Friday, May 24, 2013
The governor visited the St. Louis Park school Friday to talk with students about the Lilydale Park tragedy.
Gov. Mark Dayton and other dignitaries visited Peter Hobart Elementary School on Friday to offer their condolences in the wake of the Lilydle Park tragedy. Dayton described losing his best friend in a similar accident in which a rockslide killed the man while he was hiking in a California canyon. “I remember the horror I felt. I remember the shock and the disbelief that we and his wife and his daughter—who was my goddaughter who was 11 years old. I said, ‘Why? Why did this happen?’” Dayton said. “I wish I could say something that would make you feel better. I wish I could say something that could explain why this terrible thing happened. I can’t. But I know looking and seeing all of you that something of Haysem’s and Mohamed’s spirit will …
You can use this gas price widget to always find the lowest price of the moment. Pro tip: Gas up early this week to save money.
Click here for a full-screen view of the gas price map. If you don't see a map of our local area, click the magnifying glass in the upper right to enter your address. Nationwide, gas prices were predicted to be lower this summer compared to the last three years, but that won't translate into savings at the pump this Memorial Day weekend, experts said. "Motorists this year are facing rising gas prices heading into the Memorial Day holiday," said Michael Green, a AAA spokesman, adding that Memorial Day 2013 would probably be the most expensive since 2011. In St. Louis Park, the SuperAmerica at 5900 Excelsior Boulevard SuperAmerica near Interstate 494 had the cheapest gas at $4.24 per gallon for regular Tuesday evening. In past years, prices …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
The fourth-graders from Peter Hobart Elementary School were on a field trip at Lilydale Regional Park Wednesday.
Two St. Louis Park elementary schoolers are dead and another two injured after they were involved in a tragic accident at Lilydale Regional Park in St. Paul on Wednesday, May 22. The St. Paul Fire Department announced Thursday morning a missing fourth student's body had finally been recovered from the hole. Hazardous conditions at the site made it difficult to find the boy's body throughout Wednesday. Speaking during a press conference Thursday morning, Assistant St. Paul Fire Chief Jim Smith said workers were able to recover the 10-year-old boy's body from the accident scene. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene. "The family obviously is extremely upset at this present time," Smith said. "They're very grateful to the rescuers, the …
With the community coming to terms with yet another tragedy, residents are proving once again that they're '#SLPstrong.'
The Lilydale Park tragedy has shaken St. Louis Park, but the community is once again demonstrating its strength and ability to pull together in the wake of heartache. Soon after news of the incident broke, residents took to social media to share their support, send out prayers and offer condolences. The above widget offers a sampling of those messages and photos. (Note: Some users with mobile browsers may not be able to see the above widget.)
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
This year’s tax bill brings local government aid (LGA) back to the community after a decade without it.
Changes to the formula that the state uses for local government aid money and increased funding for the program mean St. Louis Park will go from zero local government aid in 2013 to $458,807 in 2014, according to the Minnesota Department of Revenue. The omnibus tax bill—which passed the Minnesota Senate 36-30 just a few minutes before midnight Monday, the legislative session's legal deadline—pumps $80 million more into the local government aid (LGA) program. The aim is to help cities lower property taxes. Click on the PDF to the right of this article to see a full breakdown of how cities across the state will fare. The bill also bars most cities from increasing their levies by more than 3 percent this fall. The extra LGA money is just a …
A dedication ceremony for the Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park will take place at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22.
Family, friends and community members are set to come together Wednesday afternoon to celebrate and honor former SLP baseball standout Derrick Keller. Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park will be dedicated during a ceremony from 3:45-4 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, at the field. The ceremony will honor Keller, an 18-year-old Park resident who died last summer after a 10-month battle with Leukemia. In a post on the Keller Family's CaringBridge site this week, his parents said it will be "very hard" to be present for Wednesday's dedication. They said whenever something like this happens, it feels like Derrick's funeral all over again. "This field naming is such an honor for the whole family," the entry reads. "It will be nice to see all of you …
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The St. Louis Park resident died Monday at the age of 89.
St. Louis Park resident Marion S. Gold died Monday at the age of 89, according to an obituary from Hodroff-Epstein Memorial Chapel. Gold was preceded in death by her parents, four brothers and three sisters. She is survived by two sisters and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. A funeral service will take place at 1 p.m. Tuessay at United Hebrew Brotherhood Cemetery Chapel ( 70½ Street and Thomas Ave. S., Richfield). Shiva will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at Sholom Home West (3620 Phillips Parkway, St. Louis Park). Click here to visit the Hodroff-Epstein memorial page.
Monday, May 20, 2013
A news report accuses the district of taking a vote without giving adequate public notice.
Did St. Louis Park Public School’s hiring of a new superintendent violate open meeting laws? That’s the question a Sun Sailor article raised last week. The newspaper notes that official notice for special meetings May 7, 8 and 9 did not reference a vote. A media attorney who represents the Sun Sailor said if a vote was taken, that would violate the open meeting since the agenda did not specify that the board would make a selection. The district released a statement announcing that Robert Metz would be the new superintendent, but its lawyer said the board never took official action. Click here to read the full story.
Catherine A. Cole was selected from a pool of 15,000 finalists.
A Benilde-St. Margaret’s student is among the winners of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships released Wednesday, the organization announced. Catherine A. Cole, of Eden Prairie, was chosen from among 15,000 finalists in the 2013 National Merit Program. The winners are judged to have the best combinations of “accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.” The number of winners in each state is proportional to the number of graduating seniors in the state. A committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors selected the winners using: This year’s competition began when 1.5 million juniors across 22,000 high schools took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in October…
Kenneth Raymond Abrahamson served on a battle-damage repair ship from 1942 to 1945.
Mike Hindin
9:19 am on Friday, May 24, 2013
Do you know where your gasoline comes from? It pays to ask. There are only two refineries within trucking distance of most of Minnesota. Pine Bend owned by Flint Hills, a Koch Brothers subsidiary, and St Paul Park (formerly Marathon). Super America and Marathon are from St Paul Park. Holiday is exclusively from Pine Bend. BP stations, I've asked use a pipeline in Roseville from Texas. So where do… more ›