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A YEAR LATER: Man living with deceased relatives charged PAGE 6A
New fire chief comes complete with expertise BY SARA MARIE MOORE VADNAIS HEIGHTS EDITOR
WHITE BEAR LAKE — The new fire chief's experience includes overseeing rescue operations during the I-35W bridge collapse in 2007. Greg Peterson oversaw a crew of first responders from the Roseville Fire Department and the Lake Johanna Fire Department in the immediate aftermath of the collapse. The crew searched for survivors and bodies. They found a number of deceased victims and also found one man trapped alive in a vehicle. That man was featured in iconic footage streamed by CNN. On the wall in Peterson's new office overlooking Hwy. 61 is a signed photo of Johnny Gage from the show “Emergency.” Peterson watched the show with
his dad in the '70s when he was a child. But his interest in the profession goes back even further than that. “My mom tells me she knew I wanted to be a firefighter since the age of 5,” he noted. While lots of children have such interests, it never wore off for Peterson. As a junior at Mounds View High School, he began an Explorer program in Falcon Heights. He graduated from high school in '87 and became a part-time firefighter in '88. While receiving his associate's degree in fire protection, he worked as a part-time firefighter and EMT. Over the years, he has also worked for medical companies as a paramedic and flight operations manager. He also became volunteer assistant chief at SEE NEW CHIEF, PAGE 8A
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
New White Bear Lake Fire Chief Greg Peterson will be working with the city on a new fire engine that is proposed in next year’s budget.
DNR requests new trial in lake level lawsuit BY DEBRA NEUTKENS EDITOR
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Playing favorites Bella Butters watches as the White Bear Lake Area Schools mascot (Will Menier) and his Matoska International School counterpart (Ben Butters) engage in some shop talk following the start of the family FUNd Run at the school Saturday morning, Oct. 7. Participants in the benefit run were encouraged to dress as their favorite bear. Find more photos online at www.presspubs.com.
ST. PAUL — The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants a new trial. The agency filed a memorandum Oct. 5 with District Court asking two things: to amend the judge’s order and grant a new trial in the lake level lawsuit. “It’s very common after a court trial and entry of an order with findings of fact and conclusions of law for the losers to come back to the Court and ask the judge to change her mind,” said Robins Kaplan attorney Dick Allyn. He was part of the legal team representing the plaintiff in the lawsuit, the White Bear Lake Restoration Association, which prevailed in the Aug. 30 Court order. Signed by Assistant Attorney General Oliver Larson on behalf of the DNR and Commissioner Tom Landwehr, this latest motion noted that a court may grant a new trial for “errors of law” and may amend its findings of fact and judgement.
Larson’s motion listed a lengthy number of arguments, including one that states the court erred in its findings concerning White Bear Lake’s elevations: “The court makes several erroneous findings concerning the ‘normal’ or ‘typical’ lake elevations for White Bear Lake. In particular, the court found 1) that White Bear Lake fluctuates with a normal range of 923 to 925 feet; 2) that its long-term average is 923.8 feet; and 3) that it is unusual for the lake to fall below 922 feet. The court provides no citations for these findings, which are both wrong and unsupported by evidence.” Other contested points in the DNR motion to amend: • The judge erred in finding that increased groundwater withdrawals caused declining lake levels. The court found that low water levels in White Bear Lake between 2003 and 2010 were caused by a doubling in SEE MOTIONS, PAGE 8A
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