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Young actors tackle a tale as old as time. See Thisweekend Page 12A
Thisweek Apple Valley-Rosemount AUGUST 5, 2011
VOLUME 32, NO. 23
NEWS OPINION SPORTS
www.thisweeklive.com
Opinion/4A
Announcements/5A
Sports/6A
Classifieds/6A
Thisweekend/10A
Leprechaun Days dodges bad weather Events were well attended, volunteers made festival run smoothly
Public Notices/12A
Council OKs new Valleywood clubhouse by Andrew Miller THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
by Tad Johnson THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
With the temperature hovering around 90 degrees for much of it, the busiest day of Rosemount Leprechaun Days was hot in more ways than one. Thousands of people Grand marshal Barb flocked to the city Saturday, Toombs, vice president of July 30, for the Grand Day First State Bank of RoseParade, fireworks, music in mount, waves to the crowd Central Park by the Johnny in the Grand Parade. At Holm Band and much more right, the Parks and Recreduring the annual 10-day ation Department’s Rosettes festival. march in the parade. “Having another year completed is a relief,� said Maureen Geraghty Photos by Rick Orndorf Bouchard, parade organizer The Rosemount High School marching band performed during the Rosemount Leprechaun and committee member, Days Grand Parade on Saturday, July 30. The parade attracted about 100 units and “not because it is over, but thousands of people. For more photos, go online to www.ThisweekLive.com. we ended with no major 304&.06/5 problems, and the weather, which is something &13&$)"6/ %":4 we have absolutely no control over, was perfect.� Water was a major theme of parade day as members of the Rosemount High School marching band, cheerleaders, dance team and various sports teams needed plenty of it while walking the route. During the night of activities, the time of the fireworks was moved up because of threatening weather, which seemed to please the scores of people viewing from Central Park. “People’s comments were very positive after all events,� Geraghty Bouchard said. “Many strangers came up to me on Saturday night to thank us for starting the fireworks early and not just cancelling it. That we thought of the safety of the people in the park, but also their enjoyment.� Committee members credited the work of their fellow volunteers, police officers and reserves and the Rosemount Rotary, which helped clean Central Park on Friday and Saturday nights. Photos by Rick Orndorf “It was a great job because we had very capaBrody Bayer (left), 3, of Rosemount, ble people working with us,� Geraghty Bouchard filled his cup with pennies during the said. “We all work together so well.� Penny Scramble on July 27. The pen“Any of the events held at Central Park, we nies were provided by Vermillion State had very little garbage to pick up,� said Mike Bank and spread out on Burma AveBouchard, who runs the Mid-Summer Faire. nue in front of the Rosemount Ameri“Most people pick up after themselves and place can Legion Post 65. Sam Trivedi, 11, their garbage and recycling in the proper bins.� of Rosemount, displays the fish he The numbers at various events show there caught in the Youth Fishing Derby at See Festival, 12A Schwarz Pond on July 28.
The last 30 years have taken a toll on the clubhouse at Valleywood Golf Course. Built around 1980 for $85,000 by students at Dakota County Technical College, the clubhouse has been showing structural defects and requiring increasingly expensive maintenance work in recent years, according to Jim Zinck, manager of the 18-hole, city-run golf course. “While the building has served its purpose over the last 30 years, it has simply reached the end of its useful life,� Zinck wrote in a memo to the Apple Valley City Council. The council agreed with that assessment, and last week OK’d a proposal to build a new, $2.96 million clubhouse at the golf course. City Council Member Tom Goodwin said merely renovating the existing building was not a good option. “Putting money into that old clubhouse would be like putting $20,000 into a 1982 Ford Pinto,� Goodwin said. In fact, repairing the building would cost more than $1 million, Zinck reported. Russell Defauw, chair of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, said Valleywood’s business model was revamped several years ago to become self-sustaining, and that the golf course has turned a profit each year for the past five years. See Golf, 12A
Old-style Mexican with a Rosemount flair Las Tortillas restaurant combines talents of two chefs from both sides of the border by Stacey Ackerman SPECIAL TO THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
They may come from two different worlds – one is a native of Rosemount, the other from Mexico City – but these two culinary experts are cooking up something great at Las Tortillas, an authentic Mexican restaurant with a local twist. The Rosemount restaurant opened May 18 by owners chef Ryan McGunnigle and his wife, Jen, of Lakeville, who runs the business operations. Ricardo Carmona, a native of Mexico City, is the executive chef, bringing family recipes to the restaurant. “I always wanted to own a
place,� McGunnigle said. “We felt that Dakota County needed a solid Mexican restaurant with scratch cooking.� Las Tortillas makes all of its tortillas, Mexican sweet bread and corn bread from scratch. “We made a pact that we would never buy a tortilla, even though it would be a lot easier to run to the store, and our customers respect that,� McGunnigle said. Best friends McGunnigle and Carmona worked together as chefs at Hastings Country Club for the past six years. A few years ago the duo launched their first venture, Rhino Catering, which gave them some hands-on entrepreneurial experience, before
IN BRIEF Las Tortillas is located in Rosemount’s Celtic Crossing shopping area off of County Road 42 and Shannon Parkway (formerly Butterfly Life). For more information, go online at http://lastortillas. net/ or call (651) 332-2200. investing their skills in a full service restaurant. The McGunnigles are both natives of Rosemount and met each other at Rosemount High School, from which they graduated in 1995. Photo by Rick Orndorf Ryan has always had a pas- Las Tortillas opened May 18 with chef Ryan McGunnigle of Rosemount and sion for food, and his first job Ricardo Carmona, a native of Mexico City, as the executive chef, bringing See Tortillas, 11A family recipes to the restaurant.
Man accused of pointing handgun at woman’s head An Apple Valley man has been charged with a felony after he allegedly held a gun to a woman’s head because he suspected she was cheating. Joshua B. Nolting, 28, was charged with felony terroristic threats along with two counts of domestic assault General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000
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following the inciing became upset dent last weekend at when he read a text his home on the 5100 message she’d sent block of 148th Street to a friend, asking if West. the friend’s uncle was According to the still single. criminal complaint: Nolting threw the The woman told Nolting phone and broke it, police that shortly afand when she tried to ter midnight on July 30 Nolt- exit the home, Nolting took
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a gun from his waistband, pulled the slide back and held it to her left temple, the woman reported. He then told her to get out of the house and that she would never see her two children again. The woman left the home and drove to Northfield, at which time a police re-
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handgun, the complaint said. If convicted of the terroristic threats charge, Nolting faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Each count of domestic assault carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. —Andrew Miller
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port was made. Police located Nolting driving in Northfield, near where the woman, who had since returned to Apple Valley, had been visiting a friend. Police found a replica airsoft handgun in Nolting’s vehicle, and a search of his home turned up a 9 mm
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