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The city of Shoreview’s proposed preliminary tax levy for 2024 represents an increase of the levy by $907,922. The changes to the levy were made at the Aug. 21 budget workshop with staff and city council.
Included in the 7.16% figure is a 6.02% increase— or $907,922— in general operations.
Fred Espe, the Finance Director of Shoreview, gave a rundown of what some of the significant revenue and expenditure changes are for 2024. The revenue changes include the following:
• An increase in the public safety
The Shoreview Parks and Recreation
Department will host the first-ever Culture in the Commons event from 2-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1.
Bring your family and learn about the different cultures that reside in Shoreview through performers, crafts and musicians.
“The idea is to celebrate various cultures that have lived here in Shoreview,” said Jennifer Verburrage, a part-time recreation program coordinator for the city.
The department has reached out to several different cultures within the community. The most responsive were those individuals who are a part of the Ukrainian community. There will be crafts and musical acts that shine a light on Ukrainian culture.
Two musical events will be featured at the event. YEV Music and the Ukrainian Village Band will perform Ukrainian-based music.
The Ukrainian Village Band, a group of six performers, will offer music based on Ukrainian and Zabava roots. Founded in 2007, this wedding and event band offers a sound that combines both traditional and modern Ukrainian music as well as its own take on popular, international rock and pop tunes.
Yev Rosso, or YEV Music, will be the second artist featured. Rosso is a singer-songwriter who has deep Ukrainian roots and is branching
contract of $756,437
• Ramsey County contract for election services will increase
• A decrease in salaries and benefits
• A decrease in revenue changes of $248,400.
• An increase of capital funds of 0.97%
• An increase in the street renew-
al fund of 0.37%
• Capital asset replacement fund will increase by 0.60%
• An increase in the Economic Development Authority (EDA) levy increase of 0.17%
• An increase in the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) levy increase of $15,000
“Salaries and benefits actually
decrease the levy from 2023.” said Espe. “After the workshop we met with staff and looked at some of the allocations of some certain employees with the city and determined that over time some of the allocations that we have weren’t necessarily accurate with the duties that the employees were performing, so we did some reallocations there.”
The House Redevelopment Authority levy is increasing by 5.08% for a total city and HRA levy increase of 7.12%.
“Ramsey County has indicated that the median home value for the city of Shoreview is $416,800 for 2024 taxes,” said Espe. “That is
SEE BUDGET, PAGE 2
SEE CULTURE IN THE COMMONS, PAGE 9
CONTRIBUTED
a 5.0% increase from 2023.” This means that a median- valued home would experience a tax increase of $73.73, or a 6.1% increase.
City council members voted in favor of the 2024 preliminary tax levy and budget. Once the preliminary levy is adopted, the council may decrease the levy, but they can not increase it. The annual truth-in-taxation hearing is set for 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, in the City Hall Council Chambers.
‘The action that’s being taken today is to set out the maximum tax levy, not the levy itself.” said Council Member Jon Doan.
The next Shoreview City Council meeting is at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, at Shoreview City Hall, 4600 Victoria St. N., Shoreview.
An Anoka man, 40, faces up to one year imprisonment and/or maximum $3,000 fine if convicted of gross misdemeanor interference with an emergency call.
At 4:35 p.m. Sept. 4, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched out to a group home in the 900 block of Dawn Avenue on an assault report. The report said that the defendant struck a caregiver at the home with a kitchen pan and cut the phone cord.
On arrival at the scene, deputies spoke with a male, later identified as the defendant, who denied hitting anyone and denied cutting the
phone cord. The suspect had an odor of alcohol on his breath and said he had drunk five drinks earlier in the day.
The caregiver told deputies that the suspect was bothering another resident while he was in the shower. The defendant then began yelling at the caregiver and shoved her, causing a bowl to break.
The caregiver said she told the suspect she was calling the police, and while she was on the phone with dispatch the suspect grabbed the phone from her and unplugged it from the base station. The suspect then brought the phone to his room.
As deputies arrested the defendant, they observed the phone receiver in his room on the desk.
The victim who was harassed in the shower corroborated the caregiver’s report.
A Columbia Heights man, 30, was arrested at 12:15 a.m. Sept. 9 after Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call about a domestic assault in the 500 block of Lake Summit Circle.
On arrival, deputies spoke with the suspect, who was walking south on Kent Street. He appeared intoxicated, as shown by a lack of balance and slurred speech. The defendant said that he and the victim were in a significant romantic relationship, but had gotten into an argument. The defendant claimed the argument never devolved into physicality.
However, the victim disagreed. She related how the subject yelled at her and threatened her, causing her to call for her father to come to her aid. The suspect then taunted her, saying, “You calling your dad?! I’ll beat your a-- in front of your dad.” This threat caused the victim to fear immediate bodily harm, because the suspect had hit and harmed her in the past.
While deputies were speaking with the crying victim, the suspect could be heard yelling at her from the back of the squad car.
The defendant faces up to one year imprisonment and/or maximum $3,000 fine if convicted of a subsequent violation of gross misdemeanor domestic assault to the point of instilling fear in a household or family member of immediate bodily harm or death. He has a prior qualified domestic violence conviction from July 2019.
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office reported the following selected incidents in Shoreview:
• Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office deputies took a report of an assault that occurred during a domestic dispute at 9:04 p.m. Aug. 15 in the 200 block of Oakwood Drive. The case has been forwarded to the county attorney for consideration of charges.
• Mail was reported stolen Aug. 16 from the mailroom of an apartment complex in the 4100 block of Lexington Avenue N. A suspect has been identified, and the case has been forwarded to the county attorney for consideration of charges.
• An assault between two group home residents in the 1000 block of Glen Paul Court was reported Aug. 16.
• A self-inflicted shooting was reported Aug. 17 in the 1000 block of Carmel Court. The gun owner was transported to St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood for treatment.
• The Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center reported an online PayPal scam targeting a vulnerable adult in the 5700 block of Willow Lane on Aug. 19. The scam resulted in a $3,000 loss. No suspect information exists.
• A juvenile male, 16, was cited Aug. 19 on Highway 96 and Rice Street for careless driving and exceeding the speed limit, following a traffic stop.
• An Arden Hills man, 36, was cited for driving after revocation Aug. 20 on Victoria Street, just south of the I-694 on-ramp, following a traffic stop. The driver was also cited for failure to provide proof of insurance, and failure to display current registration. The driver was made to find other transportation while his vehicle was towed.
• A dog living at the 3400 block of Richmond Avenue was reported for escaping its yard and biting a Roseville woman on Aug 21. After animal control officers were notified of the incident, they conducted a follow-up investigation on the dog, and rabies information was gathered. The dog’s owner voluntarily euthanized the dog.
• A resident in the 4200 block of Victoria Street N. reported unknown juveniles for playing dingdong-ditch before fleeing the scene sometime overnight Aug. 21-22. Toilet paper was also thrown over the complainant’s trees and around the yard.
• A Shoreview man, 76, was arrested at 12:29 p.m. Aug. 22 in the 1000 block of Bridge Street for domestic assault, after he threatened his wife with a chef’s knife with a 6-inch blade when she refused to be kicked out of her own home. A neighbor corroborated the victim’s story, by saying the defendant told her he wanted to choke his wife and wanted her out of the house. Deputies had previously been called to this address at least 30 times on reports that the subject threatened to kill people or dogs with a hammer and burn the house down. He has been charged in Ramsey County Court with felony making threats of violence, which carries a prison term of up to five years and/or a maximum fine of $10,000.
• A wallet containing cash was reported found Aug. 22 in the 5900 block of Mackubin Street and turned over to deputies who inventoried it and placed it into property.
• A Shoreview woman was arrested for DWI at 12:41 a.m. Aug. 25 on Rice Street and County Road F, after a traffic stop on a vehicle driving erratically. The driver failed field sobriety tests with a 0.19 blood alcohol content.
• An unlocked motor vehicle with the keys left in the center console was reported stolen overnight Aug. 24-25 from a driveway in the 500 block of Vicki Lane. With the use of a GPS tracker, the vehicle was located at 4:50 a.m. that morning abandoned up the road in Lino Lakes. After Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office deputies gathered information, the investigation was underway.
• A resident in the 600 block of Suzanne Avenue reported his unlocked vehicle rummaged
through overnight Aug. 24-25 and cash taken from a wallet left inside the vehicle. A garage door opener was also stolen from the vehicle and used to open the garage door. The suspect fled when a motion light activated after he started opening the garage door with the opener.
• Deputies took a harassment report Aug. 25 from the 4300 block of Chatsworth Circle and provided information on obtaining a harassment restraining order (HRO).
• A Shoreview woman, 74, was banned from Kowalski’s Market in the 400 block of Highway 96 for shoplifting on Aug. 25, after deputies were called to the scene of disorderly conduct. Store employees recovered all the items she had stolen.
• A St. Michael man reported being robbed at gunpoint at 4:36 p.m. Aug. 25, after he had arranged to sell an item via Facebook Marketplace in front of the Target store in the 3800 block of Lexington Avenue N. After the would-be buyer suggested moving the sale location to the back of a gas station, a second male then displayed a handgun and demanded the victim’s wallet, cash and vehicle. All the vehicles involved in the transaction fled, leaving the victim standing in the middle of the parking lot without his necessary items. Possible suspect information has been obtained, and a Keep Our Police Safe (KOPS) alert was issued. The case is under investigation.
• A St. Paul man, 26, was arrested for fifthdegree assault, misdemeanor domestic assault and disorderly conduct at 11:30 p.m. Aug. 26 in the 3800 block of Lexington Avenue N., after deputies were dispatched out to the scene of a male and female arguing in the parking lot.
• A Coon Rapids man, 33, was arrested on a weapons violation Aug. 26 in the 3600 block of Victoria Street N. after deputies responded to Island Lake Park on a report of a male flashing a gun at others during a family event. Before he was booked at the adult detention center, the subject was also cited for carrying a firearm while under the influence of alcohol in violation of his Minnesota permit to carry.
• Domestic assault was reported Aug. 27 in the 200 block of Oakwood Drive, but no arrests were made. However, a report was forwarded to the city attorney for consideration of charges.
• A Wyoming woman, 18, was cited Aug. 27 at the Shoreview Target in the 3800 block of Lexington Avenue N. after loss prevention personnel detained her for under-ringing $303.63 in merchandise at the self-checkout and passing all points of sale. The subject was also trespassed from the store before being released.
• A resident in the 5900 block of Rice Creek Parkway reported possible identity theft on Aug. 28. A police report was needed as part of the process.
• An Onalaska, Wisconsin, man reported the catalytic converter stolen from his Mitsubishi Outlander while it was parked in a hotel lot in the 1000 block of Gramsie Road overnight Aug. 28-29.
The Environmental Quality Committee announced the winners of this year’s Green Community Awards at the Sept. 18 City Council meeting. The winners were recognized by Mayor Sue Denkinger and the Shoreview City Council.
The winners of the 2023 Community Awards are:
• Heather Walch, who replaced her turf grass shoreline on Snail Lake with native plants.
• Sandra Swami, who installed native plants in her front and back yards. She also placed a permeable paver driveway and patio.
• Churchill St. restaurant, which set up a compost site in the kitchen and front of house, recycling as much as possible and working to overall reduce the waste produced by the restaurant. The recipients of these awards have shown commitment to projects and practices that will help improve the water quality, increase native habitat and reduce waste in the Shoreview community.
To me, journalism has always meant relaying the truth to the public, no matter what that takes or what that looks like. Journalism means leaving any and all preconceived notions or unconscious biases out the window. It’s transparent. In my reporting assignments, I always strive to paint a picture in the mind of the reader. I don’t want the reader to feel like they are reading a story and being distracted by the way I write. As a reporter, I believe that it is your duty to write in a manner that brings the reader right into the story. No opinions, no extraneous details, just the story and what it is like to witness the story firsthand. I strive to put the reader in my position as if they were witnessing the happenings for themselves.
It is important for people to support real journalism because the industry of journalism has the power to keep people informed on the happenings in their communities. Journalism also has the power to keep public officials and public happenings in check. People need to know what is going on in their communities so they can be citizens that make informed decisions. A community without communication and information is a community destined to fail.
Welcome to Fall, a beautiful season!
Sebastian Studier
It is important for the public to look for real journalistic reporting rather than believing everything they see on social media. Social media is a platform that is internationally structured to grab attention. This causes misleading information and misleading quotes to be in the public eye, right in the hand of the reader, on their phone screen. Social media is extremely popular and is in the hands of many people. Misinformation can be spread quickly on any social media platform and people can easily accept untrue information as fact. All people have a voice on social media, and many people use that voice to spread incorrect information.
I think that journalism is changing. Many people say that journalism is dying, but would not go that far. Print journalism is becoming less popular, there is no doubt about that. Online journalism is where the industry seems to be moving and where companies need to start moving their content. Journalism is by no means dead, as some people say. It’s changing. We just need to learn to change with it.
The obvious question one may ask as they consider a subscription is why would anyone pay for a free paper? Let me share what your paid subscription does. First, it offsets the rising cost of newsprint.
Your subscription also helps offset some of the costs of keeping top notch staff and reporters who provide our readers a newspaper rich in content. Finally, paid subscriptions subsidize the cost of delivery, allowing the paper to be available to everyone in the community who wants it.
We need your support through a subscription more than ever. In many of our markets we have limited participation among readers, yet we know regular readers enjoy our product. Again, thank you to all our past supporters who have been with us through the ups and downs.
If you have read or learned something that was beneficial to your family or life in our community in the past month, I would like to ask you to subscribe today by calling our office, filling out the envelope or flyer that was stuffed in all of our newspapers or subscribe online at www.presspubs.com. Thank you for your consideration.
Sebastian Studier is a contributing writer at Press Publications.
This month I want to inform some readers about some city activities and information:
You may be aware that Victoria Valley Orchard is closed indefinitely. This is sad news for the community as fall visits were an annual ritual for so many of us. My daughters and I visited the orchard every year and we felt so lucky to have it nearby. The orchard’s Facebook page has a posting about its closing and the city has no additional information at this point.
On a more positive note, Shoreview city apparel can now be ordered through a link of the city websites. T-shirts, hats and sweatshirts are available for those who want to wear their city spirit!
T here is a fun event coming up at the Shoreview
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Community Center parking lot on Saturday, Oct. 7 from 9 a.m.- noon. It’s the annual Touch-a-Truck event. Which is not only great for families, but for anyone interested in city vehicles. Attendees can climb up into a snowplow and a fire truck, among many other vehicles. It really is an interesting event for all ages and staff is there to answer questions.
You may notice that fall sweeping has started and will continue for the next few months. Much of the debris is leaves and these are taken to a compost site for disposal. It’s important for water quality that leaves are removed due to the chemicals that would otherwise make their way into our lakes and streams.
L ast week the city sponsored an ice cream social, held at Shoreview Hills, located at County Road F and Lexington. This event was held to better engage with multi-family residents of the city. Many of the residents I met work at Boston Scientific and Medtronic and have resided in Shoreview for years. The Lake Johanna Fire Department and Ramsey County Sheriff staff also participated.
On a personal note, this past weekend I attended a family reunion in South Dakota. My mom, raised on a dairy farm, had 15 siblings, resulting in my nearly 70 cousins and now their descendants. We had a group of about 75 attending this year and our focus was on our family values taught by my grandparents. Each family member who chose to, shared stories about their parents, on what values they were raised with and many said it was the best reunion we’ve had. Sharing these stories drew us closer together as, generations later, the same values and lessons learned remained. Remarkably, although attendees live across the US and hold widely varying political and religious views, we don’t argue or frankly talk much about them. If people in the family don’t get along, the rest of us don’t know it. Why am I sharing this? This weekend was a great lesson, at least for our family, that a focus on what we have in common makes our differences so much less important.
Sue Denkinger is the Mayor of Shoreview
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Age: 42 City of residence: Shoreview
Occupation: Oncology Account
Executive
List most recent civic/school involvement roles:
As a parent with three children in the district, I have firsthand experience with our schools. I spend my days advocating for women with breast cancer and educating physicians. I intend to do the same on the board by advocating for students and teachers while educating parents and the community. It is through this transparency and hard work that we will be able to come together and be the best district in the state! I care for students, teachers, parents, and the community. This is what makes our country so great and will make Mounds View successful!
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district?
A. Academic Achievement, School Safety and Parental/ Community Involvement are my top three priorities. I’m Dedicated to providing EACH student with the highest quality of education and learning opportunities. Helping each
Age: 44
City of residence: Shoreview
Occupation: Owner/Founder of Daire 2
Succeed; Certified Strengths Coach and PERMAH Facilitator
List your most recent civic/school involvement roles:
I am an active member of the district’s DEC (Diversity and Equity Council).
I recently volunteered to help student-athletes at Mounds View High School plan and coordinate a podcast. (Stay tuned for the podcast’s launch!) By day, I own and run a company that focuses on helping businesses succeed by helping them support their people to thrive. We coach, train, facilitate, and are passionate about building strengths-based, diverse, inclusive cultures where people feel they belong and are proud to work. I mention this because this is exactly the passion and skillset I bring as a candidate for school board.
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district?
A. 1) Increase support, awareness, access and funding for mental health services & wellbeing, for students and staffThis includes services and programs in the schools as well as amplifying community partnerships for out-of-school and family support.
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district?
A. Common Sense. Education. Educational environments where parents, teachers and students partner to use district resources to achieve students' potential.
Productive Education: Students should be taught how to think, Practical Application of Learning, Balance of skills and practice, Honor productivity and academic excellence
Honest Education: Inclusion of Multiple Perspectives, Complexity and Nuance, Transparency, Relevance to the Present Respect for the Whole Person: Emotional and Psychological Well-being, Intellectual Respect, Autonomy, Dignity and Interconnectedness, Social and Cultural Dimensions
Education for All Pathways: My first priority is to ensure
Age: 52 City of residence: Arden Hills
Occupation: Professor/consultant
List most recent civic/school involvement roles:
I’ve served on several local, national, and international boards, including Gigi’s Playhouse (Down Syndrome Achievement Center) and the Minnesota Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. I am active in the Down Syndrome Association. I am also a volunteer first responder and in-
child reach their potential means success! Race, gender, or socioeconomic status should not define what success means for each student.
I support open communication and partnership between parents and teachers for true student success. PARENTS + TEACHERS = SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN We need to have community involvement during our school board meetings again. Transparency is crucial!
Every student has the right to learn without interruption and concern for their own safety. Teachers deserve to work with students in an environment without distractions.
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in making major decisions?
A. I would start by including the community during our school board meetings. This option was terminated in 2022. One of the primary roles of the school board is to engage the public in discussion regarding education in Mounds Views public schools, but this is not currently happening. Per the current policies, “school board meetings are business meetings held in public – not public forums.” Community forums should be documented and on record for the community to review. I would propose having a monthly forum open to the public in addition to the monthly school board meetings. Additionally, I pledge to be regularly on the ground at our
2) Ensure teachers have adequate resources to teach effectively - This includes school supplies, yes, but even more so, staff support for challenging classroom behavior, wellbeing support, and the ability to teach district-approved curriculum with the support of the family and community while families maintain their own autonomy.
3) Support inclusive, complete curriculum - Students deserve to learn accurate history, that includes uncomfortable truths. They benefit from learning about a wide array of cultures. Students of all backgrounds deserve to see themselves positively in the curriculum they are taught.
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in making major decisions?
A. No one method of communication works for all community members, thus a multi-faceted approach is needed. Community members are currently able to email or call members as well as speak directly to the board between 6:30-6:55 every night there is a school board meeting (2nd & 4th Tuesdays). I promote using open, facilitated forums, with ground rules for decorum - live, online, and/or hybrid - to gather the public’s input to decisions. These could be held at the school district headquarters and/or out in the community.
When the school board, district employees, and families in our youths’ lives work together for their highest interests and success, everyone wins. Improved and transparent avenues and processes for communication, collaboration,
that our educational system is flexible enough to cater to the diverse needs and aspirations of our students. Whether they aim for a 4-year university or a trade certificate, we need to equip them with the skills and knowledge they require for success.
Home-School Connection: My second priority is to strengthen the bond between schools and homes. Parents are integral to a child's education, and we need to empower them with the tools and information they need to be active participants in their children's learning journey.
Cultural Agility for a Global Future: In today's interconnected world, my third priority is to prepare our students and staff to engage effectively with diverse cultures. This involves quality cultural agility training for our staff and an inclusive curriculum that embraces diversity and cross-cultural understanding.
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in making major decisions?
A. Transparency and community involvement are crucial for the success of any public institution. I would advocate
structor in the National Ski Patrol at Wild Mountain.
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district?
A. 1. Safety. Provide a safe and inclusive learning environment to support high-quality education.
2. Diversity. Strength through diversity, including among our students, teachers, and staff.
3. Support. Provide teachers and staff with the necessary resources to do their best work every day, including competitive compensation, reasonable class sizes, technology, and facilities.
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in making major decisions?
A. I support an open and transparent dialogue with all stakeholders in the district, including special interest groups, to
schools, available to teachers, students and parents. Finally, I will work closely with administration and staff so that I can communicate truth effectively with the public and include them in our decision making.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. We need to get back to basics! First, our students need to be safe. Teachers can’t teach and students can’t learn when there is chaos. Next, we need to focus on fundamental academics. These are pretty basic needs that are not political in nature. If we focus on what our children truly need to succeed there should be no political bias. The school is there to educate, not parent our children!
As a parent with three children in the district, I have firsthand experience with our schools. I spend my days advocating for women with breast cancer and educating physicians. I intend to do the same on the board by advocating for students and teachers while educating parents and the community. It is through this transparency and hard work that we will be able to come together and be the best district in the state! I care for students, teachers, parents, and the community. This is what makes our country so great and will make Mounds View successful!
challenging conversations, and problem-solving are vital to preparing EVERY student to be successful. I would like to collectively explore other formats for making that easy and accessible.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. Our focus should be on student welfare and wellbeing, meeting universal needs, and maximizing educational success for each student, regardless of their background or identity.
I support district-approved curriculum developed by experts that includes diverse perspectives. I advocate for respectful classroom debate, dialogue, and teaching students how to have challenging conversations about difficult or uncomfortable topics in a psychologically and emotionally safe environment.
I promote parental involvement and clearly defined, respectful, open channels for raising curriculum concerns objectively. I support parental choice to opt their child out from particular units, but actively oppose efforts to impose beliefs on the entire class, school or district.
The district could consider developing an anonymous reporting system for teachers or students who feel political bias is entering lessons, and if deemed problematic, with data to support that conclusion, teacher training on keeping lessons free of personal bias with balanced perspectives.
for regular town hall meetings, both in-person and virtual, to discuss major decisions facing the school district. Additionally, I would push for the use of surveys and public comment periods to gather input from parents, teachers, and community members. Social media and newsletters can also be effective tools for keeping the community informed and involved.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. Education should be an environment where students learn how to think, not what to think. To minimize political biases, I would advocate for a curriculum that is balanced, evidence-based, and reviewed by a diverse committee of educators, parents, and experts. Teachers should be trained to facilitate discussions on sensitive or controversial topics in a way that is inclusive and respectful of all viewpoints. Additionally, any complaints about political bias should be taken seriously and reviewed impartially to ensure that our classrooms remain places of unbiased learning.
exchange ideas and discuss recommendations for improvement in a respectful and inclusive environment.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. I believe in keeping political and religious ideologies out of the classroom so our teachers can focus on developing and instructing evidence-based best practice curricula and programs that support the growth needs of each student.
Age: 53 City of residence: Shoreview
Occupation: IT professional
List most recent civic/school involvement roles:
I’m really just a dad. My biggie, Brynn, just graduated from Mounds View and is at the U now. My bitty, Bria, is a Junior at Mounds View. I moved to this district for these schools. And in large part they are still doing well, by comparison to other districts. But there are concerns, from declining proficiency scores, to autocratic decisions outside current board policies, to simple rejection of law when it comes to protecting athletic opportunities for our female students, an area as a father of two multi-sport female varsity athletes resonates loudly at Mills Manor.
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district?
A. To a degree my priorities upon entering have shifted somewhat through dozens of conversations with voters in person and virtually. Two of those community concerns point to worry over the declining outcomes of basic proficiency scores we all have, as well as concerns that school
Age: 54 City of residence: New Brighton
Occupation: Non-profit Foundation operations
List most recent civic/school involvement roles:
• Mounds View School Board (2019present)
• Mounds View District Equity Council (2020 - present)
• Mounds View Schools Education Foundation trustee (2016 - 2023)
• Neighbors United Campaign Manager - the committee that supported the bond to fund additions and renovations to MV schools (2017)
• Mounds View Facilities Task Force (2016 - 2017)
• Irondale Activities Committee (2016 - 2017)
• Mounds View District Curriculum Advisory Committee (2015 - 2017)
• EPAT (Edgewood PTA) Fundraiser and Bookfair chair and co-chair (2008 - 2017)
• Classroom volunteer and PTA Committee Chair - Pinewood
Jim DeMay
Age: 58
Occupation: Retired
City of residence: North Oaks
List most recent civic/school involvement:
•Mounds View School Board, 2020-present
•Mounds View Schools Education Foundation, Vice Chair
•Association of Metropolitan Schools
•Districts, Board
•St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church, Board
•Arden Hills/Shoreview Rotary Club, Member
•School District Representative, Valentine Hills PTO and Pinewood PTO
•Mounds View Boys Soccer Boosters, Former President
•Shoreview Park and Recreation Commision, Former Board
Member
•Lake Region Youth Hockey, Former Board Member
•Mounds View Youth Hockey, Former Board Member
•Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Former Board Member
safety is not best dealt with through restorative discipline practices, while more traditional progressive discipline practices may be better suited, coinciding with more robust incident reporting. The third key area is a mix, but is largely tied to how the public and school board interact and how the board responds to pressing concerns. There is a widespread feeling the current board has made itself largely unavailable to hearing public concern. Moreover, the current board seems to relish the role of doing as little as possible to exercise its necessary and statutory authority to press forward with clearly needed district policy action.
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in making major decisions?
A. As mentioned, there is widespread community concern over how the current school board has actively, and, frankly, in a self-serving fashion, limited how the public may interact with members of the board in public meetings. From the time Covid shut down schools, the board has revised eight total policies. Four directly limit community engagement. Three impact the board itself in some fashion. Only one policy directed at helping our kids has been touched. I am going to open the board meetings to the public to the best of my ability. But it can’t stop there. I’m going to coordinate with each school in the district to make myself available to meet
and Sunnyside (2001 - 2014)
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district?
A. Many students are still recovering from learning losses experienced during the pandemic. Our staff continue to tirelessly support our students, reaching out with individual attention and intervention as they work to close any learning gaps experienced by students.
We must continue to examine how we ensure that the district’s Equity Promise becomes reality for EACH student in the district. In 2020, district administration established a goal to update and renew the equity promise. I am grateful for the staff and community members who have undertaken this work – it will continue to be top priority.
The necessity to recognize and respond to the mental health needs of students must be an ongoing priority for us. Our students continue to pave the way, speaking openly and honestly about their mental health and the supports they need. We must continue to listen and respond.
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in making major decisions?
A. The Mounds View district utilizes many methods of gathering input from the community - through surveys sent to students and parents; involving community members in committees and initiatives such as the District Equity Coun-
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district:
A. Learning loss: During COVID some of our students fell behind, we are implementing a strong game plan for improving academic performance. We have intervention teachers, who provide a double dose of math and reading. Over 76% of our budget is focused on teachers and classroom instruction.
School Safety: Safety remains a top priority. We have invested in new building security for our schools, improved our School Resource Officer program with local police departments, created state-of-the-art emergency protocols and added mental health resources for students struggling with issues.
Early School Reading Success: A priority will be investing in a strong school readiness program so that all our students are ready to learn by kindergarten. The state legislature has provided additional funding for our early childhood program which has over 500 participants ages 3-5. We must continue to implement evidence-based practices, like phonics, for strong reading skills by third grade.
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in decision making?
A. Parents and residents have many vehicles to share their opinions. Community members can speak directly to the Board before each regular meeting. Parents often speak to
with students, parents and staff at specified times to directly engage and hear their concerns and bring them to my fellow board members. One teacher wrote to me that the current board is too disconnected to know what’s going on. I agree.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. Bias is a natural part of the human condition. Sometimes acknowledged. Often implicit. As a former journalist you learn to take bias seriously and attempt to curb your own. I was not always successful at this and I do not believe every teacher can be completely perfect in this area. As a board member, our duty is to prioritize, though governance policy and regulation, that which is critical to our community. Increasing, then maintaining, proficiency test scores. Improving school disciplinary actions to enhance reporting and assure consequences for bad behavior. Providing the leadership to give every school the ability to deal with cell phone use to limit the disruptive usage during instruction. These are reasonably straightforward policy measures and somewhat more complex accompanying regulations we can solicit feedback on and codify to provide the leadership necessary to fulfill our promise of an excellent education for our students.
cil, the district Curriculum Committee, etc.; and inviting input from parents and guardians when considering a major change that will impact our students and their families (the change in school start times, for example). The district must continue to be open to input from our community.
Each School Board meeting is preceded by Comments to the Board, an opportunity for members of the community to bring their opinions and perspectives to the school board and administration. The extended time allotted allows those who attend to follow up individually with members of the district administration and Board for answers and information. Board members and district administrators are also available via email and phone calls for questions and input.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. The history of excellence in the Mounds View district is due in large part to our excellent teachers and staff. Our teachers and administrators have learned their trade through the courses and work to achieve their educational degrees, required ongoing professional development and recertification courses and the experiences they have honed in the classroom. They are the professionals to whom we should turn when questions about curriculum arise.
me directly at community events, personal meetings, and phone calls. I look forward to upcoming facilitated forums on school issues with our local PTOs, Lions Club and League of Women's Voters.
We must keep a strong emphasis on community and parent surveys. We receive a lot of input and information on major decisions through these surveys. In some of our buildings, we are reevaluating our cell phone use policy, and the first step was interacting with a parent survey.
The public has the last word on leadership for our local schools through elections. Levy and school bond referendums must be approved by the voters. We should re-examine our election process for school leadership and consider election years with maximum participation.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. Stress a classroom environment that is open to respectful dialogue and open to ideas. Train teachers, administrators, and staff in anti-bias practices. We need to teach students to have challenging conversations with people of differing viewpoints. Learning how to respectfully disagree is a skill that is helpful to learn not only around politics but other controversial topics. Conflict is not inherently negative if the dialogue remains productive.
Age: 46 City of residence: Shoreview
Occupation: Early Childhood Special
Education Data & Fiscal Manager at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)
List most recent civic/school involvement roles:
*Safe Schools for Mounds View
Co-organizer and co-administrator (current)
Minnesota Association of Professional Employees
*Local 1002 Steward (since 2014)
*Vice-President of Local 1002 (current)
*Membership Secretary of Local 1002 (2021 to 2023)
*Elected to Statewide Organizing Council (2021) Twin Cities Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America
*Member of the Labor Branch Organizing Committee (current)
*2021 National Convention Delegate
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district?
A. Safe Schools: Today more than ever, our students, families, and educators need to feel secure that their individual
Age: 40
City of residence: Shoreview
Occupation: President & CEO, Minneapolis Regional Chamber
List most recent civic/school involvement roles:
- Parent, Chippewa (6th and 8th Grade) and Mounds View Students (10th Grade) - Chair, Mounds View School Board
- Board Liaison, Turtle Lake PTA
-Board Member, Family Housing Fund
-Board Member, Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce
- Task Force Member, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Worker Misclassification Task Force
Additionally, my wife and I are both graduates of Mounds View, Class of 2001 for me (Valentine Hills/HighView) and Class of 2003 for her (Turtle Lake/Chippewa)
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district?
A. 1. Academic achievement, especially as we continue to
List most recent civic/school involvement roles:
I have been an engaged volunteer for Habitat For Humanity, where I was part of a regular work crew. I have served as a docent for the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota, as well as a judge for History Day sponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society. I actively volunteer for the Minnesota Master Naturalist Program, where I provide educational talks and organize forested landscape remediation projects. I serve on the Parks and Trails Commission for the City of Arden Hills and have helped the city procure grant funding monies to enhance the city’s parks and trails.
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district?
A. I want to see academic proficiencies improve. To put the issue of eroding performance into perspective, consider that less than two-thirds (65.6%) of our tenth graders were able to Read at grade-level in 2022. For Math, the results were even more alarming because less than half (47.7%) of eleventh graders demonstrated proficiency. The pandemic does not
Age: 61 City of residence: Shoreview
Occupation: Sr. Engineering Manager
List most recent civic/school involvement roles:
Youth club soccer coach, high school trap shooting coach, High Tech Kids Minnesota, Mounds View Boys/Girls
Soccer booster club member/president, and home field soccer game announcer, high school event volunteer, North Suburban Soccer Club (NSSA) board Field Coordinator (6 years) and President (3 years.)
Q. What are your top three priorities for the school district?
A. First, I would work to improve school safety. We can make the environment safer for the students, teachers, and administrators by applying a consistent and fair discipline
identities are protected, their mental health is supported, and their educational spaces foster communities of inclusivity. You cannot create a stable learning environment and strengthen academic achievement without ensuring that students and educators feel safe and belonging.
Student Mental Health: After the last four years of social, economic, and political insecurity, many students and families are struggling with mental health needs unmet by our current healthcare system. Schools must fill this gap. For students to be successful in school, it is essential that the whole child is supported. That means breaking down the invisible barriers of mental health and providing services that meet our students’ needs.
Green Schools: Our students will be the ones to shoulder the largest impact of our ongoing climate crisis. As school leaders, we can make a change now to curb that impact. We need to do our part by becoming a carbon neutral and climate resilient district.
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in making major decisions?
A. If elected, I will continue organizing families in our community to help make our priorities a reality. I am committed to two-way communication. I will listen to our PTAs while also realizing that not all families have the time and resources to participate. I will seek those unheard voices by reach-
recover from learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students across the country experience learning losses and while the Mounds View Schools are improving more quickly, in large part because of our exceptional staff, there is work to be done.
2. Equity has been a critical priority for the Mounds View Schools since the creation of the Equity Promise in 2012. As our demographics continue to evolve it is even more urgent to ensure our staff and curriculum reflect our student population.
3. Mental health continues to be a challenge for many students and staff in our district. Continued prioritization and resourcing are essential to ensuring a safe and healthy environment.
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in making major decisions?
A. I deeply value public input and rely on it when making decisions. In my nine years as a board member, I have had zones of cups of coffee with members of the public, taken hundreds of phone calls and returned thousands of emails. I also value public participation in Comments to the Board
explain these poor results because performance erosion was evident even before Covid.
My second priority is to reintroduce industrial arts back into the curriculum. Not every student is college-bound, yet that is generally how our curricula are designed. Every student can benefit from exposure to the industrial arts early in life.
My third priority is to implement a volunteer system where individuals from the community can become involved with the education of our young people. There is a wealth of career experience and community talent that should be made available to our students.
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in making major decisions?
A. Currently, public comments are not allowed during school board meetings. Eliminating that venue for providing input is very unhealthy and isolates the board from understanding the full consequences of its decisions. One of my very first actions as a board member will be to open board meetings back up to public comments. The board needs to hear from parents and the community, even if that feedback is uncomfortable. Making this change will be a healthy step forward to improving the transparency of the board’s actions.
policy that addresses the needs of each and every student. We must stop the fighting! Second, we must improve the standardized test scores and the mental health surveys by putting education back to our highest priority and promoting a positive and engaging environment in which all students can have the opportunity to succeed. Third, we must strengthen the role and presence of parents in the student’s educational development. We can achieve this by listening to parents and promoting constructive engagement between parents, teachers, and students for academically successful outcomes!
Q. If elected, how would you involve the public in making major decisions?
A. I would start by opening up the regular school board meetings to public input! The current school board has denied parent/resident input on the public record since January 2022. Unfortunately the parents and residents in our community have been denied their voice within the community by the incumbent school board! By opening up public
ing out to them rather than waiting for them to reach out to me. I am committed to open, transparent, and democratic decision making with families, students, and educators at its center.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. Trying to keep politics out of classrooms is like trying to prevent Minnesota from having frigid winters; it's impossible. Politics inherently involves various opinions and perspectives, and schools serve as platforms for exploring and understanding these viewpoints. Politics permeates every aspect of our lives, often even when we're unaware of it. When people argue that teachers should avoid discussing politics, it typically means they're upset about a particular issue. Interestingly, those who complain about political bias are, in essence, engaging in a form of politics themselves. It's important to understand why some people advocate for the exclusion of politics from the classroom. Is it an attempt to maintain a privileged status quo, which, in itself, is a form of politics? When we stigmatize discussions about political economy, we limit our capacity to effect positive change and, instead, hand that influence to those who claim bias without fostering a constructive dialogue.
prior to each board meeting. If re-elected, I will continue to make myself accessible to the public and actively seek public input in making major decisions.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. The role of school board member is a non-partisan elected position representing over 93,000 residents across seven cities and serving over 11,000 students. It is important to understand the broad range of views when making policy decisions. As a Policy Governance body, the creation and implementation of curriculum (what happens in the classroom) is delegated in large part to accredited professionals. Board members always have the opportunity to provide consultation to the Superintendent and management on items that fall outside the scope of board responsibility and the impact of political biases in affecting the classroom would be an example of this. I will continue to actively communicate and engage with district leadership on this and other issues facing our schools.
Eliciting public engagement to learn where it stands on issues can also be enhanced by asking board members to regularly attend the various PTA group meetings. Additionally, if my idea of building a network of volunteers is adopted, that network would be an excellent source of understanding the potential impacts of any major change being considered by the board.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. I have spent the bulk of my career serving in the capacity of a fiduciary. A fiduciary is someone who manages financial decisions based on what is best for the individual client; nobody else. Likewise, the role of a school board member is to serve with a focus on what is best for the students as individuals. To avoid the influence of politics, I will cast my votes as a board member with only the students in mind. During my election campaign, I pledged not to seek, nor to accept the endorsement of any organization representing employees of our school district. My reasoning for doing so is that when I am seated on the board, I know that any decision I make will not be unduly influenced by such endorsements. Instead, my decisions will be made only through the lens of what is best for the individual student.
input the new school board will set the example for all levels within the district and schools. As a school board member I will observe the school and classroom environments, actively listen to the teachers and parents, and bring my observations back into the school board decision making.
Q. How will you keep political biases from affecting the classroom?
A. The school board’s role is to set policies that conform to state law and align with the communities’ values and expectations. Through thoughtful policy making and implementation, the educational delivery will be more in line with the expectations of the parents and residents within the district. The tensions within the Mounds View School District are coming from partisan legislation that has passed into law, and from organizations outside of the district that are pushing transformative agendas. This is a challenging time for the Mounds View School district! The new school board will need to address these important issues, and lobby the state legislature for changes. I am up for the challenge!
Fall colors in Minnesota typically peak in midto-late-September through mid-October, starting in the northernmost part of the state and working southward. Peak fall color usually lasts two weeks but can vary widely depending on location and weather. Many factors play into the timing and brilliance of the fall color season in Minnesota, such as day length, temperatures and rainfall.
Minnesota is in its third summer with drought conditions in at least part of the state. Though severe summer drought may lessen the intensity of fall colors, there has been no correlation to the timing of peak fall colors and drought.
The Minnesota DNR’s Fall Color Finder (mndnr. gov/fallcolors) is a way for the public to follow the annual progression of fall color change throughout the state. Minnesota DNR staff throughout the state share reports from their location each Wednesday, in time for people to make travel plans for the coming weekend. The webpage includes a color-coded map that shows the approximate percentage of leaves that have changed color across the state, and a slideshow of recent photos taken by staff and visitors. The public is also welcome to submit their photos from visits to state parks, forests and trails.
To celebrate Minnesota’s most colorful season, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is sharing a fall color forecast, the typical timing of peak colors, ways for Minnesotans to find where colors are at their peak each week, and suggestions for where to visit to see fall colors.
out to reach those in the American Midwest. His music is based around his experience as a Ukrainian immigrant in the Midwest.
“We will have a couple of craft stations for families to bring their kids,” Verburrage said. The tables will highlight different Ukrainian crafts.
“The event is designed to expose people to these various cultures that are celebrated here within the Shoreview area,” Verburrage added, “and to experience some of the music and art of those cultures.”
Culture in the Commons is starting off small with only one event this year, but the Parks and Recreation Department has hopes that the event will continue to grow.
The event will take place at the Haffman Pavilion center located at the Shoreview Community Center, 4600 Victoria St., Shoreview.
WHEN YOU OPEN A MONEY MARKET ACCOUNT BY OCTOBER 31, 2023
Lyngblomsten
Celebrate
Kowalski’s is celebrating its 40th
Anniversary with a party in all market locations on Saturday, Sept. 30. Stop by any Kowalski’s location from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for treats and special surprises.
announcements
• The late buses will depart Mounds View High School at 4:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays only. One can find route information and maps at moundsviewschool.org/Page/2580 or in the vestibule by the front doors.
• There will be no school on Monday, Oct. 9, due to a teacher workday.
• Picture Retake Day for students will be from 11 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13.
This fall, the Mounds View School District is joining Minnesota’s Free School Meals Program. All students will be offered one breakfast and one lunch at no cost each day at school. There will be additional a la carte items available for purchase using meal account funds.
To add funds to a student’s meal account online, visit linqconnect.com. You can also send cash or a check to school with your student.
There are also other free or reducedrate benefits. An application is not required to receive this no-cost meal benefit. Families are still encouraged to apply in case they could receive other benefits such as reduced transportation fees, reduced academic test fees and discounted interest services. The application can be found at www. moundsviewschools.org/reducedfees.
Big Wood Brewery will celebrate “Oktoberfest” from noon to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 30; and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1.
The free event will include craft brews, German beer hall music and food at the taproom’s future home, located at 3429 Centerville Road, at the corner of Edgerton Street, in Vadnais Heights.
Day tickets and weekend passes are available at the White Bear Lake taproom. For information, visit bigwoodbrewery.com.
“We all look up to him when it should be the other way around,” my neighbor attending clay classes at the White Bear Center for the Arts (WBCA) said, “We’re old guys barely able to use a wheel, and he’s shoulderdeep molding a four-foot tall vase!” Fascinated, I had to hunt down this pottery prodigy for myself. How is someone so young so good? Two weeks later, sitting across from Mahtomedi senior Sam Thein, I found my answer.
“Right now, I do pottery for two hours every day at school,” Sam explains, “I’m in AP Pottery, and I’m a teacher’s assistant for the beginners. Half my day, I get to myself; the other half, I spend helping others.”
“Then he comes here [WBCA] for the evening class,” his mother, Kari Thein, adds, “It’s almost an obsession.”
Even more impressive, Sam was fresh off of football practice when he met with me. Once his varsity football season’s over, he’ll shift his focus to basketball. While one may imagine sports and art have little in common, Sam actually began pottery because of sports.
“I tore my meniscus two years ago,” Sam recounts, “so I was just sitting with nothing to do. I chose a pottery elective because I thought, ‘Why not learn
something new?’ It just took off from there.” While Sam has fully recovered from his injury, he’s incorporated pottery around his athletic schedule. “I love sports, but I get bored if that’s all I’m doing every single day. Pottery’s
When I point out that he does pottery as much as he does sports, Sam laughs, conceding the point. “It’s become a challenge to myself to see how good I can get… You can create
something new every single day.”
One recent challenge
Sam Thein has attempted is familiarizing himself with an old-school kick wheel. “I’m going to St. John’s for college [to double major in ceramics and business], but all I’ve practiced on is electric wheels. I bought a kick wheel, and it’s really exciting.” Here, Sam chuckles meekly, “but it’s been hard building.”
When I ask him which artists inspire him, he says he doesn’t have one source. At this, Kari shakes her head, commenting, “Most kids are on their phones—and Sam is, too—but he’s watching pottery videos for inspiration!” From these videos, Sam finds different techniques and styles, then uses the ones most comfortable to him.
As I’m wrapping up the interview, I ask if he’s got a style or a voice yet. Sam shakes his head, unsure, then offers, “I like to make pieces for people’s homes, but no one has the same home, so I kinda wanna sell to everyone!”
Such an opportunity is coming soon. Sam is having a smallbusiness-Saturday sale at 7 Vines Vineyard on November 25th from 12:30-4:30pm.
Browse Sam Thein’s entire collection at samtheinpottery. com
Explore upcoming Avenue of the Arts events with CPA, LPT and WBCA
THE LARAMIE PROJECT
Where: White Bear Center for the Arts
When: Thursday, October 5 & Friday, October 6 at 7:00 PM; Saturday, October 7 at 2:00 PM WBCA will be hosting performances of The Laramie Project by Northern Starz Center for the Performing Arts. This project is a traveling fivemonth educational series for high school actors at Northern Starz.
PERENNIAL, MEDICINAL HERBS FOR THE HOME LANDSCAPE
Where: White Bear Center for the Arts
When: Tuesday, October 17, 7:00-8:30 PM
There is a wide diversity of culinary and medicinal herbs that we can grow as perennials here in Minnesota. Join local landscape designer Pete Widin for an exploration of these exciting plants.
OCTOBER COMMUNITY DAY
Where: White Bear Center for the Arts
When: Saturday, October 28, 1:003:00 PM
Join WBCA for a fun family day of fall festivities. The afternoon will include a pumpkin carving contest, art experiences, refreshments, and more. Costumes are encouraged!
“Wednesday is very different from a Disney princess,” intones Eleanor Cannon, Children’s Performing Arts’ Wednesday Addams (and recent Belle in their Beauty and the Beast production), “so all my choices are somewhat weird.”
“I just pretend I’m a dad,” shrugs Weston Rabbitt, the show’s Gomez Addams, “He’s more talkative than I am, but his humor’s pretty similar to mine.”
“She gets what she wants,” smirks Laila Elazab when talking about her character, Morticia Addams, “She’s bossy and stubborn, so I really wanted to be her.”
Though these three young actors have different demeanors and approaches, they all separately said the same words: “It’s been really fun.”
For Cannon, her confidence is higher now. “Belle was my first lead, and I was the youngest of the core cast. Here, I’m one of the oldest,” Cannon explains, “There’s
excitement, but less nerves this time.”
Elazab mentions the narrow age range as the reason for her comfort on stage. “I’ve worked with some of the same people before, so we get along,” she expresses.
Rabbitt, meanwhile, trusts the ability of the ensemble, saying, “Normal middle-school plays aren’t very good because there are so many without experience. Here, we have a lot of good singers—really good. Everyone has been in a play before, too, so I’m more comfy on stage.”
A trusting ensemble is essential to any good production, but, for director Evan Heil, it’s only the foundation. “Since they’re middle schoolers,” Heil reasons, “I take an educational approach to my directing style. Just like Broadway actors, we do tablework: ’What does your character want?’ ‘How do they get it?’ There’s never a wrong answer—just ones that don’t go in the direction we’re doing right now.”
According to Heil, this encourages the actors to not
be so hard on themselves, which, in turn, frees them up to try again. The results have been effective. “It’s been such a good strategy,” Elazab comments, “It makes me think more about my character, and I have a deeper connection.”
Cannon especially appreciates this approach because she’s so close with her costars. “I’m taking risks as a performer, yes, but I’m willing to take more risks because I’m taking them with friends.”
Rabbitt, meanwhile, believes it’s the whole reason people should see the show. “Every Addams family is different,” he points out, “because different people play them. How did we add detail to our Addams family? And how will you react?”
Find out soon! The Addams Family opens Thursday, October 26th and runs through Sunday, November 5th. Get tickets online at childrensperformingartsmn.org
“People would ask incoming gangsters, ‘Why are you so pale? White Bear Lake is a summer town,’” Allison Lincoln, Member and Donor Services Director for the White Bear Lake Historical Society, paraphrases. The gangsters’ response? “We’re the musicians. We’re pale because we practice at night.”
Lincoln admits, “A musician’s a great cover. Clubs need a band, and how else are you gonna hide a Tommy gun?” White Bear Lake’s 1920s mobster scene is infamous,
so much so that the details get a little warped 100 years later. Many townsfolk may be familiar with neither the events nor where they took place. Consequently, the Historical Society is taking people on a tour via The Gangster Bus!
Hosted by Sara Hanson, The Gangster Bus will drive passengers around the entirety of White Bear Lake (the body of water, not the town, wiseguy), stopping at each community. “Obviously, the Idlewile Cottage is a big stop,” Lincoln notes, “since that’s where Ma Barker stayed. There’s also going to be a stop at where The Plantation
[a notorious mafia hideout] used to be. The bus will also stop at Catherine Abbott Park near Dellwood because a notable drive-by shooting occurred there.”
All of these stops and more promise to quench mobster aficianados’ thirst. “We did a promo for the tour in Roseville, and people went nuts,” Lincoln marvels, “gangster mania is alive and well in the Twin Cities.”
Why, then, hasn’t The Gangster Bus been a storied annual tradition? Lincoln has an understandable, though frustrating, answer: “So much of this was rumor.
Then the FBI recently declassified all the documents regarding that time, so now we know what actually happened.” Now armed with as many facts as its subjects had bullets, The Gangster Bus promises to be the bees’ knees.
The Gangster Bus tour runs on Tuesday, October 28th, at 10 and 11:30am, rain or (hopefully) shine. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at whitebearhistory. org/events
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JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Mac based and cloud, with the minor use of Photoshop and Illustrator
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JOB DETAILS: - 12-25 hours per week
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Mounds View has a 6-4 record after splitting four matches the past two weeks. Centennial beat the Mustangs 25-15, 2521, 25-17 on Sept. 12, then won over North St. Paul 25-16, 25-12, 25-10 on Sept. 18 and won a marathon over Cretin-Derham Hall 22-25, 25-16, 27-25, 24-26, 15-11 on Sept. 19. Stillwater shaded the Mustangs 26-24, 25-23, 23-25, 25-2 last Thursday on Sept. 21. Seeing action were Audrey Kocon, Lily Ryan, Eva Bona, Victoria Kurilov, Rylee Loween, Gigi Otto, Maddy Hakes, Emma Noreen and Avery Jedlenski.
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Mounds View placed 12th of 40 teams in the top division of the University of Minnesota’s Griak Invitational on Friday. With 116 teams from multiple states, competition is divided into Championship, Gold and Maroon races. Stevens Point (WI) placed first. Mounds View was sixth among Minnesota teams, with Wayzata (4th), Edina (5th) and Minnetonka (6th) leading. For the Mustangs, Cayden Stoner placed 57th (16:51), Levi Hammerbeck 71st
(16:57), Sam Beer 111th (17:23), Otto Coleman 119th (17:27) and Joseph Cole 158th (17:41) of 408 runners.
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Mounds View placed 25th of 40 teams in the top division of the University of Minnesota’s Griak Invitational on Friday. With 116 teams from multiple states, competition is divided into Championship, Gold, and Maroon races. Wayzata was the champion. For the Mustangs, Linnea Ousdigian placed 16th (19:15), Abby Urriola 41st (20:00), Adela Peterson 197th (21:48), Emma Stupar 234th (22:11) and Maya Surve 266th (22:32) among 377 runners. Emily Mehta, their number three runner, was injured during the race and unable to finish.
GIRLS SOCCER
Mounds View has posted five shutouts while compiling a 5-4-1 overall record, 3-1-1 in the Suburban East. The Mustangs lost to Champlin Park 1-0; blanked Coon Rapids 4-0 with goals by Karin Hoyt, Anya Westlund, Veronica Warren and Sophia Ohmann. They lost to Hill-Murray 2-1 with Westlund
scoring; beat Simley 2-0 as Ohmann and Berklee Reelfs found the net and beat Park 2-0 with Westlund notching both goals. The Mustangs were stymied by Mahtomedi 1-0 and then White Bear Lake 3-0. They topped Forest Lake 3-0 with Westlund delivering two goals and Olivia Overbo one. Last week, the Mustangs had a 0-0 tie with Stillwater (8-2-1) and beat CretinDerham Hall 2-0. Finja Poecher has been in goal for the Mustangs, yielding just seven goals in nine games. The defensive crew is anchored by Amelia Gregory, Veronica Warren, Mica Ledesma and Liliana Peleska.
BOYS SOCCER
Mounds View had one win, two ties and two losses over the past two weeks, leaving the Mustangs with a 5-3-2 record. They tied White Bear Lake 1-1 on Sept. 11 with Asher Wynn scoring, beat Forest Lake 3-0 on Sept. 13 with goals by Sebastian Gallegos Guadarrama (two) and George Deibert, lost to Stillwater 2-0 on Sept. 19, tied Cretin-Derham Hall 1-1 with Lukas Hoyt scoring last Thursday, and lost to Duluth East 5-3 on Saturday as Wynn notched two goals and Jason Catrine one. Derrick Stevens in goal has a .744 save percentage.
Mounds View has a 11-5 ledger with nine straight wins and leads the Suburban East at 6-0. In the last two weeks, the Mustangs beat White Bear Lake 7-0, Woodbury 7-0, Roseville 6-1, Forest Lake 5-2, and Breck 6-1. Rory Wahlstrand has an 8-6 record at 1-singles and Reese Wahlstrand is 12-4 at 2-singles. Annabelle Huang is 12-4 at 1-doubles with multiple partners. The singles lineup usually includes Avery Schifsky and Maddie Shen.
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When: 3- 6 p.m. Tuesdays through October
Where: Shoreview Community Center, 4580 Victoria St.
Details: The farmers market is a weekly event that brings the community together and features local fresh produce, handcrafted artisans items and live entertainment
Contact: shoreviewmn.gov
WHITE BEAR FARMERS MARKET
When: 8 a.m.- noon Fridays through October
Where: Clark Street between Second and Third street
Details: More than 50 vendors and growers each week
Contact: whitebearlake.org
“THE THREE MUSKETEERS”
When: Sept. 15- Oct. 1
Where: Hanifl Performing Arts
Center, 4941 Long Ave.
Details: Lakeshore Players’ presents the story of an adventure, unexpected heroes and everlasting friendship. Ticket details online. Contact: lakeshireplayers.org
FREE PRODUCE MARKET
When: 10 a.m.- noon, Thursday, Sept. 28
Where: White Bear Lake Senior Center, 2484 County Rd. F. East
Details: All are welcome to pick up free produce. Bring your own bag. Contact: 651-407-5310 or whitebearfoodshelf.org
SHOREVIEW COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 15TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
When: 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28
Where: Haffeman Pavilion, Shoreview Commons, 4580 Victoria St.
Details: Celebrate the Foundation, which has provided more than 60 grants to community organizations over the past 15 years. There will be birthday treats and a short program. Contact: shoreviewcommunityfoundation.org
AUTHOR VISIT
When: 10-11:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 29 Where: Lake Country Booksellers,
4766 Washington Square, White Bear
Lake
Details: M.E. Bakos will sign copies of her home renovator mysteries, including the latest ‘Killer Flip’, and Frank Weber will sign his book ‘The Haunted House of Hillman.’
Contact: 651-246-0918
FALL FLEA MARKET
When: 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30
Where: White Bear Area Senior Center, 2484 E. County Rd. F. East
Details: Over 20+ vendors in the parking lot and more inside. There will be baked goods and a food truck. Come as a shopper or register to be a vendor.
Contact: 651-653-3121
KIDZ N BIZ
When: 9 a.m.- noon, Saturday. Sept. 30
Where: Oneka Elementary, 4889
Heritage Pkwy. N., Hugo
Details: Free community event that connects local businesses and families. There will be carnival-like activities, inflatables, face painting, demonstrations, prizes, food and vendors.
Contact: mms.hugobusinesses.biz
BIG WOOD BREWERY OKTOBERFEST
When: Sept. 29- Oct. 1
Where: 3429 Centerville Rd., Vadnais
Heights
Contact: bigwoodbrewery.com/ contact/
CULTURE IN THE COMMONS
When: 2- 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1
Where: Haffeman Pavilion, Shoreview Community Center, 4580 Victoria St. N.
Details: Bring your family to learn and celebrate some of the wonderful cultures in our community with music and performers. Contact: shoreviewmn.gov.
WHITE BEAR TOASTMASTERS OPEN
HOUSE
When: 6:30- 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2
Where: White Bear Lake City Hall, 6701 Highway 61
Details: Learn to improve your public speaking and build leadership skills.
Contact: toastmasters.org
LUNCH WITH A NATURALIST
When: 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5
Where: Wargo Nature Center, 7701 Main St., Lino Lakes
Details: Free naturalist-led program for those 50+. May include a trail hike. Registration is not required. Equipment will be provided.
Contact: 763-324-3350 or anokacountyparks.com
TOUCH-A-TRUCK
When: 9 a.m.- noon, Saturday, Oct. 7
Where: Haffeman Pavilion, Shoreview Community Center, 4580 Victoria St. N.
Details: Come check out all the big trucks used throughout the city. This is your chance to hop in the driver’s seat of a snowplow, dump truck and more!
Contact: shoreviewmn.gov.
KIDS’ GARAGE SALE
When: 9 a.m.- noon, Saturday, Oct. 7
Where: Haffeman Pavilion, Shoreview Community Center, 4580 Victoria St. N.
Details: Calling all kids! Are you interested in learning what it takes to be a future entrepreneur or just looking to make a little extra money? Rent a table to sell toys, games, books, and sporting goods. Please do not bring food items to sell. Registration is required by Sept. 30.
Contact: 651-490-4700 or shoreviewmn.gov.
BY BRUCE STRAND SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR
Any way Audrey Kocon can help her team get a point is fine with her. And she can rack them up every which way for the Mounds View volleyball team.
“I love getting kills. I can take control of a game that way,” said this nimble 6-foot2 left-hander with a 94-inch reach. “But it’s really fun to get an assist, too. Any way we score it feels amazing.”
Ranked by Prep Digs as the No. 3 prospect in Minnesota’s Class of 2024, Kocon is the rare combo of a volleyballer who can deliver both devastating hits and a feathery set, each with great precision. Her serving, blocking and digging are also top notch.
Kocon, whose other distinction is being fluent in speaking Mandarin, will graduate from MVHS early and depart in January for Providence College in Rhode Island. She’ll continue her volleyball career as a Division I setter/hitter.
“Audrey is an elite player. She has all the skills that will allow her to succeed at the next level. She has a very high volleyball IQ. She is the total package,” said Mustang coach Tom Weko. The Mustangs have produced Division I players before, he said, but Kocon is “probably the best all-around
player we’ve had here.”
A five-year starter, Kocon has rolled up 1,120 kills and over 900 assists. Her high game for kills was 35 against Elk River last season. She has made all-conference since ninth grade and was a coaches association all-state pick last season.
The Mustang basketball team would love to have Kocon patrolling the lanes, but that ship sailed long ago. “I was really big into basketball, too. Then I fell in love with volleyball. I stopped basketball in seventh grade,” said Kocon, whose father was a Hall of Fame cager for a South Dakota college.
Her summer AAU team has been Northern Lights since eighth grade. This summer, Northern Lights placed third in one national tournament in Chicago and ninth in another.
“She plays for a very elite club team,” Weko said, “and is able to make adjustments in her game between high school and club.”
When Kocon became a varsity starter in eighth grade, she wanted to be a setter. “I already had some good setters then,” Weko said. “I told her I needed her to be a hitter also, and asked if she could do both.”
The 3.80 GPA student is looking forward to heading East. She said, “Providence is like family. They have great
coaches. They play in a great conference, the Big East. They have a good program in my major.”
She plans to major in Business and Financial Planning with an eye toward pre-Law. Ambitious business students these days are encouraged to learn how to communicate with the Chinese. Kocon would be well-versed if she goes in that direction.
“I attended a Chinese Immersion School in northeast Minneapolis for nine years,” she said. “My parents found it and thought it would be a good experience. I could speak Mandarin fluently by eighth grade.”
She was delighted to have a long conversation with a woman from Shanghai she met during a visit to Providence
last year. “We talked a lot about the east coast. She was visiting Boston and Providence. And about how her son is starting to learn English, and about how I ended up learning Chinese.”
Back to volleyball — that’s “paiqui” in Mandarin — Kocon showed her multiple skills in a match last week, a five-set win over Cretin-Derham Hall. She blasted kill after kill with a brisk, but powerful, lefthanded swat, earned several more points on blocks, lofted accurate sets both from short range and across the court, made alert pivots to tip the ball just over the net into open spots and radiated veteran leadership -- the proverbial coach on the floor. Like her coach said, she’s the total package.
BY BRUCE STRAND SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR
When the team that’s ahead goes into kneel-down mode, often called “victory formation,” in a football game, it’s supposed to be pretty much over.
That’s what Stillwater did on Friday when their quarterback, Nick Kinsey, somehow lost the handle on the ball.
Peter Nguyen of the Mustangs scooped it up and made an electrifying 94-yard run to the opposite end zone. The Mustangs, improbably, led 17-14.
However, Kinsey and the Ponies still had a minute and seven seconds to make up for the horrendous blunder, and that’s what they did.
Kinsey took them down the field and threw his third touchdown pass of the game. Tanner Schmidt made the catch, from eight yards out, diving over the goal line with eight seconds left. Ponies 21, Mustangs 17.
“We had pretty good coverage, and their kid made a play,” Mustang coach Aaron Moberg told the Star-Tribune.
“It’s a game we will never forget, that’s for sure. We were just hoping to be able to remember it as a win.”
Mounds View had a 26-yard field goal by Ben Holland and a one-yard run by quarterback Jake Sampson. Kinsey, a sophomore, also hit Emilio Rosario for a 22-yard touchdown and Henry Thury for a nine-yard touchdown.
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, October 7— Alexandria Lion’s Invite, Arrowhead Resort & Conference Center
Tuesday, October 17 — Suburban East Conference, Tanners Brook Golf Course
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, October 7— Alexandria Lion’s Invite, Arrowhead Resort & Conference Center
Tuesday, October 17 — Suburban East Conference, Tanners Brook Golf Course
FOOTBALL
That was the Mustangs’ second straight loss after a 2-0 start. On Friday, the Mustangs will play at Woodbury (3-1).
Forest Lake 24, Mustangs 8 Forest Lake handed Mounds View a 24-8 loss on Sept. 15. Leyton Patzer rushed for 200 yards for the Rangers (3-1) with touchdowns of 72 yards and one yard. Cole Gerrell passed to Mark Rendl for a 20-yard touchdown and Ernie Goodwin kicked a 27-yard field goal. The Mustangs were blanked until Jake Sampson passed to Logan Johnson for a three-yard touchdown in the final quarter.
Centennial
Mounds
Reese Wahlstrand, eighth-grader, playing No. 2 singles for the Mounds View tennis team. Wahlstrand has a 12-4 record against a strong slate of opponents. “Reese is a fighter on court. She hustles for every ball and has strong determination,” coach Scott Sundstrom said. “She beat two good, experienced players from Roseville and Breck recently.” Wahlstrand has helped solidify the lineup for Mustangs (11-5), who lead their conference and have won nine straight matches after losing to highly-ranked teams early on in the season.
Brol Scherman, Centennial junior lacrosse standout, has netted 22 goals and provided seven assists for the Cougars (4-2) while notching 17 ground balls (a change of possession statistic).
Scherman was all-conference as a sophomore with 36 goals and 28 assists. The recruiting website ILMCA said of him: “Endto-end playmaking machine with striking confidence both on and off the field. Versatile offensive threat with strong outside shooting and crease finishing skills. Magnetic team leader and positive influencer.”
Thursday, Oct. 5— East Ridge
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29— at Woodbury 7
Ongoing Wine Club membership. See website for info. Two Silo Winery
Ongoing Winey Tour every Sat & Sun 4-5 p.m. Two Silo Winery
Ongoing Open to public Th-Su unless closed for private event Belle AmeVineyards
Sept. 25-
Oct.1 Oktimberfest party! At new location, 3429 Centerville Rd.
