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VIEWER
Mounds View
http://mvviewer.org Friday, May 11, 2012
INSIDE
Volume 59
2011-2012
Issue 11
<editor@mvviewer.org>
MV’s 5 - Finger Discount Thefts of electronics at school on the rise by Maximillian Wang news editor
The life of Mounds View custodians
Baking at Mounds View
Changes to next year’s dance schedule
Senior baseball captain Matt Herringshaw was at morning practice one day; one of the last things he expected was to have his iPhone 4S stolen. “I didn’t think any of the baseball guys would take anything, and it was early in the morning, so it’s not like there were those types of people around anyways,” said Herringshaw. Herringshaw had left his phone on top of his backpack, which was only about 15 feet away from where he and his teammates were sitting. As he was getting ready to leave, another student told the coach he had seen someone steal Herringshaw’s phone. Herringshaw reported the theft to Deputy Tim Gulden, but it wasn’t until Herringshaw started telling his classmates in physics about the theft later that day that he found a suspect. “I was telling the story to someone in my physics class, and someone else was sort of listening in and he turned around and was like, ‘oh you got your phone stolen?’ and I was like ‘yeah,’” said Herringshaw. His classmate quickly identified a suspect based on the description Herringshaw had gotten from the witness and agreed to help Herringshaw. “After class we were walking down the hallway, and he spotted the kid, so I was like, ‘all right, go talk to him, tell him you want to buy the phone from him or something,’” said Herringshaw. The classmate returned with bad news. “He was like, ‘well, the kid already sold it,’” said Herringshaw. “Within two and a half hours the kid had already sold my phone to someone else in the school.” According to Herringshaw, his iPhone
was sold for a mere $20. However, after Herringshaw reported the suspect’s name to Gulden, he quickly got his phone back. According to Herringshaw, the suspect, who is a minor, has been charged by the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department and will be standing trial in a few weeks. He has denied all charges. Experiences like Herringshaw’s case have become much more of a common occurrence at Mounds View. In fact, Herringshaw is one of the lucky ones; he had his property returned within just a few hours. Many have had to wait much longer. Hannah Yan, 12, had her iPod stolen late last year.
The thieves are also becoming more bold. Whereas most thefts before occurred in locker rooms when no one was around, many thefts this year have occurred with the owners just a few feet away. There have been a number of cases where iPods were stolen while students were just walking down the hallways. “They [the thieves] just took it [the iPod] straight out of the backpack,” said Gulden. Largely, the thieves are out to make a profit from their crime; many have been re-selling the stolen electronics to other students, just like in Herringshaw’s case. Most thefts this year have occurred in the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms. “We’ve gone to the locker rooms in the morning and have seen all the lockers opened up,” said Gulden. A number of thieves have been caught. Generally, first-time offenders are sent to the To Reevaluate Yourself (TRY) program for a few days. There usually are no legal actions taken against them. Thieves that have been caught stealing more than once are usually punished under the juvenile court system. The administration’s advice to students has been simply to make sure their devices are either locked up or “on your person.” Placing items in a backpack that’s within photo by Ben Kaiser arm’s reach may not even be enough to deter Protect yourself, don’t leave valuables thieves from stealing the items from right under students’ noses. unsecured. “I was in the Commons getting a drink of water, and when I reached for my iPod in my backpack, it wasn’t there. I know it didn’t just fall out, so I reported it to Officer Gulden, who added it to the list, but I’ve never seen it again,” said Yan. According to Gulden, thefts are occurring almost on a weekly basis now.
Read the full article @ mvviewer.org
Facelift for Bucher, Turtle Lake parks by Sasha Safonov staff reporter Shoreview and Ramsey County each have started separate projects to renovate community parks. Both these projects aim to make the parks more attractive to the public, as well as maintain worn down buildings. The city of Shoreview has plans to renovate Bucher Park, which are set to be completed this fall. The construction is expected to take two to three months. The renovations are part of the Capital Improvement Plan, which “identifies specific projects over a 5-year period, including replacement of existing assets, possible expansion or improvements to existing systems, and proposed additions,” according to the Capital Improvement Planning report prepared by the Department of Finance. Renovations will total about $340,000, with $70,000 to $90,000 directed at the playground in Bucher Park, the rest going primarily towards the two baseball fields and the soccer field. Other suggested changes include paving trails, adding a picnic shelter, opening up views of the lake, removing invasive species, and planting native ones. The renovations have been heavily influenced by input from the community.
“We move from park to park identified by the staff,” said Schwerm. An open house regarding Bucher Park was held on April 30. Schwerm is also available for contact via his e-mail, tschwerm@shoreviewmn.gov. Input is still valuable as proposed concept plans are set to be completed in late May. The renovators have contacted The North Suburban Soccer Association and the Shoreview Youth Area Association to discuss how the baseball fields and soccer fields should be renovated. Ramsey County has also started renovations of Turtle Lake Park. This project is a full park redevelopment that includes additional trail connection and improvement of existing buildings, such as the addition of a “750-foot restroom building and a 2,000-square foot picnic shelter,” according to The Shoreview Press. “The age of the buildings were in a state that they needed to be repaired,” said Scott Yonke, director of planning development in Ramsey County Park. The park is currently closed due to the renovations, which are expected to be completed mid-August. The total renovation cost will be around $900,000. These are not the first parks to be renovated. Two years ago, Sitzer Park underwent the same
sort of transformation, making it look more modern. The restoration of aging parks of many people’s childhoods is a needed change in terms of both serviceability and additions. “This [Bucher] Park is pretty old. It’s been the same ever since I was little. Bucher is a major place for baseball and soccer and deserves to be improved,” said Chance Carnahan, 10.