, first day of high school fall sports practice is Aug. 13, but in reality many of those athletes are preparing already because of summer waiver periods and a year-round commitment to training. Essentially, there’s no off-season anymore. But before moving on to 201213, here’s a look at 10 compelling sports stories from 2011-12 in the Sun Thisweek coverage area.

Cougars pile up points Lakeville South girls track and field coach Andrew Hilliard downplayed his team’s chances of winning the state Class AA championship, saying the Cougars could finish “anywhere from first to 10th.” It just so happened it was first place. The Cougars didn’t win any events at state but scored points in eight of them to win their first state championship.

Eastview breakthrough Eastview quickly became competitive in athletics after the school opened in 1997, but in 2011-12 the school

was still looking for its first boys state championship. The Lightning had a chance in soccer, but a loss to Eden Prairie in the Class AA title game ended what would have been a dream season. In June, fortunes changed. Eastview’s lacrosse team, led by offensive standouts Jacob Heppner and Ryan McNamara, drubbed Eden Prairie 10-4 in the state final. About 2 1/2 weeks later, Evan DeCovich pitched a two-hit shutout as Eastview defeated Bemidji 1-0 in the Class AAA baseball championship game at Target Field.

Fall from grace Kurt Virgin is the only boys high school varsity coach in Minnesota with more than 400 victories in two different sports (soccer and basketball), but his career at Eagan High School ended abruptly. He was placed on administrative leave just before the start of boys basketball practice in November while School District 196 investigated a complaint against him. By January, he retired from his teaching and coaching positions, and it was announced that Eagan police were investigating his management of youth sports camps. In

May, the Dakota County Attorney’s Office charged him with six counts of theft by swindle, accusing him of stealing almost $30,000.

Walking away on top Apple Valley’s Jim Jackson surprised some in the wrestling community by retiring from coaching after leading the Eagles to 14 state championships and two national titles in 17 seasons. He cited a desire to spend more time with his family after being in the Apple Valley program for 32 years (including 15 as an assistant coach). He coached 56 individual state champions. Longtime Apple Valley assistant Dalen Wasmund was chosen to take over for Jackson. Wasmund is just the third head coach in the wrestling program’s 36-year history.

The Farmington Flash Farmington took fourth place in the state Class AA girls track and field meet, and junior Nadia Lorencz had a lot to do with it. Lorencz earned a memorable victory in the 100-meter hurdles, edging defending champion Jessica January

of Richfield by .03 seconds. January had set the all-time state meet record in the preliminaries. Lorencz also added a victory in the long jump and a fourth place in the triple jump, meaning she scored 30 of the Tigers’ 40 points at state. Lorencz also is an accomplished gymnast – she finished second on vault at the 2012 state meet – but indicated she likely would concentrate on track and field in her senior year.

Soccer power in south metro As the 2011 high school soccer season progressed, it became clear that many of the state’s best Class AA teams were concentrated in two conferences – the South Suburban and the Lake. Therefore, it was no surprise that the two leagues supplied the participants in the state boys and girls championship games at the Metrodome. Eden Prairie stopped the Eastview boys’ march toward an undefeated season, defeating the Lightning 3-1 in the state final. Eastview finished 201-1, by far the best record in school history. In the girls championship game, Wayzata defeated Burnsville 2-1 in a shootout. The Trojans converted on four of their

penalty kicks to Burnsville’s three in the shootout. One of the Blaze’s kicks banged off the goalpost, providing Wayzata with the opening it needed. Both teams had youthful lineups, raising the possibility that they could meet again in the 2012 championship game.

State hockey memories Eagan and Lakeville South represented the South Suburban Conference in the state boys hockey tournament, and both teams gave fans moments to remember. Eagan, the South Suburban champion with four players headed to Division I colleges, won one of its three games at the tournament and placed sixth. Lakeville South pulled the tournament’s biggest upset in years, beating No. 1 seed Duluth East 3-2 in the quarterfinals. It marked the first time a Lakeville team had won a quarterfinal game at the state boys tourney. South lost to eventual champion Benilde-St. Margaret’s 10-1 in the semifinals before recovering to beat Moorhead 2-1 for third place. Senior forward Justin Kloos, the Cougars’ leading scorer, also was the first player from a Lakeville high

school to receive the Mr. Hockey award.

A strong core A core group of seniors helped lead Lakeville North to strong showings in football, boys basketball and boys golf. The football team, with Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year Trey Heid at quarterback, won conference and section championships before losing to Cretin-Derham Hall in the state quarterfinals on a last-second field goal. The basketball team, which featured seniors Tyler Flack, Ryan Saarela and Brett Rasmussen leading a deep rotation, went 30-2 but lost to Osseo 49-47 in the Class AAAA championship game on a basket at the buzzer. Three-sport athletes such as Heid and Joel Oxton also contributed on the golf team, which was ranked first in the state for much of the season.

Fifth-game flashbacks Lakeville North was involved in two compelling high-stakes volleyball matches in eight days. First, the Panthers outlasted Lakeville South 25-20, 17See 2011, 17A

Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount July 6, 2012

News Briefs Deadline for photo contest nears The deadline for the third annual Rosemount Photo Contest is Thursday, July 12. The contest, sponsored by the Rosemount Area Arts Council and the Rose-

bills, from 1A voice thickening with emotion. Lots of people were laid off in those years, Bills said. “It was a challenge.” The Bills family lived in Sauk Prairie, the nickname for the twin villages of Sauk City and Prairie du Sac, snug on the banks of the Wisconsin River in southern Sauk County. Traveling south on Highway 12 out of Sauk Prairie for 30 minutes leads to Madison. Travelling north leads to the Badger Army Ammunition Plant – formerly a big area employer – with the highway then climbing the Baraboo Bluffs, polished sides jutting downward just a few feet off the shoulder of the road. Once over the bluff top, Wisconsin Dells awaits about 30 minutes down the road. Kurt Bills’ parents grew up nearby, with Leroy living within walking distance of Sauk Prairie at Stone’s Pocket and Sheila Bills, Kurt Bills’ mother, growing up near Plain. His mother’s ethic ancestry is German, his father’s more speculative – perhaps Irish or English. “We don’t know for sure. But I do have a little bit of everything in me,” Bills said. Raised a Catholic, Bills attended St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Sauk City. Bills indicated a certain flexibility in attendance. There was hunting and fishing on weekends, but

mount Parks and Recreation Department, has five categories with the winners being honored during a display at the Steeple Center during Rosemount Leprechaun Days. Ribbons will be awarded for first, second, third place and honorable mention in each of these categories: • Nature: landscape,

wildlife, floral; • Lifestyle: People, activities, city scenes; • Enhanced or significantly altered by computer; • Youth: 17 and under, and • Give Us Your Best Shot: Anything, anyplace. For more information, go online to www.rosemountaac.org or call Heidi

Gustafson-Green at (612) in the Garden” from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 31, at the 237-0203. Research and Display Gardens in UMore Park, 1605 W. 160th St., Rosemount. The event is free and open to the public. There will be educational presentations on topics such The Dakota County as: Master Gardeners will • How to grow the healthy sponsor “Super Tuesday fruits and vegetables

• Plants that attract birds, bees and butterflies • Identifying pesky weeds and how to control them • Hands-on opportunities for kids to learn the fun in gardening Visit http://blog.lib.umn. edu/mgweb/dakota for more information.

also firewood to bring in. The Bills heated their home with firewood – Bills isn’t sure he can remember ever seeing the LP tank refilled. “It was legendary how much wood we would haul in a weekend,” Bills said, adding he learned the basics of conservation by watching landowners select the trees they wanted felled. Leroy Bills’ theory about how his son got to be a standout shot putter in high school is that the motion of tossing a stick of firewood onto a truck is about the same as heaving a metal ball. Kurt Bills went to state in shot put and discus, though finished out of the medal hunt, he said. But his Sauk Prairie High School distance records match favorably against two other local athletes, both of whom later played in the National Football League. “I was a ‘C,’ ‘B’ student in high school,” Bills said. “I played sports a lot. I had a lot of fun.” Bills’ parents still live in the area. “They just worked hard for everything they got,” Bills said. Bills traces his core values to them. “Dad just instilled in me you do things in your life, and what you do has costs,” he said. “And what you do has benefits. And don’t try to push your costs onto other people.” Bills also credits his mother with having a strong

influence. She first stayed home with her son and daughter but later worked outside of the home, eventually becoming the office manager for a feed company in Sauk City. For about 18 months after high school, Bills worked as a union laborer in road and bridge construction, and taking old equipment out of an Oscar Mayer plant. His interest in attending college and pursuing law enforcement as a career, on advice of a family acquaintance, led him to enroll at Winona State University. Once there, Bills began to chum with students enrolled in the School of Education, and began to see coaching as a means of providing early guidance to students rather than arresting them as a police officer at some later date. “It was a lot of hard work. But it paid off,” Bills said of his career choice. “I’m glad I went into teaching.” Construction-worker money exhausted, Bills took a job working with adults living in a group home in an old Victorian house in Winona. Pay was decent; it was a good resume builder, and the experience would be valuable, Bills reasoned. During his junior and senior years at college, Bills shared an apartment with two developmentally disabled men. Bills helped get them up in the morning, stay on schedule, assist them to allow them the greatest con-

trol over their lives, Bills explained. “We had great times. Story after story,” Bills said. “They are the most lovable people in the world. They’re just happy.” One night, a bat got into the apartment, and David and Paul were excited and frightened. Bills got them into their room, and began hunting the bat with a tennis racket. At one point, in trying to maneuver the bat, he sensed someone standing just behind him. It was Paul. Unable to coax the bat outside, Bills whacked it and the bat slammed into the refrigerator, dead. Bills scooped up the bat, and was about to intern him in the trash outside when Paul insisted a few respectful words first be said. “‘Well, he was a good bat,’” Bills said, laughing about the brief service. After citing the bat’s many virtues, Bills performed a tight-lipped rendition of Taps. Paul snapped to attention. “Just things like that, makes your life – this is what it is all about, just this moment,” Bills said smiling. Besides gaining experience working in the group home, Bills became acquainted with a fellow student who also worked there. “There’s still some contention about who called whom first. I believe she called me first,” Bills said of his future wife, Cindy.

“If Mrs. Bills was here, she would definitely have a problem with that statement,” he said. Bills proposed to his wife at Garvin Heights Park in Winona, a scenic outlook with a view of the Mississippi River Valley below. They married in March 1995. The couple have four children. They attend Christ Church in Apple Valley. Bills depicts his efforts in public office – two years on the Rosemount City Council and in the Minnesota House – as a response to his students’ concerns about the direction of the country.

“I believe in people,” he said. “I believe if you let people and businesses they run manage things, I think you’ll come out OK. … I think the Republican Party, and hopefully America, is still about the individual.” Bills, showing off the campaign’s three school buses parked next to his campaign office in Bloomington, dismissed the idea that he is an emotional person. “Passionate,” he said. Rep. Pat Garofalo, RFarmington, who is not only a friend of Bills but recruited him to run for the Legislature, said Bills is one of the most popular teachers at Rosemount High School among parents and students. He’s been repeatedly asked to deliver the commencement address to graduating seniors, he noted. “He does a great job at educating the kids,” Garofalo said. Bills is “really smart,” honest, decent, exactly the kind of person you want to see in public office, Garofalo said. One reason Bills is eager to address the country’s economic issues, Garofalo indicated, is that as a student of economic history he has a larger view of the problems facing the United States.

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Super Tuesday in the Garden

The campaign

Charlie Weaver, executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership and former chief of staff to Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, foresees Bills having a tough time raising campaign funding in his run against Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a plight not made easier by the perception that Bills is the underdog. Bills scoffs at the idea of feeling daunted by the challenge. “I’d much rather be in this election versus Amy Klobuchar than trying to get a wrestling team to beat (powerhouse) Apple Valley,” said Bills, laughing. Bills coached Rosemount High School wrestling for T.W. Budig can be reached at seven years, among other tim.budig@ecm-inc.com or facebook.com/sunthisweek. coaching duties. In talking politics, Bills cited a basic belief.

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July 6, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount

Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount July 6, 2012

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July 6, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount

2011, from 12A

she’ll be back next season as led Rosemount to fourth in the Panthers take another the boys team competition. 25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13 in shot at the title. Ninth-grader Kaytlyn Larthe Section 3AAA final. son finished sixth individuThe tension was cranked up Run to win ally for the state runner-up even higher at the state tour- Dakota County runners Lakeville South girls team. nament when North faced were a factor in the state Eagan junior Danielle AnEden Prairie for the cham- Class AA cross country derson finished eighth in pionship. After the longest meet last fall, with Burns- the girls race and helped her fifth game in state tourna- ville’s boys and Lakeville team place ninth. ment history, Eden Prairie South’s girls both earning prevailed 22-25, 25-21, 19- team runner-up trophies. Mike Shaughnessy is at mike. 25, 25-18, 22-20. North’s Senior Cole O’Brien fin- shaughnessy@ecm-inc.com or Alyssa Goehner had 34 kills ished fifth individually for facebook.com/sunthisweek. and 38 digs in the marathon Burnsville. Nathan Rock, championship match, and who placed 21st overall, weaver, from 12A Also on the coaching staff are Julie Marvets, who was an All-State setter on Weaver’s first state championship team at Apple Valley, and her twin sister Janis Goehner, who played middle blocker at AVHS and runs the Lakeville North Juniors program. Goehner also is the mother of Alyssa Goehner, Lakeville North’s star player.

Northern Lights Weaver never really left coaching. He’s been keeping busy with the Northern Lights club for the past six years. Last week he led the 15-1 Northern Lights team to an AAU open division national championship in Florida. Players on that team included Lakeville North’s Janae Neuenschwander, Lakeville South’s Jade Tingelhoff and

�� PUBLIC NOTICE

DOCUMENT 00 11 13 ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS One (1) Traffic Control Signal System, One (1) Revise Signal System, and Traffic Control Interconnection City of Apple Valley, Minnesota City Project No. 2011-140 County Project No. 31-63 SEH No. APPLE 119268 Notice is hereby given that sealed Bids will be received by the City of Apple Valley until 10:00 am CDST, Thursday July 26, 2012 at the Apple Valley Municipal Center at 7100 West 147th Street Apple Valley, MN 55124 at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud, for the furnishing of all labor and material and all else necessary for the construction of one (1) Traffic Control Signal System, one (1) Revise Signal System, and Traffic Control Interconnection. Major components of the Work include: * 6-inch Concrete Walk * Truncated Domes * One (1) Traffic Control Signal System (CSAH 31 at 157th Street West) * Traffic Control Interconnection * One (1) Revise Signal System (Galaxie Avenue at 147th Street West) * Pavement Markings and Messages Bids shall be on the form provided for that purpose and according to the Bidding Requirements prepared by Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., dated June 28, 2012. The Bidding Documents may be viewed at the office of the City Clerk of the City of Apple Valley, and at the issuing office of Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (3535 Vadnais Center Drive, St. Paul, MN 55110-5196, telephone 651.490.2000). Digital copies of the Bidding Documents are available at http://www.sehinc.com for a fee of $30. These documents may be downloaded by selecting this project from the BIDDING DOCUMENTS link and by entering eBidDocTM Number 2135880 on the SEARCH PROJECTS page. For assistance and free membership registration, contact QuestCDN at 952.233.1632 or info@questcdn.com. Paper copies of the Bidding Documents may be obtained from Docunet Corp. located at 2435 Xenium Lane North, Plymouth, MN 55441 (763.475.9600) for a fee of $75. A pre-Bid conference will NOT be held. Bid security in the amount of 5 percent of the Bid must accompany each Bid in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders. Bids shall be directed to the City Clerk, securely sealed and endorsed upon the outside wrapper, "BID FOR APPLE VALLEY TRAFFIC SIGNAL SYSTEMS - CITY PROJECT NUMBER: 2011-140." The City reserves the right to retain the deposits of the three lowest Bidders for a period not to exceed 60 days after the date and time set for the opening of Bids. No Bids may be withdrawn for a period of 60 days after the date and time set for the opening of Bids. The City reserves the right to reject any and all Bids, to waive irregularities and informalities therein and to award the Contract in the best interests of the City. Pamela J. Gackstetter City Clerk City of Apple Valley, Minnesota 3069309 7/6-7/20/12

Eagan’s Callie Schapekahm. The Northern Lights 15Red team won the classic division, 17-White won classic, 16-2 won club, 17-Red was second in classic, 18-2 was second in club and 17-1 finished third in the open division. The club had several All Americans from the area, including Eagan’s Brianna Pernsteiner, Lakeville North’s Samantha Flattum and Goehner, and Lakeville South’s Tingelhoff.

Willingham back at South

Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount July 6, 2012

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again.” Willingham coached at Lakeville High School from 1986-2005. When Lakeville South opened, he coached for the Lakeville South 9A program from 2005-10 before heading up the road to Lakeville North. “I’m a Lakeville guy at heart and supportive of both sides of Highway 50,” Willingham said. South had a thrilling season as well in 2011, tying for the South Suburban Conference title while spending a few weeks ranked No. 1 in the state. But it’s not about winning for Willingham as much as it’s about family. As in, he’d rather not be an enemy in his own house. His oldest child is 9, so “I would have a few more years at North before I’d be faced with that reality,” Willingham said. “When I talked to Walt (who had daughters at Lakeville when he coached at Apple Valley), he said it was pretty hard. So when the opportunity came up, it was hard not to at least take a look.” The Cougars lost the majority of their 2011 team to graduation except Jade and Jazzmyn Tingelhoff. “We’ll be a bit of a mystery, but this town loves its volleyball,” Willingham said. “I’m excited to see what we can do.”

Willingham took over at Lakeville North in 2011 after longtime head coach Milan Mader stepped down after winning the Class AAA state title in 2010. Although North lost two of its top three players from 2010, the 2011 version nearly won the state title again falling a few points shy of a repeat and finishing second to Eden Prairie. “I’ve had so many great experiences at North,” Willingham said. “But the job opened up in my backyard nine months later.” Willingham can see the Cougar football stadium from his house. “When Jen (Nelson, the Lakeville South coach since 2006) decided to leave the program, it felt like a nobrainer for me,” Willingham said. “It was tough to leave Andy Rogers can be reached North after only being there at andy.rogers@ecm-inc.com a year. I didn’t want to put or facebook.com/sunthisweek. the team through the hardship of finding a new coach

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July 6, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Apple Valley / Rosemount

Opinions vary on court’s health care ruling

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Kline criticizes, Durenburger praises high court’s decision

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by T.W. Budig Sun Thisweek

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Obama administration’s landmark legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act, on a 5-4 vote Thursday, June 28. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, rendering the majority decision on the controversial individual health insurance mandate, concluded the provision was indeed permissible as part of the federal government’s taxing authority. “The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be characterized as a tax,” Roberts wrote. “Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness.” Americans who refuse to obtain health insurance face penalties beginning in 2014. One of the most outspoken critics of the federal law, Republican 6th District Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, blasted the court’s decision on CNN. “It really is a turning point in American history,” Bachmann said. “This is an activist court you saw today.” Bachmann characterized the judicial logic that the individual mandate was permissible as “bizarre.” She called it “a denial of liberty,” and spoke of the ballot box as the only remedy left to opponents of socalled Obamacare. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka and chair of the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee, expressed disappointment over the ruling. “It’s a great ruling if money would fall from the sky,” Abeler said. Abeler views the health care law as emblematic of out-of-control federal spending, a gushing of borrowed money for which he blames Republicans and Democrats alike. Abeler views the Affordable Care Act as tightening federal control on the states. Second District U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Lakeville, expressed dismay over the ruling. “The Supreme Court’s decision is a devastating blow to the American people,” Kline said in a statement. “If Washington can penalize private citizens for failing to buy governmentapproved health insurance, then there is no reasonable limit on federal power.” House Speaker Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove, also expressed disappointment. “President Obama and Democrats in Congress have unleashed a massive expansion of government that will harm our economy every day until it is repealed,” he said. Fourth District U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-St. Paul, argued in a statement

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Photo by T.W. Budig

Minnesota Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson praised the Supreme Court’s decision last week on the Affordable Care Act. that it was time for Republicans to change their tune. “It is now time for Republicans in Congress to end their vitriolic repeal campaign and work on effectively implementing this law to the benefit of the American people,” she said. Dayton administration health care officials, including Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson, applauded the court ruling. “The ruling signifies real progress and important protection for citizens across Minnesota,” she said in a statement. “2014 will be a really big year,” Jesson said of the time when major elements of the act, such as health insurance exchanges, should be in place. Jesson indicated that she believed most Americans, assisted by elements in the legislation, would willingly take steps to insure they’re covered. “Minnesota has always been a national leader in health care and the administration will continue efforts to increase quality and improve access to insurance and affordable care will continue,” the statement read. Former Republican U.S. Sen. David Durenberger, founder and current chair of the National Institute of Health Policy at the University of St. Thomas, explained that while the Affordable Care Act isn’t a flawless piece of legislation, it’s pretty good. It reflects evolving wisdom and consensus over health care gained over past decades. “All these things are coming together now,” Durenberger said. “The law is the reward. … It’s got everything we’ve been looking for.” Well-defined national health care policy goals are found in the bill, he explained. Durenberger, speaking prior to the Supreme Court ruling, defended the personal mandate. “You’ve got to have a system in which everybody is in,” Durenberger said. As for Republican critics, they have some laudable, long-terms goals for health care, Durenberger said. “(But) they don’t know how to get from here to there,” he said. Durenberger, seen as a health care expert, views Democrats from Obama to

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Minnesota U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken in the past as “totally” failing to defend the Affordable Care Act. He’s been astounded by the silence of the Democrats, he explained. Affordable Care Act provisions already in effect include: • Children with pre-existing medical conditions cannot be discriminated against by new health care plans or grandfathered group health plans. • Prohibits insurance companies from dropping people from health care coverage if they get sick. • Requires new health plans and certain grandfathered plans to allow young people up to age 26 to remain on their parents’ insurance policy, if desired. T.W. Budig can be reached at tim.budig@ecm-inc.com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

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