White Bear Press

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Visit our website or call for lessons, but tickets, book a group & more! TAYLORS FALLS, MN. WWW.WILDMOUNTAIN.COM I 651-465-6365

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

JUST NORTH ENOUGH... WE’VE GOT THE SNOW

VOL. 120 NO. 9 www.presspubs.com $1.00

PACKAGE THIEVES: Suspects with long criminal histories charged PAGE 13A

Sex offender re-incarcerated

A Level 3 sex offender who moved to Birchwood less than a month ago is back behind bars. Joseph Charles Zacher, 36, was taken into custody Dec. 22. He is accused of violating the conditions of his intensive supervised release, according to Minnesota Department Zacher of Corrections Director of Communications Sarah Latuseck. A hearing to consider the alleged violation(s) will be held within 12 business days. Latuseck said the nature of the allegations will be disclosed to the public only if they are substantiated at the hearing. Zacher's future "will be determined based upon the results of the hearing," she said. Zacher was released from prison Nov. 30 and moved in with family members in the 100 block of Cedar Street. He has two criminal sexual conduct convictions involving underage girls and has been re-incarcerated multiple times for violating probation.

2015

Kristine Goodrich

Proponent of all things nonmotorized works to piece together lake trail BY DEBRA NEUTKENS REGIONAL EDITOR

Walkability advocate Mike Brooks is quite possibly a thorn in the side of MnDOT. But that's a good thing. Shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday, Brooks sent a flurry of emails to traffic personnel at the agency in an effort to pull together crash data that will propel his cause: To build a trail around the lake. They complied. It's all part of Brooks' mission as an advocate for NE Communities Bike Walk, a citizen volunteer group he heads out of his White Bear Lake home. Brooks requested the crash data to pitch area communities about dusting off a 2001 bike and pedestrian plan — the Lake Links Network — that would complete a trail around White Bear Lake. He told MnDOT he was interested in three segments: • Highway 61 from White Bear Avenue to Buffalo Street • Highway 244 from Highway 96 to 12 in Willernie • South Shore Drive from Cedar Avenue to White Bear Avenue The data was accessed through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) database and covers only SEE CRASH DATA, PAGE 5A

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Year In Review 2015 got off to a tragic start with a fatal house fire and the apparently random murder of a bar owner. Another death in August was charged as a homicide and a husband who murdered his wife in their 18 years ago was finally brought to justice. The low level of White Bear Lake and its many ramifications, including a lawsuit, legislative lobbying and conservation initiatives again commanded the most local news coverage in 2015. Interesting local characters profiled in 2015 included a lawyer who lost nearly 200 pounds, a restaurant mogul, a watchmaker, a theater producer and a woman named Heart who returned a Purple Heart and a 100-year-old World War II veteran. Ground was broken on two senior housing complexes

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while construction of two more senior complexes neared completion. The White Bear Marketplace development brought a Cub Foods and a Planet Fitness and several more stores set to open in early 2016. Local government news included a rejected charter in Grant, a controversial charitable gambling moratorium in Vadnais Heights and discussions over the future of the White Bear Lake Sports Center. A sex offender’s move into the area prompted two cities to place restrictions on where offenders can reside. As the year drew to a close, the city of White Bear Lake said goodbye to its longtime city manager and the assistant manager was promoted to the top spot. SEE YEAR IN REVIEW, STARTING ON PAGE 3A

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