Shakopee_102711

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Readers show us their colors

Sabers fall to Storm in upset

We asked for fall-color photos and you didn’t disappoint

Shakopee goes for two points and win, but try fails

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www.shakopeenews.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011

SHAKOPEE

VALLEY

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news

Tabke, Schmitt spar on issues BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swpub.com

Is Shakopee behind the eight-ball in attracting business? Does it have gang problems? Are city employees and the City Council getting along? Mayor John Schmitt and challenger Brad Tabke painted different pictures of the city in an Oct. 19 for u m sponsored by t he Shako pee Chamber of Commerce, with a crowd that spilled out of City Hall chambers. Retail business has grown dramatically in Shakopee, homes continue to be built through the recession and the industrial park is “alive and well,� Schmitt pronounced during his opening statement. He added the city has built 10 parks and overhauled three. “We’ve not been sitting on our hands fi guring out where our next dollar is coming from,� Schmitt said. Shakopee has come a long way, agreed Tabke, but not far enough for a town that’s grown 80 percent since the last census. Growth occurred so fast the city has disparate groups and “a lot of things happened to Shakopee that don’t make a lot of sense on global scale,� he said. “We need to say we are open for new ideas, new ways of thought,� Tabke said. “That’s not happening right now.�

SCHOOL BOARD FORUM

Candidates find little to debate BY KRISTIN HOLTZ kholtz@swpub.com

The debate is airing on ci.shakopee.mn.us and public access Channel 16. Find coverage of Wednesday night’s City Council forum at shakopeenews. com.

Shakopeenews.com update If you were looking for a quarrel, last week’s Shakopee School Board forum wasn’t where you’d find it. The four candidates running for School Board — Reggie Bowerman, Jeremy Casper, Matt McKeand and Angela Tucker — presented a rather unified picture of the district, agreeing that Shakopee’s biggest challenge is its growth. “We need to find a way to balance what’s best [for students] and really reach for the stars while finding the most efficient way to pay for it,� said McKeand during the Shakopee Chamber of Commerce-sponsored forum on Oct. 13. The candidates, who are vying for three open seats, saw eye-to-eye on most issues; however, one candidate raised questions about the proposed second high school. The

The mayor and his challenger painted different pictures of the city in a forum that attracted an overflow crowd. FIRST ISSUE What would each candidate work on fi rst, if elected? Schmitt: “We have a number on our plate today — the rehabilitation of downtown and completion of connections to downtown. We continue to promote and fi ll our industrial park. Once it’s fi lled, annexation is critical. We are down to 50 housing lots and working with developers to figure out where to go next.� Tabke: “I’ve sat through a lot of City Council meetings. The first thing I’d do is change the tone and conversa-

Debate to page 14 ÂŽ

School Board to page 7 ÂŽ PHOTOS BY SHANNON FIECKE

Top photo — John Schmitt tells 9-year-old Alden Beach his favorite part of being mayor is “meeting people.� Above — Asked by 12-yearold Maddie Mocol if he’d put a stop sign on 17th Avenue near KinderCare, Brad Tabke said he’d have to ask “people a lot smarter than me.� Both kids came to City Hall for a post-debate meet-andgreet sponsored by Kids Voting Shakopee.

Watch the School Board forum at ci.shakopee.mn.us. Find the School Board profiles and question-and-answers at shakopeenews.com.

Unique area intersection nearly done BY KRISTIN HOLTZ kholtz@swpub.com

H

alloween seems to bring out the spooks, stories of mysterious happenings and haunted hangouts.

But ghosts, said Kathy Machowski of Jordan, aren’t seasonal phenomena. “You never know where you’re going to fi nd a ghost,� said the ghost hunter

and founder of Minnesota Beyond the Veil. Machowski’s Beyond the Veil team investigates spirits and other paranormal events. They identify whether a spirit is present, urge it to crossover and cleanse a home for the owner’s peace of mind.

BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swpub.com

The first-of-its-kind interchange in Minnesota is nearly complete at the county roads 42 and 17 threelegged intersection. Vehicles began using the overpass two weeks ago and final striping on the main structure went down Friday. “There’s not much work left, but we want people aware there’s still construction, particularly under the bridge,� said project manager Greg Felt of the Scott County Highway Department. The project used a unique “A + B� bidding process that considers the daily costs of motorists waiting in traffic and taking different routes while the road is under construction. Scott was the second known county in the state to try this method and plans to use it in future projects. While vehicles can now travel freely on the overpass on County Road 17, those turning onto County

Ghosts to page 7 ÂŽ

Does Shakopee have ghosts among us? It depends whom you ask.

Interchange to page 13 ÂŽ

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KRISTIN HOLTZ

INSIDE OPINION/4 OBITUARIES/6 CALENDAR/12 SPORTS/17-18 CLASSIFIEDS/32-35 HAPPENINGS/35 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6683 EDITOR: (952) 345-6680 OR E-MAIL EDITOR@SHAKOPEENEWS.COM.

VOL. 150, ISSUE 43 Š SOUTHWEST NEWSPAPERS

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