Katie Nelson
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COTTAGE GROVE — A weekend-long springtime blizzard made travel hairy across the state from the evening of April 13 to the morning commute April 16. Cottage Grove police reported two accidents with minor injuries. There were also nine property damage accidents and at least 16 vehicles off the road or in need of assistance. Woodbury responded to 17 crashes, and nearly 50 vehicles off the road, stuck or disabled on Saturday and Sunday. One semi, on April 14, jackknifed on Highway 61 near Kingsborough Trail, blocking all northbound lanes for a time.
WASHINGTON COUNTY — Former Twin Cities sports radio personality Jeffrey Dubay will not face jail time for an August 2017 assault. Dubay, 50, of Cottage Grove, was convicted for third-degree assault in Washington County District Court March 22. He was sentenced to an 18-month stay of execution with five years probation, with 120 days jail time suspended pending completion of treatment at the from Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge recovery center in Minneapolis. Dubay pleaded guilty to the assault in December.
The moment the molotov cocktail landed about three feet from Washington County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Joel Legut on Interstate-94 back in 2016, he knew this was something one agency couldn't handle alone, especially not without the right equipment.
WASHINGTON COUNTY — Though perfluorochemical levels in one Lake Elmo well forced the city to take it offline, south Washington County communities are not likely to face the same fate. The Minnesota Department of Health has been conducting quarterly testing on wells nearing the health index they announced last May. The health index is measured by the proportions of different PFC chemicals including PFOA and PFOS. If the value is above 1.0 for four consecutive quarters, MDH recommends that the city find a solution.
WASHINGTON COUNTY — Public meetings have been added and rescheduled in light of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources announcing working groups that will serve as stakeholders and decision-makers for the $850 million 3M Corp. and state of Minnesota settlement. A meeting in Woodbury has been added and the Lake Elmo meeting, originally scheduled for March 29, has been pushed back.
ST. PAUL — Attorney General Lori Swanson announced last month that the $850 million settlement negotiated between 3M Corp. and the state of Minnesota would not be accessible to Legislators, but that has not kept lawmakers from getting involved in the process. Bills drafted by Reps. Tony Jurgens, R-Cottage Grove, and Kelly Fenton, R-Woodbury, were heard in the Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee March 20. Karla Bigham, DFL-Cottage Grove, is expected to sponsor the bills in the Senate. Well testing
COTTAGE GROVE — Their 664-square-foot storefront just fits barely their commercial printer, desks and reception area, but Erza Design owners Lisa and Brian Chaon say it's exactly what they need. Before opening, Lisa Chaon and her mother, Maureen Burth, ran a crafting business out of the basement. When they purchased a large-format printer, suddenly the shape of their future changed.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources have announced public meeting dates to discuss the settlement of the lawsuit between 3M Corp. and the state of Minnesota for $850 million. The meetings, held March 29 in Lake Elmo and April 3 in Cottage Grove, will begin with a half-hour open house. The MPCA and DNR will then give a presentation followed by time for questions. The meetings will end with more time for an open house.
A crash on Interstate 494 south of Valley Creek Road left one hospitalized March 20. Woodbury Public Safety responded to the crash as EMS and transported one patient just after noon. Kenneth Biggio, 57, of Littleton, Colo., spun out in his Jeep while traveling northbound on I-494, said Lt. Tiffani Nielsen of the Minnesota State Patrol. Biggio was in the center lane when he lost traction on the icy roadway, causing him to swerve into the right lane and strike a semi-truck from behind, authorities said. The truck was driven by a 30-year-old Rosemount man.
Two are left in the race for a Washington County Board appointment, after one of the finalists backed out Monday. Steven Gallagher, former Newport City Council member, told the board in an email March 19 that he would not have time to fulfill commissioner responsibilities. The remaining candidates, Dan Dolan of Woodbury and Jack Lavold of Cottage Grove, were interviewed at the March 20 County Board meeting.