Dumb Criminal of the Week

Dumb Criminal: Driver Cited for Going 86 MPH in Blizzard Conditions

Despite a blizzard, a Lakeville driver thought it a good idea to drive 86 MPH across icy, snowy roads.

Tuesday morning there was a light dusting of snow, but the presence of a strong wind was creating very hazardous driving conditions, especially in the areas where there were open fields. Blowing snow across the roadway was also causing small areas of near blizzard conditions for motorists. Officer Adam Stier was on duty, driving on Cedar Avenue when he noted a vehicle that appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed. Officer Stier was able to stop the vehicle and identified the driver, who was then cited for Careless Driving, due to the dangerous road conditions. The speed that Officer Stier clocked the violator’s vehicle traveling on his squad radar unit – 86 MPH. 

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Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen to Benefit Children’s Miracle Network Kids

On Thursday, July 26, $1 from Blizzard treats sold at participating Dairy Queen locations will go to Children's Miracle Network hospitals—Gillette Specialty Children's Healthcare for those in Apple Valley and Rosemount.

Dairy Queen restaurants on Thursday invite customers to Miracle Treat Day, when participating restaurants will donate $1 or more from the sale of each Blizzard treat to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is a nonprofit that raises funds for more than 170 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada; part of its mission is to keep 100 percent of locally generated donations in those local communities. The hospital Apple Valley and Rosemount residents would be supporting is Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, based in St. Paul. This year, for each person who RSVPs via Facebook that they'll attend a Miracle Treat Day event, the $1 contribution will be matched up to $50,000. The …

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UPDATE: Power Back for Lakeville's Dakota Electric Customers

Outages were scattered on Wednesday morning, but crews were working to restore power.

UPDATE as of 3 p.m. on Feb. 29 Dakota Electric is reporting that all outages have been restored. UPDATE as of 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 29 Fewer than 200 Dakota Electric customers are still without power as of noon on Feb. 29 after crews worked through the dawn and morning hours to repair lines damaged by ice build up from yesterday's winter storm. More than 4,200 were without power in pockets across Laekville, Burnsville and Apple Valley, according to Dakota Electric public relations representative Joe Miller. The remaining repairs will be worked on until completed, Miller said, but some can take time as tree limbs that have fallen on the lines need to be cleared before they can be reconnected. The public is reminded to stay away from downed …

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In Case You Forgot, It's Still Winter in Lakeville

The entire region saw a massive snowstorm this weekend, with parts of the southern metro receiving more than a foot of snow.

Maybe last week's string of mild weather lulled you into a sudden case of Spring fever. How quickly things can change. After a week of blissfully warm weather that had lingering snow drifts dwindle to shadows of their former selves, Lakeville and rest of the Twin Cities got a clear reminder winter is not quite done with us. More than a foot of snow fell in Lakeville—11.6-inches on Sunday and another inch or so on Monday. The National Weather Service says this winter is officially the 11th snowiest winter ever, with 72.9-inches having fallen thus far at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. The all-time record is 98.6-inches of snow, and that fell in the 1983-1984 season. Many of Lakeville's roadways are clear as of 10 a.m. Monday…

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Lakeville's December Snow By the Numbers

City's maintenance workers put in plenty of overtime clear the streets from record totals.

December, 2010 will go down in the record books as the snowiest in history since official records began being kept in the late 1800s. So what does a record snowfall tally equate to? Here's some winter fun with Lakeville's December, 2010 snowfall numbers: Total inches of snow as of the 30th: 33.4 (as measured officially at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport). Average December snowfall: 9.2 inches. 2009 December snowfall: 20.3 inches. Approximate volume of snow in Lakeville's 37.5 square miles: 59,976,474,624,000 cubic inches. (That's trillions, for those keeping track). Estimated weight of total snow: Between 180 and 433 billion pounds (depending on snow composition). How many times the individual snowflakes would stretch to the moon and back…

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From the Police Chief

Despite Blizzard, Lakeville Police Managed to Respond to All Calls For Service

Also, Officer Greg Jensen has been organizing Lakeville’s local Toys For Tots drive.

The news this week is once again weather as a recent weekend blizzard brought us the fifth largest snowstorm for the metro area since meteorological records have been kept. With more than 17 inches of snowfall recorded in the Lakeville area on Dec. 11, it is the largest single day snowfall since the 1991 Halloween snowstorm. The challenges facing Sergeant Bill Gerl's dayshift—responding to calls for service and patrolling the snow covered streets during the storm—ranged from just getting around in the deep snow to dealing with the strong winds that continued to build snow drifts all day and night after the roads had been plowed. The city of Lakeville plow crews did a great job clearing the streets during the storm, but during the day on …

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Blizzard Buries Lakeville Under More Than 17 Inches of Snow

City officials say Lakeville fared well in fifth largest snowstorm to ever hit Twin Cities.

Lakeville was buried under 17.4 inches of snow over the weekend, the National Weather Service says, the most snow from a single storm in nearly 20 years. The storm began late Friday night and persisted through Saturday, and strong winds on Saturday and Sunday pushed the snow into tall drifts, some of which reached six feet tall, according to Chris Petree, the director of Lakeville's operations department which oversees the city's snow removal. "It's amazing, really. I can't even look outside, the snow is drifted up over my window," Petree said. Lakeville emerged on Sunday relatively unscathed, according to Petree. "All hands were on deck," he said, and the 35-person crew worked 30 hours over the weekend, clearing roadways and dropping …

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