Fear vibrations ďŹ ll Burnsville theater. Shadows. Fog. Terror. See Thisweekend Page 12A
Thisweek Apple Valley-Rosemount OCTOBER 7, 2011
VOLUME 32, NO. 32
A NEWS OPINION SPORTS
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Investigators probe things A possible funding plan Cedar Ave BRT emerges that go bump in the night for Some service Paranormal research team will discuss its eldritch encounters at the Galaxie Library by Andrew Miller THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Judy Yarrington says not all of her encounters with ghosts and spirits have been pleasant ones. Quite the opposite, in fact. Once, in the darkness of an abandoned cemetery late at night, she felt a malevolent spirit lunging at her with sinister intent. Suffused with fear, she wanted nothing more than to make a run for it. But there was work to do, and a report to file. As an investigator with the Hastings Paranormal Team, Yarrington enters homes, businesses and other venues where ghosts and spirit activity have been reported, and attempts to document all the things going bump in the night. “It’s just such a thrill to do it, and it’s an even bigger thrill when you get something on tape,� said Yarrington, an insurance company employee who describes her paranormal investigations as a hobby. The Hastings Paranormal Team was founded in 2006 by a group of Hastings neighbors after Tim Kelly, now the lead investigator, reported paranormal activity in his home and wanted to assemble a team to look into it. Now with six members, the group employs a host of recording equipment – video and audio devices, EMF meters, even dowsing rods – in probing reports of strange, seemingly supernatural goings-on. The investigations are aided by two of the group’s members, including Yarrington, who identify as “sensitives,� people particularly keen to perceiving spirits. Many of the investi-
gations are at the request of home or business owners who want answers to apparition sightings or anomalous noises. The team works for free (though they accept donations), and they pledge to maintain the anonymity of their clients when it comes time to document their findings, Sometimes, an investigation will yield nothing. Other times, though, it’s like they’ve chanced upon a hidden, otherdimensional vortex of seething phantasmal horrors. Fear comes with the territory. Yarrington recounted a recent investigation, in the city of Savage, in which she saw a “very angry, very aggressive� apparition pacing back and forth. The spiritbeing, she says, actually threatened to kill one of the investigators. “I was pretty scared,� she said. “There’s places I’ve gone in and had the hair stand up on the back of my neck.�
The inside story
cuts, funding shifts cited as possible solutions by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
After the Metropolitan Council said it wouldn’t be able to fund buses for the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transit line, the local transit authority has developed a plan to keep the line moving. The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority board has adopted a plan that would ensure operating
funds for Cedar Avenue BRT at the expense of some portions of existing routes. To achieve the $1 million required annually to operate the Cedar buses, the MVTA looked at a series of funding transfers and service cuts. One source of funding is a 2007 federal grant for operating express and limited-stop service on the I-35W corridor, which is also scheduled to host a BRT route. This $1.28 million grant is transferable because the projects for which it was awarded were covered by funding from another federal program, said Robin Selvig, MTVA’s
spokesperson. Other sources of funding include about $90,000 from the Met Council and $1.8 million from the MVTA, in addition to about $155,000 in to-bedetermined service cuts to that organization’s service. The plan would need to be approved by the Met Council, in addition to the Transit Advisory Board, Selvig said. This is because the transfer of grant money changes the scope of the project. If TAB scores the project high enough (against other projects nationally), the money would be granted. See BRT, 6A
A sobering reminder
“They’re not ghostbusters per se – they don’t help people get the ghosts out, but they, I guess, help people live with them.� Other presentations by the paranormal team at Dakota County libraries this month include stops at the Burnhaven Library in Burnsville (Oct. 18), the Inver Glen Library in Inver Grove Heights (Oct. 19), the Robert Trail Library in Rosemount (Oct. 22), the South St. Paul Library (Oct. 27), and the Pleasant Hill Library (Oct. 29). The events are geared toward adults and teenagers, and admission is free. Details are at www. co.dakota.mn.us under “Leisure and Recreation.� More about the Hastings Paranormal Team is at www.hastingsparanormalteam.com.
The Hastings ghost hunters will be sharing findings from their forays into the darkness at an 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, presentation at the Galaxie Library in Apple Valley. Their presentation, “Paranormal Activity Revealed,� has been a crowd pleaser when they’ve presented it at libraries in the past. “People love it – they have recordings of paranormal sounds and video of paranormal activity that they play,� said Gladys Kim of the Pleasant Hill Library in Hastings, which has hosted presentations Andrew Miller is at andrew. by the paranormal team. miller@ecm-inc.com.
Photos by Rick Orndorf
Apple Valley firefighters help an actor, portraying a high school student, onto a stretcher during a mock accident in the Apple Valley High School parking lot on Sept. 29. A two-car crash with injuries and fatalities was staged to illustrate the risk and consequences of impaired driving; it was a reminder to stay safe during homecoming week Oct. 1015. At right: The macabre aftermath.
District 196 falls short of progress goals From Russia, with love More than half of schools in District 196 make Adequate Yearly Progress by Jessica Harper THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
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Like many school districts across the state, the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District didn’t make the grade by federal standards. For the second consecutive year, District 196 was cited for not making Adequate Yearly Progress under the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The school district is far from alone as standards rise each year in hopes of 100 percent proficiency among students. Half of Minnesota schools are not making AYP, according to the state department of education. Of the 2,255 schools in the state, 1,056 did not make AYP in 2011. This is a slight increase from last year. State officials say they hope they are just months away from obtaining a waiver that would release the
state from tough penalties imposed by the law such as a 2014 deadline by which all students are expected to be proficient in reading and math. “We are not looking for any pass on accountability,� said Charlene Briner, spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Education. “We want flexibility.� Briner said she believes so many Minnesota schools are not making AYP, in part, because the state’s goals are higher than some others. “Some states have lowered their standards to make AYP,� she said. To qualify as meeting AYP, a school’s students and subgroups of students must meet the standards or show progress toward meeting them. In Minnesota, whether a school makes AYP is based almost entirely on student scores on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, which are given to
students in grades three through eight, 10 and 11. If one subgroup of as few as 20 students does not meet the proficiency targets on the MCA reading and/or math tests, the school and district are listed as not making AYP. The department is in the midst of writing a proposal that is due Nov. 14. Although District 196 did not make AYP, students in the district as a whole scored above the state averages in reading and math for all eight grade levels on the MCAs. At the same time, the number of schools in the district that made AYP in both reading and math increased from 11 in 2010 to 17 in 2011. “Overall we were happy to see an increase in the number of schools that made AYP,� said Steve Troen, director of teaching and learning for District 196. Six schools that failed to make AYP last year, made the mark this year. See District 196, 14A
Kazakhstan couple’s CafÊ Raisa spreads culture through food, special events by Tad Johnson DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
For people who crave authentic Russian food and an atmosphere to match, CafĂŠ Raisa is a place to savor. The Rosemount restaurant is owned and operated by Raisa and Viktor Prokopenko, who emigrated to the United States 12 years ago from their native Kazakhstan. While opening a restaurant has been a dream of the couple for many years, the sour economy was the unfortunate driver of the launch of the business a year ago. After both the Prokopenkos lost their jobs in the span of about seven months, they obtained a small business loan, invested their savings and opened CafĂŠ Raisa less than two months later on July 2, 2010. “We consider our first year
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IN BRIEF CafĂŠ Raisa is located at 15090 Chippendale Ave. in Rosemount. For more information about dining, banquet facilities, or business lunches, call (952) 423-2225 or visit the website: www.caferaisa.com. opening anniversary to be a major milestone,â€? Raisa said. One reason people might be searching out CafĂŠ Raisa is the fact that it is one of the few places in the south metro, or the Twin Cities, that has so many handmade, from scratch, and authentic Russian offerings. “We listen to our customers and are very open to their suggestions,â€? Raisa said. “We See Cafe Raisa, 14A