Page 4 | August 20, 2011
www.savagepacer.com | Savage Pacer
opinion Contributions welcome to editor@savagepacer.com, (952) 345-6376
We want your photos and stories Your stories and photos mean a lot to us. So much so, that the Savage Pacer is organizing an ongoing campaign to collect them from you, on a regular basis. We call this our “reader callouts” campaign, because we’re putting a call out to readers, asking you to submit your best pictures and stories. While we have long had an ongoing reader callout – “Send us your news!” – the series of reader callouts we’re focusing on here are for specific stories or photos, such as “What moved you on 9/11?” We’ll start out with two or three reader callouts per month, on timely topics, and as participation grows we’ll publish a new one each week. We’ll promote our reader callout topics in print and online – in the newspaper you’ll often see them on Page 2, and in an advertisement elsewhere in the paper. If you decide to participate – and
we hope you will – you can e-mail your photos or stories to editor@ savagepacer.com. The photo files you send will need to be large ones – 3 MB or larger – so that they reproduce well. Our first reader callout coincides with the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America. The 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., were pivotal moments in U.S. history. How did the attacks change your world view, your sense of security … your life? Share your thoughts with Savage Pacer readers; send your essay, no longer than 250 words, to Editor Amy Lyon, editor@savagepacer. com, before noon on Friday, Sept. 2. Be sure to include your name and city of residence. Most essays will be used on savagepacer.com; the best will be published in the Sept. 10 Pacer print edition. For more information, call the editor at (952) 345-6376.
FROM THE NEWSPAPER STAFF
Stop! Citizen’s Arrest! When I think of citizens arresting someone, I think of the antics performed by the group of misfits starring in the Police Academy movies of the ‘80s. Mahoney, Hooks, Tackleberry and Hightower … Cadets tackled burglars, broke up brawls and bravely attempted rescues. They were heroic and hilarious. Blundering and brilliant. But most of all they were passionate about public safety, despite their sometimes questionable methods of showing allegiance. One scene that sticks out for me involves little Hooks running after a criminal and in her high-pitched voice yelling, “Stop! Citizen’s Arrest!” I thought that only happened in the movies, but did you know the citizen’s right to arrest is actually a valid one today? I often joke to my husband (a la Cadet Thompson) that I’m going to citizen’s arrest random individuals for their various crimes: cutting me off on the freeway, violating the noise ordinance at two in the morning and driving too fast through our residential neighborhood. But wait! Someone in Savage actually did it. They followed through on their frustration and conducted a citizen’s arrest. On July 11 at 6:53 p.m., a resident of Ottawa Avenue reported a reckless driver and his unreasonable use of acceleration in a residential neighborhood. The citizen recorded the license plate number and sat down with an officer to fill out the citizen’s arrest form. (There is an actual form.) The police officer contacted the Burnsville individual, who admitted to being in the area, and a citation was mailed to him. That was it. No yelling, chasing or tackling. Just a phone call and a form. It doesn’t happen every day, though. In fact, Savage Police Captain Dave Muelken couldn’t recall the last citizen’s arrest prior to the July incident. I wondered if a citizen’s arrest would be easier to contest in court than if an officer had made the arrest, but Muelken didn’t think so. “It’s still one word against another,” he said, although he pointed out that police officers are potentially better at gauging speed than the average citizen. The citizen’s arrest form is simple, one page. Muelken had to dig a little to find one on his computer, then printed out a copy to refresh his
Amy
LYON EDITOR
memory. There are a variety of probable reasons the average Joe doesn’t run out and issue a citizen’s arrest at his every whim. One reason might be that conducting a citizen’s arrest takes being anonymous out of the equation. “Under our constitution, you have the right to face your accuser,” Muelken said, which means that an issue contested in court would likely bring you face to face with the accused. While I probably won’t citizen’s arrest anyone anytime soon, unless I’m particularly peeved, I was intrigued by the possibility. And just as intriguing to me is the Savage Police Department’s upcoming Police Academy taking place Sept. 20 through Nov. 1. The Academy is a seven-week program offering community members a hands-on curriculum and a chance to experience police situations. Class simulations include shoot/no shoot evaluations, crashscene investigations and domesticdispute role playing. The Academy will run Tuesdays from 6:30-10 p.m. at the Savage Police Department. It’s free and limited to 20 participants (or cadets) who are 18 years or older and live or work in Savage. Applications will be accepted through Aug. 30 and interested applicants can apply in person or online at cityofsavage.com. While it would be entertaining to have Cadet Mahoney on hand cracking jokes and Sgt. Jones in the wings making random sound effects, chances are the attendees at Savage’s Police Academy will be better behaved than the misfits from the movies. (Amy Lyon is the editor of the Savage Pacer and can be reached at 952-345-6376 or editor@savagepacer. com)
Policy for Election Letters Please keep your election letters to the editor as brief as possible. Libelous letters will not be published. The word limit is 350 words. Letter writers are limited to submitting letters once every 30 days. Letters can be sent via e-mail to editor@savagepacer.com, faxed to (952) 447-6671 or mailed to P.O. Box 376, Savage, MN 55378.
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SAVAGE
PACER
About us: The Savage Pacer, first published on Aug. 6, 1994, is produced by Southwest Newspapers, a division of Red Wing Publishing Company. We are an active member of the Minnesota Newspaper Association and the official newspaper for the City of Savage. Published weekly on Saturdays; periodicals postage paid at Prior Lake, MN and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send change of address notice to Savage Pacer, P.O. Box 8, Shakopee, MN 55379. Location: The Savage Pacer is located southwest of the intersection of County Road 42 and Highway 13, at 14093 Commerce Ave. Its mailing address is Savage Pacer, P.O. Box 376, Savage, MN 55378. For general information call (952) 440-1234; send faxes to (952) 447-6671.
COMMUNITY VOICES
Keeping life in balance requires careful planning This summer has flown by and it is hard to believe it is mid-August. My son is resuming school activities with marching band practice at the high school. The State Fair is nearly upon us and Labor Day is right around the corner. In school, I remember an assignment to write about what I did for summer vacation. It has been a few years, but I thought I’d give it a try. I have learned over the years that it is important to take time to get away from work when possible to refresh my energy and to spend valuable time with my friends and family. In June I went on a fishing trip with some high school buddies to Lake Kabetogama near the Minnesota-Canadian border. This was our second trip since hatching the idea at a high school reunion. One friend came from New Jersey, another from San Diego and the others live in Minnesota. The fishing was decent and we had lots of laughs. Our trip, however, was more about catching up on each other’s lives, families and changes since we last got together. We all lead busy lives and realize how important it is to make time to spend with each other. There is nothing as valuable as keeping close friendships alive. We are already planning the next trip. In July our family attended a family reunion at Lake Francis near Elysian, Minn. It is an annual event my wife’s side of the family started after her father died in 1997. The family did not want to connect only on occasions such as weddings and funerals.
Steve
FIEBIGER COMMUNITY VOICES
The reunion alternates each year between families and a reunion sign is passed each year to the next host. Since the first reunion, we have had reunions in Iowa, Colorado and Minnesota, and even had relatives from Germany attend. Our son returned from a mission trip to West Virginia on the day of the family reunion. We picked him up and the next morning boarded a 5:25 a.m. flight headed to Albany, N.Y., stopping in Cooperstown for the baseball Hall of Fame Induction ceremony for Bert Blyleven. We made our connection from Atlanta to Albany, rented a car, and drove approximately 70 miles to Cooperstown to arrive in time for the speeches of the three inductees. We had made plans to meet friends from Minnesota who departed earlier and those friends saved seats for us. “Bert” was terrific. We later toured the Hall of Fame and soaked in the baseball history of Cooperstown. From Cooperstown we drove to Niagara Falls, Canada. It was the first international border crossing
for our son. (For those planning to go, make sure you take your sun glasses off and open the rear windows when crossing the border.) Niagara Falls is breathtaking and words are inadequate to describe the scene. The Falls are actually two parts, Horse Shoe Falls on the Canadian side and American Falls on the U.S. side. We also traveled to Toronto and rode a glass elevator to the top of the CN Tower. It features a glass floor to look straight down from over 1,100 feet. Our last adventure took our family and friends on a road trip to Copper Mountain, Colo. We partook in whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River with a guide who taught English as a second language in Paris during the school year. We learned paddling techniques, teamwork, and new terms like “eddy,” which is a pull-off area. The Rocky Mountains are seductive and were still laced with snow in midAugust. Summers aren’t always as adventurous as this year was for us, but spending time with family and friends is important for fostering and nurturing relationships, and keeping life in balance. I saw a sign in a store that read, “A family that plays together stays together.” In our busy lives, remember to plan to play a little, and to spend time with family and friends. You’ll be glad you did. (Steve Fiebiger is one of several people in the Savage community who write for Community Voices – a column appearing weekly in the opinion and commentary section of this newspaper.)
LETTERS FROM READERS POLITICS
SS-9
Fresh new leadership needed in state offices
City shows lack of regard for trees, nature
I believe due to the lack of leadership in Saint Paul, more people should challenge Sen. Claire Robling, Rep. Mike Beard and Rep. Mark Buesgens in their GOP primaries and general election next year. I believe this is an opportunity to show these elected officials they failed the people they have served. I encourage people to run against Claire Robling, Mike Beard and Mark Buesgens next year. It is time elect fresh new leadership that will not make the mistakes they did.
My husband and I have lived in Savage since 1969 and time and time again Savage has shown us that it doesn’t care about trees or nature. Planting young trees after tearing down mature trees doesn’t make it! And … Amen to what Barry Peterson wrote last week.
Josh Ondich Prior Lake
Vicki Sibinski Savage
GLOBAL GIVING
Remember the starving when eating next meal Every day most of us have choices about what we want to eat. Do we
Publisher: Laurie Hartmann (952) 345-6878; lhartmann@swpub.com Editor: Amy Lyon (952) 345-6376; editor@savagepacer.com Sports Editor: Tom Schardin (952) 345-6379; tschardin@swpub.com Staff Writer: Alex Hall (952) 345-6381; ahall@swpub.com Advertising Sales: Pat Vickerman (952) 345-6373; pvickerman@swpub.com Advertising Sales: Lance Barker (952) 345-6371; lbarker@swpub.com Advertising Sales: Dan Boike (952) 345-6372; dboike@swpub.com Circulation: Ruby Winings (952) 345-6682; circulation@swpub.com Imarketplace (Classified) Advertising: (952) 345-3003; self-serve at www.imarketplace.mn Deadlines News: noon Wednesday Advertising: 4 p.m. Tuesday Imarketplace (Classifieds): 3 p.m. Thursday for paid ads; noon Thursday for Thrift ads Legal notices: Noon Tuesday
want to grill tonight? What should we have for dessert? We are so blessed to be able to make those decisions, we probably take it for granted. That makes it so important to continue to be aware of the hungry around us and in our world. Let us all remember to continue to give to the food shelves in the area and also to donate money to the African Relief Agency for Horn of Africa to keep some of the poorest people on earth alive. Drought has left thousands starving to death in Somalia and the Horn of Africa. Be happy when you surround your taste buds with something delicious at your next meal or snack and feel good when you give whatever you can to save a life. We all have the opportunity to make a difference today!
Susan Galazen Savage
Guest columns and letters to the editor: Letters to the editor and guest commentaries stating positions on issues facing the local community are especially welcome but are reviewed by the editor prior to publication. The newspaper reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar and clarity. We will not print letters of a libelous nature. Letters should be 500 or fewer words in length. Exceptions are at the editor’s discretion. Deadline for letters is noon Wednesday before the Saturday publication date. Letters must contain the address and daytime phone number of the author, as well as a signature (except on e-mails). We prefer letters that are e-mailed to editor@savagepacer.com. Additional policies regarding letters and commentaries are elsewhere on this page. Editorials that appear on this page represent the institutional voice of the newspaper. Any questions or comments should be directed to the editor. For breaking news and news updates, go to www.savagepacer.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Find sports scores online at www.scoreboard.mn. Leave news tips at (952) 345-6376. © 2011 Southwest Newspapers (www.swnewspapers.com)