Eagan’s weekly, summer-long Market Fest kicks off June 8. See Thisweekend Page 11A.
Thisweek Burnsville-Eagan JUNE 3, 2011
VOLUME 32, NO. 14
A NEWS OPINION SPORTS
www.thisweeklive.com
Opinion/6A
Announcements/8A
Real Estate/10A
Sports/13A
Classifieds/14A
Public Notices/20A
Grad says, ‘Remember the good times’
9 seek to replace Crichton
Student speaker Daniel Erickson looks back at the happiest moments at Eagan High School by Jessica Harper THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Photo by John Gessner
Seven of the nine candidates for the Burnsville City Council special election on July 26 attended a Chamber of Commerce forum Wednesday at City Hall. They are, from left: Donna Alberts, Steven Atkins, Bill Coughlin, Tom Hanson, Bruce Johnson, Shane McCartney and Greg Tomlinson.
Seven offer views at candidate forum by John Gessner THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The Performing Arts Center, the scope of city government and the late Charlie Crichton’s legacy were among the topics addressed Wednesday morning by candidates hoping to succeed Crichton on the Burnsville City Council. Nine candidates have filed for a July 26 special election to replace Crichton, the 18-year council veteran who died on March 13 at age 83. Seven appeared at a Burnsville Chamber of Commerce forum Wednesday at City Hall (absent were John Gullickson,
12854 Nicollet Ave., No. 202, and Aaron Hoy, 12755 Eagle Ridge Drive). “I believe I would be the fiscal conservative voice that Charlie Crichton was,” Bill Coughlin, 13204 Longview Drive, offered during his closing remarks. He called for Burnsville to explore shared services with other local governments and fix aging streets and infrastructure without raising taxes. The forum moderator asked candidates how they might compare with Crichton, who voted against all but three annual budgets and tax levies during his
career and was a stickler for zoning rules. Crichton was “pretty closed-minded” on issues such as signs and variances, said Coughlin, who said as a lawyer he’d be more openminded. “I would say that I’m probably not completely in line with Charlie,” said Tom Hanson, 12309 Parkwood Place. “I don’t believe there is excessive waste in government at this moment, and Charlie was probably a little more conservative on that,” Hanson said. “Charlie was a tower in this community, and I
do not compare myself to him,” said Donna Alberts, 10848 Hayes Drive. Fiscal responsibility “is not just fiscal conservatism” but weighing public needs, she said. Repeat candidate Greg Tomlinson, who got 20 percent of the vote in the fourperson 2010 council election that returned Crichton to office for a city-record record sixth term, said Crichton urged him to “just keep trying, and that’s what I’m doing.” “I believe government should only provide police, fire and roads,” said TomSee Council, 20A
As 18-year-old Daniel Erickson prepares to graduate from Eagan High School this week, he looks back at the happiest moments in the last four years – and hopes his classmates will do the same. “We always remember the negative things that have happened in our lifetime like 9/11, Katrina and the (I-35W) bridge collapse, but we should remember the positive ones too,” said Erickson, who will be student speaker at Saturday’s graduation ceremony. Erickson was selected by the student government. The last four years have been filled with one great moment after another, Erickson said. Simply bouncing ideas off teachers and students has been a blast, he said. “The teachers have such personality and really show it,” he said.
Daniel Erickson His fondest memories are of his time as an anchor on Eagan AM, a closed-circuit television show produced by students. “I love that it’s different from usual classes in that we are working as a team ... to put a product in front of the whole school,” he said. Erickson’s favorite project was a segment on how to spend $10 or less on acSee Erickson, 19A
Sioux Trail fifthgrader named math master Luke Haddorf ties for first in state competition by Jessica Harper THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Raising of the flag Photo by Rick Orndorf
A member of the Civil Air Patrol Valley Composite Squadron saluted the raising of the American flag during a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday at Bicentennial Park in Burnsville. The flag-raising was followed by speeches from the Blue Star Mothers group and Mayor Elizabeth Kautz. More photos from Memorial Day ceremonies in Burnsville and Eagan are on Pages 9A, 12A and online at www.ThisweekLive.com.
Honored tutor has ‘street cred’ with his English-language pupils John Yeboah pays forward his experience at Metcalf by John Gessner THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
John Yeboah and Andrea Soderholm both arrived at Burnsville’s Metcalf Junior High in 1999. He was a ninthgrader from Ghana; she was in her first year of teaching English-language students. “He was a dream student,” Soderholm recalled. “Every teacher commented on how General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000
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honorable and motivated he was as a student. He had a drive to learn.” The dream student has returned — this time, as a tutor helping out Soderholm and Joyce Lindstrom, Metcalf’s other English-language teacher. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology but no career yet, Yeboah has been showing up to tutor a few days a week since last October. He’s one of seven volunteers chosen from among 47 nominees for a 2011 John Coskran Volunteer Award in BurnsvilleEagan-Savage School District 191. The School Board honored nominees and winners last month. “I owe them,” Yeboah said of his English-language teachers, “and the whole community of Metcalf school. Hopefully, someone will look at me and reciprocate, so it will be a
Photo by John Gessner
John Yeboah, a former English-language student at Metcalf Junior High in Burnsville, is back at his old school tutoring today’s students who are learning English. Here, he helped Kevin Reyes with algebra. little better community.” Yeboah, who now lives in Burnsville with his mother, originally moved from the African nation of Ghana to Eagan with his family of five. Though he learned some
English at school in Ghana, his native language was Ashanti Twi. Now 26, Yeboah said Soderholm helped him adjust. “She was patient. She exSee Yeboah, 20A
Sioux Trail Elementary fifth-grader Luke Haddorf is a true math master. The 11-year-old Burnsville boy recently took home the state title at the Math Masters of Minnesota competition on April 29 in Sauk Rapids. “I just do the best I can do,” he said. “It’s nice to know I’m doing well.” Haddorf was among six fifthgraders from Sioux Trail in Burnsville to compete against Luke Haddorf 168 students of the same grade from across the state. Fifth- and sixth-graders compete individually and as a team in the competition, which is designed to enhance their math and critical-thinking skills. Haddorf and a student from Forest Lake were the only fifth-graders to correctly complete the Fact Drill portion of the competition, enabling them to tie for first. In addition to earning a state title, Haddorf received tickets to a Minnesota Twins baseball game. While Haddorf finished first in the state, his team was named first in the region. This is the first year a Sioux Trail team has competed in the competition. Math Masters coach Jeff Gallus formed the team earlier this year after starting his position as Sioux Trail’s gifted and talented coordinator. Previously, Gallus coached teams at Harriet Bishop Elementary in Savage. Ten students tried out for Sioux Trail’s team this year – only six made it after being tested in a mini meet, Gallus said. In previously working with Haddorf, a gifted and talented student, Gallus instantly knew he would be a good candidate for the team and encouraged him to try out, Gallus said. Haddorf has excelled in math all through school, and it is among his favorite subjects to study. “It’s the best subject to get the brain moving for the day,” he said. When he’s not testing his math skills, Haddorf is competing on Sioux Trail’s chess team, which placed first in the region this year. Haddorf also competed in the spelling bee, districtwide science fair and youth baseball this year. E-mail Jessica Harper jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com
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