By Unsie Zuege

   Camp Fire USA has never had a problem changing with the times, and in some ways has been downright progressive. Its name has changed, from Camp Fire Girls to Camp Fire Girls and Boys, to today’s Camp Fire USA.

   Camp Fire Girls originated in 1910 as a sister organization to the Boy Scouts of America. Girls didn’t want to sit on the sidelines and watch their brothers have all the fun of camping and learning outdoor skills.

By Unsie Zuege

   It’s one of Chanhassen’s best kept secrets.

   For the average commuter, the simple, rustic “Camp Tanadoona” sign on the west side of Highway 41 might elicit fleeting curiosity; eventually, though, it just blends into the scenery.

By Dave Dexter

I think I saw!  I know I saw!  Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! A coyote in the back yard!  Hershel go get the Greener, our way of life is in danger.  What are we going to do about this menace?  Think of the children! Guess what? It’s an animal living and moving about in this world too.  There is nothing strange about a coyote taking a stroll. 

By Forrest Adams

An estimated 403 active licensed acupuncturists are treating patients in the state, according to the Association of Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture of Minnesota.

Two of them are now practicing in Chanhassen under one roof.

Mason and Sandra McClellan, husband and wife, both licensed acupuncturists, opened Minnesota Clinic of Integrated Medicine in September after growing out of their previous Excelsior location, where they had operated since April 2009.

If you caught the season premier of “America’s Next Top Model” (ANTM) last night on the CW network, you would have seen Minnetonka’s own Raina Hein, introduced as one of the new flock of contestants in Cycle 14 of Tyra Bank’s popular reality-TV show.

Want an easy way to lose weight during the day? Sleep at night. The Nurses Health Study has shown that lack of sleep may increase your risk for weight gain even if you are not overeating.

50th anniversary involves web of interconnectedness

By Forrest Adams

Marlene and Bob Maeser’s 50th wedding anniversary and renewal of
wedding vows in February left the couple feeling that something more than pure luck was in play.

50th anniversary involves web of interconnectedness

By Forrest Adams

Marlene and Bob Maeser’s 50th wedding anniversary and renewal of
wedding vows in February left the couple feeling that something more than pure luck was in play.

It seems upside down but it seems there are more poor living in suburban areas like Chanhassen, Victoria and Chaska than in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Click here to read more.

Chanhassen Fire Fighters responded early Monday morning to an alarm
at Applebee's (590 West 79th Street). Chief Roger Smallbeck reported
the fighters were dispatched at 12:16 a.m. On arrival, they observed
flames on the roof of the popular family eatery.

The fire was eventually knocked down by crews working inside the
building. There was moderate smoke inside the building and one
sprinkler head was flowing water. Additional crews working on the roof
extinguished hot spots and performed overhaul work.

The city of Chanhassen was awarded $1 million worth of federal funds
through the Metropolitan Council for construction of a Highway
5-Minnewashta Parkway underpass and $900,000 more to make road repairs
at Highway 5-Minnewashta Parkway and Lone Cedar Lane. The city expects
construction to break ground in 2012, said City Engineer Paul Oehme.

On February 17, Met Council Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) took
action to award part of the federal transportation funding available in
the 2009 regional solicitation. The TAB awarded:

Selecting
plants for shady locations is far more challenging than for sunny
locations.  Go beyond begonias and impatiens and learn which plants will thrive in the shade. Instructor Shirley Mah Kooyman is a botanist, teacher and gardener. Class is 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Saturday, March 13. Click here to register, or call (952) 443-1422; $30 members, $40 non-members. Beginner-intermediate level. Snyder Building.

Ronald Rudolph Ernst, the Level 3 sex offender who moved into Chanhassen on Monday, has moved away from the city and the state,
according to Carver County Sherrif's Lt. Jim Olson.

Just as Ernst registered at the Carver County Courthouse on Monday,
he informed the county on Friday that he's leaving and has no specific destination. The sheriff's office will notify the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension of the change in Ernst's status, said Olson.

"When he came in, he said it was temporary. Now he has decided he wants to go out of state," Olson said.

Six candidates have been named semi-finalists in the search for a new superintendent.

According to a District 112 newsletter, they include:

* Dr. Julia Espe, Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, St. Cloud Public Schools

* Dr. Dan Bittman, Director of Elementary and Secondary Education, Centennial School District

* Dr. Christine Weymouth, Assistant Superintendent, Farmington Public
Schools

* Corey Lunn, Superintendent, Montgomery-Lonsdale Public
Schools

Who isn't against drunk driving?

But a couple legislators are holding up passage of a bill that would call for installation of breath-interlock systems on vehicles owned by everyone convicted of a DWI. Click here to read an editorial that mentions Rep. Paul Kohls, R-Victoria, as one of the legislators who have some objections to it.

What do you think? Post your comments here.

 Mr. Anderson (Feb. 25 edition) commented on the increase in automobile accidents on Highway 5.The problem with Highway 5 (from Fuller Road / Venture Lane west to Hazeltine Boulevard) is that it was constructed as an unusual hybrid – it is not actually a “freeway” and it is not what might typically be regarded as a four-lane controlled-intersection road.

I’m hearing sirens again…second time today and third time this week.  They are coming up Highway 5, getting louder and louder, then quiet. Traffic starts streaming down Minnewashta parkway, and lost drivers roam the neighborhoods in search of a better route. Telltale signs of yet another accident. More lives have been dreadfully changed or worse yet, lost.  

My daughter is driving home from a game.  We’re forever pleading
with our kids to avoid Highway 5 whenever possible, but you never know.