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School resource officer program pulled from White Bear schools BY NOELLE OLSON EDITOR
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(From left) Rob Thomas, who will be the MC for the gala and Sarah Meeks, Solid Ground board member.
‘Bring it Home’ gala to raise money for homeless BY NOELLE OLSON EDITOR
Solid Ground's premiere fundraiser this year is the Bring it Home Gala. The event will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, at the North Oaks Gold Club, 54 East Oaks Road in North Oaks. “The focus of the gala is to raise awareness and funds for Solid Ground’s permanent supportive housing projects (PSH),” said Andrée Aronson, director of advancement. “PSH is a proven best practice to ending homelessness for people with disabilities and other challenges. Last year, we raised $231,000 at our gala.” The gala will have over 25 baskets in a silent auction, desserts from cakes and pies from local bakeries, a wine toss, a live auction and a raffle for Thurston Jewelers’ 14-carat yellow gold diamond stud earrings, donated by Thurston Jewelers. Live auction items are as follows: • Vikings-Packers game New Year’s Eve extrava-
ganza — The Rihm Family Companies has donated its Minnesota Vikings box for 10 “Private Box in Purple Club” tickets, including two VIP parking passes in the garage connected to U.S. Bank Stadium via skyway at 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31. • Ken Galloway, a local gourmet cook with a true passion for food and wine, will prepare a threecourse custom dinner party menu with two appetizers and wine pairings in your home for up to eight guests. • Summertime in the Rockies — One-week stay in Vail, Colorado. Indulge in your dream getaway at Lion Square Lodge at the Gondola. The package also includes a $500 gift card toward the airline of your choice. • Willamette Valley Wine Tour and Allison Inn & Spa two-day stay in Oregon. While in the Willamette Valley, plan a two-day travel by limousine to excursions in the Dundee Hills and the Ribbon SEE GALA, PAGE 14A
The White Bear Lake Area School District is suspending its school resource officer (SRO) program in secondary schools. White Bear Lake Chief of Police Dale Hager said the police department has a long and successful history of working collaboratively with the White Bear Lake Area Schools to uphold a safe environment for students, teachers, staff, parents and other stakeholders in the community by contractually providing school resource officer services and special event policing services. “The city of White Bear Lake has fully supported having officers in our schools,” Hager wrote in a media release. “While our school resource officers will not be working under contract, we are committed to working closely with our school district. Therefore, during school hours, police officers will respond to school district-related calls and
will be encouraged to conduct regular walkthroughs at schools daily, as often as our call-load permits.” According to a statement from the school district, the decision was made due to a new law passed by the 2023 Legislature that placed certain restrictions on safety interventions school employees and agents, including SROs, can use when intervening with students. Law enforcement agencies consider these new rules a risk to officer safety and legal liability for officers and organizations. Although the SRO program will not be in effect, the district will continue to partner with the White Bear Lake Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to maintain school safety. It appreciates the long history of local law enforcement agencies working in partnership to build relationships, prevent incidents SEE SRO, PAGE 7A
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